HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Study Session 2012-07-24
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, July 24, 2012
Minutes of a Regular meeting of the TOWN BOARD STUDY SESSION
of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held at
Town Hall in Rooms 202/203 in said Town of Estes Park on the 24th
day of July, 2012.
Board: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst, Trustees Elrod,
Ericson, Koenig, Norris, and Phipps
Attending: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst, Trustees Elrod,
Ericson, Koenig, Norris, and Phipps
Also Attending: Town Administrator Lancaster, Assistant Town Administrator
Richardson, Dir. Zurn, Manager Winslow, Town Attorney
White, and Deputy Town Clerk Deats
Absent: None
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
STALL BARN MASTER PLAN OVERVIEW.
Manager Winslow introduced the design team from Norris Design that includes Elena
Scott, Ken O’Bryan, and Glen Calvert. The team has been working on a design for a
stall barn that is proposed to be located in the northwest quadrant of the Stanley Park
Fairgrounds to replace barns currently at the southeast corner of the property. In
addition, the scope of work also included taking a look at existing buildings and
infrastructure throughout the entire property to develop a master plan design that would
be functional, flexible, and provide safe flow throughout the property for animals,
spectators, users of the facility, and operations personnel.
Ms. Scott reviewed a three-phase process the design team will be following, which
includes gathering stakeholder input and meeting with residents in the surrounding
neighborhoods, and the objectives to be met during each phase. She stated the design
team is looking for direction from the Board in regard to a definite location for the
structure and its intended use. She emphasized that the location of the stall barn will
affect the functionality of the entire property and future construction projects on the site.
Four concepts were presented with options ranging from a U-type occupancy for the
stall barn which is strictly agricultural to an A3-Assemly occupancy for a mixed-use
facility with heat, restrooms, and offices. An A3 use would be necessary in order to hold
events such as Winterfest, the Heritage Festival, and other functions such as car shows
and art shows in the facility. The concepts include landscaping and buffers between the
facility and adjacent residential properties to help in addressing neighborhood concerns.
Ms. Scott said that consideration was also given to the Senior Center and the Museum
and ways those organizations might utilize a multi-use facility. She noted that aspects
from any of the concept designs could be combined to refine the design into one master
plan. She said certain characteristics are common to all four concepts: 1. Reaching a
goal of having a total of 500 stalls on the property; 2. A northwest quadrant location for
the stall barn; 3. Warm-up arena adjacent to the stall barn; 4. Location of the feed
barn; and 5. Ring-type access to ease deliveries and operations.
Concept A included a 30,000 sq. ft. stall barn, and connected buildings housing a multi-
purpose event center (MPEC), stall barn and Indoor arena/stall barn.
Concept B included a 21,300 sq. ft. stall barn, but no MPEC.
Concept C included a 21,300 sq. ft. stall barn, and an attached MPEC and stall barn.
Concept D included a 21,300 sq. ft. stall barn, a separate MPEC, additional stall barns,
and an indoor arena. Each concept design showed several phases of construction with
Phase One being the construction of the stall barn. The designers noted that the best
Town Board Study Session – July 24, 2012 – Page 2
functionality will be realized by having the stall barns located close to each other which
will concentrate livestock in one area of the site. This will aid in operations, distribution
of hay, and clean up; as well as address safety concerns by keeping the public away
from the animals. For a strictly agricultural use bathrooms would not be required to be
built and the building may or may not need to be sprinkled. Plumbing could be roughed-
in to accommodate conversion to a mixed-use building in the future. An A3 use would
require the construction of restrooms with 11 toilets for women and six for men, a
sprinkling system, more extensive lighting and ventilation systems, and higher level
finishes. Costs associated with building the basic barn with 10’ x 12’ stalls would be
approximately $75 per square foot for a total of $1.7 million; to upgrade to a mixed-use
structure would increase the building square footage and raise the price to
approximately $95 per square foot for a total of approximately $2.5 million. These
figures include a 10% contingency.
Discussion is summarized: the 2005 master plan utilized the southeast corner of the
property for stall barns; structures on the SE corner can be financed differently than
those located on other areas of the property where deed restrictions exist; financing
options exist including Certificates of Participation, revenue bonds, and collateralizing
with Town-owned property; the design team was asked to concentrate on the northwest
quadrant of the property as a location for the stall barn; future planning for the Senior
Center and Museum need to be considered; the concepts being presented allow the
Town to have flexibility in using the remainder of the site; a large indoor arena would
require a height variance; be aware of view corridors in designing structures; user
groups would like to see a versatile barn with removable stalls to provide space for a
variety of events; and neighborhood concerns include traffic on 4th Street.
Trustee Koenig said that people using the facilities at the Fairgrounds need to have
access to restrooms. At this point the closest bathrooms to the proposed barn are
located in the grandstands. She noted that restroom facilities should also be provided
for people utilizing the transportation hub parking lot.
Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst asked if it makes sense to build a $2.5 million dollar mixed-
use stall barn when the Town is in the process of drafting a Request for Proposal (RFP)
for a pro forma for a 33,000 square foot, plumbed, heated, insulated MPEC with stall
barns, offices, a catering kitchen, parking and landscaping. The Trustees concurred
that information related to the pro forma is critical to the decision-making process. The
Board expressed a need for a long-term capital program that will provide continuity
through changes in the composition of the Board, and suggested discussion continue at
the August 2nd meeting of the Board. Trustees Ericson and Elrod voiced support for the
construction of a basic stall barn to remove the liability issues that may arise by
continuing to utilize the barns located at the SE corner of the property.
Town Administrator Lancaster said the evening’s presentation and discussion
emphasized flexibility and noted that a single purpose building will result in a single
stream of revenue coming back to the Town. He said due to time constraints, he will
conduct a poll of the Trustees related to their thoughts on location of the stall barn and
whether to pursue moving forward with a basic stall barn or a mixed-use building with
discussion to continue on August 2nd if necessary. Also, Town Administrator Lancaster
agreed that permanent restrooms for users of the transportation hub are needed and
should be addressed as a separate matter.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS.
This item was not discussed due to a shortage of time.
There being no further business, Mayor Pinkham adjourned the meeting at 6:50 p.m.
Cynthia Deats, Deputy Town Clerk