Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, July 5, to welcome the city’s new attorney, appoint a new member to the Planning Commission, and vote on a couple of city infrastructure projects.
Councilors Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, David Reed, and Ed Ulibarri met in City Council Chambers along with city staff. Councilor Doug Glaspell joined via the Zoom platform.
The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
Watch the meeting here.
OATH OF OFFICE FOR CITY ATTORNEY BENNET A. MORRIS
The City Council formally welcomed the city’s new attorney Tuesday evening as longtime judge Bennet A. Morris officially took the oath of office. Morris was once the Montrose assistant city attorney before serving as a judge for the 7th Judicial District.
Morris replaces Stephen Alcorn who resigned last fall following an eight-year tenure.
PUBLIC COMMENT
One resident and local business owner addressed the council about recent burglaries that have occurred at a number of businesses on the northern end of the city. The resident requested that the business owners who have been affected be invited to attend a future City Council work session to have a larger discussion about public safety and local crime.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the June 20, 2022, regular City Council meeting.
The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found on the new Public Meetings Portal and at www.CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
PLANNING COMMISSION ALTERNATE APPOINTMENT
City Councilors voted 4-1 to appoint Ronald L. Cairns to serve as an alternate to the city’s Planning Commission. The council received three applications for the opening from Cairns, Terry Ferris, and Roy Jerome Dantzman. Councilor Ed Ulibarri voted no, stating he supported Terry Ferris for the position.
MANHOLE REHABILITATION CONTRACT EXTENSION
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve the extension of a contract with Concrete Conservation, Inc. (CCI) for the rehabilitation of manholes with severe hydrogen sulfide (H2S) corrosion, not to exceed $100,000.
City Utility Manager David Bries said formal bids were solicited and received on July 1, 2020, for the rehabilitation of approximately 38 manholes.
Two bids were received, ranging in cost from $99,060 to $103,693. The contract was awarded to CCI and extended in 2021 to include additional manholes needing lining. The 2022 project is largely focused on lining manholes in Townsend Avenue in conjunction with the mill and overlay project by CDOT.
Concrete Conservation, Inc. from Jacksonville, FL is the authorized applicator of
the Spectrashield manhole lining systems that were specified in the bid request. The city has contracted with them for manhole rehabilitation for the past four years, completing rehabilitation on 133 manholes. The city staff has been very pleased with the application and durability of the Spectrashield product.
This contract with Concrete Conservation, Inc. is a renewable contract for up to four years with mutual consent from both parties. Funding for this contract is included in the 2022 wastewater collection operating budget. In the 2022 budget, $100,000 was allocated for manhole rehabilitation.
REVISED 6700 ROAD RIGHT OF WAY DEDICATION
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a revised plat for the 6700 right of way.
City Engineer Scott Murphy said the City of Montrose has been working to secure necessary rights of way for the completion of 6700 Road between Sunnyside and Miami Roads. To that end, the city approved a road dedication plat for the project at the June 20 City Council meeting. This approval was the final step in a series of recent council actions that included approval of an annexation/development agreement, design contract, annexation ordinance, and zoning ordinance for the subject property.
The road dedication plat approved on June 20 was based on a preliminary design and followed the section line through the property. This approach is typical of the major roadway alignments in the area (6600, 6700, 6800 Roads, etc). However, following the award of the project’s design contract in early June, the design team has since been able to perform additional survey work and further refine the roadway alignment. While the initial alignment approved on the June 20 plat would work for the roadway, it has been found that shifting the roadway approximately eight feet east would provide the following advantages to the project:
1. Less Utility Conflicts. The shifted roadway alignment avoids a major “Regional Terminal” communications cabinet. This is the same style of cabinet that recently hindered progress on the Woodgate Road Realignment Project. Avoiding the cabinet will save money and reduce schedule risk for the construction of the 6700 Extension Project.
2. Better Lot Geometry. The shifted roadway results in consistent lot depths on each side of 6700 Road, which will improve “buildability” on these lots when developed in the future. As initially proposed, the parcels east of the alignment were approximately 20 feet deeper than those on the west.
3. More Favorable Roundabout Geometry. The shifted roadway will fit better and prove less impactful to private landowners when a roundabout is eventually constructed at the intersection of 6700 and Miami Roads.
Recognizing the advantages that a shift to the roadway alignment would bring to both the city and the private landowner, the design team has revised the 6700 Road Right of Way Dedication plat. The revised plat also includes additional right of way in the northwestern corner to connect a sidewalk through this area and avoid a large cottonwood tree. An additional $950 in compensation to the landowners has been agreed upon for this new piece of right of way. There are no other changes to total acreages on the plat.
STAFF REPORTS
Mayor Dave Frank said he was proud of city staff for their work in hosting a great community-wide Fourth of July celebration. From the parade to the community concerts at the Rotary Amphitheater to the fireworks celebration. Frank said he and members of city staff have received numerous compliments about the success of the events held on July 4.
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All City Council meetings are recorded and made available online via the city’s website and cable channels 191 for Charter subscribers and 970 for Elevate subscribers. Replays of council meetings are also broadcast at 6 p.m. on the same channels on days that the council is not in session.
In addition, each regular meeting is archived on the City of Montrose’s YouTube channel.
Residents can watch all regular City Council meetings and work sessions live or on-demand through the city’s Public Meetings Portal.
For more city news visit CityOfMontrose.org.