<\/p>\n
Motorists and pedestrians traveling up and down South Broadway are greeted by a concrete jungle \u2013 asphalt, sidewalks, paved medians, with little vegetation in sight. By late summer, however, they\u2019ll see more greenery.<\/p>\n
In June or July, crews will begin tearing up the medians and replacing them with mulched plant beds, improved street lights and decorative art. Work should be finished by September.<\/p>\n
South Broadway is only phase one of a more ambitious plan to beautify Cortez. DHM Design, a Durango architecture firm, unveiled a series of concept drawings on Tuesday that covered North Broadway, Main Street, E. Seventh Street and the four main entrances into town.<\/p>\n
Planning Director Kirsten Sackett said the South Broadway improvements alone \u2013 roughly from Handy Mart to Burger King \u2013 are costing the city $600,000. They have already been factored into this year\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n
The timetable for the other phases is unclear. City sales tax will need to stay strong. It also hinges on discovering grant opportunities and securing sponsorships from local businesses to shoulder part of the cost.<\/p>\n
The concept plan calls for more elaborate welcome signs leading into Cortez from Towaoc, Dove Creek, Dolores and Mancos. A popular idea among residents is tailoring each sign with appropriate themes, corresponding to each direction: Ute Mountain Ute from South Broadway, agriculture from North Broadway, outdoor recreation coming in from Highway 145, and Mesa Verde from Highway 160.<\/p>\n
The barren, nondescript status quo has left many locals dissatisfied.<\/p>\n
City Manager Shane Hale, for one, lamented the poor first impression Cortez\u2019s gateways can make on visitors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have these great, picturesque views, but that\u2019s not what we show people with they drive into Cortez. Looking at entrances gives (tourists) a slice of what a city is all about. This (effort) is about giving a more accurate reflection of what our community is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Several residents who attended the unveiling on Tuesday described the entrances as \u201ceyesores.\u201d<\/p>\n
Craig Stoffel, the designer who created the plan, said the goal is two-fold: on one hand, the need to represent diverse lifestyles and people-groups; on the other, continuity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t just want a patchwork of different designs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While creating the plan, Sackett organized three meetings in Towaoc to solicit Ute Mountain Ute feedback. Attendees said they\u2019d like to see tribal symbols like roses, lizards, mustangs, drums, dancing bears and pottery worked into the design elements. One idea for the medians included giant, \u201chalf-buried\u201d pots emerging from the earth, with shrubs, ornamental grasses and flowers inside.<\/p>\n
They did not want Kokopelli iconography.<\/p>\n
If money allows, the tribe and city also wants a pull-off at the southern entrance, with a \u201cshade trellis\u201d and kiosk showing street and topographical maps.<\/p>\n
On the historic stretch of Main Street, between Harrison and Maple, DHM is proposing temporary planters, made of salvaged metal, inside the center turn lanes. When not used for snow storage, much of the lane is wasted space.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019d be movable, but only with a forklift,\u201d Stoffel said.<\/p>\n
Business might have the chance to sponsor a planter and be recognized with plaques. Citizens suggested participation from the Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce and Mesa Verde Country tourism office, since both entities benefit from an attractive Cortez. At the city\u2019s request, Stoffel is also working on a \u201cplant palette,\u201d or list of hardy, drought-resistant plant species for private businesses to use when landscaping. Hale wasn\u2019t sure whether the City Council would vote to make the list mandatory for all new developments or merely offer it as a recommendation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe aren\u2019t there yet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sackett was optimistic that support for beautification would grow as people see results. \u201cSeeing the medians come to fruition (will help). They\u2019re sick of plans on shelves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Several citizens mentioned the need for sustained political pressure. The current council is receptive, but future editions might be less so, they feared.<\/p>\n