HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES CompPAC 2021-09-23Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, September 23, 2021
Minutes of a Regular meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory
Committee of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting
held via ZOOM in said Town of Estes Park on September 23 2021.
Committee:
Also Attending:
Chair Matthew Heiser, Vice-Chair Bob Leavitt, Members
David Bangs, Eric Blackhurst, Chuck Cooper, Kirby
Nelson-Hazelton, John Schnipkoweit, Karen Thompson,
Rose Truman, David Wolf, David Bangs, David Shirk
Community Development Director Randy Hunt, Community
Development Director Jessica Garner, Larimer County
Community Development Director Lesli Ellis, Trustee Barbara
MacAlpine, Senior Planner Jeff Woeber, Recording Secretary
Charlie Rugaber
Absent: Member Kennedy, Member Comstock, Member Cooper
Chair Heiser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
It was moved and seconded (Wolf/Blackhurst) to approve the agenda. Chair Heiser
requested the following changes: The motion passed with a visual thumbs-up vote.
PUBLIC COMMENT.
None
ACTION ITEM:
1.Approval of Minutes from August 12, 2021
2.Approval of Minutes from September 9, 2021
It was moved and seconded (Blackhurst/Wolf) to approve the minutes. The motion
passed with a visual thumbs-up vote. Approval of the August 26 meeting was tabled
to the October 7 meeting due to administrative complications.
DISCUSSION ITEMS: (all comments have been summarized)
OTHER:
1.Museum Director Derek Fortini presented a PowerPoint on the Estes Park
Museum regarding its history, what they do, and its future vision. Committee
members were shown the historic collection database that the museum regularly
updates.
Chair Heiser opened the meeting up to questions and comments from the
committee for Derek.
2.Chair Heiser discussed the need to solidify the October, November, and
December meeting schedules. Polling was 9 to 1 to hold meetings on the 1st and
3rd Thursday of the next three months. Due to Chair Heiser's absence from the
October 7th meeting, Vice-Chair Leavitt will run the meeting.
3.Director Hunt informed the committee of the visioning homework responses. He
described the process of part 2 of the visioning statement exercise in which
members will be assigned to breakout rooms to discuss how they THINK Estes
Park will change over the next 20 years and how they HOPE Estes Park will
change over the next 20 years.
CompPAC – Sep 23, 2021 – Page 2
Members broke up into breakout rooms administered by Director Hunt, Director
Garner, and Senior Planner Woeber to discuss Part 2 of the Visioning Statement
Exercise.
Director Hunt's Room – Visioning conversations focused around security and the
protection/insulation from change. Change is inevitable, but we need to provide
safety security from natural hazards and social insecurity for housing, food, and
similar basic needs to weather the change effectively. Empathy and the need to
reduce divisiveness are vital for a community with many people of different socio-
economic backgrounds and a growing population. There is an expectation of
growth in our downtown core over the next 20 years, and the need for reliable
services is very critical. We will still want to feel secure, safe, and part of a caring
community that works together throughout the year, not just seasonally.
Childcare was also an important topic discussed.
Director Garner's Room – Our community needs to be adaptable to the
sustainability needs due to climate change. The population will continue to grow,
and we need to address this growth with strategic development and our ability to
meet resource needs with maintenance and development of infrastructure.
"We/They" problems will continue into the next 20 years and continuously need
to be addressed. Tourism is and has historically been a driving force in Estes. It
is essential to balance the amenities in Estes (scenery, access to nature, wildlife)
with the human needs we face here (jobs, housing, education). How can we be
more welcoming? We need more interconnected walkable and bikeable access
across town and the surrounding communities, and lots of in-town options for
entertainment and recreation when the Park is full (echo recreation).
Senior Planner Woeber's Room – Vibrancy, resiliency, and economic and cultural
sustainability are vital to our community. Resiliency suggests that we are
adaptive to change and proactive. With growth in the general population and
especially youth, infrastructure will need to be adapted to fit the change in our
economic and social needs. Stagnation would have a negative impact on the
future of our community. The visioning statement drafted by this group is "Estes
Park strives to welcome all to enjoy the outdoors as a place to visit, live and
work, investing in a vibrant, resilient and inclusive community."
There being no further business, Chair Heiser adjourned the meeting at 11:00 a.m.
Charlie Rugaber, Recording Secretary
Karin Swanlund, Recording Secretary