HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Study Session 2012-09-25
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, September 25, 2012
Minutes of a Study Session meeting of the TOWN BOARD of the Town
of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held at Museum
Meeting Room in said Town of Estes Park on the 25th day of
September, 2012.
Board: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst, Trustees, Elrod,
Ericson, Koenig, Norris and Phipps
Attending: All
Also Attending: Town Administrator Lancaster, Assistant Town Administrator
Richardson, Chief Kufeld, Director Bergsten, McFarland and
Zurn, and Town Clerk Williamson
Absent: None
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
REVIEW 2013 BOARD OBJECTIVES
Administrator Lancaster stated the Board would develop a list of objectives the Board
would like to accomplish in the following year. The Board held a retreat in August to
discuss and develop objectives as they relate to the long range goals. He also
reiterated the definition of a goal: A goal should be a general guideline that explains
what you want to achieve, long term, or a global vision that has an end statement.
Goals should be attainable, measurable and specific, with a clear objective and have a
definable end date. A clearly defined goal allows the Board and staff to know when it
has been completed. The Board provided further clarification on each of the proposed
2013 objectives.
Develop Economic Strategy
• Develop and adopt a policy defining the Town’s role in economic development by
the end of the first quarter.
• Complete an internal audit of town services and information to support business
expansion and new businesses by the end of the 2nd quarter. (Includes review of
impact of town regulations on business attraction and expansion and information
available on the town website)
• Continue to participate in county, regional and state economic planning.
• Improve transportation.
• Complete financing and begin construction on a parking structure at the Visitor
Center by December 31, 2013, with anticipated completion by June 2014, based
on grant funding.
Improve and Maintain Infrastructure
• Implement a street maintenance/improvement program by April 1, 2013.
• Explore external funding options for street improvement plans.
• Present a plan to address groundwater issues with the closed landfill on Elm Road
by March 31, 2013.
• Address management of Town owned buildings by May 31, 2013.
• Adopted a new 10 year plan for the Water department by the end of 2013,
coordinated with plans for streets and other utilities.
Stanley Park Redevelopment
• Complete stall barn construction and/or begin construction on the Multi Purpose
Events Center (MPEFC) by May 15, 2013.
Town Board Study Session – September 25, 2012 – Page 2
Bond Park Redevelopment
• Complete Bond Park Master Plan Phase 5.
• Issue RFP for the next phase of Bond Park redevelopment for design in 2013 with
completion in 2014.
Administration
• Adopt a plan to address ongoing capital needs, comprehensive capital
improvement plan, including financing alternatives.
• Adopt Governing policies for the Board by March 1, 2013.
• Develop and adopt a strategic planning process by May 31, 2013.
• Complete a review of all IGAs and MOUs for Town Appointed Committees and a
review of all MOUs with outside partner organizations (Ambassadors, Western
Heritage, etc.)
BEAR AND WILDLIFE ISSUES
An Ad-Hoc committee met on September 10, 2012 to discuss the issues related to
wildlife (specifically bears)/human interactions in and around town. This meeting was
assembled after the community open house to discuss the issue on August 9, 2012.
The Ad-Hoc committee broke the issue into three main areas including education, Town
operations and regulations.
Education: An education campaign aimed at specific target audiences (residents, lodge
owners, restaurants operators and visitors) to teach people how to bear-proof their
properties and eliminate the attraction to bears. Key points to be covered include: how
to secure trash and garbage; securing or eliminating other sources of attraction, such as
bird feeders, and pet food, etc.; bear cards, similar to the elk cards currently distributed
by the Police; and a consistent message from the Town, lodging facilities, businesses
and the National Park. The Town through the Public Information Officer, will coordinate
a coalition represented by Town government, DOPW, YMCA, waste haulers,
businesses, Estes Area Lodging Association, Bears are Us and Visit Estes Park to
implement an educational campaign prior to next spring.
Town Operations: It is recommended that the Town work to convert municipally owned
trash receptacles to bear resistant models. The Town has approximately 140 trash
cans with an estimated cost of $168,000 to replace with bear resistant receptacles.
Staff would begin researching grant funding options to offset the cost of conversion, and
to possibly phase in the replacement, starting in areas with higher bear activity. Other
mountain communities would be contacted to see what types of containers work best,
both for bear resistance and ease of use for humans.
Regulation: The Police have increased enforcement of current trash ordinances. The
Town also has existing development requirements for more recent developments
requiring bear resistant trash containers, which are out of compliance. Inspections
should be increased to ensure compliance with existing development requirements.
Additional regulations could range from a Resolution to encourage the use of bear
resistant trash container with no enforcement to a highly restrictive Ordinance requiring
all trash haulers to be licensed to operate within the Town with a condition the
companies would supply only bear resistant containers to their customers, and a
condition they would only collect and haul garbage from bear resistant containers. Any
regulation passed by the Town would only be enforced within Town limits.
Other possible options discussed included declaring a week as Bear Aware week
and/or the development of a checklist to help businesses and acknowledge businesses
which are doing a good job to maintain trash.
POLICY GOVERNANCE
Administrator Lancaster stated the Board directed staff to draft policy governance
policies to provide a framework for operations of the Town Board as the governing body
of the Town. Policy Governance consists of four distinct areas: Governance,
Town Board Study Session – September 25, 2012 – Page 3
Board/Staff linkage, Staff Limitations and Ends. He presented the first draft of
Governance and two related policies: Town Boards, Commissions, Councils and
Committees, and Board of Trustees Division of Responsibilities.
Board comments included: the document needs to be specific and consistent as to what
Boards are being referred to throughout the document; under 1.8 change the word shall
to may appoint; appropriate to be replaced with acceptable cost; add 1.11 Abstention to
allow the Board members to abstain or recuse themselves from a vote; 1.1.6 replace
regularly with review when needed by the Board; 1.1.8 replace any with all Town Board
members; 1.1.9 replace the word baggage; 1.2.4 reference Colorado State Constitution
Article 29; and 1.3 add a section to address communications during a time of
crisis/emergency.
The additional sections of the policy would be reviewed at a future meeting.
There being no further business, Mayor Pinkham adjourned the meeting at 6:50 p.m.
Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk