Craig Daily Press / Council returns $8,000 to MCTA

Archive for Wednesday, January 23, 2008

January 23, 2008

At its Tuesday meeting, the Craig City Council:

• Renewed the tavern liquor license for the Golden Cavvy Restaurant and Lounge at 538 Yampa Ave.

• Approved a proclamation designating Feb. 10 as "College Goal Sunday in Craig Day." The Colorado Northwestern Community College Craig campus will host informational sessions on applying for student aid and will raffle away a $1,000 scholarship. The event is 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

• Awarded a bid for a new 15-passenger van for the Craig Parks and Recreation Department to Victory Motors for $25,001.77. The bid came in about $3,000 over budget, but Dave Pike, Parks and Recreation director, felt the investment in a new vehicle made up for the cost. As well, the budget shortfall could be made up in other capital expenditures, he said.

• Awarded a bid to Dell computers for $13,812.83. The bid came in about $1,200 under budget.

• Discussed a Daily Press editorial published Jan. 19. Mayor Don Jones, Council members and city officials felt the editorial inaccurately reflected their work toward encouraging growth.

The city has put almost $13 million into infrastructure the past few years, about half of which went to improving the water treatment facility, Jones said.

The city has also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on plans for growth, City Manager Jim Ferree said.

Current master plans for the water and wastewater systems and parks and recreation are in the works, among others, he said.

Councilor Bill Johnston said he would always oppose any kind of land development or tax incentives paid for with taxpayer money.

Moffat County Commissioner Saed Tayyara attended Tuesday's Council meeting, and spoke on the issue.

"Bryce (Jacobson, Daily Press publisher) and his newspaper are not going to run the city or the county," Tayyara said. "If they want to, they should run and try and get elected. He continues shooting from the hip. Misleading the public is annoying a lot of people."

Craig — The Craig City Council voted unanimously to return an $8,000 appropriation from the Moffat County Tourism Association at its meeting Tuesday.

Councilors felt since the money had not been used for its intended purpose, the right course of action would be to give the money back.

"We apologize for misunderstanding the purse strings attached to the $8,000," Mayor Don Jones said.

MCTA gave the money to the city Parks and Recreation Department last fall. The money was to relocate Whittle the Wood Rendezvous carvings along downtown Yampa Avenue and other locations around the city.

Then, money left over would go toward creating a brochure with carving locations to establish a tourist walking tour.

Both City Manager Jim Ferree and Dave Pike, Parks and Recreation Department director, recommended the Council return the entire $8,000.

"I think I probably misunderstood what that money was to be used for," Pike told the Council.

Despite the money being returned, Councilors said the idea was good, and they would like to see something like that happen at a later time.

The current placement of woodcarvings around town could be a starting point that organizers might revise in the future.

"Seems to me, we could still make the brochure," Councilor Ray Beck said. "They may not be within walking distance, but they're still scattered around town."

The city is heading toward a program like that, Pike said. Prize-winning woodcarvings in City Park have new plaques identifying artists and awards, he said.

Eventually, after a few more years of Whittle the Wood, the city will have to look at a long-term plan for placing woodcarvings around town, Pike said. At that time, the idea to locate some downtown could be revisited.

However, logistical concerns make the project unfeasible at this point, Councilors and city officials agreed.

"I think the brochure is a really good idea," Pike said. "In the meantime, I think it's a good idea to give this money back and revisit this with MCTA at a later date."

The Moffat County Commission would like MCTA to use $5,000 of the returned money to make up the Moffat County Visitor Center's remaining deficit.

That would be a good use for the funds, Councilors said.

"It seems like the Visitor Center is the more pressing need," Councilor Terry Carwile said.

The MCTA board will address that at a later meeting, board member Cindy Looper said.