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Baptist Rd./Hodgen Rd. connection opens

Below - Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony July 31: (L-to-R) Carl McClellan - El Paso County Department of Transportation (EPCDOT) Inspections and Survey Manager, Dennis Hisey - Chairman, Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) (District 4), Jim Bensberg - Vice Chair, BoCC (District 5), Beverly Johnson - PPRTA Citizens Advisory Committee, Wayne Williams - BoCC (District 1), Sallie Clark - BoCC (District 3), Jeff Greene - County Administrator, Maria Jindron - Highway Advisory Commission, Brian Wess - Highway Advisory Commission, Dr. Pat Boone - Highway Advisory Commission, Steve Meyer - Highway Advisory Commission and PPRTA Citizens Advisory Committee, and Andre Bracken - EPCDOT Capital Programs Division Manager. Photo provided by Steve Meyer

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As one of the many stops on the El Paso County Department of Transportation’s (EPCDOT) Work Session on Wheels, County Commissioners, EPCDOT Highway Advisory Commissioners, and department personnel participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening the connection between Baptist Road and Hodgen Road on July 31st. The new section of road connects Baptist Road at Roller Coaster Road to Hodgen Road at State Highway 83 in a direct line as a result of Baptist Road’s curve to the north just east of Tari Drive around the county’s Fox Run Park. It provides a direct route to and from State Highway 83 for drivers from Fox Run, Gleneagle, Jackson Creek, and the other residential areas along Baptist Road.

The connection, which was funded as a Pike’s Peak Rural Transportation Authority project, required over a decade of planning and land acquisition then almost two years of development.

The annual Work Session on Wheels brings together County Commissioners, Highway Advisory Commissioners, and county personnel involved in planning and development on an all-day, circular tour of the county highlighting recently completed roads projects, planned projects, new development, and the maintenance challenges facing the county transportation system. The county departments involved in hosting this tour included Transportation, Development Services, Planning, Parks, and Fleet Management.

Below: New bleachers under construction at the Lewis-Palmer High School stadium. Photo from a presentation July 19 by Jeff Chamberlin of RLH Engineering

At the Lewis-Palmer District 38 School Board meeting July 19, the board unanimously voted to set the mill levy override (MLO) measure on the November 6, 2007, election ballot at $3 million with $1.5 million designated to operate Palmer Ridge High School (PRHS) and $1.5 million designated to attract and retain teachers. Wording for the ballot issue will be determined at the August board meeting. The MLO measure was discussed at the board workshop July 16.

The board also approved the call for nominations for school board candidates. Three board seats (director districts 2, 4, and 5) are up for election in November. Petitions will be available starting August 8 and must be submitted to the district by August 31. Information on the school board election will be posted at www.lewispalmer.org.

Board president Jes Raintree and board members LouAnn Dekleva, Stephen Plank, and Gail Wilson were present for the meeting. Board member Dee Dee Eaton was absent.

Jeff Chamberlin of RLH Engineering summarized the design and engineering effort that successfully met the district’s $45 million PRHS construction budget:

He announced that Saunders Construction’s guaranteed maximum price is $43.9 million with a commitment for substantial completion in time for the opening of school in August 2008.

Chamberlin introduced Kerry Carothers of Saunders Construction who was instrumental in coordinating the 200 bids received after sending solicitations to 600 subcontractors for this project. Also present at the meeting were Brian Braaten, President of West Electric Group, and Kelly Allison, President of Ute Plumbing & Heating. Braaten and Allison are long-time residents of District 38 and have been involved in many other school construction projects. Their companies have been awarded the electrical and mechanical portions of the PRHS construction project.

Chamberlin reviewed this month’s progress at the high school construction sites. Some highlights:

The board unanimously approved the final guaranteed maximum price for the PRHS construction project. The board members expressed their appreciation to Chamberlin and RLH Engineering for bringing down the cost while maintaining the quality of the project.

Teale Kocher, supervisor in personnel services, explained recommended changes to the substitute teacher pay structure. The proposal establishes a three-tiered per diem rate structure that would be cumulative starting over each school year. The starting daily rate would increase from $75 per day to $85 per day. The higher tiers in the per diem rates would be reached at 46 days and 90 days. This structure rewards teachers who teach more days in the district and would make the district more competitive with nearby districts. Kocher added that substitute teachers will receive a new set of guidelines.

The board unanimously approved the new pay structure.

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The Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education normally meets on the third Thursday of each month at the Learning Center in the Lewis-Palmer Administration Building, 2nd and Jefferson. The next meeting is 7 p.m., August 16.

The district’s Web site is at www.lewispalmer.org. Meeting highlights from the district’s Web site were used in preparing this article.

The Monument Academy Web site is at www.monumentacademy.net.

At the Lewis-Palmer District 38 School Board workshop July 16, Superintendent Ray Blanch and Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Wangeman presented background information on the need for a mill levy override (MLO) to fund teacher salaries and operational expenses at Palmer Ridge High School (PRHS).

Blanch and Wangeman recommended that the board request from the voters $1.5 million for teacher salaries and $1.5 million to operate PRHS. They recommended phasing in the tax increase over five years and using $1.4 million in undesignated reserves to bridge the shortfall during the initial years. To simplify the ballot measure, they recommended not including an automatic inflation adjustment. They noted that in future years depending on inflation, growth in the number of students, and changes in state funding, the district may have to ask the voters for additional funds.

Blanch noted that the district needs to increase teacher salaries an average of 7-8 percent to stay competitive with nearby districts. He said that would bring Lewis-Palmer district salaries to 97-98 percent of the average of salaries of the districts south of the Lewis-Palmer district in the Pikes Peak region. He noted that there are various ways the additional funds could be applied to maximize their effectiveness in attracting and retaining top-quality teaching staff.

At the board’s workshop June 14, the special committee charged with developing alternative approaches for funding operation of PRHS concluded that the additional cost to run two high schools instead of one will be $1.7-1.8 million per year.

Wangeman said the administration reviewed various budget adjustments and concluded that they can save about $250,000 per year without affecting student achievement.

She added that if the mill levy override does not pass, substantial cuts would be required to reduce the budget by $1.8 million. She said those cuts would affect K-12 and would impact student achievement.

If the additional tax were phased in over five years as Wangeman and Blanch recommend, for a home with an assessed value of $362,456 (the average in the district), the effect would be:

2008: $68 increase
2009: $26 increase ($94 total)
2010: $86 increase ($180 total)
2011: Unchanged ($180 total)
2012: $69 increase ($249 total)
2013: $41 decrease ($208 total)

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The Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education normally meets on the third Thursday of each month at the Learning Center in the Lewis-Palmer Administration Building, 2nd and Jefferson. The next meeting is 7 p.m., August 16.

The district’s Web site is at www.lewispalmer.org.

On July 25, Triview District Manager Larry Bishop asked the board to initiate a ballot question for a bond issue of up to $41 million to cover future costs of purchasing renewable water resources and other capital requirements. Revenue for the new bond issue would come from fees on growth, not from an increase in property taxes.

The three directors present unanimously excused the absences of Directors Joe Belzer and Julie Glenn.

Bishop discussed a draft long-term plan for obtaining:

Bishop also discussed a draft financial plan based on the assumption that the district would put a question on the November ballot to ask the voters to authorize an additional $41 million in debt, of which $19 million is for renewable water.

Bishop emphasized that the authorization for the additional debt would not affect current residents. The payments for the proposed bonds would be made from revenues from "impact and other fees." If there is no significant Triview growth in the future, there would be no need to use all of the debt authorization.

Board President Steve Stephenson said, "Those are absolutely marvelous reasons to go to the public and say we’ve got plenty of revenue and won’t raise your mill levy, the revenue side is solid. We need the authority to issue debt for (new) services and it’s basically (for) water. It’s a nice story. It’s a factual story" and "gets us out of the aquifers."

Director Bob Eskridge said, "We’re issuing the debt for growth" and "laying the foundation for the future instead of trying to play catch-up."

Stephenson asked Bishop to ensure the ballot language would not preclude use of these proposed bond funds for building or widening a road to provide service to existing customers within the district. He said improving an existing road or park is a higher priority and should not have to be called "growth" to qualify. Bishop said he would have the district’s attorney, Pete Susemihl, draft the ballot language to cover improvements to existing roads and parks, while ensuring that the mill levy would not increase.

The district’s auditor, Tom Sistare of Hoelting and Co. Inc., gave a short review of his proposed final audit for 2006. Some of his points were:

Note: On Aug. 23, 2006, the board approved a resolution to issue general obligation bonds with principal not to exceed $37.9 million with final maturity not later than Dec. 31, 2036. The actual principal issued by closeout on Sept. 26 was $32.61 million. The new bonds, issued by Compass Bank at 3.7 percent, all mature in 2023. Compass Bank had previously financed a $15 million bond issue at 3 percent interest for the district in November 2003. The bonds that were retired, about $26.6 million in principal, had been issued from 1987 through 2003.

The board unanimously approved the 2006 audit. The auditor will send two copies of the final report to the state. He will also send separate federal audit forms, which are a requirement for the Colorado Water and Power Authority loan, to the "federal clearinghouse."

During her review of May financial matters, district administrator Dale Hill reported that:

Bishop added that Hill’s workload is up considerably this year due to the information required for the extra audit and because of the more complicated monthly financial reports. The May financial summary was unanimously approved.

The board unanimously approved an application from Robert and Sherry Pepper for a service contract for their proposed Blue Sky Car Wash in the Monument Ridge commercial center, opposite the King Soopers center on Baptist Road. The district would provide a maximum of 2 million gallons of treated water per year and require "reclamation" of at least 60 percent of water used. If the 2 million gallon allocation were to be used up before the end of the year, the district could cut off water service for the rest of the year. The car wash is expected to open for business in July 2008.

