HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board 2011-10-11Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, October 11, 2011
Minutes of a Regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Town of
Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Town Hall in
said Town of Estes Park on the 1 1 th day of October, 2011. Meeting
called to order by Mayor Pinkham.
Present:
Also Present:
William C. Pinkham, Mayor
Chuck Levine, Mayor Pro Tem
Trustees Eric Blackhurst
Mark Elrod
John Ericson
Wendy Koenig
Jerry Miller
Lowell Richardson, Deputy Town Administrator
Town Attorney White
Cynthia Deats, Deputy Town Clerk
Absent: Town Administrator Halburnt
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and all desiring to do so,
recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
PUBLIC COMMENT.
Mayor Pinkham said that public comment will be limited to one topic addressing issues
relevant to the Town Board and Town operations in general. He said comments are
not to exceed three minutes and said that concerns related to specific Town employees
should be addressed with Town administration or Town Board members.
Ron Norris, Town resident, read a statement from Charley Dickey thanking the Town
for hosting the initial Economic Initiative meeting and said that the private business
community must be involved in the effort to enhance the economic development of our
community.
Cherie Pettyjohn, Town resident, said that at the last Town Board meeting an individual
was denied his constitutional rights to express his opinion. She said, the Mayor by his
actions, placed the Town Board and taxpayers of Estes Park in a position to be sued.
Lindsey Lamson, Estes valley resident, thanked the Board for their support and
expansion of the shuttle system this past summer and requested they keep the need for
the shuttle program in mind while going through the 2012 budget process.
Johanna Darden, Town resident, said the proposed development for the Elkhorn Lodge
property will jeopardize the historical integrity of the lodge. She expressed opposition
to the idea of a ski resort and said visitors come to the area because it is beautiful and
peaceful, not to ski on an artificial surface in the summer time.
Sandy Osterman, Town resident, requested that obsolete signage in the area of the
former location of Silver Lane stables be removed from eastbound Highway 34.
Jim Tawney, Town resident, asked that the Board pay attention to changing economic
conditions during the budgeting process.
TOWN BOARD COMMENTS 1 LIAISON REPORTS.
Trustee Blackhurst said the Public Safety / Utilities / Public Works (PUP) Committee
meeting will be held at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 13, 2011, in the Town Board
Board of Trustees — October 11, 2011 — Page 2
room. He reported that the regular meeting of the Estes Park Housing Authority
(EPHA) has been postponed one week and will be held on Wednesday, October 19,
2011, at 8:30 a.m. in Room 203 of Town Hall.
Trustee Ericson reported that the Transportation Visioning Committee (TVC) conducted
public input sessions and is now working on drafting a final report to the Town Board.
Mayor Pinkham said the Town Board encourages public input and offered a public
apology related to action taken at the last Town Board meeting when an individual was
not allowed to speak during the public comment section of the meeting.
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR REPORT.
No report.
1. CONSENT AGENDA:
1. Town Board Minutes dated September 27, 2011, Town Board Study Session
Minutes dated September 27, 2011.
2. Bills.
3. Committee Minutes: None.
4. Estes Valley Board of Adjustment Minutes dated September 13, 2011
(acknowledgement only).
It was moved and seconded (Levine/Miller) the Consent Agenda be approved, and
it passed unanimously.
PRESENTATION — CANYON LAKES FOREST SERVICE DISTRICT UPDATE.
Richard Edwards, Canyon Lake Forest District, provided the Board with an update as to
the condition of area forests. He reported that in Larimer County, approximately
682,000 acres of forest have been affected by the mountain pine beetle infestation.
The district has developed priorities in order to deal with conditions created by the
infestation which include reduction of hazardous fuels adjacent to communities, along
roadways, in recreational areas, along power lines and utility corridors, and protection
of water supplies. He said fuel reduction strategies include implementing community
wildfire protection plans (CWPP), enhancing defensible space adjacent to private land,
and strategically placing fuels treatments across the landscape to change large fire
behavior. Implementation of the fuel reduction plan in the Estes valley project area
began in 2006 and involves 3,450 acres of forest.
2. ACTION ITEMS:
1. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR CONTRACT.
Mayor Pinkham read a letter from Town Administrator Halburnt thanking the
Mayor and the Trustees for the opportunity to serve the Town of Estes Park
and requesting that the Board not consider renewing her employment contract.
Mayor Pinkham stated that the Board will determine how to move forward to
address the situation and noted that Town Administrator Halburnt will fulfill her
current contract which ends on December 31, 2011.
