The Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District board unanimously approved nearly $3.9 million Tuesday to replace aging pumps and inspect the seven-and-a-half-mile force main carrying town wastewater to the PAWSD Vista treatment plant.
The $3,876,650 package covers eight new pumps at roughly $2 million, a $140,000 pipeline sensor inspection, $720,000 in new controls and wiring, surge tanks for two pump stations, and wet well lining — all figures carrying a built-in 15% contingency. Interim Public Works Director Phil Bennett and Roaring Fork Engineering consultant Maggie McHugh told the board pump orders carry approximately a six-month lead time with no price guarantee until delivery. Funding shifts from previously budgeted category four and five pipe replacements, with town staff working to cash-flow costs and delay borrowing.
The board also unanimously approved two change orders to the McCabe Creek sewer project. Change order three, totaling $72,340, widens concrete on a culvert crossing to prevent erosion during flood events and replaces two service lines on North 6th Street. Change order four adds $291,008 to extend work onto the 700 block of Rosita Street ahead of anticipated fall development, avoiding future cuts through newly paved surfaces.
Town Council then unanimously appointed Vahid Shabro to fill the vacant council seat. Shabro, a petroleum engineer and emissions-reduction software developer who became a full-time Pagosa Springs resident about a year ago, said he wants to apply capital-allocation discipline to town spending and prioritize amenities for families with children.
Council approved a Shine Gelato outdoor commercial establishment permit, authorizing Matthew Sherrill to operate a mobile bicycle gelato cart along Route 1 — a path running from Centennial Park through the Sixth Street Riverwalk, across the Apache Street Bridge, around Yamaguchi Park, up Hot Springs Boulevard, and down to Cotton Hole. The permit bars the cart from entering reserved park events without an invitation from organizers.
Laura Marchino of Region 9 Economic Development District presented an update on the regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy rewrite, noting that listing a workforce development center as a priority in the prior document helped unlock a potential $2.7 million federal grant currently advancing through state review.
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