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Home My WebLink AboutPACKET Town Board Special Meeting 2021-03-29The Mission of the Town of Estes Park is to provide high‐quality, reliable services for the benefit of our citizens, guests, and employees, while being good stewards of public resources and our natural setting. The Town of Estes Park will make reasonable accommodations for access to Town services, programs, and activities and special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call (970) 577-4777. TDD available. BOARD OF TRUSTEES - TOWN OF ESTES PARK SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING - TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY Monday, March 29, 2021 6:00 p.m. Board Room – 170 MacGregor Avenue Estes Park, CO 80517 The Town Board of Trustees will participate in the meeting remotely due to the Declaration of Emergency signed by Town Administrator Machalek on March 19, 2020 related to COVID-19 and provided for with the adoption of Ordinance 04-20 on March 18, 2020. Procedures for quasi-judicial virtual public hearings are established through Emergency Rule 06-20 signed by Town Administrator Machalek on May 8, 2020 and outlined below. ADVANCED PUBLIC COMMENT Options for the Public to Provide Public Input: 1.By Public Comment Form: Members of the public may provide written public comment on a specific agenda item by completing the Public Comment form found at https://dms.estes.org/forms/TownBoardPublicComment. The form must be submitted by 12:00 p.m., Monday, March 29, 2021. All comments will be provided to the Board for consideration during the agenda item and added to the final packet. 2.By Telephone Message: Members of the public may provide public comment or comment on a specific agenda item by calling (970) 577-4777. The calls must be received by 12:00 p.m., Monday, March 29, 2021. All calls will be transcribed and provided to the Board for consideration during the agenda item and added to the final packet. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION DURING BOARD MEETING Options for participation in the meeting will be available by call-in telephone option or online via Zoom Webinar which will be moderated by the Town Clerk’s Office. CALL-IN (TELEPHONE OPTION): Dial public participation phone number, 833-548-0276 (toll-free) Enter the Meeting ID: 982 1690 2040 followed by the pound sign (#). The meeting will be available beginning at 5:30 p.m. the day of the meeting. Please call into the meeting prior to 6:00 p.m., if possible. You can also find this information for participating by phone on the website at www.estes.org/boardsandmeetings by clicking on “Virtual Town Board Meeting Participation”. ONLINE: Zoom Webinar at https://zoom.us/j/98216902040 – Zoom Webinar ID: 982-1690-2040. The Zoom Webinar link and instructions are also available at www.estes.org/boardsandmeetings by clicking on “Virtual Town Board Meeting Participation”. Individuals participating in the Zoom session should also watch the meeting through that site, and not via the website, due to the streaming delay and possible audio interference. Start Time: The Zoom Webinar will be available beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Participants wanting to ensure their equipment setup is working should join prior to the start of the meeting at 6:00 p.m. Prepared 03-24-2021 *Revised Page 1 NOTE: The Town Board reserves the right to consider other appropriate items not available at the time the agenda was prepared. WATCH THE MEETING: The Town Board meetings will be livestreamed at www.estes.org/videos and will be posted within 48 hours of the meeting at the same location. Documents to Share: If individuals wish to present a document or presentation to the Board, material must be emailed by Friday, March 26, 2021 by 8:00 a.m. to the Town Clerk’s office at townclerk@estes.org. AGENDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES – TOWN OF ESTES PARK TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY Monday, March 29, 2021 6:00 p.m. Board Room – 170 MacGregor Avenue Estes Park, CO 80517 REPORTS AND DISCUSSION ITEMS: (Outside Entities). 1.ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK VISITOR USE. Superintendent Sidles. Management strategy for 2021 season and update on long range plan. ADJOURN. Prepared 03-24-2021 *Revised Page 2 3/30/2021 Rocky Mountain National Park Visitor Use: Management Strategy for 2021 and Update on Long Range Plan Rocky Mountain National Park Typical Visitation A look at park visitation: •2019 was record visitation, with 4.6 million visitors, a 44% increase since 2012 •July, the most visited month, experienced a record 976,042 visitors •June through July: 1.6 million •June through September: 3.2 million •Fourth busiest NP in 2020 •Nov. increased 28% and Dec. 38% Page 3 3/30/2021 Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky’s Long Range Planning Effort • In 2016 began Visitor Access Pilots in heavily congested areas • Began Day-Use Visitor Access Strategy Plan • Data and knowledge gained during pilots are being incorporated into long range plan • Civic engagement in long range planning effort will begin in late May, with additional meetings next year Rocky Mountain National Park Long Range Plan Civic Engagement Opportunities • Initial virtual meetings May 2021 – 2 public and 1 stakeholder • Topics: Increased visitation impacts on park resources and visitors, Visitor Use Zone mapping, Desired Conditions, draft visitor use management strategies • Additional civic engagement meetings next year during formal NEPA planning process Page 4 3/30/2021 Rocky Mountain National Park The Need for Management Action Covid-19 Pandemic, Mid-March 2020 • CDC, State and Local guidelines • Managing crowding and congestion • Better spread visitor use throughout the day • Gateway communities with at risk populations • Staffing challenges • Reduced shuttle capacity Rocky Mountain National Park Lessons Learned 2020 Season • Bear Lake is popular, really popular, rest of the park was under utilized • Visitor demand can be shifted temporally as we saw use better spread out throughout the day • Increased use outside reservation period, as less reservations pushed use toward the evening • Rapid adoption of the system by the public for those who planned ahead Page 5 3/30/2021 Rocky Mountain National Park Pros and Cons 2020 Season Pros: • Visitor use more evenly spread throughout the day – Flattened the peak visitation curve • Gateway communities saw no significant reductions on sales tax (accounting for Covid-19 and wildfires) • Visitors had the opportunity to plan their visit in advance • Able to better utilize staff to match timed entry allocations • Reduced queuing at entrance stations and parking areas • Pilot Opportunity – ability to study and learn many aspects of Timed Entry Permit System Rocky Mountain National Park Pros and Cons 2020 Season Cons: • Short turn around time to design and implement • Challenging for some visitors and staff • Limited reservations – not everyone got in or for the time slot they wanted • Outlying park areas • 48-hour advance reservations went fast due to demand • Some visitor confusion with the Recreation.gov system • Impacts to cross-park travel Page 6 3/30/2021 Rocky Mountain National Park Trends • Continued increases in local visitation – area public lands experiencing up to 200% increases • Other public lands in Northern Colorado looking to implement Visitor Use Management pilots • Covid-19 guidelines continuing for 2021 • Mandatory Federal mask mandate • Reduced shuttle bus capacity • Trail access due to fire impacts • Continued reduced seasonal staff due to Covid-19 and shared housing Rocky Mountain National Park Proposed 2021 Two Types of Reservations • Reservations for Bear Lake Road Corridor Access (TRR junction up, includes access to rest of the park as well) reservation period 5am – 6pm • Reservation for Access to “rest of the park” (all areas excluding the Bear Lake Road Corridor) reservation period 9am – 3pm • Reservations required Friday May 28 – October 11 Page 7 3/30/2021 Rocky Mountain National Park Proposed 2021 Bear Lake Road Corridor • 5am to 7am • 7am to 9am • 9am to 11am • 11am to 1pm • 1pm to 3pm • 2pm to 4pm • 4pm to 6pm Rest of the Park • 9am to 11am • 11am to 1pm • 1pm to 3pm Rocky Mountain National Park Proposed 2021 Benefits of the Two-Type of Reservations • Allows for a greater number of reservations per day • Reservations would be based on ~ 75% - 85% of park’s total parking capacity • Spreads use throughout the park to better utilize all parking/trailhead areas • Shorter “rest of park” reservation period allows for greater flexibility of locals, cross-park travel, and for those without reservations • Adaptable to changes in visitation trends and public health Page 8 3/30/2021 Rocky Mountain National Park Questions? Page 9 Start date Agenda_Item_Title Name Stance_on_item Comments_for_the_Board_of_Trustees_File_Upload 3/29/2021 7:54 AM March 29, 2021 - RMNP Visitor Use. Anne