DEL NORTE— Rio Grande County Commissioners opened their end of the month meeting on Wednesday, July 26 to discuss a full agenda worth of items. The meeting began with a report from Maintenance Supervisor Porfie Medina on the status of work that was being completed on several county properties around town in preparation for the coming Covered Wagon Days.
Medina began by stating that he had completed a tree removal project at the Rio Grande County Museum and that next he would be removing the leftover stumps. Commissioner Chairwoman Karla Shriver stated that she would be helping by providing Medina with a stump removal chemical.
Medina also stated that he had recently received a quote from a local company that would be installing new windows at the museum and asked if commissioners wanted a copy of the quote so that they could approve it and he could move forward. Commissioners agreed that they would like to see a copy of the quote and asked if the parking lots and other county grounds would be ready in time for the coming festivities. Medina assured the board that he would have everything ready in a timely manner as well as get a copy of the window quote to them promptly. Commissioners thanked him for his hard work and moved on to the next topic on the agenda.
Next commissioners welcomed Social Services Director Jody Kern who opened her presentation with a complaint about recent misuse of parking in the social service lot. Kern explained that people using the county annex building have been blocking parking for the other building and causing a safety concern for senior citizens that need access to the building.
Kern continued by stating that she had been in touch with Medina about the issue and suggested additional signs be placed in the problem areas to help with the problem. Commissioners agreed that the issue needs attention before something happens and asked that Kern see to the issue however she sees fit.
Public Health Director Emily Brown was next on the agenda and opened a discussion about possible prescription drop boxes for the county where people who wanted to properly dispose of their hazardous unneeded medications could do so. Brown explained that the secure boxes were gaining popularity and that if she could get at least a few people interested in helping with control of the boxes, she would be thrilled to begin the program in the county.
Brown finished by stating that South Fork Police Chief Don McDonald had shown interest in having a drop box at the police station in South Fork and that she would pursue the matter further and report back to commissioners at a later time. As of right now, Valley-Wide Health System in Monte Vista is the only location in the Valley for people to take unneeded medication.
After the report by Brown, commissioners asked that the attending crowd be removed from the room pursuant to Colorado State law. After a brief time, the meeting resumed with a statement made by Shriver, who announced that commissioners would be reviewing and changing a county policy pertaining to how they deal with anonymous letters.
Shriver continued stating that they would be reviewing the current policy and rewriting it with the help of County Attorney Bill Dunn. A draft of the policy will be posted for public comment for a period of time before final approval. The change came in light of an anonymous letter that was received about a county employee in mid-July. Any other details pertaining to the situation is unknown at this time. The topic was closed for further discussion and commissioners moved on to the next item on the agenda.