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Triview Metropolitan District, Sept. 19 – Northern Delivery System fully operational; resident raises traffic concerns

By Natalie Barszcz

Post-publication Update

The next regular meeting of the Triview Metropolitan District board of directors has been changed from October 17 to October 24.

At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on Sept. 19, the board heard about the Northern Delivery System (NDS) delivering district water via Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) and the pumping capabilities of the NDS pump station, dangerous traffic concerns for students within the district, and approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between Chaffee County and the district. The board held an executive session to discuss water and land acquisitions, and potential development incentives and IGAs.

Director Amanda Carlton attended via Zoom.

Northern Delivery System running effectively

District Manager James McGrady said the NDS pump station began running on Aug. 29, and since Sept. 11 the district has reduced the outflow from the wells dramatically. Its customers are receiving district water conveyed, treated and delivered via CSU. A tiny bit of usage occurred on Sept. 18 to keep up the chlorine levels in the filters and to exercise the wells by pumping about 96,000 gallons. The rest of the district’s water, 92 acre-feet, was pumped through the NDS pump station. The district will use the 490-acre-feet lease-purchased water from Pueblo through March, and then the district will use its stored water in Pueblo Reservoir. Then run-off season begins and the district will add water back to its portfolio. It is working as expected, said McGrady.

Water Utilities Superintendent Gary Potter said the wells will be run once a week, just enough to turn over the clear well in the plant, or about 90,000 gallons, to keep chlorine residual in the clear well and keep some of the filters available if needed, rotating through at a minimum pace before putting it into the tank and then the distribution system.

McGrady said the pump station was tested with two pumps running (it was installed with three) designed to run with two at 1,500 pounds each, pumping 3,000 gallons a minute, running for six hours. It was proof that the pump station can maintain what it was designed to do, he said. The district has pumped 290-acre-feet so far, and the tank filled up quickly, said McGrady.

Potter said the NDS has delivered over 16 million gallons to the district, and the highest daily production was 2.7 million gallons. Start up and training on the NDS has been the primary focus of the TMD Water Department over the past month, said Potter.

Speeding concerns on Gleneagle Drive

Promontory Pointe Resident Anissa Prickett said motorists are traveling from Sanctuary Pointe down Gleneagle Drive through Promontory Pointe to Baptist Road exceeding the posted speed signs of 25 and 30 miles per hour, but many motorists are speeding at 50-60 miles per hour. She said her son was hit once while riding his bike to school and crossing Leather Chaps Drive. He has almost been hit twice crossing the road from the bus, she said. She was almost hit for a fourth time dropping her daughter at the bus stop, having to pick up her daughter and run the crosswalk several times. Prickett said the D38 bus driver is beside himself because motorists ignore the stationary bus with the stop signs out and travel around the bus as the driver honks his horn.

President Mark Melville said the district does not provide law enforcement and it installed the speed signs. Speeding has been an issue since buildout on Gleneagle Drive, he said.

Treasurer/Secretary James Barnhart said he has seen the same problems with speeding motorists ignoring school bus stop signs on Sanctuary Rim Drive.

Prickett said she recorded some license plates, called and left messages with Monument Police Department (MPD), but the recorded message states they may or may not return calls in 24 hours, and calls were not returned.

Carlton said the bus stops should not be on Gleneagle Drive for safety reasons, and rather be located on the side streets.

McGrady said he would reach out to MPD to request increased monitoring.

Melville said he would reach out to the D38 superintendent regarding the location of the pickup stops and suggest a camera for the school bus.

Chaffee County intergovernmental agreement

McGrady said the IGA was approved by the Chaffee County Commissioners, avoiding a lengthy, expensive process to obtain a 1041 permit. The IGA will allow the district to begin construction projects such as the ponds and diversion stations. He requested the board review and consider approving the IGA between Chaffee County and TMD regarding ditch changes and construction projects associated with the Arkansas Valley Irrigation Canal Co.’s Ditch and Bale Ditch 1 and 2.

The board unanimously approved the IGA, with authorization for McGrady to sign the IGA on behalf of the district.

Water utilities update

Potter said the district produced about 45.374 million gallons (MG) of water in August 2024, with 42.291 MG billed to customers (water pumped in August 2023 was 45.900 MG with 38.908 MG billed). Unbilled water represents a 7% loss for August 2024; it was 15% in Aug. 2023, but the district’s water loss is a low number compared with the 40% monthly loss at the district where he was previously employed, said Potter.

District Administrator Sara Lamb said some of the water loss was generated by Monument Fire Department conducting two-day hose drills in Monument Marketplace.

McGrady said it was an obscene amount shooting into the air, but now that the district is being billed by CSU for water conveyance, treatment, and delivery, the water for fire department drills will not be free in the future, he said.

Financial update

The board unanimously approved the August financial report as presented and 21 checks over $5,000 totaling about $1.764 million. Of note was the 5% retainage payment of almost $1.3 million to Kiewit Infrastructure Co. for the construction of the NDS pipeline.

Mountain View Electric Association rebates

McGrady said he attended the Mountain View Electric Association (MVEA) key customer gathering on Sept. 18. The executive director, engineering staff, and account managers were available to receive input from the key customers and major users, such as the area water and wastewater districts. Attendees were informed of the substantial rebates available for each installed Variable Frequency Drive (VFD). The district installed VFDs on every pump at each plant, including the NDS pump station. The VFDs pump up and ramp down to run different speeds and avoid high use charges. MVEA is also considering “time of day” use rates for commercial users. The district can afford to be off-line during peak times with the pumping capability of the NDS, allowing the district to catch up off-peak to save money on power usage, said McGrady.

