The Nucla Town Board of Trustees assembled Sept. 10 for a regular meeting. It’s yet to be determined who will replace Town Manager Melissa Lampshire who resigned earlier this summer.
West End Pay it Forward Trust Board President Sara Bachman spoke to trustees about the $400,000 donation coming from Tri-State Generation and Transmission. Bachman said the trust’s endowment is at $352,000, and $22,000 will be given away in the next round of local grants.
As the trust prepares for the upcoming Tri-State donation, Bachman said she’s asking Nucla and Naturita towns what they’d do with part of that. The trust would like to see the funds increase exponentially for matching grants.
“We’re here to help you with your ideas,” Bachman said.
Trustee Tim Pierce mentioned the Basin Clinic’s needs with strategic planning, and the municipal needs for the main line running water to both communities.
In other town news, one resident questioned the price of dormant water taps increasing from $9 to $35. Mayor Paula Brown said the increase was necessary for infrastructure upgrades. The mayor said many town properties are sitting in disrepair and dormant. The town has to make increases to be able to go for federal grants.
The resident said it was still a big rate increase, and though he also questioned transparency and notice, the town has placed a notice in the Forum and Forum news stories have also covered the new rates.
Trustees later discussed a right-of-way permit on the agenda, at 5th Avenue and Main Street, and after some citizen questions, the board said Clearnetworks wanted to lay fiber. The board decided they needed more time to analyze details before approving that permit.
The board discussed acceptable uses for activities in the town park, and the consensus seemed to be no batting practice or golfing for safety reasons. Trustees would like to post signage for clarity.
On Sept. 20, the conditional use permit regulations, specific to housing and RV living, go into effect with a fee schedule and proof of insurance.
And, Nucla will have its fall clean-up day. Only $2,087 is left in the clean-up budget, and dumpster costs are more than $700. Still, the town can pull money from another line item and will do so. They’d like to have six to eight dumpsters on site. The clean-up day is set for Oct. 18 and supports beautification and safety.
The town agreed to the terms in the service agreement with Summit Engineering for hydrology work, specifically the divergent point for Naturita water rights. Nucla and Naturita will each pay $8,500 to cover the $17,000 cost. Depending on objections from other water entities, the cost could go up.
Scott Barnes resigned from the Nucla Town Board, and now fellow trustees will have to appoint a citizen to fill that vacancy, an unpaid volunteer position.
Though trustee Joseph Hittinger told trustees at the last meeting, resolution was needed for the cell tower issue, a decision on where to put the new cell tower has not been made. Pierce did talk to county officials about moving the cell tower, but hasn’t had a reply. Trustees discussed the $60,000 cost of relocation and that getting out of the contract seemed impossible.
“This is really getting to be a little bit much,” Hittinger said.
The mayor said she shared Hittinger’s sentiments, and reiterated that $13,000 of taxpayer money has been spent on legal fees so far.
The fishing permit is also not settled, and trustees continue to iron out the details of what that permit looks like.
