Dear Action Line: What is happening with the Days Inn on north Main Avenue? A January article said it had been purchased by Hansji Corporation in 2022, and that it was to be rebranded as a Boundary by Terra Vi. After remodeling, they aimed to open by fall 2024. However, anybody who drives by regularly can see that there hasn't been any work done for months. Is the Boundary by Terra Vi dead? – Doug Reynolds
Dear Doug: To borrow a 125-year-old quote from Samuel Clemens, “The reports of Terra Vi’s death are greatly exaggerated.” However moribund the place may seem at the moment.
And to borrow again, this time from the King in “Huck Finn,” “Hain’t we got all the fools in town on our side? And hain’t that a big enough majority in any town?”
The latter quote has nothing to do with this question or answer, or perhaps anyone in this town, but it just seemed appropriate to this time in America. Hey, it’s just a fun quote. And it’s Twain/Clemens. Can’t go wrong.
For an actual answer, we turned to the city of Durango’s planning department, which keeps track of things like this going on around town so you and I don’t have to. City planners have been working closely with the developers, who are “still making their way through the process,” said senior planner Scott Shine.
Hansji Corporation purchased the motel at 3030 Main Ave. in 2022. In The Durango Herald’s January 2024 story, the entity’s Vice President of Operation and Technology Fred Brown said, “The property will undergo a complete revitalization, embracing the spirit of Durango and reimagined as a haven for today’s explorers.”
Action Line is old school, and envisions dark, tiny rooms with one floor lamp (30-watt bulb), a one-burner gas stove, and floor space for a pad and sleeping bag. With a path shoveled to the outhouse, of course. OK, seriously, rooms won’t really be that sparse, but the market for the Boundary by Terra Vi is people planning to spend more time adventuring than chilling in a posh motel room.
There will be some sort of craft bar, food, a naturally lit and mindful movement room and makerspace, the latter two of which Action Line cannot fully explain.
The developers are making changes that didn’t require a building permit, such as demo work, painting and new fixtures. Updating an old building is tricky, Shine said, and things such as exits often require catching up to fire codes – thus a visit or two with the fire department inspectors. They’re also adding landscaping in the parking lot.
“Overall, it’s going to be a big improvement, I think, to the building and the (north Main) corridor,” he said.
There is no set date for opening, but Shine guessed it would be sometime in 2025. Action Line’s calendar indicates that year is coming soon.
Two weeks ago, Action Line had a question from Trey L. Backer about the possibility of placing signs at trailheads to request that cyclists and hikers don’t use trails when they’re muddy, at the risk of leaving large and deep long-lasting tracks.
It didn’t take long for the city of Durango to respond and do just that. A photo with this story shows the quickly made signs, which lead with the message: “If you leave a track, turn back!” It rhymes, although if you’re into poetry and want to nitpick, the meter could use a little help. Hey, just kidding. Trails don’t care about meter.
One sign is at Skyline trailhead, and Owen Tallmadge, natural resources manager for Durango Parks and Recreation, said he believes there are similar signs at Horse Gulch, Overend Mountain Park and Dalla Mountain Park. Wherever the signs may be, the advice stands for all trails.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Makerspace is apparently some sort of collaborative workspace. A mindful movement room sounds like a place for meditation, or, heck, maybe just a quiet place to get away from the TV and read.
