Lake Nighthorse Recreation Area will open for the 2023 season on Friday, March 31 with new rules for the popular Wibit Aqua Park. The lake will be open for non-motorized recreation 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, March 31 through May 7. Daily operations will begin May 12, and motorized recreation begins May 15.  

City and county residents overwhelmingly support creating a taxing district that would fund the Durango Public Library, according to a survey of 465 city and county residents. City councilors and county commissioners were presented with the data at a quarterly meeting among elected officials on Jan. 23. The city and county are investigating the formation of a district that voters would ultimately have to approve.

• Durango City Council voted to enter into an agreement with Bill Tuthill of WAT Legal to take on the role of interim city attorney.Tuthill brings years of experience in Colorado to the interim role, including working as the primary litigator and attorney for Jefferson County for 15 years, 13 years as the city and county attorney for Broomfield, and most recently serving an interim role as city attorney for the city of Thornton.  

• Council reviewed a contracted study that surveyed 300 voting-age residents about potentially reallocating the city’s lodgers’ tax toward the development of workforce and low-income housing.  The survey showed most residents who were likely to vote in April supported allocating 65% of the tax toward multiple initiatives, including the development of workforce and affordable housing, and 35% going toward sustainable tourism. Among the list of priorities, spending money on tourism marketing was ranked last. However, council consensus was that it was too soon to think about bringing a reallocation of lodgers’ tax funds to voters with only roughly a year’s worth of data from the allocations that were set during the April 2021 election.

Council adopted the Comprehensive Parking Management Plan in January. The comprehensive plan was drafted this past fall and provides the city with potential parking solutions for years to come. Of the solutions provided, residents can keep an eye out for implementation of the quick fixed identified in the plan which include increasing communications, signage updates, and mobile pay integration among others.

The City of Durango invites residents to drop a pin on an interactive online map and make a request, using the city’s new public reporting system SeeClickFix. SeeClickFix allows anyone to report quality-of-life issues around town and request city services. Residents can interact with city staff through the free SeeClickFix mobile app or web tool, by providing staff with pictures, specific locations, and descriptions of things around the city that need fixing.

A combined fire and police station at the current River City Hall site in Durango has been determined to not be feasible as a joint project, but the fire district is still investigating the site for a new fire station while the city is considering the former 9R administration property as a new location for a potential City Hall complex.