Five seats open for Hotchkiss election
When the April 3 election rolls around, Hotchkiss voters will be selecting five trustees. Four will serve two-year terms and the fifth will serve a four-year term.
Trustee Sheila Maki is term limited and will be leaving the council. Those facing re-election, should they decide to run, are Lindee Cantrell, Dustyn Foster, Jane Wills and Carrie Wingfield. Only two on the board don't have to run this year. They are Mayor Wendell Koontz and trustee Marlin McCracken.
If interested in running for trustee, pick up a nomination petition at Hotchkiss town hall starting Feb. 13. They are due March 5.
The town's building code inspector submitted his 30-day resignation. Mayor Koontz said the town hates to lose Tim Hinz who did a good job.
Mayor Koontz and town attorney Jim Briscoe are collaborating on a comment letter to the BLM on the proposed oil and gas lease sales. He requested the trustees submit their comments to the town clerk.
The Hotchkiss High School water line work at the North Fork of the Gunnison is complete except for those items such as asphalt patching and reseeding which will wait until spring. Joanne Fagan, town engineer, told the Jan. 12 town council that staff recommends that some funds be retained for the remaining work but otherwise the project can be closed out.
In December, the mayor, Mike Owens, public works director and Fagan met with Chuck Pinner, owner of Sapphire who did the project. In Fagan's report she wrote about requested change orders. "The total amount is well within the contingencies. The original award for the contract was for $387,040. The total cost of the project with all the changes in quantities and the unanticipated site conditions will be about $426,900, which compares with the engineer's 'if bids are very competitive' estimate of $565,000."
Mayor Koontz said after looking at the documentation, he felt the change order was warranted because of the extra work required. A net increase of $26,245.45 was approved by the trustees.
The Phase 2 Enhancement Project for the Cedar Drive walkway is proceeding with work on rights-of-way and costs which along with the design should be ready for the February town council meeting. The intergovernmental agreement with CDOT can be completed once the cost of the easement is determined.
Concerning the water treatment plant, Fagan reported that the correct dose of the new coagulant is "doing an adequate job of removing organics, however the meter Pall provided to test organics removal has not been working properly for most of the last month." There will be January testing for disinfection byproducts. Pall is to make changes to the water plant's cleaning systems resulting in higher flow rates and improved forward and reverse cleaning operations.
Fagan stated almost all of the problems at the new plant involve one specific skid and staff have concerns about its viability for the long term.
When the organics issues are handled, Pall needs to satisfactorily complete performance tests which will take an additional couple of months.
John Willett, president of the Creamery Arts Center, requested a letter of support which would be used in application for a variety of grants including a capital grant. They want to own the building in which the gallery resides. They are looking for operating grants, scholarship grants for kids and grants to send artists into schools. Five people are writing the grants. The council agreed to write a letter supporting the Creamery.
The council also approved a $500 donation for the very popular Hotchkiss Sheep Camp Stock Dog Trials which will be held May 11-13.
The Hotchkiss Public Library received a $500 donation for programs, supplies and books.
The Center for Mental Health failed to send a representative to the meeting and following the town's donation policy the trustees did not consider the center's request.
Sarah Marshal spoke on behalf of Hotchkiss High School which is seeking a GOCO grant for new tennis courts. The town was unconvinced about being a sponsor of the project because of financial obligations it might entail.
Sundee Brezonick of the Kappa Pi Sorority told the council of a 5K Fun Run during the Hotchkiss Sheep Camp Stock Dog Trials which will raise money for Women Advancing Math and Science scholarships.
After a presentation by Elaine Brett about the Orton Family Foundation and the $100,000 grant awarded to the North Fork Valley, trustee Dustyn Foster volunteered to be on the advisory team.
The council approved a resolution on town hall being the official posting location for public notices and approved the Delta County Independent as their official newspaper for legal notices.
The Town of Hotchkiss will soon have an official T-shirt available for sale with the town's new logo.
The next council meeting is Thursday, Feb. 9.
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