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Hayden officials ready to select contractor for $3.2 million water project

Matt Stensland

— Construction on a major water infrastructure project in Hayden is expected to begin in August.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, the Hayden Town Council will meet to review and accept a bid for the project, which has an estimated price tag of $3.2 million.

The money will be used to construct a water tank at Yampa Valley Regional Airport, which is located within town limits. The tank will help ensure firefighters have adequate amounts of water and pressure to put out a fire. The town of Hayden also sees the project as an opportunity to upgrade its water infrastructure. A new tank at YVRA would provide redundancy because it would be looped into the town’s water system. A looping system also would keep stagnant water from sitting in pipes.



“This solves a problem with water quality and water quantity that we’ve been bandaging since 1990,” Town Manager David Torgler said.

In April, the town was awarded a $1 million grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to help pay for the project.



“Without that grant, it would have been tough for the town to afford it,” Torgler said.

The town also has been working with Routt County, which owns and operates the airport. The county has committed to paying $1.2 million.

“It’s really a great collaborative effort,” Torgler said.

The town will be responsible for paying for the rest of the project, or about $1 million. On Thursday, the Town Council approved taking out a $915,000 loan with the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. The 20-year loan has an interest rate of 2 percent.

The town’s engineers currently are reviewing the construction bids, which Torgler said are all within close proximity of the estimates.

Once the contractor with the winning bid is selected, they will spend about 30 days preparing for construction.

About 12,000 feet of piping is being put into the ground as part of the project. Torgler said a substantial amount of work will be done by November, and the new tank should come online in the spring.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland


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