Engineering consultant Chuck Ritter of Nolte Associates said that a separate new well would not have to be drilled for the car wash. Bishop said the contract would still be in force if the property is sold but only applies to the specific car wash use, to include the fixed reclamation requirement.

Stephenson asked if there could be a problem if the Town of Monument approved an application for construction of another car wash within Triview in the future, should the board approve the Blue Sky Car Wash contract. His particular concern was producing enough water to meet the district’s total demand during peak irrigation demand in the summer. He also was concerned about liability for damages if the facility used more water than contracted and the district cut off water availability.

The district’s attorney, Jason Downie of Susemihl, McDermott & Cowan P.C., said the requirement to continue serving residential taps during periods of limited water production is different from the requirement for serving commercial users. Downie suggested adding a clause to the contract that would allow the district to limit the amount of water supplied to the car wash during a production emergency.

Bishop said car wash demand was highest in the winter when there is little irrigation. Also, the district’s service agreement provides all control for deciding whether to provide service for new construction within Triview when water supplies are limited. He estimated that the district has a total water portfolio of about 4,400 acre-feet per year. Total projected demand at complete district build-out is about 3,100 acre-feet per year. The car wash would not add a wastewater treatment load that would cause a capacity problem at the Upper Monument Creek facility before the ongoing expansion is completed.

Stephenson said that the car wash contract was a good source of revenue for the district, would provide a service that the people in Triview want and would use, and had a good conservation clause to protect limited district groundwater resources in the future if needed.

A condition was added to the contract saying water would be provided to the car wash based on Triview’s ability to produce water. The board unanimously approved the contract with this added condition.

Bishop said that some residents have continued to violate district water restrictions that all member districts of the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority have adopted as part of the authority’s water conservation plan. The district also gives developers financial incentives for installing xeriscaping and low-flow toilets.

Bishop proposed a resolution with the following provisions that would apply during the annual irrigation restriction period:

Residents could continue to ask for temporary waivers for watering new lawns and landscaping.

Stephenson asked if Town of Monument concurrence on the resolution was required. Bishop said the staff and Board of Trustees would be informed. Downie said that the district could be more restrictive, under Title 32 of the Colorado statutes, to include charging the fines specified in the resolution. Downie said the resolution should be clear that violations are not carried over to the next calendar year.

Stephenson asked if the district was constrained on issuing new xeriscaping restrictions due to conflicting requirements in some subdivision covenants that call for minimum areas of bluegrass that are larger than those now allowed by recently enacted town restrictions on irrigation. Bishop said the district, as a Title 32 entity, can set specifications for maximum amounts of bluegrass that supersede the authority of a homeowners association to fine people for not following the covenant’s minimum requirements. Downie and Stephenson noted that the existing covenant bluegrass requirements put homeowners in a difficult situation. Stephenson cited covenants written by Classic Homes for some of its Jackson Creek homes that require 4,000 square feet of sod. Bishop suggested other covenant problems that could arise after the original homeowners have sold these houses.

The resolution for the fines was tabled so it could be revised to cover the issues discussed.

The board unanimously approved the final draft of the subdivision improvement agreement for the John Laing Homes Promontory Pointe development. The agreement requires $4.23 million in performance bonds from John Laing.

Bishop said Phase I of the district’s new sewer lines under the new Baptist Road construction for John Laing Homes has been completed. This sewer line is not the cause for delays in the reopening of the Leather Chaps intersection on Baptist Road, he said.

Director Joe Martin said he was frustrated that paving had been completed at the Gleneagle and Desiree Drive intersections in far less time than it has taken the county contractor to work on the Leather Chaps Drive intersection.

Bishop noted that Phase II sewer line construction by Classic Homes for Sanctuary Pointe can begin after the Baptist Road lanes in use are switched to the south side of the construction area east of Gleneagle Drive. The sewer line will be constructed under Kingswood Drive, from Baptist Road to the current entrance to the adjacent Baptist Church Camp facility. The Kingswood development is in the county.

Stephenson asked if the Sanctuary Pointe sewer line would affect Kingswood well and septic systems. Bishop said it could get complicated if the county wanted to enforce the 400-foot rule on connecting to a newly installed sanitary sewer collection line. This standard rule requires property owners with septic systems to connect to a newly installed sanitary sewer line if the home is within 400 feet, to reduce health risks. Triview is prohibited by agreements with adjacent special districts from providing sewer service outside the district’s boundaries. Triview has not included any areas for the sole purpose of providing sewer services.

Stephenson expressed concern about any of the Kingswood individual home wells being too close to the new Triview sewer collection line, should there be a future underground leak or break. The issue regarding how the county would address well and sewer separation from the new Sanctuary Pointe collection line within Kingswood was not resolved.

Ritter reported good progress on the district’s planned 1.5 million gallon pre-stressed concrete water tank in Sanctuary Pointe. Classic Homes has approved the layout of the new water treatment plant as well. The plans for the plant have been sent to the state for approval. Ritter said approval should be obtained within 45 days.

