City buys into Animas-La Plata

Amid public objections, the City of Durango has opted to buy into the Animas-La Plata Project. During a special meeting Tuesday, the Durango City Council voted unanimously to make a $1 million down payment for 1,900 acre-feet of storage in the controversial water project being built just southwest of Durango.

Jack Rogers, public works director, explained that the purchase is a way of preparing Durango for future growth. The City Council gave direction to staff in February to pursue the purchase because it was the most cost-effective alternative.

"The options for building our own system were much higher in cost than buying into the A-LP project," Rogers said.

Rogers added that the city had until April 30 to commit to the slightly more than $1 million down payment. Otherwise, it would have been subjected to prohibitive interest.

"If we don't make the down payment or commit to this option to acquire water, we would be subject to severe interest payments," Rogers said.

Total cost for the storage will be just more than $5.9 million. Work to build lines from the project to city facilities will carry additional costs.

Word of Tuesday's special meeting immediately drew strong objections.

Michael Black, of the Taxpayers for the Animas River, was critical of the payment on several counts. First, he said the down payment could obligate the city up to $10 million in future debt and should be up to a vote of the people. Second, he noted that the water will only be necessary if Durango grows to 40,000 people and experiences a severe drought year. Third, he said that the move forces current taxpayers to subsidize future growth. He also said that the city appears to be acquiring water for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe's Three Springs development, when the tribe owns 50,000 acre-feet of water in A-LP.

In a letter to council, another concerned local objector, Travis Stills, was critical of the lack of a public forum on the issue. "I would expect that such a large commitment would be preceded by meaningful public scrutiny and receive the process due such a massive obligation," he wrote.

Stills said that there was an "artificial urgency" to Tuesday's vote, particularly with two new council members on the verge of being sworn in April 19.

"The prospect of a lame duck council spending a million dollars toward obligating Durango to the tune of uncertain millions of dollars wreaks of impropriety," he wrote.

Rogers replied to this sentiment saying that he believes the issue has been aired openly over the last few years.

"It's not like the project hasn't been discussed over the years," he said. "We've had eight different study sessions over the last several years and discussed alternative water supplies. The City Council has had a pretty thorough discussion of the situation."

Three Springs agreement questioned

The Durango City Council closed a planning chapter after a meeting that went past midnight April 5. At that time, they inked the agreement for the Three Springs development in Grandview, which will bring as many as 2,283 new housing units to the area east of Durango. However, a future member of City Council and a current county commissioner are both questioning the process that led to the agreement.

As a result of the April 5 vote, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe now has approval to construct 2,283 housing units, 705,000 square feet of commercial space and 159,000 square feet of light industry. The developers said they intend to: leave more than 200 acres as parks and open space and 40 acres for new schools; build to green standards; and make allotments for affordable and attainable housing.

Renee Parsons, who will be sworn in as one of two new members of council on April 19, has issues with the agreement. In particular, she said that its lack of flexibility could be problematic.

"The agreement is unprecedented," she said. "It locks the city into decisionsfor the next 40 years.One example is thataffordable housing is frozenat 10 percent for the next fourdecades. What ifthisor a future council wanted to increaseaffordable housing?"

Most significant to Parsons is her belief that there was not sufficient public involvement in the process. "Even thoughpublic hearings were held on the project, no public hearing washeldon the agreement," she said. "Who'saccountableif there's no public hearing?"

Parson's concerns about due process are shared by La Plata County Commissioner Wally White. "My concern is not so much the development agreement itself," he said. "I personally feel that they've been trying to fly it under the radar, greased the wheels of the whole deal with the hospital, and that they've never really invited or wanted public scrutiny."

By comparison, White pointed to the county's review of the Durango Mountain Resort master plan.

"The county document with DMR went through months of public scrutiny," he said. "Nobody even got a chance to see this document before it went to vote. I think the process has been compromised. I believe in transparency in government and this is not in any way."

Council member Virginia Castro countered that the charges are unfounded. She said the development agreement was the final stamp on "countless meetings" that took place over a couple years.

"The agreement was basically the compilation and result of more than two years of public meetings," she said. "A lot of what is included in the agreement is drawn from the public input that we received."

Community asked for air support

An effort is under way to pass the hat throughout the community in hopes of improving airline service to Durango. The La Plata Economic Development Action Partnership (LEAD) is soliciting funds at a local level to leverage grant funding and increase the number of flights arriving at the La Plata County airport.

Traditionally, Durango Mountain Resort, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and several hotels have picked up the cost of guaranteeing airline seats.

"Before it was just the train, the ski resort and a few local hotels paying for air service," said Bobby Lieb, executive director of LEAD. "That's changed. Now, I've got oil and gas companies and local governments complaining about the air service. We've got telecommuters and lone eagles desiring better air service."

As a result, LEAD is seeking $750,000 in federal funds this year to subsidize flights and is trying to round up $150,000 in local match money. If the grant request is successful, the funds will be directed toward allowing more efficient access to and from cities in the East.

"Being a small community, if you want air service, you're going to have to share some of the risk," Lieb said. "Uncle Sam's picking up 80 percent of the tab. The community's going to have to come up with the other 20 percent."

So far, the community has indicated a strong desire to help out, according to Lieb. He has commitments from gas companies, a company in Tulsa, and the City of Durango and La Plata County, which jointly operate the airport, among others.

"I felt very comfortable going out to the community at a broad-based level, and I'm getting a lot support," Lieb said. "I'm already close to the halfway point in terms of pledges."

The deadline for the grant application is April 22, and Lieb expects a decision by the end of June.

BLM lifts wildlife trail closures

Just as singletrack season is returning in force to Durango, the Bureau of Land Management has announced the end of winter wildlife closures on several popular trails. Trails on Animas City Mountain and Grandview Ridge are now open to the public with no restrictions. This includes all of Animas City Mountain and the Sale Barn and Big Canyon trails.

These BLM lands had been closed since mid-December to offer shelter, privacy and forage to wintering deer and elk. The herds are now migrating to higher elevations, and the closures are no longer necessary.

"Compliance with these trail closures allows us to take a more flexible and adaptive management approach," said Pat Dorsey, CDOW area wildlife manager. "Noncompliance forces agencies to take a more restrictive approach."

- compiled by Will Sands