HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Study Session 2015-05-12
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado May 12, 2015
Minutes of a Study Session meeting of the TOWN BOARD 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 12th day of May, 2015.
Board: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Koenig, Trustees Ericson,
Holcomb, Nelson, Norris and Phipps
Attending: All
Also Attending: Town Administrator Lancaster, Assistant Town Administrator
Machalek, Town Attorney White and Town Clerk Williamson
Absent: None
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
TRUSTEE COMMENTS & QUESTIONS.
Trustee Phipps requested an executive session at the next Board meeting to discuss
the legal issues related to the Loop project.
Trustee Koenig commented the packet material presented to the Board should be
higher level and not so detailed in an effort to maintain focus on the main issue and not
the minor details of a project. Additional details such as drawings could be provided as
a link for those who need further details.
Trustee Norris thanked staff for the grand opening of the Event Center. The Visit Estes
Park Board has conducted a self evaluation and would be adopting policies such as the
Town Board’s governing policy and code of conduct.
Trustee Holcomb stated concern with the sound system at the Event Center. Mayor Pro
Tem Koenig informed the Board not all the equipment was in use during the grand
opening and there were issues with the fish tank interfering with the sound system.
Administrator Lancaster stated sound baffles were not installed and staff would continue
to review the sound in the building.
FUTURE STUDY SESSION AGENDA ITEMS.
Board agreed to the following changes to future study sessions:
- Basic Zoning Law and Development Code – August 11, 2015
- April Financial Statement – June 9, 2015
- Draft Financial Policy Review – July 28, 2015
- Noise ordinance was approved and moved to the unscheduled list.
Trustee Norris requested the proposed wildlife ordinance be discussed in conjunction
with the vacation homes.
Trustee Ericson stated the conference center remodel should be removed from the
study session list and added to the projects list.
DRY GULCH ROAD CONSTRUCTION ISSUES.
The Dry Gulch roadway was identified in 2012 as the first capital roadway project to be
completed once a revenue source was identified. Since the passage of the 1A sales tax
increase in April of 2014 staff has been working on the design of the roadway with
Farnsworth. The Board requested the repairs include the roadway surface,
Town Board Study Session – May 12, 2015 – Page 2
improvements to the impeded drainage, and creation of a pedestrian walkway on one
side of the roadway with curb, gutter, drainage culverts/inlets and a sidewalk consistent
with Town codes. In the past 2 years there has been a community wide movement to
include bike lanes and multi-modal forms of transportation to the roadway system. Bike
lanes of 5 feet in each direction require the roadway to have an additional 10 feet of
right-of-way, which would increase the cost, require additional road base, asphalt, utility
relocations, and the need to acquire additional right-of-way were necessary. The
original 2011 road design included curb and gutter, 8 foot sidewalk to the east, drainage
improvement and utility relocation at a cost of $1.67 million. The addition of bike lanes,
right-of-way acquisition, retaining walls, realignment of the road, recreational trail
crossing US Hwy 34 and an attached 5 foot pedestrian walk has increased the
estimated cost to $3.73 million. A roadway and pedestrian walk only would be $3.03
million and a roadway and bike lanes would cost $3.08 million. The 2015 estimate to
complete the roadway only has been estimated at $1.76 million. The significant cost
increase for the walk or the bike lane was largely due to the inability to successfully
negotiate additional right-of-way from the property to the east requiring large retaining
walls along the west edge of the roadway.
The Board discussed the options with comments summarized: some concern other
projects would be delayed by spending all available funds on one project; the top priority
would be fixing the roadway; multi-modal projects should connect to existing areas to
create connectivity; the Falcon Ridge project would bring an additional 40 plus homes to
the area making this a prime area to connect to the trail system; and public safety
should be considered and a trail would provide a walk way and a biking path.
Staff comments are summarized: moving the pedestrian walk to the west side would
eliminate approximately $500,000 in handrail costs; the walk could be widened from 5
feet to 8 feet to create a multi-use trail for an additional $90,000 in cement and retaining
wall costs; and a detached walk would require right-of-way acquisition along the entire
length of the roadway.
Board consensus was to move forward with the roadway and 8 foot wide trail on the
west side with no handrail. Trustee Phipps stated concern the Town should address the
status of the roadways throughout town. Mayor Pro Tem Koenig suggested the Town
should coordinate with the school to accommodate bus stops and perhaps bus shelters
along the roadway. Staff would move forward with final design, conduct bidding
process and bring forward the final bids for the Board’s consideration.
UPDATE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (EDC) BROADBAND
PROJECT. The Estes Park Economic Development Corporation and the Town
contracted with NEO Fiber to complete a Broadband Expansion Technical Assistance
Strategy Project funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration grant
awarded in 2014. The project began in February 2015 and would be completed in 5 to
6 months. There are 5 phases to the project including Phase 1 – Needs Assessment,
Market Analysis and Business Plan; Phase 2 – Stakeholder Support; Phase 3 – Design
and Engineering; Phase 4 – Development of Business Model; and Phase 5 – Financial
Planning and Funds Sourcing.
Diane Kruse/NEO Fiber CEO provided the Board with an update on the project and an
overview of the discussion on organizational structure and service models. Broadband
infrastructure is a critical infrastructure need and necessary to support economic
development, local tourism, industry, schools and students, and healthcare. The needs
for broadband double every two years. She stated an assessment was conducted to
determine gaps of services and coverage, how to expand service, regulatory issues,
Platte River Power Authorities infrastructure to serve future business and residential
needs, and the communities interest and involvement. The design and build out to the
anchor institutions such as schools, hospital, government and key businesses would be
completed in the next couple of months. Over 60% of the infrastructure costs are
Town Board Study Session – May 12, 2015 – Page 3
related to placement of the fiber; therefore, placing conduit in the right-of-ways during
major projects would save money in future infrastructure upgrades.
The Town’s level of involvement in providing services could be one of the following:
Infrastructure Owner: Dark fiber, land, towers, and conduit.
Government Services Provider: Anchors, stakeholders, and larger businesses.
Open Access Provider: Build out infrastructure and a service provider uses the
network to provide service to the end user.
Retail Services Businesses: Internet service provider.
Retail Services Business and Residential: Town becomes internet provider.
The Town may choose one of the above service models and does not have to become
an internet provider; however, the Town could be the provider and would not be limited
by regulatory limitations. The Town may have access to grant and funding opportunities
that providers would not have access to. In considering this option the Town would
need to consider the financial and political risks against the community reward
(financial, economic development, affordability, redundancy and abundant broadband).
Take rates are higher when a government services provider is involved.
The organizational structure would include a public utility, a Town department,
consortium, non-profit or a public/private partnership. The Town already has the staff
and equipment to provide the infrastructure to create a public utility. As a Town
department there could be the development of policies such as the dig once policy,
broadband friendly practices, and any abandoned fiber would revert to Town ownership.
A consortium would not be recommended due to decision making process. A non-profit
would mitigate any transparency issues. A public/private partnership would allow the
Town to provide the infrastructure and the service provider to build out and provide the
service.
Mayor Pro Tem Koenig stated the Board informed the voters during the Broadband
election that the government would not compete with the local providers; therefore, the
Town would not become a service provider.
The next steps would include design and engineering, financial modeling and
recommendations and a go forward business plan.
DISCUSS THE PROCESS OF JOINING THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION
DISTRICT (RTD). Item to be discussed at the Town Board meeting.
There being no further business, Mayor Pinkham adjourned the meeting at 6:50 p.m.
Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk