On June 6th, starting at 3:00 in the afternoon, there will be a Grand Reopening of the Hot Springs Pool locker rooms. To celebrate this event the Hot Springs Pool staff is offering free swimming all day. There will also be drawings, for a variety of prizes, including a cruiser bicycle donated by Absolute Bikes. Come and check out the finished locker room project.
This is a 2B qualified project and was beautifully constructed by Pridemore Construction, Natural Habitats and Diesslin Structures Incorporated.
May 28th marks the first of thirty days for the road improvement projects funded by the passage of 2A. It is the result of the voter approved 1% city sales tax ballot issue that also eliminated the City of Salida’s portion of residential and commercial property tax. This initial project will chip seal approximately nine miles of the 36 miles of Salida’s streets. There will be traffic delays and road closures during this project. The Public Works Department has published and distributed a list of the streets that will be improved and the dates the work will be done. Be aware that only one street will be closed at a time. I hope the inconvenience of the closures and delays will be viewed as worthwhile considering the increased life of the roads when the project is completed.
Chip seal is the application of oil and rock chips to increase the traction and the life of a road. The sealing process reduces water penetration and, depending on the particular process used, can increase the life of a road by about 2 to 12 years. The road overlay part of this summer’s road improvements is now out to bid. Overlay is a process that leaves a smooth surface. It is three to four more times costly than chip seal. There are some sections of road within the city that need overlay. Next year we will see some parts of our city have complete road replacement. This is the most expensive form of road work and often involves the complete reconstruction of water and sewer infrastructure as well. The City’s goal is to stick to a maintenance schedule that will preserve a higher road quality throughout the City for the foreseeable future.
An exciting project has been initiated by Connie Cole of Neighbor to Neighbor and the Salida Business Alliance. The two groups are running a free shuttle service, on Saturdays, from Memorial to Labor Day. This service links the Highway 50 businesses to the downtown. The shuttle will also run late during special weekends such as FIBARK and the Fourth of July. As with any new idea funding is the challenge. SBA is looking for businesses to offer $100.00 to aid in the financing of the shuttle service. For their donation the business will get advertising space in the bus. At this time the SBA is about five businesses short of the necessary money to have service extend to Labor Day. The City of Salida has donated $200.00 in support of this project. If you have any interest in being part of the free Saturday bus service between Highway 50 and downtown contact Donna Cole at 530-0533.
It seems necessary to explain how the City chose the 2B Petition Protest Hearing Officer. After City Clerk Janella Martinez found the Lodger’s 2B petition insufficient a group of citizens filed a protest to her finding. Ms. Martinez could have chosen to be the hearing officer for the protest. However, she excluded herself. The City Council chose Colorado Springs City Clerk Kathryn Young as hearing officer. There were two main criteria. First, the council wanted someone familiar with the law governing petitions. Second, the council sought an impartial party. One can find Ms. Young’s resume on the Colorado Springs web site and it is extremely impressive. As I have written before, only the future will show us the next chapter in the 2B saga.
Finally, congratulations to Faith McKenna. Faith is one of four winners of the Colorado Municipal League’s statewide essay contest “If I Were Mayor”. You can see Faith accepting her award from CML at the last council meeting on Channel 10.
You can also watch the council meeting, including the presentation by the Colorado Municipal League to Faith McKenna, online here at the Citizen.
Faith’s essay was great! I rode down H street the other day and thought of her while my teeth were rattling.
Appreciate the update – lots of good things happening. Very glad to see the 2B road work.
Curious as to link to Public Works list of street closures and schedule? Can’t find anything about it on City web site (Public Works page is very dated) and have not received copy or seen details in Mountain Mail. With peak tourist season right upon us, everyone wants to know which streets will close and when. F Street was patched last Friday right in the middle of day. When will it be chip sealed? Can any of this work be scheduled not during peak daytime hours? Can signs be posted in advamce? Lots of surprised motorists making U turns and escaping through alleys when they saw the closures.