Alamosa council backs phased Hunt Avenue cultural trail, agrees to rebuild most deteriorated block first

City staff asked the Alamosa City Council at a work session to pick which block of the proposed Hunt Avenue Cultural Trail should be built first after project costs outpaced the grant award.

Deacon, the project presenter, told the council the city won a CDOT Main Street grant for "$1,200,000, and that's what we were awarded," but that the full project from 6th Street to 3rd Street is now estimated at "about $3,000,000," with engineering and design running just under $200,000. He said the grant triggered several state and federal clearances — including NEPA and stormwater permits — that increased costs and complexity.

The shortfall means the city can complete design for the entire corridor but must choose a single block to construct with the available construction funding. "We're looking for some guidance on which block to choose," Deacon said, recommending the block running between Main and 4th streets for phase 1 because of pavement condition and visibility to downtown and Cole Park.

City staff emphasized phasing and future grant opportunities. "The design that we have is a really great candidate for a MMOF [multimodal opportunity fund] grant through CDOT," Deacon said, adding that a CDOT-approved design will make the city more competitive for additional funding. Staff also clarified that "no funds from the street trust fund from the current street trust fund would be going towards this project," noting the street is not an identified street in that program.

Councilors generally supported the pragmatic approach. "My natural...the logical thing to do is work on the one that's the most decrepit," Councilor Carson said, adding that if the completed block also meets the city's aesthetic goals "it's a no-brainer for me." Councilor Hensley raised durability and upkeep concerns about some materials, asking about colored crosswalks and benches; Deacon acknowledged maintenance trade-offs, saying red pavement "seems to just turn to pink very quickly" and that pavers are unsuitable in Alamosa's freeze-thaw climate.

Staff described planned outreach: property-owner meetings during the day on Friday ahead of a First Friday public engagement booth and on-street drawing activity from 5 to 8 p.m. to collect resident feedback on plantings, bench styles and paving themes. Deacon also proposed a culturally significant garden adjacent to the San Luis Valley Museum to feature native plants important to Hispanic and Native American communities.

Rather than a formal vote, councilors expressed consensus to proceed with the staff recommendation to use the grant funds to fully construct the single most deteriorated block (the section north of Main Street between Porter Realty and the hotel) as phase 1, with design work covering the full corridor and staff pursuing additional funding for later phases. Staff will carry that guidance into the Friday outreach and into conversations with the design firm and property owners.

Next steps: staff will continue property-owner outreach on Friday, gather public input at the First Friday event, finalize the block recommendation for implementation planning, and pursue other CDOT grants to fund subsequent phases.