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San Miguel County Historical Commission outlines 2026 work plan; prioritizes signage, trails and preservation tasks
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Summary
At its Jan. 13 meeting the San Miguel County Historical Commission reviewed its 2026 work plan, emphasizing interpretive signage, trail projects (Ili and Flume, Galloping Goose), nominations to the county historic register, and ongoing items such as the Matterhorn tram-cable removal and Placerville depot follow-up.
The San Miguel County Historical Commission used its Jan. 13 meeting to review and prioritize the commission's 2026 work plan, highlighting trail projects, interpretive signage, and a slate of historic-structure nominations.
Staff and commissioners said the Ili and Flume Trail project is undergoing NEPA review, expected to wrap in March, after which trail-priority decisions will follow. The commission discussed adding county historic-register sites to a driving or bus tour and expanding outreach to Norwood and other West End communities.
Officials reported schedule and procurement issues on capital items: the Matterhorn tram-cable removal was postponed from December to spring after crews encountered unexpected conditions; staff said contractors and DRMS (the agency contractor) are coordinating a spring removal. "The tram cable removal will take place in the spring," staff reported.
The commission also noted unanticipated bid results on some maintenance projects. For example, a recent RFP for Trout Lake water-tank work returned one bid significantly above the budgeted amount (staff cited a contractor estimate near $75,000, roughly double earlier estimates).
Several preservation items remain active on the work plan: the Placerville RGS Depot conversation (ongoing with the owner), the Placerville schoolhouse (interior painting planned), the Boy Scout building (county now owns the structure; staff will assess historic value and potential reuse), and tracking of priority structures such as Wells Cabin and Pandora Mill.
Members discussed improved digital mapping of county historic resources and suggested exporting data into common formats (KML/KMZ) so partners and the public can view site locations. A commissioner with mapping experience offered to assist if staff provided source spreadsheets.
Next steps: staff will continue to pursue NEPA milestones, follow up on contractor bids and RFPs, prepare the Upper Jail nomination for the March meeting agenda, and coordinate with open-space and forest-service partners on trail and signage work.
Provenance: Work-plan discussion and project updates (topic intro SEG 887; continuing through SEG 3206).
