Board approves Code revision to adopt 2014 standards

At the July 10th Board of Trustees meeting, the board unanimously approved Ordinance 896, an Amendment to the Granby Municipal Code regarding provision of lands for public schools or payment of fees in lieu thereof. As had been requested by EGSD Superintendent, Frank Reeves, at the last meeting, the amendment revised the square footage per student to reflect the 2014 standards. Town Attorney, Scott Krob, stated that actual land cost, as applicable, would be determined, based on fair market value, at the time a new development is approved.

Granby Zoning Map approved

The Trustees next approved Ordinance 897: the official Zoning Map for the Town of Granby, which had been revised due to recent annexations. It had last been updated in 2012.

Election date change will appear on ballot in November

The Trustees approved a resolution to add a question on the November ballot to ask whether Granby electors want to move the regular Municipal elections from April to November in even numbered years. If passed, current terms of elected officials would be extended through to November 2020, when the next election cycle takes place. The Trustees agreed the timeframe makes it easier for voters to cast their ballots, would increase the number of votes cast, and, would save the Town financially with reduced administrative burden.

Granby Chamber events a great success

During the Committee and Staff Report portion of the meeting, it was noted that the Chamber, with the assistance of Town Manager, Aaron Blair, have created new marketing materials which are being cascaded to the community.  Blair told the Trustees that the July 3rd Bike Parade had 81 participants and estimated the July 4th Parade attendance to be higher than last year’s estimated 6,000. He also told the Trustees that “Friday Nights at the Lot” had over 400 at the event on July 6th, with tons of families, locals and visitors.

Code Enforcement Officer to start soon

The Granby Police Department have hired a Code Enforcement Officer and the Trustees will have an opportunity to meet him soon, as it is anticipated he will start prior to August 1

Pedestrian Crossing Flags missing mark

The Pedestrian Crossing Flagging program was discussed as needing to be better communicated to the public. The orange flags located on both sides of the crosswalks are intended for use by pedestrians as they cross the street, to catch the attention of drivers while they’re crossing the road. The Town will make an effort to better educate pedestrians on proper use of the flags.

Sun River Run Ranch to begin work

Blair told the Trustees that Sun River Run Ranch will begin grading and utility work within the next few weeks, and has aggressive plans to open Memorial Day 2019, with model villas and RV sites, at a minimum. They may rent a large tent, similar to the one set in Winter Park last winter, to help with foundation work and construction during the upcoming winter months.  

Downtown Development Incentive Program nears readiness for launch

The Board also discussed the Town’s Downtown Development Incentive program, which is being drafted. The Trustees recognized the importance in getting the program underway in order to attract new businesses that could be lost to another town offering bigger incentives. They also agreed to continue the program through December 31, 2019, at which time it will be reviewed and “tweaked”, unless required sooner.

Blair told the Trustees that there are currently two projects ready to take next steps to move forward. He told them the incentives will not cost the town much and that the benefits far exceed the investment by the town. He clarified that that the program does not include an Enhanced Sales Tax Incentive Program (ESTIP) and is limited to projects within the downtown core, between the Car Wash and 6th Street on Agate and Jasper. There were still details to work out, including project scale and eligibility, whether it applies to new or existing businesses, and, funding minimums and maximums. The final document should be ready for review and approval soon.

Reclamation Ridge Operations Update

In response to several recent complaints, Ken Evans with EH International/Reclamation Ridge gave the Board an update on their operations. Since the Town must give notice of a Public Hearing, they received an update from the operator only during the meeting.

Evans told the Board that they have been operating their crusher per the special use permit guidelines and are using the rest of the property as it is zoned through the town.

The crushers are operated with water to mitigate the dust created by the crusher. He told the Board that their state permit requires they “pay for dust”, provide the state with their records and the state determines the amount of dust after which they pay the state, based on the estimate. “The state knows alot about dust mitigation”, said Evans.

Evans also told the Board that they utilize mag chloride on the roads, which is considered to be most effective for dust mitigation on dirt roads. Interestingly, he noted that they use tree sap in Wyoming. Evans did not believe that lying down recycled asphalt would resolve the dust issue and felt that paving the road would be the best solution, due to heavy truck volume.

Evans also told the Board they utilize best practices in their operations, to the best of their abilities. He told them that dust suppression is a challenge with the dry summer and wind we have had. He noted that there has been a lot of dust from other properties, including the Shorefox land. Their water comes from a reservoir on property and use is metered. He also agreed to try using a water truck to help with dust suppression

When asked what the long-term plan for the gravel pit is, since their current permit goes to March 2019, Evans told the Trustees that they are looking to finish as soon as possible, as they  “would like the $140,000 cash bond back from the state”, but, he added, “they first need to finish”. They are hoping to be done with the crusher by late fall 2018. He told them the goal is to get the material out, the slope done and revegetate before the first snow.

With respect to the size of the piles, he told them the height is an “optical illusion”. From below, they may appear 300’ tall, but they’re actually only 20’ tall. He told the Board that, in order to get finished, they have to have space.

Evans asked the Board for their input on a good end use for the property when they’re finished. The Trustees observed that it could be a great location for another school.

The Board set a date of August 28 for a Public Hearing to give time for proper notice.

Water rights afford Town options for consideration

Mayor Chavoustie told the Board that he had just met with the Town engineers and Sun about the water systems. He told them it was a great meeting, but there are some important things to consider. Sun is required to build and pay for anything that is required to get the development started. This includes construction of a water holding tank, which will cost them approximately $3.5 million for a 740,000 gallon tank.

Chavoustie added that the Town still has 1,200 acres of land at Shorefox. They plan to put a large portion into a land trust (700-1000-ish acres) on the north end. Potentially, if a large master developer comes in, a sale could bring a large (7 figure) amount to the town. If the town wants to develop a tract within, there would not be capacity in the tank Sun is constructing. He told the Board that the added cost to build a larger water tank to increase capacity by 200,000 gallons would be minimal and asked that they consider funding the additional cost for a larger tank.

Sun Communities has 800 eqrs and the Town has 400 eqrs of water rights on the Shorefox parcel. It would also be possible to build an interconnect to connect with the water system on Meadow Road, which would be about about 120’, providing back-up for the Town’s water systems. This also allays concerns with loss of water rights if the water is not accessed for a period of ten years or longer.

Chavoustie said “As construction costs keep going up, it is better to make a decision now. The town could ‘piggyback’ on the Sun water tank construction at minimal cost, as opposed to starting from scratch”. Future land sales could help the Town recoup some of the expense.

He told them that 4 wells have been drilled and tested on the property. Normal household water flow is about 5-15 gallons per minute, but the wells measured much faster. One well is at 440 gallons/minute, another is at 350 plus and another measured at 220. Sun will only needs 2 wells for their development, but in order to get 1200 eqrs, a third well would need to be drilled.

Town staff will explore the ability to build the tank to its capacity (1200 eqrs) and look into costs associated with the larger tank and an interconnect and report back to the Board.