City council asks for rewrite of cable franchise

by Eric Mullens
WALSENBURG —  Following an executive session Tuesday night with Charter Communications representatives, Walsenburg City Council asked for a revision of the cable company’s franchise agreement with the city.
The city’s concerns included removing the city phone number from cable bills as a point of contact for service problems.  A statewide Charter cable service disruption during a Broncos game, resulted in numerous calls to the city, which has no ability to fix problems.  In addition, the proposed 10-year franchise agreement is expected to be shortened to three years, and the company was asked to include content other than music on the  local channel.  
A new agreement should be before the city council before the end of this year.
In other business, council approved a 3.2 percent beer license for the Minit Mart (the former Acorn station).  Council also approved the beer license renewal for the Walsenburg Safeway store.
Council voted unanimously to join in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Compliance Order on Consent ensuring the retirement and rehabilitation of the sewage lagoons associated with the Northlands Sewer project.  In regard to the Northlands project, City Administrator David Johnston wrote to council members in his report last week, the city had to join with private lagoon owners to offset state requirements regarding the closure of the lagoons, which will be done as part of the Northlands project, to make sure further, costly studies of the lagoons aren’t done again.  “These decommissioning and reclamation lagoons are included in the Northlands sewer project, making any further studies of the ponds wasteful,” he said.  
In another economic development update, Johnston spoke recently with Love’s VP of Real Estate and Development Rick Shuffield regarding the proposed Love’s Truck Plaza at the south Walsenburg exit.  Annexation discussion for the property has begun, and Johnston said current construction plans and drawings are expected to be completed by March 2016, with construction to begin in April.  The full service truck plaza/ convenience store and restaurant should be open for business sometime in the fourth quarter of 2016.
“Hopefully, nothing will happen that delays the anticipated schedule,” Johnston said.  So far, no announcement has been made regarding what kind of restaurant will be part of the project.
As it was election night 2015, the council session was a short one with many elected officials and candidates leaving the meeting and going directly to the county courthouse to hear the election results.