MEEKER | The board of directors for the Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan (ERBM) Recreation District granted funding for two special requests during their June meeting. $4,400 remained in the budget for special unbudgeted requests but is now all spent as of Tuesday.
Representatives from Meeker Area Mountain Bike Association (MAMBA) requested $6,200 for expansion of the China Wall trail system. The board approved $3,100 for the group which will go toward mechanical clearing of approximately 75 feet of new trail, connecting it to the existing trail system. Planned work will coincide with efforts by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Rocky Mountain Youth Corps volunteers.
The board granted remaining funds in the amount of $1,300 to the Rio Blanco Fire Protection district to go toward 4th of July Fireworks.
CIRCLE PARK
The board approved a request for proposals for general contractor services for the Circle Park/Meeker Riverfront Project following months of back-and-forth with the Town of Meeker, coordination between ERBM and Town staff and successful grant applications. The project is moving forward thanks to a variety of funding sources including commitments from both entities, and a recent $750K grant award from the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) board. GOCO said the award is part of the Community Impact Program, which “develops and revitalizes parks, trails, school yards, fairgrounds, environmental education facilities, and other outdoor projects that enhance a community’s quality of life and access to the outdoors.”
ERBM Executive Director Sean VonRoenn said the project was the highest funded for all the GOCO projects in this round, and noted that July 10 is the proposed date for staff and board members to do a project walkthrough with contractors. The riverfront/park project will increase public access to the river by adding three in-town access points at Third Street, Circle Park and Tenth Street. Riverfront project goals also include streambank stabilization, revegetation and natural drainage features.
EXECUTIVE UPDATE
VonRoenn said the May facility shutdown was a success, allowing for the successful replacement of the dehumidification system.
He said only $2K of the budgeted $16K will be spent on the Paintbrush Park waterline repair as the district was not able to confirm a contract for a full repair but was able to at least locate the source of the break.
Pool closures this week were due to “lingering scheduling issues” following increased staff turnover in all departments in the last month, but VonRoenn and others noted operations are picking back up for the summer now that staff levels are back to normal. In addition to the monthly board meeting, ERBM’s Safety Committee will meet July 12 at 10 a.m.
BY LUCAS TURNER
