Business for the Mancos Town Board was light last week.
In just a few months the staff at the Town of Mancos will be able to accept credit cards a system that cost the town $7,875, but will hopefully pay for itself in the long run, in the sum of saved time and bills that may have gone unpaid.
Staff are training on the new software, but it was brought to the attention of the board last week that the company providing the software charges $1.24 per transaction.
The board was asked at its Feb. 11 meeting if they wanted to pass that fee on to the customers.
"Some towns have chosen to eat the cost," said Town Administrator Andrea Phillips.
Board members said they felt safe in not charging a service fee until they could see how many people in the town are using the system and how much time it saves town staff.
"Time-wise, this system will be a phenomenal time saver," said Heather Alvarez, town clerk/treasurer.
Alvarez told the board she would give them a report six months after the system has been in place, which she expects to happen no later than May 1.
Boyle Park will be surveyed
Town board members also voted to pay between $1,500 and $2,000 to survey Boyle Park.
Improving access and use of the park has been discussed several times over the years, and it was recently discovered that the park is 6.2 acres, not 13, which has been indicated in previous town documents.
Board members agreed that the town needs to have an accurate survey of the park to determine boundaries before any more improvements can be made.
"That park belongs to the people," Trustee Will Stone said. "It needs to be surveyed before we can go on with anything."
Mayor Rachel Simbeck agreed.
"I want to now if we can determine the park boundaries," she said.
Simbeck hinted at improving parts of Boyle Park.
"There are some access issues," she said.
Mayor pro tem Todd Kearns agreed.
"There is no good pedestrian access into the park," he said.
But in order to fix any of those issues, the board agreed, that the park's boundaries need to be determined.
"It's a jewel of the town," Simbeck said. "Are we under utilizing it. Can we give better access?"
Board members heard an update on a campaign launched at the end of the week reminding Mancos residents to be mindful of the town's sewer system.
"It just reminds people that we do have a sensitive system," Phillips said.
Phillips said the fairly new system relies on sensitive bacteria that can be easily harmed and the system can also easily get clogged.
"We are also going to step up the grease trap inspections," Phillips said.
