by Carol Dunn
LA VETA- At its Feb. 19 meeting, the La Veta Town Board of Trustees took up the request by Grandote Homeowners Association to have the Town take over maintenance of the subdivision’s streets. The Trustees appeared to be ready to take a vote on the issue when a spokesman for the HOA stated that the Town has added the streets to its street plat. According to the Trustees, it has not. The original Huerfano County plat states that the HOA is responsible for the streets, which are private property. The bottom line is that, after 20 years, the HOA decided in Jan. 2008 that the Town is responsible for the street maintenance, a concept that Mayor Mickey Schmidt said he finds “preposterous.” The Board voted to send a letter advising, unless there is compelling evidence that the Town owns the streets of the subdivision, that the HOA proceed as it sees fit.
Trustee Dale Davis reported that the Town is spending about $10,000 a year on street lighting. Although San Isabel Electric is charging for 74 street lights, a preliminary count showed only 50 are lit. The Trustees will do an inventory next week, using a map from San Isabel Electric, and may decide to keep only the necessary lights. Any changes will be made only after notifying the public.
Dave Seaney, Superintendent of La Veta School District, was on hand to help the Board with agreements required by the GOCO (Great Outdoors Colorado) grant application process. The District is applying for funding to build a fieldhouse at the athletic field, but the Town is sponsoring the grant, since the District is not directly eligible. The District will assume all responsibility for fulfilling the grant requirements. After reviewing the grant agreement between the Town and the District, the Board decided to table the discussion until the final grant documents are available. A special meeting will be held to vote on the agreement. In order for the District to finalize the grant budget, the Board set the cost of water and sewer taps and impact fees at $15,500. The connection fee portion of that cost, $1,500, will be waived as an in-kind match to the grant. The Board also voted to allow the District to use a 2-inch water tap and capped the water use at 26 fixtures.
After interviewing two people earlier in the month, the Board voted to retain Larry Berkowitz as Town Attorney. Mr. Berkowitz will charge the Town $195 per hour for services rendered.
Roberta “Bert” Rosen presented each Trustee with a copy of the book Bless Me Ultima, a post-Civil War story set in this region. The presentation was part of the community-wide promotion work by the Two Peaks One Book committee of the La Veta Public Library.
Betty Elwell was granted a variance request of three feet on the southeast and northeast corners of her lot, #2 Cherry Court, in order to build a 20’x20’ garage.
Mayor Schmidt reported that there may be a cost overrun on the museum repairs of about $600 due to the unforeseen need to use a pumper to get concrete into the building. The next meeting will be Mar. 4.
