Town board targets flooding issues

Photo by Patrick Shea The Creede Town Board and meeting attendees stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at town hall on Jan. 8.

CREEDE— Fluid topics flowed through the Creede Town Board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 8, everything from snow removal and sewage management to flood strategies that will protect the town and possibly reduce high flood insurance rates for property owners.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Rick Goncalves of RG Associates presented updates on the flume project. Goncalves said he has been “mostly in waiting mode this past month,” asking and answering questions to finalize grant-funding details. He quickly responded to less than 10 fairly minimal comments during the last round of edits with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).
After a brief accounting update from Krisen Buchanan and Leslie Grady, City Manager Louis Fineberg discussed snow removal with trustees and meeting attendees. They committed to scheduling a special work session for issues that arise when the snow falls.
Trustee Frank Freer explained that they can’t dump snow in the flume. Gritty snow with road base materials damages grout. But moving the snow out of town will require another truck and more work hours.
Trustee Lori Dooley also noted that bridges over the flume are not cleared and can be hard to access with snow piled at the openings. Meeting attendees echoed Dooley’s concerns and reiterated hopes for clear sidewalks.
“We now have the ATV,” Fineberg said, “although we didn’t for this last storm. Starting with the next storm, we’ll do sidewalks first and streets after. We can get it done tomorrow. But consistency is key. It’s a question of formulating a plan and executing it. If it’s not working, we can revisit it.”
“Basically, we have to change our policy,” Freer said
With Mayor Jeffrey Larson attending via phone, Mayor Pro-Tem Teresa Wall led the meeting. Wall said she would track down documents so they could scrutinize the existing plan. Everyone agreed that Public Works Director Ben Davis should be at the working session.
Tackling new business, the board passed Resolution 2019-01 to combine two lots in the Creede America Subdivision. The second resolution to pass, Resolution 2019-02, amends the town’s Automated Clearing House (ACH) Origination Agreement with Del Norte Bank to streamline electronic banking. The board also agreed to change the designated signer for all city accounts from former City Manager Clyde Dooley to Fineberg.
Wade Henderson with Davis Engineering described the 12-point checklist FEMA requires for the levee project above the flume.
“If it’s certifiable,” Henderson said, “then it’s just a process of going through the checklist and doing geotech analysis. Then we will submit it to FEMA.”
Henderson estimated an additional $55,000 required to go through the checklist successfully, “but it’s the last piece to get almost everyone out of the floodplain. This includes the geotech fee.”
The earth-and-berm levee work will be completed at the very upstream of the flume for FEMA’s approval. Also, the flume itself is considered a levee because it’s protecting the town. Currently, most of Creede is on a flood map, forcing people to pay costly flood insurance. Trustee Dooley said multiple residents have approached her with an eye toward lower insurance rates.
Trustee Joel OConnel asked about following an operational maintenance plan once FEMA accepts the checklist. Henderson agreed it would be good to include the maintenance plan with the flume plan.
In sewage matters, a property owner would like to extend service to update a lot for sale. According to Creede ordinance, developers bear the cost of sewer line extensions. This project is estimated to run $39,000, with $9,000 going to asphalt replacement. The maximum distance between manholes is 400 feet, and adjacent lots without service could benefit from the extension as well. Fineberg said he would research the impacts for other owners nearby tapping into the system later, perhaps saving property owners money through cooperation.
The next Creede Town Board meeting is scheduled for Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m.


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