On Aug. 22, the Pagosa Springs Town Council approved a resolution authorizing the town to apply for grant funding from the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Community Impact Grant Program and the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
If awarded, the grant funding would go toward the purchase of 3.63 acres of property adjacent to the San Juan River near the junction of U.S. 160 and U.S. 84.
An agenda brief on the matter states that the funding would support the first phase of the East Gateway River Park Project, which would include purchasing the land, an environmental assessment, site improvement design, cleanup, boat ramp installation and parking improvements.
An executive summary plan, drafted by the town, states, “Future project phases will include constructing additional amenities such as restrooms, a handicap-accessible fishing pier, shade structures, paved parking, and a riverwalk trailhead.”
It also states, “This funding will catalyze the community vision to create public river access facilities at the eastern gateway into Pagosa Springs, where no formal access currently exists.”
The town is seeking $420,000 from the GOCO program, with award notifications expected by November, and an additional $499,275 from the LWCF, with award notifications coming in March, Community Development Director James Dickhoff explained at the meeting.
Dickhoff explained that, if the resolution passed, the town would also seek “grant match funds” from Archuleta County’s Conservation Trust Fund.
The agenda document states that the town will request $30,000 from the county’s fund and will request $50,000 from the town’s own Conservation Trust Fund.
A concept plan submitted to GOCO reveals that the purchase of the property would cost $800,000, and the overall first phase of the project would cost about $999,275.
Dickhoff explained that GOCO received more than 30 concept plans and that the town’s plan was “1 of 15 that was selected to move forward with applying for the grant.”
“We are working very closely with the grant administrator at GOCO, and we really have a great staff over at GOCO helping us through the process,” he added.
He continued, “The reason we are applying for two grants is that we will be more competitive with both granting entities. If we asked for all the money from one, it makes us less competitive.”
He also explained that one is a federal grant and the other is a state grant, “so we can use each of them to cover the match on both grants.”
If the town is awarded both of the grants, as well as utilizing the town’s and county’s Conservation Trust Fund funds, “we would be able to cover” the entire cost of the project, “in totality,” he explained.
He walked the council through “plan B,” in case the town only gets awarded one grant, explaining, “then I think town council would have to be making that decision on if we could cover the other half of the purchase price on the property.”
He explained that the property is the “former Bob’s LP site … currently being leased to Basin Co-op,” and that the town is working with the executor of the property.
He also said that this property was identified by the River Corridor Master Plan of 2012 as important for expanding public river access.
“As you are all well aware, we really don’t have a lot of public access … for boaters especially,” explaining that the property in question “does go pretty much to the edge of the asphalt next to the Conoco station” and that kayakers and tubers “are already using it.”
He said that staff’s opinion is that “this is an opportunity to consider purchasing the property.”
“I think this is a ‘now-or-never’ scenario,” he said, “because if we don’t consider buying this property, it will end up in a commercial developer’s hand … which will make it much more complicated to ever have the town acquire it for public access in the future.”
When opened to questions and comments, council member Madeline Bergon expressed that the town should “keep an open mind” about the different kinds of boat ramps so as not to cause more erosion on the stream bank of the property.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a gravel ramp,” she said. “There are other methods, like a railing system, that people can just slide their boats down on, that would be a little less intrusive.”
Mayor Shari Pierce explained she wanted some clarification that if the town is able to get both grants, then the cost to the town would only be the $50,000 that it would need to pull from the town’s Conservation Trust Fund.
“So, you’re not gonna come back and ask for more money if we’re successful in these two grants?” she asked Dickhoff.
Dickhoff explained that if the town receives both grants, that would pay for the first phase of the project, but that the town may want to come back later for future phases that could include a larger parking lot and Riverwalk connectivity.
Pierce suggested that she supports acquiring the property, but added, “I don’t think we can afford it” if the town doesn’t get the grant funding.
“It’s a slam dunk,” she said, if the town is ultimately awarded both grants.
When a motion was made to approve the resolution supporting the town to apply for the two grants to finish the East Gateway River Park Project, it was seconded and passed unanimously by the council.
derek@pagosasun.com
