Wrapping up the ARRA Project for 2010

We are working toward a year end wrap up for the ARRA Stimulus Project in Hot Sulphur Springs.

Jack and Jim continue to work toward that sweet spot where water filtration is balanced with proper chlorine residual, and age of water in tanks is minimized, with good progress on this last week. Pre-treatment is on line but can’t be fully tested until ice off in the spring when the contractors are committed to return for full start up and training under warranty.

The Town formally accepted the construction projects (intake, water filter, pre-treatment, and water tank) as final on December 13, 2010 which starts the 1-year warranty period. The construction contractor, Garney Companies has given us the last construction invoice bringing them to 100%.

The Notice of Final Payment (attached) was published in the Middle Park Times on December 16 to alert all readers of our intention to pay Garney Companies their final retainage on Feb 18, 2011.

…geoff

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - Nov. 13, 2010

Mayor Hershal Deputy presided over the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House for the new Water Treatment Plant on Saturday, Nov. 13. Around 50 people attended and enjoyed speeches, tours, snacks and WATER.

Keys to the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs were given to Curt Thompson - Engineer; Ed Duerr - Engineer; Andy Poirot - Colorado Department of Health & Environment; Geoff Elliott - Program Manager; Brock Southwick - Garney Construction Supervisor; Walt Sinclair - Garney Construction Foreman; and Chuck Reid, Town Manager.

The hard work by town staff members Jim Kleeman, Jack Zielinski and Sandy White, the Town Trustees and Greg Winkler from the Colorado Dept. of Local Affairs was also recognized.

Congratulations on completion of the project was given to the Town of Hot Sulphur by Matt Sugar on behalf of Senator Udall and by Todd Hagenbuch on behalf of Senator Bennet. An Engineering Award was presented to Ed Duerr and Merrick Companies.

Commemorative cups from the event are available at Town Hall.














Video of Todd Hagenbuch's (Senator Bennet) Acknowledgment Speech



Video of Mayor Deputy's Introduction Speech

Water Plant is Completed

Our water treatment plant is now fully operational and producing wonderful fresh water. Mayor Hershal Deputy (left) and Stimulus Program Manager Geoff Elliott share a proud drink.

We will host a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday, November 13 at 11:00 at the new water treatment plant.

Please join us for snacks and a glass of cool, clear, water – all you can drink!

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - Nov. 13 at 11:00

The official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Hot Sulphur Springs Water Project will be held on Saturday, November 13 at 11 a.m. at the new Water Treatment Plant at 400 Maple.

Please join with us to celebrate this successful and much-needed project!

New Water Treatment Filter Operational

Good news! The new water filter has now been running for a week and is ready to go on line as soon as final tests are complete.

Photos show our water plant operators Jim Kleeman and Jack Zielinski test driving the new system to optimize residual chlorine content.

Great to see the sink flowing with good clean water!

Water Tank Work Progresses

Photos of most recent pour at the Water Tank. Beautiful concrete work belies the difficulty of working at high elevation and dangerous conditions. Garney Construction comes through again!

Tank Site Blasting is Completed

Yenter has completed blasting and Garney has hauled most of the excavated material off site, leaving this nice rock bench almost ready for forming our tank foundation. Lots of hard work is paying off!

New Water Filter Arrives!

The Town of Hot Sulphur Springs is the proud new owner of a state-of-the-art Siemens water filter!

In the photo on the left, local crane operator Paul MacDonald (Sky Crane of Granby) helps our Garney team move the filter off the truck and into the new building.







This photo shows the tight fit through the garage-style door (careful now!).













And here are the proud Board of Trustees with their new water filter -- from left to right is ARRA Program Manager Geoff Elliott, Trustee Kathy Knight, Mayor Hershal Deputy, Mayor Pro Tem Lucy Meirose, Trustee Heather Peck, Water Plant Operator Jack Zielinski, and Trustee Bob McVeigh.

Yenter Blasting Notice

NOTICE OF BLASTING ACTIVITY

This is to notify interested parties that blasting activity will take place at:

Hot Sulphur Springs Water Tank
Roosevelt Ave.
Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado

Blasting will commence on: Monday, July 5, 2010
Blasting will continue through: Friday, July 16,2009

Prior to each detonation there will be a five-minute and then a one-minute pre-blast warning signal. After each blast there will be an all-clear signal.

We ask that, upon hearing these warning signals, residents and occupants ofnearby businesses, do not approach the blast area.

Blasting results in a certain amount of noise, air movement, and tremors. However, these effects should not be cause for concern, as all blasting is done in accordance with established national, state and local standards and regulations that govern the size of each detonation to ensure safety to structures.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Tom Gonzales-Safety Director ---(303) 710-3039
Yenter Companies Main Office ---(303) 279-4458

Yenter Companies, Inc. 20300 W. Highway 72 Arvada, CO 80007 Tel: (303) 279-4458 Fax: (303) 279-0908

Tough Rock will Require Blasting

The construction crew ran into unexpectedly hard rock at the tank site last week,so plans are being re-worked to use explosives to help excavate the bench for the new water tank. Garney has assembled the top-notch team of Yenter Construction to do the drilling and blasting under the guidance of Gordon Reavy.

By using modern methods for precise blasting, the effort must break hard rock while protecting the existing water tank some 20 feet away. The closest homes and other structures should not feel any movement. Town Staff will put notices up around town and will talk to neighbors. They will also have seismic consultant Sara Nation available for discussion and for documentation of existing conditions and actual blast results.

Schedule:

Week of 28June drilling on site

July 1 evening informational community meeting at ToHSS Town Hall with blasting consultant Sara Nation

July 5-7 blasting

Call Town Hall at 970-725-3933 for more information or contact Geoff Elliott at 970-509-0199

River is Raging & the Project Looks Great!

Besides Hot Sulphur Days last weekend, which was a real hoot, the big news in our project area is the raging Colorado River. Flows of up to 2,300 CFS were measured at Windy Gap USGS Gage upstream, and flooding along the river was common. We are happy to report that our water intake area and associated river restoration is handling the flows just fine.



The first photo looking upstream shows river flow over the boulder weir and the intake piping without hardly breaking the surface. The low-profile design is working properly with flood flows passing over the structure without increased shear stress. The riparian restoration work the was done has narrowed the river channel as seen through the shrubs on the second photo and is also holding up quite well. Nick Mezei of the US Army Corps visited the project on June 8 as part of the seasonal monitoring. We will be evaluating the restoration work throughout the year to see if there is scour or sedimentation.

We had the pleasure of hosting Senator Mark Udall Saturday, April 3 at the Water Treatment Plant site. Included were Andy Poirot from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Curt Thompson from Merrick Engineers, Tony Krempin from local TopKnot Engineering, Brock Southwick from Garney, Mayor Hershal Deputy and most of the town staff. The Senator was well versed in ARRA/Stimulus infrastructure projects in general and, we were pleased to hear, he was quite familiar with our ToHSS project in particular. Seems his Staffer Matt Sugar has been quietly helping us along for some time.

Discussion ranged from the difficulty small towns have improving infrastructure to the complex planning and permitting process and the unique challenges of this kind of work in the Colorado high country. Fire Chief Brad White was able to discuss mountain pine beetle wildfire mitigation and how our Stimulus project will improve fire-fighting capabilities. We were also pleased to outline our project history starting with the Pioneer Park acquisition and river-corridor master planning funded by Great Outdoors Colorado. It was great to see Senator Udall show so much interest in our small town project!

Construction to start March 15, 2010

Garney Construction’s Walt Sinclair was on the water-tank site the first week of March with Hot Sulphur Springs’ Jack Zielinski and Jim Kleeman and Bob Pfeiffer from Tim Shenk Land Surveying to look at winter access and planning locations. Sinclair will be back on site beginning March 15 with a track-excavator to perform some exploratory digging. The plan is to minimize the need for blasting rock at the tank site by excavating as much rock as possible.

Beginning April 5, a construction crew will begin more extensive excavation work at both the water tank site and water plant. Construction work will generally take place Monday through Friday between 6:30 a.m and 5 p.m.

Less explosive but as important, nonetheless, the financial/compliance team continues to hone our requisition process with the State of Colorado including new “jobs created” forms and guidance on “Buy American.” Water Project Program Manager Geoff Elliott recently visited Lisa Pine and Elisha Masters at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to review the submittal process.

Project Timeline - Feb 2010

The construction and administration teams have developed this Project Timeline for February 2010. Outdoor construction will begin soon at the water tank site. We will update this web page with more information as it is available.