Overview:
Fire district board seeks new member after second person resigns
Patti Brown pattibrown@estesvalleyvoice.com
Two elected board members of the Estes Valley Fire Protection District have recently resigned.
Marybeth Bruchwalski, who was elected a year ago in May, submitted her resignation on February 27. Jonathan Hodde, who was also elected a year ago, submitted his resignation prior to the May 22 board meeting.
Bruchwalski’s seat was filled March 27 with the selection of Mike Lewelling, a fire management officer at Rocky Mountain National Park. Lewelling has experience as a firefighter with the National Park Service in Zion, Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Kings Canyon.
At the meeting last week, the members of the Fire District board discussed whether they should ask for public input to fill the seat vacated by Hodde or just select someone.
The board has the authority to appoint someone to an open seat without holding a new election. The appointment must be made within 60 days of a vacancy. If the board fails to make an appointment, the Larimer County Commissioners can step in to do it.
The members of the board decided they would solicit letters of intent from interested community members by posting a notice on its Facebook page.
People interested in sitting on the Fire District board are asked to submit a letter by June 14 to Erika Goetz, Chief of Staff, 901 N St Vrain Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517, or egoetz@estesvalleyfire.org.
The appointments of both Lewelling and the individual selected to fill Hodde’s seat will serve until May 2025 when elections will be held for all five seats on the District’s board.
Two seats will be for 2-year terms and three seats will be for 4-year terms. The Fire District’s 2024 budget includes expenditures of $2,548,770 plus $180,880 for its pension fund with revenues of $2,889,788. In January, to meet the general operating expenses of the District, the Fire District levied a tax of 2.069 mills on each dollar of taxable property valuation.
New fire truck, CWDG funding, and new uniforms coming
In other business, the board approved the expenditure of $310,600 for a Type 6 Wildland Fire Engine to replace a similar 20-year-old engine, also known as a brush truck. The new vehicle will be ready in September and the old truck will be repurposed for fire mitigation work.
Jon Landkamer, assistant chief of support services, told the board that the District will receive a five percent discount on the purchase price by prepaying for the new truck.
The cost of the truck includes travel expenses for two members of the District to travel to Detroit for an on-site inspection prior to delivery.
The District is also awaiting an official letter acknowledging the receipt of a $550,000 Community Wildfire Defense Grant which will be used for a 200-acre federal housing mitigation project on Thunder Mountain.
The Town of Estes Park’s new grant writer assisted with the grant. In June, the Town will be asked to provide a 25% match, which it previously indicated it would do.
So far this year the District has had 237 calls, an increase of 64 calls from the same time last year. There are currently a record number of 51 firefighters on staff, 46 are volunteers, five are full-time members, and 8 individuals are auxiliary members.
Fire Chief Rick Lasky, who was sworn in April 2 to his new role, praised the members for their commitment and professionalism, “The response times I’ll say over and over again are incredible. This afternoon was another example of an accident we went to, I was arriving on the scene and the engine was already on the scene.”
Punctuating his words for emphasis, Lasky went on to say, “This does not happen in the majority of volunteer fire departments in America. That is not just me being emotional. That is a fact. Absolutely incredible what the response time are.”
In an effort to unify the members of the District, Lasky wants everyone to have new helmets and matching black fire gear so the members look like they are all on the same team. The chiefs will have white helmets, the captains will have red ones, and the firefighters’ helmets will be yellow. “I want everyone to come together as one,” Lasky said.
The next meeting of Fire District board will be June 12.