$15 million program signals Timnath transition
By Dan MacArthur
Fossil CreekCurrent
Dirt will be flying in Timnath next year as the town starts work on more
than $15 million in road, bridge, sewer and drainage improvements to accommodate
the development that's beginning to burst out all over.
The flurry of projects will be financed primarily through bonds to be issued
by the town's urban renewal authority. The big-ticket items are $4.3 million
for containing Boxelder Creek flooding, $3.5 million for replacing the
Harmony Road bridge over the Poudre River, an equal amount for installing
sewer lines in old town and extending a collector line south of Harmony,
and $2 million for widening Harmony Road from Interstate 25 to County Road
5.
"It's an ambitious plan," conceded town administrator Becky Davidson. "But
we're making a concerted effort to get it completed this year."
At the same time, the town's 2007 budget spending will increase by nearly
150 percent over this year's figure, largely to support the increased costs
of operating the growing town - particularly in the areas of law enforcement
and administration.
The service contract with the sheriff's department increased more than
sevenfold to $100,000 as the town moves toward establishing a 24-hour police
presence. At the same time, expenditures for a contract judge and court
clerk took a giant leap as Timnath creates a court of record with the anticipated
approval of its home rule charter this month.
Timnath expects to net revenues of $1.189 million in 2007 and spend $1.046
million with the difference held in reserve. The town's building use tax
--generating an estimated $464,150--is expected to be the primary revenue
source for the general fund budget that finances most town operations.
That number assumes that 209 building permits will be issued next year,
according to Mayor Donna Benson. She said it's an intentionally conservative
estimate that's half the figure predicted in a study detailing the timing
of development.
The signs of that development already are apparent. The first home is under
construction at the exclusive Harmony subdivision on the east side of town,
and permits have been issued for a second nestled alongside the private
18-hole championship golf course--a stunningly green and surgically manicured
oasis surrounded by brown and windblown fall fields.
To the south of Harmony Road, workers are carving out the site for a new
elementary school that soon will be surrounded by housing in the Timnath
Ranch subdivision.
And the annexations that will lead to still more building continue. Last
month, the town board voted unanimously to accept a petition for annexation
of the nearly 63-acre Flatiron property. Located on the northeast corner
of Interstate 25 and Harmony Road, it is expected to become a major shopping
center although developer Mark Goldberg declined to discuss any potential
retailers. He said negotiations are ongoing and there will be no announcement
until sometime next year. The Flatiron property is adjacent to the site
slated for construction of a 204,000-square-foot Wal-Mar Supercenter
Then the town board early this month will act on the planning commission's
recommendation to approve annexation of the Wild Wing development on the
northeast corner of Timnath reservoir. The 283-acre development would consist
of an equal number of housing units ranging from large-lot, single-family
homes to townhouses and condominiums, which would be clustered on the north
side. It would have 90 acres of open space, including parks, trails and
a 22-acre athletic field.
The project received a unanimous recommendation of approval despite strong
criticisms by neighbors concerned that it would degrade the rural lifestyles
they have chosen. Davidson said, however, the density of one unit per acre
is very low and consistent with the town's comprehensive plan.
|