Executive session

The board moved into an executive session at 7:29 p.m., pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes section 24-6-402(4)(a) for the purpose of acquisition of water/land, and 24-6-402(4)(b) for the purpose of determining the positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategies for negotiations, and instructing negotiators as it relates to potential development incentives and intergovernmental agreements.

Assistant Manager Steve Sheffield confirmed that after the meeting returned to the regular session at 8:50 p.m., no action was taken. A brief discussion resumed about the traffic issues on Gleneagle Drive.

The meeting adjourned at 9:02 p.m.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at the district office located at 16055 Old Forest Point, Suite 302. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 17 at 5:30 p.m. For meeting agendas, minutes, and updates, visit https://triviewmetro.com.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.

Other Triview Metropolitan District articles

Triview Metropolitan District, Aug. 22 – 2023 budget amended; 2023 audit presented; district opposes initiatives 50 and 108

By Natalie Barszcz

At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on Aug. 22, the board held public hearings to amend the 2023 budget and accepted the 2023 audit draft presented by Haynie and Co. for the district’s audited financial statements. The board approved multiple resolutions relating to the 2023 budget amendment and the audit, and the 2024 employee handbook.

The board adopted a resolution in opposition to statewide proposals for initiatives 50 and 108 and approved an agreement between the district and the Town of Monument (TOM) to receive Highway User Tax Funds (HUTF). The board held an executive session to discuss water and land acquisitions, and potential development incentives and intergovernmental agreements.

Treasurer/Secretary James Barnhart was excused.

2023 budget amendment

District Manager James McGrady said the 2023 budget requires amendments because projections of how much money will be spent is a bit of a guess, and various things can happen. The 2023 budget projected in October 2022 allocated about $7.999 million for the General Fund/Capital Projects Fund, but in reality, it needed to be about $8.1 million to cover expenditures, so about a $100,000 difference.

About $25.254 million was allocated for the Water and Wastewater Enterprise Fund/Capital Projects Fund but the district actually spent about $29.146 million, with most of the additional funds used to purchase materials in advance for the Northern Delivery System. He requested the board approve the 2023 budget amendment for the General Fund/Capital Projects Fund and for the Water and Wastewater Enterprise Fund/Capital Projects Fund to balance the books before the 2023 audit is presented for approval.

The board approved Resolution 2024-08, amending the 2023 budget.

2023 audit presentation

Audit Manager Greg Ingalls of Haynie and Co. presented the 2023 audit and said his audit partner Christine McLeod had some small items to complete before the audit can be finalized. The opinion will be unmodified based upon the testing procedures and would be issued upon acceptance of the draft audit.

District Accountant Kathy Fromm, of Fromm and Co., said the audit is subject to final review for some open items.

The board accepted the draft audit subject to final audit review with direction to staff to file the audit with the state.

District opposes statewide ballot initiatives

District counsel George Rowley of White Bear Ankele Tanaka and Waldron law firm said two statewide proposed initiatives 50 and 108 have been approved by Secretary of State Jena Griswold and will likely be on the ballot in November. A special legislative session has been called to try to appease the people who have sponsored the initiatives and get the sponsors to remove the initiatives. Rowley said:

  • Initiative 50 would amend the Colorado Constitution to limit property tax growth to 4% per year and would require a statewide vote for any increase above that percentage, but in many years natural inflation has been more than 4%.
  • Both initiatives turn local government budgeting decisions for “special districts” such as water/wastewater and fire districts, over to a statewide voter decision.
  • It is unknown how Initiative 50 will be applied and although Initiative 108 is a little less scary, the cuts would be significant and require the district to cut back.
  • Initiative 108 reduces the residential property tax rate from 6.7% to 5.7% and the commercial property tax rate from 27% to 24%.

The district is opposed to these proposals and the statewide solution that would be devasting to most districts, Rowley said. If Initiative 50 passes, reducing tax growth to no more than 4% per year, it would halt government financing from general obligation bonds, and districts would not be able to predict budgets and pledge revenues. It would paralyze a lot of municipal financing within the state, because the 4% cap on tax growth applies to both residential and commercial, and it does not differentiate between new growth increasing the tax base or inflation, said Rowley.

President Mark Melville said with all the commercial growth coming into the district, the tax cap would cripple the district, and TMD would not see the revenue for years. If this initiative passes, anyone needing to build a pipeline will be doomed to begin a project without bonds. The district has roads to maintain and the expense of snow removal, but luckily TMD is trailing off on capital improvements, he said.

Vice President Anthony Sexton said the initiatives have been developed for old neighborhoods in Denver that have no new growth.

McGrady said that for example, the addition of a $50 million warehouse in the district would leave the district with no choice but to roll back the mill levy on the whole district to remain within the 4% cap. The measures will cripple special district fire departments that typically have a lot of debt, he said.

Water Attorney Chris Cummins said the initiatives are not written for local governments but as a populist measure to reduce taxes. If these measures had already been in place, the district would not have been able to build the NDS. However, the district had good financial planning, with its revenue bonds, and built in the greatest cycle of growth, particularly in the housing market. The property tax revenues went up and up with growth, and the board responded by lowering the mills back down for the residents, avoiding collecting all of the property tax revenue available. The district was able to build new infrastructure and purchase water rights with the addition of 150-200 homes per year. A 4% cap on tax revenue would restrict growth and services in the future, he said.

The board approved Resolution 2024-10, opposing the ballot initiatives.

