Operation of the pipeline has been delayed by mechanical problems with pumps installed to move the effluent up-grade to the plant, and by mediation of a dispute with PAWSD…
— “Pipeline operation continues to be delayed” in the weekly Pagosa Springs SUN newspaper, May 5, 2016.
Council member Nicole Pitcher and Pagosa Springs mayor Don Volger — both of whom served at their final Town Council meeting on Thursday — have agreed and disagreed on a wide range of issues over the past six years.
Both have also, I think, grown in compassion and discernment during their terms of office.
We’ve quoted both of them occasionally here in the Daily Post. This may be a perfect time to quote some additional comments from them, as our elected representatives.
After Ms. Pitcher finished delivering her ‘farewell’ message to the rest of her colleagues at last Thursday’s meeting — as shared yesterday in Part Two — our mayor, Don Volger, also offered a few thoughts about his retirement from Council following 13 years of service, as Council member and then as Mayor.
He began by praising Ms. Pitcher…
“I have seen so much growth, and so much understanding, from the time that I remember you sitting over there [in the audience of a Council meeting]… back when we were doing that Reservoir Hill thing. And it was so controversial, and I was thinking, ‘Who is this gal?’ I mean, she’s tough, but…man!”
The comment elicited laughter from the Council.
“And I have seen just an amazing change in understanding and maturity, and a deeper love for the community…”
The Mayor is here referring to what was, for him, a challenging experience. The Town Tourism Committee had brought forward a $4.5 million plan to install a small amusement park atop Reservoir Hill park — the wilderness park adjacent to the Great Pagosa Hot Springs — and the Town Council had adopted the plan as an official Town project, even though no one could explain where the $4.5 million would come from, and even though many town taxpayers had expressed reservations about the wisdom of destroying a quiet wilderness park for the supposed benefit of tourists.
One of the more outspoken critics, and one of the people challenging Mr. Volger’s view of Pagosa’s future, had been Nicole Pitcher — at that time, known as Nicole DeMarco.
A subsequent citizens’ petition placed the question in front of the town voters — should the Town Council be required to obtain voter approval before installing mechanized amusement park rides on Reservoir Hill? The ballot measure was approved.
This was, I believe, the first time a group of ordinary citizens had successfully made use of the relatively-new Home Rule Charter, to control the future actions of the Town Council.
Then-Mayor Ross Aragon responded to the vote by declaring that the amusement park issue was dead — that the voters had spoken, and that the wilderness park would remain undeveloped.
Then-Council member Don Volger was quoted in the local newspaper, however, as disagreeing with the voters, and as wanting to move ahead with the amusement park.
As I mentioned, both Mayor Volger and Council member Pitcher have matured since the Reservoir Hill vote. In my opinion, both have developed a greater appreciation for divergent perspectives.
The Mayor continued with his closing comments at the Thursday meeting:
“It has been a joy… an absolute joy… and privilege, to be able to serve in this capacity. And you guys know some of my police [background] and so you know that it’s not about me. I’m playing my part, or trying to… but I’m a goofball, and [Town Clerk April Hessman and Council parliamentarian] has caught me, I don’t know how many times, and I really appreciate that.”
He laughed.
“But you know, we can’t do it without doing it together. And that is the culture we have been able to develop. I gave some suggestions, and you guys said, ‘Okay!’ And we did it together…
“…I really appreciate all of you, and there’s a lot I’m going to miss. But I think it’s the right time… I feel so confident that you guys are going to take it to the next level.”
He turned to Ms. Pitcher.
“And you’re not done yet. You may be done for this particular season, for a lot of reasons, but you ain’t done yet. Okay?
“And the rest of you guys are still stuck here, so…”
The Council laughed.
That pretty much concluded the Council meeting… except…
…the Council also acts as the Board of Directors for the Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District (PSSGID). And on Thursday evening, we heard more about just how stuck the Town leadership seems to be, regarding the Town’s problematic sewer pipeline, which began operations in 2016, following a somewhat messy arbitration process to revise the intergovernmental agreement between PSSGID and Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD).
Here, again, is that quote from the May 5, 2016, Pagosa Springs SUN article:
Operation of the pipeline has been delayed by mechanical problems with pumps installed to move the effluent uphill to the plant, and by mediation of a dispute with PAWSD…
Almost six years later, the sewer system continues to experience pump failures at a distressing rate, as it strains to pump 250,000 gallons of sewage per day seven miles uphill to the Vista Treatment Plant…
From last Thursday’s PSSGID meeting agenda notes, written by Town Manager Andrea Phillips:
Unfortunately, since the project began in 2016, the two major pump stations have had issues with the pumps. The original pumps have had several failures (some of which have been repaired and others have been so damaged that they could not be reused). The retrofitted pumps have all failed since their installation. The existing pumps have continued to have issues with seals, bearings, and electrical components. Some of the pumps were able to be repaired by a certified pump technician (All American Technical in Farmington) but some were not able to be repaired due to the way they failed. The additional strains on the system have caused odor and electrical issues as well. In the face of these challenges, staff has done a phenomenal job keeping the lift stations pumping…
Over the past month, the PSSGID Board (Town Council) has approved close to $100,000 to be spent on pumps.