2. RESOLUTION #12-11 ESTES PARK LOCAL MARKETING DISTRICT
BUSINESS AND OPERATING PLAN FOR 2012.
It was moved and seconded (Koenig/Miller) to continue Resolution #12-11
Estes Park Local Marketing District Business and Operating Plan for 2012
to the October 25, 2011, Town Board meeting to provide additional time
Board of Trustees — October 11, 2011 — Page 3
for discussion of details, and it passed. Those voting "Yes" Trustees Elrod,
Ericson, Koenig, Miller, and Mayor Pro Tem Levine; with Trustee Blackhurst
abstaining from the vote.
3. REPORTS AND DISCUSSION ITEMS.
1. CITIZENS SURVEY RESULTS SUMMARY.
PIO Rusch summarized the results of the community survey that was
conducted this summer. The survey was mailed to 1200 randomly selected
Estes Park households and had a response rate of 54%. The information
collected from the survey may be used to monitor trends in opinions, measure
government performance, and decision making related to budget, land use and
strategic planning.
Overall, a majority of the respondents rated Estes Park as a good or excellent
place to live, and also rated the overall quality of Town services as good or
excellent. Drinking water, Town parks, the Visitor Center, the Senior Center,
the power utility, the Museum, snow removal, police services, and
Fairgrounds/Special Events, all ranked above the national benchmark, when a
benchmark was available. Economic development and land use, planning and
zoning were ranked below the national benchmark.
In response to customized questions related to Town projects and the
community's willingness to pay for these projects, respondents ranked
maintaining and improving streets, preservation of open space, new affordable
housing options, and initiatives for economic development at the top of the list.
The Board identified a disconnect between the respondents' interest in Town
projects and their desire to fund these same projects with additional taxes or
fees. Trustee Elrod noted that participants in the survey were not necessarily
registered voters and said a respondent may not support a tax increase but
that respondent could also be a non-voter. The Board expressed a desire to
review and study the complete survey results more thoroughly to develop a
process for approaching and utilizing the information collected. The Board
requested that PIO Rusch contact Colorado communities that have previously
conducted surveys to inquire about the strategies they use in processing
survey information.
2. ELKHORN PROJECT INC. RTA APPLICATION UPDATE.
Frank Theis, Elkhorn Project, Inc. (EPI), said that additional information and
clarifications related to the RTA application were provided to the third party
analyst on September 30th with a report due from the analyst on November 4`h.
After that time, and up until the holidays, applicants can challenge the
assumptions and conclusions included in the report, however this would
require payment of an additional fee by the applicant. Following that period,
the Staff and Director of the Economic Development Commission will begin
reviewing the projects, ask for comments from local agencies which in this
case will most likely be Larimer County, and complete their analysis in
preparation to meet on March 1st, to select up to two projects for 2012. Once
the third party opinion is received on November 4th, EPI will move forward with
public meetings and outreach with neighbors, community groups, and
individuals. Mr. Theis said a meeting was held with the proposed RTA board
to keep them informed of the project schedule. Mr. Theis said EPI would like
to move forward in November with annexation of the property, however no
development plans or rezoning requests have been submitted at this time.
The Board expressed concern about not having been involved in formulating
the responses to the third party analyst's questions, and said that the Town, as
Board of Trustees — October 11, 2011 — Page 4
the applicant, must be kept in the loop. The Board asked about the prospects
of finding an operator for the ski area. Mr. Theis responded that a Request for
Proposal (RFP) has been drafted, and proposed publishing the RFP before the
end of the year to solidify interest by ski area operators.
The Trustees requested another project update be provided to the Board
following receipt of the third party analyst report early in November.
4. REQUEST TO ENTER EXECUTIVE SESSION.
It was moved and seconded (Ericson/Blackhurst) to enter into Executive
Session for a conference with the Town Attorney for the purpose of
receiving legal advice on specific legal questions under C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(b)
and for determining positions relative to matters that may be subject to
negotiations, developing strategy for negotiations, and/or instructing
negotiators under C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(e) related to the Bond Park Project, and
it passed unanimously.
Mayor Pinkham said that no action will be taken by the Board after the executive
session and recessed at 8:41 p.m. for a ten minute break, prior to entering executive
session at 8:53 p.m.
Mayor Pinkham reconvened the meeting at 9:39 p.m. from Executive Session
whereupon he adjourned the meeting at 9:39 p.m.
William C. Pinkharn, Mayor
( L, e
Cyn.th(( Deats, Deputy Town Clerk