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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Community Development & Community Services Committee 2013-08-22RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, August 22, 2013 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT / COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in Town Hall in said Town of Estes Park on the 22nd day of August, 2013. Committee: Attending: Also Attending: Absent: Chair Ericson, Trustees Elrod and Norris Chair Ericson, Trustees Elrod and Norris Town Administrator Lancaster, Assistant Town Administrator Richardson, Directors Chilcott and Fortini, and Deputy Town Clerk Deats Director Winslow Chair Ericson called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. PUBLIC COMMENT. None. COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT. SURPRISE SIDEWALK SALE RESOLUTION. The Surprise Sidewalk Sale is scheduled to take place on the weekend of October 12- 13, 2013. Businesses located outside of the downtown area can participate in the sale by reserving space in Bond Park, or in the Dairy Queen parking lot if Bond Park is under construction and not available for use. The adoption of a resolution is required to hold the sale due to regulations that exist within the Municipal Code and the Estes Valley Development Code. Staff is recommending that sandwich board signs be allowed during the sale provided they do not encroach on the sidewalk. The Committee recommends approval of the Surprise Sidewaik Saie Resoiution to be included on the consent agenda at the September 10, 2013, Town Board meeting. REPORTS. Reports provided for informational purposes and made a part of the proceedings. • Senior Center Quarterly Report - Attendance continues to be good with overall attendance running at 93% of capacity. Attendance at drop-in events is running 7% higher than 2012. Manager Mitchell attended the Colorado Association of Senior Centers Conference in August. Based on information provided at the conference, the Senior Center Master Plan process, and the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District’s proposed Community Wellness Recreation Center concept, are on track to meet changes in business practices and programming. Trustee Norris thanked staff for providing programming related to internet scams and various other scams that target seniors. • Collections Facility Report - Bryon Hoerner, Curator of Collections, outlined steps being taken to protect the Museum’s artifacts. To ensure proper care of items on-site, environmental monitoring has been updated to include multiple digital monitoring devices and membership in an online climate data analysis program. The off-site storage facility has been organized and was cleaned by a local commercial cleaning crew. Bed sheets donated from local hotels and lodges are being utilized as dust covers to protect the artifacts. The off-site facility was inspected for pests, holes in the exterior walls and roof were plugged, and two of three garage doors were removed to help seal the building and reduce the chance of pest infestation. The Committee asked if any destroyed artifacts were found during the cleaning and organizing of the off-site storage facility. Dir. Fortini indicated that some items were disposed of due to their deteriorated condition. The Committee said the report underscores the need for a proper storage facility. • Shuttle Update - The shuttle system recorded its 300,000th rider on July 28th, and on August 9th ridership for 2013 surpassed the total number of riders for the RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Community Development / Community Services - August 22, 2013 - Page 2 entire 2012 season. Out of 90 entries “Elkhorn Express” was selected by the Shuttle Committee as the name for the downtown trolley. Estes Park resident, Bruce Barrow sent in the winning entry and the closest guess at the total number of trolley riders for the month of July. Information is being distributed to businesses and lodging establishments regarding the revised shuttle schedule that will be in place during the USA Pro Challenge on Saturday, August 24th. The Shuttle Committee continues to meet to discuss the system and is suggesting that the loading zones remain open until 10 p.m. to facilitate loading and unloading on the Gold and Brown routes during the evening hours. The Committee requested data on the number of people using electronic devices such as cell phones and iPads to receive information about the shuttle schedule, and information as to whether the shuttles are operating on schedule. Coordinator is also preparing a report addressing the pros and cons of adding a second trolley to the Town’s fleet. Adding bike racks to the shuttles was discussed including safety, scheduling issues, and damage that may result from loading and unloading bicycles. • Fairgrounds & Events Report - 170 people attended the first Chuck wagon Cook­ off that was scheduled in conjunction with the Heritage Festival, however, attendance at the Heritage Festival was low. The Cowboy Sing-Alongs continue to attract large crowds in Bond Park and preparations for the USA Pro Challenge are complete and ready for the event on Saturday, August 24th. Staff emphasized that planning for the bike race has provided valuable experience working with other agencies in Northern Colorado and said that a foilow-up discussion to review the pros and cons of the event wili be held. Staff participated in discussions with a committee from Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) related to assistance the Community Services Department may be able to provide as plans are made for events to celebrate Rocky’s 100th Anniversary beginning in September of 2014. The Committee suggested that RMNP might consider utilizing the MPEC as a possible venue for large public events related to the Park’s anniversary. • Verbal Updates - o Ambassadors — Sandy Osterman, president of the Ambassadors stated that the group is prepared for the bike race on Saturday, and reported that a good working relationship has been established with VisitEstesPark. The Committee suggested that members of the Ambassadors group consider participating in designing the parking structure by providing input at public meetings scheduled during the first week of September. