Dear Action Line,
I was driving around and noticed the Durango Police Department has Ford vehicles while the La Plata County Sheriff Office’s vehicles are adorned with a Chevrolet logo. Why is this? Would there be any benefits to using the same manufacturer such as bulk purchase pricing? – Signed, Vehicularly Curious
Dear Vehicularly Curious,
Your question brings to mind the 2019 film “Ford v Ferrari” starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale. The movie dramatizes the real-life tale of Ford’s quest to beat Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
Spoiler alert: Ford did end up winning the race that year, a significant milestone in the development of the Ford GT40.
You won’t see Durango area law enforcement officers racing around the Le Mans track, though.
Getting back to your question, Deputy Chief Chris Gonzalez of the Durango Police Department provided some insight. He said, “There is no tried and true answer to this question,” and also revealed that DPD has “Chevrolet, Ford and even a Jeep (SUV) in our inventory.”
Factors such as price, availability and relevance to DPD’s typical duties determine what it purchases. While the police use multiple different makes and models, you may have noticed newer police cars that are made by Ford.
“The Durango Police Department is not a ‘Ford Shop,’ but with this, we are transitioning our patrol fleet to the Ford Interceptor (Explorer platform) hybrid due to its cost, efficiency, ease of upfitting, maneuverability and usability,” Gonzalez said.
We didn’t hear back from La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith, but we can assume that similar factors go into purchasing their vehicles. As for purchasing vehicles together, the two agencies are separate entities with different governmental structures and budgets. It would be a complicated task, in short.
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Regular readers will remember we discussed the old Boker Lumber site on College Drive several weeks ago. We recently received more information from ILPEA Opportunity Fund, the owners of the plot of land.
“Hope Farm, based in Sugarland, Texas, is a private real estate development firm that manages the entitlement and development process for property owners who wish to adopt a Community Land Trust (CLT) model,” a statement provided to Action Line reads. “In a CLT, a non-profit retains ownership of the land and provides a long-term ground lease to the owners of the housing on the land. The goal is to guarantee long-term affordability of the housing, while setting aside open space free from the influence of outside market pressures.”
Four acres on the east side of the property will remain undeveloped. This is the steep hillside you can see when you are about to round the bend headed up the Goeglein Gulch hill. The roughly 2 acres where the concrete pad is located is planned for residential housing.
A representative for the property owner did not have an answer for how many homes are planned or what timeline there is for development.
If you recall, much has been discussed about access to the property off College Drive/Goeglein Gulch. When asked about that, the spokesperson said that “access issues were resolved several years ago when, at the city’s request, a second entryway was approved on Ninth Street.”
It seems that changes may be coming to the neighborhood, but it’s still unclear when shovels will hit the dirt.
Submit questions and curiosities to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail questions to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.
