Laserfiche WebLink
<br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />the years on this project. The reason we wanted it presented today was <br />because we are getting down to the decision-making part where the state <br />of Colorado will have to officially submit its comments concerning <br />this project in the very near future. There are a great many important <br />decisions to be made, as you can see, concerning it. One of the prob- <br />lems is an obvious one. It is a political problem. Assuming that the <br />state endorses this project, unless it has solid support in the metro- <br />politan area, I think is has no chance whatsoever of being authorized <br />as a federal project. By that, I mean that actually there are at least <br />four congressional districts directly involved in the Denver metro- <br />politan area, and the other one touches on the metropolitan area. So <br />unless there is a unified action on the part of the congressional dele- <br />gation, there is little chance of getting this project authorized. It <br />is essential that some type of unified approach be made within the <br />metropolitan area, because this project is truely for all of the people <br />in the metropolitan area. The problem of how we get that organized <br />will be a formidable one, but it is necessary if the project is to be <br />authorized as a federal project. <br /> <br />This project can also be constructed as a private project by the city <br />of Denver or a combination of entities here in the metropolitan area. <br />I am sure that some form of this project will be constructed to satisfy <br />the need of the people of this area. Through a federal project we <br />have the opportunity to greatly enhance the environmental control and <br />recreational features of the project, which would be more difficult to <br />accomplish if the project is constructed as a private enterprise. <br /> <br />The other reason that we wanted this presentation this morning is to <br />point out the dilemma that we are in with the planning process. This <br />process has become so immensely complicated that we now have to double <br />or perhaps triple both the expenditure of funds and the time element <br />that heretofore we had contemplated for the investigation and construc- <br />tion of various projects. The alternative explorations that have been <br />presented to you this morning, that is the Two Forks site, the Ferndale <br />site and the West Plum Creek site is a requirement under the present <br />planning process. In many cases it is a ridiculous requirement and has <br />some very adverse side effects. By that, I mean we have always looked <br />at alternatives in the planning process, but many of them were quickly <br />rejected as being unsatisfactory. No formal notice was given that <br />these alternatives were even looked at. We simply discarded them <br />because they did not meet the project prerequisites. <br /> <br />This <br />will <br />this <br /> <br />alternative exploration is causing us a <br />illustrate just how that is happening. <br />room you want to get back to the street <br /> <br />great deal of grief. I <br />For instance, in leaving <br />level. If you give that <br /> <br />-11- <br />