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Late April blizzard hits the Tri-Lakes area

Click here or on the photo to zoom in and view additional photos

Below: Trees throughout the Tri-Lakes area were damaged by the heavy snow April 23 and 24. Traffic came to a standstill as I-25 and Highway 83 were closed during the day and many motorists were stranded. Some residents were without power for many hours. Conditions improved quickly and temperatures were in the 70s and 80s by the end of the month. For more Tri-Lakes area weather information and photos see the April Weather Wrap. Photo of damage on Shady Lane in Palmer Lake provided by the Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

On April 13, the Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority (BRRTA) approved a waiver of any additional road use fees for an increase in the amount of commercial space being proposed for the Timbers at Monument development to twice the originally approved square footage of 352,000 square feet. THF Realty, which is in the due diligence phase of its option to purchase the property from ADK Monument Developers LLC, requested that BRRTA waive the road use fee on an additional 348,000 square feet of space that would result in a new total of 700,000 square feet.

Road use fees are still the only source of revenue for BRRTA at this time. The accumulated fees collected since BRRTA was created 10 years ago will pay for only about 5 percent of the $10.7 million cost for improvements to the county’s Baptist Road east of I-25. The road use fee must be paid before a construction permit is issued by Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.

The separate voter-approved BRRTA sales tax, which is currently scheduled to begin on July 1, will be used only for revenue bond principal and interest payments. BRRTA is privately financing the expansion of the state’s I-25 Baptist Road interchange due to a lack of any budgeted Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) funds for interchange expansion. BRRTA sales tax and road use fees cannot be commingled or used for the same budget items.

Monument Mayor Byron Glenn and Trustee Dave Mertz voted for this unprecedented change in policy, along with County Commissioner Dennis Hisey. Commissioners Jim Bensberg and Wayne Williams were absent.

When neither Capital Programs Division Manager Andre Brackin nor project engineer Kem Reliford of the El Paso County Department of Transportation were present to give the "Baptist Road Update" agenda item, Glenn said: "I’m very disturbed and on the borderline of being disgusted with the progress of that job. I want it in these notes for Kem and Andre to understand that what is going on is unacceptable. Being a professional civil engineer, the mayor of a town, and the president of this board, I don’t see any excuse for that road being delayed the way it is. I’ve never witnessed a job that’s been constructed as poorly as this one. The contractor may say ‘It’s utilities,’ but there’s no reason that that north lane is not paved and in place by this date and not even ready for curb and gutter yet. So I want to make it known to the county and Commissioner Williams that I’m very disappointed with the progress of that job."

Glenn asked Triview Metropolitan District Manager Larry Bishop to summarize the fee increases the Triview board had approved at a special meeting on April 11. Bishop said Triview had not previously had commercial impact fees that were clearly defined. Local consultant firm Red Oak Associates was hired to develop a revised commercial impact fee schedule "to cover Triview’s liabilities."

Bishop added, "To make it short, we did approve new impact fees based on square footage with the understanding that there would be some development incentives in the form of sales tax rebates based upon certain targets. Essentially what it did, it actually lowered the drainage fee. It gives the developer over the next eight years – on drainage – about a $2 million break. It did increase the roads and bridges fees significantly but that’s why we have roads and bridges – that’s to serve the commercial – and so it’s an advantage to the developer."

The new Triview roads and bridges fee ranges from $2 to $50 per square foot depending on the type of commercial development and how many road trips are generated by each business. A "standard engineering manual for trip generation" will be used by Triview to determine the fee to be charged for each applicant, said Bishop. The increased roads and bridges fees went into effect on May 1. (See Triview article for more details.)

John Laing Homes Vice President Michael Scott gave a presentation on the timeline and expenses incurred by his company for the subcontract with Payton Construction "as the facilitator" of the installation of Triview’s sanitary sewer collection line for Promontory Pointe and Classic Homes Sanctuary Pointe from the beginning of November to the end of February. The two new westbound lanes of Baptist Road still remain under construction. The reopening of the Leather Chaps Drive intersection has been delayed for several months due to utility installation problems and may not be completed for another two to three months.

Scott said that John Laing Homes had to pay a consultant management fee to BRRTA’s general contractor, Rocky Mountain Materials and Asphalt. Scott said that Rocky Mountain had not fulfilled its obligations to John Laing under that consultant contract and he would dispute any claims for payment. In addition, Scott said Rocky Mountain would be billing John Laing $1,600 per day for traffic control that the county had already paid for. There was no response from the board members or the BRRTA staff.

Hammers Construction, Inc., has sold its share of ownership of the Timbers at Monument commercial and retail center parcel to the other ADK owner, Darel Tiegs. Phoenix-Bell, which owns most of the vacant land north of Baptist Road between I-25 and the Santa Fe Trail and most of the vacant land north of the YMCA parcel between I-25 and Jackson Creek Parkway, also owns the northwest portion of the Timbers parcel, behind the Home Depot next to Struthers Road.

Tiegs, Mike Watt, and Phoenix-Bell are negotiating separate sales to THF Realty. The THF proposal to double the commercial density has not been discussed at a Monument board meeting. No announcements have been made regarding possible financial incentives the town may offer to THF. Monument has already offered incentives to Team O2 for development of an indoor water park to be built southwest of the Baptist Road interchange.

The 73.5-acre L-shaped Timbers parcel is bordered by Monument Marketplace to the north, Jackson Creek Parkway to the east, Baptist Road to the southeast, the hardware store parcel to the southwest, and Struthers Road to the west. The Timbers property "wraps around" the north and east side of BRRTA resident Watt’s former Foxworth-Galbraith hardware and lumber store property.

Foxworth-Galbraith did not renew its lease for the hardware and lumber store after the preliminary Timbers plat and site plan were approved. The entrance to the hardware store’s parking lot and Struthers Road between Baptist Road and Higby Road will be abandoned when a construction contract for expanding the I-25 interchange is awarded. The frontage road portion of Struthers south of Baptist Road has already been abandoned, and this right-of-way will become the two new northbound I-25 off-ramps.

Monument owns Struthers Road between Baptist and Higby Roads, while the county owns the already abandoned portion of Struthers Road south of the Baptist Road intersection. However, the state controls the intersection and its existing traffic signals as it does the ramp intersections.

Watt’s parcel was not part of the Timbers preliminary plat and preliminary PD site plan that were unanimously approved by the Monument Board of Trustees on Feb. 21, 2006. The board required ADK to grant Watt a road easement within the Timbers parcel, because the town’s portion of Struthers Road, including Watt’s existing access, will be abandoned once a construction contract is awarded for the interchange expansion.

This road easement connects the east side of Watt’s parcel to the future Timbers Drive, which will run north from Baptist Road then east to Jackson Creek Parkway. The current private Blevins Buckle (formerly Rowdao) Drive intersection with Jackson Creek Parkway will be widened and become public right-of-way with full-motion traffic signals.

