ERBM welcomes new board members

MEEKER | Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan (ERBM) Recreation District welcomed new board members

Vicky Edwards and Kim Kendall last week. Director John Strate also started a new term. Following officer nominations and special committee appointments, they heard visitor comments.

Meeker Resident Janae McPherson expressed concerns over employee retention in the district following a string of employees leaving, including three lifeguards. “We’re hearing iat within the whole rec district, that it’s just not a good working environment,” said McPherson. Board members noted that the comment was beyond the scope of the meeting, but suggested that perhaps her public comments would prompt staff to take action/consideration.

BYLAWS

Director Vicky Edwards questioned language in the bylaws regarding minimum public bid requirements. As it stands, the district does not have to put out public bids for capital expenditure construction projects that cost less than $60K. Edwards questioned whether the public bid threshold should be lower.

ERBM Executive Director Sean VonRoenn said lowering the threshold could “increase competition” but noted “it can also increase the workload, and consternation, among especially our local contractors when they end up doing the work to bid and then not being awarded.” The board agreed to consider projects for bid on an individual basis, and approved the bylaws for the next term.

CIRCLE PARK PHASE II

A joint effort with the Town of Meeker to secure a GOCO grant for the second phase of Circle Park improvements was unsuccessful. The town and recreation district each committed $250K to the project, contingent upon receiving additional grant funding. According to staff, the grant application was well-received, but ultimately denied based on lack of planning and project specificity. To move forward with the grant, more preliminary work including studies and identification of specific scope of work needs to be completed.

The board agreed to recommend the cheaper of two proposals for Circle Park improvement work for the Town’s consideration. The project will need to secure additional funding to be viable.

POND EXPENSE

In a memo to ERBM Directors, Park and Facility Manager Rodney Gerloff recommended $10-11K of unplanned capital expenditures for maintenance at the Circle Park pond. Funding was suggested by Colorado Pond and Lake (CPL) who was asked to evaluate the pond following “several questions/concerns about the pond’s water quality, weed abatement and fish health.” According to Gerloff and VonRoenn, CPL had already taken samples from the pond and identified at least one invasive plant species. Pending further results, staff recommended moving forward with a chemical treatment regimen “over the next season.” CPL also recommended installation of an $8,357 aeration system to “positively impact the amount of chemical treatment necessary to maintain the pond’s health over time.” Another recommendation from the company was to do 3D imaging of the pond for $2,500 to create a “baseline” to compare in the future. According to Gerloff’s letter, mapping could help in determining the rate of sedimentation.

Director Kent Walter and others were concerned about pulling the trigger on further pond-related funding until test results were completed.

Director Walter said he didn’t understand the need for 3D imaging, and emphasized the importance of test results prior to further expenditure, stating, “I want to see what’s it gonna cost to deal with the water quality issue in the pond, period. Not part of it, all of it.”

The board tabled further action until their next meeting, and directed staff to get a more complete proposal for implementing pond maintenance.