That the city of Durango’s own Utilities Commission questions both the process and the plan to upgrade the city’s sewer plant is disturbing. Nor does it suggest that the city can count on widespread support for its final plan.
That would be unfortunate. The need for a new sewer plant is clear and well understood.
What is not clear is why the sewer plant has to be in what might be the most visible spot in town, take up part of one of the city’s best used parks and sit just upstream of the newly constructed whitewater park. That seems counter to the burgeoning belief that Durango should treasure its riverfront and develop its potential for beauty and enjoyment.
Perhaps there are sound reasons to rebuild the sewer plant at its current location, but if the city is starting with a blank piece of paper – and contemplating spending more than $50 million – why not at least look into relocating the sewer plant somewhere less intrusive? And why not have that discussion in public?
Members of the Utilities Commission offered up three alternative sites: moving the plant to another part of Santa Rita Park, moving it downstream to Cundiff Park, or moving it to land below the Durango Mall. City officials were to point out that there are issues or at least questions, with each of those. What they should be reminded of, however, is that there also are issues with keeping the sewer plant adjacent to such visible and popular parks.
There also could be advantages beyond aesthetics to choosing another location. Depending on the site, those could include less reliance on pumps to move sewage and the ability to design a new plant to allow for expansion over time, instead of trying to build a plant now that will accommodate anticipated growth.
Or, maybe upgrading the sewer plant at its current location really is the best option. But if the city’s own Utilities Commission is unsure of that, how are the voters to know? And it is those voters who likely will be asked to approve an anticipated bond issue.
It is unclear why this process has been mishandled. But as things stand now, members of the Utilities Commission question cost estimates of moving the sewer plant. The City Council twice scheduled public meetings with the Utilities Commission to discuss alternatives, only to cancel them. Two councilors finally met with some members of the commission and city staff, but behind closed doors.
Leaving aside questions as to whether that secret meeting was legal – and absent a quorum it may have been – why do that? Why be part of a process that increasingly looks meant to exclude public input?
It is hard to know what would be the best idea for a new sewer plant. It is easy, however, to see that this process has been flawed.
It involves more than $50 million of taxpayer money, popular city parks, a prime location near downtown and Durango’s precious riverfront. All options should be discussed and the process should be open, transparent and, above all, public.
