Article from The Union newspaper:
Nevada Irrigation District decided Wednesday that it would move forward with a plan to go with its fourth, and least expensive option, to facilitate the replacement of the Scotts Flat Spillway chute.
The options were presented by Gabe Aronow, Director of Engineering for the district, who said the decision would mean that campsites at the lake’s Gate 1 would close in that particular area. Gate 2, which hosts 80 additional campsites, would remain accessible throughout the predicted four year project.
Other proposed options by Aronow would cost nearly double the amount of the projected $900,000 the district would look to foot for option four. Other considerations would mean keeping the lake and group camping sites open through the upper sites.
Ultimately, however, Wednesday’s workshop found the board of directors agreeing that minor fencing and gates will be required to control public access to the campground and construction site. No new improvements, reported NID, will be required to accommodate partial campground use.
“I think the biggest consideration for the board is the associated cost with building the temporary access...and safety considerations,” said Nevada Irrigation District’s General Manager Jennifer Hanson. “Construction sites can be extremely dangerous, especially when you have children around and as we all know children love to explore while camping so that is really where my concern is coming from.”
Primary access from the south on the Scotts Flat Dam Road from Pasquale Road was also considered and dismissed since most of the work will be accessed from the north side of the spillway. Pasquale Road, across the lake from the Highway 20 side, may still be used for equipment access on a limited basis during construction. However, the option remains on the table.
Division III Director Brad Fowler had a fairly immediate opinion on the matter.
“It seems pretty obvious to me no one wants to be camping at a construction site,” said Fowler. “I think the best answer is option number four. I don’t see any other way to do this. It’s the least cost option. If you’re camping in there and trucks are rolling in at 5 a.m. It’s not a camping experience. Our best option is just to close this, and if that’s not obvious to everybody else, let me know.”
Division II Director and Vice President of the NID board Chris Bierwagen at first was a holdout, leaning toward opting for the most expensive option that would see the district spending $1.4 million. Eventually, however, Bierwagen sided with his fellow board members to select the option that was eventually agreed upon.
Of the spillway replacement, Division I Director and Board President Ricki Heck said: “I want the public to know that this is a regulatory requirement. This is not something we just decided to do. These repairs are really necessary for safety. My concern is to protect public safety and also liability for the district, should somebody get hurt, we would have some measure of liability.”
Heck reiterated that Gate 2 camping would still be open, allowing the district to collect funds from campers who almost always book in advance. Boat launch, Heck added, would still be available from the campgrounds.
Drop-in camping is not common on the lake, according to Monica Reyes, Recreation Manager for NID. We do have other campgrounds, including Gate 2,” Reyes clarified. “That’s including Greenhorn (campground at Rollins Reservoir) I would love to keep the campground open...there are kids everywhere and with the fencing and everything going on they are going to be super curious. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. We have other options.”
Of the option they decided on, Division V Director Rich Johansen said he felt comfortable with not committing any more funds than the district needs to. “I feel it’s safer; it gives us latitude to get work done faster,” Johansen said. “I am for option four.” And with that, work will continue on the Scotts Flat Lake spillway with a commencement day to be announced.
“It’s a very large undertaking but staff has made sure...we get water,” Hanson said. “There will be future outages (with Spaulding 2). Spaulding 2 still has some issues that need forward placement. Anticipate we’re going to be juggling some shortages moving forward for the next couple of years.”
CLICK HERE to see the complete article in The Union newspaper.
Nevada Irrigation District decided Wednesday that it would move forward with a plan to go with its fourth, and least expensive option, to facilitate the replacement of the Scotts Flat Spillway chute.
The options were presented by Gabe Aronow, Director of Engineering for the district, who said the decision would mean that campsites at the lake’s Gate 1 would close in that particular area. Gate 2, which hosts 80 additional campsites, would remain accessible throughout the predicted four year project.
Other proposed options by Aronow would cost nearly double the amount of the projected $900,000 the district would look to foot for option four. Other considerations would mean keeping the lake and group camping sites open through the upper sites.
Ultimately, however, Wednesday’s workshop found the board of directors agreeing that minor fencing and gates will be required to control public access to the campground and construction site. No new improvements, reported NID, will be required to accommodate partial campground use.
“I think the biggest consideration for the board is the associated cost with building the temporary access...and safety considerations,” said Nevada Irrigation District’s General Manager Jennifer Hanson. “Construction sites can be extremely dangerous, especially when you have children around and as we all know children love to explore while camping so that is really where my concern is coming from.”
Primary access from the south on the Scotts Flat Dam Road from Pasquale Road was also considered and dismissed since most of the work will be accessed from the north side of the spillway. Pasquale Road, across the lake from the Highway 20 side, may still be used for equipment access on a limited basis during construction. However, the option remains on the table.
Division III Director Brad Fowler had a fairly immediate opinion on the matter.
“It seems pretty obvious to me no one wants to be camping at a construction site,” said Fowler. “I think the best answer is option number four. I don’t see any other way to do this. It’s the least cost option. If you’re camping in there and trucks are rolling in at 5 a.m. It’s not a camping experience. Our best option is just to close this, and if that’s not obvious to everybody else, let me know.”
Division II Director and Vice President of the NID board Chris Bierwagen at first was a holdout, leaning toward opting for the most expensive option that would see the district spending $1.4 million. Eventually, however, Bierwagen sided with his fellow board members to select the option that was eventually agreed upon.
Of the spillway replacement, Division I Director and Board President Ricki Heck said: “I want the public to know that this is a regulatory requirement. This is not something we just decided to do. These repairs are really necessary for safety. My concern is to protect public safety and also liability for the district, should somebody get hurt, we would have some measure of liability.”
Heck reiterated that Gate 2 camping would still be open, allowing the district to collect funds from campers who almost always book in advance. Boat launch, Heck added, would still be available from the campgrounds.
Drop-in camping is not common on the lake, according to Monica Reyes, Recreation Manager for NID. We do have other campgrounds, including Gate 2,” Reyes clarified. “That’s including Greenhorn (campground at Rollins Reservoir) I would love to keep the campground open...there are kids everywhere and with the fencing and everything going on they are going to be super curious. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. We have other options.”
Of the option they decided on, Division V Director Rich Johansen said he felt comfortable with not committing any more funds than the district needs to. “I feel it’s safer; it gives us latitude to get work done faster,” Johansen said. “I am for option four.” And with that, work will continue on the Scotts Flat Lake spillway with a commencement day to be announced.
“It’s a very large undertaking but staff has made sure...we get water,” Hanson said. “There will be future outages (with Spaulding 2). Spaulding 2 still has some issues that need forward placement. Anticipate we’re going to be juggling some shortages moving forward for the next couple of years.”
CLICK HERE to see the complete article in The Union newspaper.
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