MEEKER | On Thursday, Oct. 20, members of Meeker’s Board of Trustees and the Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Park District (ERBM) board met and invited community members to join for public comment on the City Park river project. The Town of Meeker and ERBM have partnered with Steven W. Carothers and Associates (SWCA), an environmental consulting firm, to design and implement riverfront park and river recreation access points. Picking up where the project left off in 2020, SWCA completed an extended geomorphic assessment and created a design plan which was presented to the public.
Essentially, the current plan for the river is to increase access and minimize environmental impacts. The proposal would add ramps for river accessibility at Third and 10th streets to provide recreational amenities. To stabilize banks and reduce erosion, combinations of planting deep-rooted grasses, adding cottonwoods and willows, and adding rock armament are all currently being considered at Third and 10th streets and Circle Park. The most important consideration for the project is to not exacerbate ice jamming in the river. The scope of the project will largely be determined by budget allowance.
SWCA assessed the project and addressed stakeholders’ concerns regarding ice jamming and flooding. The next step in the project is to get a 30% design level and to put together cost estimates. Sixty percent of the design and updated costs are scheduled for completion by the end of December 2022, with hopes for a finalized plan by February 2023.
By KATIE KING | Special to The Herald Times
