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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET Estes Park Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee 2021-12-02ESTES FORWARD Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, November 18, 2021 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held via ZOOM in said Town of Estes Park on November 18, 2021. Committee: Chair Matthew Heiser, Vice-Chair Bob Leavitt, Members David Bangs, Eric Blackhurst, Kirby Nelson-Hazelton, John Schnipkoweit, Frank Theis, Karen Thompson, Rose Truman, David Wolf, David Shirk, Matt Comstock Also Attending: Community Development Director Jessica Garner, Trustee Barbara MacAlpine, Recording Secretary Karin Swanlund Absent: Comstock Chair Heiser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: The motion passed with a visual thumbs-up vote. PUBLIC COMMENT. None CONSENT AGENDA: Approval of Minutes from October 21, 2021 It was moved and seconded (Leavitt/Bangs) to approve the minutes. The motion passed with a visual thumbs-up vote. GUEST SPEAKERS (discussion and comments summarized) Cato Kraft, Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center Director, discussed the who/what/why of the EPNRC. The Estes Valley nonprofit sector contains over 90 organizations that the EPNRC oversees. She urged CompPac to include the needs of the nonprofit entities in the Comprehensive Plan. Long-term goals include having a defined role in nonprofit development. Member Blackhurst reminded the Committee that the nonprofits help the community consistently, not just in times of disasters. A strategic plan was done in 2021 but not inclusive of the whole sector of nonprofits. It was asked that that plan be shared with CompPac. Innovative and authentic ways to engage visitors have been discussed. EPNONPROFIT.ORG contains the entire list of nonprofits in the Valley. Reuben Bergsten, Director, Power and Communication, and Chris Eshelman, Water Superintendent, Town of Estes Park, spoke about water rights in the Estes Valley. Improvement and increased water rights are continuously ongoing. Over 500,000 million gallons of water are out-put into the system per year. Collaboration with the YMCA water is a “fee in lieu” to create a win-win situation. Water is a business, and when the community is bigger, the community gains. If the town water department requires it, land must be annexed. Water rates continue to increase every year, with Estes Park being the second-highest in northern Colorado. Other environmental issues (floods, fire, drought, algae bloom) pose problems to the water system. Multiple water sources to one facility make us less affected by crises. Higher density equals higher use per pipe. The current Master Plan guides the density, the Comp Plan and Town Board guide the future of water rights. The selling of water rights is a possibility but requires a lot of planning and economic forethought. BLM operates two hydro generation plants spun by water. We get a portion of the electricity generated by these plants. Alternative electric sources, such as solar, are not sustainable without dispatchable distributed energy resources (DER) because they are intermittent. Electricity has the lowest shelf life of anything on earth; it must be used as it is generated. The quest is for a “better battery.” It is a challenge to meet the desires of CompPAC – Nov 18, 2021 – Page 2 the community while maintaining reliability and affordability. To quote former town attorney Greg White, “if Estes Park has a water problem, entire Eastern Colorado has a water problem.” All new developments must put power lines underground. Due to maintenance and repair costs, covered spacer tree cables are a solution to existing bare wires. It is critical to make sure the best decisions are being made for the community. Economically, Broadband has dramatically helped the community. Platt River Power Authority built a fiber line to Estes Park years ago, providing redundant fiber, giving us the stability needed to stay “on-line.” Before installing Broadband, the affected property owner must agree to the installation, which can cause legal problems. It was requested that more CompPac time be devoted to electricity and Broadband at a later meeting. OTHER Thanks were given to Mike Kennedy, who resigned his seat on CompPac effective November 1. Frank Theis has been assigned to take his position as a non-voting member and will be approved by the Town Board at the November 23 meeting. Director Garner spoke on the “Meeting in a Box” kit, available at engageestes.org, requesting the Committee use this to get the word out and get a vision from the public regarding the Comprehensive Plan. Speaking at the next meeting will be both Sanitation Districts. Advance questions would be helpful. There being no further