The streets of the Paradise Village subdivision in Cortez are going to get worse before they get a whole lot better.
Starting in June, the City of Cortez Public Works department and the Cortez Sanitation project are embarking on an extensive overhaul of the neighborhood’s sewer and water infrastructure, according to a presentation held for neighbors on March 17.
Officials explained that after the new lines are installed, the neighborhood is getting total street, sidewalk and gutter replacement. The project is set to wrap up in October
While the news of the updates was welcome news for most, some questioned why their neighborhood was selected.
“It’s largely concrete pipe infrastructure,” said sanitation superintendent Phil Starks, adding that about 50 percent of the sewer lines’ concrete walls have eroded.
“We have trouble cleaning the lines because it strips it; we have to be extremely gentle. We’d probably see a lot more sewer backups down the line if we don’t get this replaced. ... We’re not just replacing them – we’re upgrading to the newest industry standards.”
Additionally, the neighborhood is built on hot soil, which means that the chemical makeup of the ground contributes to corrosion of its metal water lines.
To mitigate the impact of the massive construction project, and minimize cost, the public works department will be coming in behind the sanitation district to repave roads, and install new rollback curbs and gutters.
City Manager Shane Hale noted that the city had funds in this year’s budget for road repairs, and because the Cortez Sanitation District received $1.09 million in grant funding for the water and sewer line repairs last fall, it made sense to coordinate together.
After sewer and water line replacement, roads will be repaved, and sidewalks will be widened to four feet, which means streets will be slightly narrowed. It’s possible that walks will encroach on some properties by a few inches, said Kathyrn Phillips, assistant city engineer. In those cases, any run-ins with fencing or sprinkler systems will be addressed by the contractor, Phillips said.
As an additional perk, Phillips also noted that residents will have the option to have the lines that run from their house to the street replaced by the contractor for a competitive price negotiated by the city.
“It might behoove you to get it done now, it might be the cheapest way to get it done,” said public works director Phil Johnson.
All in all, officials made sure not to downplay the scope of the work and stressed to residents that communication between all parties involved was paramount to pulling off the project with minimal disruption.
“This is an extensive project. We can’t emphasize that enough. We’re ripping up all hardscapes and closing streets so we can dig trenches four feet or more,” said Phillips. “We’re really, really trying to reduce the impact on you guys, and we’re going to need your cooperation.”
Once a contractor is selected and an exact scope and schedule of street work is more clearly defined, the city is planning more meetings to keep residents in the loop of what to expect.
While many in attendance Wednesday night had questions about trash pickup (it won’t be affected), installation of fiber optics (not on the table now, but the city is looking into it). news of the work was welcome.
“I just want to say thank you, this is so exciting,” said one resident.
Assistant city engineer Kathryn Phillips is serving as public information officer on the Paradise Village project. For more information, call the public works office at 970-565-7320.
