By Lyndsie Ferrell
CREEDE— Information provided on the flume project has changed and city officials hosted a public meeting on Thursday, April 19 to explain the inner workings of the project and to clarify some of the misleading information within the Creede community. Originally, the project was going to include a permanent pipeline that would be used to divert water out of the flume for repairs but will now only use the pipeline for the duration of the project.
Project lead Guinevere Nelson-Freer opened the meeting by stating why the flume was being rehabilitated in the first place. Nelson-Freer stated that the flume is the cause of safety concerns for the town and that it is more than 50 years old and in significant disrepair. “There are several safety concerns regarding the flume,” said Nelson-Freer.
Nelson-Freer then explained the scope of work for the flume, stating that it will begin with the placement of a pipe along the length of the flume that would sit along the shoulder and cross property lines and be placed under bridges before spilling the water back into Willow Creek in the flood plain below town. Once the pipeline is in place, water will be diverted for the duration of the project so work can be completed on the flume.
A copper damn will be constructed at the top of the flume where the initial water diversion will begin. “Once the flume is clear, crews will be working to grout holes, fix leaks, clean the flume and spray four inches of shotcrete,” said Nelson-Freer. The shotcrete will be about a foot and a half up the side of the flume, which as Nelson-Freer explained, was all the budget for the project would allow. “Engineers chose to do a foot and a half of shotcrete because that was what could be fit into the budget.”
Several community members spoke up stating the design that is being proposed is a, “horrible design” and that it needs to be changed. Nelson-Freer explained that the pipeline was originally supposed to be a permanent structure but because the town couldn’t come to an agreement with CDOT, running a temporary line was their only other alternative. “It is too late in the process for anything to change or we could face losing our funding,” said Nelson-Freer.
Other community members and business owners voiced concerns regarding road closures during the busy season in Creede. One owner stated that they feared losing business during Memorial Day Weekend when Wall Street was scheduled to be closed. “That is our lifeline here. We depend on those months to make money and especially our opening weekend on Memorial Day.”
Nelson-Freer stated that the purpose of the meeting was to notify property owners about what to expect while work was being completed and that another meeting with the town board could be scheduled to help address some of the concerns from the public. “We can get the issue placed on the next agenda of the town board so that we can sit down and work some of these issues out. The work has to be done. We are trying to better Creede,” said Nelson-Freer.
The main portion of property owners that will be affected during the construction phase of the project reside on the east side of the flume. Property owners were asked to sign an agreement to allow equipment operators and crews access to the flume through their property. In the agreement it stated that the property would be returned to the original existing condition and that the construction company, Mays Construction Inc., holds extensive liability insurance to cover any damage or safety issues, should any occur. “This is not the ideal situation, but we did what we needed to do to get the project completed. This is very time sensitive,” said Nelson-Freer.
For more information or a detailed list of road closures, please call town hall at 658-2276.