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Residents remain frustrated with public input process for Head Start relocation

Site plans for new building showcased at library
Durango library neighborhood residents Kelly Haun, left, Mary Finley and Eve Presler review a site plan for a proposed new building for Tri-County Head Start at 1917 East Third Ave. (Christian Burney/Durango Herald)

East Third Avenue residents near the Durango Public Library remain frustrated after a public meeting Tuesday about the proposed relocation of an early child care center and its potential impacts to the neighborhood.

The site plan for a new Tri-County Head Start building at 2019 East Third Ave. was showcased at the meeting. A new brick and mortar building has been proposed for Head Start just across the street at 1917 East Third Ave. The new location is a city-owned parking lot scantily used, according to the city.

The presentation addressed building orientation, city code and fire department requirements, parking, repurposing of an alleyway into a parent pickup and drop-off zone, and state-mandated child care facility standards, as well as building colors and material aesthetics and landscaping details.

Many residents who attended weren’t impressed.

“I don’t give a (expletive) what color the siding is,” Eve Presler, library neighborhood resident who lives at the “epicenter” of the proposed development, said after the presentation.

Other residents said the same, expletives and all.

Jackie, another nearby resident, declined to provide her last name. She said voicing her opinion at past public meetings about the proposed Head Start location has damaged some of her relationships with others.

“The city is asking for feedback on pieces that we really are not concerned about, like these architects are going to do a great job (with aesthetics),” she said. “… But (it’s) pretty unanimous that there's concern about the alley, and we're not being asked for the impact on the alley.”

The site plan details a new Head Start building with a 7,500-square-foot footprint with outdoor play areas, employee parking, and a parent and child loading area situated in the alley on the west side of the parking lot connecting to 20th Street on the north and 19th Street to the south.

A site plan for the proposed new Head Start building at 1917 East Third Ave., oriented with west at the top, displays a west-facing alleyway parent and child loading zone and employee parking, with general parking to the south, and green spaces and landscaping around the property. The address is currently a scantily used city-owned parking lot near the Durango Public Library. (Courtesy of the city of Durango)

City Engineer Keith Dougherty fielded residents’ questions about the alley and recorded feedback from residents in a notebook during the breakout session.

In response to a resident’s question, Lauren Davis with Reynolds Ash + Associates said Head Start doesn’t anticipate much more traffic capacity than it already receives, and expects up to about 100 vehicles per day; the alleyway was designated for pickup and drop-off in the interest of safety to avoid having parents and children walk across a public street.

Some residents, including Jackie, were confused by the choice to place parent and child loading in the alley, particularly with the scale of traffic and busyness expected of daily drop-off and pickup schedules.

Residents also couldn’t shake off a bad impression they had of the city’s process in involving the library neighborhood. Jackie, Presler and others said the breakout session format felt like it was meant to divide meeting attendees.

Durango library neighborhood resident Bill LeMaire examines a site plan for a proposed new Tri-County Head Start building at a city-owned parking lot at 1917 East Third Ave. while Keith Dougherty, city engineer, explains the site layout. (Christian Burney/Durango Herald)

On Monday, a Library Neighborhood Association member emailed the city requesting the Tuesday public meeting be split into two 45-minute segments, with the former half designated for RAA and the latter half reserved for public comments.

“We request old style public comment where the community is allowed to comment and all are able to hear the answers,” the email said. “It is important for all community members to hear each other's concerns and the city’s answers. We feel that break out groups and group circles do not allow for this, and are not as effective at sharing group information.”

Nixon said in response the city has heard concerns about alley access and traffic congestion, parking, lighting, snow removal and landscaping, which were addressed or mentioned during Tuesday’s presentation.

She said the city’s priority was to seek feedback from residents about design elements of the site plan that are still subject to change.

Responding to similar calls for a singular question-and-answer format at the meeting, Oswald said the breakout session format was adopted in consideration of some residents who aren’t comfortable with public speaking. Additionally, the breakout session allows for deeper conversations about specific elements of the site plan.

cburney@durangoherald.com



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