Two of the largest employers in Glenwood Springs finalized a land swap yesterday, that’s been in the works for decades. Aspen Public Radio’s Marci Krivonen has more on the exchange between Garfield County and Valley View Hospital.
Under the deal, Garfield County will acquire a building downtown from Valley View Hospital, as well as one million dollars. The money will help pay for an additional County building. In exchange, the Hospital will become its own landlord. Currently, Valley View sits on county land. The land swap will transfer ownership of that parcel to the hospital. Andrew Gorgey is Garfield County’s Manager.
"Each party gets what they most need, the land under the hospital is of greatest use to the hospital, and at the end of this transaction, they will have it and the buildings on either side of our county administration building, are of greatest use to the county," he says.
He says the additional space for the County will allow cramped departments to spread out. And, new departments to move in.
The exchange wraps up decades of negotiations between the Hospital and the County. The marriage between the two entities began in 1953 when county sold land to the hospital for one-dollar.
