Arkansas Valley Conduit EIS goes final.
The Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Arkansas Valley Conduit has been issued, and the 42 water providers it will serve await the issuance of a Record of Decision from the Bureau of Reclamation. Kogovsek & Associates is working with our congressional delegation to urge a timely signature on that document, which will outline the general path the pipeline will take as it delivers safe drinking water to the people of southeastern Colorado.
In addition, we have been closely engaged with the delegation on funding for the project in coming fiscal years. We arranged a meeting for the conduit team with the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the delegation is stressing in its contact with the Administration the importance of adequate funding levels for efficient project design and construction.
The current schedule anticipates project completion in 2022.
To learn more details about the planned project, go to Final Environmental Impact Statement (Aug. 9, 2013)
Fort Lyon Project welcomes first clients
Dignitaries at the ribbon cutting September 21, 2013 (l to r): State Representative Leroy Garcia, Department of Local Affairs Executive Director Reeves Brown, Governor John Hickenlooper, State Senator Larry Crowder, Bent County Commissioner Bill Long.
Photo courtesy Zac Schaffner
In early September, 27 men and women arrived at the historic Fort Lyon facility in Las Animas, Colorado, seeking the repurposed property’s services for homeless individuals with mental illness and substance abuse challenges. The facility is accepting five - seven additional clients each week through the end of the year as the repurposing plan gets fully underway.
The former veterans’ home and then correctional facility was officially reopened later in the month with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Governor John Hickenlooper and including the clients.
The facility is operating with funding from the State of Colorado, but Kogovsek & Associates is working on federal and non-governmental funding sources as well.
Kogovsek & Associates organized a number of outreach meetings in non-metropolitan communities to familiarize local entities that encounter homeless individuals with mental and substance abuse disorders with the Fort Lyon plan. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, which is providing the programmatic services at the facility, explained the referral process and the smorgasbord of treatment, training and educational opportunities that will be provided.
Those who chose the Fort Lyon path toward a renewed life of health and dignity came from throughout the state and represent various ethnic, educational and professional backgrounds, including Native Americans. Fort Lyon is a voluntary community in a serene setting, and local residents have welcomed the repurposing project with open arms.
Bent County Commissioner Bill Long, who has led the repurposing effort for more than two years, conducts tours of the facility for any interested referral agency or organization. He believes a big part of visiting the facility is contact with the clients, so visitors join those who have chosen Fort Lyon for a midday meal in the facility’s dining area.
“Except for the very important experiences with my family, this has been one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done,” Bill said on the one-month anniversary of the Fort Lyon opening.
<Public Utilities Commission process continues for SolarReserve rural project.
