![]() But the Town’s lawyers, working hand-in-hand with the Springs Resort’s lawyers, came up with a clever plan to define the privately-owned bathing pools as part of a “municipal heating system.” The arrangement involved a long-term “lease” of the Town’s municipal water from the PS-5 well. The Town merely had a right to use the water - to operate an innovative municipal heating system for the schools and businesses in downtown Pagosa. The water from the PS-5 well did not belong to the Town government. The pipeline was to direct water from the Town-owned PS-5 geothermal well - located behind the County Courthouse - over the San Juan River, to the Springs Resort. ![]() ![]() The Springs Resort/Town of Pagosa Springs geothermal pipeline is visible underneath. The bridge would be located between the County Courthouse and the Springs Resort. So they approached then-mayor Ross Aragon and his administration, and negotiated a geothermal pipeline to be hung below a future pedestrian bridge. When the previous owners of the Springs Resort - Matt Mees and Bill Dawson - wanted to expand their ‘naturally therapeutic mineral baths’ complex back in the 1990s, they apparently didn’t have enough water rights to service their proposed development. The Resort uses the water, and is then required to release it into the San Juan River, to serve other water users downstream. But the Springs Resort does not actually own the water in the Mother Springs. Dronet calls it - and they own the rock under the (very deep) geothermal pool. The Springs Resort & Spa actually owns the rock that surrounds the Great Pagosa Hot Springs - the Mother Spring, as Mr. Colorado has specific laws about water, and basically, you cannot legally ‘own’ water. Dronet is justified in being confused about the ownership of geothermal resources, when those resources happen to be hot, smelly water flowing up from deep inside the earth. It’s tough to think that ‘ownership’ of a resource like this is even possible. “And I say that, because when I’m explaining to some friends or partners when they come here, what does this geothermal resource means and how do we convey that… We view ourselves as ‘stewards’ of a resource. Pagosa Daily Post image based on a Google imageĭuring the February 7 community meeting, Mr. 27 vacant acres owned by the Springs Partners LLC (shown in green) and the Springs Resort & Spa property (shown in magenta) between the San Juan River and Hot Springs Boulevard. Within the Springs Resort parcel, we can see the Great Pagosa Hot Spring, shown in blue. Hot Springs Boulevard runs north to south, to the east of the properties the San Juan River wraps the properties on the west. Searle’s vacant property is shown in green. In the map below, the thoroughly-developed Springs Resort & Spa property is shown in magenta. So then, we have two key developers with new properties under their wings, apparently ready to collaborate on some type of development project on 27 acres of vacant land that has defied development, ever since it was platted in 1883. Searle and his family own BWD (“Beyond your Wildest Dreams”) Construction you may have seen their signs around town. I undrstand that he recently bought out the other two Springs Partners LLC shareholders - Matt Mees and Bill Dawson. He became a partner in the Springs Partners LLC a few years back, when that company was seeking taxpayer funding of a bridge at South 5th Street. Searle has lived in Pagosa Springs for many years, and has been involved in several philanthropic efforts here, including Justice Ministries. The Resort has an impressive (short) video banner on their website Home Page. He told us that his family has been visiting Pagosa Springs for the past 12 years. Dronet’s company, EPR Springs Holdings LLC, purchased the Springs Resort & Spa property last June. The principal developers present at the February 7 community meeting at the EcoLuxe Hotel - David Dronet and Jack Searle - are relatively new owners of the properties involved in a potential joint venture to re-make downtown Pagosa Springs. “A geothermal heating system derived from the naturally-hot Mother Spring not only fills all twenty-three soaking pools, but also heats resort buildings and provides hot water to the resort for additional operations…”
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