The Bent County Commission was awarded the eighth annual Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation at a ceremony in Denver on Feb. 3.
The award was for the restoration of the Bent County Courthouse.
Gov. Bill Ritter and First Lady Jeannie Ritter presented the award.
History Colorado, the Colorado Historical Society presented awards to outstanding people and projects that preserve, protect and honor Colorado’s diverse history and heritage at History Colorado’s 2010 Preservation Awards Ceremony at the Colorado History Museum in Denver. Archaeologists, preservationists, community activists, award recipients and State legislators gathered to celebrate the evening’s festivities, including a reception for Colorado Preservation, Inc.’s annual conference, Saving Places 2010 Preservation – the Foundation for Sustainability.
A ceremony celebrating the restoration will be conducted on May 1 at the Courthouse. TA Duke & Associates was the architect, HE Whitlock was contractor, and KSF Strategic Services was project administrator
Bent County Correctional Facility
The Bent County Correctional Facility will receive 30 prisoners a week for the rest of February from the facility at Kit Carson, BCCF Warden Brigham Sloan told the Bent County Commission on Feb. 3.
“Kit will still be at a large number of inmates,” he said.
Additionally, Huerfano prison in Walsenburg will no longer be holding Arizona inmates, which was purely a financial decision by Arizona, he said.
Huerfano is set to close in April, which will possibly bring employees of that prison to the facilities in Crowley County and Bent County.
There are approximately 4,000 people in Walsenburg and the prison has nearly 200 jobs.
Sloan said he is expecting more people to come to Las Animas and BCCF is holding positions open for 8-15 staff members in entry-level jobs.
Many of the employees from Huerfano may choose to go to Crowley County Correctional Facility, since it is closer to where they now are, he said.
“We hope to absorb as many of those folks as want to move,” Sloan said.
Early release program
The early release program seems to have run its course and the number of inmates in jails outstrips the number of beds in prisons.
“I think we’ll see a stable situation here for the foreseeable future,” Sloan said.