A letter was submitted to the engineering consultant for the Upper Monument Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility expansion asking for the latest construction budget at the August operations meeting at the facility. Triview, Donala Water and Sanitation District, and Forest Lakes Metropolitan District share ownership of the wastewater facility, which Donala operates.

The operations committee approved a second facility filter press at the July operations meeting for "dewatering" bio-solids prior to having them hauled off-site for disposal. Costs should be about $165,000-$170,000, said Bishop. Bishop and Stephenson advocated buying a remanufactured press.

Bishop said facility operation in June was very good. Removal of total suspended solids from the effluent in June was 98 percent while removal of the facility’s organic load, called biochemical oxygen demand, was 97 percent. He noted that the state Health Department made its annual inspection of the facility and the results were very good. "A glowing report. Again, kudos to Mr. Duthie and his operators," Bishop said.

Bishop and Stephenson reported good progress by the three wastewater districts on amending the intergovernmental agreement for the facility to add wording for issues that were not foreseen when the agreement was originally written. The agreement must also be rewritten to describe the facility expansion to meet state requirements and clarify new ownership relationships based on new investment for expansion by Donala and Triview only.

Forest Lakes already owned all the capacity it would ever require at complete build-out of its district before the expansion project began. However, Forest Lakes would be obligated to pay its share of any replacement of the newly installed components described in the planned amendment as well as its share of costs for future changes in treatment equipment required by state or EPA regulations.

Bishop reported that accountability for metering-produced water dropped temporarily to 87 percent due to a reporting error in the district’s billing system. The error has been corrected. The amount of water lost to backwashing well pumps was now being accounted for.

Purchased water for the year to date is 169 acre-feet. All other water has been produced from the district’s resources.

Bishop noted that Home Place Ranch LLC has formally agreed to have Triview administer operations of its separate Triview special road improvement district (Triview Metropolitan District 3) for a fee. This special road district will pay for construction of Gleneagle Drive within Home Place Ranch as well as widening and the addition of turn lanes on Higby Road.

Classic Homes has told Triview it will also agree to a management fee for Sanctuary Pointe (Triview Metro District 4). This special road district will pay for construction of its major east-west collector road to be built through the center of Sanctuary Pointe from Baptist Road to Gleneagle Drive at the south end of Home Place Ranch.

However, John Laing Homes has chosen to manage its own special road improvements district for construction of Gleneagle Drive within Promontory Pointe as well as widening for turn lanes on the north side of Baptist Road.

Each of the three Triview special road improvement districts was created by intergovernmental agreements with the Triview metro district. The three road districts will charge road use fees for each new structure in their respective developments to pay for the construction bonds they will issue. No management fees have been collected yet. The fees will differ because of differing construction costs for roads within each development and the different numbers of dwelling unit road use fees that can be charged.

Triview is ultimately responsible for construction and maintenance of all roads within the metropolitan district, including those to be built by the three special road districts. The three road districts will be dissolved when their individual transportation bonds are paid off.

Stephenson asked Downie to ask Susemihl, who is the attorney for the creation of all four Triview districts, about the rationale for "… Promontory saying no to our provision that says we’ll manage part of our affairs called that district." Stephenson added, "It’s our birthright. It’s in our district physically. The roads they’re building, they’re really our roads. We’re going to maintain them. I’d just like to squeeze him a little bit to see why they’re reluctant to have us be the manager of our own affairs."

Downie replied, "I would be stupid if I allowed myself to disagree or agree, so I’ll defer to Pete on this. And I’m not sure how Pete answered your questions last night regarding the impact fees and all that stuff. We had conversations about could they or could they not adopt their own impact fees on top of that as they go forward." Stephenson reiterated about Susemihl, "I’d like to see them come around, and he’s in a role to bring them around."

Well No. 8 was completed and was producing about 400 gallons per minute from a depth of 1,560 feet. The district’s water decree allows it to use only 300 gallons per minute. A chemical analysis of the well’s water had not been completed. Bishop said the district may wish to use more than the 300 gallons per minute limit by having the limits on other existing Denver Aquifer wells lowered to limit the amount drawn from that aquifer.

The board unanimously approved a change in the monthly board meeting time from the fourth Wednesday of the month to the fourth Tuesday of the month.

The meeting went into executive session at 5:58 p.m. to discuss negotiations.

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The next board meeting will be on Aug. 28. Meetings will still be held at 4 p.m. in the district conference room, 174 Washington St. in downtown Monument.

Below: July 18 - Donala board president Ed Houle (L) presents Employee of the Quarter award to Mark Parker. Seated (L to R) are board members Tim Murphy and Dale Schendzielos. Photo by John Heiser

At the Donala Water and Sanitation District Board of Directors meeting July 18, the board approved disconnection of water service for customers who repeatedly violate the irrigation restrictions.

Board president Ed Houle and board members Dick Durham, Tim Murphy, and Dale Schendzielos were present. Director Dennis Daugherty was absent.

