Photo courtesy of the Boys & Girls Club.
The former Carbon County Senior Citizen building was the final item of discussion during the county’s commission meeting on Wednesday evening. Located at 30 East 200 South in Price, the building currently houses the local Boys & Girls Club, but commissioners stated it is in disrepair.
“Going through the old senior building, that thing is in pretty bad condition,” Carbon County Commissioner Tony Martines said.
According to the commissioners, the building costs $15,000 to $20,000 per year for power and utilities. The commissioners explained that these costs are not justifiable, especially considering the state of the county’s budget.
“We did go through a public process where we invited any interested parties to come and look at the building and put in a proposal to buy and renovate the building,” said Commissioner Casey Hopes. “We received no bids.”
Following this, the matter of the Boys & Girls Club was considered. “After that, we started talking with the Boys & Girls Club about demolishing the building,” Hopes said. He explained that following that discussion, the club began the process of seeking a possible partner to purchase and renovate the building.
Hopes said that if a potential partner came forward, they would work to ensure the historical aspects of the building are preserved. However, if no one comes forward, the commissioners explained that the most logical and cost effective solution would be to demolish the building entirely.
“It would be a savings,” Hopes said. “There is a lot of work that needs to be done on that building and we just don’t have the money to do it.”
During Wednesday’s meeting, the commissioners set a deadline of April 1 for any offers on the building. If no offers are received, the county will proceed with the demolition. Following the potential demolition, the county would sell the lot in its entirety or subdivide the area into multiple lots.