Trustees submit VCUP Agreement to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Hwy 145 - Glasgow Avenue at Rico, Colorado looking north
Ore Cart photo
April 26, 2023
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Rico Board of Trustees meeting
April 19, 2023
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In this Report
- VCUP Plan ready for State review
- Broadband Internet upgrade funding contract from State delayed
- Silver Creek water supply reactivation Federal grant proposed
- Acoustic treatment for Town Hall meeting room recommended
- Dolores River Trail Development final plat gets green light
1) VCUP Plan ready for State review
Town of Rico Board of Trustees approved Resolution 2023-02 at its monthly meeting April 19 which authorizes Town to submit the Voluntary Cleanup (VCUP) Application for lead soils remediation negotiated with Atlantic Richfield to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
The resolution describes Trustees meetings and public presentations spanning 18 months which resulted in the VCUP Plan:
. . . WHEREAS, the Board has discussed the VCUP and VCUP Application at multiple Board meetings, including at most monthly Board meetings over at least the last eighteen months, and VCUP-specific work sessions, as well as at special “public forum” meetings (with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CDPHE, AR, and the Town’s consultants also present to answer questions) on February 24, February 26, and September 29, 2022, and at these meetings and work sessions the Board has heard and considered questions and comments from members of the community, as well as all accompanying information and evidence.
Three more steps are needed for the VCUP plan to become effective:
- Town of Rico and AR execute a VCUP Implementation, Funding, and Settlement Agreement;
- Town of Rico Board of Trustees adopt amendments to the Rico Land Use Code in the form of Overlay Zone Regulations;
- Town of Rico Board of Trustees approves and the Town and CDPHE fully execute an intergovernmental agreement between the Town and CDPHE.
source:
Town of Rico VCUP presentation
September 29, 2022
Ore Cart related
VCUP agreements completion planned for early 2023
- October 2, 2022
Summary: Town of Rico VCUP Presentation
- March 1, 2022
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2) Broadband Internet upgrade funding contract from State delayed
The Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) has not provided a contract to Direct Communications for the Rico Telephone fiberoptic internet service upgrade in Rico. Mayor Nicole Pieterse reported to the Town Trustees that Rico fiberoptic committee member Jim Ostrem and Nicole sent a communication to CBO advising that the construction season is short at Rico and the contract is needed soon if the project is to be completed in 2023.
A Colorado Broadband Office grant will fund 75% of the Rico Telephone broadband upgrade construction cost. Direct Communications submitted its Rico grant application during the Winter 2022 cycle.
All other applications approved in this grant cycle are also waiting for contracts from CBO, explained Rico Town Manager Chauncey McCarthy during a follow-up conversation with April 20.
CBO delayed considering Winter Cycle 2022 grant applications for various reasons in the first half of 2022, which pushed Rico fiberoptic installation from 2022 to 2023.
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3) Silver Creek water supply reactivation Federal grant proposed
Colorado U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper is seeking a $3.8 million water system improvement for Rico using a "Congressionally Directed Spending" earmark. Town Manager McCarthy reported to Trustees that a Congressional committee is considering the Rico upgrade for inclusion in the next U.S. Budget. The Federal grant, if approved, would pay for 80% of the construction cost, with a possible option for Rico to borrow from a State of Colorado revolving fund for the remainder of the cost.
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4) Acoustic treatment for Town Hall meeting room recommended
Ore Cart photo
April 26, 2023
An acoustic engineer recently developed a proposal for the Rico Town Hall second floor meeting room based on dimensions provided by Town Manager McCarthy. Ceiling acoustic treatment is recommended. Cost will be about $6,000, with local volunteer installation labor. Town Manager McCarthy will pursue grant funding.
High ceiling, volume of space, and reflective surfaces affect hear-ability in the Rico Town Hall meeting room. Words spoken at the table bounce off walls, ceiling and floor and arrive at the ears of a listener in the audience at different times.
Community meetings at which the many participants split into small groups for simultaneous discussions devolve into shouting to be heard within each group, as voices from other groups travel freely and are not absorbed by soft surfaces.
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5) Dolores River Trail Development final plat gets green light
Rico Board Trustees approved the final plat of the Dolores River Trail Development. Rico Planning Commission reviewed the plat at its April 12, 2023 monthly meeting and recommended approval by Trustees:
excerpt:
Rico Board of Trustees meeting packet
April 19, 2021
Recommend an approval of the final plat of the Dolores River Trail Development, located on portions of the Hillside 1, 2 and Yankee Boy, Rebecca and Gordon Mortensen, applicants with the following conditions:
- The board does not approve the final plat until a declaration and protective covenants have been developed, reviewed by legal and are part of the final plat material.
- The maximum floor area be 4,500 sq-ft calculated at 100% of all development within the lot.
- The easement agreements are updated to remove and replace rules and regulations with federal, state, local laws, and regulations.
Ore Cart related
March 13, 2022
- scroll down to
2) Dolores River Trail Subdivision