2024 employee handbook

Michelle Fergusson of Ireland Stapleton Pryor Pascoe PC law firm said the key goal was to update the 2024 Policy and Procedures Employee handbook with the prolific number of changes made by federal and state employment laws over the past few years. The handbook has significant updates regarding the drug and alcohol policy, specifically for licenses and marijuana, vehicle requirements for personal and district-owned vehicles, discipline steps and termination, updated language for the FAMLI, a state benefit offering Colorado workers access to paid sick leave, with some incentive changes to the district’s own sick leave and vacation policies, said Fergusson.

McGrady said the old policy manual seemed geared around employees remaining with the district for only five years, but most employees have remained far beyond that tenure.

The board approved resolution 2024-09 adopting the handbook effective Sept. 1.

Highway Users Tax Fund agreement

McGrady said the Highway Users Tax Fund (HUTF) is a gasoline tax (.43 cents per gallon) collected for the entire state into a kitty, then held and distributed to entities responsible for the maintenance of public roads, in most cases for the state, counties, and municipalities. The cut is dependent on how many lane miles each entity maintains, but as more electric vehicles are purchased, less tax would be collected in the future, but Colorado is growing and the HUTF is growing. The district currently has about 135 lane miles to maintain, and the TOM has about 50 miles to maintain, for a total of about 185 miles of lane roads. The TOM is collecting only about 60 miles of revenue per year, and some of those roads are within TMD. The TOM is receiving about $300,000 annually for 60 miles but should be receiving about $900,000 annually from the HUTF if the TMD roads were included.

Rowley found a similar intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between a county in southwest Colorado and a metro district that had to maintain a lot of lane miles. A proposed IGA between TMD and TOM to allow a share back to the district for future road maintenance would be “free money” to really help the district without hurting the TOM. The district will calculate the total lane miles for both entities and include an additional 5% reimbursement to the town. The district maintains its own roads, represents about 60% of the Monument population, and has not previously been included in the town’s calculations for the HUTF, said McGrady.

The board approved McGrady and Rowley presenting the HUTF IGA agreement to the TOM for review and consideration, with a correction to the calculating line mile formula.

Higby Road update

McGrady said the 12-inch main pipeline under Higby Road had been completed. Due to an application error during the curing process, the asphalt overlay patch cured with a wavy appearance. The patch will be re-milled and sealed by the contractor at no additional cost to the district.

Sheffield said the design plans for the Higby Road improvements are complete and ready to be submitted to the TOM.

Director Jason Gross said he thought the final design for the Higby Road project had already been approved by the TOM.

McGrady said the district submitted the design to the TOM, the TOM made comments on it, then the district addressed the comments and re-submitted the design. The TOM approved the plat for the Zeal for Living apartments access road for the right-of-way and the Town Council were only concerned about the width of the right-of-way, but not the width of Higby Road design. The design is being submitted to the TOM staff, but the Town Council will not vote again during the process, he said.

Buena Vista land annexation update

McGrady said the annexation agreement for the Chicago Ranch (293.96 acres located in Chaffee County, across the road from the Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds) was approved for annexation into the town of Buena Vista and recorded on Aug. 22, and everything will be finalized by mid-September. The annexation was necessary for constructing recharge ponds for the district to control water rights associated with the Arkansas Valley Irrigation Canal Co.’s Ditch and change the water rights to municipal uses for the district’s purposes. The district hopes to construct the ponds as soon as possible, he said. See https://wp.ocn.me/v24n8tmd.

Northern Delivery System update

McGrady said the NDS ribbon-cutting ceremony was a success. See article on page < 14 >.

Assistant Manager Steve Sheffield introduced Gary Potter, the new Water Utilities superintendent, and said he had attended multiple NDS start-up coordination meetings with Kiewit staff, Colorado Springs Utilities staff, Timberline staff, electricians, and other stakeholders. The start-up date on Aug. 20 was a success, and the district pushed water from Colorado Springs Utilities through the district’s system, but the system was shut down until Aug. 28 due to some issues with the chlorine pressure reducing valve, some programming, and power issues. The district is making progress testing the system and the team did not expect to “flip the switch and walk away from it, it’s a process,” said Sheffield.

Water utilities update

Sheffield said the district had the highest record of well water pumped in July, producing about 54.679 million gallons (MG) (the district water pumped in July 2023 was 28.926 MG). The district billed 52.241 MG to customers in July. The percent loss for July 2024 would have been 4.45%, but the additional water was used for backwashing and to flush five miles of the NDS line in preparation for the NDS pump station start up. The actual billable water was 51.3 MG, and about a 1.8% water loss, said Sheffield.

Sexton asked if the district would have less water loss in the future when the district receives its water via the NDS that feeds directly into the tanks versus moving water from wells to the tanks.

McGrady said there should be less water loss in the system as the district will not backwash nearly as much as it did when reliant on its wells. The district’s water will enter the NDS pre-treated via Colorado Springs Utilities and 40 new meters throughout the district are bound to be more accurate. “Everything is as tight as possible,” he said.

Assistant manager’s report

Sheffield said the following:

  • The district staff is working toward the final design for a new administrative office space/shop to be built on a site west of I-25 and northwest of Baptist Road. Several significant changes to the building layout have been incorporated into the design since the July meeting. The site purchase has yet to be finalized and approved by the board.
  • Repairs were conducted on the Earth Cam camera at the South Reservoir. The camera had “seized” due to a communication wire that was cut due to rubbing on a sharp metal edge.
  • Work continues with NES and RESPEC teams to develop plans for a new 1.5-million-gallon water storage tank to be located adjacent to the existing storage tank in “B Plant” in Promontory Pointe. Plans will be submitted to the TOM soon.
  • The sporting field booking schedule for the Sanctuary Pointe Park is up and running on the district website. The interface between the website and the payment and scheduling aspect was more complicated than anticipated, but demand for field time is strong and launching the platform was a high priority.

