By Lyndsie Ferrell
CREEDE— The City of Creede will be hosting a public meeting Thursday, April 19 to discuss the coming changes that will be happening as the flume projects gets underway. The city has been working over the last year to prepare for the rehabilitation of the flume that runs through town and the time for the project to begin is set for May 13.
During the meeting, the public can come and meet the engineers that were hired last fall to complete the project. Mays Construction Specialties Inc. will begin by laying a pipeline that well divert the water from the flume down the ditch that runs along Loma Street down to where the flume empties into the floodplain located south of town.
In meetings with the county and CDOT, city officials were able to work out ways to get the water that flows through the flume out of the canal in order for work to be completed. The diversion will remain in place so that work can be completed every five years or so per requirements to continue maintenance from the Department of Local Affairs grant that has funded the project.
The flume, which is a 5,527-foot canal that runs north to south in the center of town, has been in dire need of repair for several years, the fear that a high-water runoff or flood would cause the flume to break sparked conversations through several city boards before the current board was able to secure funding and get the project moving.
According to the information released by the city, residents can expect some of the following things to change while the project gets underway: there will be increased traffic along La Garita, Main and Loma streets with traffic flaggers and possible road closures; while crews are working, the general public can expect an increase in noise during operating hours which will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., and there will be walking access only on walking bridges that cross the flume.
For property owners, the same changes apply with other stipulations that may or may not occur. Property owners along the west side of the flume can expect allowing vehicle access along alleyways and streets, an increase in foot traffic and increase in traffic near bridges due to potential road closures.
The entire project is expected to last until early fall but should be completed by the end of the year if all goes to plan. The full timeline is as follows, from May 13-23 the construction crews will be preparing the flume for the pipeline, May 21-26 crews will be mobilizing and staging the pipeline, May 28 through June 28 crews will be installing the line and water will flow through the line from June 28 to Aug. 29.
While the water is diverted from the flume, crews will be working to rehabilitate the integrity of the flume while stabilizing the walls and repairing leaks. The project is expected to be complete in early September. For further information, be sure to attend the meeting on April 19 at 5:30 p.m. at town hall.