At the Town of Nucla’s monthly board meeting on Dec. 10, John Reed went before trustees to discuss a “static display,” what is a piece of historical equipment from the U.S. Armed Forces that could potentially be on site in Nucla. Town Clerk-Manager Jessica Davis told the Forum Reed could apply for a display, but Nucla won’t know what’s coming until the decision has been made by the military. It could be a plane, or a tanker — nobody can predict — but a concrete pad would have to be poured first. Davis said the conversation is beginning.
At the meeting, Jesse Sutherland and Wayne Ament were sworn in as new trustees.
The town board approved $5,000 in funding for the West End Visitors Center, as it does annually. And, Davis told the board a letter to the Colorado Housing Finance Authority was submitted to help with funding for upgrades at the Nucla Community Center.
The board decided to table the discussion of donating to Hoof & Paw’s roof situation, because representatives of Hoof & Paw are revisiting a bid. The board also tabled the fishing permit until the spring.
Davis wants to make sure all know that the municipal election is on for April, and five trustee seats are up. On Jan. 7, election packets will be ready, but they must be picked up in person. Davis encourages citizens to consider running. She said two of the seats are four-year terms.
She wants the community to check their voter registrations and be sure people are ready to vote in April. They can check the information online.
In addition to approving the 2026, budget, which is available on the town’s website, trustees approved the mill to remain at 11.683.
The board was informed that three seats are also available on the Nucla-Naturita Area Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, and the chamber is also finalizing its 2026 budget.
The person hired for code enforcement and animal control declined the position, and now one other candidate that had applied will be interviewed. Davis said municipal judge Tom Loczy is ready to get someone into the position.
Davis told trustees they’re working on the meter and billing system upgrade. Meters have about a 10-year life span, and some need to be retired. The town is pulling high and low-consuming meters to see if they’re working correctly. Some meters don’t appear to be communicating with the system at all.
Davis told the Forum on Thursday, Dec. 11, the brush dump has been misused. That spot is for organic material only: garden debris, tree trimmings, small pet waste. She said the town has found couches, appliances and other construction materials there, which are not permitted.
“If we catch you, you must remove it or go to court,” she said last week.
She said it’s true anyone dumping anything not organic or related to lawn and garden must go to Broad Canyon Landfill in the Basin. Yes, live Christmas trees after the holiday can go to the brush dump.
The Bell Tower too has seen some misuse in Town Park. Davis said nobody should be stealing power from it. She said she wants to be kind and informative, but the Bell Tower is not for public use. Anyone who didn’t know before should be aware now, and officials are watching the space.
