The La Plata County Historic Preservation Review Commission is preparing for its third annual historic driving tour in May, which will focus on the significance of the old Fort Lewis College campus in Hesperus.
The Old Fort opened at a site 16 miles southwest of its present location in Durango. The site is used for agriculture and educational community workshops.
Previous driving tours, which are open to the public, included multiple historic sites, such as La Plata County cemeteries. This year’s drive will focus exclusively on the old college campus, where there once was a rail connection.
“We’re going to look at the architecture, engage alumni and discuss the historic significance of the site,” county planner Daniel Murray said. “This year we’ll have more of an exchange and invite people to share their stories about the school.”
A date for the event in May, which is historic preservation month, has not been set.
In other plans for 2016, the commission intends to update its brochure, and it has settled on a small grant program to provide incentives for historic restoration projects.
“There are a variety of ways to incentivize historic preservation,” Murray said. “This will make a small amount of money available for it.”
Funds could be applied to properties and structures listed on the county’s historic register.
In the year ahead, the committee plans to work with the planning department on goals and objectives for the historic preservation policy section of the county’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan, which is under revision.
