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OCN > 2405 > Donald Wescott Fire Protection District, April 24 – Merger process nears completion

Donald Wescott Fire Protection District, April 24 – Merger process nears completion

By Natalie Barszcz

At the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District (DWFPD) meeting on April 24, the board received several updates on the merger process with Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District dba Monument Fire District (MFD), and re-assigned board positions. Mark Gunderman commented on his tenure as board president as he leaves Wescott to take a seat on the MFD Board of Directors.

Treasurer Duane Garrett was excused, and Secretary Charles Fleece and Director Mike Forsythe attended via Zoom.

Merger process update

The district’s attorney, Emily Powell of Ireland Stapleton Pryor Pascoe PC law firm, attending via Zoom, gave an update on the merger process and said the following:

  • The April 30 deadline to move the district properties onto the El Paso County Assessor’s tax rolls had been met.
  • The District Court issued the court order for the exclusion process first in order to hold the process for 30 days to ensure there were no objections to the exclusion of properties.
  • The final documents were walked down by MFD counsel Maureen Juran to the El Paso County Clerk and Recorders Office on April 22.
  • The district’s properties will be assessed on the MFD tax records for the 2025 tax year.
  • All that remains is to dissolve the Wescott district and move the final two properties that are owned by Directors Fleece and Forsythe into the MFD boundaries.
  • A special meeting of the MFD board will be held on May 8 to begin the process for the exclusion of the two properties to be included into MFD upon dissolution of the district.
  • The four electors will be the two directors and their spouses, and the process will be fast, but the court order must be made before July.
  • The Sun Hills Fire Station transfer to MFD will be assisted by a property attorney.
  • The Fire and Police Pension Association (FPPA) and Colorado Firefighters Heart (CFH) Trust will be transferred to MFD, the new sponsor. The pension plan affiliation agreement will state MFD agrees to work with the FPPA and the CFH Trust.

Powell commended both boards and the staff and said it had been such a pleasure working with Fire Chief Andy Kovacs, and his professionalism and grit is truly admirable, said Powell.

Board positions re-assigned

Powell said that in accordance with the Special District Act, every board must elect a president and a treasurer.

Forsythe nominated Fleece as board president, and Forsythe by default assumed the treasurer/secretary position.

Powell made a motion to accept the nominations, and board unanimously approved the positions.

Note: Gunderman and Garrett will be sworn in as MFD board directors at the May 22 meeting.

Outgoing president remarks

Gunderman said he became a Wescott board director in May 2018, and it had been an honor to serve on the board for the past six years. He fell into the role of board president in January 2020, but it was a team effort, and he thanked former Secretary Larry Schwarz who left the district at the end of 2023, and incumbent directors Garrett, Fleece and Forsythe for their support and directorship. He also thanked Kovacs and the executive staff for making the journey as easy as possible, noting change often brings anxiety. Transitioning the firefighters over to MFD at the beginning of the merger process ensured the firefighters felt a part of the process from day one.

The MFD board directors were open to suggestion and made the process collaborative. He initially thought the road would be bumpy and thanked Powell for helping both districts navigate through the nuanced process. It was fortunate that both districts had the right firefighters and board directors at the right time, and he looks forward to serving on the Monument board. He thanked Fleece and Forsythe for remaining behind to assist Powell in the final months of the merger process.

Fleece said it had been a privilege to work with Gunderman, holding down the fort, and with Powell and Kovacs, everything is always lined up, simply a good team seeing the community grow in the right direction.

Chief’s report

Kovacs said the following:

  • Engine 502 and brush truck 542 assisted Fort Carson with a wildfire in March.
  • The combined district staff completed 783 training hours.
  • The new wildland Type 3 engine will go into service in the next two weeks after crews have received driver and apparatus orientation.
  • The engine will be in service locally and be available for wildland deployments.
  • The remodel design for Station 2 (Rollercoaster Road) is underway.
  • The Station 4 (Gleneagle Drive) remodel was delayed a week due to permitting issues, but the project is back on track for completion this fall.
  • Nine firefighter recruits are expected to graduate on May 3.

Forsythe said the addition of nine firefighters was good news.

For more information, see the MFD article on page 15, or visit www.monumentfire.org to read the entire chief’s report.

The meeting adjourned at 5:03 p.m.

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Meetings are typically held on the fourth Wednesday at Station 1, 18650 Highway 105. A short special meeting will be held on June 12 at 4:30 p.m., and the regular meeting will be held on June 26 at 4:30 p.m., preceded by a Volunteer Pension Board of Trustees meeting at 4 p.m. There are no May meetings. For Zoom meeting instructions, agendas, minutes, and updates, visit www.monumentfire.org or contact Director of Administration Jennifer Martin at 719-484-9011.

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

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