Snow truck requested

Superintendent Matt Rayno requested the board consider approving the build of a new plow truck for the district snow removal services. The dump truck outfitted with a plow and a stainless-steel bed to prevent salt erosion could be built and delivered in early 2025 for $257,000 (the new truck is a 2022 model). The truck would be used for snow removal 90% of the time but would also be utilized for landscaping. The district has three trucks that are about 22-25 years old, and one truck would be sold upon delivery of the new truck. The existing trucks were all purchased used, including the truck purchased in 2023.

McGrady said the district will need to be careful with the 2025 budget, and the truck purchase might be the vast majority of the Parks and Open Space capital expenditures next year. The district roadways are in good condition, and the district could back down on an overlay project next year, and/or delay playground equipment for a year. The district is building its own office/shop space and will need to vacate the leased office space at the end of 2025, and has minimal road infrastructure to complete, but “we will need to watch the pennies,” he said.

The board instructed Rayno to proceed with the build-out of a new truck for inclusion in the 2025 budget.

Executive session

The board moved into an executive session at 8:20 p.m., pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes section 24-6-402(4)(a), for the purpose of acquisition of water/land, and 24-6-402(4)(b), for the purpose of determining the positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategies for negotiations, and instructing negotiators as it relates to potential development incentives and intergovernmental agreements.

Sheffield confirmed that after the meeting returned to the regular session, no action was taken and the meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at the district office located at 16055 Old Forest Point, Suite 302. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 19 at 5:30 p.m. For meeting agendas, minutes, and updates, visit https://triviewmetro.com.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.

Other Triview Metropolitan District articles

Triview Metropolitan District, July 18 – Northern Delivery System complete; land annexation approved

By Natalie Barszcz

At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on July 18, the board heard about the Northern Delivery System (NDS) pipeline project completion and the anticipated delivery date of water to the residents, approved a land annexation to the Town of Buena Vista, received an update on the Higby Road pipeline installation, and heard the district had hired a replacement for the retired water utilities superintendent. The board held an executive session to discuss water and land acquisitions, and potential development incentives and intergovernmental agreements.

Directors Amanda Carlton and Jason Gross attended via Zoom.

Treasurer/Secretary James Barnhart was excused.

Northern Delivery System update

Background: The NDS is a six-mile pipeline that will bring the district’s renewable water to Triview and Forest Lakes customers. The district will transition from dependence on nonrenewable Denver Basin groundwater to the district’s acquired water rights. Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) will convey, treat, and deliver the district’s water via the CSU water tank off Highway 83 (opposite Old Northgate Road). The district constructed a booster pump house containing three pumps near the tank, with the combined capability of moving 4,500 gallons per minute of treated water to the district’s C plant in Sanctuary Pointe. The district’s Denver Basin wells will remain available to provide water on high-demand days and during periods of extreme drought.

District Manager James McGrady said the NDS is about 98% complete and the district is expected to begin pumping water to its customers on July 30. The district has about $536,000 left to pay on the NDS and has paid about $21.744 million so far. Some small items popped up during the construction and design phase that totaled about $400,000, and the district added segment D, an additional 1,000-foot waterline on the west side of I-25, and the overlay of the access road off Highway 83 to the pump station, pushing the project about $1 million over the original budget, but it was not unusual due to the size of the project. The final cost will be about $22.274 million, he said.

Assistant Manager Steve Sheffield said the NDS pump station filled the lines with water, then staff “let it cook” with chlorine overnight and conducted a flush then a bacteriological (Bacti) test and pressure tested the system. The results “came back good and it is all good news.” The utility crews also completed a chlorine injection pump skid at C plant in anticipation of the NDS pump station startup. The potential for additional dosing of chlorine at C plant will be available if necessary. The water quality from Colorado Springs Utilities will need to be determined, he said.

Buena Vista land annexation

McGrady said the district purchased the 293.96-acre Chicago Ranch in Chaffee County and across the road from the Buena Vista rodeo grounds in late 2020 to construct recharge ponds for the district to control water rights associated with the Arkansas Valley Irrigation Canal Co.’s Ditch and change the water rights to municipal uses for the district’s purposes. The annexation process that includes a land annexation plan, plat, and request for a zone change has been submitted to the town of Buena Vista. The masterplan for the project has been approved by the Buena Vista Town Council, and the annexation public hearing meeting is scheduled for Aug. 13. The process has taken three years, and after the public hearing the district anticipates building the recharge ponds next spring. The district will begin diverting water from Cottonwood Creek in Chaffee County, he said.

Land Use Attorney Caitlin Quander of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP said the July 9 meeting application was substantially complete, and the property also requires zoning into the town and annexing. The annexation allows for the creation of public recreation trails and the district’s use of water rights on the property. It is a two-stage process and a “win-win” for the Buena Vista community, said Quander.

Gross asked if any risks to the district could occur with the annexation.

Vice President Anthony Sexton said the district will not receive any compensation for giving Buena Vista the land.

McGrady said the district paid about $35 per acre, which is all that the land is worth because of the moratorium against development in Buena Vista. The town’s goal was to develop the land as open space as it joins the Rodeo Grounds. The Town Council could not figure out how to get the land into the town and obtain the water rights. The district agreed to give up the property that is about 100 miles from Monument. Any accidents on the property would be the town’s responsibility. The annexation has the complete “buy in” from the Buena Vista Town Council, the users, and residents.

