HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Public Safety Committee 2007-05-24RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, May 24, 2007
Minutes of a Regular meeting of the PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE of
the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the
Town Hall in said Town of Estes Park on the 24' day of May, 2007.
Committee: Chairman Newsom, Trustees Blackhurst and Eisenlauer
Attending: Trustees Eisenlauer and Blackhurst
Also Attending: Chief Dorman, Chief ' Richardson, Deputy Town
Administrator Halbumt, Deputy Clerk Deats
Absent: Chairman Newsom
Trustee Eisenlauer called the meeting to order at 8:01 a.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT.
None
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
REPORTS.
1. 100th Anniversary Statue Update — Chief Dorman informed members of the
Volunteer Fire Department about the purchase of a statue to commemorate the
100th anniversary of the EPVFD at a dinner held last week. The contract has
been signed and the artist has begun work on the piece. Mayor Baudek pledged
monies from the Mayor's contingency fund to pay for the remaining balance on
the statue, which will be completed in approximately four months.
2. Wildland Urban Interface — Sue Pinkham has been hired by the Town of Estes
Park as a part-time seasonal employee to continue her work as the Wildland
Urban Interface coordinator. The State Forest Service is unable to fund the
position this year, although grant monies are still available through Rocky
Mountain National Park. Mrs. Pinkham will attend the Public Safety meeting in
June to provide an update to the Committee.
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
PARKING LOT CLOSURE — REQUEST APPROVAL.
The annual July 4th Coolest Car Show is the Estes Park Museum Friends and
Foundation's major fundraiser. Started in 1999, the Car Show now nets $8,000 or more
each year, most of the revenue coming from walk-in traffic. The show has been held in
the Power Plant parking Lot, the former Visitor Center lot on Highway 34, and most
recently in Bond Park with additional parking along MacGregor Avenue and Park Lane.
Last year's wet weather and muddy conditions, along with narrow tires on some of the
vehicles displayed during the show, caused damage to the landscaping in Bond Park,
and resulted in the need for a review of events held in the Park.
At the November 2006 CDC meeting, Special Events Manager Wright presented a
street closure request from the Estes Park Museum Friends and Foundation for July 4,
2007 to include MacGregor Avenue from the bus pullout on Elkhorn Avenue to Park
Lane. The Committee recommended approval of the street closure as presented. At
that time, the event organizers were requested to use the street parking area, rather
than Bond Park, for those vehicles with narrow tires.
At the April CDC meeting, CVB Dir. Pickering reviewed the policy regarding use of Bond
Park for public events. At that time, concern was again expressed by the Trustees
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Public Safety Committee — May 24, 2007 — Page 2
regarding the Coolest Car Show. Subsequently, Administrator Repola directed Supt.
Mahany and Dir. Kilsdonk to discuss three alternate venues for the show with the event
organizers. The altematives included closure of MacGregor Avenue and Park Lane;
use of the Town Hall/Library lot; and use of the south CVB lot. Of the three alternatives
suggested, the Town Hall/Library lot is preferred by the event organizers. This location
would provide good public exposure and could be fenced off to control access to the
area by people without tickets.
Staff recommends closing a portion of the Town Hall/Library lot for the Coolest Car
Show on July 4, 2007 from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This area would include everything
on the east side of the lot beginning at the main Library entrance, running from
MacGregor Avenue on the south, to the river on the north, and US Bank to the east. It
would include closing the roadway in that section and would not include any portion of
the lot west of the Library door.
The Committee expressed concern that utilizing the Town Hall/Library parking lot on
one of the busiest days of the summer, would not be in the best interest of downtown
merchants, and questioned Norm Carver and Dick Brown, representatives of the Car
Show, about the possibility of creating a runner system to drive and park the cars on in
Bond Park in order to protect the grass. Chief Richardson stated that the number of
parking spots lost to the event (approximately 220) would be about the same whether
held in the Town Hall/Library lot or along MacGregor and Park Lane. The Trustees
indicated that their preferred location for the event is Bond Park, rather than to close off
the Town Hall/Library parking lot on July 4th, and with the approval of the Car Show
representatives, recommended the Coolest Car Show be held in Bond Park and
along MacGregor Avenue and Park Lane, and to extend parking up MacGregor to
the Bypass if inclement weather renders Bond Park unusable for displaying the
cars.
REPORTS.
1. Municipal Court Fines — Municipal Court Judge Brown enlisted the services of
Officers Meyer and Allen to assist in gathering information to be utilized to update
the current court fine schedule. After conducting a comparative study of nine
communities, the Officers recommended changes to the fee schedule, primarily
in the area of traffic offenses. Judge Brown has the authority to adopt the new
fine schedule under a Municipal Court Order, and will do so now that this
information has been provided to the Public Safety Committee. Judge Brown
has requested that police department staff assist the court every two years to
review the fine schedule for updates and/or revisions as needed.
2. Park R-3 School District MOU — The Police Department is in the process of
renewing the Memorandum of Understanding with Park School District R-3 as it
relates to the School Resource Officer (SRO). The School District is requesting
that, in addition to his regular school day hours, SRO Jesse Reeves be available
to attend evening and weekend activities, and to conduct training sessions for
staff resulting in overtime pay costs of approximately $5,000 per year. The Town
is requesting help with this overtime expense and Supt. of Schools Linda
Chapman has included $5,000 in next year's School District draft budget to cover
these overtime costs. Officer Reeves provided the Committee with a brief
overview of duties he performs as SRO including law enforcement
responsibilities, teaching classes K-12, and counseling students and referring
them to appropriate agencies.
There being no further business, Trustee Eisenlauer adjourned the meeting at 8:47 a.m.
APPROVED
BUT
Cynthi Deats, Deputy Town Clerk
TOM OF ESTES PARK
TRJSTEEJ