Over the past few months, Archuleta County commissioners have hosted community forums intended to provide the public with opportunities to give feedback on various projects and plans going on in the county.
The next community forum is currently scheduled for May 27 at the TARA Community Center in Arboles, which will be hosted by Commissioner Veronica Medina.
During a work session held by the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) on Tuesday, April 21, Commissioner John Ranson asked about the possibility of continuing to host community forums.
He mentioned that there’s been an interest from residents in the Aspen Springs area to have a community forum there.
County Manager Longinos Gonzalez explained that the plan is to host one more “close out” forum following the one scheduled for May 27.
Medina commented that the feedback from the community at these forums has been “amazing,” and that having another one in Aspen Springs would be a “great” idea.
Gonzalez also suggested that the county could host quarterly forums going forward to continue to engage with the community.
He mentioned that while the county is starting to work on its strategic plan, “we have to have better community engagement.”
Gonzalez also indicated that the BoCC will have a discussion during its work session on May 5 in regard to next steps with the strategic plan.
County Road 700
Also during the April 21 work session, Ranson brought up the condition of County Road 700.
“We spend so much money on roads in the [Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association] subdivision, which is great, but these other main roads are really suffering,” he said.
Ranson mentioned that he used to live on a dirt road in the county, for 10 years, “and I’ve never seen anything like what we experienced” driving up County Road 700 last week.
He noted the Road and Bridge Department crews were working on getting the road smoothed out.
Commissioner Warren Brown commented, “For my money, I think that we should seriously look at that road for paving.”
He commented that the increase in the number of people moving out to that area “has been exponential.”
Brown also noted that the county has maintenance crews working on that road “quite often,” every 90 days or so.
Brown described the current situation as an “endless cycle” that won’t be resolved “unless it’s paved better.”
clayton@pagosasun.com
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