Police Department May Get New Facility
Rick Langberg
It’s now official.
The historic Cripple Creek City Hall will soon serve as a new museum and will no longer house government operations.
And with this forthcoming change, the Heritage Center will become the site of most city offices, with plans for an expansion, and an adjacent site there for the Cripple Creek Police Department. This is part of a $100 million improvement plan, expected to be voted on this November.
The latest changes were announced at a special meeting last week, and mark the first significant developments, since January’s recall election. No one expected changes of this magnitude, but most government observers did anticipate changes.
Recall votes do render changes and political consequences.
“We have just got to find a use for this building,” said new council member Bruce Brownie, in announcing the changes for the Heritage Center. Since the building was constructed in 2007, finding a secure profitable use for the center has emerged as a serious question mark. The Heritage Center construction occurred during a previous administration that received the political guillotine, shortly after the center opened for business.
As a result, the Center’s future always remained in doubt.
It is still unclear if all the exhibits will remain, or if the vast majority will be switched over to the City Hall Museum.
The new City Hall museum will focus more on the many multi-varied political developments, including a special attraction on “Recalls In The District,” showcasing the bizarre turn of local politics in the area. Another proposed exhibit is called, “Journalists Worth Hanging,” with photos of TMC favorite scribes expected to be highlighted. “Sometimes we forget about the distinct flavor of our local politics. I thought some of the cities I was associated in Texas had you guys beat, but I was wrong,” said City Administrator Frank Salvar.
Also, the new museum will specialize more in the post-gaming history in the region and memorable local personalities and special events that helped mold the area into what it is today. And the adjoining Pocket Park will offer an additional spot for related tourist activities and even a parking area.
A big player in the move will be the Cripple Creek Police Department, which is still struggling with digs associated from the atrocities of the Bell Brothers, with crooked stairs, and the restrictions enacted by a former director of hysterical preservation. “I can tell right away if my new recruits are going to make it, if they can survive 15 treks up these stairs in a day,” commented Chief Bud Brigght.
Under the new plans, their new headquarters will be constructed, next to the Heritage Center.
If plans progress and the voters give the okay, the changeover will occur in 2024. Few insiders are expecting much opposition due to the horrific facility the department currently deals with and the bevy of concerns
Mayor Milford Ashway is describing this as a win-win for the city.
“City Hall has always resembled a museum of sorts,” said the mayor.
In fact, reports have circulated about ghostly spirits in the building, traced to some of the bizarre behaviors that occurred at local meetings and throughout town. In fact, the lack of progress with non-gaming developments could be attributed to ghostly haunts, according to one theory gaining support
“Maybe, this is the reason we have had so many problems,” said Mayor Pro Tem Malissa Tranery, who lauded the changes. “Finally, the Libbyvalle Empire will be put to rest, said the mayor pro tem.
Happy April Fools Day!
