Commissioners discuss courthouse security and suggest Love's Travel Stop

By JOHN WATERS, Courier News Editor

ALAMOSA – At the Oct. 23 Alamosa County Commissioners regular meeting, Love's Travel Stops and Country Stores' proposal to develop and operate a gas station and convenience store was discussed.

The proposed development includes several parcels of land (near the intersection of Highway 160 and Highway 17) at 138 Broadway Ave. The facility will also have several campsites for overnight stays.

Documents filed with the county state: “The subject property was previously home to several commercial uses, including the Broadway gas station, which was recently operated by the Monte-Vista Co-op. These facilities were demolished in 2018.”

Nathan Curtis of Canon City-based 3 Rocks Engineering, who works with Love's, said: “We have enjoyed working with Love's. They are all about clean spaces and smiling faces. They really pride themselves on having a clean store that welcomes people.” We want to have employees who treat customers with respect and serve them well.

“When Love's came to Canon City, they brought jobs to the local community and began to financially invest in the community. They are very respectful and really seem to care about the community.”

The project is currently under review by the Colorado Department of Transportation. Once this is complete, work is expected to begin at the site in the near future.

Commissioners also heard from 12th Judicial District Chief Judge Amanda Hopkins, who addressed them about their safety concerns after a suspicious package led to the evacuation of the Alamosa County Justice Center on Oct. 16.

“This is not an isolated incident,” Hopkins said, adding, “What we also know is that this is not the last time there will be a very serious security incident in Alamosa.”

“Prior to this incident, we had several safety protocols in place and none of them were followed. There are reasons for that, but I would like to discuss this with law enforcement and perhaps update or modify some of these security incidents. “We definitely plan to better train our employees to ensure compliance with these,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins continued, “Due to the geographic proximity of the county offices to the courthouse, our chief of security has also recommended that we develop security protocols that include all county offices.”

“As far as I know, none of your offices received any notification other than what they saw out the windows: security vehicles, and if they knew anyone in the courthouse, they called or texted, and that was the only way to get yours Offices and protecting your mental health. San Luis Valley Behavioral Health had an idea what was going on.

According to a press release from the City of Alamosa, 39-year-old Nathan Gibson of Alamosa was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault – threatening a law enforcement officer, threatening to commit a felony and retaliation against a prosecutor. There were no injuries related to the event.