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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board 2026-07-14Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, July 14, 2026 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 14th day of July, 2026. Present: Gary Hall, Mayor Kirby Hazelton, Mayor Pro Tem Trustees Bill Brown Chris Eshelman Mark Igel Frank Lancaster Jamie Mieras Also Present: Travis Machalek, Town Administrator Jason Damweber, Deputy Town Administrator Dan Kramer, Town Attorney Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk Absent: None Mlayor Hall called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and all desiring to do so, recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Agenda Approval. It was moved and seconded (Hazelton/Eshelman) to approve the Agenda, and it passed unanimously. Public Comments. Rebecca Urquhart/Town resident stated the rewrite of the Estes Park Development Code should be completed prior to the Town discussing affordable housing along with density and in which zoning districts to expand the use. Kristine Poppitz/County citizen stated concerns with staff initiated land use changes while the Estes Park Development Code continues to be rewritten. She commented the changes seem to be inappropriate to bring forward at this time. Frank Theis/Town resident commented that development has become cost prohibitive and he was unsure how to incentivize developers and builders. He stated concern with increased height, but noted that developers would use an increase in height to increase density. Trustee Comments. Board comments were heard and have been summarized: A second water treatment plant tour was conducted for the Trustees; Sister City meeting was held and it was determined to hold their annual meeting on September 11 , 2026; Restorative Justice has issued an RFP for the development of a strategic plan, and would facilitate two Community Conversations on the rewrite of the Estes Park Development Code; attended the Latino Alliance meeting at the Estes Park Chamber; thanked the Town Event staff and the Rodeo Committee for a wonderful Rooftop Rodeo; the upcoming Visit Estes Park meeting would include a presentation by Larimer County Commissioner Shadduck- McNally, discussion of an event policy, and an upcoming tourism summit in September; noted the Estes Park Arts held Friends of Folk at Performance Park and continue to work on murals around town; and the community support group for the exchange visitors would hold events to engage them and the community. Town Administrator Report. Town Attorney Kramer requested the Board consider holding the second meeting in June on the fifth Tuesday of the month in 2027 to allow Board members the opprotunity to attend the annual CML conference which falls on the fourth week of June. Board of Trustees - July 14,2026 - Page 2 Consent Agenda: 1. Expenditure Approval Lists - Bills 2. Town Board Meeting and Study Session Minutes dated June 23,2026 3. Estes Park Board of Adjustment Minutes dated June 2, 2026 4. Estes Park Planning Commission Minutes dated May 19, 2026 (acknowledgment only) 5. Resolution 83-26 Declining the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Grant Award 6. Resolution 84-26 Change Order for the Visitor Center Parking Lot Improvements Design with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., $46,508.50 - Budgeted It was moved and seconded (Igel/Mieras) to approve Consent Agenda, and it passed unanimously. Reports and Discussion Items (Outside Entities): 1. 2025 Base Funding Report: Via Mobility Services. Dena Boutwell/Depurty General Manager and Adriana Torres/Operations Manager provided an overview of the services provided in Estes Park. They stated an Al assistant was deployed to assist riders 24/7. They further noted Via was on a trajectory to provide 300 additional rides in 2026. Trustee Mieras stated her support for the service and thanked Via for providing the service to the hospital for patients. Action Items: 1. Policy 404 Public Art and Policy 405 Civic and Public Service Recognition. Director Careccia stated Art in Public Places (AIPP) program was created by the Park Advisory Board and Public Works staff in 2015 and administered through Policy 880 Public Art Policy. The policy addresses selection, acquisition, installation, and maintenance of art on Town-owned property or facilities or on private property if public funds are used. The Board reviewed proposed revisions to the policy to address plaques honoring civic service and the creation of a formal program to recognize individuals with significant civic and public service contributions to the community. Staff proposed moving the administration of the policy from Public Works to Community Development with Policy 404, with Public Works maintaining a significant role in retaining responsibility for arts within Town parks. The Internal Services Department has been added to evaluate and approve a plan to protect and preserve art when construction, remodeling, painting, or repair may be needed. Policy 405 would establish a process to recognize up to two (2) individuals per year to be nominated and if approved establish a plaque to be displayed in a Town facility. Board discussion was heard and summarized: Trustee Lancaster questioned what the policy was trying to fix and why a policy would be needed when the Board currently could address recognition without the policy; a Study Session in March provided staff direction on the development of a recognition policy; could support the development of guidelines and criteria for the recognition of an individual's service but not the current proposed policy; the recognition should be ad-hoc; and concerned with the limitation on two individuals per year. It was moved and seconded (Brown/Hazelton) to approve Policy 404 Public Art Policy, and it passed unanimously. It was moved and seconded (Lancaster/lgel) to deny Policy 405 Civic and Public Service Recognition, and it passed with Mayor Half and Mayor Pro Tem Hazelton voting "Yes" and Trustee Brown recusing himself. 