The Baptist Road access for Timbers Drive will be about 200 feet east of the southeast corner of the existing perimeter fence for Watt’s parcel. The southern portion of Watt’s existing fence will be within the future westbound lanes when Baptist Road is widened to eight lanes west of the Jackson Creek Parkway intersection. The existing Struthers Road lanes along the west side of the Watt property will become the two new northbound on-ramp lanes for I-25 when the interchange is expanded. Currently there are no plans for a traffic signal for the left-turn lane from eastbound Baptist Road onto northbound Timbers Drive.

It was revealed at the April 13 BRRTA meeting that ADK Monument LLC has never recorded the approved preliminary plat and PD site plan for the Timbers property. During the Board of Trustees hearing on these applications, Director of Development Services Tom Kassawara said that ADK had already donated the right-of-way to CDOT in return for CDOT allowing the Timbers project to have the right-in/right-out-only Timbers Boulevard access on Baptist Road. The substantial right-of-way donation was a condition of approval that is listed in the approved site plan. Kassawara also stated at that 2006 board meeting that there would be no interchange improvements until the Timbers preliminary site plan and plat were recorded with the county.

In many circumstances, an approved plat must be recorded with the county clerk within one year or a board or town council approval may be voided. There has been no announcement regarding whether THF intends to record the approved ADK plat and site plan or initiate a new Monument application process integrating the Tiegs, Watt, and Phoenix-Bell properties into a single parcel.

Baptist Road interchange contract manager Bob Torres, of engineering consultant Carter Burgess, reported that no progress had been made in obtaining any right-of-way for the expansion of I-25 Exit 158.

CDOT will not allow the county to award a construction contract for expanding the interchange until the state owns all the right-of-way needed. Construction companies will often not bid for a project that has not been approved by CDOT because many construction material costs have been rising at rates of up to 40 percent per year. Bids often have a time limit of as little as two to three weeks to prevent rapidly escalating materials costs from causing road construction companies to lose too much money on their competitively priced bids if the award is delayed too long.

If condemnation is required to obtain the necessary right-of-way from THF, Torres said that would take a minimum of six to nine months and CDOT approval of the county’s construction contract award could be delayed about a year.

CDOT right-of-way specialists and a representative of engineering consultant PBS&J have met with Total Petroleum, the landowner of the Diamond Shamrock truck stop on the northwest corner of the interchange, to discuss circulation issues that may arise when the station’s driveway access to Baptist Road and the adjacent perimeter parking places are eliminated to create the new off-ramp and turn lanes to westbound Baptist Road, he said.

Torres said the biological opinion of the environmental assessment was approved by the Federal Highway Administration — a small but important step toward receiving a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 404 environmental clearance permit. However, the Corps of Engineers and El Paso County staff members still need to meet at one of the proposed wetland mitigation sites before any further progress can be made on approval of the final wetland mitigation plan required for the permit, Torres added. The mitigation plan issues should be completed in about four weeks.

Glenn asked if the right-of-way could be obtained by May 1. Torres replied that if the right-of-way and environmental issues could be solved in four weeks, and if four weeks of construction bid advertising could then begin as early as May 15, followed by the minimum time required by the state and county to award a construction contract, the earliest start date for construction would be early July. "I know we keep on talking about this and it slides every month. I’d like to bring it to closure as well."

BRRTA attorney James Hunsaker, of Grimshaw and Harring, P.C., said that Phoenix-Bell had requested that a previously approved BRRTA fee waiver for a Phoenix-Bell property east of the King Soopers center be applied to another Phoenix-Bell property. When BRRTA did not have the money two years ago to pay Phoenix-Bell $200,000 for the appraised value of a temporary BRRTA easement and the purchase of a small portion of this parcel for right-of-way, the board gave Phoenix-Bell a $200,000 credit against future road use fees. However, this credit was to apply only to that particular Phoenix-Bell parcel and was not transferable.

Subsequently, Phoenix-Bell sold part of the vacant parcel to Classic Homes for construction of the Carriages townhome development. Classic was unable to use any part of Phoenix-Bell’s credit. Classic has paid a road use fee on all the now- completed townhouses. Hunsaker reiterated that BRRTA had lost no fees on this parcel, nor had it paid for the Phoenix-Bell easements and right-of-way.

There is now a conservation easement on the remainder of this Phoenix-Bell property. The remainder is too steep to build on and is being used for drainage. BRRTA has not received a copy of the easement. Phoenix-Bell owner Greg Anderson has asked BRRTA to allow the fee waiver credit to be applied to one of the other Phoenix-Bell parcels within BRRTA since he cannot build on the remainder of this parcel.

Glenn said that he had told Anderson there would be no additional BRRTA fee waiver credits for any right-of-way donated by Phoenix-Bell on the west side of I-25 because there would be a tax break for the donations. Hunsaker said the board had three options: to deny the request for transfer of the credit, pay Anderson the $200,000, or allow Anderson to transfer the credit to another BRRTA property, perhaps with a specific time limit on its use before it is forfeited.

Hunsaker added that allowing the credit to be transferred from one parcel to another would become an issue in dealing with the pending THF Realty purchase of the three Timbers parcels. He stated that the transfer of the fee waiver credit for Phoenix-Bell would not be a precedent for THF, pointing out that Anderson and THF land planner Karen Blumenstein were in the audience and could not claim otherwise at a later date. Commissioner Hisey said that landowners and developers have always argued that such "case-by-case" exceptions set a precedent for their later requests for supposedly equivalent waivers.

There was agreement that BRRTA could still not afford to pay Phoenix-Bell and later recoup the sum when fees are paid for construction on other Phoenix-Bell properties. The board unanimously approved allowing Phoenix-Bell to transfer the $200,000 credit to another of its properties, but not to allow it to be transferred to THF if it buys the Phoenix-Bell lot within the Timbers project.

Hunsaker noted that it is no longer possible to know the cost of the winning construction bid for the interchange before completing a bond sale by May 15. Notice must be given to the state by that date, if the temporary 20-year BRRTA 1 cent sales tax is to be initiated on July 1. BRRTA had promised voters before the November election that the exact amount of construction costs would be known prior to completion of the sale of the revenue transportation bonds to prevent borrowing more money than was needed (up to a maximum of $21.5 million) and incurring needless interest costs. The next time that the BRRTA sales tax can be initiated is Jan. 1.

Hunsaker said the board could decide that the engineering estimates provided by engineering consultant PBS&J are accurate enough to borrow a particular amount. Alternatively, the board can authorize a sale of the maximum amount, $21.5 million. Mike Lund, of bond agent firm Piper Jaffrey, said the unused portion of the $21.5 million could be put in an interest-bearing account, with Piper Jaffrey acting as trustee, to offset most, if not all, of the bond interest costs, until a construction contract is awarded and signed.

