Reportedly, a group of citizens will present the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners with a petition today, Tuesday June 6, complaining about ineffective road maintenance on County Road 700 (Cat Creek Road). The petition was reportedly signed by 75 citizens who use CR 700.
The petition is related to a letter of complaint submitted by Chadd and Christa Carnley to the County Road & Bridge Department, the County Manager, and the County Commissioners on May 25. It reads:
Archuleta County Road and Bridge:
It seems obvious that the current maintenance schedule of our county roads is not a viable solution. While our county is understaffed, it is also overextending itself so that nothing is done in a timely, effective manner.
Issue 1.
The primary responsibility of Archuleta County Road and Bridge should be Farm to Table roads, not Fairfield, Alpha and Meadows subdivisions, etc.
Solutions:
Just as other subdivisions throughout Archuleta acquire their own equipment for maintenance, so should these subdivisions. As Pagosa continues to expand outside its boundary lines of the Old Town of Pagosa municipal limits, so should the lines be redrawn between Township and County. If this is not a viable option, then each subdivision in County should be required to acquire their own maintenance equipment. This in turn would allow more consistent road maintenance to the existing roads that are truly in the County.
Issue 2.
Heavy traffic using CR700 in order to access Aspen Springs Unit 6.
Solution:
Acquiring an alternate route to Aspen Spring Unit Six would be a wise correlation between subdivision and county, if the end result would be to relieve heavy use traffic off of County Road 700. This would reduce some of the traffic and hence less damage to the County road.
Issue 3.
Pagosa Junction Bridge road closure with No Prior Notification at intersections of CR500/CR700 and HWY160.
Solution:
Bridge Closure Signs would be better utilized at the junctions of both CR500-CR700 and HWY 160 intersections. This would be courteous to Archuleta County residents and tourist traffic and would eliminate unnecessary traffic looping back around from 500 or having to turn around at bridge only to come back up 700 causing unnecessary and additional wear and tear on both road systems.
Issue 4:
From last year, you can see the consistency, but this was not without having to voice complaints to Commissioner Alvin Schaaf who took action and made proper inquiries on behalf of Archuleta County citizens. We saw results then, but have yet to see any now…
2022
May 16,2022 Canyon fully graded
June 9, 2022 Canyon fully graded and mag chloride applied
July 19, 2022 Canyon fully graded
July 27,2022 Graded from Westview to Mile Marker 7
Aug 4, 2022 Graded Mile Marker 7 to CR 500 (spot-graded Canyon)
Aug 16, 2022 Spot-graded Canyon 1⁄2 way
Oct 4, 2022 Canyon fully graded
Nov 22, 2022 Canyon fully graded
2023
March 27,2023 Lightly Spot-graded from Junction to MM 10- No grading took place between MM10-MM6
March 29,2023 Canyon lightly spot-graded 1⁄2 (grader broke down)
March 31,2023 Lightly spot-graded rest of Canyon to Altura
April 10,2023 Lightly spot-graded from Altura to sub-division MM 5.5
It would seem that bringing equipment back and forth for light spot-grading is not an effective use of time or resources and does not offer a quality job that will last more then 7-10 days at best.
Solution:
Strategically placing equipment would be an effective use of taxpayers dollars and time management. Instead of the equipment always being stored at the yard throughout the busy season, why not acquire leases at individual residences along heavy use roads in order to effectively manage the maintenance on said roads.
Issue 5:
New website complaint format.
On several occasions I’ve submitted complaints only to have the system say Error or for the whole letter to disappear completely. Also, by only accepting complaints via the website format it excludes an entire generation that is not electronically savvy; this would be discriminatory, that they are not allowed to place complaints via voicemail. We brought the Website malfunction issue to the attention of Commissioner Maez Attention on April 27. When the form finally does go through, it says to expect a response within two business days. This has not been done either. In addition, when attempting to leave a voicemail (because the website system is not working), it does not give us an option on the recorder to do so.
Solution:
Have a website where it can function properly. Also, allow a voicemail option still in place for those residents that don’t use an electronic option.
Commissioners should be aware at each commissioner meeting of what is going on in the road system and how many complaints have been documented. This would help them be more aware of what is going on with-in the county and hear the voices of the residents they are supposed to represent.
Summary:
When the lack of road maintenance starts affecting the delivery of Potable Water, this becomes a health hazard to those depending on it being delivered. Or the USPS mail carriers have to refuse delivery; this has the potential of great risk to those residents having their medications delivered through the USPS. How can Emergency Management service reach its citizens in a safe and timely manner?
What will be done to improve service for the residents of Archuleta County?
On May 26, the Carnleys received a response from County Public Works Director Kevin Pogue:
I appreciate your passion in regards to the road you reside on. The documentation of the maintenance, or lack thereof, is great and is a great indicator of how often we do actually work on the road. County road 700 is only one of the many roads that the county has to maintain (we have roughly 300 miles of roads to keep in working order with a staff size of 15). I understand you along with every other resident in Archuleta County pay taxes and demand better services, hence the petitions and formal complaints but I would also like to ask you to keep in mind that we have a lot to keep up with in regards to dust mitigation, drainage, accessibility, etc.
Seasonally this winter was more severe than in most instances which has also limited our “window of opportunity” to address all the needs across the County while weather permits. County road 700 is not the busiest road in the county but nonetheless deserves to be maintained like all the rest. Indian Land Road was, as I was told, an additional road that would help offset the amount of cars needing to travel 700. I actually drove it personally yesterday and it was not in the greatest shape. I have started discussing with the Metro District of Aspen Springs how we can assist them with getting that road in better condition so that the residents and travelers passing through that area have an alternative route.
When it comes to our county roads that are gravel, it is imperative that we remind our residents to slow down. These roads are not racetracks and it has been my experience that when we grade the roads there’s an uptick in the speeds that people drive down them which negatively affects the integrity of the driving surface.
This year we, The County, are applying a blended product from our dust mitigation supplier that hopefully will last longer than the typical mag application. We are also changing the means and methods of applying their product to also extend the longevity of its usefulness. This being said, I am currently waiting on our supplier to get more of this product, should be at the latest middle of next week, so that we can go over and help mitigate the issues that CR 700 presents.
As far as plans to pave CR 700, I would not plan on that happening in the near future given the amount of roads we currently have that are falling apart from lack of maintenance and the overall cost to pave roads (Currently for a full depth paving project it is costing about $1.5 million a mile). Archuleta County has not stayed on top of these responsibilities and it will take years to get the County back in better shape. We are looking at alternative solutions that would require less maintenance, and if these experimental applications work out well, it will be utilized more moving forward. That being said, I look forward to having more dialogue with you at the June 6 Commissioner meeting, and if you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me personally. I am here to do the best job daily for our residents on behalf of the County and I take pride in everything we do, and I hope that it shows.
Your concerns are valid and I like getting feedback from our residents, but being demanding will not get you what you want… be a part of the solution and remind people that when they tear up the road, it doesn’t just affect them but also all of the residents as well, and business owners that service those residents.
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.