Blue River Park and Water District Board Updates

The past few months have been incredibly challenging, and the amount of work we have left to do can seem overwhelming. Yet it’s important to remind ourselves that a lot of progress has been made since Labor Day 2020. Below are some high-level updates from the Blue River Park and Water District boards on what has been happening, and what’s next:

Park

Please note that Blue River Park is currently closed until further notice for the public’s safety, as it is an extremely dangerous area until such time as all the work with danger tree removal is fully completed.

Unfortunately, Blue River Park has sustained extensive burn damage in the Holiday Farm Fire. Over the past few weeks, the board has consulted with many experts and stakeholders to try and determine which trees – if any – could be saved in the aftermath.

Correctly assessing which trees may pose a danger is always a difficult task, yet considering that the park administration has to also take into account the safety of the public, including children, who will use that space once the park is able to reopen made it even more so.

The board began developing a plan to save as many trees as possible, however, beginning by working with various sawyers to agree upon a course of action on immediate danger tree removal.

Safety has been the number 1 priority when discussing tree removal, and it has been agreed that some work will begin next week in partnership with the Youth Corp, which is using part of the clean up as a training exercise.

This work will be ongoing for many months, but although it is heartbreaking to see the devastation to our lovely park, we are all fully committed to building a vision for an even better park in the heart of Blue River. Once we move past the emergency work detailed above, we will be reaching out to the community to help shape – and build – that vision.

Water District

Working in partnership with the Rainbow Water District, the Blue River district has come a long way since the fire.

The two motors on the pumps have both been repaired and replaced. They have been connected to Lane Electric power and are now up and running. Additionally, a new backup generator is in place and fully operational.

We are also pleased to share that after multiple tests, the water in Blue River has been deemed safe. Water service has been returned to the school and a few outlying homes, enabling the relief center to run and also offer services such as shower facilities for residents in the area.

Restoring service more widely is, of course, a monumental challenge considering how much damage there has been to the broader infrastructure. The BRWD board has been in contact with FEMA and are working to get funding to repair and replace broken pipes and valves so this phase of the work can progress.

In the meantime, of course, residents do not need to worry about putting their accounts on hold or canceling them, as no bills will be issued during this time.