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Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, Jan 8 – Safe Routes to School trail approved

By James Howald

In February, the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board discussed and approved an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Lewis-Palmer School District 38 (LPSD). The board allocated additional funds to the Highway 105 construction project. It also heard operational reports. The meeting ended with an executive session.

Walking trail for students approved

District Manager Jessie Shaffer asked the board to approve an IGA between WWSD and LPSD allowing the school district to use a portion of WWSD’s land for a Safe Routes to School walking trail to be used by students. The IGA had been a long time in the making, Shaffer said, and would permit the school district to use WWSD’s lower lake access road, which runs along the southwestern edge of Lake Woodmoor, as a trail students could use to walk to school. Shaffer said a second IGA would be needed to address the construction of a bridge across the spillway at the southern edge of Lake Woodmoor.

The IGA notes that the school district has obtained a Safe Routes to School grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund construction of the trail. It makes LPSD responsible for the maintenance of the trail and specifies that LPSD will install two double-leaf vehicle gates at the north and south ends of the access road and will also install a fence along the western edge of the lake. LPSD will be responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the gates, the fence, and signs at the trailhead. The IGA also indemnifies WWSD against any liability for use of the trail and insures WWSD against claims up to $2 million.

Director Tom Roddam said he was opposed to the IGA, arguing that the indemnification in the IGA would not prevent WWSD from being sued. “It’s not worth a hill of beans,” Roddam said.

Board President Brian Bush said WWSD has “passively acknowledged this plan for a lot of years.” (Our Community News first reported on the plan in 2017.)

Roddam suggested tabling the IGA until the plan for the bridge across the spillway was complete.

Shaffer said that prior WWSD boards had agreed to the plan, and it would be hard to renege on those commitments now. He said they could do so now but “it would be tough.”

Director Dan Beley expressed some reservations about the IGA. Director Bill Clewe and Treasurer Roy Martinez said they did not have a problem with the terms of the IGA.

The board voted to approve the IGA. Beley, Bush, Clewe and Martinez voted in favor; Roddam voted against.

Additional funds for Highway 105 allocated

Richard Hood, of JVA Inc., the company managing WWSD’s portion of El Paso County’s project to widen Highway 105 between Jackson Creek Parkway and Lake Woodmoor Dr., gave the board an update on that project and asked the board to approve some additional funds.

Hood explained that Wildcat Construction has completed about 60% of the work for which WWSD is responsible. Improvements on Knollwood Boulevard and the Maguire property west of Knollwood are complete, Hood said. Service lines have been moved as required. The remaining portion of the work is on the south side of Highway 105 on Morning Canyon Road and adjacent to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Hood said there are $143,000 in pending cost changes on the project. During the bid process, two mistakes were made: A pipe specification was changed from 8-inch to 6-inch and not properly accounted for and the costs of asphalt removal and replacement were underestimated. The pipe change will cost $76,500, the additional asphalt costs will be $33,026, and another $34,000 is required by unexpected conditions such as needing to change the depth of some pipes, undocumented utility conflicts, and pipe diameters that differed from historical records. Hood pointed out that even with these additional costs, the total for the work was still $200,000 less than the next higher bid.

Shaffer said the board had already approved change orders up to 5% of the value of the contract, which would be $50,000. He said the pending cost changes exceeded that amount, requiring the board to take action.

The board voted unanimously to approve another $150,000 for the project.

Details of operational reports

  • In his treasurer’s report, Martinez said water sales were higher than expected in January, up by 4.9% over the target. Sewer fees were as expected. WWSD purchased two new trucks, so equipment and vehicle costs were 90% of the budgeted amount.
  • Shaffer said that Sackett vs. the Environmental Protection Agency, a 2023 case before the Supreme Court, had changed the regulations concerning wetlands under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The decision may complicate WWSD’s costs for permits, consultants, construction, and mitigation.
  • Operations Superintendent Dan LaFontaine reported a 16% water loss in January due to five main breaks. He said the district’s water meter replacement project was just under 50% complete. The effort to refill Lake Woodmoor was a bit behind schedule, with the lake refilling about 1.5 feet per day.
  • In his review of upcoming development, Bush said he believed the proposed Waterside development, which would include 44 units on the west side of Lake Woodmoor adjacent to the Barn, after a delay, was now proceeding.

Executive session

The board held an executive session to receive legal advice concerning potential agreements with JV Ranches LLC, Monument Ridge West LLC, Enerfin Renewables LLC, El Paso County, and the members of the El Paso Regional Loop Water Authority.

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The next meeting is scheduled for March 11 at 1 p.m. Meetings are usually held on the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. at the district office at 1845 Woodmoor Drive; please see www.woodmoorwater.com or call 719-488-2525 to verify meeting times and locations.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

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