ALAMOSA — There are potential changes coming to the San Luis Valley’s CSU Extension Office.

Extension Agent Marvin Reynolds along with many of his colleagues such as Mary Ellen Flemming addressed the San Luis Valley County Commissioners Association to present the financial challenges facing the office and ask for additional funds on Monday.

The association is already a supporter of the CSU Extension Office, which Reynolds acknowledged. The issue that is presenting itself for the office is the sustainability of funding. The current funding for the office is expected to only last through approximately June of 2019.

If additional funding does not come in, the office would then be forced to begin cutting positions. The San Luis Valley office is already spread relatively thin as it has three agents that service all six counties of the San Luis Valley. For comparison, other areas of the state have an agent for each individual county. The amount of funding needed to help retain the current staff and services is approximately $14,000. Reynolds made a request of around $12,000 to the association. 

There was consensus among the commissioners who were present that the SLV Extension Office does provide vital information and services to the entire Valley.

“I think we all agree that this is important,” said Alamosa County Commissioner Helen Sigmond. Each individual county will now have to decide how they want to proceed with this situation and how to respond to the request. A decision is expected to come by March.