Family Dollar on tap again

Skate park, pot are also on board agenda

There will be a Mancos Board of Trustees meeting on May 27 at 7 p.m.

The board will review the development agreement for the new Family Dollar store and direct the town administrator on whether to move forward with public improvements by the developer.

Under the agreement, the developers are required to make on-site improvements such as installation of sidewalks. In addition, the Streets Impact Fee is charged on new development for traffic-generating uses. The fee helps offset the costs of impact fees to the system. In lieu of the fee, developers could do some off-site public improvements.

Marijuana moratorium

The town administrator is recommending that the board extend the current moratorium on new applications for medical and retail marijuana establishments until December, 2015. The current moratorium expires on June 30, 2015.

The extension is reportedly needed to allow time for required public notices and hearings at the Planning Commission and Board level.

Skate park issues

Issues regarding the skate park will be discussed at the meeting.

The town is looking into several ways to sound proof the skate park. Attempting to buffer the sound with foam mattress pads were unsuccessful.

Security issues at the park are also a topic. The town is looking into options for installing security or web cams at the skate park. There has been some vandalism at the park on the ramp and launch pad. Also the skate park rules signs were removed. New ones were installed.

In 2010, the gazebo in the Mancos skate park burned to the ground, and arson was suspected.

La Plata Millworks

Following up on complaints of odorous matter, the town cited La Plata Millworks in the fall for a violation of odorous matter from their spray operations.

The two parties entered into a plea agreement through the Mancos Municipal Court whereby the company would make improvements to the exhaust/ventilation system to cut down on the odors. The Town Administrator and the owner of La Plata Millworks met to review planned improvements to the facility, which are to be completed by the end of June.

La Plata Millworks is located in downtown Mancos.

Providing custom woodworking, millwork, doors, cabinetry and other high-end wood products, La Plata Millworks employs seven craftsmen and administrative staff. The business has been located in Mancos for over 20 years.

Beginning last summer, complaints from the neighbors to the east began to arrive at Town Hall about odors from the Millworks exhaust system. They expressed concerns about potential health impacts from the fumes. The town began working with the Millworks owners to request that a more robust ventilation system be installed.

Although they did increase the height of the roof exhaust stack, it did not seem to address the issue entirely and further complaints came to the town's attention.

The Millworks owners are trying to be good neighbors and realize that the business is located next to single family homes. They are invested in Mancos and want to remain here.

The company has agreed to take steps to address the issue of odorous exhaust in order to improve the air quality outside of the plant.

The agreement to install the improvements within 45 days of May 7 (or June 22). Once the improvements are completed, the town will visit the facility again and make a report on the final installation. It is anticipated by both parties that these planned improvements will address the issues raised.