Refined designs for the sewage-treatment plant may leave room for a basketball court in Santa Rita Park.

But there is not enough space to leave room for the volleyball court that will be displaced by expansions at the plant, said Patrick Radabaugh, an engineer with Dewberry.

This was one of the details about the new $60.8 million plant that emerged during a Durango City Council meeting Tuesday.

Overall, designs for the campus aim to shield most mechanical equipment from people traveling on U.S. Highway 550/160 and on the Animas River, using sloped roof lines, said Bruce Lintjer with Lintjer and Haywood Architects.

Board-form concrete, metal panels and stone meant to blend with Smelter Mountain will be the main materials used to create a unified theme throughout the campus, he said. “It has a timeless, more classic look,” said Mayor Christina Rinderle.

Those traveling along the highway or the river will not see a wall of buildings, said Billy Gregg, a landscape architect with StudioCPG.

Instead, the buildings will be built in layers to help break up their mass and scale, he said.

City’s consultants are also planning for the facility to have public art of some kind, and they opened a general discussion about that with stakeholder groups during their visit, Gregg said.

“It was great hearing. Everybody came with ideas,” he said.

Councilor Dean Brookie would like to see an educational piece about water incorporated into the design.

“What a perfect machine and venue to provide that educational piece,” he said.

The public can view designs and give feedback from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Durango Public Library.

Consultants plan to return to town one more time to collect feedback before finalizing plans.

Plant design is scheduled to be finished in January, and construction is planned to start in May.

mshinn@durangoherald.com