Estes Park’s new police chief, Ian Stewart was sworn in Tuesday night during the regularly scheduled Town Board meeting.
Assistant Municipal Court Judge Bartlett administered the Oath of Office. Stewart served as the Estes Park Interim Police Chief beginning in December 2023 after the resignation of David Hayes who held the role for a year.
Stewart was selected in May to serve as the town’s new top cop during a competitive process earlier this year. Stewart was the Operations Division Captain for the Larimer County Sherrif’s Office where he oversaw patrol, emergency operations, strategic planning and data, special operations, and special events across Larimer County. He led the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force from 2020-2023 and served as the Rocky Mountain Tactical Team Association president from 2013-2018. Stewart’s holds EMT certification and has been firefighter with the Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department.
Public hearing on increased electric rates
During last night’s meeting, the town held its first public hearing on proposed increases in electric rates. A presentation given by Joe Lockhart, line superintendent for the Estes Park Utilities Department, explained the results of the most recent rate study.
“Three late winter weather events” impacted the utility’s ability to conduct a full cost-of-service analysis, so the proposed electric rates for 2025 and 2026 will be presented at a future date. For now, a 5% increase across the board is proposed to take effect in October of this year.
High costs of supplies – including cost increases of up to 300% for essential equipment such as transformers and bucket trucks – are causing the utility to dip into their reserve funds, said Lockhart. New construction, including new residential installations, was not a part of these calculations; these costs are borne completely by those who have requested these services, said Town Administrator Travis Machalek.
All rate classes will be affected by this increase. Tor example, the residential monthly service fee will increase from $25.00 to $26.25; per kilowatt-hour, the rate would increase from $0.1168 to $0.1337. Another public hearing will be conducted during the next Town Board meeting August 6, the public is encouraged to attend and submit their comments during this final hearing.
The installation of a “pixel tree” – a very tall and wide Christmas tree that can display various scenes through various light patterns – was approved to be installed in Bond Park. It takes 3-4 months to produce this feature, which must meet local height and wind-load requirements, so approval was needed by the end of this month.
$50,000 Buell Foundation grant for early childhood education received
The Town’s housing and childcare manager, Carlie Bangs, asked for approval to accept a Buell Foundation grant in the amount of $50,000, from the organization’s Local Financing for Early Childhood Education program. The Town was invited to apply, said Bangs, because the community already has dedicated funds slated for early childhood education and met the other requirements for eligibility. This grant would further these efforts by providing needed funds for tuition assistance and implementation of the Childcare Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan, said Bangs. There was no match requirement to receive this loan, so the measure was passed unanimously.
Bangs also presented a piece of legislation regarding workforce housing that the Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST) is putting forward to the state. “The lack of available and attainable housing for employees in Colorado mountain resort communities has reached a crisis level which is directly impacting the provision of basic services as well as the ability to adequately staff and operate all businesses, from ski resort companies to local, small businesses,” was a portion of the statement in CAST’s official legislative position. As a member of CAST, the Town was asked to support this position and after some discussion, it was agreed to do so.
Environmental efforts get a boost through support of Larimer County Climate Action Plan grant and the proclamation of Estes Recycles Day
The Town board meeting was kicked off with a proclamation by Mayor Gary Hall, declaring August 10 to be Estes Recycles Day. Many difficult-to-recycle items, such as electronics and LED light bulbs, will be accepted August 10 at the Estes Park Events Center. More information on this opportunity to recycle locally will be included in a separate article.
The board was asked to collaborate with Larimer County to apply for an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) to procure the funds to create a climate action plan, in accordance with the Town’s Strategic Plan, adopted earlier this year.
In 2022, Larimer County identified the Town of Estes Park as having the highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the county, due to the summer crush of visitors to the area, stated the presentation.
If received, the block grant would fund one county employee to be stationed in Estes Park to develop the Town’s Climate Action Plan and complete other energy efficiency measures locally for three years. Since the Town’s commitment is only to approve the application of the grant, the request was approved.
Many public comments in favor of applying for the grant were received, including this excerpt from a statement by Cathy Alper:
“Having an additional staff person for three years could coordinate these efforts and make progress on key issues, such as sustainable event practices, and supporting business recycling. Another focus of this position could be finding ways to incorporate sustainability practices into the ongoing functions. Many town staff members want to do more for sustainability, but don’t have the bandwidth. Having this position on board may help them move in this direction. Thank you for your consideration.”
Town policy on public meetings rescinded and other procedural items
In other Town Board news, Town Policy 106 regarding public meetings and forums was rescinded because it required Town Board approval before any public meeting could be advertised or held. This requirement would cause delays, said Machalek, and polling board members via email would be problematic due to transparency concerns.
Rules governing public forums and meetings are already covered in the Town Policy Governance Policy 3.9, which requires the Board to be informed of all staff actions in this regard, he said.
A resolution to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation to accept Federal Transit Administration 5311 funds to support the Town’s free transit system (The Peak) was adopted.
The next Town Board meeting will be held August 6, 2024, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. The public is encouraged to attend and provide comments on the proposed rate increases for electricity and non-agenda items.