The Design and Construction Program is responsible for the design and construction of master
planned projects. Prior to the initiation of the program in 1974, the District Board established
policies that would distribute the program funds in such a way that local governments would
not be concerned that one portion of the District would be subsidizing construction in another
portion. The key policy decisions were as follows:
(1) Proposed improvements must be requested by local governments;
(2) Proposed improvements must have been master planned;
(3) District funds must be matched by local governments;
(4) Local governments must agree to own completed facilities and must accept primary
responsibility for their maintenance;
(5) District tax revenue received from each county will be spent for improvements benefiting
that county over a period from 1974 to five years into the future; and
(6) The District will not develop a public works department but will rely on existing local
governments' public works departments. The District's approach is intended to minimize
the need for a large staff.
Generally the District coordinates final designs prepared by consulting engineers. The local
governments are involved in all aspects of the design process. The local governments generally
acquire the necessary rights-of-way (ROW) and serve as construction contracting agency. The
District is, however, sometimes the lead agency for ROW acquisition and construction
contracting. Each year the Board adopts a Five Year Capital Improvement Program which
lists projects and District participation by county from 1974 to five years into the future.
This plan forms the basis for District participation in design and construction projects. The
program staff consists of a program manager, two project engineers and a part-time student
intern. The program has been involved in over $300 million of construction projects, including
$135 million in District funds.
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Contact Paul Hindman concerning design and construction issues |
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Contact Mark Hunter concerning maintenance issues |
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Contact Dave Bennetts concerning projects in Adams/Denver Counties |
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Contact Cindy Thrush concerning projects in Broomfield/Boulder Counties |
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Contact Rich Borchardt concerning projects in Arapahoe County |
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Contact Laura Kroeger concerning projects in Douglas/Jefferson Counties |
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Contact Bryan kohlenberg concerning projects on the South Platte River |
Since 1981 the Maintenance Program has been assisting local governments in the Denver area
with their drainageway maintenance activities. Through 2004 a total of $93.2 million of District
funds has been spent on drainageway maintenance. An additional $4.2 million has been
contributed to floodplain acquisition. Key operating policies for the Maintenance Program
include the following:
(1) To the extent funds are available, the District will assist local governments with
maintenance and preservation of floodplains and floodways;
(2) Drainageways on which maintenance projects are constructed must be publicly
owned or in a public easement;
(3) The expenditure of District maintenance funds is prioritized first toward District-owned
facilities and District-funded projects, then to projects funded by others, and finally to
unimproved urban and unimproved rural drainageways;
(4) Funds derived from the maintenance mill levy are allocated to each of the seven counties
within the District on the basis of the tax revenues each county generates for the Maintenance
Program;
(5) Local governments are not required to match District maintenance funds, but may participate
in order to accelerate completion of a large project; and
(6) The District will not create a public works department. All design and construction work
is contracted to the private sector.
An annual maintenance work program is developed for each county based on the funds
available
for that county and on a prioritized list of maintenance requests from each local
government
in that county. The work is divided into three types of activities: routine,
restoration and
rehabilitation.
Routine maintenance
consists of scheduled mowing
native vegetation, and trash and debris
cleanup, including
trash rack
cleaning.
Private contractors are hired
each year to
perform
the routine maintenance activities on a unit price basis.
Restoration work is site
specific construction work to repair isolated drainageway
problems. This work often eliminates
the need for more costly work later on. Types
of restoration projects include revegetation work, detention pond
mucking, tree thinning,
local erosion repair, and local channel grading, shaping and
stabilization.
Rehabilitation projects are major design and construction efforts which are
intended to rebuild and reestablish existing drainage facilities which have been damaged
or neglected such that structural problems have developed. Examples include reconstructing
or replacing drop structures; building low flow or trickle channels; establishing maintenance
access into drainageways; and providing protection for existing channel improvements,
box culverts, retaining walls, bridges and other facilities.
The staff consists of a program manager, two senior project engineers,
two senior
construction managers, and four student interns.