Hunsaker said another reason to close the bond sale by May 15 is that BRRTA has no cash to buy interchange right-of-way if any of it is not donated. If eminent domain actions are required to obtain right-of-way from THF, Phoenix-Bell, or any other affected landowners, about nine months is required for the condemnation to be approved by District Court, followed by three months for appraisals, and another month for final contract drafting, approval, and signing. In this case, construction would not begin until summer 2008.

Hunsaker stated that another option for "extraordinary call" of the BRRTA revenue bonds had to be added to the bond sale documents, in addition to the voter-approved condition for CDOT reimbursement of the contract cost sometime in the future. If the low bid for construction is too high to be paid by the maximum loan amount of $21.5 million, the bonds will be immediately liquidated. The temporary BRRTA sales tax would remain in place until all early termination costs for the bond issue have been paid.

The board unanimously approved a motion authorizing Piper Jaffrey to begin marketing of the bonds. The board also unanimously approved continuation of this meeting until May 4, when board members will vote on final approval for sale of the revenue bonds and sign the bond purchase agreement. This date will allow all the bond sale documentation to be completed and signed by three BRRTA board members by May 15, as well as notification of the Colorado Department of Revenue of sales tax initiation.

Hunsaker then introduced Blumenstein by saying that THF had asked the BRRTA staff for a fee credit. Before she began her presentation, Glenn said that BRRTA needed a right-of-way donation of 0.6 acre from THF and 0.3 acre from Watt, worth a total of about $80,000 at current average appraisal values, to build the interchange.

Blumenstein said that THF is not a land broker. Rather, THF has developed 110 shopping centers, seven in Colorado, with the intent of owning them. Only one center has been sold. The sellers offered THF a plan that would include 650,000 square feet of space, but THF believes that 600,000 square feet is more realistic. If alternative protected mouse habitat can be found, THF will add another 100,000 square feet of space.

Blumentstein said the impact fees and land originally proposed for the site in BRRTA’s economic study of the approved 352,000-square-foot site plan "are very reasonable in terms of what we’re willing to contribute to the extent that we’re able to maximize and on a quicker basis get to the 600,000 figure." She said THF was not willing to pay any more than that to BRRTA.

THF also wants to extend Lyons Tail Road west of Jackson Creek Parkway and turn it into a public road. Blumenstein said the Lyons Tail extension into the Timbers parcel would be a benefit to the town and Triview.

Glenn disputed that assertion, saying it only would benefit the developer, though it might improve internal circulation. "I resent having my interchange held hostage. The interchange is going to make the property more valuable than it is, and without it, speaking as the mayor of the town, we’re not going to approve any buildings." He acknowledged the recent increase in Triview fees was something to consider. He said a credit of $80,000 was acceptable.

Glenn said BRRTA is in a "Catch-22" situation, needing sales tax to pay for the revenue bonds. Hunsaker replied that the BRRTA economic study showed that the bonds would be paid off in just 10 years if the predicted development occurred as expected and noted that all risk of bond repayment belongs solely to the bondholders.

Lund said the existing BRRTA retail would pay off the bonds in 20 years even if no more commercial buildings are constructed within BRRTA. Manager Denise Denslow and Lund said the additional THF square footage would ensure early payoff of the bonds.

Commissioner Hisey said that someone else would buy the Timbers property if THF does not develop it. THF must close on the Timbers parcel and begin paying interest on the land by July 9, with one 30-day extension to Aug. 8 possible. The first building will be opened in 2009. Hisey said if THF sells the land, the BRRTA fee waiver should not apply to the next buyer.

Blumenstein said that ADK and Watt would be required to donate the right-of-way prior to THF closing on the purchase. Hunsaker said he would add a condition on the waiver approval documentation that says the fee waiver would go away if THF doesn’t donate it immediately and approve the waiver at the May 4 meeting. He added that the waiver fee would not set a precedent for demands of fee waivers for all future construction by Vision Development and Monument Marketplace.

The board unanimously approved a motion directing the BRRTA staff to prepare all required documents for a final vote on the THF waiver at the May 4 meeting.

The board unanimously approved payments totaling $33,692 including:

During public comment, Ridge at Fox Run resident Steve Waldmann asked what the estimated revenue from the BRRTA sales tax would be. Lund said that the study estimates that 2007 sales tax revenue would be about $454,000, based on a two-month lag for the state to forward checks to R.S. Wells.

The meeting was continued at 3:30 p.m. The continuation was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. May 4 at Monument Town Hall, 166 Second St.

By Andre Brackin
Capital Programs division manager
El Paso County DOT

Contracted work by Rocky Mountain Materials & Asphalt, Inc., is on schedule with respect to current phased work on Baptist and Struthers Roads. Weather impacts and utilities work beyond the contractor’s control have delayed the overall project completion to spring 2008 rather than November 2007. Most of the utility work is now well underway, and once finished, the grading and major roadwork can be completed.

There was little noticeable work performed on the Baptist Road mainline during the winter and up until just recently. The reason mainly is that the construction phasing plan identified Struthers Road for work during this period, due to environmental permitting requirements. The protected Preble’s meadow jumping mouse habitat and wetlands issues constrained certain work within and adjacent to habitat areas to conclude by April 30. Environmental agencies, after recent site meetings, have replied verbally that the April 30 deadline can be worked through for the remaining utility work and road grading. This portion of Struthers Road is within the county. Struthers Road north of Baptist Road, which extends to Higby Road, is within the Town of Monument and more specifically is within the I-25 right-of-way, so maintenance is a Colorado Department of Transportation responsibility.

Several months after the start of this project, the El Paso County Department of Transportation was notified of the approval of the Promontory Pointe site development within the Town of Monument and the pending need for extending a sewer line in Baptist Road to service the development. Typically, once a significant road project such as this is begun, the contractor has control of and responsibility for safe traffic operations and the project is the only work permitted in that part of the road right-of-way.

Though a significant impact to the road project schedule, it was decided that it would be less of an impact to the public to combine the timeline of the two projects rather than complete the road work only to have the new paving opened up later for the sewer line construction. Also, it was decided the contractor building the sewer line would work as subcontractor to the road improvements contractor. Coordination and phasing could also be better accomplished by integrating schedules.

The primary access to Promontory Pointe, once complete, will be the northerly extension of Gleneagle Drive. The intersection of Gleneagle Drive will be undergoing extensive construction involving completion of the box culvert for drainage as well as numerous utility relocations. The intersection will be closed from about mid-July through August, and a detour route for Baptist Road traffic will be in place.

County staff and its contractors were notified last week that this development has been identified as a Parade of Homes site, and representatives wished to gain access through the road construction activity, also at the Gleneagle Drive intersection. County staff is working with the development representatives to permit this operation as well on a limited basis.

The Baptist Road and Struthers Road construction projects, which are funded by the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority sales tax, have challenging complexities, but all involved are dedicated to getting this work done as safely and efficiently as possible. Meetings are ongoing between the contractors of the two projects to better ensure their safe completion.

It is important to state that the safety of the traveling public remains our number one concern with the ongoing construction work. The county DOT appreciates all of the input from citizens and takes each of your calls and emails very seriously. Please continue to contact us at 520-6460 regarding any and all concerns about this project.

Signal at Northgate and Struthers awaiting electrical connection

Drivers seeing red at the intersection of Northgate and Struthers roads will have to wait a little longer to see green, as delays in starting up the traffic light continue. Mountain View Electric Association (MVEA) has been unable to get electrical power connected to the otherwise completed traffic signals at Northgate and Struthers Roads.

MVEA has been saturated with new construction and repairs caused by late-season snowstorms. The pace has outstripped the rural utility’s ability to keep up with the widening of overloaded roads in the Tri-Lakes region. One casualty in this delay is the traffic signal.

The situation was worsened by the heavy snowstorm on April 24 that caused widespread damage in eastern El Paso County. MVEA crews worked around the clock with hired help from several different utilities from surrounding states to restore power to homes in that area that been in the dark for several days. MVEA crews working on highway projects were redirected to this effort as well.

Although most of the hardware for the traffic signal at Northgate and Struthers Road has been installed, it may be several weeks before MVEA can install the power lines and transformer to make the full-motion stoplight operational. Tom Spitza of the Gleneagle Civic Association (GCA) has been making inquiries of the city and county transportation and traffic engineering departments to try to expedite the electrical connection.

The city of Colorado Springs required the installation of the signal as a condition of approval for a development being built by local developer Gary Erickson — comprised of two retail lots between Northgate Road and the Federal Express building on Voyager Drive. The portion of Northgate Road west of the new bridge by Struthers Road belongs to the county, but the city is responsible for installing the traffic signal. The installation was subcontracted to Erickson.

The county’s department of transportation will eventually accept ownership of the revamped intersection, including the traffic signal. Meanwhile, operation is the city’s responsibility.

As of OCN deadline, it was still unclear if the city or MVEA have a work order or contract from Erickson for installation of the required transformer and electrical lines to activate the traffic signal, although El Paso County has processed a payment order for this work.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office will provide increased enforcement and observation of the Struthers and Northgate roads intersection until the new signals are activated. Several accidents have already occurred since Northgate was widened and the bridge to the east was opened. Drivers need to be aware of their speed on the steep descent from westbound Northgate Road toward this intersection.

The Sheriff’s Office will also be enforcing the speed limit along Gleneagle Drive to help calm the traffic that has increased from drivers trying to avoid speed limit problems on Baptist Road. Officers will also be on the lookout for large trucks illegally using Gleneagle Drive as a "cut-through" roadway.

Below (L to R): During an open house April 16, Monument Water Foreman Tom Tharnish explains to Trustee Tommie Plank and Public Works Director Rich Landreth how the monitoring station tracks water treatment by the new equipment just installed in the town’s expanded Second Street water treatment plant . Members of the Board of Trustees and Town Staff attended the open house to see the new state-of-the-art treatment facilities that can now treat water from each of the aquifers town wells use. Each aquifer presents different technical challenges for Tharnish’s staff, requiring different processes and control systems for the plant operators to master. Photos by Jim Kendrick

Below: Monument Water operator Brian Warner explains how water is treated by the new equipment.

On April 16, the Monument Board of Trustees approved:

All board members were present.

Before the board meeting began, the town’s Public Works Department hosted an open house for the expansion of the water treatment facility at Second Street and Beacon Lite Road. The treatment plant building has been substantially enlarged with an upgraded façade and improved landscaping. There is room set aside within the larger building for additions of treatment equipment as the demands increase on the town system.

New and different state-of-the-art treatment equipment has been added for water drawn from the Arapahoe aquifer. The mineral content of Arapahoe water is significantly different from Denver and Dawson aquifer water and requires different processes to meet drinking water standards. The new equipment also has significantly upgraded automatic control and data collection systems that will streamline the work of the town’s certified water system operators.

At the start of the meeting, Mayor Byron Glenn reported that the Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority (BRRTA) hopes to close on its bond sale to finance expansion of the state’s I-25 interchange on May 15, complete interchange right-of-way acquisition and wetlands mitigation by mid-June, and begin construction in mid-July. (See BRRTA article for more complete details on Baptist Road and interchange construction issues.)

Background: The county will administer the interchange expansion contract that will be paid for with BRRTA bond sale proceeds because the state has no funds for the needed interchange expansion. A 20-year BRRTA 1-cent sales tax will pay off the bond principal and interest. The Colorado Department of Transportation has promised to pay back BRRTA for the cost of the construction contract (about $16 million) if Senate Bill 1 funding becomes available in the next 12 years. The sales tax will be terminated when all principal, interest, and administrative costs for the bonds have been paid off.

Glenn, who is chair of the BRRTA board, also commented on construction progress under the separate county contract for widening Baptist Road east of I-25 to Desiree Drive. "I kind of pounded the county on the poor job they are doing on Baptist Road. I will write a letter to John McCarty, just telling him that it’s pretty much a disgrace on how that project’s going and something needs to be done with the contract or the people managing it. It’s bad." McCarty is the county’s Department of Transportation director.

The separate construction contracts for widening the county’s Baptist and Struthers Roads are paid for by sales tax revenue raised by the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority’s (PPRTA) 1-cent sales tax, $6.9 million and $2.5 million respectively. The costs for engineering design and purchase of right-of-way are paid by BRRTA road use fees on new construction of buildings, about $460,000. The county is managing the construction projects.

The Town of Monument has contributed about $555,000 from road use fees paid by the Monument Marketplace for repairs to Baptist Road that were never performed by the town. The Board of Trustees voted not to participate in the PPRTA sales tax ballot intitiative. The town’s unused taxing authority was subsequently tapped for the BRRTA sales-tax ballot intitiative, however. (See the county update report for the current status and most recent revisions to the schedule for phased construction.)

Chuck Roberts, director of the Tri-Lakes Senior Alliance and board member of the Tri-Lakes Health Advocacy Partnership, had asked the Monument Board of Trustees to commit to making large annual donations for a new Tri-Lakes senior center at its March 19 meeting. The board asked for the proposed center’s business plan before making any financial commitments.

Currently the town provides catered lunch service for seniors every Monday and Thursday at Town Hall, 166 Second St. The town’s annual budget for senior support is $60,000. The town has offered full use of Town Hall as an interim senior center when the staff moves to a new building that will be constructed on the southwest corner of Highway 105 and Beacon Lite Road.

On April 3, Roberts e-mailed information on the business plan, which would make it financially feasible for Tony Garvin of Flying Buffalo, LLC, the new owner of the closed Palmer Lake Bowling Alley on Highway 105, to lease it to the alliance. The two Tri-Lakes groups are still negotiating with Flying Buffalo and need specific pledges of support from several public and private entities by July. Roberts said that others have offered existing buildings if plans to convert the bowling alley fall through.

Roberts said his group was now requesting that the Monument board pledge an affordable amount to support start-up and initial operation, with whatever conditions the board deems necessary and appropriate, followed by the actual donation in July. He also asked for a resolution to add a line item to future town budgets for senior programs.

A similar request was made to the Palmer Lake Town Council on April 18. Roberts told both boards that municipal support is critical to his group being able to effectively compete for grants from public and private entities. Roberts said he will also present the modified request for a 2007 contribution and future budget line items to the Board of County Commissioners as well.

Local residents Red Stevens and Alice Logan spoke in favor of the bowling alley proposal. Trustee Tim Miller said he would prefer that the alliance build a senior center in downtown Monument if Town Hall is too small, too limited in cooking facilities and available parking, and can’t be expanded by adding a floor.

The board agreed to pledge a contribution for 2007 and a line item for 2008. The current remaining balance in the board’s 2007 discretionary fund for donations is about $15,000. The town staff will draft wording for the next TABOR ballot question to enable the town to retain excess revenues that would be targeted to youth and senior programs. The amount that could be retained would average about $140,000 per year, assuming annual 3 percent TABOR increases and 10 percent tax revenue increases. The board’s consensus was to seek another four-year TABOR waiver.

The board unanimously approved a contract to pay $96,838 from the water enterprise capital outlay fund to Stantec Consulting Inc. for design and construction contract administration services for the construction of a 6,000-foot, 12-inch water main extension to be installed along Old Denver Highway from Wagon Gap Trail south to Baptist Road.

Stantec is one of four engineering consultant firms awarded a continuing services agreement in January in order for the town to receive the company’s lowest preferred rates. Glenn recused himself from voting on the contract due to his professional relationship with Stantec as a developer and civil engineer.

The extension will provide potable water to the Diamond Shamrock truck stop immediately upon completion, as well as future service for development within the town on both sides of the highway. The contract also includes some survey work and development of a conceptual roadway design for future widening of Old Denver Highway to ensure proper water main installation planning so that the line will not have to be moved during future development construction along the highway.

When portions of the vacant land on both sides of the highway are developed in the future, the town may be able to recoup some of the expenses incurred for this water main installation. The contract includes an option for the town to renegotiate a reduction of the scope of the project with Stantec should circumstances arise that prevent complete installation of the water main all the way to Baptist Road.

Chris Day of Stantec said the project would take about five months with two months for design, one month for bids and contract award, and two months for construction. The separate construction contract cost is estimated to be about $629,000, including a 20 percent contingency fund.

The new water line will make it easier to create an interconnection with the Forest Lake Metropolitan District water system to the southwest. The town will be paying about $300,000 for its share of the cost of a larger-than-planned Forest Lake water tank (1.5 million gallons vs. 1 million gallons) rather spending twice as much money for a second Monument half-million gallon tank. The town owns one-third of the groundwater under the Forest Lakes district.

The board unanimously approved a contract for $210,249 — $123,849 from the traffic impact fee fund and $86,400 from the storm drainage impact fee fund — with Nolte Associates Inc. for design and construction contract administration services. Ayres Associates will be a subconsultant to Nolte for the design of the drainage portion of the project.

Nolte and Ayres are two of four engineering consultant firms awarded a continuing services agreement in January. Ayres is the primary consultant for the town’s stormwater master plan. Trustee Travis Easton recused himself from voting on the contract due to his employment by Nolte as a civil engineer.

The purpose of the Third Street project is to reduce the tendency for storm runoff to run across local streets and to eliminate ineffective Third Street roadside ditches. The project consists of:

The board unanimously approved a resolution to allow it to "highly discount" the cost of water rights sold to developers in the future, on a case-by-case basis, as an incentive to encourage higher densities that will conform to the land planning concept of a village center. The board already is authorized to approve the sale of portions of the town’s excess water rights to applicants who don’t have enough underground water to meet their proposed needs. The ability to discount the normal fee charged for water rights will be available for developers that have insufficient groundwater rights for the now favored high-density uses.

The "downtown" area for which the board can approve discounted water rights costs is bordered by Highway 105 and the southbound I-25 on-ramp to the north and east, Santa Fe Avenue to the south, and the railroad tracks to the west, plus two small areas west of the railroad tracks that may be used for developing a high-speed rail station.

Director of Development Services Tom Kassawara proposed a revision of the Development Services Fee Schedule to add a new $350 fee for his department’s reviews of a sign variance, new retainer fees for all development application reviews, and an increase in the fee for a sign permit from $50 to $200. The board unanimously approved the changes.

The retainer fees help the town to recover the costs incurred during the review and approval process for consultants, attorneys, postage, printing, legal notices, and other requirements. The new retainer fees are:

The board also unanimously approved:

Town Manager Cathy Green and Town Attorney Gary Shupp led a discussion on the differences between statutory and home-rule towns and the procedures for creating a charter commission to develop a home-rule ballot issue proposal. Monument has had three elections to convert from statutory to home-rule status since 1989 and all were rejected by the voters. The town is currently controlled primarily by state statutes and nearly all would still apply if home rule were approved by the voters.

If Monument were to change from statutory to home-rule status, the differences would be:

The charter commission would propose one of these three forms of government to the voters in the home-rule election:

Shupp said that a mediation meeting would be held on April 18 regarding the lawsuit filed a third time by Kalime Masse regarding her request for a business license renewal for the long-abandoned concrete batch plant on the northeast corner of Washington Street and Highway 105.

Green received permission from the board to hire a summer intern for "light" code enforcement to identify issues like watering on the wrong day or improper parking of recreational vehicles, and leaving notices of the infraction on the front door. The board approved Green initiating coordination of a quiet zone for train whistles, which would cost almost $10,000 and take about six months.

A climbing wall and soft-fall material will be purchased for installation in Limbach Park using a Great Outdoors Colorado grant.

Mayor Glenn instructed Public Works Director Rich Landreth to repair the numerous potholes in the county’s portion of Old Denver Highway, from Pastimes to Old Denver Highway, and send an invoice for the work to the county’s Department of Transportation.

The meeting adjourned at 8:49 p.m. The next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on May 7 at Town Hall, 166 Second St. Meetings are normally held on the first and third Monday of the month. Information: 884-8017.

Below: On April 11, Monument Principal Planner Karen Griffith leads a discussion of planning Commission issues. Seated left to right are Planning Commissioners Patricia Mettler, Kathy Spence, Vince Hamm, Carl Armijo, Tom Martin, and Town Attorney Gary Shupp. Photo by Jim Kendrick

Having approved all recent proposed annexations and plats, as well as all but one of the related planned development applications submitted to the town, the commissioners used the scheduled April 11 meeting date for training. They first approved the minutes of the March meeting and then adjourned. Planning Commission Chairman Ed Delaney, who has served on the Planning Commission and Board of Trustees for many years, did not attend.

