HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET Town Board Stretegic Planning Session #1 2025-03-13
Town of Estes Park
TOWN BOARD
STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION #1
March 13, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Town Hall Board Room
170 MacGregor Ave, Estes Park
Accessing Meeting Translations (Accediendo a las Traducciones de la Reunión) can be
found on the Town website at www.estes.org/boardsandmeetings
Public comment is not typically heard at Study Sessions, but may be allowed by the Mayor
with agreement of a majority of the Board. This study session will be streamed live and
available at www.estes.org/videos
AGENDA
1. Introduction to Strategic Planning for 2026. (10 min)
2. Review Mission, Vision, and Outcome Areas. (10 min)
3. Review Strategic Policy Statements.
• Exceptional Community Services. (20 min)
• Governmental Services and Internal Support. (20 min)
• Outstanding Guest Services. (20 min)
• Public Safety, Health, and Environment. (20 min)
• Robust Economy. (20 min)
• Town Financial Health. (20 min)
• Transportation. (20 min)
• Utility Infrastructure. (20 min)
Adjourn.
Strategic Planning Session #2 will be held April 18, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.
Vision/Mission/Outcomes/SPS
KEY OUTCOME AREA
(Alphabetical order)
STRATEGIC POLICY STATEMENTS GOALS (MULTI‐YEAR) OBJECTIVES (ONE‐YEAR)
1. We support a wide range of housing opportunities with a
particular focus on workforce and attainable housing.
2. We support the needs of our senior community.
3. We support the needs of families in our community.
4. We support a wide range of childcare opportunities with a
particular focus on infants and toddlers.
5. We expand and improve the durability, functionality, and
efficiency of open space and public park infrastructure.
6. We have an up‐to‐date Comprehensive Plan and Development
Code that reflect the will of the community.
7. We are committed to improving community accessibility for
residents and guests from diverse cultures, and residents and
guests with disabilities.
8. We enact policies that support all demographic segments of
the community.
Town of Estes Park 2026 Strategic Plan
Vision: The Town of Estes Park will be an ever more vibrant and welcoming mountain community.
Mission: The Mission of the Town of Estes Park is to provide high‐quality, reliable services for the benefit of our residents, guests, and employees, while being good stewards of public resources and our natural setting.
THERE IS NO RANK‐ORDERING OR PRIORITIZATION IN THIS PLAN. ALL NUMERICAL DESIGNATIONS ARE FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY.
For the purposes of Strategic Policy Statements, "We" refers to the Town organization, led by the Town Board of Trustees.
Exceptional Community Services ‐ Estes Park is an exceptionally vibrant, diverse, inclusive, and active mountain community in which to live, work, and play, with housing available for all segments in our community.
9. We value the Estes Park Museum's work to preserve, share,
and respect the unique history of Estes Park, and incorporate that
history into our decision‐making processes.
10. We support public art and creative endeavors.
1. We maintain a well‐trained and educated Town Staff.
2. We attract and retain high‐quality staff by being an employer
of choice, including offering highly competitive benefits and
wages, and encouraging work‐life balance.
3. We match service levels with the resources available to deliver
them.
4. We strive to ensure that the membership of our Boards and
Commissions reflects the diversity of the community.
5. We strive to gain meaningful input and participation from all
community members.
6. We prioritize and support a culture of customer service
throughout the organization.
7. We support a culture of continuous improvement in our
internal processes and service delivery.
8. We operate with transparency, maintaining open
communication with all community members and proactively
making Town information available to the public.
9. We monitor for, and protect against, cybersecurity threats.
Governmental Services and Internal Support ‐ We provide high‐quality support for all municipal services.
10. We maintain a robust, transparent, accessible, and user‐
friendly public‐facing website.
11. We ensure that our facilities are well‐maintained and meet
the needs of Town Departments and the community.
1. We value broad collaboration in providing outstanding guest
services.
2. We provide and support high‐quality events that attract guests
to the Town.
3. We strive to balance the impacts of visitation with the needs
and quality of life of our residents and our key outcome areas.
4. We balance data‐driven decisions with community values when
serving our guests and residents using up‐to‐date and relevant
data.
5. We contribute to an exceptional guest experience through a
high‐quality Visitor Services Division.
6. We work to ensure that Estes Park is a sustainable tourism
destination.
1. We are committed to safeguarding the lives and property of
the people we serve.
2. We support environmental stewardship and sustainability
through our policies and actions.
3. We are committed to fairness and support for victims of crime
and disasters.
Outstanding Guest Services ‐ We are a preferred Colorado mountain destination providing an exceptional guest experience.
Public Safety, Health, and Environment ‐ Estes Park is a safe place to live, work, and visit within our extraordinary natural environment.
4. We value the importance of maintaining a local emergency
communication center to serve the Estes Valley.
5. We strive to enhance the safety of emergency responders.
6. We believe in and support restorative practices as a way to
build and repair relationships, as well as increase understanding
about the impact of crime in the Estes Park Community.
