Quick 'n' Dirty
Tapping Vallecito, Horse Gulch closures and new creative digs

LPEA to add Vallecito hydropower

In addition to powering recreation adventures, Lake Vallecito will now be powering thousands of local homes with clean energy. La Plata Electric Association announced this week it has signed a 10-year power purchase agreement with Ptarmigan Resources and Energy Inc. for hydropower from Vallecito Dam. 

The agreement, which takes effect April 1, 2026 – the day LPEA officially leaves longtime wholesale provider Tri-State Generation and Transmission – will provide approximately 5.8 megawatts of renewable capacity to LPEA’s system, enough to power around 2,500 homes per year. It’s the first time LPEA has been able to buy power directly from Vallecito, thanks to new flexibility in its evolving power supply strategy.

“This is a win for our members and our mission,” LPEA CEO Chris Hansen said in a statement. “For the first time, we’re contracting directly with a local hydropower provider right in our back yard.”

Built between 1988-89, the 5.5 megawatt power plant downstream from Vallecito is powered by the release of flows from the lake. The hydropower facility has long provided energy to the regional grid. However, LPEA’s previous contract with Tri-State limited its ability to work with independent producers like Ptarmigan.

“This project is exactly what we envision for the future of energy for our members: affordable, responsibly generated power produced right here in our community," Nicole Pitcher, LPEA Board President, said. “It’s meaningful that the same water sustaining our ranches and farms and bringing joy to recreationists will also be generating clean energy for homes across our service territory.”

Sam Perry, CEO of Ptarmigan, said the partnership is a win-win. “With this new partnership, Vallecito can provide consistent, renewable energy and grid stability to LPEA,” he said.

This purchase agreement follows LPEA’s launch of a request for proposals earlier this year seeking additional long-term energy resources to serve its load after 2028. 

Durango Mesa work rolls along

In case you haven’t noticed, things are moving along at Durango Mesa Park. In addition to the opening of new trails this summer, work is also taking place on the park’s infrastructure, including roads and utilities to the park.

For most of the summer, traffic on Highway 3, near the park’s entrance, has been down to one lane as crews work to build a new turn lane and intersection. However, work on the intersection wrapped up this week, with Highway 3 traffic patterns returning to normal. Crews will continue work on paving Ewing Mesa Road.

As Highway 3 returns to normalcy for the time being, work will move to the Horse Gulch trailhead parking lot, which is planned to be closed for the next several weeks while crews install a new waterline to the park. In addition to the parking lot, the lower part of the Horse Gulch Road, the Durango Mesa Connector Trail and the Intermediate downhill trail will also be closed to accommodate heavy equipment and construction.

Work is expected to wrap Aug. 14, but until then bikers and hikers are asked to use alternative routes into Horse Gulch.

During the work period, E. 3rd Street will be narrowed to one lane to allow for access to the Horse Gulch Medical Center parking lot and nearby apartments and businesses. Meanwhile, the sidewalk on 3rd Street will be closed although the HAWK pedestrian crossing at 8th & 3rd will remain open. Trail users are asked not to pass through the construction zone or park in the medical campus’ lot.

The waterline installation is the second phase in getting water up to the mesa; the first phase was completed this past spring. Infrastructure work for the mesa is an ongoing collaboration between the Durango Mesa Park Foundation, Colorado Department of Transportation and City of Durango. The main contractor is Four Corners Materials.

Currently, Durango Mesa Park is owned and operated by the Durango Mesa Park Foundation. The 1,850-acre parcel was bought in 2015 by local philanthropist Marc Katz.  Katz procured the land with the dream of keeping hundreds of acres as open space and turning 800 acres into a cultural and recreational playground open to all. Plans include an outdoor venue, new trails, a dog park, BMX track and a worldclass bike park. 

While most of the projects are still in the planning stages, several new trails have opened in the last few years. These include a 2.15-mile connector from Durango Mesa Park to the Horse Gulch Trail System, the Durango Mesa Hub and flow trails, and, most recently, a trail from the hub that ties in with the Grandview trails as well as new ones on the Mesa.­

Creative District christens new space

The Durango Creative District has new downtown digs, and it’s celebrating the occasion with – what else? – an art exhibit.

The show, called “Portrait Lotto,” opens this Fri., July 18, with a reception from 5:30-8 p.m. at the district’s new headquarters at 1135 Main Ave. Featuring the work of 38 local artist, the exhibition is described as a community-building initiative where artists were assigned fellow artists to meet, interview and ultimately capture through portraiture. The end result includes a wide variety of media, styles and interpretations ranging from traditional figurative and assemblage to quilting and stained glass. 

In addition to providing display space for local and visiting artists, the new DCD space will also serve as a hub for arts resources, workshops and classes. It will also serve as the epicenter for the monthly First Friday Art Walks, distributing maps as well as information on First Friday happenings.

All exhibits are free and open to the public. To inquire about rental, grant consultations or collaborative use of the space, contact Kathryn Waggener at director@creativedistrict.org.