A Smell of Gas Stations Past – Hotchkiss Supports Coal Mine Area Exception Reinstatement

A Smell of Gas Stations Past

Town Supports Coal Mine Area Exception Reinstatement

By Thomas Wills

Hotchkiss Town Council

December 10, 2015

Present: Mayor Wendell Koontz, Tom Wills (this reporter), Jim Roberts, Dustyn Foster, Lindee Cantrell and Larry Jakubiak. Absent: Carrie Wingfield.

That Smell

            During early December Hotchkiss residents may have noticed a strong chemical smell wafting over the town—sort of like a coal furnace gone very wrong.  The odor originated due to the excavation work in the alley at Second and Bridge Streets next to the Hotchkiss Crawford Museum.  That section of alley is being excavated to its full width and the soil was being piled on the lot to the North prior to being hauled away for safe disposal.

That lot, now owned by the First State Bank, was previously the site of a gas station that once had leaking underground storage tanks as well as generally contaminated soils. The entire lot was excavated a few years ago and soil replaced but the alley itself, where a contamination plume had spread, was not dealt with at that time. With the sewer line replacement project in progress and attempts to mitigate the alley contamination short of excavation being unsuccessful, the two issues are being dealt with at the same time.

It was reported that the crew digging in that area had “hooked” into and damaged the geo-thermal pipe that is part of the heating system at the museum.  The damage was repaired.

The sewer project will continue until temperature drops low enough to freeze the ground deep enough to cause excavation hazards. According to Public Works Director Mike Owens, after the South First to Second Street alley, the crews will be moving to the alley north of Bridge between Oak and Cedar Streets.

2016 Budget/Mil Levy Adopted

The Council adopted the 2016 budget including a General Fund deficit of $103,716, which will be more of a challenge to overcome than the on-paper deficits of the past.  In the world of Town Clerk. Financial Officer Marlene Searle’s budgeting you conservatively estimate revenues low and expenses high and then spend the year moving the two figures into balance. So far, that plan has always worked, but in recent years the initial budget gap has grown and balancing act a little more strenuous. This is due to the costs of things like payroll and insurance steadily creeping upward while general revenues have stayed flat or have, in the case of coal mine tax shares, declined. Happily, the Town also has a healthy General Fund reserve of over $1.2 million to cushion things.

Town Attorney Contract Approved

The Town’s legal firm of J. David Reed of Montrose requested and received approval for a new services contract for a three year term with an automatic renewal.  The new contract includes an increase in the hourly rate from $175 and hour to $185 per hour and allows a possible further increase of up to $200/hr. after January 1, 2017. The hourly rate does not include attorney Bo James Nerlin’s attendance at regular monthly meetings or travel time to and from the meetings.  The Town is charged for preparation time for the meetings along with actual legal work, writing/reviews done.

Either party may terminate the contract with 90 days notice.

Other Actions and discussion:

The Trustee approved sending a letter to the U.S. Forest Service supporting an alternative in a supplemental environmental impact statement regarding a Colorado Roadless Rule exception that affects a planned expansion at the West Elk Mine.  Alternative B, recommended by the Town would allow the expansion to proceed as planned with (according to the SEIS) an estimated climate greenhouse gas contribution, if the area were fully mined of 446 to 449 million tons of CO2 (equiv.) be in released into the atmosphere.  Scientists say (IPCC 2014) that all of the world countries can only emit about a total additional 475 giga (billion) tons of CO2 (equiv.)  in order to keep the global warming danger at about 2 degrees; a number that is generally agreed by most world governments to be the target to keep below a level that will hopefully prevent the most severe impacts.  (See related article with letter text.)

The Trustees donated $250 to Partners of Delta, Montrose and Ouray Counties.

The Trustees approved year-end bonuses in the form of gift cards to City Market.

It was agreed that Town Hall would close on Christmas Eve at noon.

The Trustees approved sending a letter of support for the Duke Ditch application for a grant to place the ditch into pipe.  The ditch supplies water for the domestic yard irrigation system in Willow Heightsas well as agricultural uses.

Mayor Koontz reported that the much delayed BLM Resource Management Plan  draft, that will include items on how  natural gas resources will be developed in the Valley, should out for comments in late January or early February.

Municipal election candidates may pick up petitions for the April 5 vote on January 5 and must return them by January 25.