On Sept. 17, the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation Board (PAWSD) held its regular meeting and work session, during which the board discussed a petition for inclusion for a new mental health facility in Archuleta County.
The Southwest Colorado Mental Health Center, or Axis Health System, which operates practices in Durango and Cortez, plans to expand in Pagosa Springs.
According to its website, Axis provides primary health care, wellness exams, counseling and therapy, crisis evaluation and intervention, community support, psychiatric care, vocational support and substance use disorder treatment.
Currently, the center plans to build the Pagosa office on a piece of property near the Pagosa Springs Medical Center. The property is located just beyond the PAWSD district boundary, which led the center to submit its petition.
According to PAWSD District Manager Renee Lewis, if the center sees a successful inclusion process, the outside district boundary would be extended to include the property.
If included, the center would require a water and wastewater main line extension to extend the existing 8-inch water and wastewater lines to the property boundary to establish service.
The length of the main line extensions will vary between water and wastewater lines. The lengths will be determined by engineering later in the process, if the center is indeed included.
The full cost of the mainline extensions will be the responsibility of the property owners.
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