Town Manager Cathy Green, Principal Planner Karen Griffith, and Town Attorney Gary Shupp presented briefings on commission responsibilities.

The presentation covered ethics, meeting conduct, and how to apply approval criteria. The staff also discussed notification and approval requirements for reviewing applications for annexation, zoning, and subdivision of parcels.

For proposals that do not change the existing zoning (commercial, industrial, or residential) of town parcels, the staff can approve final site plans if they fully comply with town regulations and ordinances. Uses by special review were also discussed.

Annexations have rules on time limits from initial requests to final Planning Commission and Board of Trustee hearings.

The stages for Planned Development (PD) applications are: sketch plan, preliminary PD site plan, final PD site plan, preliminary plat, and final plat.

Annexation of adjacent county land must precede these PD approval steps. Sometimes the sketch plan phase is skipped. The preliminary and final plat and PD site plan hearings may be combined to save time and advertising expenses for the applicant.

Requests for subdivisions of in-town parcels into several lots—ones that do not have to be annexed first—are reviewed and approved in a similar fashion. The staff can administratively approve a minor subdivision yielding up to four residential lots or up to 10 dwelling units, if the proposal fully complies with town regulations and ordinances. The staff may refer preliminary and final subdivision plan and plat requests to the Planning Commission and Board of Trustees if staff concludes that the changes are not minor.

The next planning commission meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on May 9 at Town Hall, 166 Second St. Meetings are normally held the second Wednesday of the month. Information: 884-8017 or 481-2954.

Meeting first on April 18 as the Palmer Lake Liquor Licensing Authority, the Palmer Lake Town Council unanimously approved a request from Mozaic, LLC, for "modification of premises" to expand the liquor control area for the inn’s existing liquor license for the main restaurant building. The absences of Trustees Coleman and Finan were excused.

Owner Al Fritts said the expanded area includes the newly constructed adjacent lodge building and its decks, as well as new walkways between the two buildings and two new patios. Liquor service will be provided to the guest rooms and the conference/reception rooms in the lodge building.

The Liquor Licensing Authority meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

The Town Council workshop meeting scheduled for April 5 was postponed and combined with the regular council meeting scheduled for April 12; however, snow caused this combined council session to be postponed until April 18. The regular Palmer Lake Planning Commission meeting on April 18 was moved up one hour to 6 p.m., prior to the council meeting at 7 p.m., to allow the commissioners to vote their approval of a new sign permit for Stellar Styles Salon prior to the subsequent council hearing that same evening. (See Palmer Lake Planning Commission article.)

The council unanimously approved the permit for a new sign for Stellar Styles hair and nail salon at 790 Highway 105 Unit E, a proclamation for Arbor Day, and a statement of intent to financially support a regional senior center. There was also a lengthy discussion before the council voted down a request from the Awake the Lake Committee (1-4) to pay the $500 fee for the town’s water attorney to file for storage rights in Palmer Lake in water court.

Commissioner Gary Atkins briefed the council on discussions with Stellar Styles Salon owners Melissa Cowan and Cheryl Breeding at the April Planning Commission workshop and regular meetings. Atkins noted that there are two buildings in the commercial development where Cowan and Breeding have taken a lease, with six suites each. Each of the two side-by-side buildings will now have two approved roadside signs, 3 feet by 5 feet and 20 feet back from Highway 105, just outside the state’s right-of-way.

The town’s policy is that when 50 percent or more of the businesses in a particular commercial building want roadside signs, they must pool together and build a single marquee sign that includes all the individual signs for each business. For example, there is a stucco and wood marquee sign for the businesses in the West End Center building on the opposite side of Highway 105. The sign for Stellar Styles Salon will be the second roadside sign, along with one for the veterinarian in their building at 790 Highway 105.

Atkins told the council that Cowan and Breeding were made aware by staff and the commissioners that the salon’s and the veterinarian’s roadside signs would have to come down and be replaced by a single marquee with three signs if a third tenant in their building decided to apply for a roadside sign permit.

Mayor Max Parker said that El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa had reported at the April Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments meeting that the county’s expanded jail capacity was already becoming saturated. The county jail is the only facility for holding prisoners for all small county municipalities as well as Colorado Springs and may not be able to hold Palmer Lake prisoners when the "critical point is reached."

Parker also said that the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority engineering study on obtaining and distributing a renewable source of water from south of Colorado Springs is on schedule to be completed by early July.

Roads Trustee Richard Allen reported that the roads committee held a meeting with representatives of the Lake Shadows and Lake View Heights communities who want to form a special road improvement district to have their interior roads paved. The approved bid for repaving Lower Glenway with asphalt was $77,400, with the work to be completed by the end of June. The roads department will apply 4,500 gallons of magnesium chloride to help control dust on dirt roads, beginning in late May.

The Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department had 31 calls in March: 13 medical, 2 fire, 2 wildland fire, 3 traffic accident, 4 public assist, 3 public contact, and 4 others. Four of these were mutual aid calls. The department hosted a North Group controlled burn exercise using a donated house.

Parks and Recreation Trustee Trish Flake thanked Eileen Fascinelli, Jen Martin, and Kate Holly for their supervision of the town’s annual Easter egg hunt on April 7 and noted that the town had received its first royalty check from Martin’s Great Starts Sports Camp joint recreational program. Summer program registration is available at the Great Starts Web site. The parks committee will seek an equestrian access across the railroad tracks to connect Centennial Park with the Santa Fe Trailhead. The Columbine Festival will be held in front of Town Hall on June 9.

Water Trustee Jim Girlando noted that several resumes have been received for the vacant position of town water supervisor. Interviews will be scheduled after the resumes are screened. The cost to repair a retaining wall in the Willow Creek development that was broken when a town water line broke near Highway 105 will be about $800, which the council approved by acclimation.

Economic Development Trustee Susan Miner reported that she and Allen attended a meeting of committee members and representatives of the Colorado Department of Transportation to explore what options are available for using the state’s sidewalk grant that was recently awarded to the town.

The council approved a $500 donation requested by Fountain Creek Watershed Committee representative Bob Miner for the Fountain Creek Vision Task Force from the town’s drainage fund. The purpose of the task force is to promote planning for a "strong, resilient, and sustainable" Fountain Creek ecosystem. The Task Force had already received $43,800 in pledges and contributions from regional municipalities and a wide variety of public and private entities.

Fireworks Committee spokesman Jeff Hulsmann asked the council to once again waive the peddler’s license requirement for Fourth of July participants who donate at least $100 for fireworks; the council unanimously agreed. The cost of the event has risen from $17,000 in 2006 to $22,000. The council approved sending out a letter soliciting donations to the committee along with the town’s water bills.

