Roads and trails discussions dominate commissioners’ meeting

Roads and trails dominated the commissioners’ meeting Tuesday. 

Representing homeowners at the Ridge Estates subdivision, resident Sherri Halandras returned to the board to ask the commissioners once again to add a one-mile stretch of road to the county’s road maintenance list. 

Haladras said the homeowners were told previously that they needed to bring the road “up to standards for road and bridge” to be considered for adoption as a county road. According to Halandras, the 35 residents spent in excess of $20K to accomplish that task, but the road has still not been adopted. 

Commissioners proceeded to adopt a policy regarding the inclusion of roads into the county maintenance system later in the meeting, citing concerns that if one road was approved other subdivisions would come to the county for maintenance and the need to be fiscally conservative in the face of impending reductions in revenue. Commission Overton said he contacted surrounding counties and they “all concurred” that adopting new roads is not even up for consideration at this time. 

Also during public comment, representing the Meeker Area Mountain Biking Association (MAMBA), Regas Halandras asked the commissioners to consider a $5,000 contribution toward mechanical maintenance on the trail system the county helped put in 10 years ago with the Town of Meeker and the Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Park District (ERBM). Approximately $35K of a $50K need has been raised from the Town, ERBM, Meeker Lodging Tax, and private funding. 

In the original memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the construction of the trails, the need for mechanical maintenance every three to five years was listed. 

“It’s pretty logical that with the MOU they [the trails] would be maintained. The county helped put those in,” Halandras said. “We’ve done a lot of handwork, but now need mechanical maintenance.”

Most of Tuesday’s meeting was spent in a virtual update with the Colorado Department of Transportation regarding planning and projects for Region 3. 

In regular business, the board:

• Interviewed and appointed Judy Morgan to the MCCIC board that oversees the Fairfield Apartments. 

• Ratified a letter to the United States Postal Service opposing the closure of the Grand Junction mail sorting and distribution center.

• Approved an agreement for civil design bidding and construction for the airport waterline expansion project.

• Renewed an annual maintenance contract with Motorola for the radios used by the sheriff’s office and the communications center. 

• Awarded an agreement for services with Mountain Air Spraying Co. for fixed-wing pesticide spraying for the Mormon crickets.

• Approved a shutdown of county offices on April 2 for personnel training. 

• Approved an adoption subsidy for a foster family with an “extremely high-needs child” they have been caring for for nine years. The subsidy, County Attorney Don Steerman said, will likely save the county money in the long term. 

• Indefinitely postponed purchase of a motor grader for the landfill and the purchase of three new vehicles for the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Mazzola said, for the record, he did not request three new patrol vehicles. 

• Approved purchase of a crane to be used in conjunction with the new shredder at the landfill. The crane is needed for safety reasons. 

• Approved a grant application to the Colorado River District by the Rio Blanco Water Conservation District for the Wolf Creek Reservoir project. 

• Opposed a proposed Medicare rule change that would “greatly impact both of our hospitals and long-term care” by changing the ration of registered nurses/LPNs to patients in long-term care facilities. 

The board went into executive session for personnel discussions with Natural Resources and Emergency Manager Eddie Smercina and the county administrator.