Pueblo West floats last-ditch effort to save Fourth of July Wet Parade

A last-ditch effort to save the Fourth of July Wet Parade and the need for $1.4 million in funding for water storage tank repairs dominated the discussion at the Pueblo West Metro District Board meeting Monday.

The board unanimously approved the water storage tank repairs after learning there is a risk the district could run out of treated water this summer. The board also agreed to try asking Pueblo city and county officials to help sponsor the popular Fourth of July Wet Parade.

Pueblo West will ask for help to host the annual wet parade

The board initially floated the idea of asking Pueblo County to be the lead agency to sponsor the long-time popular Fourth of July Wet Parade in Pueblo West. At its last meeting, the board learned that staff have been unable to find a security company willing to provide safety coverage for the wet parade.

"The wet parade is popular, but we ran into snags with hiring security. It seems logical to ask the county to be the lead on it," said Joe Mahaney, Pueblo West board member.

"I agree with Joe this is a huge deal for the community and I understand there are a lot of security concerns," said Brian Gray, who was sworn in to a vacant board seat Monday. "If the county is willing to take over they could supply sheriff deputies."

However, Board Treasurer Brian Axworthy said he believes the timing is bad because he is "not sure how they would go about finding those dollars," to cover the costs, as the county has already set its budget for the year.

"I just don't see it happening this year," he said.

Board Secretary Bill Vickers said it would not be a waste of time to reach out to the county to discuss the idea. Interim District Manager Christian Heyn said he has reached out to Pueblo County Manager Sabina Genesio to inform her the topic would be discussed at Monday's meeting.

Heyn said due to the huge scope and size of the parade, which has a 2.5-mile route and draws about 30,000 participants, county officials have expressed concerns about traffic control with "pedestrians and vehicles being so close together."

"I know they are pretty apprehensive on that end," he said.

The extension of the parade route's Joe Martinez Boulevard into Medal of Honor Boulevard, which will provide direct access between the city of Pueblo and Pueblo West next year, could impact the parade. The road will be considered a thoroughfare between the two cities and would likely be unsuitable for the parade, said Carol Cosby, parks and recreation director for Pueblo West.

The board opted to ask Heyn to reach out to both Pueblo County and city of Pueblo officials to see if there is any interest in a collaborative effort between all three agencies to host the wet parade. If the parade is not able to be held this year, Cosby said a backup plan will call for a "Spray in the Park" event at Civic Center Park, where water gun fights, spraying of water from a Pueblo West fire department ladder truck and extended hours at the splash pad will offer an alternative event along with food trucks, free hot dogs and games.

Water tank repairs could reach $1.4 million

A mid-January cold snap that sent temperatures below zero caused leaks in two 250,000-gallon water tanks in North Pueblo West.

Emergency repairs for one tank initially were expected to cost about $720,000, however, workers "reportedly found a lot of things they need to do that were not initially noticed," Jim Blasing, director of utilities, told the board. The tanks had to be slowly drained before repairs could start.

With a total of just four storage tanks, having the two damaged tanks offline would mean a loss of 55% of the district's water storage.

Without at least one of the damaged tanks in service during the summer's high demand time, "if there is any sort of stoppage, we run the risk of running the (remaining two) tanks dry," said Frank Mietus, water treatment plant manager.

"With two tanks out of service, we would have less than eight hours of storage available. We can cross our fingers and hope to skate by, but we really do have a risk of running out of water," Mietus said.

In agreeing to go ahead with repairs, the board signaled it is willing to spend the lion's share of a $1.9 million insurance payout. Any money left over from the insurance reimbursement will go toward the estimated $3 million cost of building a new tank to replace the second damaged storage tank.

Lovell Park playground proposal approved

In other business, the board also approved a budget of up to $200,000 for the replacement of the large playground structure with a safe rubber surfacing underneath it for Lovell Park. Churchich Recreation LLC beat out five other contractors to win the bid and work is expected to start in July.

More Pueblo West news: One year after return to Pueblo West, Fourth of July Wet Parade may again get the axe

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via X, formerly Twitter, at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo West floats last-ditch effort to save Fourth of July Wet Parade