A 32-page booklet will be published that lists all holiday events within the Tri-Lakes region. Some of the many daytime planned Palmer Lake activities discussed were a tractor pull, the traditional "old time games and events" at the baseball field, and performances by several bands.

Hulsmann also asked the council to consider lighting the Palmer Lake star just after the fireworks were completed for the many visitors to enjoy as they drive home. A decision on this request was deferred a month to allow Fire Trustee Gary Coleman to check with the volunteers of the fire department association who maintain and operate the star.

There was a lengthy discussion about an Awake the Lake Committee request to initiate the process to acquire water storage rights for Palmer Lake. The committee offered to pay the filing fee of $500. Hulsmann said that the town will never get storage rights without initiating the process to determine the level of potential objections from downstream users of water from Monument Creek. Hulsmann suggested using wastewater credits to reduce the amount of well water that would have to be used for augmentation.

However, on several occasions, town water attorney Ronni Sperling has recommended that the town be cautious in spending too much money on such a junior water right that would often be out of priority for actually storing water. The town uses most if not all the annual allocation of 147.5 acre feet of surface water for the town’s drinking water system. Creek flows are typically only high enough to put the town in priority for taking water from the creek a few months each year. Any surface water used by the town in excess of 147.5 acre feet to fill the lake would have to be augmented by pumping an equal amount of well water into the creek. Legal costs for adjudicating the water storage right reportedly could run as high as $150,000 over a period of up to four years or as low as about $25,000 if there were no objections.

Town Attorney Larry Gaddis recommended that the council first formulate very specific instructions for Sperling so she could understand what the town wanted done and how much she could spend on those specific goals. Flake’s motion to direct Sperling to file for storage rights with the filing fee paid by the Awake the Lake committee was voted down by a 1-4 vote with only Flake voting in favor.

The board unanimously approved spending up to $3,000 in accumulated interest from the Lucy Owen grant to the town for immediate aerial plotting of downtown Palmer Lake. The photographic data will be used for developing engineering plans for downtown streetscape and sidewalk improvements. Any further delays would have resulted in springtime blooming of trees blocking needed aerial views of critical infrastructure.

The council unanimously approved two motions supporting a new senior center for the Tri-Lakes region. Chuck Roberts, director of the Tri-Lakes Senior Alliance and board member of the Tri-Lakes Health Advocacy Partnership, provided copies of the current business plan for converting the Palmer Lake Bowling Alley into a senior center with a variety of spaces for medical, food, and recreational services. Council members were supportive of the proposal but noted that no money had been placed in the 2007 budget for this late-breaking proposal.

One motion stated that the council fully intends to pledge a donation for 2007 operations later this year once the town has a more complete picture regarding budget performance and what funds may be available for the senior center. The second motion promised that the council would add a line item to the 2008 budget for senior center operations.

The meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m. The next council workshop meeting was to be held on May 3; they are normally held on the first Thursday of the month. The next regular council meeting is on May 10 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, 54 Valley Crescent.

Below (L to R): Applicants Mark Ennis, Guillermo Moratorio, Cheryl Breeding, and Melissa Cowan discussed their proposals for expanding office space at Mission Training International; site preparation for starting up the Alma Shed Kits business; and putting up a roadside sign for Stellar Styles Salon with the Palmer Lake Planning Commission on April 11. All three businesses are on Highway 105. Each of the three applications was approved. The Stellar Styles Salon sign permit was also approved by the Town Council on April 18. Town Council hearings for the two construction applications were scheduled for May 10. Photo by Jim Kendrick

At the Palmer Lake Planning Commission Workshop on April 11, Melissa Cowan and Cheryl Breeding were present to request a sign permit for their new business, Stellar Styles Salon. The salon is located in the strip mall across the street from West End Center, at 790 Highway 105, Suite E. The salon opened its doors to clients April 21.

Currently, there is one sign in front of the strip mall for The Palmer Lake Veterinary Clinic. Stellar would like to erect between the parking lot and Highway 105 a similar size and style sign as the veterinary clinic. Due to the line of sight for vehicles traveling along Highway 105 and aesthetics for the town, standards have been set for ground-mounted signs.

Commissioner Gary Atkins reminded the applicant, the town "is really supportive of businesses, but it’s important to follow whatever guidelines there are." One of the standards for signs is that a maximum of two ground-mounted signs are allowed in front of each commercial parcel along Highway 105. When a third sign is requested, a marquee will be required to house all of the signs. The new salon’s owners and the veterinarian understand that they may be required to place their signs in a marquee if a third applicant requests a sign in the same location.

In other business, Mark Ennis requested a change to the PUD of Mission Training International, 421 Highway 105. The building addition will be located underneath the existing deck on the south side of the building. Although the changes will be between the existing building and Highway 105, the changes will not be visible from Highway 105 due to the berm south of the building. Ennis does not anticipate that this change will increase the number people using the facility.

The exterior changes to the property total approximately 2,400 square feet and are as follows:

The interior additions to the property total approximately 1,200 square feet and are as follows:

Also attending the Planning Commission Workshop was Guillermo Moratorio of Alma Construction Corp., who requested a conditional use in a CC (Convenience Commercial) Zone. Moratorio plans to place three to five sheds on the one-acre site along the east side of Highway 105. The sheds will serve as an advertisement for Alma Construction. Potential clients will be able to park on-site and take a leaflet for the company. The ground will be graded, and resemble the look of a garden. Commissioner Atkins noted that he would like to have an aesthetically pleasing fence such as a split-rail fence to improve the look of the area and define the property.

All three proposals were unanimously approved by the Planning Commission at its regular meeting on April 18. Commissioner Atkins asked for three conditions on the approval of the Alma Construction proposal, which the commissioners unanimously approved.

1. The driveway to the property Moratorio is leasing from Cavalry Capital Management LLC must be regraded to be level with Highway 105, with an 18-inch culvert installed under it for drainage and widened to 24 feet.
2. A split-rail fence must be installed along the frontage of the property to improve the lot’s appearance.
3. The trash on the property must be removed.

The next workshop meeting is on May 9 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, 54 Valley Crescent. Workshop meetings are normally held on the second Wednesday of the month. The next regular meeting is on May 16 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, 54 Valley Crescent. Workshop meetings are normally held on the third Wednesday of the month. Information: 481-2953.

Increasingly stringent state regulations that will drive up the costs of providing wastewater services are forcing the Academy Water and Sanitation District board to seriously consider a merger invitation from the Donala Water and Sanitation District.

Academy, which serves 300 households in Pleasant View, mailed out postcards informing customers that the board would be investigating whether consolidation would be beneficial to the district. Ten district residents were in attendance at the May 2 meeting.

