At the regular Rico Town Board meeting held on July 18, Town Manager Michael England reported on the Water Project: BWR started work June 25,beginning at Piedmont.The town tied in a new 6-inch valve to the existing 6-inch distribution line and began installing pipe down the Piedmont entrance road toward State Highway 145. Once the project was awarded, BWR was required to submit a Traffic Control Plan and Blasting Plan to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) for review and approval. CDOT has yet to complete the review, however they stated it should be finalized during the week of July 16. BWR also started construction of the new Chlorination Building located at the well site. The town was able to work on this building due to the fact it is not located within the CDOT Right of Way, it is located on Forest Service. BWR stated it is their intention to have two crews installing pipe once they received their permits. Polaris Drilling will be working on the directional drilling of approximately 900 through the rock cliff during this same time period.
Regarding the VCUP Pat Willits and the town met with Mark Rudolph from the State of Colorado Soils Program on June 27. Items of discussion were the River Corridor, existing Remediated Waste Piles from previous VCUPs, the Institutional Controls Ordinance (ICs), Vacant Lots, need for further testing on properties within town to assure all properties are tested as required in the proposed ICs Ordinance, town streets, the access to the existing Soils Repository, the Rico Renaissance vacant lots that Atlantic Richfield will not clean up or fund, the 5-6 developed properties in town that refused ARCO access for clean up and also funding from ARCO for these properties. The delinquent property tax issue with all the Rico Renaissance properties and possibility of new owners acquiring Renaissance Properties through tax sales was discussed. Town Staff and Town Board Members currently working on the VCUP will continue to address these issues and try to resolve them by the end of this year.
The Forest Service issued an email stating they were lifting the Fire Ban in some areas in our region. Maps will be sent to the town within the next few days with new or lowered restrictions.
Derek Padilla with the new Forest Supervisor for our area called and stated he would like to come to Rico in the coming weeks to discuss any concerns the town may have with them.
EPA and Atlantic Richfield continue to work at the St. Louis Tunnel, Blaine Tunnel and Argentine Shaft. They are currently installing a new coffer dam inside the Blaine Tunnel so they can pump the existing water over to the Argentine Shaft. They are trying to measure the amount of water coming into the Blaine Tunnel which may be influencing the St. Louis Tunnel discharge, which has a large affect on the type of treatment plant that will be selected and constructed at the St. Louis Tunnel.