The Colorado City Metro District got a $3.3 million boost from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARPA) which was signed into law on March 11. Cities will receive direct funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The Federal Government allocated the funds to the states. The state of Colorado in turn allocated the funds to each county. The money received by the CCMD came via the Pueblo County Commissioners and is available now.
“County Commissioners Ortiz and Griego came out and visited and took a look at our infrastructure needs and were instrumental in procuring this funding,” shared CCMD District Manager James Eccher who began working on the proposal back in April.
$1.5 million of the funding will go toward the replacement of two miles of water line in the Red Cloud-Talley area. The lines need replaced and looped into the system in order to be able to shut down one of the three water tanks.
Those three tanks will be refurbished inside and out with the other $1.8 million. Overseeing the project will be GMS, Inc. Consulting Engineers of Colorado Springs who have done work with the Metro before.
In addition to the engineering, GMS will set up the bid process, take care of draws, and keep everything in line and certified with the federal regulations. They will also provide a grant writer who will continue to seek additional funds for the Colorado City water system.
Eccher shared that money may be available for work needed on the dam, additional line replacement and a pre-treatment facility to be added to the water plant.
Eccher, in a telephone interview Tuesday morning, shared that the aid of Ortiz and Griego was critical to the success of the project. In addition, he said that County Administrator Sabina Genefio was a valuable asset in making the project happen.
Although a final timeline has not been completed, Eccher is looking for completion of the project by the end of 2023. The replacement of the water lines and the work on tank 1 and tank 2 will begin soon. Tank 3 can not be completed until the water line work is done.
Much of the tank work, especially the epoxy coating is also temperature sensitive and can only be done when the temperature is above 45 degrees.
“Water is a top priority,” shared Eccher. “This will be a large step into improving our system. And with the help of Pueblo County and GMS we have a very real chance of getting additional funds to continue to improve our water system.”
States must obligate the dollars by Dec. 31, 2024, and spend the money by Dec. 31, 2026.