Though the district has prided itself on its efficiency and independence, the reality is that impending regulation changes will require the district to remove ammonia from its wastewater. Richard DuPont, board president, said, "We’ve never had to do that before, and wastewater ponds are notorious for not being able to process that product, particularly in the wintertime. That would cause us to have to either build our own (new) wastewater treatment plant" or build a lift station and tie in with Donala’s wasterwater collection system.

Either way, the district would have to hire an operator with higher certification to run the new treatment plant, another big expense, especially considering there is a shortage of certified operators, according to Jerry Jacobson, Academy’s manager/operator. "We need to look at what we’re going to gain from this (merger)."

Jacobson is the district’s sole operator, which worries director Ronald Curry. "We’ve got a fragile water district here," he said. "If anything happens to Jerry, we’d have to hire someone." He liked the security of belonging to a larger organization.

The other thing driving this, DuPont said, is that the Pikes Peak Water Authority (which the district is a member of) has a plan to eventually pipe surface water up from the southern part of the state. That process "has the potential to be extremely costly, and we’d have to come up with the funds to be part of that."

But the bigger immediate issue is wastewater treatment. Academy’s wastewater plant operating permit expires in 2010. The district will have to meet state standards in effect at that time regarding ammonia treatment. At that point, the district would probably have to have a new treatment plant in place or connect to somebody else’s.

A merger with Donala would not mean an immediate reduction in Academy’s mill levy, which at just over 27 mills is the highest in the northern El Paso County. That money is still needed for bond payments until 2014. After that, DuPont said, "we would assume Donala’s mill levy," which is around 16 mills.

A total merger isn’t the only option, but the district will spend the next four months looking at various options and shaping a service plan. Donala has created a preliminary service plan as well. Once the two districts reach agreement, the final plan will be taken to court for approval, and then voters of Academy and Donala would have to approve the merger. The Donala board would be dissolved and a new board elected, to include one member from the Academy district.

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The Academy Water and Sanitation District board normally meets the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m., at the Fire Station on Sun Hills Drive. The next meeting is June 6 and is open to the public.

Several directors from the Academy Water and Sanitation District, as well as manager Jerry Jacobson and attorney Paul Murphy, attended Donala’s April board meeting to discuss consolidation. The Donala board of directors initiated talks by sending a letter to Academy proposing that the neighboring districts merge.

The Academy district provides water and sewer service to roughly 300 homes in and around Pleasant View Estates. The small development lies east of Gleneagle and south of Baptist Road. A water supply pipeline already connects the two districts; the control valve is kept closed except for emergencies.

Two Gleneagle residents, Warren Gerig and Gene Pfeffer, also attended the meeting. Pfeffer has written letters to The Gazette and Donala directors voicing his opposition to the district’s mandatory irrigation restrictions.

Before commencing its joint meeting with Academy, the Donala board presented operator Mike Lavin with the employee-of-the-quarter award for his work in maintaining high water quality and his efforts in keeping the district’s fleet running. Originally hired as temporary summer help, Lavin returned after finishing college, earned his water operator certification, and has worked for the district full-time for approximately two years. He was rewarded with a day off and a gift certificate to Chili’s.

President Richard DuPont, Secretary Gordon Rodden, Treasurer Walter Reiss, and Director Ronald Curry, along with Jacobson and Murphy, introduced themselves as representatives for the Academy Water and Sanitation District. All Donala’s board members, including President Ed Houle, Vice President Dennis Daugherty, Secretary-Treasurer Dale Schendzielos, and directors Dick Durham and Tim Murphy were present.

Also in attendance were Donala general manager Dana Duthie, bookkeeper Betsy Bray, office manager Jackie Sipes, and Donala’s attorney, Jim Petrock.

DuPont began with a brief history of the district, and concluded with information about its financial status and the physical condition of the infrastructure.

The Academy district was formed in 1965; water was adjudicated in June of the same year. The district operated for 32 years on one shallow Smith Creek alluvial well. Except for chlorination, the water was essentially untreated.

Academy district voters passed a bond issue in the early 1990s to raise funds to build the water treatment plant, and upgrade the water distribution system and the sewer collection system. The revenues acquired through the mill levy have been used to finance the construction of a water treatment plant, the drilling of two replacement wells, replacement of several sections of pipeline, and installation of a new automated pump delivery system that took the place of the old pump station.

Academy completed its water treatment plant in 1997. Shortly after the plant went online the district hired Jacobson, who has certifications in water treatment and distribution as well as in wastewater treatment and collection. Although a Denver/Dawson aquifer well had been drilled in 1989 and tested yearly, it could not be used as a drinking supply until after the treatment plant began operations.

Academy currently has three operating wells. During the winter, the two shallow Smith Creek alluvial wells presently supply the district with 60 percent of its potable water; the deeper Denver/Dawson supplies the remaining 40 percent. During irrigation season, the district pumps a little over 50 percent of its water from the Denver/Dawson well.

The district recently completed an augmentation plan, which has been accepted by the state. The two shallower wells must be augmented at 100 percent, meaning the same volume pumped from those wells must be returned to the stream. Water pumped from the deeper Denver/Dawson must still be augmented, but at a much lower percentage.(In a conversation after the meeting, Jacobson stated that by using return flows in the form of effluent and adjusting pumping rates among the three wells, he has avoided having to purchase augmentation water or pump raw water from the Denver/Dawson into Smith Creek to fulfill augmentation requirements.)

Academy owns two water storage tanks — one with a capacity of 200,000 gallons, the other with a capacity of 100,000 gallons. Both tanks were refurbished in 1995 and are inspected and cleaned about every five years.

The district’s wastewater treatment facility consists of a simple lagoon system. DuPont said portions of the sewer pipes are cleaned and video-inspected yearly. Academy recently replaced a 500-foot section of sewer pipe; the district intends to replace two more 10-foot sections in the near future.

As part of the infrastructure upgrades, the district also raised all existing manholes to street level, which took about two years.

Plans include more water line upgrades and sewer pipe replacement. The Academy district will also replace six old hydrants and add another hydrant in a new location.

DuPont told the Donala board that Academy has operated "in the black" since 1994. It currently carries a bond debt of approximately $980,000, which will be paid off in 2014. Academy’s total mill levy is just over 27 mills; 24.6 mills are earmarked to pay off the bond and will expire once the debt has been retired; the remaining 3 mills are used for operating and maintenance expenses. DuPont said the Academy district has several hundred thousand dollars in reserve.

Residents in the district pay a service fee of $10 for water and $15 for sewer service, plus charges for water use of $4 per 1,000 gallons up to 8,000 gallons, $6 per 1,000 gallons for 8,000 to 12,000 gallons, and a third tier of $10 per 1,000 gallons for any volume over 12,000 gallons.

DuPont pointed out to Duthie that Pleasant View Estates is heavily wooded and subsequently represents a significant fire risk.