Odds and ends: Other things Greeley City Council did March 1
By Trenton Sperry
Approved on first reading an ordinance allowing the city to trade water rights with Longs Peak Dairy. Under the agreement, Greeley would send six shares from the Larimer and Weld Irrigation Company and 12 shares from the Windsor Reservoir and Canal Company, and the city would receive two shares from the Water Supply and Storage Company. Longs Peak Dairy would maintain a long-term lease of the WSSC shares, according to city docs, and the city would incur about $15,000 in fees related to the trade. City staff argued the WSSC shares are certain for use in the Greeley system and therefore of the highest priority, plus their prices are expected to escalate faster and in fact already are worth more than $1 million more than the shares the city would trade away. Plus, city staff argued, switching the WSSC shares to municipal use from agricultural use would be a more streamlined process should it be required in the future. The WSSC shares are estimated to yield 94 acre-feet less water than the city’s current shares, but “staff assess that the advantages of the trade outweigh the drawback of potentially less yield.” The Greeley Water and Sewer Board approved the trade deal at its Jan. 19 meeting.
Passed a resolution to support a $150,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado for the city’s Natural Areas & Trails staff to host a two-year fellow to focus on public engagement regarding the purchase of the Shurview property, otherwise known as Missile Park. Greeley is working with Windsor and The Trust for Public Land to purchase the nearly 980-acre area between the two cities and turn it into a sprawling recreation area. The fellow will be paid $75,000 per year from the grant, and the city will kick in another $5,000 per year. Council also approved a resolution supporting a $1.5 million grant from GOCO to acquire the property. Greeley already has committed $5 million for the project, with another $2.85 million coming from grant funds and in-kind contributions. Future development of the property is expected to cost the city $2 million per year, with another $250,000 per year expected for maintenance, although those dollars have not yet been budgeted, according to city documents.
Officially named the natural area in east Greeley the Campo Esperanza Natural Area. Campo Esperanza translates to Field of Hope. The word “hope” was an important inclusion in some way, according to feedback received by city staff, because of the area’s proximity to the former East Memorial school. East Memorial was named for the 1961 tragedy in which 20 students were killed and 16 were injured when a school bus was hit by a train early on a hazy December morning. The school has since been renamed, but residents wanted the spirit behind the name reflected somehow.
Mayor John Gates proclaimed March 2022 as Youth Art Month. The proclamation urges Greeley residents to support quality school art programs for children and youth.
Approved a $75,655.10 change order to an already approved remodel of the Rodarte Center’s kitchen and bathroom. The unanticipated costs were from air unit system changes, an exhaust hood, the replacement of a grease interceptor, and a fix to a load-bearing wall whose need was discovered during demolition. The additional money comes from the city’s Food Tax Fund, and the total cost of the remodel is now $279,316.10. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the month.