TIMNATH, Colo. - The new year is expected to bring a flood of changes to this little town on northern Colorado's the Poudre River.

Millions of dollars in capital improvements are planned for the town's core area along Larimer County Road 5, which also is Main Street, and about 200 building permits are expected to be issued for the new subdivisions popping up on its outskirts.

If only 100 of those homes are built, the 200 to 300 new residents they would house would translate to a doubling of the town's population, said town manager Becky Davidson.

"We really do have a lot going on," she said. "But I think we're ready to handle it."

Timnath, population about 230, has been gearing up for a growth spurt since 2004 when it began annexing thousands of acres of surrounding farmland with an eye toward residential development.

The town also established an urban renewal authority covering most of its anticipated growth area as a way to establish a property tax base, which is expected to grow as the land is developed, to pay for improvements as the growth comes.

The time appears to be at hand. Next year the town will begin designing and building sewer and drainage systems in its old town area and making improvements along Boxelder Creek to take the town out of its floodplain. It also will widen portions of Harmony Road.

Bonds backed by urban renewal revenue will be issued to pay for the work, Davidson said. The projects are expected to cost between $15 million and $19 million.

Replacing the outdated and narrow bridge that carries Harmony Road over the Poudre River is a top priority, she said. The road already carries 13,000 vehicles a day and is expected to reach 40,000 a day as the area east of Interstate 25 develops in the coming years.

The sewer and drainage work in old town is the first phase of a project aimed at modernizing the area, said Mayor Donna Benson. The work will include placing utility lines underground.

"Once you dig up the roads, it's cheaper to take care of all these other things at the same time," she said.

The town has worked hard to plan its growth so as not to overextend its budget and ability to pay for services, Benson said.

Timnath's 2007 general fund budget is $1.2 million, about double its 2006 budget, Davidson said. The increased money will come from sales and use taxes as well as development fees.

The budget includes hiring a maintenance worker for the streets the town will be responsible for as well as $100,000 to pay for increased police presence. The town contract with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services.

As the town grows, it will have to deal more with speeding and other safety issues, Davidson said.

If proposed development plans for the town come to fruition, its population could reach 11,000 in the next 20 years, officials say. With the residential growth will be commercial and retail developments.

Construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter northeast of the Harmony Road/I-25 interchange is expected to begin next year. The store is expected to open in 2008. Other retail outlets are expected to follow.

The town's new homes are expected to be built in subdivisions along and south of Harmony Road as well as north of the old town area, Davidson said. Construction on a new elementary school will begin next year with a target opening in 2008.

The growth and change coming to the area is not welcomed by all local residents, said Karen Smith, who lives east of Timnath off Weld County Road 13.

The town recently completed annexing the 294-acre Wildwing development across the road from Smith's home. The development is expected to include 283 new homes.

"All we're going to get out here is sprawl, sprawl, sprawl," she said. "I think it's going to be ugly."

Smith said some of her neighbors are considering moving out of the area ahead of the growth spurt.

Benson said she, like many Timnath residents, moved to the area because it was "out in the country" and away from the city. But with all the growth hitting the I-25 corridor, it won't stay that way.

Timnath is not in a rush to develop, she said.

"If I had my druthers, we would stay rural," Benson said. "But that's not going to happen. Developers have bought the land, and they are going to develop it.

"Growth is inevitable; we want to manage it as best we can."