Granada Landfill Issues on Hold

Granada-Water-Tower

The Granada Trustees are following the ‘wait and see’ actions of other smaller Colorado communities regarding state imposed landfill regulations, to see if any solutions can be provided by several groups in the state such as Action 22, local county commissioners or Colorado Communities Incorporated.  Granada, Holly, Springfield and other small towns are stating that state regulations pertaining to the operation of their landfills are financially restrictive.  Mayor Glenn Otto said he has been in touch with the new executive director of Action 22, a coalition of 22 counties which presents their common issues to the state legislature.  Otto said some communities have been given until October to correct the deficiencies noted by the CDPHE, Colorado Department of Health and Environment, while others have been given until July.  For the time being, it will be business as usual at the Granada landfill.

The Trustees continued their discussion from last month, of the cost versus benefits of installing credit card readers for the town, allowing residents to pay their utility bills either online, or by walk-in or call-in, if they prefer. The Trustees were presented with the concept by members of the VALE board which brought the issue of capturing more traffic fines for the town with the use of a credit or debit card.  The amount of the fines, plus the size of the utility bills and the number of monthly uses all factor into the decision for going forward with the proposal.  The Trustees postponed any action and will continue researching the idea for the best options.

John McMillan, Town Maintenance Director, left the meeting early after reporting the town is ready for the approaching Granada/Bristol Days festivities. He wanted to get in an evening of early mosquito spraying for the community.  “It’s a good night to get this done as there’s very little wind and because ether are no ball games this evening, I won’t be interfering with any sports.  I do want to get the spraying done tonight because we do have games set for this Friday,” he explained.    Discussion also included the cost of a replacement mower for the town.  The current mower isn’t functional any longer and has never had sufficient front-end weight for the job.  The Trustees estimated a replacement at between $2,400 and $2,600 and are looking at their best option.

No action was taken on a request from a resident to rent the kitchen in the community complex. Several issues were discussed including the fact that there could be potential schedule conflicts depending on how often the kitchen was used, plus the fact that the facilities may not be in line with state codes and regulations for commercial use.

Granada Police Chief, David Dougherty, was advised to look into the cost for two or three humane skunk traps for the town. “I looked into borrowing some from the Lamar Police Department, but they don’t make loans like that and the State Wildlife Department charges a $50 fee per day,” he explained, adding that these are no-kill devices because of the chance of a family pet being trapped. Dougherty said CDOT has approved the parade route for Saturday and the Trustees discussed highway safety measures with him.  There have been numerous instances of vehicles passing on the right hand side of the road at the main intersection where there is only one lane for traffic.  The Chief said he’ll look into moving signs to that effect to a better location, as well as investigate the procedures for flashing signs for pedestrian crossings in town, especially by the school.

The Trustees also discussed funding in next year’s budget for a part time town clerk who would fill in during any absence of the full time clerk, Jackie Malone, or to provide time off for vacations.

By Russ Baldwin

Filed Under: City of GranadaCountyEconomyEmploymentFeaturedHealthLaw EnforcementPublic SafetySchoolTransportation

Tags:

About the Author: