Alamosa County Justice Center opens

ALAMOSA — The new Alamosa County Justice Center will be dedicated today, October 19.

The project is the culmination of numerous renovations throughout the county judicial system and the result of years of planning.

The Friday ceremony will be the final step of a project that originally began in April of 2013 with a county appointed task force. This step was taken after it was determined through a space study that three times more space was needed to adequately meet the needs of the Alamosa County judicial system.

Chief District Judge Pattie Swift of the 12th Judicial District noted in her remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the justice center that the county had “outgrown” the old courthouse.

The original building, located on Fourth Street and built in the 1930s, has multiple unsecure entrances, and a lack of elevators causes issues for those with disabilities.

Reilly Johnson Architecture was selected for the design of the building and GH Phipps construction was chosen as the builder.

Funding for the project came from numerous sources including a 1-cent sales tax increase ballot initiative, “1-cent for justice,” approved by voters in November of 2015 in addition to funding from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and the Underfunded Courthouse Facility Commission.

Tim DeHerrera and the Alamosa County Road and Bridge Department crew built the pad for the building.

Numerous dignitaries will be on hand for the ceremony today including Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats of the Colorado Supreme Court. Alamosa County Commissioners Darius Allen, Helen Sigmond, Michael Yohn and Judge Swift invite the public to celebrate the justice center ribbon cutting and open house today, Friday, October 19, from 3:30-6 p.m. with a presentation at 4 p.m. at 8955 Independence Way, Alamosa.

The $14 million project is twice the size of the original courthouse. At 45,000 square feet the new Alamosa County Justice Center is a single story structure that has additional courtrooms. The building is also expected to have improved security and better handicap accessibility.

The landscaping in still in progress and will be completed in the spring of 2019. 

The structure will also serve to round out the Alamosa County Campus.

The complex is now operational and houses virtually all judicial needs for Alamosa County with the exception of the District Attorney’s Office.

As Judge Swift previously noted, “It isn’t fancy, but it meets our needs now and into the future.”