By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media –
The Raton City Commission met in regular session on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 and approved several projects that are coming up.
City Manager Scott Berry recommended and the Commission approved, the use of $50,000 in funds from the City’s share of the gas tax, to use as matching funds to leverage $400,000 to be used for the first phase of the Great Blocks Project on First Street. Phase One will take care of some street improvements on Cook Avenue as well as First and Rio Grande. The total project cost is estimated at over $1 million, with Raton MainStreet seeking other funding opportunities to complete the project.
City Manager Scott Berry noted that the city only receives two cents of the $.17 gas tax for street improvements. Berry asked for approval to do chip seal work on Mora, Pecos, Dwyer and Buena Vista. To do paving work on Savage, Cook and Apache between First and Second Streets. Some of the work will depend on when the capital funding money becomes available that the city was approved for this last legislative session. (Link to Street Improvement Report)
Commissioners approved a professional services contract for $10,000 with Alpha Design of Raton to include some consulting work including bid and site preparation and work with NM Historic Preservation at the Shuler Theater for the theater digital film upgrade project. City Manager Berry feared that the total costs would exceed the $100,000 allocated by the state for the project and so, some of the additional costs will come from the Shuler Restoration Commission which approved a $10,000 grant for the project.
Raton Fire and Emergency Services Chief Jim Matthews addressed the Commission and listed the top 10 dangerous buildings in Raton that the code enforcement group has identified as needing to be demolished. There are two buildings of particular urgency that a request for demo will be brought to commissioners at the next meeting to start the demo process. As Berry noted the process to demo a building, especially since these are private property require a very specific process be followed.
Matthews also requested commissioners rescind the burn ban in the city as recent rains have reduced the fire danger. He also commented on fireworks sales and noted that they can only be set off between June 20 and July 6.
In other business, Commissioners approved Jose Mauricio Lemus to the lodger’s tax board as well as approving the 13th budget adjustment of the 2016 fiscal year and approved all three street closures for the July 4th weekend events covering the parade on First Street and the VFW closure for a street dance on Park Ave.
Commissioners also approved the vector control agreement with Colfax County vector control services. The agreement is the same as last year. (Link to Budget Adjustment #13)
Commissioners also approved the MOU with the Raton Chamber of Commerce which included an amendment. The agreement will remain the same and is extended for one year. Once again commissioners agreed that they would require the Chamber to produce financial reports for their operations to allow the city to monitor how the money they provide to the chamber gets spent. (Link to Chamber MOU)
Berry told commissioners that the Segerstrom Creek project is 75% complete and that all parties involved were pleased with the work so far. Berry also touched on the water mapping project meeting he attended noting they needs lots of money to complete this project. The city will be opening bids for the cover work at the landfill as well as other projects in the coming week.
A new project that Raton and the State of Colorado will be looking at is some dam work at Lake Dorothy. The dam inspection indicated that some concrete on the dam needs to be replaced. So they will be going out to bid for that project soon.
Work at the Wartzilla plant is progressing. The old generator has been removed and the bid for the new construction to prepare for the new generator will be opened June 17.
Commissioners will meet again on June 21 at 5:30 p.m. for a special meeting to approve that landfill cover bid and then will meet again on June 28 at 6:00 p.m. for their next regular meeting.