The district will contribute 1,040 hours of in-kind contributions or fund $38,000 annually for maintenance of the property for 10 years and provide $100,000 toward the initial infrastructure of a parking lot and a couple of trails. The district’s park and open space crews would spend a few days building trails for public use and access to the ponds. The total cost is about $600,000 without the design fees, McGrady said.

Quander said the town is the processor for the annexation, and the district has avoided a lengthy 1041 process with the county. She requested the board approve Resolution 2024-06 ratifying the annexation of the district-owned property known as Chicago Ranch into the Town of Buena Vista and Resolution 2024-07, which conveys the same property to the town.

Gross said it is a great example of two small communities working together.

McGrady said it is an unusual example, as most big cities along the Front Range muscle into small communities, but the district has earned the trust of the Buena Vista residents.

The board approved both resolutions in a 4-0 vote.

Higby Road update

McGrady said the district began construction of a 12-inch pipeline from Higby Road to create a loop from the east side of the district with a 16-inch pipeline under I-25 to the west side near the Conexus area. The pipeline will be extended south and tie in near Woodmen Valley Chapel north, where another 16-inch pipe exists under I-25, to create a two-source flow of water. The Higby Road pipeline is about two-thirds complete, and crews are expected to reach Bowstring Road by late July.

The next steps will be finishing the storm water drainage, installing the waterline, and relocating the power lines underground. All utilities will need to be installed before the district goes to bid for the widening project. The road will be patched until the widening project begins. A bond could be issued to pay for the widening project in 2025 for Sub-District A that is rapidly being developed south of Higby Road, he said.

Water Utilities update

Sheffield said he interviewed three candidates for the Water Utilities superintendent position vacated by Shawn Sexton upon retirement. Gary Potter, a former employee of Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District who is returning to the area after running a small district in Baca County, was selected and will begin on Aug. 12.

McGrady said the position has been increased to include water accounting experience besides treatment facility operator, and the job title includes raw water collection experience and treatment manager. Potter is also experienced to maximize the water exchanges the district will be making frequently, he said.

Sheffield also said:

  • The district had the highest record of water pumped in June, producing about 48.230 million gallons. It is a big jump from June 2023, which was a high rain month. The district anticipates July will also be high. He is comfortable with the 7% increase in pumped water considering the amount of new construction in the district.
  • A joint meeting at the Upper Monument Creek Regional Waste Water Treatment Facility (UMCRWWTF) with Executive Director/Manager Bill Burks of Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility and the UMCRWWTF staff resulted in a decision to hire a third-party calibration of the flumes and meters to discover the influent versus effluent for the district, Forest Lake Metropolitan District, and Donala Water and Sanitation District. See wp.ocn.me/v24n7tmd/.
  • A valve on Leather Chaps Drive near Bear Creek Elementary School had been directly buried without protection at the time of installation and the bonnet bolts were completely corroded. A new gate valve was installed and properly wrapped to prevent corrosion. For some reason, the valves in the area around the school were not inspected correctly when installed and many are beginning to corrode.
  • The Utility Department crews worked with the Public Works Department crews to repair the 2-inch irrigation line on Jackson Creek Parkway near the Taekwondo Center. The Vactor 900 truck also assisted, as crews repaired the defective copper line flare fitting in the irrigation system.
  • The Dish Network cell tower placement on the C plant water tank is mostly completed. District crews supervised the installation of the equipment on the building. The project will be up and running soon after some “right of way” issues are resolved. The district will receive $1,800 per month from Dish Network to use the tank.

Parks and open space update

Superintendent Matt Rayno said the following:

  • The Swing Park Trail (Gleneagle Drive) had serious erosion last spring and repairs are almost complete.
  • The completion of the St. Lawrence Trail that began in spring with installation of 39 steps will be completed down to Glenegale Drive in early September.

Legislative update

Sheffield said that at a water education class he attended recently, a presentation given by the state senator who wrote the resolution about artificial turf installation revealed that the artificial turf replacement ban applies only to non-functional areas such as decorative medians and landscaping, so the Sanctuary Pointe Park sports field would not be restricted because it is a functional area. See wp.ocn.me/v24n7tmd/.

Financial report

McGrady said the district sold a lot of water in June and also in July and has sold over 50 taps to major builders in the Jackson Creek area. The district will likely exceed the estimated taps for 2024 now that Toll Brothers is building in Jackson Creek North with Traylon and Richmond Homes. The district is on target for an unexpected, good year. The district closed the gap on sales tax, receiving a combined total of $300,347 in June, but the discussion regarding sales tax will continue in executive session, he said.

The board approved the checks over $5,000 and accepted the June financial report as presented 4-0.

Note: The district budgeted $1.650 million in combined sales tax for 2024. As of May 31, the district had received $599,390.

Policy and procedures manual updates

McGrady said the staff had been working on the 2024 revisions to the district’s personnel policy and procedures manual for about a year, after being first put together 10 years ago. Since that time a lot of regulations and policies have changed, and Michelle Ferguson of Ireland Stapleton Pryor Pascoe PC Law Firm was hired to implement the changes. Some district staff have been employees for over 10 years, and the district needed to ensure the policies were in compliance with new laws and regulations. The changes are not “over the top or overly punitive, just clear and clean.” He requested the board examine the policy manual and approve the updated manual at the August meeting. A lot of changes to be implemented were driven by staff members, he said.