7. We train and prepare to fully and immediately respond to
community emergencies.
8. We are proactive in our approach to wildfire planning and
mitigation in response to elevated fire risks in the Estes Valley
and the surrounding area.
9. We recognize the importance of behavioral health in our
community and work with local and regional partners to improve
mental health safety, treatment, and awareness.
1. We foster an inclusive, robust, and sustainable economy based
on a triple‐bottom‐line model, considering economic, social, and
environmental impacts and benefits.
2. We create and sustain a favorable business climate.
3. We support a diverse economy, attracting and serving a broad
range of current and potential stakeholders.
4. We recognize the importance of a vibrant, attractive, and
economically viable downtown.
5. We support investment and revitalization in all of the Town's
commercial areas.
Robust Economy ‐ We have a diverse, healthy, year‐round economy.
6. We support economic and workforce development efforts led
by other organizations.
7. We recognize the benefits of shopping locally and will actively
support our local businesses and the local economy.
1. We maintain up‐to‐date financial policies, tools, and controls
that reflect the financial philosophy of the Board.
2. We make data‐driven financial decisions.
3. We will consider the most effective financing strategy for large
capital projects on a case‐by‐case basis, ensuring that each
financing package is appropriately tailored to the project under
consideration.
1. We value the development and maintenance of a sustainable,
accessible, and efficient multimodal transportation network.
2. We will maintain a high‐quality network of streets for our
community.
3. We will address traffic congestion and improve traffic and
pedestrian safety throughout the Town.
4. We effectively communicate with residents and guests about
the Town's parking and transportation options.
5. We consider strategic, data‐driven investments in technology
that promote the financial and environmental sustainability of
the Town's parking and transportation assets.
Town Financial Health ‐ We will maintain a strong and sustainable financial condition, balancing expenditures with available revenues, including adequate cash reserves for future needs and unanticipated emergencies.
Transportation ‐ We have safe, efficient, and well‐maintained multimodal transportation systems for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and transit riders.
6. We identify and leverage local, regional, and national
partnerships that strengthen and extend the Town's parking and
transportation system.
7. We consider the potential impacts of technology changes,
including electric and autonomous vehicles and repurposing of
parking structures, in all transportation planning.
8. We will develop and maintain sidewalk and trail connectivity in
the Estes Valley in partnership with other entities.
1. We ensure high‐quality, reliable, and redundant water service.
2. We ensure high‐quality, reliable, and sustainable electric
distribution service.
3. We encourage and support renewable energy sources and
storage.
4. We are proactive in our approach to mitigating flood risks.
5. We ensure access to high‐speed, high‐quality, reliable
Trailblazer Broadband service.
6. We partner with the three other owner communities to
advance Platte River Power Authority towards our goal of a 100%
noncarbon energy mix.
Utility Infrastructure ‐ We have reliable, efficient, and up‐to‐date utility infrastructure serving our community and customers.
2026 Strategic Plan
Town Board Feedback
Vision, Mission, Strategic Policy Statements
Vision
• No feedback
Mission
• No feedback
Exceptional Community Services
• Strategic Policy Statements
o SPS #1: I know we had discussion about specifically including workforce and
attainable, and leaving out affordable, but I expect we'll want to revisit that in
light of our upcoming conversation(s) with the Planning Commission and the
impending Development Code rewrite. So, my comment would be, do we want to
add affordable to this statement?
o SPS #1: Need to clearly define “workforce and attainable” housing considerations
o SPS #1: Add a specific reference to pursue seasonal housing opportunities
o SPS #9: This appears to be the only place we refer to a specific department in the
strategic policy statements. Consider modifying? “We value and work to preserve,
share and respect the unique history of Estes Park and consider that history in our
decision making processes”
Governmental Services and Internal Support
• No feedback
Outstanding Guest Services
• Strategic Policy Statements
o SPS# 2: I believe the board has discussed wanting to evaluate or consider how
events meet and fit with the community "brand." I wonder if we would want to
add a descriptor after "high-quality."
o SPS #3: I like this one: "We strive to balance the impacts of visitation with the
needs and quality of life of our residents and our key outcome areas." except for
the "and our key outcome areas", which seems vague. I might consider stopping
after "residents".
o SPS #4: Prefer “data-advised” over “data-driven”. It is important to be able to
interject the part that data can’t provide, human judgement.
o SPS #5: Should this be specific to just the Visitor Services Department or should
we do this through all Town Departments?
Public Safety, Health, and Environment
• Strategic Policy Statements
o SPS #4: Given the Sheriff’s request last year, should we add a similar statement
about supporting and maintaining our own local law enforcement?
Robust Economy
• No feedback
Town Financial Health
• Strategic Policy Statements
o SPS #2: Prefer “data-advised” over “data-driven”. It is important to be able to
interject the part that data can’t provide, human judgement.
Transportation
• Strategic Policy Statements
o SPS #5: “data-advised” over “data-driven”. It is important to be able to interject
the part that data can’t provide, human judgement.
Utility Infrastructure
• No feedback