HOW CAN YOU HELP

You can turn on your tap just about anywhere in the United States and get clean water. This is a wonderful thing, but it has created an “out of site, out of mind” mentality. Some say this has led to improvement only when infrastructure failure becomes the catalyst. Colorado's deteriorating infrastructure is presently being handled on a crisis-management basis and this approach is exacerbating the problem.

One of the best things you can do, then, is to bring infrastructure to the front of your mind and promote infrastructure awareness among your elected officials and fellow citizens. Some of the more practical ways to do this are to:
  • Be an Informed Citizen:
    Learn about your community’s infrastructure needs. Get to know your legislative representatives and discuss your concerns with them. Bring awareness not only to state officials, but to municipal and county representatives as well. Many infrastructure decisions are being made by special districts and school districts so it is important to work with the different local governments that represent you.
  • Demand Continuous Maintenance:
    If roads, bridges, and other infrastructure facilities are not kept in sound condition, they cannot support the level of services they are designed to handle. Regular maintenance prolongs life and minimizes the need for more costly repairs over the long term.
  • Think Long Term:
    Renewing the State’s infrastructure is an ambitious goal and cannot be accomplished overnight. Furthermore, the facilities built today must last for decades to come. Comprehensive planning and long-term investment are key to sound decision making.
  • Recognize Non-Monetary Solutions:
    Throwing more money at something may not address root problems affecting the adequacy of infrastructure and may actually perpetuate inefficiencies and guaranty a crisis. For example, institutional, managerial, and legislative deficiencies exist and typically require a fraction of the funds required to improve infrastructure performance than required for new construction.
  • Recognize Growth Patterns:
    Monitor the infrastructure investments that shape growth patterns in your community. Many infrastructure issues are directly related to growth and impact growth patterns. Get involved in the planning decisions being made about land use, transportation, housing, economic development, water and other growth related issues in your community.