By LARRY WINGET

SAN LUIS — A $293,595 contract between Costilla County and the Colorado Historical Society for the final phase of remodeling Colorado’s oldest courthouse was accepted by the Costilla County Commission on Tuesday, April 1. The Costilla County courthouse is the oldest in the State and the only one constructed of adobe. The contract signals the end of an eight-year project, involving at least six different grants.

“The Courthouse will have the most modern electronic security, including cameras and panic buttons,” said Costilla Commissioner Edward Vigil. “It will be the most modern courthouse in Colorado until technology catches up with us.’

Vigil said he commended Commissioner Joe Gallegos for his “tenacity and will to finish this project.” Gallegos said it could not have been done without a diligent staff, which worked through each new set of grant applications. “The bureaucracy was intense. The staff worked on weekends. There were some bumps and bruises working with the Colorado Historical Society, but the building is acceptable to the public and the Historical Society,” Gallegos said.

The courthouse could open as a fully functioning government facility this August.

In other business during the Costilla BOCC April meeting the commissioners passed a motion to adopt a resolution opposing the construction of a border wall along the international border connecting the United States and Mexico.

“I brought this to the other commissioners,” said Gallegos. He said the wall along the border was “a waste of time and money.” Gallegos cited labor issues and damage to land, water and the economy, plus the cost factor as reasons for introducing the resolution. He also said the use of imminent domain powers of the federal government could deprive property owners of access and rights to their land.

“I’ll second the motion,” said Vigil. “Health care in Colorado is poor. People can’t afford care. Our colleges and secondary schools are in disrepair. Our highways, bridges and roads are falling apart. Ranchers can’t find people to harvest crops.... The Federal government should provide funds for those programs, not a wall. I fully agree with this resolution.”

In part, the resolution says the U.S. Congress has failed to adopt a meaningful immigration reform policy and has resorted to appropriating $1.2 billion for constructing the border wall, which “will likely have a devastating impact on the environment, regional economies and on the exercise of human right.” The resolution was adopted on a unanimous vote.

The commissioners also adopted a resolution authorizing the county land use office to collect a $25 fee on applications for a septic system. The fee is required by the state, which will receive $22 of the $25 fee, with the other $3 going to the County.

The Los Valles Colorado Youth Corps program is set to return to Costilla County this summer. The BOCC agreed to provide a total of $32,000 for an eight-week project to hire 15 young people, between the ages of 14 and 17. The program still needs to raise an additional $12,000. For information contact Heather MacSlarrow at: (719) 657-9470.