Drunk rafters a nuisance for Durango neighbors | Business

At the end of 32nd street and Third Avenue in Durango there’s a popular area where rafters can launch down the Animas River—and residents are outraged at the way their neighborhood is being treated.

“There was a person that was so inebriated that she didn't know where she was. She was rifling through his car,” said Kathleen McCormick, who lives on the street.

That person was a drunken rafter, and the car belonged to McCormick’s son.

“It's really unsafe. The people are parking--double parking--unloading and loading in the street. They’re leaving trash, they're drunk,” she said.

Cathy Metz works for the city of Durango and said there are so many complaints they have increased police presence in the area.

She said the city is working to expand other raft sites. They are also adding a new one to help with traffic in the neighborhood.

“We're trying to allow more capacity there so it's easier for the bigger buses and the commercial operations to utilize that, because 33rd is just very small and very congested,” she said.

Metz said they hope to have the projects completed within the next five years.

But McCormick said something needs to be done now.

"I know the city is trying to do some things, but it's kind of at the point where it's a crisis," she said.