Last Friday, when I met with a local activist for coffee and a chat about community concerns, I was surprised when he presented me with a old copy of The Pagosa Post magazine from May 2010.
My friend Glenn Walsh and I had published this monthly magazine for about 11 months, back in 2010, with my daughter Ursala handling the graphic design. For the May issue, our ad sales were handled by Robbie Pepper. Glenn did the editing.
The magazine consisted of 32 pages of news, opinions, humor, dining, hiking trails, an events calendar, and even classified ads. It was advertiser-supported and distributed free. I think we printed about 2,000 copies that month.
By coincidence, this particular issue dealt with water issues, including a two-page editorial about the upcoming election for the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District, wherein Glenn made the case for electing two particular PAWSD board candidates: Allan Bunch and Roy Vega.
After summarizing the myriad poor decisions (and possibly, corruption) that had led up to the $10 million purchase of the Dry Gulch Reservoir property, and the already-high debt burden carried by the PAWSD customers in 2010, Glenn urged our readers to vote for Mr. Bunch and Mr. Vega:
Next week, PAWSD voters will have the opportunity to make a fundamental change. In effect, we can vote for ourselves. We can put the customers and the taxpayers back in charge of our future, before the local economy is destroyed by PAWSD debt and PAWSD building fees (which can exceed $30,000 for a three-bedroom house)…
…Unlike the other three candidates, Bunch and Vega are adamant abut putting the taxpayers back in charge of our district. No more debt without voter approval. No guarantees of your monthly rates to the state for hundred million dollar loans. No construction of any reservoir at Dry Gulch without voter approval. And no proposed reservoir until the finances are as rock-solid as the dam itself.
I urge you to vote for Allan Bunch and Roy Vega onto the PAWSD Board next week. Cast your vote against secret land deals, disastrous debt, and a board whose communication with the taxpayers is a manipulative mix of ‘Saying Anything’ and ‘Saying Nothing’…
We don’t know how influential Glenn’s editorial plea may have been in May 2010, but Mr. Bunch and Mr. Vega were elected by a relative landslide. True to their campaign promises, they ultimately managed to bring about significant changes in the way PAWSD treated its customers. Most importantly, they took the Dry Gulch Reservoir off the ‘fast track’ and wrapped the proposed project in mothballs — with the help of other board members who later joined the board.
I was tickled to have this May 2010 issue of our magazine presented to me on Friday — either by happy coincidence, or by divine design — because Glenn Walsh and I both currently serve on the PAWSD board of directors… and because we will be meeting tonight, Monday, January 30 at 5pm at the PAWSD offices on Lyn Avenue… and because at least one of the discussions tonight will likely concern the Dry Gulch Reservoir property.
And because I happen to be writing an editorial series about this very topic. Water.
Disclosure: I currently serve on the PAWSD Board of Directors, but this editorial series reflects only my personal opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of the PAWSD Board as a whole.
As mentioned in Part One, the San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) voted last week to accept a certain size reservoir in the Dry Gulch valley as their strategic goal: 11,000 acre-feet.
I was surprised by this vote, because PAWSD has offered to provide a long-range estimate of our community’s water needs, to help SJWCD in determining the need for a reservoir, and the size, if a reservoir is in fact a good idea. SJWCD originally had a 10% ownership interest in the Running Iron Ranch, but since 2015, PAWSD customers have been responsible for the entire debt burden on the Running Iron Ranch.
In spite of having no real ownership interest, SJWCD has a surprising enthusiasm for a project that has shown little community support over the past 10 years.
The PAWSD customers and taxpayers — the true owners of the Ranch — already own five good-sized reservoirs. Stevens Reservoir, Lake Hatcher, Pagosa Lake, Village Lake, Lake Forest. Enough stored water to last the community at least two years, if not a drop of rain or flake of snow fell for two years.
As I understand the situation, the PAWSD Board plans to discuss a long-range water demand estimate next month, and I thought the general idea was to meet together with SJWCD soon thereafter and talk about the proper size for a future reservoir on the Running Iron Ranch, based on the PAWSD estimates of the community’s future needs. Since PAWSD actually provides water to the community, and SJWCD does not.
That’s how I recall our conversations.
Apparently, SJWCD didn’t want to wait for PAWSD — the 90% owner of the property — to sit down with them and discuss the best size for a potential reservoir.
The PAWSD Board meeting tonight may provide some clarity about these issues. The Board will also be discussing ways to help subsidize builders who are providing workforce housing in a town with a serious housing crisis. And also, rates increases. And also, two rather expensive water projects.
Two of the most expensive infrastructure projects undertaken by a government in Archuleta County, in fact. What with inflation and all…
The meeting will be held at the PAWSD offices at 5pm. Public comments are welcome at the beginning of the meeting. You can download the agenda packet here.