Town Moves Toward Infiltration Chamber at River: Dove Creek Press

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Town moves toward infiltration chamber at river It's a good sign when the most contentious thing on the Town Board agenda is the time meetings should be scheduled. Town Clerk Rolaynne Randolph opened the subject at the March meeting. Actually she previewed it before the meeting started. "I guess," she said, as more members arrived, "we'll just have to vote on it and see which side wins." She left no doubt that she belonged to the 7:00 contingent. Randolph argued that if the time is left at 7:00 even in summer, members would have more time after meetings to get something done. "If you wait until 8:00 to start," she argued, "then it's too late to start anything after a meeting." She added that 7:00 starts are also better if meetings run long. Farmer Jay Allen said that 7:00 p.m. is too early during summer months. "Supper time is 9:30 or 10:00," he said. "You can't get anything done if you quit in the middle of the day," he said. Mike Coker agreed. "During the summer, I'd do better with the later meetings," he said. Roger Ross and Roberta Lowery threw in with Randolph. "I leave here and go straight to work," Ross said. "The sooner the better for me." Lowery said she also preferred to get home earlier on meeting days. Mayor Roger Pribble and Trustee Martin Ogas said they had no preference, and Dean Schlegel was not at the meeting. Daylight saving time begins April 6 and Randolph said that in previous year's, meeting minutes show that meetings were moved back to 8:00 p.m, "This year, we'd like to leave the April workshop and meeting at 7:00," Randolph said. "Next meeting, after you've had a chance to think about it, you can vote." The workshop was scheduled for April 3. Water Plant Operator Doug Stowe said he has been laying the groundwork so the Town can begin pumping Dove Creek's water from the Dolores River instead of from wells near the river. Stowe said that one well had dropped from producing 200 gallons per minute to producing 35 gallons a minute. It will need to be reworked soon, he said, unless an infiltration basin can be built into the river. Stowe said he believes that taking water from the river will be cheaper in the long run. Wells gradually begin producing less water and need to be reworked, an expensive project. An infiltration basin will also allow the Town to document its ability to actually use a large enough volume of water to protect its water rights, Stowe said. The Town has to prove that it can pump enough water in order to claim the volume given in the water rights. Stowe said he has launched the process of getting permits from the Bureau of Land Management to change the point.of diversion. The permit process costs companies about $1.,500, Stowe said, but a municipality isn't charged a fee. Stowe said the Corps of Engineers also require a permit, and he is looking into that. Water courts will apparently have to consider the request to change the point of diversion, and Stowe said he believed he had the information the court will need. Stowe didn't describe how the structure will be built, but said it will not be visible above the river banks. "That helped the BLM quite a bit," he said. Stowe said he had talked to Ken Charles, local representative of the Department of Local Affairs. Charles said that if the Town can match a 50 -50 grant, it's almost guaranteed to be approved. Asking for a grant in which the Town puts up only 30% cash match would be more iffy. In committee reports, Jay Allen said that the Dolores Water Conservation District has applied to the Department of Local Affairs for a grant that would be used to decrease tap fees for the secondary water system. Allen said that the application may or may not be successful. Town General Supervisor Sonny Frazier said he had also been at the meeting when Allen talked with Ken Charles and Water Board member Larry Deremo. Frazier said that Energy Impact Funding is being sought. He called it a "productive meeting." . Frazier called board member's attention to a letter he had written to CSU Cooperative Extension. He said he has learned that the budget squeeze has leaders in the service _ 1.1#,7;1- -1,.. � -, considering the best way to save money which may be closing some offices. "I wanted to get the letter in early in the process," he said. Frazier said that closing the Extension office would certainly damage an already weakened farming community. Frazier said he is considering the possibility of a grant application to help the Town pay for installation of a larger capacity line on Fourth Street. He said that Dolores County Development Corporation needs extra capacity and a proposed subdivision could also use it. He added that Southwest Community Resources feels that there is enough demand to build the first 12 assisted housing units on Fourth street just west of the Town Office. Frazier reported that James Dietrich has completed Dolores County's recreation master plan. Doug Funk, from the audience, said he couldn't remember the information gathering meetings that Dietrich had promised when he was hired to write the plan. Frazier said a survey had been done which provided the needed information. Since the School District, the Town, and the County paid for the plan, Frazier said that a joint meeting should be called, "but not before the workshop April 3," he said.