Morlan receives plaque from Forest Service for road and bridge help

RBC | At the regular county commissioners meeting held in Meeker on Monday, the commissioners heard thanks from Rural School Committee member Janet Clark for their help with the restoration of the Coal Creek school. Clark also told the commissioners that their committee has been awarded a Stephen H. Hart award from History Colorado. Stephen H. Hart was Colorado’s first state historic preservation officer.
According to the History Colorado website, “History Colorado began presenting the Stephen H. Hart Awards in 1986 to recognize outstanding projects and individual achievements in archaeology and historic preservation throughout Colorado.”
“It’s quite a prestigious award,” Clark said. “We didn’t even know we were nominated for it.”
Curtis Keetch, district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, presented county road and bridge director Dave Morlan with a plaque and a letter of appreciation for the work the road and bridge department does in partnership with the Forest Service.
“A lot of the work we have wouldn’t get done without county employees and all the work they do. One particular area we wanted to recognize is the county road and bridge and Dave Morlan,” Keetch said.
Thanks to help from the county, the Forest Service was able to widen the road into the South Fork campground this year, built a parking lot for horse trailer parking, and discovered a “long-hidden from the public” pit toilet.
“County employees removed it for us and hauled the debris away. Couldn’t have been done without them,” Keetch said.
In commissioners’ updates, Si Woodruff and Jeff Rector agreed that progress is being made addressing the algae bloom on the White River.
“We had a tremendous turnout (at the last meeting),” Woodruff said.
“That’s going the way it needs to go,” Rector said.
Both Rector and board chair Shawn Bolton said they’ve both been busy with “budget, budget and more budget.”