ALAMOSA — About 40 people attended the second public meeting regarding the Alamosa Riverfront Project held by the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project on Aug. 27.
The meeting was a casual affair, with dinner served and presentations made regarding the plan. The project proposes to increase recreational opportunities along the Rio Grande at Cole Park and restore and maintain river habitat.
Cassandra McCuen told the Valley Courier, "At our first meeting we had about 55 people attend and tonight we have about 35 and I'm impressed with that. We also have people filling out online surveys. We have received great feedback, and our engineers are already incorporating that with all the constructive feedback. We will incorporate the feedback from tonight."
Quinn Donnelly is a river engineer with RiverRestoration and is working on the project. His expertise includes open channel hydraulics and fish passage design. As part of the strategy to help fish in the river, he and others are working on in-stream habitat improvements.
Donnelly said, "In the river, certain native fish have preferences for certain types of habitat, including slow-moving areas that are shallow and warmer. With the levee system, a lot of that habitat is gone. We want to put more of that back. Downstream on the east side of the river (river left) and upstream, on the west side of the river, we will put that back, too."
JUB Engineering is a sub-consultant of River Restoration and has been working on civil and agriculture engineering and landscape architectural work.
"The current estimated project cost is $3.5 million-$4.5 million, which includes a healthy contingency to account for inflation of construction costs over the years. The cost estimate may change as we modify design elements based on the public's feedback, though I don't foresee it changing significantly," according to McCuen.
Lisa Lucero said, "SLV AHEC's (San Luis Valley Area Health Education) Mi Salud y Mi Familia promotora program helped amplify voices of Latino residents during the 2022 City of Alamosa Outdoor Recreation Survey, thereby providing valuable insights for the riverfront project.
"To date, SLV AHEC has informed 2022 survey participants about the river project and community meeting and reached out to other under-represented residents.
"Surveys and community meetings in the SLV often feel extractive. This initiative has shown the community their voices are powerful and can bring about meaningful change – changes we have already seen in action."
McCuen summed up the evening with, "I'm really proud to be part of a community that shows up for these meetings and takes ownership in this."
There will be a final public outreach meeting in January.
For more information on the Alamosa Riverfront Project, visit www. riograndeheadwaters.org/alamosa-riverfront.
