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The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe had the contract to estimate costs for A-LP, including the Ridges Basin Reservoir, a pumping plant on the Animas River, and a pipeline connecting the two. The tribe hired Chicago-based Harza Construction Co. to prepare the estimates. Harza spokeswoman Cheryl Freidling would not say what cost estimates the company gave the tribe. )urango Herald Online for the cost overruns," Durango Public Works Director Jack Rogers wrote in a memo to City Manager Robert Ledger. "That would only serve to slow down funding or possibility eliminate funding from Congress," wrote Rogers, who attended the meeting. "So, the (area water) districts and the tribes agreed to try to work together to get the bureau to take (the) blame and try to assure that future cost increases do not occur." The bureau announced in July that original cost estimates presented to Congress and the public were either "vastly underestimated" or were simply not considered. GJ2233 Page 2 of, Preston Corsa, Selwyn Whiteskunk, Dave Roberts, Sharon Cole, Robin Halverson, Dana Hill, Lynn Hartman, Terry Knight, Peter Ortega, Harold Cuthair. San Juan Water Commission: Randy Kirkpatrick, Cy Cooper, Jim Dunlap, Keith Lee, Elizabeth Taylor, Joe Hall. Southern Ute Tribe: Mel Baker, Joyce Dutchie, Pathimi Goodtracks, Sam Maynes, Howard Richards, Scott McElroy. City of Durango: William Ramaley, Jack Rogers. Colorado Water & Power Development Authority: Daniel Law, Steve Harris. ," Southwest Water Conservation District: David Robbins. Navajo Nation: John Leeper. City of Farmington: Shawn Williams. Colorado Water Conservation Board: Carolyn Fritz. Kogovsek & Associates: Christine Arbogast. UMU Farm & Ranch Enterprise: Paul Evans. Rogers said this week that he used "a poor choice of words" in the memo. He said he didn't mean to imply that the groups were trying to hide from the public what they know. He said the proponents were concerned that they would end up having to pay for the increases. "There are some people that would like to pit the non-Indian interests against the Indian interests, and the discussion was that that shouldn't happen," Rogers said. "We just didn't want to get into that finger pointing, because it's not going to be productive." The tribes and districts were concerned that the bureau and opponents would try to blame the Ute Mountain Utes for the cost increases, Rogers said. He said a July 31 bureau letter to the tribe seemed to be laying blame on the Ute Mountain Utes. The bureau, which has already accepted some of the responsibility for the cost increases, later apologized to the tribe. Ittp:l /www.durangoherald.com/asp-binlarticle-Eeneration.asp?article _ type=news&article -path=/news/03/... 10/16/200: