The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“Staffing in these divisions essential to town”
[ by Mark Reaman ]
The Crested Butte Public Works department is facing more than a few challenges at the moment. The most dramatic might be the major increase in the estimated cost of the town’s wastewater plant improvement project. The original 2020 estimate of $8 million has skyrocketed to the most recent cost estimate of $23 million.
Public Works director Shea Earley informed council in a memo at the May 2 meeting that the project team, “has initiated the value engineering phase of the project, attempting to streamline construction scope and schedule.” He said staff is also looking at ways to pare down the project scope by deferring certain aspects of the project to a later date. But given the age and state of the wastewater treatment facility, some things have to be upgraded ASAP.
“This is a vital project for the town to get done. Some projects can be paused but this one shouldn’t,” Earley said.
“Some of the infrastructure in this project absolutely has to be replaced,” agreed town manager Dara MacDonald. “We really can’t wait much longer.”
“The industrial nature of the project and the infrastructure bill that requires projects to buy American and build American have contributed to supply chain issues and rising costs,” said Earley. “Having to use American steel for example contributes to the cost going up.”
Earley said the town is looking at every angle to cut costs and estimates they have trimmed $7 million or $8 million from the project.
MacDonald said the town is looking at other funding sources to help with the price tag but she expressed concern that it could delay the project which is slated to begin this summer or fall.
Meanwhile, staffing in the Public Works department is on an edge. The department has about 20 employees at any given time with the expectation for minimal turnover of one or two positions a year. But in his memo to council, Early made clear that “with current economic dynamics the Public Works department is finding it increasingly difficult to find qualified applicants for open positions, let alone just finding someone to apply for the position. Coupled with this are the ever-increasing wages offered by other employers in the valley.”
Earley said that the Streets Division is operating at 50% of its staff capacity. The Wastewater and Water divisions have each lost an operator in the last month. “Staffing in all three of these divisions are essential to the operations of town,” Earley noted.
He expressed great concern that without the expectation of any new applications the current staff will be overburdened and quickly burn out as town enters the busiest part of the year. His fear is that existing staff would seek work elsewhere.
