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OCN > 2409 > Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, Aug. 8 and 22 – Asbestos abatement contract awarded; advisory committee formed

Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, Aug. 8 and 22 – Asbestos abatement contract awarded; advisory committee formed

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

At its board meetings in August, the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees (PLBOT) approved a contract to remove asbestos from seven of the buildings at the Elephant Rock Property and formed a new committee to focus on developing a financial plan. The board discussed engaging a third-party mediator to resolve friction between board members. The board heard a report on its 2023 audit. It voted on changes to the municipal code governing business licenses and approved the sale of town land adjacent to County Line Road. The board voted on resolutions addressing several issues and heard administrative reports.

Mayor Glant Havenar was on vacation and excused from the Aug. 22 meeting.

Both meetings were preceded by executive sessions.

Amended asbestos abatement contract approved

At its Aug. 8 meeting, the board took up Resolution 41-2024, which contracted with Advanced Remediation Services Inc. (ARSI) to remove asbestos from the long building and six cabins at the Elephant Rock property for $67,178. Town Administrator Dawn Collins said the asbestos needed to be removed before the buildings could be demolished and the quote assumed the buildings would be demolished. The board voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, several residents objected to the demolition of the cabins. Atis Jurka argued the planned demolition would not reduce the town’s insurance costs and was not in the town’s interest if the buildings might produce tax revenue in the future. Gene Kalesti said the trustees had made their decision based on emotion and were ignoring 300 residents who signed a petition asking that the buildings be retained. He said the decision to demolish was “an economic crime.” Lindsay Willan, who, along with her husband Richard Willan, is developing a portion of the Elephant Rock property as a spa, asked why the forms making the buildings eligible for historic status had never been filed, claiming that omission was a “travesty.” Nick Olson said the cabins should be kept and the board was throwing away $1 million.

At its Aug. 22 meeting, the board returned to the issue of the asbestos abatement contract. Collins told the board that ARSI had determined that the square footage of the buildings on which they based their estimate was wrong, and it raised its estimate to $104,000. Collins said ARSI was also asking for bunkbeds and cabinets to be removed before beginning work. Considering those issues, she recommended the abatement contract be awarded to Paramount Environmental Services for $94,570.

The board voted unanimously in favor of Resolution 47-2024, which awards the contract to Paramount Environmental Services.

New committee focuses on financial plan

At its Aug. 8 meeting, the board debated Resolution 41-2024, which authorizes the creation of a second advisory committee focused on the creation of a financial plan for the main building, chapel, and cottage at the Elephant Rock property. A previous committee, the Elephant Rock Property Citizen Advisory Committee, which was formed to organize all the uses of the property proposed by residents, recommended the creation of a second committee devoted to financial plans. The resolution calls for a maximum of seven appointed members, including two from the Planning Commission, two from the Parks and Trails Commission, one from a local nonprofit, and one resident. The members must not have a financial interest in the property. The resolution gives the committee 90 days to develop its plan.

Trustee Shana Ball argued the committee should have 10 members to allow more citizens to participate.

Collins pointed out that the committee will advise the board, which will make any final decisions.

Havenar proposed extending the committee’s deadlines to 120 days.

The board voted unanimously to approve the resolution as amended.

Mediator to help resolve conflicts

Town Attorney Scott Krob recommended that the board engage a mediator to help resolve disputes between board members and the mayor such as the disagreement between Ball and Havenar at the second board meeting in July. According to materials in the packet for the Aug. 22 meeting, the board has an unidentified mediator in mind. Krob said the Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency or the Colorado Municipal league might also act as mediator if issues remain unresolved.

2023 audit report

David Green, of Green & Associates LLC, reported the results of his audit of town finances to the board at its Aug. 22 meeting. The audit included an unmodified or “clean” opinion, Green said, indicating that the audit fairly represents the town’s financial standing. He complimented the town staff on their cooperation and said it was the smoothest audit he has had with the town so far.

Resident Roger Mosely questioned several aspects of the audit.

The board voted unanimously in favor of Resolution 43-2024, which authorizes Collins to file the 2023 audit with the state of Colorado.

Business license code clarified

At the Aug. 8 meeting, Krob proposed amending language in the municipal code to exempt businesses that are working on a single residence from needing to have a business license from the town of Palmer Lake. Krob’s changes would mean a plumber licensed in Colorado Springs, for instance, could repair a Palmer Lake residence’s plumbing without needing a business license issued by Palmer Lake.

At the Aug. 22 meeting, Krob’s suggestions were presented as Ordinance 10-2024, which adds three new exemptions to the requirement to have a Palmer Lake business license: trade persons working on an existing single-family residence; subcontractors working under a general contractor with a Palmer Lake-issued business license; and any general contractor working on one single-family residence. The board voted unanimously in favor of the ordinance.

Sale of town land approved

At its Aug. 8 meeting, the board approved the sale of 4.5 acres of town land to Josh Mabe of Twenty1Five LLC. The land is just south of County Line Road and west of the land owned by the United Congregational Church of Ben Lomand. The parcel includes some of the land the town currently leases to Palmer Lake Sportsriders for use as a dirt bike track.

Resident Kent Hutson pointed out that the land includes part of the Santa Fe Trail that connects Palmer Lake to the Greenland Open Space. Krob said the sale allowed for the easement used by the trail.

Krob explained that because the land is not in use by the town, the sale must take the form of an ordinance and the board voted to approve Ordinance 9-2024, which authorizes the sale. Trustees Ball, Kevin Dreher, Nick Ehrhardt, Jessica Farr and Dennis Stern, as well as Havenar, voted in favor; Trustee Samantha Padgett voted against the ordinance.

Resolutions approved

The board approved the following resolutions:

  • Resolution 44-2024, which authorizes the town to coordinate the local election on Nov. 5 with El Paso County.
  • Resolution 45-2024, which approves an intergovernmental agreement between the town and the UC Health Memorial Hospital System under which UC Health will assign a clinician to the town’s Crisis Intervention Team. The town was awarded a grant to fund the clinician.
  • Resolution 46-2024, which specifies a lower fee of $500 each for a Plat Amendment and a Plat Correction. The resolution simplifies the previous replat application review and approval by requiring less review and eliminating public hearings.
  • Resolution 48-2024, which redirects the town’s portion of the Colorado Opioid Settlement funds to the El Paso County region. The funds, amounting to $1,478, which can be used only for purposes approved under the settlement, are not enough to support an approved program at the town level. Collins pointed out that the town already receives an adequate amount of Narcan (one of the approved uses) at no cost and that most of Colorado’s local governments have redirected their funds to their regions.

Administrative reports

Collins told the board that recruitment is ongoing for a water operator, a chief of police, an accounting clerk, and a code compliance officer. All departments are short-handed, she said. She invited residents to apply to serve on the newly created Advisory Committee for the Elephant Rock Financial Plan.

Fire Chief John Vincent told the board that Fire Academy training had been completed by his staff and all were now certified as Fire Fighter 1. His staff has also been trained to do blood draws for suspected driving under the influence investigations. He said his staff and equipment had been temporarily deployed to fight fires in northern California, which brings experience and revenue to the department.

Executive session

The Aug. 8 meeting was followed by an executive session to discuss a possible annexation request, after which no action was taken.

The Aug. 22 meeting was followed by an executive session to discuss a possible annexation, to consider a summons and petition from the United Congregational Church to disconnect pursuant to C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(b), and to develop negotiating positions related to town land dedication. No action was taken.

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The next regular board meetings are scheduled for Sept. 12 and 26. 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.

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