2. Revised Policy 671 Town Funding of Outside Entities. Management Analyst Simpson presented a revised policy to remove the Estes Nonprofit Network from the list of entities eligible to apply for Base Funding as the organization would cease to Board of Trustees - July 14, 2026 - Page 3 exist as of December 31, 2026. The policy language was broadened from "Town Administrator's Office: to "the Town" in reference to deliverables. An additional clarification was made to the reporting requirements for Community Initiative Funding. Town Board comments and questions were heard and have been summarized: The Chamber Foundation has taken on many of the functions of the Estes Park Nonprofit Network and they should be eligible for base funding as an eligible entity; commented on the need to review the Foundation's results before adding them to base funding and the need to review the process and guidelines on how an entity becomes eligible for base funding, where it was noted the Board can consider adding entities at anytime with the understanding of the budget timelines; a review of the funding needs by the Foundation should occur outside of the revisions to the policy; any change to the list of eligible entities should be noticed and included in the packet materials; and it was noted the Estes Park Nonprofit Network would transfer unexpended funds, including Town base funding for 2026 to the Foundation. Scott Larrimore/Town resident encouraged the policy clearly outline how an entity could become base funded. It was moved and seconded (Brown/Igel) to approve Revised Policy 671 Town Funding of Outside Entities, and it passed with Mayor Hall voting "No". Report and Discussion Items: 1. Estes Valley Childcare Facility Master Plan. Executives Partnering to Invest in Childcare (EPIC) members Alethea Gomez, Joe Zanone, and Nathaniel Budd presented the final Childcare Facility Master Plan as required by the grant funding received from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). The final report did not recommend a specific childcare facility site for development, but instead, identified three facility development models that could be used to guide future childcare investment opportunities, funding, and community needs. The Master Plan recommended two DOLA best practices to support policy direction: 1) Childcare- friendly land use and zoning that makes it easier to develop, expand, or adapt facilities for childcare use in appropriate locations, and 2) A public-private childcare infrastructure partnership strategy that supports facility development and operation. The Town Board accepted the Plan as presented. 2. Request For Temporary Use of Lot 4 For Customer Parking at The Stanley. Deputy Town Administrator Damweber presented a request from the Stanley Hotel to temporarily permit customer parking on the portion of Lot 4, Stanley Historic District where construction staging and work crew parking has been permitted during construction. In 2014, the citizens voted to approve the sale of Lot 4 to Grand Heritage Hotel Company subject to certain terms outlined in a Restrictive Use Covenant: either 1) One or more facilities with integrated programs and operations focused on promoting wellness through lifestyle changes; or 2) Open space reserved for common use and enjoyment by the owners and the occupants of Lot 4. In 2024, the Town issued a grading permit to the Stanley Hotel for secondary temporary dirt stockpile location during construction of the Film Center with provisions. In May 2026, the Town received a request by the contractor to allow temporary parking for construction crews, which was permitted and seen as less impactful to the site physically and visually, with an emphasis on only construction crew vehicles and not hotel customers. In late June, a representative of the Stanley Hotel requested customer parking on Lot 4. Staff proposed the Town Board discuss the restrictions in the Covenant and provide direction if it could be temporarily waived to allow customer parking. Town Board comments were heard and have been summarized: Mayor Hall stated after a review of documents it appeared restrictions on parking was not noted, and therefore he would be in favor of a waiver to allow parking. Trustee Brown commented open space must be free of any structures, questioned the need for a temporary use permit for parking during construction, noted the ballot initiative was 12 years ago and the owner has property rights, and would support allowing the temporary parking, as well as allowing them to charge for parking. Trustee Lancaster noted the voters approved the sale of the property for a wellness center or open space which was Board of Trustees - July 14,2026 - Page 4 clearly defined in the restrictive covenant and does not have an expiration date. He further noted the Town has an ethical, fiduciary responsibility to follow the will of the voters. Trustee Mieras stated her support to allow the temporary parking lot through the duration of the project and maybe beyond. Trustee Igel commented the level of discontent of the community would be easy to measure if the Board were to allow paid parking on Lot 4 as it was clear what the land could be used for during the election, and would now be disrespectful to allow paid parking on the lot. He stated further concern with the temporary use permits that have been allowed on the lot. Trustee Eshelman commented on his previous work in excavation which clearly defined open space as a natural area and not a driveway or a parking lot, therefore, he would not be in support of a temporary parking lot. Mayor Pro Tem Hazelton stated the Stanley Hotel has supported the Town economically, however, the temporary use of the land as a parking lot does not support the purposes outlined in the covenant. Whereupon Mayor Hall adjourned the meeting at 9:04 p.m. Gary Hall, Mayor s. * ^ . . ^ . ~^ . <— <-; ^ _. ^~^=!^^^ Jac?ki^ Williamson, Town Clerku