Craig Daily Press / Officials review CNCC funding request

Archive for Wednesday, November 4, 2009

November 4, 2009

At its Tuesday meeting, the Moffat County Commission:

• Approved, 3-0, a second closure of Moffat County Road 93 for Pennsylvania-based East Resources starting Nov. 18, after hunting season ends, and not exceeding past Dec. 7.

The company plans to finish drilling a natural gas well near the road, which must be closed while the rig is active to meet state safety regulations, which recently were approved by the state as part of a controversial package of new requirements.

The road will remain open to land owners.

• Approved, 3-0, renewal and changes to the county employee health insurance policy.

Great-West Healthcare/Cigna, based in Greenwood Village, initially offered for the county to keep its current benefit package for a roughly $320,000 increase to premium costs.

The county health board negotiated the increase down to $95,880, but gave up some benefits, such as a buy-up plan that offered better coverage.

The commissioners will not ask employees to pay the difference, however, and said the county will cover the new cost in 2010.

Employees will not get raises, however, as the consumer price index for this area of Colorado showed a decrease in the cost of living. The commission has said it would raise employee wages along with the cost of living.

• Approved, 3-0, two personnel requisitions to replace employees who resigned. One is for a part-time custodian at the Moffat County Extension Office, and the other is for a full-time deputy with the Moffat County Sheriff's Office.

• Approved, 2-1, spending as much as $350 to pay for a business survey sponsored by the El Pomar Foundation.

The county's contribution is contingent on the city of Craig paying the same amount.

The Craig/Moffat Economic Development Partnership offered to conduct the surveys for free.

Commissioner Tom Gray voted in opposition.

If construction at the new Colorado Northwestern Community College campus in Craig has the effect college president John Boyd thinks, the project may become a milestone in Moffat County's history.

"Within 10 years, the college is going to have a huge impact on the community," Boyd told a nearly full house at the Moffat County Commission's meeting Tuesday. "I really believe that."

During the past week, he has asked local elected officials to invest in the project.

Boyd gave presentations to the Craig City Council at its meeting Oct. 27 and the Moffat County Commission at its meeting Tuesday. He asked them to each contribute $50,000 during five years toward building a 14,000-square-foot career technical building at the new campus.

The technical building will house several vocational programs offered through CNCC, such as cosmetology, mine training and power plant technology.

However, it is only one of three building projects expected to soon begin.

Officials plan to submit a $25 million bid package for three projects in January: the technical building, a 70,000-square-foot academic building and most of the remaining civil projects still left to do, such as streets and parking lots.

Boyd said the college plans to start construction on all three by April 2010, with the campus opening to students by August 2011.

Once open, he said, CNCC will become a key factor in the local economy as an attraction for new businesses.

Often, companies look at three things when judging whether to move to another location - those being health care, K-12 education and work force training - Boyd said.

CNCC already provides several vocational programs and could do more with additional programs for more students, once the new campus is completed.

College officials also plan to build several dormitories in the future and transform the college into a residential campus, which Boyd said would have spaces for retail and restaurants, adding an entirely new dimension to the local job market.

City councilors said they were impressed with Boyd's presentation and plan to review a draft ordinance at their meeting Nov. 10 that would greenlight funding the college beginning in 2011.

The County Commission has not had the same amount of time to consider its options. Still, commissioners Tom Mathers and Audrey Danner said they hope to find a way to fund the college expansion, even in the face of impending budget woes.

"I'm in support of helping the college simply because I can see what they can do to help our economic area here," Mathers said. "Times are tough, but I want to look."

Collin Smith can be reached at 875-1794 or cesmith@craigdailypress.com.