Executive session

The board moved into an executive session at 7:09 p.m. pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes sections 24-6-402(4)(a), for the purpose of acquisition of water/land, and 24-6-402(4)(b), for the purpose of determining the positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategies for negotiations, and instructing negotiators as it relates to potential development incentives.

Sheffield confirmed that after the meeting returned to the regular session, no action was taken, and the meeting adjourned at 8:36 p.m.

Above: The Vactor 900 combination sewer cleaner truck is shown with operator David Clegg during the district’s annual sewer system cleaning in The Heights at Jackson Creek on July 17. The sewer system maintenance team is led by Supervisor/Manager Kevin Fackerell, and the truck is crewed by Clegg and Alejandro Curiel. The district received the truck in September 2023 to avoid outsourcing costly sewer maintenance. The crew is almost finished cleaning the district’s entire sewer system, with only Sanctuary Pointe left to be cleaned. Photo by Natalie Barszcz.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at the district office located at 16055 Old Forest Point, Suite 302. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 22 at 5:30 p.m. For meeting agendas, minutes, and updates, visit triviewmetro.com.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.

Other Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) articles

Triview Metropolitan District, June 20 – Wastewater processing explored; legislative changes raise concern

By Natalie Barszcz

At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on June 20, the board received updates on the water sold and wastewater discrepancy at the Upper Monument Creek Regional Waste Water Treatment Facility (UMCRWWTF) and received legislative updates that caused concern over future revenue, density, and artificial turf replacement. The board received multiple updates and discussed funding for the Higby Road widening project. The board held an executive session to discuss water and land acquisitions and development incentives.

Wastewater processing discrepancy

Assistant Manager Steve Sheffield said that he had met with District Manager Jeff Hodge and Waste Plant Operator Aaron Tolman of Donala Water and Wastewater District, and Executive Director/Manager Bill Burks of Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility (TLWWTF) about the excessive amount of wastewater leaving the UMCRWWTF from the TMD side of the plant. The plan is to meet at the plant to try to discover the cause. Hopefully Burks can help brainstorm the issue and discuss how he operates the TLWWTF, said Sheffield.

District Manager James McGrady said about 2 million gallons of treated effluent is being picked up per month within the plant. The outgoing flume could be inaccurately reading the wastewater effluent output, but the final amount of treated effluent should be less, not more than the untreated effluent entering the plant, he said.

Sheffield said the staff is taking a holistic approach as a team, exploring all avenues to understand the discrepancies in water pumped, treated, sold, and processed through the UMCRWWTF.

Legislative update

District counsel George Rowley said SB-233 addresses property tax limits and imposes a limitation on special districts to not collect more than 5.5% in property tax revenue than the previous year. That is not much revenue if inflation is 10% and the district should keep the limitation in mind when developing the budget, he said. The bill exempts new growth, but another increase in assessed valuation similar to the past few years would apply the limitation. The bill applies to the property taxes and not the debt service.

Treasurer/Secretary James Barnhart said the bill is an incentive for the district to assess the full mill levy.

Rowley said the district could hold an election to vote out of the restriction, but it would be a hard sell and the restriction begins for tax year 2025, he said.

President Mark Melville asked about the legislation preventing commercial, industrial, institutional, and government entities from installing artificial turf or invasive plant species.

Rowley said the idea is to create areas that don’t have growing space and prevent heat sinks and chemical exposure concerns. The legislation will apply to the future replacement of the Sanctuary Pointe Park artificial turf. See snapshot on page < 20 >.

He also said HB-1152 prevents municipalities and counties from prohibiting the construction of accessory dwelling units on properties, such as he/she sheds and mother-in-law suites. Renting out the additional units would create additional density on properties.

Vice Chair Anthony Sexton said the bill could also create double usage on one tap.

McGrady said the district is set up mostly for one dwelling and one tap on each lot. A change to the tap structure will be needed if a multiple service line is required on any one lot, he said.

Melville said a solution would be to drive up the water sold tiers and make it cheaper to buy a tap.

Operational updates

McGrady said the following:

  • The Northern Delivery System (NDS) is about 96% complete and the electrics are installed at the pump house. The facility that will operate the NDS is secured by a fence. The district expects to turn the pumps on and begin testing on July 15.
  • The district is using its decreed Fountain Mutual Irrigation Co. (FMIC) water shares and about 400-acre feet purchased from Pueblo to provide the necessary 800-acre feet needed to run the NDS through May 2025.
  • An additional cost of about $993,300 for the unexpected 120.4 acre-feet will be wired on June 21 to the two additional land owners who also decided to sell water rights to the district through the Arkansas Valley Irrigation Co. (AVIC).
  • The district is waiting for its AVIC shares to be approved in the water courts. The additional water shares in conjunction with spring run-off will be needed to run the NDS from mid-2025.
  • The district is depositing water back into Stonewall Springs Reservoir in a paper exchange with Pueblo.
  • The Buena Vista land annexation plan, plat, and request for a zone change was submitted. The masterplan for the project is approved by the town of Buena Vista and the district plans to construct recharge ponds on the 296 acres purchased by TMD in late 2020.
  • The district is adding a pick-up lane on Leather Chaps Drive at Bear Creek Elementary School. The construction is expected to be completed mid-July. The lane was installed at D38’s request to elevate safety for students during drop-off and pick-up times.
  • The Promontory Pointe overlay project was completed June 6.

Sexton said Martin Marietta had done a “nice job” on the mill and overlay project; it was well organized, but he had received multiple complaints from residents about the black footprints and tread marks on sidewalks and some driveways.

McGrady said from personal experience the black marks will come off, but it will take a couple of months.