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT- REPORTS. Reports provided for informational purposes and made a part of the proceedings. • Floodplain Management Report on Revisions to State & Federal Programs — Chief Building Official Will Birchfield, acting as the Town’s Floodplain Administrator, said there are three levels of regulation that must be considered when managing the Town’s floodplains and that there are four floodplains within the Town’s boundaries: Big Thompson, Fall River, Black Canyon, and Fish Creek. In light of recent changes to floodplain regulations, revisions to the Municipal Code will be required in order to align with new laws related to floodplain management. Due to the volume and complexity of the information, CBO Birchfield proposes to bring the information forward at three separate meetings to address the following: 1) a local ordinance adopting minimum federal requirements for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) making community property owners eligible to purchase coverage through the NFIP program: 2) a revision to current regulations to comply with recently updated state standards contained in the Colorado Conservation Board Floodplain Regulations; and 3) local regulations in Chapter 17 of the Municipal Code. He said last year Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Act which affected flood insurance rates and also changed floodplain modeling from a community- RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Community Development / Community Services - August 22, 2013 - Page 3 wide view to a watershed view. Next month staff is preparing to bring forward to the Committee proposed amendments to the Town’s floodplain ordinance which will address the impact of the Biggert-Waters Act on flood insurance and the changes to the state laws. Changes required for compliance with federal law and updates to local regulations will be brought forward at subsequent meetings. He said the proposed amendments will contain new terminology and technical floodplain verbiage. Comprehensive Plan Modernization - Community Development Staff and the Planning Commission continue to work on modernizing the Comprehensive Plan. Dir. Chilcott and Planner/Code Enforcement Officer Kleisler noted that the Economic Overview and Economic profile require a significant rewrite in order to convey the information in a readable, usable format. A draft utilizing a new format which includes graphs and tables was presented to the Committee as an example of how the information, such as the 2010 census data, may be presented. The final report is intended to be more visual than the existing document and more user-friendly in terms of locating information on the page. The Committee stated that the new plan should contain information that will assist in making decisions for the future in regard to housing, daycare, the senior center, and asset management; and requested that staff provide a presentation to the full Board at an upcoming study session. Community Development Monthly Report - Year-to-date building permit numbers are 3% higher than 2012, with valuation up 10%, and fees up 16%. These numbers do not include the permits for the MPEC and the stall barn. The building and planning divisions are both seeing an increase in activity, with building division staff performing an average of 20 inspections per day. Work continues at the Courtyard property, however, the current contractor is withdrawing his permits due to private business issues, and the property owner will be hiring a new general contractor. Staff will begin proactive enforcement of high priority sign code violations in the downtown area. Since it is difficult for Building Permit Tech Charlie Phillips to be out of the office, Planner/Code Compliance Officer Kleisler will assist with sign code compliance and outreach. Dir. Chilcott said that the Planning Commission has a busy schedule for the fall and said that current applications can be viewed on the Town’s website. She noted that Charley Dickey was appointed to the Planning Commission as a Town appointee and said that interviews for a county appointee will be held on August 23, 2013. Trustee Elrod reported that staff will be providing reports at each Estes Valley Planning Commission meeting to provide information to both the new and existing members of the Planning Commission. Overviews on topics such as the fire code, flood plain regulations, and the building code will be presented, as well as how those codes impact the Commissioners’ decisions and oversight responsibilities. Verbal Updates - o Code Compliance — Staff has been working over the past several months to create a formal code compliance policy and procedures to proactively address hot button issues in the community. Planner/Code Compliance Officer Kleisler presented a draft dashboard report that was developed using information gathered during numerous outreach meetings which were held earlier this year. He recommended the report be provided to the Committee on a monthly or quarterly basis and include open cases, closed cases, and the type of cases being addressed. He said the data included within the report will provide information related to spikes in complaints about specific issues, such as noxious weeds, which can then be used to prepare to address issues within the community in a timely manner. There being no further business. Chair Ericson adjourned the meeting at 9:45 a.m. APPROVED . SEP 1 0 2013 Uaj ynthia Deats, Deputy Town Clerk TOWN OF ESTES PARK BOARD OF TRUSTEES