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Laura Lucero

Palmer Lake Board of Trustees Workshop, July 10 – Advisory committee presents Elephant Rock analysis

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

On July 10, the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees held a workshop at which the Elephant Rock Property Citizen Advisory Committee presented the results of its work to organize and analyze the suggestions from residents for development of the 28-acre property. Mayor Glant Havenar and Trustees Shana Ball, Kevin Dreher, Nick Ehrhardt, and Dennis Stern attended the workshop; Trustees Jessica Farr and Samantha Padget were absent.

The 10-member committee included Co-Chairs Susan Miner and Bill Fisher, Jina Brenneman and Jennifer Rausch representing the Palmer Lakes Arts Council, Cindy Power and John Tool representing the Palmer Lake Parks Commission, Atis Jurka and Karen Stuth representing the Palmer Lake Economic Development Group, and Larry Bobo and Cathy Wilcox serving as citizens at large.

The committee organized all the suggestions it considered viable and its comments on those suggestions into a binder presented to the board and available on the town’s website here: www.townofpalmerlake.com/media/15291.

Committee vision and mission

Miner told the board the committee’s vision was to create parkland and open space for the benefit and enjoyment of citizen owners that celebrates community, culture, history, the arts, and the natural environment in the spirit of the Chautauqua movement. The committee’s mission was to acknowledge that the property is beautiful and diverse and must be self-sustaining while maintaining harmony between economic development and land use regulations.

Miner said the committee thought of the property as belonging to the whole town, and the committee’s work was based on the town’s master plan. She said that Richard and Lindsay Willan’s Eco Spa and a potential public safety building had not been considered in the committee’s efforts.

The committee is made up of five subcommittees: site planning, income capacity, funding sources, culture and arts, and parks, Miner said. (The parks subcommittee did not make a presentation at the workshop.) The overall committee considered preserving the landscape and views, fire mitigation, reducing the potential for noise and light pollution, and promoting opportunities to improve quality of life for residents. The status of the cabins, the need for asbestos mitigation, lack of funding, and public safety were “elephants in the room,” Miner said.

Site planning

Fisher told the board the site plan focused on documenting existing conditions. He said the site planning subcommittee had settled on consistent names for the buildings at the site: the Lodge, the Chapel, the Pavilion, the Long Building, the Cabins, the Annex, and the Utility Barn. Fisher said the site planning subcommittee did not favor using the site for a shopping center, but he acknowledged the need for revenue from the site.

Fisher said the Lodge could be developed into a boutique hotel, and he presented a slide that showed a hotel, an open space on the eastern side of the property, the Willans’ spa, and a park on the western side of the property adjacent to the creek.

Culture and arts

Miner said the idea of using the site as a cultural district, where cultural facilities and programs serve as anchors, came up in a couple ways. Cultural districts attract funding, she said.

Brenneman, representing the culture and arts subcommittee, recalled Palmer Lake in the 1970s, when it was more a village than a town and summer classes and ballet classes were available. She presented information from a 2022 study by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region that showed the arts supported nearly 3,000 jobs and generated $184 million in economic activity.

Brenneman discussed the use of the kitchen in the Lodge as a fine dining restaurant. The site could accommodate a history museum, artists in residence, a sculpture park, and a nature center, she said. She encouraged the board to take the long view and to protect the property.

Income capacity

Jurka, representing the subcommittee focused on revenue generation, said the main question relative to revenue was who would manage the property. He pointed out there are insurance and maintenance costs, but no revenue is coming in at present. He suggested three things to generate revenue in the short term: an athletic field that could be rented, the Pavilion could be rented, and picnic tables could be installed and rented. He also suggested the Lodge could be rented.

Sources of funding

Cathy Wilcox listed several ways to fund the development of the property:

  • Federal, state and local grants.
  • Municipal bonds.
  • Mill levy overrides.
  • Crowd funding.
  • Revenue from parking.
  • Fees.
  • Sales taxes.
  • Sponsorships.
  • Endowments with naming rights.

She said she had contacted Panorama Property Management.

Next steps

Miner suggested the board hold an open house at the property. She recommended the formation of a new committee to further analyze suggestions and possibly hire a property manager. Miner said a grant was available to hire a property manager. She said the buildings needed to be secured.