Financial report

Sexton said the graph showing sales tax revenue from Monument shows the district’s portion is $20,000 less than collected last year.

McGrady said he discussed the tracking of sales tax revenue with Monument, and although the town purchased a software package to track sales tax, it had no staff to run the program. The town did hire a contractor to begin tracking sales tax. Upon investigation, he immediately noticed that no sales tax had been collected for the Tractor Supply Store for several months. Those are the types of errors that the town needs to get after, McGrady said.

Sexton said the sales taxes should be filed with the state monthly, and Monument will need to identify the businesses and contact the state.

McGrady said the district had almost $5.2 million in the Wastewater Enterprise Fund, and $3.8 million in the General Fund. About $1.8 million will be needed from the enterprise fund to pay for the remaining NDS balance.

Melville said the district needs to let the general fund grow to fund road repairs that will cost about $4 to $5 million every 10 to 12 years to avoid using a bond.

The district estimates that about 55 taps will be sold by the end of June. It budgeted 75 taps for 2024 and collects about $45,000 per residential tap. The taps are mainly from the homes built south of Higby Road.

McGrady said the district closed on the Colorado Water Conservation Board loan on June 15. The loan was for $5.2 million at 2.05% to pay for the Stonewall Springs Reservoir project. It is the crown jewel of the district, he said. See www.ocn.me/v23n11.htm#tmd.

The board unanimously approved the May financial report.

Higby Road widening project update

Director Jason Gross requested an update on when the Higby Road widening project would begin and asked about the funding now that the Zeal for Living apartments are approved.

McGrady said the project will cost about $10 million to $12 million. Funding will be a combination of a number of things, including road and bridge fees for both residential apartments and commercial property that will generate about $2 million. The developers will contribute, and the remaining $8 million will generated by Sub-district A issuing bonds (debt service) for filings 1-6 in the south Higby Road development. Homes are going in and bonds can be issued, but the payments will be low initially and increase as the development grows and the commercial area is built. Kiewit provided the estimate for the widening project, and the district will pay $750,000 for a water pipeline this summer. The developers are installing storm drainage. The preliminary utility work is expected to be installed this year. The financing will need to be in place before the road project begins, but the growth is there and plats are pre-approved, he said.

Speeding concerns

Director Amanda Carlton said a resident of Sanctuary Pointe requested the district install flashing speed signs along Sanctuary Rim Drive in both directions before and after Sanctuary Rim Park, to help slow traffic and ensure safety, just like the signs installed along Gleneagle Drive.

McGrady said the signs cost about $7,500 each and the district will look into adding signs.

Executive session

The board moved into an executive session at 7:43 p.m. pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes sections 24-6-402(4)(a), for the purpose of acquisition of water/land, and 24-6-402(4)(b) to determine the positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategies for negotiations, and instructing negotiators as it relates to potential development incentives.

Sheffield confirmed that after the meeting returned to the regular session no action was taken, and the meeting adjourned at 9:18 p.m.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at the district office located at 16055 Old Forest Point, Suite 302. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for July 18 at 5:30 p.m. For meeting agendas, minutes, and updates, visit triviewmetro.com.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.

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Triview Metropolitan District, May 23 – Water and wastewater rates and fees increase approved; billing discrepancy solves wastewater increase

By Natalie Barszcz

At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on May 23, the board held a public hearing on the proposed water and wastewater rate fees increases and discussed at length the district’s need to implement the increases before approving the rates effective June 1. The board heard about a discrepancy in the American Conservation & Billing Solutions (AmCoBi) process and received multiple updates on water delivery and wastewater solutions. The board held an executive session to discuss water and land acquisitions, and development incentives.

Vice Chair Anthony Sexton was excused.

Rate and fees increase discussion

President Mark Melville opened the public hearing on Resolution 2024-04, a resolution of the TMD Board of Directors regarding the establishment of rates and fees for the provision of water and wastewater services along with road and bridge fees for single family, multi-family, and commercial construction within the district, effective June 1.

District Manager James McGrady said the greatest expense for the district this year will be the operation of the Northern Delivery System (NDS) at $8.32 per 1,000 gallons for Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) to convey, treat, and deliver the district’s water to customers. If the district does not make any rate or fee changes, in mid-July when water will hopefully be delivered via the NDS, the district will find itself upside-down when the fixed costs are due, he said. Raising rates is necessary to at least cover the additional cost of delivery; the district cannot charge less than the cost for delivery of water, he said.

McGrady said that almost everyone in the district uses less water during the winter months and typically most residential customers remain in the Tier 1 category during that time and transition to Tier 2 during the summer months. He estimated about a $20 increase for the average residential bill, or about a $16.50 increase on about 4,000 gallons. After the NDS begins delivering the district’s water, a cost to service study will reveal if a rate re-evaluation is needed. Inflation will be a major factor going forward for the district, he said.

Director Jason Gross said the district successfully secured renewable water, and realtors should be advertising that benefit for homebuyers in TMD.

Treasurer/Secretary James Barnhart said the rate increases are part of the cost of transitioning to a renewable water system.

Melville said that regionally, TMD is the first district to transition to a renewable water system, and at some point other districts will need to catch up. Without the NDS, the district would need to drill new wells at a cost of about $2.5 million to meet demand. The NDS will lower the cost of well maintenance.

Water Attorney Chris Cummins said that if every district moved to renewable water sources, the wells could be saved for the future.

Melville closed the public hearing at the end of the board discussion after hearing no comments from the public for or against the proposal.

The board approved Resolution 2024-04, in a 4-0 vote.

