Tuesday, January 8th was a busy day at Winter Park Town Hall.

In the morning, the town Planning Commission met at 8 am. The first order of new business saw Brad Holzwarth elected as chairman and Mike Davlin elected as vice chairman for 2019.

Winter Park Master Plan approved

The commission next moved on to approve the town’s “Imagine Winter Park” Master Plan, which had been approved by Town Council at the December 18th meeting. The town Planning Commission serves as the official body to review, develop and adopt the town master plan, and while a public hearing was held, no comment from the public was received, and, with no further discussion, the commission unanimously approved the Plan for adoption. The newly adopted master plan will soon be available in an easily navigable, user-friendly format on the town’s website.

 

Adolf’s on the Fraser minor subdivision approved, with conditions

During the meeting, the commission also heard from property owner, Janice L Waldron, who had submitted an application to divide a 5.79 acre parcel in Old Town into a minor subdivision, referred to as Adolf’s on the Fraser. The property is located at 1008 Winter Park Drive and is occupied only by the Adolf’s building. The applicant is proposing to divide the parcel into two, along the centerline of Timberline Drive, and upon approval, will then put the two parcels up for sale. The applicant is not proposing any sort of development on either site.

Town staff recommended approval with a list of ten conditions to be met by the applicant. Attorney Georgia Noriyuki, representing Mrs. Waldron, and David Lutz, of Mountain States Surveying, Inc., addressed the commission on the proposal and list of conditions.

The commission also heard from Robin Wirsing, Allegiant Management Co, representing the homeowners of adjacent property, Trademark, who had submitted an email the evening before the meeting. The homeowners submitted objections to the location of the road easement, the cost sharing agreement of maintenance of road easement and looked for clarification of  maintenance responsibilities of the road shared by the properties.

Community Development Director, James Shockey confirmed the road was private and that the town’s only interest was in the pedestrian and bike trail access and easement which runs through the property. The town does perform winter trail grooming and maintains markings on the pavement in summer on the trail, but is not responsible for street plowing. It was agreed that this was a matter for the property owners to discuss, not the commission.

Stormwater drainage was an area of concern addressed during the meeting. While working on the Old Town project in summer 2018, the town had discovered a second, non-operational drainage system that had no history available. The second system is capped, and has about 30’ of missing pipe, but could be utilized at some point in the future, with proper buildout. It was agreed the town should keep the two systems separate. It was noted that the drainage goes through the Waldron property and has expanded the wetlands on the north end of the property.

The commission determined that, when either of the two parcels sell, further discussion would take place when the owner submits the plat for approval. More than likely, the US Corps of Army Engineers will be engaged in development due to the wetlands.

The commission approved the application for the Adolf’s on the Fraser minor subdivision, with staff recommendations and conditions.

The Town Council next held a workshop with a Financial Advisory discussion from 3 – 5 pm followed by the Town Council meeting at 5:30 pm.

Old Town streets have light     

Old Town representative, Gigi Dominguez, updated the council on their project progress. “Let there be light”, exclaimed Dominguez, adding, “the new lights look awesome”. By her count, there are eleven new lights which are working very well. “They’re not overpowering, and, I’ve heard from guests who are thrilled that they can actually walk home and see where they’re going”. Street signs will be added to the light posts, which will make them much more durable. Dominguez told council it is crucial that signage for the bus shelter be added as soon as possible. “With no map or route description, it is important to have signage so riders understand what buses go by there”, she said. Dominguez said she had been giving her customers information on the Lift Rider app, but pointed out that “they don’t know unless they come in to the shop”.  

Dominguez said that she and Gerry Vernon, Capital Projects and Parks Director, had already been discussing the summer landscaping and she thanked the council for their support.

Stagecoach Classic special event permit approved

Council next approved a Special Events Permit for the upcoming Stagecoach Classic which takes place on January 26. The event will start at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash and ends at the Rendezvous Events Center. Registration will run through Friday, January 25th and packets will be available to participants at Devil’s Thumb Ranch the morning of the event.

Kinney Lane name change moves closer to approval

Council also heard the first reading of Ordinance 518, a request from the Slopeside homeowners to change Clover Lane to Kinney Lane, in honor of the builder of the 33 unit development, Tim Kinney and his wife, Jill. No public comment was heard and council approved it to move on to a second reading at the next meeting, on January 22.

Winter Park commits to Hazard Mitigation Plan

Fraser Winter Park Police Chief, Glen Trainor, brought forth renewal of the town’s commitment to participate in the Grand County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Trainor told council the town committed to participating in 2013 and that it pertains to national hazards which keep them in compliance with FEMA regulations. When initially established, the town held focus groups to determine hazards. It was “a fairly arduous process”, said Trainor. Trainor also confirmed the response plan includes staff updates and related training. Council was in support of participation and voted in favor of Mayor Lahrman signing the Statement of Intent to Participate unanimously.

New Finance and HR Director hired

Town Manager, Keith Riesberg, informed council that the town had extended an offer and hired the new Finance and HR Director, Lizbeth Lemley. A CPA-certified internal auditor, Lemley has been with C Lazy U for the past several years and was clearly “the top candidate and an excellent fit”, said Riesberg. Lemley’s first day will be January 28, 2019.

NWCCOG Designees

Council designated Town Manager, Keith Riesberg as primary town representative to the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG) and Community Development Director, James Shockey, as secondary representative for 2019. Councilman Ferrari expressed interest in attending the meetings and possibly moving into a primary or secondary role in the future.

Town Council Discussion

Councilman Periolat stated that he’d like to have a casual discussion with council members at some time in the first quarter to learn more about each member’s intent moving forward. “I would like to hear from everyone to know their feelings”, said Periolat.

Councilman Ferrari stated he was curious about the various committees council members are serving on and what is available.

Town Manager Riesberg committed to a discussion on governance overview assignments and interest “sooner rather than later”.

To learn more, visit wpgov.com.