It has now been a little over two years since the county moved judicial services to Nogales. Largely unused, the building that housed the courthouse still contains our library, a few county offices and is a storage facility for excess county equipment. 81 people responded to a survey sent out last summer focusing on possible uses for the property.
About 75% of the respondents were very supportive of having a visitor’s center, community resource center, and a permanent, indoor farmer’s market. About 67% also favored an outdoor park. Many respondents supported senior exercise classes, a tech room with computers, expanding the library, small apartments for the elderly, horseshoes, badminton, movie theater, doggie park, recreation center, and multi-purpose rooms. Over a dozen people volunteered to help.
Plans for a town hall at the fairgrounds to refine responses and reach out to more residents have been put on hold due to the pandemic.
Supervisor Bruce Bracker provided the following comment about the future of the building. “I believe that there is an opportunity to repurpose the County’s Sonoita facility to address some of the community’s needs. Given the location and condition of the facility, a project that is worthy of consideration, and I would hope would require minimal investment, is an expansion of the library.
“As I see it, this proposal would fit mandates from the state as well as the needs of the community. With the library designation we could also work to create a facility that would meet various needs, including meeting spaces, a visitor center, and an outdoor public space. But please know that I am always open to community input as to what would be a best-use scenario for this installation.”