Donala district general manager Dana Duthie estimated that "75-80 percent of the district’s customers are cooperating." He reported that the district has sent 75 first warning letters and three second warning letters to those seen to be continuing to violate the restrictions. He noted that if these violations continue, with the third violation a $25 fine would be imposed. A fourth violation would result in a $50 fine. After some discussion, the board unanimously approved disconnection of service on the fifth violation. The cost for reconnection is $75.

Residents David and Nina Porter urged the board to work harder to explain to the residents the need for the rationing program especially in light of the proposed inclusion of the Academy district.

Houle replied that the district has been using newsletters, the web site, and other means. He added that the board members are residents in the district and must comply with the same restrictions. He said the program is important to preserve residents’ property values and noted that the district is working with the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority (PPRWA) to explore regional solutions.

Regarding the inclusion of the Academy district, Houle said, "The Academy district brings their own water, more than their own."

Duthie said the district is preparing a mid-fall presentation on long-term plans and added that he is willing to meet with individual residents or groups.

Resident Warren Gerig noted that groundwater is a finite resource and its depletion will affect property values. He said the board should be congratulated for their efforts.

Resident Gene Pfeffer suggested that a progressive rate structure that charges more per gallon the more water a customer uses can help with conservation.

Houle replied that the district has that type of rate structure but experience has shown that rationing with fines is the only approach that consistently works to reduce water use.

Duthie noted that 19 Rainbird evapotranspiration (ET) controllers have been installed with 9 more scheduled. The ET controllers calculate the amount of moisture needed to maintain optimum root structure. The pager system then broadcasts a signal to switch the ET controllers on or off. Yard signs are available for those with the ET controllers to help explain to neighbors why the sprinklers are running at times when those without the controllers would not be allowed to irrigate.

Rainbird claims the ET controllers are especially effective for large users such as golf courses and parks, and reduce water consumption by 25 to 40 percent when compared with a standard timer-operated system.

Duthie noted that according to media reports the actual savings might be closer to 10 percent. He said that at the end of the irrigation season he will do a comparative analysis of the water usage with ET controllers.

As of June 30, revenue for the year totaled $2.01 million, 48 percent of the anticipated $4.2 million for the year. Some of the principal sources of revenue were property taxes at $644,360, water sales at $531,362, sewer service at $390,728, and interest income at $251,531. The district has a combined property tax rate of 16.296 mills.

Expenses through June 30 totaled $2.41 million. Those expenses included $1.04 million in operations and administrative expenses and $1.38 million in infrastructure projects.

For the first six months of the year, the separate expenses for expansion of the wastewater treatment plant totaled $2.24 million. The 2007 budget for that project is $7.48 million. The total cost of the twenty-month project is projected at $12-14 million. Those costs are split between the Donala district and the Triview Metropolitan District.

In 2006, the Donala district obtained a $4.91 million loan from the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority to cover part of the cost of the wastewater treatment plant expansion. The interest rate on that loan is 3.64 percent.

The board unanimously accepted the 2006 audit prepared by Hoelting & Company.

From the end of 2005 to the end of 2006, the district’s net assets increased $4.89 million from $27.99 million to $32.88 million. During that time, the district’s capital assets including land, water rights, plants, and equipment increased from $13.64 million to $15.36 million. The district’s long-term debt increased from $2.13 million to $4.91 million. The district has an unchanged Standard & Poor’s long-term bond rating of AA.

Management’s discussion and analysis noted, "The water level in the Denver Basin is declining rapidly. Therefore we will accelerate our search for renewable water and related infrastructure. Expenses for these projects will be significant."

Duthie distributed a draft list of proposed projects with estimated costs to the district and the years in which the projects would likely be done:

The regional infrastructure item could include interconnections with nearby districts and pursuit of alternative sources of water.

Following the public meeting, the board went into executive session to discuss personnel and water purchase issues.

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The Donala board will hold its next regular meeting on Wednesday, August 15 at 1:30 p.m. at the Donala office, 15850 Holbein Drive. Meetings are normally held on the third Wednesday of each month.

Monument Sanitation District Manager Mike Wicklund briefed the board on July 17 on the successful completion of emergency repairs on several segments of Beacon Lite Road north of Highway 105 in late June. Costs for the extensive repairs were not yet available from the contractors.

All board members were present.

Background: After notifying the county and the Town of Monument that portions of the asphalt paving on Beacon Lite Road north of the Highway 105 intersection were collapsing above the sanitary sewer trench, Wicklund recommended at the June 21 board meeting that the district perform the required emergency repairs before the sagging asphalt in the southbound lane by the Century Place intersection caused an accident.

Wicklund also advised the board that the county and town were not going to fix the rapidly deteriorating roadway in the near future and the district had to take steps to protect its main sanitary sewer collection line buried about 8 feet under the collapsing southbound lane. Ownership and responsibility for repairs of Beacon Lite Road north of Highway 105 to Eighth Street has been a topic of dispute between the town and county for years.