Mayor Havenar asked the board how much time they needed to digest the information presented by the committee. The consensus was two weeks, and the board would send questions to the committee by July 18. Another workshop was scheduled before the July 25 board meeting.

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All meetings will be held at the Town Hall. See the town’s website at www.townofpalmerlake.com to confirm times and dates of board meetings and workshops. Meetings are typically held on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at the Town Hall. Information: 719-481-2953.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Palmer Lake Board of Trustees articles

Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, July 11 and 25 – Elephant Rock discussion becomes contentious

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

The future of the Elephant Rock property was the focus of the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees (PLBOT) at its board meetings in July. The board also held two workshops devoted to the question. For coverage of the first workshop, held on July 10, see article on page < 11 >. The Elephant Rock Property Citizen Advisory Committee (ERPCA) delivered to the board the results of its months-long analysis of the suggestions for the property submitted by residents. The second workshop preceded the July 25 board meeting. The board passed a resolution to establish a fee for farmers markets, amended the ordinance regulating peddler’s permits, and updated the regulation governing business licenses. The board held a public hearing and took a vote on a conditional use permit for a landscaping business moving into Illumination Point. The board updated its code governing subdivisions.

Consensus on Elephant Rock emerges from angry discussion

Asbestos removal at the Elephant Rock property was on the agenda at the July 11 board meeting, but the topic was tabled until the July 25 board meeting.

At the workshop preceding the July 25 board meeting. Mayor Glant Havener said the purpose of the workshop was to address any unanswered questions about the ERPCA’s work and to set a direction for the property.

Trustee Kevin Dreher said the first decision was whether to use the property as a park or as a cultural district. He said he leaned toward using it as a park.

Trustee Shana Ball argued that the next step should be the formation of a new committee to do a financial analysis, as suggested by the ERPCA. Havenar questioned the role of a new committee.

Susan Miner, one of the co-chairs of the ERPCA, pointed out that every square foot of the Elephant Rock property that is not generating revenue is costing the town money. She said the property could be a combination of park and cultural district. The purpose of the new committee was to ensure there would be enough revenue to make the property self-sustaining.

Havenar pointed out that the board had already voted to demolish the cabins. She asked if Miner would lead the new committee; Miner said she would not.

Havenar argued the problem with the suggestion that groups adopt a cabin is that it would take five to seven years before the town would receive any revenue. Miner said she thought revenue could be produced sooner than Havenar’s estimate.

Trustee Dennis Stern said he did not oppose the creation of a new committee but thought the board should choose a direction before the committee was launched.

Ball said she would like to understand the revenue that would be generated from the cabins and argued that most of the community wanted to keep them. Havenar disagreed that was the desire of most residents. Ball asked for another survey of the community. Trustee Jessica Farr felt the community had been surveyed many times and the board should decide between parks and a cultural district.

Dreher said he favored turning the big building into a restaurant or event center that would generate revenue. Farr pointed out no one would invest the money needed without owning the building.

Havenar said she would like to see the Pavilion used for park rentals and the Chapel used by the Forest School. Miner said the next step should be to hire a property manager funded by a grant. Havenar pointed out the town did not yet have such a grant.

Town Administrator Dawn Collins pointed out that any new use would require all aspects of the property—drainage and roads, for example—to be brought up to current code requirements. She said the buildings were continuing to deteriorate and there was a cost to doing nothing. She estimated the town had spent $5,000 on the property in the first half of 2024.

Havenar argued the asbestos would need to be remediated in all cases. She repeated her point that the board had already voted to demolish the cabins.

Ball repeated her desire for more input from citizens. Ehrhardt and Farr said there was already plenty of input from citizens. During Tim Cave’s remarks to the board, Havenar became angry with Ball, implied Ball was keeping information secret from the board, and demanded that Ball stop talking and shut her mouth.

Reid Wiecks, who is on the Parks and Trails Commission, suggested that the large buildings could accommodate any uses the cabins could be put to, and said he favored demolishing the cabins.

Following Wiecks’s remarks, the workshop was closed.

