Surprise Dillon Dam Road closure angers residents

Why it closed on Wednesday

<i>Suspicious activity two weeks ago forced Denver Water to take increased security measures and the initial barriers that were installed along the road actually belonged to the Colorado Department of Transportation and needed to be returned to their facility.</i>

SUMMIT COUNTY — Locals Nancy Roudebush and George Collins were surprised to see the Dillon Dam Road closed Wednesday morning, and when the got out of the car to investigate, they were confronted by a rather unpleasant Denver Water Board worker.

“I got out of the car with my hands up in the air asking why the road was closed, and I couldn’t believe the response he gave me,” Roudebush said. “He was extremely arrogant and told me I was on private property. Then he asked me if I had ever heard of 9/11 before he turned his back and walked away. It’s obvious that they are hiding something because he was being so rude and so defensive.”

Roudebush and Collins are not alone in their frustration. The lack of information surrounding the initial closure has left many Summit County residents to assume there is more to the story.

According to Denver Water, the suspicious activity involving two men filming a music video was enough to view the incident as a possible Homeland Security threat, although no information has been released about the circumstances. The men were not charged with a crime, yet the road remained closed for more than a week. The road was closed for the majority of the day on Wednesday as workers reinstalled new concrete barriers to line the road for security purposes.

“I’m not sure there was anyone even up there,” said Collins, a Dillon resident for 10 years. “They never released any pictures or any names. How are we supposed to believe the whole thing?”

The glaring issue is the fact that the public was never informed until after the road closed.

“As far as I know, they’re putting up new barriers. They were supposed to do a press release and advise everyone of this,” said Summit County Sheriff John Minor. “My understanding is that an old agreement allows Denver Water to close the dam for emergencies.”

Minor said there was no emergency on Thursday.

County Commissioner Tom Long acknowledged the sudden road closure was a definite “curve ball,” and that there needs to be a better system of communication between Denver Water and the public.

“It’s obvious that we need to look more closely at our definition of emergency,” Long said.

Long also stated the county attorney as well as the Sheriff’s Department will be addressing these communication gaps to assure the public stays informed about all Dillon Dam Road activity.

Thousands of vehicles cross the road each day when it is open, according to Sheriff Office figures, and the road is only one of three east-west throughways for emergency responders and commercial traffic.

The Denver Water Board media contact, Trina McGuire, said they did inform Summit County Road and Bridge as well as Summit County Dispatch of the closure Wednesday morning.

“We make two calls in the event of a closure and we did just that,” McGuire said.

“How that gets to the Sheriff’s Department I don’t know. This entire situation has highlighted the fact that there are areas in this relationship that need attention.”

Racial implication

In addition to referencing 9/11, the Denver Water worker who spoke with Collins and Roudebush also commented to the Summit Daily that, “Your paper needs to start doing some actual reporting,” and that “someone needs to check out the Muslim church and see if they are even citizens.”

Oumar Niang, a leader in the West African Muslim community, was surprised when he heard local Muslims were mentioned as a potential threat by a Denver Water employee.

“This is the first I’ve even heard about the incident,” Niang said. “They should not be blaming the Muslim people. We came to Summit County for a better future and we would never have terrorist connections. We drink that water too and just want what’s best for ourselves and what is best for Summit County.”

Dave Fernandez, a fellow Denver Water employee, stated the comments made by his co-worker were unprofessional at the very least and not representative of Denver Water.

“Disciplinary action is being taken against the worker and he is going to learn the hard way,” Fernandez said.

<b>What to expect now</b>

According to Denver Water spokesperson McGuire, residents should be prepared for future closures over the next few weeks as Denver Water continues to finalize barrier installation.

“The road could be closed over the next two Wednesdays, depending on the progress that was made this week,” McGuire said.

<i>Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.</i>