Commissioners OK funds for road project and flooring remodel | Local News

The Chaffee County Commissioners approved two large expenditures during their Jan. 21 meeting in Buena Vista. 

The commissioners first voted to approve an amendment to the Federal Highway Administration Grant Contract for the CR 300 project to increase the county match by $183,462.90.

According to the agenda, the road-widening project near Ruby Mountain, funded in part by the Federal Lands Access Program, was originally estimated at $2.8 million, with the county match being $485,000. Following the completion of the design around five years ago, the project went to bid, with the selected bid bringing the total project cost to $3,096,000. The county was then asked to fund an additional $80,000 to complete the project, increasing the county match to $565,000. This new amendment brings the county’s contribution to $738,462.90.

Construction on the project began in September 2024, with completion expected by December 2024. However, slope instability and rockfall brought the work to a stop early on until the extent of instability was determined and a mitigation solution was engineered. The approved mitigation includes rock scaling and a series of rock bolts to remove smaller loose boulders and secure larger rock masses along slip planes. Construction is now anticipated to be in April 2025.

County Administrator Don Reimer said, “As a result, staff’s recommendation is to go ahead and pursue this. It certainly is a budgetary hit we are not planning on, but it is something that needs to be done because we do need to keep that access open. We could probably save some money by not getting the wide road. We are only stabilizing the slope, but that would mean we spent a significant amount of money without any actual improvements to the prior, previous narrow road section at that location.”

Reimer noted that the road sees “very high use in the summertime” from boaters, campers and other recreators, as well as private residents. 

Commissioner Gina Lucrezi said, “I understand that commercial outfitters, private boaters, everybody is kind of paying a little bit for a day use or a permit. But just the bigger picture is, with increased usage, we only have so much funding in road and bridge and we have a lot of other projects that also need our attention. We need to be really creative in how we fund issues like this. … What I’m getting at here is just to bring more awareness. We’re going to have to get creative and find ways to fund these projects. And sure, the county has a role in that, but I also believe recreational users have to have a role in this, too, because I don’t think it’s something to continue to just make up for it.”

Commissioner P.T. Wood said that money would be available through Colorado Parks and Wildlife this year for road maintenance to any road that accesses a state park, which the county will be able to tap into to “hopefully make up some of this $187,000 that we’re spending to get to their main access.”

The commissioners approved the amendment unanimously. 

They also voted to award contracts to Cooper Woodworks for $159,892.83 for flooring installation and remodeling in the Chaffee County Public Health and Human Services offices at the Touber Building. 

“So back in 2009, the county and city combined to purchase the former Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center for offices for the city and county. Common areas are commonly or jointly paid for by the city and county,” Reimer said. “Individual areas of the building, such as public health offices and DHS offices, are paid for by the county itself and city hall by the city itself.”

The current flooring is about 15 years old. 

“In addition, there is a remodel for a large lobby area in DHS to convert it to additional office spaces,” Reimer said. “The lobby was underutilized and office space is of greater need for DHS at this point in time.”

The item was included in last year’s budget and carried over to this year’s budget. 

Reimer confirmed for Commissioner Dave Armstrong that the cost was competitive, and that “the cost of labor has accelerated drastically, as well as, we all know, construction materials have significantly brought up business costs.”

The motion to approve the contracts carried unanimously. 

Reimer was also designated as the county’s Colorado Counties, Inc. proxy for steering committees, authorizing him to vote on items if none of the commissioners were available.