At the begining of the May 26th meeting of the Gunnison City Council, Mayor Diego Plata noted to the audience that over the course of his tenure as mayor during the last six years, he has only seen the room with as many citizens present in the audience five times.
Over 50 citizens attended, drawn mostly by two agenda items: first, the swearing-in of three new police officers by Chief of Police Sam Costello; second, an update on the Gunnison Irrigation Ditch Master Plan.
Costello welcomed the new officers, Matt Harvell, Teja Smith and Vashun Lusk to the department and noted they are now, "leaders of our community."
"As a law enforcement officer, your fundamental duty is to serve the community, safeguard lives and property, to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against abuse or disorder, and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice," said Costello.
The council also listened to a presentation from the engineering firm of SGM Inc. on the Gunnison Irrigation Ditch Master Plan. The city owns and operates an irrigation system comprising 25 miles of open channels, pipelines, siphons, and related infrastructure that provides non-potable water throughout the city.
The 259-page irrigation report noted, "A large portion of the ditch system was constructed 60 to 70 years ago. …
"The infrastructure has not received maintenance, causing deterioration due to age. With infrastructure decline, the risk of failure increases for critical system components such as siphons, pipelines, headgates, and other control structures. Failure of these components could result in a significant system down time, property damage, and pose public safety concerns.
"A 2024 report from the former City of Gunnison Public Works Director highlighted
that more than 200 culverts are in a state of disrepair, and that approximately 20 deteriorating pipes cross under Highway 50 and Highway 135.
“This is just one example of the many locations where aging infrastructure is prevalent.
The ditch’s aging infrastructure leads to reduced conveyance efficiency, erosion of the ditch,
compromised structural integrity of the ditch and its appurtenances, increased the need for emergency repairs, increased maintenance costs, reduced system reliability, raised safety concerns, and has strained the ditch system’s performance. Damage to the infrastructure is
compounded by an increased need for maintenance workforce."
The update on the plan was presented to the council as a discussion item only, with no decisions made.
During public comment, Brian Miller noted the cooling impact the ditch-irrigated greenery provides to the town and the recharge to the aquifer. Others noted the positives the irrigation system has on the beauty and quality of life in Gunnison.
In other city business, the council included language in the 2026 City of Gunnison Master Plan to include recreational opportunities south of Highway 50.
The Gunnison Irrigation Master Plan can be viewed at:
https://cms8.revize.com/revize/gunnisonco/Agenda%20&%20Minutes/City%20Council/2026/Packets/epacket_5.26.2026_rs.pdf?t=202605221810560&t=202605221810560
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