THE DAILY REPORT

A new store for East Alamosa, annual increases to Alamosa utility rates, and upcoming State Avenue construction in the Daily Report. Read on.

Dollar General will open East Alamosa store in 2022

A Dollar General store is coming into East Alamosa in 2022. The Alamosa County Board of Commission on Wednesday approved a site plan for the store at 366 Santa Fe Ave., directly across from the CIA-Leavitt Insurance. It will be a 9,300-square-feet store that should take three to four months to build, according to the developers. Dollar General will tie into the East Alamosa water and sanitation. The store is required to have 34 parking spaces under the site plan approved by the county commissioners.

Xcel Energy contractor given 60 days to find new commercial location

Mastec North America, a contractor Xcel Energy uses to install new utility poles across the San Luis Valley, has been operating without the proper permit in Alamosa County and now will have to find a new location to store its trucks and poles.

Mastec was denied a special permit by the Board of County Commission Wednesday to continue operating on property at 9310 South County Rd 100 in Alamosa County. The commissioners ruled that the county’s land use rules don’t allow the type of commercial operation and storage that Mastec was using the property for and gave the company 60 days to find another location.

Alamosa utility rates scheduled to increase in 2022

Alamosa utility rates are scheduled to go up in 2022 per a 2018 ordinance adopted by the Alamosa City Council. Residential water rates will increase 5 percent, sewer rates 8 percent, and sanitation rates 6 percent. In 2018 the city council approved annual increases to utility rates through 2023. The ordinance is here.

Expect State Avenue street repairs in 2022

The Alamosa City Council adopted a 2022 budget that will result in a full rebuild of State Avenue from 6th Street to 13th Street. The city anticipates collecting $1.6 million from its half-cent dedicated street sales tax in 2022 and will transfer another $500,000 from its general fund to help cover the State Avenue construction. Xcel Energy and its contractors have been busy replacing utility poles on State Avenue this fall.

Deer deaths in Alamosa linked to bluetongue virus

ALAMOSA, Colo. – A hemorrhagic disease has been discovered in at least two dead mule deer in Alamosa.

Bluetongue virus was confirmed in the deer, and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) has also been found in dead Colorado wildlife this fall. These are fatal viruses for white-tailed deer but can also be found in mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn and bison. It has been a particularly bad year for hemorrhagic diseases in the western United States.

Bluetongue and EHD viruses are not transmissible to humans, though Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends hunters avoid shooting and consuming animals that are obviously sick. Do not handle animals found dead, and report dead animals to CPW.

The diseases are transmitted by biting flies or midges. A deer must be bitten by a midge carrying the virus to become infected. Cases of bluetongue and EHDV are most common from August to October. After the first frost of the year, new cases will begin to cease as the midges die off.

Infected deer usually die quickly within one or two days. Early signs of a hemorrhagic disease include animals that appear disoriented, lethargic and unresponsive to the presence of humans and other animals. Once the disease advances, deer may salivate and foam at the mouth, bleed from the nose and have a swollen tongue with a blue tinge as well as other sores or lesions.

Domestic livestock are rarely affected by EHDV, though sheep can be susceptible to bluetongue.

To report a sick deer to CPW in the San Luis Valley, call the Monte Vista service center at 719-587-6900.

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