During the board meeting following the workshop, Farr moved to demolish seven buildings, remediate the asbestos as needed, and form a new committee to develop a financial plan in six months. Trustees Ball and Ehrhardt voted no; Trustees Dreher, Farr, Padgett and Stern, along with Havenar, voted yes.

Farmers markets, peddler’s permits and business licenses

At its July 11 meeting, the board voted in favor of Resolution 38-2024, which requires a fee to be paid by applicants organizing farmers markets. Staff recommended a fee of $100. It also amended Ordinance 7-2024 so that a peddler’s permit, which would be required to sell items at a farmers market, would be valid for a calendar year at a cost of $25. A simple background check would be included in the process to grant a peddler’s permit.

At its July 25 meeting, at the request of Farr, the board took up the issue of business licenses. At present, Farr said, subcontractors were required to obtain a business license from Palmer Lake. She thought this was unenforceable and a waste of time. Stern said he thought most towns did not require subcontractors to maintain a business license but did require home-based businesses in the town to be licensed. Collins said the code currently does require subcontractors to have a business license, even if they will be performing a single job, but that was enforced only when a subcontractor submits a land use application.

Town Attorney Scott Krob said the board could decide how broad they wanted the requirement for a license to be. Local builder Kurt Ehrhardt told the board he thought the requirement would mean excessive work for town staff. Krob said he would draft language for the board to consider at a future meeting.

Public hearing on conditional use permit

Jared Whiteley, representing Greater Grounds, requested a conditional use permit to use his property at Illumination Point to park trucks and equipment for a landscaping business. Illumination Point is zoned C2 General Business and Commercial. He said an 8-foot privacy fence would be built to shield the equipment from Highway 105.

Whiteley said if the Colorado Department of Transportation required a turn lane on Highway 105, he could use Cloven Hoof Road to access the parking lot.

The board voted unanimously in favor of Resolution 40-2024, which grants the permit.

Subdivision ordinance rewritten

Collins told the board that the municipal code governing the subdivision process had been rewritten by the town’s Planning Commission and the Community Matter Institute to address gaps in the process. Krob said the old code was 50 years old and due for updating.

The board voted in favor of Ordinance 8-2024, which repeals and replaces Chapter 16 of the Subdivision Code. Farr voted no; all others voted in favor.

Executive session

The July 11 and 25 meetings ended with executive sessions to discuss a possible annexation request.

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The next regular board meetings are scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 8 and 22. All meetings will be held at the Town Hall. See the town’s website at www.townofpalmerlake.com to confirm times and dates of board meetings and workshops. Meetings are typically held on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at the Town Hall. Information: 719-481-2953.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Palmer Lake Board of Trustees (PLBOT) articles

Monument Academy School Board, July 11 – Board resolution related to Title IX

By Jackie Burhans

Monument Academy (MA) held its regular meeting in July to consider its response to changes in Title IX, to receive an update on finances, set board committee assignments, and hear committee reports.

Board responds to Title IX changes

The July 11 meeting started with a short executive session for legal advice regarding Title IX policy options. Board President Ryan Graham noted that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) had released its final rule changes to Title IX and indicated he had a resolution that was being used in multiple school districts.

The resolution, which can be found in its entirety at bit.ly/ma-title-ix-res, specifies in part that the board believes parents, not schools, have the fundamental responsibility for their children’s education, supports natural law and moral truth, believes the ED’s changes run afoul of federal and state laws, and that Title IX refers to biological sex, which is “an immutable characteristic that cannot be changed, fluid, or altered.” The resolution says that the ED’s unlawful attempt to change the definition would have disastrous emotional and safety impacts to girls and women.

Therefore, the document resolves that “sex” is determined at birth and is an immutable characteristic that cannot be changed, fluid, or altered; commits to protecting female sports and ensuring the safety, privacy, and protection of all students, acknowledging the importance of single-sex facilities.

Finally, the board values and condones the numerous legal challenges to ED’s rule changes to Title IX and commits to making no policy or procedural changes while legal challenges ensue.

Graham moved to approve the resolution; Vice President Lindsay Clinton seconded it, and without discussion, the board passed the resolution unanimously.

Finance update

Acting Chief Financial Officer Glenn Gustafson reported that D38 had unexpectedly qualified for a state mill levy override matching program, which yielded an additional $30,000 for MA.

