The proposal, from Town of Pagosa Springs Planner Director James Dickhoff, seemed simple enough.
Three parties — the Archuleta County government, the Town government, and a non-profit social group called Friends of the Upper San Juan River (FUSJR) — would each chip in maybe $5,000 to purchase an acre of property along the banks of the San Juan River, to serve as a community-accessible boating ‘take-out’ for commercial and private boaters.
For who knows how many years, rafters and kayakers have been floating down the San Juan River from the vicinity of downtown Pagosa Springs — or further upriver — and drifting in a leisurely fashion through Mesa Canyon, to a spot about 12 miles south where County Road 500 (Trujillo Road) comes right alongside the river, and where the river bank presents a gentle slope and the road widens to allow temporary parking.
It’s not an especially exciting boat ride through Mesa Canyon. The upper San Juan River meanders through the sandstone canyon and piñon-blanketed landscape, in a totally harmless manner for most of the summer. More relaxing than thrilling.
But any type of boating adventure requires a convenient place to pull your boat out of the river.
According to a recent land survey, however, this traditional take-out spot near the 12-mile marker belongs to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and last year, the Tribe began requiring boaters to drive to Ignacio to obtain an official tribal permit, before using the take-out. That’s a 50-mile drive, one way. 100 miles round-trip.
So, for the past year, the Pagosa boating community and our local governments have been scratching their collective heads, looking for a possible solution.
Discussions with the Tribe have not been encouraging.
Last Tuesday, May 14, Town Planning Director Dickhoff brought along Town Recreation Director Darren Lewis and FUSJR representative Tobi Rohwer, to meet with Archuleta County Commissioners Ronnie Maez and Alvin Schaaf, to discuss the purchase of a vacant one-acre parcel of land near the 12-mile marker. According to the conversation, it sounded like the County’s Road and Bridge Department has been using this particular vacant parcel to access the river and fill their water trucks during maintenance work on Trujillo Road — without the owner’s permission?
The owners is willing to sell the property. The Town is willing to kick in $5,000. Friends of the Upper San Juan River are willing to kick in $5,000.
Since the parcel abuts Trujillo Road, the County could easily establish a ‘right of way’ designation for the parcel, thus avoiding the hassles caused by County subdivision rules and by FEMA flood plain regulations.
We are here listening to Commissioner Ronnie Maez.
“I’m not sure about the ownership. We’ve never really been into the parks-ownership kind of thing. We increased the funding for the Town Parks and Rec, this past year. I don’t mind helping. I think it’s good for tourism. Have you guys approached the tourism board, to get money from them?”
Recreation Director Darren Lewis:
“We’re only talking about $5,000 each. I don’t know if that’s going to restrict your guys’ budget. You could probably use Conservation Trust Fund money, if you wanted to.
“This isn’t [intended to be] set up as a ‘park’ location.”
Almost all of the parks, and recreation activities in Archuleta County are managed by the Town of Pagosa Springs. Historically, the County government has steered clear of anything to do with recreational amenities. The County-owned Cloman Park, near the airport, was an obvious departure from that pattern, but even there, the park activities are organized by non-profit recreation clubs and not by the County itself.
Mr. Lewis:
“I think you have to look at the economic impact, if that went away.”
Translation: If the community permanently lost access to a boating take-out down Mesa Canyon, wouldn’t that mean a loss of tourism income?
Commissioner Maez:
“I’m just more concerned about the ownership and the responsibility of that parcel.”
Mr. Lewis:
“Right now, you have a County road there, and it’s private property on both sides of the road. What’s your concern about taking ownership? I guess that’s my question. I mean, what is your concern?”
Commissioner Maez:
“Well, you know how you get the camel’s nose under the tent? It starts out with good intentions and everything, and pretty soon… ‘We need these improvements. We need it paved.’ It goes on and on, and then that increases the cost to Archuleta County, if we maintain ownership of it.”
County Attorney Todd Weaver:
“If anyone is injured on the property, the liability is going to fall on the County.”
So true. Our governments, in providing services to the community, are subject to lawsuits when they are negligent about safety. Or negligent about maintenance.
Of course, the Town government has been operating parks in our community since 1891, and these parks have included numerous recreational amenities: playground equipment, athletic fields, mountain biking trails, climbing boulders, concrete skateboarding facilities, whitewater river features, fishing pools, ice skating rinks.
Apparently, our County Attorney was here advising our County Commissioners that a boating take-out, to support the commercial and private boating community — and thus, the local tourism economy — might just be too darn dangerous a proposition.