HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Study Session 2012-12-11
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, December 11, 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 11th
day of December, 2012.
Board: Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst, Trustees Elrod, Ericson, Koenig,
Norris, and Phipps
Attending: Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst, Trustees Elrod, Ericson, Koenig,
Norris, and Phipps
Also Attending: Town Administrator Lancaster, Dir. Zurn, Town Attorney
White, and Deputy Town Clerk Deats
Absent: Mayor Pinkham, Assistant Town Administrator Richardson
Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst called the meeting to order at 5:10 p.m.
GRANT OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSPORTATION VISIONING COMMITTEE (TVC)
RECOMMENDATION.
Current transportation funding legislation, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st
Century (MAP-21), through the Federal Lands Access Program under the Office of
Federal Lands Highway has provided the Town with a grant opportunity for funding to
address transportation needs between the Town and Rocky Mountain National Park.
The program goal is to improve state and local transportation facilities that are within,
adjacent to, or that provide access to, federal land. Eligible projects under the program
would include, but are not limited to, geometry changes, moving highways, constructing
bypasses, as well as transit, parking structures, parking spaces, and trails; and require
a 10% financial match by the entity receiving the grant monies. Dir. Zurn stated that the
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has no plans within the next 25 years
to fund a project that would address the capacity and congestion issues in Estes Park,
and said a grant opportunity through MAP-21 could be pursued to improve capacity by
implementing recommendations from the 2003 transportation study and/or suggestions
of the Transportation Visioning Committee (TVC). A recommendation of both the 2003
study and the TVC utilizes Riverside Drive to remove the state highway through the
middle of downtown and re-route westbound traffic. He stated that a Call for Projects
under the Federal Lands Access Program through the Office of Federal Lands Highway
is scheduled for January 2013, and asked if the Board had interest in pursuing funding
for a qualifying project.
Discussion among the Board related to interest in pursuing a MAP-21 grant is
summarized: a project would need to be identified as soon as possible to allow time to
prepare a competitive document for submission; the scheduled Call for Projects does
not allow time to obtain public input; the 2003 study and the TVC both had public input
components; the grant could fund the completion of trails and long-range planning for
the trail system has been discussed since the 1980s; the grant coincides with two major
Board objectives; the chosen project(s) must help reduce congestion; preferable to
choose one large project instead of numerous smaller projects; transit or parking
projects would affect only 2 to 3 per cent of the public, while re-routing the highway may
affect 80% to 90% of the public; re-routing the state highway could involve acquisition of
easements and eminent domain issues; highway alignment would need to fit state
standards; bigger question is does community want this; Elkhorn Avenue would revert
to being a Town road; support finishing trail system into RMNP and constructing parking
and transit improvements rather than focusing on a massive engineering solution that
will disrupt the community; this is a funding opportunity that may not happen again; and
other grants exist that could help with finishing the trail system and building parking
garages.
Town Board Study Session – December 11, 2012 – Page 2
Dir. Zurn said that hiring a consultant to look at a re-alignment project, and/or other
smaller projects, would cost in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $7,000 per project; and
would provide the Board with broad-brush details and rough cost estimates to aid in
making a decision as to whether to pursue the grant monies. He noted that funds
remain in the Public Works 2012 budget that could be used to pay the consultant fees.
The Trustees discussed identifying three projects for a consultant to study with Mayor
Pro Tem and Trustee Elrod disagreeing stating that the Board’s focus should be
projects that have already been identified and researched. Trustees Ericson, Koenig,
Norris, and Phipps said they would be willing to pay a consultant to gather additional
information to be used in making a decision related to this funding opportunity. Staff will
bring additional information to the Board related to pros and cons, benefits, risks,
uncertainties and costs of pursuing the MAP-21 grant monies.
DEFINE BOARD MEETING ITEMS VS. STUDY SESSION ITEMS.
Study sessions will be informational and educational sessions. Agenda items will be
complex topics, topics requiring in depth discussion, and/or topics on which staff will be
providing information and background to the Board. The study session will be used for
informal discussion and allow the Board to give direction to staff to be utilized to prepare
a final recommendation to be brought to the Trustees as an action item at a Town Board
meeting.
DEFINE BOARD DIRECTION VS. BOARD APPROVAL.
Attorney White said the Trustees have the opportunity to state their opinions at the
study session, and based on these opinions staff will make a determination as to
whether to move forward. He encouraged the Board members to state their opinions,
agreements, and/or disagreements on topics noting that silence can be misinterpreted.
In addition in regard to the open meeting laws, he reminded the Board that a single
email communication is not a problem and does not constitute a meeting. However
emailing multiple people can inadvertently become a meeting, and stated that
expressing an opinion or expressing support for a topic should be done in a public
meeting setting.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS.
Addition to March 12, 2013, Study Session Agenda – Distribution of FOSH Funds.
There being no further business, Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst adjourned the meeting at
6:45 p.m.
Cynthia Deats, Deputy Town Clerk