Gustafson said he had convinced MA’s auditor not to accrue the cost of seeking the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is supposed to process applications within six months, but it’s taking a long time due to concerns about program fraud. Some entities are suing the IRS due to the delay.

Gustafson said the payroll system he inherited has a mix of pay dates for employees, but he decided to get everyone synced up to the end of the month for payment. He is also moving the pay date to the 26th to align with payments to MA from D38. Some staff will see a double paycheck initially. That will not incur an additional expense but will simply reduce the liability accrual. Gustafson said he had made a lot of fixes and would be communicating and reminding staff of this change.

Committee assignments

The board agreed to add a separate East Campus curriculum committee, similar to the separate School Advisory and Accountability (SAAC) committees, and stand down the Human Resources committee. The board discussed and agreed upon the following committee assignments for board members:

  • Highway 105 – Graham; the project should end in about a month.
  • Curriculum West – Emily Belisle.
  • Curriculum East – Clinton.
  • SAAC West – Matt Ross.
  • SAAC East – Jelinda Dygert.
  • Governance – Karen Hoida, Belisle.
  • Finance – Craig Carle, Graham.
  • Building and Facilities – Hoida, Graham.
  • Resource Development Committee – Carle, Clinton.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

  • Graham reported that curbs and gutters were installed on the new road on the south side of the West Campus and that Executive Director Collin Vinchattle and Principal Kurt Walker would communicate the new plan for the car line.
  • Clinton reported on the SAAC East recommendations, noting that two new questions about summer workbooks were added to the survey, but only 60 responses were received. SAAC East recommended the board continue to think outside the box regarding electives, school spirit, and streamlining communication.
  • Registrar Lena Gross reported on enrollment, including retention numbers, noting that exit interview data was pending. Kindergarten enrollment is slightly down, she said, due to the birth rate and the impact of universal preschool in the state. Gustafson noted the preschool fund would have a loss and should be reviewed for viability during the mid-year budget discussion.
  • Hoida reported that the Governance Committee was working on the library policy and expected to have a draft by the next board meeting.
  • The board unanimously approved removing leggings as approved wear for free dress days.
  • The board unanimously approved minor formatting changes to the staff handbook.
  • After discussion, the board unanimously approved Vinchattle’s request to modify MA’s graduation requirements to provide additional state-approved options for math. He noted that MA would still require students to pass the capstone requirement.
  • The board unanimously approved using $1,000 in board funds to put on a Staff Breakfast on Aug. 6.

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The MA School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month.

The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, Aug. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Campus. For more information, visit bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy (MA) articles

Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, July 15 – Contract for pipeline construction awarded

By James Howald

The Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board met in July to consider awarding a contract for the construction of a pipeline to connect the district’s newest well to the Central Water Treatment Plant (CWTP). General Manager Jessie Shaffer gave the board a mid-year update on the district’s 2024 budget. The board updated its records retention schedule and heard an operational report from Shaffer. The meeting ended with an executive session, after which no action was taken.

Pipeline contract awarded

Shaffer told the board that eight bids were received from companies interested in building a pipeline to connect Well 22, recently drilled just south of County Line Road and east of I-25, with the CWTP, on Deer Creek Road adjacent to the Lewis-Palmer Middle School. The bids ranged from $498,000 to $1.2 million, with T-Bone Construction submitting the lowest bid. The pipeline will run in an easement just west of houses on Doewood Drive and east of the proposed Monument Ridge East development. Shaffer recommended the board authorize an additional $50,000 for change order contingencies. The board voted unanimously to award the contract to T-Bone Construction in the amount Shaffer suggested.

Mid-year budget update

Shaffer told the board that some of the funds budgeted for construction in the 2024 budget would be carried over to 2025 due to delays in the permitting process for the projects. He mentioned two projects that were delayed: the Well 22 pipeline and some of the improvements on Highway 105 required by El Paso County’s work to widen the highway. The Dawson aquifer well near the CWTP, on the other hand, was budgeted at $430, 000 but will cost $525,000, Shaffer said. Long lead times for electrical equipment have delayed the construction of lift stations until next year, requiring adjustments to the 2024 budget. Shaffer said price inflation and unexpected repairs to a backhoe also caused adjustments to the budget.

