In 2020, Bayfield plans to “tear up the town.” Construction crews will be replacing old asbestos-reinforced water pipes on both sides of U.S. Highway 160 – but first, town staff needs to secure a million dollars in funding this week. The town board has allotted $3 million to replace aging water pipes next year, one of the biggest upcoming projects in the town’s preliminary budget. Asbestos-reinforced concrete pipes, mostly installed in the 1950s, crack as they age – potentially causing main line breaks or, in rare cases, hazardous repair operations. Town staff members are pursuing $1 million in state grant funding this week so the town can start the pipe replacement process in April. “We’re going to Alamosa on Wednesday to do a seven-minute presentation,” said Chris La May, Bayfield town manager. If the grant is funded in full, each of those minutes will be worth about $143,000. The town will learn in December whether it received the $1 million grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs Energy and Mineral Impact grant program. Bayfield would then finalize a $2 million low-interest loan application with the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. “If we can get (the project) done, at least according to our latest master plan, we’re in pretty good shape for the next 20 years,” La May said. To view the full article visit the Durango Herald.
