Mancos residents told to unite on intersection

Mancos residents told to unite on intersection

Jan. 13, 2001

BAYFIELD RESIDENT Carol Short shows the Mancos Town Board the similarities between Mancos and Bayfield with regard to U.S. Highway 160 and the Colorado Department of Transportation’s plans for redesigning a Mancos intersection.

By Tom Vaughan
Mancos Times Editor

Hang together, or hang separately. That was the gist of the Highway 160 discussion that brought a packed crowd of almost 70 to Wednesday evening’s Mancos Town Board meeting.

At the end of the discussion, Mayor Greg Rath announced that he would appoint a bypass committee to come up with a consensus position for the town in dealing with the Colorado Department of Transportation. The committee starts work Tuesday evening, Jan. 16.

At the request of numerous local businesses, the town board invited Bayfield resident Carol Short (who is also mayor pro tem of Bayfield) to describe to the board, business people and interested citizens the problems and successes Bayfield had with CDOT.

Short summarized the parallel between the two towns by saying, "The bypass has become the bisect."

Decades ago, CDOT purchased all the access rights necessary to move U.S. 160 north of each town, creating a bypass.

Today, the "bypass" in each location has become the traffic corridor that bisects — and supports — a new business district.

Bayfield has been dealing with proposed changes to the bypass for several years, while Mancos is just coming on line for CDOT attention, accelerated by fatalities at the 160/184 intersection in November 1999 and March 2000.

In her verbal presentation and written summary, Short had several pithy observations from her experience with CDOT:

"You need to get on the same page as a community and agree on what you want to accomplish besides safety.
"(State) Rep. Mark Larson and Sen. Jim Dyer are willing to help, but you have to tell them what it is you want them to do.
"Sometimes you have to ‘hit ’em upside of the head’ with a petition to the governor to get their (CDOT’s) attention, make them listen and address your concerns.
"Complaining among yourselves serves no purpose other than to raise your blood pressure.
"There are things you should accept and move on, even if you don’t understand or think they are right."

For example, she said:

"CDOT is not going to lower the speed limit through Mancos.
"CDOT’s job is to move traffic from Point A to Point B. You are neither.
"CDOT is not going to give up the expressway designation, which refers only to access and not speed limit.
"Drawings are conceptual. Reality may be different.
"There may be a difference between what you agree to and the ‘engineering interpretation’ of how it will be implemented."

Short described the process Bayfield went through to reach a working accommodation with CDOT, which included a representative "solutions committee."

After seven months, the committee reached a consensus which CDOT would agree to, but a "project review team" that includes community representatives continues to monitor the project as it is implemented.

Chris Wilbur, of Wilbur Engineering, followed Short. Wilbur’s firm participated in the traffic study completed for the town early in 2000 by Felsburg, Holt and Ullevig.

"You are in a crucial moment in history," he said, referring to the fact that the community will have to live with the outcome of the CDOT negotiations for decades.

Wilbur said that, of the four options the FHU study brought to the community, people least liked what he called "the 50-mph option." He pointed at the latest proposal by CDOT’s consultants, posted on the wall of the meeting room, and said it was, in essence, the 50-mph option.

Wilbur and Short agreed that the Access Management Plan is a key tool for the town to use in getting CDOT to translate highway standards for expressways into real traffic patterns that the people of the Mancos Valley can live with.

But Wes Sheek, head of the school-bus fleet, said of the latest proposal, "This is a nightmare for kids!"

Amid much discussion of problems and concerns, Richard Colbert asked: "Do we have any concept of what we would like to see?"

Metallics West owner Michael Mola provided the answer: "Mr. Mayor, you have no plan ... It starts with you and your board ... Without another plan, you’re dead in the water."

Mayor Rath announced he would appoint a committee of two town-board members, two business people from north of the highway and two from the south side of U.S. 160, one from the school district, two at-large citizen members and a consultant to provide technical expertise.

People in the audience were urged to sign up as volunteers.

On Friday morning, Rath named the committee members, all of whom signed up after hearing the discussion Wednesday evening.

He and Trustee Michele Black will represent the town board.

Rowena Robbins and Christine Bianchi are the residents named as at-large members. Sheek will represent the school district. JoAnn Riffel (Millwood Junction Restaurant) and Rodney Cox (Cox Conoco) will represent the south-side businesses, while Pete Loyd (P&D Grocery) and Bill Nittler (First National Bank-Cortez, Mancos Branch) will speak for the north-side businesses.

The consultant member is yet to be named.

A letter announcing the appointments has been sent to Mancos businesses with a packet of background information. The first meeting of the committee will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at the Mancos Town Hall.

The committee’s meetings will be open to the public, but participation will be limited to the members. Business people and interested citizens are urged by the mayor "to take all ideas and concerns to these members prior to the meetings."