The Dennis Maes Judicial Building in Pueblo, Colorado is a magnificent piece of prize winning architecture. It provides an eye-pleasing sight in an otherwise eye-sore prone downtown. The building was paid for by the sale of $55 million dollars in bonds. Over the course of the next thirty years those same bonds would have been worth $111 million dollars fully matured. So overall just the construction of the building will have totaled $111 million dollars in the next three decades. It may not be fair to state what the bonds will eventually be worth, but it is fair to give you an idea the amount of money this building will eventually cost. John Tucker of the Pueblo Chieftain wrote, “Acting Budget and Finance Director Aimee Tihonovich told the Pueblo County commissioners this week that the cost of maintaining the building, paying utilities and providing security and transportation for defendants to their court hearings — combined with the annual debt payment — puts the overall cost of the building at $4.7 million. Tihonovich estimated that the difference between the annual cost of the new judicial building and the old one is about $4.2 million annually." So there's another $4.2 million dollars annually to keep the building running and useful to the community. Would this money have been more useful somewhere else? Could the leaders in Pueblo perhaps have used this money to spruce up one of the worst parts of our community?
The 55 Million Dollar Dennis Maes Judicial Building in Pueblo, Colorado.
The front view of the award winning building.
Pueblo's east side is full of rundown houses and buildings. Most crime is committed in or traced back to the east side of Pueblo. Pueblo has a terrible reputation and is often reported on in the news even nationally, for its crime and drug problems. Just sit for an hour listening to police scanners and you'll hear numerous calls concerning issues on the east side. It would be wise to invest in troubled communities to show the residents they aren't just forgotten. This would provide a sense of pride for where they live. They would be happy to live in a part of town that isn't just known as the place to stay away from if the leaders of Pueblo could brighten up the community. It seems to be a revolving door of crime on the east side. Those who enter the revolving door of crime are also entering the doors of the Dennis Maes Judicial Building. It could be argued that crime pays. It pays for the nicest building in our town. Too bad just two miles away an entire community is negatively affected. It must be true that the grass is greener on the other side.
The entrance from 1st Street to the east side of Pueblo Colorado.
Worn down buildings and homes fill out the landscape across the east side.
Old businesses are littered throughout the community.
Vacant repair shops and gas stations are normal in this part of forgotten Pueblo.