Motorists could experience travel delays and detours starting this month as sewer lines and manholes are installed on North Broadway.
The Cortez Sanitation District recently awarded D&L Construction of Cortez a $728,744 low bid to replace some 3,000 linear feet of sewer lines along the city’s northern entrance on U.S. Highway 491. The 120-day construction project between Piñon Drive and Empire Electric offices is expected to start by Feb. 19.
“Lane closures and detours are possible,” said CSD manager Tim Krebs.
Officials explained the project would replace clay tile pipes that snake behind and under local businesses with PVC pipes along the highway right-of-way.
“These are some of the worst lines that we maintain,” said CSD superintendent Phil Starks.
The replacement project precedes a planned Colorado Department of Transportation upgrade, helping to relieve the sanitation district of asphalt-paving costs. Once completed, sanitation officials also expect future maintenance savings.
“We’ll have fewer plugged lines,” said Starks.
D&L Construction owner Dave Waters previously served as CSD president until ousted in a landslide election last May. Four other construction companies submitted higher project bids.
Made possible with a $1 million Community Development Block Grant and an 80 percent CSD match of $909,250, the North Broadway infrastructure improvements are part of a larger replacement project. With no current timeline for construction, sewer lines in Paradise Village along East Empire Street will also be replaced.
CSD maintains 26 miles of clay pipes, 17 miles of asbestos concrete pipes and 22 miles of PVC pipes.
The outdated and deteriorating three-foot sections of clay pipe are believed to have been installed starting in the 1950s.
Fox resigns
In other news, CSD treasurer Ray Fox notified the board last month that he was resigning his post after taking an out-of-state job. Fox was elected to the board last May.
Board members officially accepted Fox’s resignation on Monday, Feb. 9. Currently accepting letters of interest, the board has 60 days to name a replacement.
Tap dispute
Also on Monday, board members approved a near $12,000 legal fee in connection to a tap dispute on County Road G. Board member Jim Candelaria asked Krebs to investigate how the board could avoid future legal fees since the county has no guidelines in place to stop property owners from tapping into the district’s sewer lines without notice.
“This is a problem,” said Candelaria. “We have to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Pot rates
Finally, the CSD unanimously voted this week to adjust collection fees for ganjapreneurs by reclassifying how marijuana businesses are charged. Previously, the businesses were charged the same rate as a medical office. Now, they are listed as a hybrid dry goods and nursery classification, which helps to lower their monthly service fees, said Krebs.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com
