Curry officials purchase new building

Curry County on Tuesday officially purchased a new building to house its road department for $1.2 million.

The building is located at 1395 State Road 209 in Clovis on an 8.44-acre lot, Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said.

The county "came across the building north of town" at the same time as its Countyline Volunteer Fire Department needed a building to house its operation, Pyle said.

During the 2022 legislative session, the county received an appropriation to "plan, design, construct, furnish and equip a fire station," he said.

The county road department operates out of a building south of Clovis at 1006 Curry Road 6. The plan is to turn the current road department building into a new volunteer fire department and station.

The legislative appropriation will pay for the remodel of the current road building, he added.

The legislative appropriation was for $350,000, said Ben Roberts, public services director for Curry County.

The money to pay for the new road department building came from the county's reserve funds, Pyle said.

"This is a win-win situation for the county" because the new building is "more centrally located" in the center of the county, he said. "At the same time, this will provide a building for the Countyline fire department."

The new building for the road department was constructed in 2014 and contains a 6,000 square-foot shop and 1,500 square feet of office space, which includes a reception area and two offices, he said. "The property is hard surfaced and completely fenced with an 8-foot high chain link fence topped with razor wire."

"It is a bigger space than the old building," he said.

County Road Superintendent Walon Jones said the new property has a bigger yard for storing stockpile materials, such as rock and patch material.

"The public access is better at this location" for contractors and the public coming in for a permit, Jones said.

Jerry Cass, Realtor and owner of Town & Country Real Estate in Clovis, who handled the sale, said it was originally built by Ken Barnett for his private shop and to have a place to land his helicopter.

"It's as nice a building as we have in Clovis," Cass said. "It has a real nice office space. It is built to the max – all custom built."

Michael Booth, fire and safety director for the Countyline Volunteer Fire Department said he thinks the current road department building is a great building for a fire station."

"It has drive-through bays to pull in and out of easier," Booth said. "It has multiple offices for the chief and other officers. It is in a great location. The county has very limited hydrants and that property has one in the southeast corner."