HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET CompPAC 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
dra
f
t
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 dra
f
t