ALAMOSA — Love and hiring local were credited with turning a dream into a reality Friday at the ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially celebrated the opening of the Colorado Welcome Center in the historic depot in downtown Alamosa.
Jeff Woodward, master of ceremonies for the event, said that while it seemed like the planning had gone on forever, the renovation was relatively painless under the direction of Ken Rodman.
Woodward said the number of people who were instrumental in getting the depot project completed was too great to thank individually. He said one only had to look around the crowd in the parking lot to understand the interest taken by the people of the Valley.
The Alamosa Colorado Welcome Center is one of the best centers in the state, Woodward said, adding that the value of the depot and the businesses housed in it to tourism, local businesses, and the residents of the Valley will be immense. He said money brought into the Valley by tourists is new money, not money recycled by residents.
According to information from the National Park Service, the depot originally was two waiting rooms, one for men and one for women and children, a lobby, main office, baggage room and express room.
Alamosa County bought the depot in 1961, the NPS wrote in a 1993 application to have the depot placed on the National Register. Since then it has been used for various county offices, the Chamber of Commerce, Dept. of Social Services and the Colorado State University Extension Services.
In 1989 the building was renovated, and many small offices and a reception area replaced the two large rooms. The exterior of the building was basically left alone.
Ownership has changed over the years, but the history of the depot is rooted in the development of the Valley. The current renovation by Rodman was dedicated to returning a period look to the building.
The Alamosa Chamber of Commerce, Alamosa Community Economic Development, Alamosa Convention and Visitor Bureau, Colorado Welcome Center, Department of Local Affairs, Governor’s Energy Office, Rio Grande Scenic Railroad, and San Luis Valley Development Resources Group are now housed in the building.
