By William J. Dagendesh
Manitou Springs City Council granted JDS Hydro Consultants Inc. approval to build a second water storage tank.
The announcement was made during the Oct. 4 meeting; council voted 6-0 to approve building an $818,000 epoxy-coated bolted tank near the existing Mesa tank beginning in late 2023. Mayor Pro Tem John Shada was excused from the meeting.
Gwen Dall, an engineer with JDS Hydro Consultants, said the advantage of building next to the existing tank is that the city owns the land. However, it is a smaller site and is difficult to access.
Dall discussed the pros and cons of concrete, bolted steel and welded carbon steel tanks. She said welded carbon steel has fewer connections to allow leakage and can be re-coated in the field. The disadvantage is that it must be re-coated every 15 years, requires the most maintenance and carries a costly price tag.
A concrete tank lasts 100 years and doesn’t require re-coating. However, it has a higher price tag, requires more space and is difficult to build in mountainous areas.
A bolted steel tank offers lower fabrication, shipping and installation costs, and low maintenance and should be recoated 20-40 years after installation. The disadvantage is that its many connections equal many possible leakage points.
“This tank is easy to construct in a tighter footprint, has the advantage of having that factory-applied coating and has a longer time period between re-coating,” Dall said.
She offered two types of coating: fusion-bonded epoxy and glass-fused. Fusion-bonded coating costs about 25 percent less and can be re-coated, whereas glass-fused coating has a longer life span and is maintenance-free for up to 50 years.
A glass-fused epoxy-bolted tank costs about $2.3 million compared to the $1.9 million welded steel tank. Councilor Nancy Fortuin opted for the former.
“The trade-off (over 60-70 years) is well worth it,” Fortuin said.
Mayor John Graham said the epoxy-coated bolted tank is less expensive and would offer good results.
“It leaves us with money to bring the plant up to snuff, to refurbish our old tank and get us a little further down the road,” Graham said.
Public Information Officer Alex Trefry provided clarification between the ongoing sit-lie and obstruction ordinances. He said a proposed ordinance amended the sit-lie ordinance in June 2022. When that ordinance was voted down on second reading, council requested further discussion.
Trefry said Ordinance 2416 and Municipal Code 9.46 refer to prohibitions on sitting, lying and displaying items in the downtown area. Ordinance 2716 and Municipal Code 12.32 refers to prohibitions on obstruction.
“The city used to have a panhandling ordinance that was repealed because it was deemed potentially unconstitutional. So we, as well as many other cities, transitioned over to a sit-lie ordinance, which was enacted in 2016 and is currently in place,” Trefry said.
The obstruction ordinance, enacted in 1974 and amended in 2016, also is in place.
Trefry said that the sit-lie ordinance is intended to preserve safe and unimpeded passage for pedestrians and vehicular traffic. In contrast, the obstruction ordinance regulates behavior on sidewalks, alleys and roads, and prohibits impeding pedestrian or vehicular traffic in these locations.
“It’s meant for keeping a free flow of traffic,” said Trefry, who provided a diagram illustrating the differences.
“The sit-lie ordinance prohibits traditional street performing, which is how this discussion came about. There is no reference to street performing in either of these ordinances,” he said.
“The obstruction ordinance, in most scenarios, permits street performing. Both are intended to create a better environment in Manitou Springs. They just work a little different,” Trefry added.
“I think it’s important to keep people from sleeping and obstructing our sidewalks, and at the same time find a way to permit street performing in a manner that works both for the businesses and residents,” Councilor Julie Wolfe said.
Also, three proclamations were read, the first recognizing October as Community Planning Month in conjunction with National Community Planning Month.
“National Community Planning Month gives us the opportunity to publicly recognize the participation and dedication of members of planning commissions and other citizen planners who have contributed their time and expertise to improving the city of Manitou Springs,” said Councilor Judith Chandler, who read the proclamation.
City Planner Hannah Van Nimwegen-McGuire thanked council members for their commitment to her department’s work.
“City planning can be very controversial. We work to enforce the public’s general welfare, safety and health, and that can be very difficult to determine,” she said.
Another proclamation recognized October as American Association of Code Enforcement National Code Compliance Month. Councilor Natalie Johnson read the proclamation.
“Neighborhood service officers often have a challenging and demanding role and often don’t receive recognition for the job they do in improving living and working conditions for residents and businesses of local communities,” Johnson said.
Additionally, this year is the city’s second annual celebration since the passage of Resolution No. 0421 designating the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day. It honors the past, present and futures of Native people throughout the nation.
“We highly value and appreciate the good will of the Ute people, the host nation, in re-dedicating both the Ute Indian trail and mineral springs, and wish to honor all the indigenous peoples and extend our friendship to them,” said Mayor John Graham, who read the proclamation.
Lastly, council voted 6-0 to approve a fiber optic installation project at Higginbotham Flats and a paving contract for Midland Avenue and Prospect Place. Council also consented to install public art in 7 Minute Spring Park and at Hiawatha Gardens. Information: tinyurl.com/MSArtOctober.
Council’s next work session will start at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11.