Roadwork Ahead on US Highway 160

BE PREPARED FOR DELAYS ON U.S. HIGHWAY 160 AS CHIP SEAL OPERATIONS BEGAN EARLIER THIS WEEK. AROUND 36 MILES BETWEEN DURANGO AND MANCOS AND BAYFIELD AND PAGOSA WILL SEE PARTS OF THE HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. TABLE TO FARM COMPOST HAS ADDED AN EVERY-OTHER-WEEK PICK-UP OPTION FOR IT’S CURBSIDE COMPOST COLLECTION. NOW THAT IT’S SUMMER, LA PLATA COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT WARNS RESIDENTS TO BE WARY OF BATS, AND THE GAZEBO AT ROTARY PARK IS UNDERGOING ROOF REPAIR. YOU’RE WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE PAYROLL DEPARTMENT AND DUNKIN’ DONUTS. CHIP SEAL WORK BEGAN EARLIER THIS WEEK ON U.S. HIGHWAY 160 BY TWIN BUTTES. THE WORK MARKS THE START OF A MONTHS-LONG ROAD IMPROVEMENT WORK TO IMPROVE ABOUT 36 MILES OF ROAD SURFACE ALONG THE HIGHWAY. THE FIRST PROJECT, STARTED THIS WEEK, WILL COVER 20 MILES BETWEEN DURANGO AND MANCOS, FROM MILE MARKER 61 TO 81. WORK ON THE SECOND PROJECT, ABOUT 16 MILES BETWEEN BAYFIELD AND PAGOSA FROM MILE MARKER 102 TO 118, WILL BEGIN LATER THIS SUMMER. ROAD WORK HOURS WILL RANGE FROM 7:00 A.M. TO 7:00 P.M. MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. BE PREPARED FOR DELAYS OF UP TO 20 MINUTES AND SINGLE-LANE ALTERNATING TRAFFIC. CHIP SEAL PROJECTS PRODUCE A LOT OF LOOSE ROCKS, SO PREVENT DAMAGE TO VEHICLES BY DRIVING SLOWLY THROUGH WORK ZONES AND INCREASING SPACE BETWEEN VEHICLES. SPEED LIMITS IN WORK ZONES WILL BE REDUCED TO 40 MILES PER HOUR, AND THEY WILL BE ENFORCED. FOLLOW UPDATES ON THE PROJECT AS WELL AS OTHER ROAD CONSTRUCTION THIS SUMMER ON CO ROAD TRIP THROUGH CDOT. TABLE TO FARM COMPOST IS NOW OFFERING EVERY OTHER WEEK SERVICE IN ADDITION TO THE WEEKLY COLLECTION SERVICES. THE ADDITIONAL SERVICE IS DUE TO RESPONSES FROM ITS 2023 MARKET SURVEY, WHERE RESPONDERS ASKED FOR THE SERVICE BOTH TO SAVE MONEY AND ALSO TO MAXIMIZE THE USE OF THE 5-GALLON BUCKET PROVIDED AS PART OF TABLE TO FARM’S SERVICES. THE NEW SERVICE WILL COST 18 DOLLARS A MONTH - THE WEEKLY SERVICE COSTS 28 DOLLARS A MONTH. LA PLATA COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT WANTS TO REMIND RESIDENTS OF THE DANGERS POSED BY BATS, WHO ARE KNOWN CARRIERS OF RABIES. IF YOU ENCOUNTER A BAT INSIDE YOUR HOME, TRY TO CAPTURE IT SO IT CAN BE TESTED FOR RABIES. BAT BITES ARE VERY SMALL AND CAN GO UNDETECTED ON PETS AND PEOPLE, SO ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE LEAVING WINDOWS AND DOORS OPEN, BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE ANIMALS. TO CAPTURE A BAT, PLACE A CONTAINER OVER THE ANIMAL USING LEATHER GLOVES, AND SLIDE A PIECE OF CARDBOARD OVER THE OPENING. SECURE THE CARDBOARD WITH TAPE AND PLACE THE BAT IN THE REFRIGERATOR - THE COLD WILL PUT THE BAT INTO A STUPOR. THEN CALL LPCPHD TO ARRANGE DELIVERY OF THE BAT TO A PARTNERING VET. THE ROOF OF THE GAZEBO AT ROTARY PARK IS UNDERGOING REPLACEMENT OF THE DETERIORATING WOOD SHINGLES. THE WORK IS SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED BY JUNE 28TH, BUT UNTIL THEN, THE GAZEBO AND PAVILION AREA ADJACENT TO THE GAZEBO WILL BE CLOSED. THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT ASKS PEOPLE TO BE AWARE AND EXERCISE CAUTION AROUND THE CONSTRUCTION AREA DURING THE RENOVATION. LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE AND OTHER STORIES ONLINE AT DURANGO LOCAL.NEWS.  THANK YOU FOR WATCHING THIS EDITION OF THE LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP, I’M SADIE SMITH.