Members of the Colorado Legislative Council’s Capital Development Committee got an insider’s look at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife fish hatchery as well as new infrastructure underway at Fort Lewis College.
The Wednesday morning visits were part of a series of tours the committee conducts annually to assess the progress and capital needs of various entities throughout the state.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife offered an early tour of the fish hatchery, and showed state officials where the agency intends to replace a portion of one of its spring lines near Durango High School that runs water underground to the hatchery. Parks and Wildlife stopped diverting water directly from the river to prevent whirling disease, a detrimental side effect of parasites that plague wild fish populations.
Department officials hope they can get approval for some of the funding for the spring line replacement in the coming year.
Manholes along the walkway leading from the hatchery to the high school allow crews to clean debris from the underground waterway, but lines still need replacing once about every 50 years as root and debris buildup impede the line’s function, hatchery manager Toby Mourning said.
Upgrades to hatchery roofing and pavement and dredging a settling pond are also on the maintenance list.
After touring the hatchery, the committee dropped by Fort Lewis College to see progress on the school’s new geosciences, physics and engineering building. The $35.3 million structure should be complete next summer and open in time for the fall 2016 semester. FLC was responsible for raising about $4.2 million of the funds, with $31.1 million in support from the state.
FLC President Dene Thomas lauded the state, particularly Sen. Ellen Roberts, who “fought” for funding.
“FLC is a top priority for me,” District 59 State Rep. J. Paul Brown said. “We have very smart students, and you can see the school is trying to keep up with maintenance.”
The new building is expected to relieve overcrowding at Berndt Hall and accommodate 350-400 students in the expanding science program.
Physics Professor Ryan Haaland said the school’s lack of specific engineering disciplines is an advantage to students, equipping them with a broader skill set. He added that the school wants to direct more efforts to recruiting students.
“It needs to be faculty and, more importantly, existing students (recruiting),” Haaland said. “We want to expand outreach to other schools. The Southern Ute Growth Fund is dying for us to get those kids. They need engineers.”
Committee members also made plans to visit Southwest Colorado Community College on Wednesday afternoon.
jpace@durangoherald.com
