Paonia Mayor Paige Smith told KVNF reporter Marty Durlin that she's relieved that the November the ballot issue to continue the three dollar a month sidewalk fee will live on. The vote was 551 to continue the sidewalk fund and 371 against.
"I'm really pleased because I really wasn't sure how the citizens would feel about it because we can't do a lot of sidewalk every year," Smith said. " We do have to kind of build up our funds and and do one large project at a time. Our ordinance actually says that the people who live next to the sidewalk are responsible for fixing it. And we understand that people can't afford to do that."
Paonia's mayor says town trustees also voted use, nearly $43,000 from Paonia's Street Fund to repair more than 200 of the worst tripping hazards by grinding down the higher piece of sidewalk where seams meet. The repair work will begin soon and will mitigate the hazards for pedestrians and those in wheelchairs. The sidewalk fund will have about $120,000 to do more extensive work. The last time many big improvements were made in the sidewalks was 2020.
"Thirty thousand dollars is what we collect every year, which is not does not equate to a lot of concrete being poured, but it's it's something that we'll have to work from," said the mayor adding, " And on top of that, we have received a safe release for all grant to do an overarching review of all of our infrastructure, including sidewalks. And when we get that report finished, we will have the ability to look for more grants to help us with that kind of infrastructure."
The Biden Administration has designated money for infrastructure that small towns have been able to tap into. Small town mayor's like Smith say it's been a real boon because they typically don't have the population to be able to afford some of these large repairs such as water, sewer systems and crumbling streets.
"The money coming from the federal legislation is integral to getting our repairs," Smith said, using the town's two million gallon tank as an example.
" The two million gallon tank being having to be shut down, drained, completely cleaned, because there's lead paint on the interior of the water tank. All that has to be taken off and all redone. And then we have 9,000 feet of the pipe, the distribution pipe all has to be replaced and much of it is on private property. "
"So we're working on getting easements in the public right of way to re reroute some of that pipe as much as we can. But it's been there a long time. And and we're looking about $8 million as a grant for that, but it's crucial," Smith said.
"We have a lot of people relying on the water system that Paonia manages, as many people are in our consecutive water companies out of town as are being served in town."
Currently three thousand people being served from the town's two million gallon plant. In addition, roughly 28 individual springs have to be piped into the treatment plant making the mountain community's water system on of most complicated in the state.
" We have really good water. It's great that we have such a wonderful source of water, but it's very complicated and there's a lot to be maintained, " Smith said.
