County Administrator Connie Hunt said she would meet with the county’s road and bridge superintendent to see if the department would be able to work on some drainage issues on the road leading up to the historic structures as well as place boulders near the structures to keep vehicles from driving too close. County Attorney Mary Deganhart said she would draft a resolution that would formally make it illegal to camp on the historic site.
Ouray County originally purchased the historic land from Carl Turk with grant funds from the Colorado Department of Health and the Colorado State Historic Fund, at which time they established a conservation easement with the historical society. The property contains several lots on which sit three major structures that were used as homes during the late 1800s. The most significant structure, called the “white house,” is in need of a paint job.
“The south side needs paint,” Tom Hillhouse, vice president of the OCHS Board of Directors, told the commissioners. “We are willing to provide the labor if we could have help with scaffolding and paint supply.”
Hillhouse also said that the site needs some “general cleanup” and asked the commissioners if the county could provide a dumpster and remove the debris that is collected. He said that vehicles have some limited access to the structures and that fencing of some sort could be used to deter people from driving too close to the structures.
“Boulders might be more appropriate,” he said, adding that in the near future the historical society will need to “expend some effort” in stabilizing some of the outbuildings. “They are in bad shape. They need cleaning up.”
Hillhouse also asked if the county could place some formal signage to keep people out of the structures and from camping on the site. He provided a photo from last weekend showing a camper using the site. “As you can see, there has been some camping close by.”
After discussing possible signage, the commissioners gave the go-ahead to Deganhart to draft a resolution that would give law enforcement specific rules regarding the site.
Hillhouse listed a number of maintenance tasks the historic site needs but said overall that the “structures are in remarkable shape for as old as they are and the suffering they go through.”
Commissioner Keith Meinert confirmed the county's role in maintaining the property and directed county staff to explore ways to assist the historical society with their maintenance tasks.
“I think the county does have an obligation to do some level of maintenance on the property and that is just what we are talking about: Satisfying our obligation to maintain the property,” he said.
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