San Miguel County rereleases Mill Creek Park survey, discusses pollinator plan and grading RFP after no bids

San Miguel County Open Space staff on July 28 relaunched a short community survey asking residents what they want at Mill Creek Park, a 1.09-acre site on the northeast corner of Mill Creek Road opposite the Shell station. The county issued a press release with a link to the six-question survey and asked that responses be accepted for roughly two to three months.

The survey push came during the Open Space Commission meeting as staff reiterated that the parcel was intended for passive park use, with pathways (not formal trails), pollinator plantings, picnic areas and benches, existing porta-potties, signage and some picnic tables already on site. “Affordable housing isn’t happening on this site,” Susie (Open Space Commission member) said during the meeting. “The site was deeded over as open space/parkland. So it was not meant to be developed, and it won’t be developed.”

County staff said renderings showing a largely natural design remain the guiding plan; work to date has included grading completed last fall and placement of picnic tables and trash receptacles to encourage interim public use. Staff also said they obtained approval from the State Historic Preservation Officer to encase — rather than remove — historic structures found on the parcel during site work; those features were left in place and buried after a cultural-resource survey.

The commission heard that a recent RFP for additional grading and soil prep on the Mill Creek parcel, which staff estimated could be on the order of $150,000, received no bids after closing May 23. “A number of companies were interested but then secured other projects and contracts,” a county staff member said; staff indicated the work is unlikely to happen this year and that the county will share the survey results with the commission and revisit next steps once community input and funding availability are clearer.

Commissioners and volunteers also discussed pollinator plantings tied to Mill Creek Park and to the Down Valley Pollinator Garden. County staff said the renderings for Mill Creek include pollinator plantings and informal pathways and noted that the commission has budgeted for the project in prior years. “We just wanted to make it safe…and entice people to start using it by placing picnic tables out there,” a county staff member said.

The commission set a timeline for sharing survey results with the group and then discussing next steps. Staff reminded the commission that budget planning for 2026 will begin next month; commissioners and volunteers identified potential for a staged approach (piecemal implementation) and flagged the idea of pairing small, interim improvements with longer-term work if funding becomes available.

Ending: Staff said the survey will remain live for several months and that results will be returned to the commission for discussion of next steps; the commission will also continue to monitor opportunities for contracting the needed grading work if bidders become available.