Brader Neutral I find it difficult to vote in favor, oppose, or neutral on an undisclosed agenda. I am definitely in favor of the full public access to RMNP and oppose the methods used by the Park to limit access.RMNP.pdf 3/28/2021 8:08 AM March 29, 2021 - RMNP Visitor Use. Mark Stelter Neutral I am an environmentalist and I love the RMNP. However, many of the measures taken to limit access to this wonderful park are not necessary. First, it is my understanding that already about 90% of it has very limited access as a protected area. Second, many people want to enjoy the drive through the park and not go on the trails. Once the parking lots are full, that automatically limits the amount of foot traffic on the trails as people cannot park. Allowing them in simply to enjoy the beauty from their cars or go to the top or drive over to Grand Lake has no impact on the trails. Finally, the biggest overcrowding issue is felt at the ridiculously long wait to get into the park, which is a self-inflicted problem. Can't we create a way for people who do not want to stop at a booth to ask questions to simply enter the park and have a picture of their license plate taken like on a toll road and bill them? 3/26/2021 5:27 PM March 29, 2021 - RMNP Visitor Use. Stephen Rapp Against I am against a general repeat of last year’s approach unless it provides special access to residents of Estes Park and Estes Park Property Owners. At the very least special access passes should be considered to anyone a resident of the Town of Estes Park or property owner regardless of whether they are a full-time or part- time resident. It should allow any property owner to receive a “special access” without going through limitations. 3/26/2021 7:06 AM March 29, 2021 - RMNP Visitor Use. Daniel Denning For Thanks for the opportunity to comment. Looking forward to hearing the Superintendent's ideas.Parkpolicy.pdf Public Comment Received by 12pm 03-29-2021 Page 10 Resolution to recognize RMNP's efforts and guarantee the freest access possilbe 9 views Subscribe Dan Denning <dan.denning@gmail.com> unread, 9:34 AM (2 hours ago) to Wendy Koenig, PMartchink@estes.org, BMacalpine@estes.org, CBangs@estes.org, CYounglund@estes.org, MCenac@estes.org, SWebermeier@estes.org, Travis Machalek Hi Mayor and Trustees, Below is a short resolution I'd like to propose you vote on after tonight's special presentation from Rocky Mountain National Park Superintendent Sidles. Resolved: That the Mayor and Trustees of the Town of Estes Park, on behalf of our year-round residents and the many millions of visitors, express their thanks and admiration for the dedicated service and work of Rocky Mountain National Park's employees and volunteers in the last challenging twelve months and that the Town hopes, to the greatest extent possible, access to the Park this year and in the future will be as open, fair, and free as possible to all citizens, regardless of their age, location, income, or race. In my submission ahead of tonight's meeting I did not indicate whether I was 'for,' 'against' or 'neutral.' That's because, as far as I could tell, no specific action by the Town is being proposed at tonight's meeting. . My suggestion above is for the Trustees to go on record in supporting open access to the Park. I also think it's a small but meaningful gesture to recognize the efforts of Park's staff and volunteers in such an unusual year. I realize such a resolution would have no legal power. It's a public expression of thanks. It may have some influence, even if it's communicating clearly to the Park's leadership how highly the Town and its residents value their service and the physical and mental health benefits of the Park, which should be available to everyone equally in 2021. Thanks for your consideration. Dan PS I'm sure there is a formal process by which resolutions are tabled and considered. If, for whatever reason, it's not possible to table such a resolution tonight, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to hear, on the record, whether the Trustees and the Mayor support open Park access in 2021 or are in favor of the type of restrictions we had last spring and summer. PPS Hopefully, the whole discussion will be moot and we'll learn that things have returned to normal in RMNP this year. But in the absence of any clear or published process by which the decisions about access to the Park are made, it seems prudent (to me) to keep the conversation going so that all stakeholders are included. Page 11 Page 12