The board gave their approval for the budget changes as presented.

Record retention policy amended

The board voted unanimously in favor of Resolution 24-02, which establishes the schedule for record retention and destruction.

Manager’s report

In a brief manager’s report, Shaffer said district Engineer Ariel Hacker had resigned her position with the district and accepted a job with a state agency. He said he was interviewing candidates to replace Hacker.

Executive session

The meeting ended with an executive session to discuss the district’s participation in the Loop water reuse project, in particular, the recently drafted Member Agency Financing and Contribution Agreement. No votes were taken following the executive session.

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The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 12 at 1 p.m. Meetings are usually held on the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. at the district office at 1845 Woodmoor Drive; please see www.woodmoorwater.com or call 719-488-2525 to verify meeting times and locations.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

Other Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) articles

Forest Lakes Metropolitan District/Pinon Pines Metropolitan Districts 2 and 3, July 15 and Pinon Pines Metropolitan District 1, July 22 – 2023 audits receive clean opinions

By Natalie Barszcz

The Forest Lakes Metropolitan District (FLMD) Pinon Pines Metropolitan District (PPMD) 2 and 3 boards held a joint special meeting on July 15 at 4 p.m. to conduct public hearings and accept the 2023 audits for FLMD and PPMD’s 2 and 3. On July 22, the PPMD 1 board held a special meeting to hold a public hearing and accept the 2023 audit.

Attending via teleconference were FLMD Manager Ann Nichols, Tom Blunk, CP Real Estate Capital, representing Forest Lakes LLC and Forest Lakes Residential Development, District Attorney Nicole Peykov of Spencer Fane law firm, Sarah Steph, vice president of accounting for Classic Homes, and the following board directors for all three boards: President George Lenz, executive vice president of finance for Classic Homes, Secretary Joe Loidolt, president of Classic Homes, and Steve Schlosser, project manager for Classic Homes.

Treasurer/Secretary Douglas Stimple, chief executive officer of Classic Homes, and Director James Boulton, vice president/project manager of Classic Homes, were excused on July 15.

2023 audit presentation

Lenz opened the public hearing on the 2023 audits for FLMD and PPMD’s 2 and 3. No comments were heard, and the public hearing was closed. Lenz requested Nichols refresh the board with an explanation about the appropriation issue that was approved at the June 14 meeting. See wp.ocn.me/v24n7flmd/.

Nichols said the FLMD budget was amended and approved by the board at the end of 2023; however, the appropriation conveying public infrastructure to other governments at year end for the Falcon Commerce Center phase 2 and FLMD filings 5, 6, and 7 (including the bridge in the west valley) was not made until last month. The district made the entries totaling about $9 million in dedicated public roads to the appropriate entities on time. Although there was no expenditure, the auditors insisted certain journal entries be covered by a board appropriation. Tom Sistere of Hoelting & Company Inc. notified the district that even though there was no actual expenditure of funds, without the amendment the district would likely receive a letter from the state auditor stating the district had exceeded its appropriations. It was worth the effort to make the journal entry corrections and appropriations before submitting the audit to the state, and the auditors agreed, said Nichols.

All three boards unanimously accepted the three audits as presented.

The meeting adjourned at 4:10 p.m. on July 15.

PPMD 1

At the PPMD 1 meeting on July 22, the three-member board accepted the 2023 audit as presented.

Attending via teleconference were Nichols, Peykov, and board directors President Mike Hitchcock, Vice President Mike Slavic and Secretary AJ Slavic.

Hitchcock opened the public hearing and receiving no comments, closed the hearing.

Nichols said the 2023 audit documents had been forwarded to the board for comment before the meeting, and the district had received a “clean opinion” from Hoelting & Sons.

The board unanimously approved the 2023 audit as presented.

The meeting adjourned at 4:12 p.m.

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Meetings are usually held quarterly or when necessary on the first Monday of the month at 4 p.m., via teleconference. Meeting notices are posted at least 24 hours in advance at forestlakesmetrodistrict.com. For general questions, contact Nichols at 719-327-5810, anicholsduffy@aol.com.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.

Other Forest Lakes and Pinon Pines Metropolitan District articles