The current Beacon Lite paving was installed by Monument Sanitation District in 2000 over a new district sanitary sewer collection line for Wakonda Hills. An investigation of the condition of the district’s main sanitary sewer collection line by a remote-controlled television camera showed no damage or shifting had occurred despite the apparent trench failures.

Costs still not available: Although the paving warranty and the district’s responsibility for the condition of Beacon Lite Road had expired several years ago, the board approved the emergency repair on June 21, not knowing the cause or cost. The work was completed by the end of June.

Wicklund described the work done showing numerous pictures of portions of the project. "We started at the north end and filled in some trench failures up there on the county’s portion of the right-of-way. The county was very appreciative of what we were doing. They knew that this was out of warranty. We’ve always had a good relationship with the county, so they were happy that we were taking responsibility." Most recently, the cooperation has taken place in Wakonda Hills, where the district is installing new collection lines in a three-phase expansion project. The county has said it has no funding for repairs north of Highway 105 at this time.

Wicklund noted that the town’s portion of Beacon Lite south of Eighth Street had a couple of very soft spots under the asphalt that could not be re-compacted. Wicklund said he told contractor Trax Construction to "Just keep digging." Water started rapidly spouting out an old cross-street trench, causing concern that a water main might have been broken. "There must have been 12 people there and everyone at the same time grabbed their cell phones and started dialing numbers." However, the inflow of water subsided a few minutes later. An abandoned 4-inch vitrified clay pipe for an individual sewer service line was unearthed, and after additional excavation of another foot of mud, the clay line, located about 3 feet above the district’s new 12-inch collection line, proved to be the source of the gush of water. Storm and ground water from a sewer line that was abandoned during the 2000 construction project was entering the trench containing the new line, thus causing the trench failure in the southbound lane.

This clay line was not shown on any district records dating back to the early 1960s, nor was there any record of a building being previously located in what is now residential Century Park. An adjacent 8-inch abandoned collection line to the east of Beacon Lite Road and Century Place and two manholes had been sealed with concrete by the district during installation of the new collection line. Wicklund said that groundwater had infiltrated the then-unknown 4-inch clay line where the seals between each pipe had failed over time. Other groundwater flowing around the abandoned 8-inch line had also flowed around the clay service under the road and had eroded the roadbase installed in 2000. Trax workers sealed the broken clay line with dry cement to prevent a recurrence of groundwater diversion under Beacon Lite.

The now 7-foot hole was filled with very large rocks and smaller rocks to fill the gaps, and then compacted. The work was designed to better withstand underground flows from several nearby springs as well as heavy seasonal rains through the area. These flows along the east side of Beacon Lite that were redirected by the clay pipe under the road had washed away the smaller gravel installed in 2000 around the collection line. The loss of this gravel left only mud under the asphalt and caused the collapse that endangered traffic.

Wicklund told the board that the Century Place trench failure was the district’s problem after all. The board’s action to permanently fix the problem regardless of cause and responsibility had been the right decision.

The work performed by Trax included:

Director Glenda Smith asked "What was the cost for this?" Wicklund said, "That’s a good question. We haven’t gotten the bill yet." Costs were not known for the Trax construction, the design work performed by engineering consultant GMS Inc., or for the continuous monitoring performed by the soils engineer from HP-Geotech throughout the construction. After this meeting, Trax sent the district a bill for $33,000.

The Town of Monument charged the district a $100 road-cut fee but did not charge the district for the town’s daily inspections of Trax’s work south of Eighth Street.

Wicklund also informed the board that there were several very heavy trucks using Beacon Lite Road to avoid the weigh stations on I-25 every hour throughout the entire construction cycle even though flagmen were routinely stopping traffic for several minutes for single-lane operations. These heavy trucks could be easily seen by the inspectors on the west side of the interstate, yet the flagrant avoidance continued. Numerous tickets were issued by Monument police as well as port officials for illegally avoiding the scales.

Wicklund said he had met with an engineer and a real estate agent for a Jim Morley development company about the status of the former Watt property. They had informed him that the Watt family had closed the sale of the 234 acre parcel to Morley’s Infinity Land Corporation. Morley will call the development Willow Springs Ranch. The Watt property generally lies between the railroad tracks and the Forest Lake Metropolitan District between the west end of Baptist Road and the south end of Mitchell Avenue. There is also a vacant rectangular section east of the tracks between Trails End, Old Denver Highway, and the ice skating rinks.

The representatives told Wicklund that the town was trying to have Morley include the parcel into Triview Metropolitan District as part of its annexation. Wicklund said he gave them the pros and cons of being included by Monument, Forest Lakes, Triview, or Donala Water and Sanitation District. The developer is also considering forming a water district for the development. The Monument district had not been informed of a final decision on inclusion prior to the July 17 meeting.

The board discussed protected mouse habitat, wetland, road access, lift station, wastewater treatment capacity, and other long-term cost issues should Morley decide to request inclusion by Monument Sanitation District.

Wicklund informed the board that he had met with Monument Town Manager Cathy Green that afternoon and she had confirmed that the angle parking in front of the district building would probably be converted to parallel parking and may be eliminated altogether in the near future. The board discussed options for obtaining nearby land for alternative parking spaces to support tenant businesses and protect the value of the district’s building. There was no consensus for inquiring about a purchase for parking.

Note: After this meeting, the town informed the district that Public Works will paint stripes for eight angled parking places in front of the district building, between Washington Street and the alley. This is three more angled spaces than originally striped. There will also be new stripes for five parallel parking slots painted in front of the Chapala building on the opposite side of Second Street.

The district’s attorney, Larry Gaddis, attended the meeting at the request of directors who had joined the board since the last election and wanted to meet him. Gaddis said that the board and staff could contact him at his office when issues occasionally come up. Gaddis told the directors his regular attendance at meetings was not required because the staff and board were doing a good job. He said he had been the district’s attorney for more than 20 years and could not recall a time when he had been contacted too late over an issue.

The lawyers for Triview, Palmer Lake, and Woodmoor attend all board meetings. Donala’s attorney rarely attends board meetings.

Wicklund gave Gaddis a summary of the Joint Use Committee meeting that had taken place at 10 a.m. that day, after noting that all five board members had attended it. (Click here for details on the July 17 JUC meeting.)

Wicklund also informed Gaddis that several other Colorado sanitation districts will be unable to comply with much tighter standards on copper content in water now being proposed by the state Health Department at the direction of the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Each district would have to spend millions of dollars for unproven copper removal equipment and additional millions for operation of the new equipment.

District Chairman Lowell Morgan told Gaddis, "We have two big problems. One is we don’t know how to remove that much copper. And two is the lower limit, only slightly above what’s measurable. So the uncertainty of the measurements is large." Environmental lawyer Tad Foster is representing the facility on permit issues.

Installation of such copper removal equipment at the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility — which is owned in equal shares by the Monument, Palmer Lake, and Woodmoor sanitation districts — would cost about $2 million, divided equally among the three districts. Annual operational costs for the new equipment would initially be about $500,000. Copper is and has been undetectable in Monument Creek downstream of the facility discharge since the issue arose three years ago.

Wicklund also informed Gaddis that these very high initial and continuing costs might be avoided if the towns were to install new water treatment equipment — which is far less expensive to purchase, install, and operate — in their municipal drinking water treatment plants. Adding caustic soda could better control the acidity of town drinking water and etching of copper from the inside of residential and commercial water pipes. Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District has treated its drinking water for acidity for years and has much lower copper concentrations in its wastewater than Monument or Palmer Lake.

The meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m.

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The next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 at the district conference room, 130 Second St. Meetings are normally held the third Thursday of the month. Information: 481-4886.

The Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District Board of Directors met July 19, a week later than scheduled due to lack of a quorum. The board excused Jim Whitelaw’s absence.

In May, the Demand Management Program for irrigation restrictions went into effect. District manager Phil Steininger reported that permits had been issued for watering new seed and new sod. Customers appeared to be complying with the "no watering" on Mondays. The program has flattened out the daily peak use, but water still has a high seasonal use rate.

The watering restrictions and the draw-down program for lake dam repair were explained at a meeting of the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA).

The district had already begun to realize its objective of easing peak demand. According to Steininger, most residents seemed to understand the reasons for the restrictions and were willing to comply. He noted that on Mondays, when no irrigation is allowed, the district has been able to refill its tank, and there had been no big spikes in water demand this summer. Director Jim Taylor asked if there had been many complaints, to which Steininger replied there had been a lot of calls asking for clarification on which days they could water, some calls from residents concerned about the water supply, and a few reported violations.

Benny Nasser, Woodmoor district representative to the Joint Use Committee, reported the following:

District civil engineer Jessie Shaffer offered three cost-sharing options that the board could consider for providing raw water from Lake Woodmoor to Palmer Ridge High School for irrigation of grounds and fields. Shaffer estimated the cost for site work, an above-ground bolted steel water storage tank, a skid-mounted pump, electrical service, and miscellaneous items to be approximately $1.3 million. The following options were presented:

1. A 50/50 cost-sharing split between the school district and the water district.
2. Apportion the cost by capacity needs of the parties based upon incremental costs of supplying raw water.
3. Apportion the cost by capacity and timing based upon incremental costs of supplying and delivering raw water.

Shaffer recommended a cost-sharing approach in which the district would incur two-thirds of the cost, or $882,000 and the school would pay the district one-third of the cost, or $430,800, to fund the construction of the storage and delivery system. He said that the district would benefit from this agreement, one example being the water pressure provided by placement of the storage tank high on the school’s site. The board approved Shaffer’s recommendation.

Steininger noted that it was important to the district that the high school use raw water for irrigation, and it benefited the school because it would realize a 15 percent savings. Director Jim Wyss added that the school district is paying another $184,000 for a potable water tap. The district’s attorney, Erin Smith, advised that the district be paid the school’s portion for the system before beginning construction of the raw water system.

Shaffer reported that construction of Well 20 was complete but that the district was waiting for the El Paso County commissioners to approve a plat waiver restricting access to the well site from Fairplay. He said that he would ask for an exemption from the Planning Commission and the county commissioners in August. Shaffer explained that the Fairplay access was better because it was more direct and did not have a hill that maintenance trucks would have to negotiate. Mike Rothberg of consultant RTW reported that once the district receives approval for the access, a contract will be let for construction of the lines to the south water treatment facility.

Rothberg gave a slide presentation on the Integrated Resource Plan. The program included water resources available and demand management. A version of the presentation will be given at a Sertoma Club meeting and perhaps to some other clubs, and to the WIA. It may be shown to the Monument Board of Trustees, since there is some overlapping jurisdiction. He noted that there was a lot of material to incorporate into a half-hour presentation and thought an hour presentation would be more realistic.

Director Nasser said that the Sertomans need to know that the district is using surface water and suggested that they would be most interested in why there were restrictions, the water supply issues, and how much the bond issue would cost them.

Attorney Smith suggested that the idea of a presentation was good but the focus could be more clearly defined. She questioned if the purpose was to explain demand management or to talk about a bond issue. Rothberg added that the underlying message should be that the district is confident in the recommendations of their long-range plan and is proactively addressing the issues. Steininger said that he would continue to work on the presentation and present it again at the August meeting. He suggested that he would like it to be ready so he could present it at the WIA September meeting. The board recommended that a CD be available for other groups and that the report could be posted on the district’s Web site.

Residents continue to use water from Lake Woodmoor, and there have been few complaints. Operations manager Randy Gillette reported that the district water use statistics were 97 percent accountable and that they were now operating on 50 percent lake water (700 gallons per minute) and 50 percent well water (700 gpm). Gillette reported that while there had been a few sporadic problems, overall the system was working well. The district was now pulling water from the lake’s bottom, and so far it had presented no water quality issues at the treatment plant.

Steininger added that he had met with the WIA and a few of the lake shore residents. The WIA questioned why the lake level was falling when there were water restrictions in place and it has been a wet year. The WIA also wanted to know how the district was addressing mosquito control and the West Nile virus. He added that lake shore homeowners were frustrated that the lake will be drained and wanted to know how long it would take for the lake level to come back after the dam was repaired. Steininger said he understood their concerns because they feel it will affect their property values. He noted that people have become accustomed to high lake levels but added that the lake levels have always fluctuated and will continue to do so even after the repairs have been made because the district will continue to use the lake for surface water storage.

Steininger reported that under the state’s new transit-loss program, the district must report tributary water flowing into the ponds at the Woodmoor Pines Country Club to the state engineer’s office beginning July 2007. He said the club and the district are working on a legal agreement in which the district would own all the water in the ponds. Currently, water is pumped from the ponds for irrigation at no charge to the club, but once the agreement is in place and the tributary flows are metered, the club will be billed for the water and the district can claim maximum augmentation credits. Steininger thanked Gillette, Shaffer, and Lance Nielson for daily monitoring and preparing reports for the District 10 Water Commissioner.

Steininger reported that there were too many unknowns regarding the pump-back system of monitoring outlined in the Water Infrastructure Planning Study, so it was put on hold until 2008, at which time the district will review the recommendations.

Gillette reported that the district was continuing to use a video camera to examine the sewer line infrastructure and look for inflows into the system. He said that staff had been filming an average of 2,000 feet a day of the sewer lines and had been cleaning 3,000 feet a day. A lot of problems in the older lines have shown up on camera, especially the clay pipes in Zone 1 in the lines that dead-end. Gillette said that once the problems are all located, the district would analyze them and target reduction of flows into the system.

Gillette reported that the staff has completed about 85 percent of fire hydrant maintenance and has so far replaced four hydrants. He expected that the staff would complete the inspection, cleaning and fire hydrant maintenance by the August meeting.

Shaffer added that data collection has been completed for the South Outfall Line and the North Outfall line locations and that a wealth of information was obtained and being analyzed.

Steininger reviewed the significant changes in the 2007 budget for working purposes. He stated that the 2007 budget as submitted to the state would not change. The mid-year update changes are only to provide a projection as to what the manager thinks the expenditures and income will be at the end of the year. The actual budget would not be formally amended unless necessary at year-end. Director Wyss asked if the tap fees needed to be adjusted to account for the slow-down in the housing market, to which Steininger responded that he expected the district was on line to meet the 2007 budget projections for revenues and expenditures but they could be adjusted if necessary. The board approved the mid-year budget.

Smith said the URS Work Order No. 2 for dam repair had been reviewed and an amendment prepared. The amendment increases URS’s risk allocation and adds a broad indemnification for the district. She presented the contract and amendment to Taylor for his signature, reminding the board that it had previously approved the contract subject to attorney’s review. Taylor then signed the contract, which will be sent forward to URS for a signature.

Planning manager Shaffer reported on the following developments: