The great flood of 2013 will live in northern Colorado lore for generations, even for people like me who didn't reside here at the time. I heard stories of the deadly Big Thompson flood from 1976 even though I didn't move here the first time until almost a decade later. In the same way, the effects and stories of the 2013 flood still reverberate and educate new and old residents alike. I'm in an odd position, having lived elsewhere at the time. But I owned property where my children resided, and a couple of days after the main event, I flew out here to take care of whatever I could, as a mother and as a landlord. I didn't come to this side of the county that week, but I heard about how the town was essentially cut in half by the river. This week I got a lesson in how dramatically that river has changed in five years.
Thirteen years ago, Rotary International celebrated its 100th anniversary since the founding of the club. In anticipation of that, years in advance, they sent out notices to all their clubs to start looking for civic projects that each club could spearhead in their own communities to mark the milestone. The three Rotary clubs in town here banded together on a common project: a pedestrian bridge over a beautiful open space park along the river, connecting walking trails on both banks. They held fundraiser events, and came up with about $20,000 to donate to the city, which constituted almost a third of the cost of the bridge (in 2004 dollars). They also commissioned a giant stone monument which was erected near the entrance to the bridge. They held a big ceremony when it was completed, and a couple of men from our club flew over in a small airplane to get aerial photos of the project.
When the floods came, nine years after the bridge was completed, the river swept it all away. The bridge was damaged, the open space park was scoured by alluvium, and the monument was carried several miles downstream. By mere chance, the monument was found and rescued. For five years, the city has been working with federal agencies to restore the area along the river, focusing on widening the channel and preventing any future floods from having such a devastating effect. Part of the trails east of town, also in the flood plain, opened up a while back. Today the next section was declared complete, from the point of our bridge to the Sandstone recreation area to the east. In a few months, the next section, from the bridge west to the other side of Main Street, will be ready.
The area is beautiful, even in its raw, sparsely planted state. The ground is covered in straw, waiting for natural grasses and flowers to come in to protect the soil. There are trees dotted lightly throughout, and there are plans to add more in honor of local people. (There was a dedication to a freshly planted oak today, in memory of the president of one of the other Rotary clubs who passed away early this spring.) And by next year, once the wide channels and ponds just west of the bridge are grown in and stabilized, we will have a city park space for tubing and playing in the water.
For today's ceremony, I was tasked to create a couple of posters full of photos from the last ceremony. We stood out in the sun, listened to speeches, watched a ribbon cutting, and wandered around the area. Then we retired to a nearby event space for a dinner reception.
I'm on record for not being much of an outdoorswoman, but I believe once this space is mature, I'll be happily heading down there, covered in 100 SPF sunscreen, inner tube in hand, ready to play in the water. I have fallen in love with the space, and I can't wait to get to use it.
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