business, Chair Heiser adjourned the meeting at 11:10 a.m. Karin Swanlund, Recording Secretary Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, November 18, 2021 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held via ZOOM in said Town of Estes Park on November 18, 2021. Committee: Chair Matthew Heiser, Vice-Chair Bob Leavitt, Members David Bangs, Eric Blackhurst, Kirby Nelson-Hazelton, John Schnipkoweit, Frank Theis, Karen Thompson, Rose Truman, David Wolf, David Shirk, Matt Comstock Also Attending: Community Development Director Jessica Garner, Trustee Barbara MacAlpine, Recording Secretary Karin Swanlund Absent: Comstock Chair Heiser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: The motion passed with a visual thumbs-up vote. PUBLIC COMMENT. None CONSENT AGENDA: Approval of Minutes from October 21, 2021 It was moved and seconded (Leavitt/Bangs) to approve the minutes. The motion passed with a visual thumbs-up vote. GUEST SPEAKERS (discussion and comments summarized) Cato Kraft, Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center Director, discussed the who/what/why of the EPNRC. The Estes Valley nonprofit sector contains over 90 organizations that the EPNRC oversees. She urged CompPac to include the needs of the nonprofit entities in the Comprehensive Plan. Long-term goals include having a defined role in nonprofit development. Member Blackhurst reminded the Committee that the nonprofits help the community consistently, not just in times of disasters. A strategic plan was done in 2021 but not inclusive of the whole sector of nonprofits. It was asked that that plan be shared with CompPac. Innovative and authentic ways to engage visitors have been discussed. EPNONPROFIT.ORG contains the entire list of nonprofits in the Valley. Reuben Bergsten, Director, Power and Communication, and Chris Eshelman, Water Superintendent, Town of Estes Park, spoke about water rights in the Estes Valley. Improvement and increased water rights are continuously ongoing. Over 500,000 million gallons of water are out-put into the system per year. Collaboration with the YMCA water is a “fee in lieu” to create a win-win situation. Water is a business, and when the community is bigger, the community gains. If the town water department requires it, land must be annexed. Water rates continue to increase every year, with Estes Park being the second-highest in northern Colorado. Other environmental issues (floods, fire, drought, algae bloom) pose problems to the water system. Multiple water sources to one facility make us less affected by crises. Higher density equals higher use per pipe. The current Master Plan guides the density, the Comp Plan and Town Board guide the future of water rights. The selling of water rights is a possibility but requires a lot of planning and economic forethought. BLM operates two hydro generation plants spun by water. We get a portion of the electricity generated by these plants. Alternative electric sources, such as solar, are not sustainable without dispatchable distributed energy resources (DER) because they are intermittent. Electricity has the lowest shelf life of anything on earth; it must be used as it is generated. The quest is for a “better battery.” It is a challenge to meet the desires of draft CompPAC – Nov 18, 2021 – Page 2 the community while maintaining reliability and affordability. To quote former town attorney Greg White, “if Estes Park has a water problem, entire Eastern Colorado has a water problem.” All new developments must put power lines underground. Due to maintenance and repair costs, covered spacer tree cables are a solution to existing bare wires. It is critical to make sure the best decisions are being made for the community. Economically, Broadband has dramatically helped the community. Platt River Power Authority built a fiber line to Estes Park years ago, providing redundant fiber, giving us the stability needed to stay “on-line.” Before installing Broadband, the affected property owner must agree to the installation, which can cause legal problems. It was requested that more CompPac time be devoted to electricity and Broadband at a later meeting. OTHER Thanks were given to Mike Kennedy, who resigned his seat on CompPac effective November 1. Frank Theis has been assigned to take his position as a non-voting member and will be approved by the Town Board at the November 23 meeting. Director Garner spoke on the “Meeting in a Box” kit, available at engageestes.org, requesting the Committee use this to get the word out and get a vision from the public regarding the Comprehensive Plan. Speaking at the next meeting will be both Sanitation Districts. Advance questions would be helpful. There being no further business, Chair Heiser adjourned the meeting at 11:10 a.m. Karin Swanlund, Recording Secretary draft