Residential user rates and fee increases are as follows:

  • The base water rate (Renewable Water Fee) per month will increase from $31.50 to $40.
  • Metering and billing charges will remain $5 per month.
  • Tier 1 0 to 8,000 gallons will increase to $9 (up from $6.82 per 1,000 gallons)
  • Tier 2 8,001 to 20,000 will increase to $13.50 (up from $10.49 per 1,000 gallons)
  • Tier 3 20,001 to 30,000 will increase to $20 (up from $18.59 per 1,000 gallons)
  • Tier 4 30,001 to 40,000 will increase to $30 (up from $24.28 per 1,000 gallons)
  • Tier 5 Over 40,000 will increase to $40 (up from $35.97 per 1,000 gallons)
  • The sewer base rate will increase to $57.68 (was $52.44)
  • The average November-February volume use uniform rate will increase to $5.69 (was $5.17)

The full rate and fee scales for all categories and users can be found at www.triviewmetro.com.

Website accessibility update

District lawyer George Rowley said the state Legislature had extended website accessibility compliance until July 1, 2025. See www.ocn.me.v24n5.htm#tmd.

McGrady said the site had been checked and was already about 96% in compliance with the accessibility requirements. He recommended the district allow GroundFloor Media Inc. to continue managing the district’s site and correcting the remaining issues.

In a 4-0 vote, the board approved Resolution 2024-05, adopting a digital accessibility policy and designating a compliance officer.

Water sold and wastewater discrepancy

Assistant Manager Steve Sheffield said the new District Administrator Sara Lamb had done an awesome job closing the numbers on water pumped and sold. The process had led staff to believe that more water was being treated at the Upper Monument Creek Regional Waste Water Treatment Facility (UMCRWWTF) than had been sold to its customers, he said.

McGrady said the district cannot afford to have discrepancies in the water pumped and processed through the UMCRWWTF if the Northern Monument Creek Interceptor (NMCI) project moves ahead. The AmCobi reports differ, and the district staff now know how much water is going through the flow meters, and the discrepancy is about 2%. A meeting to hash out the discrepancy with AmCobi is scheduled. The fluctuating amounts had been perplexing the board for several years and throughout his tenure as district manager. Thankfully, Lamb’s experience finally found the issue with the billing and procedures are now in place, McGrady said. The investigation revealed that some commercial customers were being undercharged, he said.

NMCI update

McGrady said the cost for the development of the NMCI is expected to be revealed by early August or September, and CSU will decide whether to pursue the pipeline. The design engineer has recommended a timely decision be made to ensure the implementation team is available to see the project through. If the project proceeds, the pipeline could be built by early 2027.

Cummins said a change of water rights decree will be needed if the district stops releasing treated wastewater into Monument Creek and uses the NMCI to send wastewater 10 miles down-stream through the pipeline to the JD Philips Water Resource Recovery Facility, Colorado Springs.

Northern Delivery System update

McGrady said the construction of the NDS pumphouse is going well, and completion is expected about July 15. The project is two weeks behind schedule due to the electrical crew needing to be increased from three persons to a six-person crew. The Town of Monument’s (TOM) potential tie-in to the TMD water delivery system agreement had progressed to the town’s attorney, he said.

Operational updates

Sheffield said:

  • The conceptual building drawings for the district office space were complete.
  • The Sanctuary Pointe Park reservation site is behind schedule due to liability issues.
  • The design phase for the Higby Road widening project was complete and the design plans have been submitted to the TOM. The design includes a 100-foot right of way instead of 120 feet, and those cost savings will be used for retaining walls.
  • The Creekside Drive turn lane requested by School District 38 was budgeted for $150,000 but is a little over budget and bid for $185,000.

Public works and parks and open space update

Superintendent Matt Rayno said the May 6 windstorm destroyed seven street signs and uprooted about 27 trees throughout the district. Cleanup is completed and crews will take care of the damage in due time. Some projects had to be pushed back due the manpower needed to address the uprooted large pines in Sanctuary Pointe.

Note: This reporter thanked the crews for replanting a tall spruce on the south Agate Creek Drive trail system on May 23. See accompanying photo.

Rayno also said:

  • Paving work began in Promontory Pointe, and crews will begin the mill work and overlay of Sanctuary Pointe in mid-June.
  • A production specialist was hired to check the power and lighting capabilities of the band structure at the Sanctuary Pointe Athletic Field. The structure was a little under-powered and an additional breaker was installed to give bands more power. A ribbon-cutting event with a live band and six food trucks was scheduled for May 31.
  • The district is fully staffed for the summer.
  • Staff attended a defensive driver training class to ensure safety in inclement weather.
  • The dated landscape beds along Leather Chaps Drive are scheduled for updating in June.

Executive session

The board moved into an executive session at 7:47 p.m. pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes sections 24-6-402(4)(a) for the purpose of acquisition of water/land and 24-6-402(4)(b) for the purpose of determining the positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategies for negotiations, and instructing negotiators as it relates to potential development incentives.

Sheffield confirmed that after the meeting re-entered the regular session at 8:58 p.m., the board publicly supported Director Jason Gross attending the next TOM meeting to voice support for the Higby Road improvement project, and to speak on the TMD board’s behalf.

The meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at the district office at 16055 Old Forest Point, Suite 302. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for June 20 at 5:30 p.m. For meeting agendas, minutes, and updates, visit https://triviewmetro.com.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.

Above: District crews work to replant a toppled spruce tree on the south Agate Creek trail system on May 23. About 27 trees were uprooted by wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour on May 6. Photo by Natalie Barszcz.

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