Update: From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
Flood control money through a district formed to fix Fountain Creek won’t necessarily tie into Pueblo’s master plan for the Historic East Side and Fountain Creek, County Commissioner Jeff Chostner said Wednesday. City officials mentioned the funds Tuesday as one source of money while discussing an ambitious master plan for urban renewal and recreation that could cost $60 million and take 50 years to complete. “My concern is that we’re leading people on about things that the money is not intended for,” Chostner said. “The money will not come out of Southern Delivery System funds, because these projects don’t meet the terms of the 1041 permit.”
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
A crowd of about 30 people attended a community meeting at Risley Middle School to review a master plan that has been in the making for nearly a year. Many of those who attended were at the previous three public meetings or a dozen steering committee meetings earlier this year, and there were a few curious newcomers. The goal is to tie together a plan to improve flood protection and access along Fountain Creek from its confluence with the Arkansas River to Eighth Street with an urban redevelopment plan in the adjacent area south of Eighth and west of Hudson Avenue. Features in the plan include a pedestrian bridge over Fountain Creek at First Street, expanded parks at El Centro del Quinto Sol and Plaza Verde, a trail that connects to the Front Range Trail System to the north, a skate park, water fountains and a community-built playground. There are also gateway approaches planned on Fourth and Eighth streets. It also would tie in to flood control projects elsewhere on Fountain Creek, and use some of the sediment dredged from Fountain Creek to create more user-friendly approaches to the earthen levees south of Fourth Street. The total cost of the projects outlined Tuesday would be in the neighborhood of $60 million and take 40-50 years to complete, [Scott Hobson, assistant city manager for community development] explained…
…there are bite-sized pieces and the opportunity for more funding partners. Hobson said the master plan actually includes 20 separate projects that range in price from $500,000 for some of the less-developed park areas to $6 million-$7 million for the more urban neighborhoods. For the parks, which could be tackled soonest, the city would look to Great Outdoors Colorado. “The city applies to GOCo for one or two projects each year,” Hobson said.
The approaches on Fourth and Eighth streets would tie into improvements now being planned on Interstate 25 by the Colorado Department of Transportation. Flood control projects and work on the levees could be funded by the Corps of Engineers, Natural Resource Conservation Service or the Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District — once it has a funding source in place, Hobson said.