The Town of Estes Park Municipal Code does not allow business signs that flutter in the wind, but just outside town limits, other businesses take full advantage of Larimer County’s allowance of wind-driven flags.
At the Tuesday night Town Board meeting, the question of whether to allow these signs was raised. The consensus was that staff should look the other way, for now, until the matter is addressed in the development code rewrite, which should be completed by the end of 2026.
“At least two businesses in town have requested that you all review this,” said Town Administrator Travis Machalek during the meeting. “They’ve cited the efficacy of these wind signs in bringing business to their businesses. They have indicated that they can tell the difference in the days when a wind sign is up and when it’s not,” he said.
Noting that many businesses are experiencing challenges, Igel said this could have an immediate impact on some. Igel, who owns The Taffy Shop in downtown Estes Park, formerly owned and operated a local sign shop. He suggested the allowance should be for a “single, non-rigid sign panel that may move in natural weather,” not the types of attractants that use a blower to power them, such as a wiggly-armed figure or inflatable giant gorilla.
The Trustees agreed that the matter could be deferred since consultants are working on rewriting the development code and plan to incorporate signage into the new code.
In the meantime, the Trustees suggested a moratorium on enforcement could be observed for simpler flags or feather-type signs. Machalek confirmed that he administratively chose this option during The Loop construction when business access was more difficult.
Dates set for citizen-initiated ballot measures regarding rezoning and variances
Town Clerk Jackie Williamson announced the dates and deadlines for the special election set for Nov. 4. Voters will decide on two citizen-initiated ballot issues: zoning and building code variances.
It had been estimated that the election could cost the Town as much as $35,000, but that was before the Larimer County Commissioners referred a sales tax question for the November ballot. According to Williamson, the new estimate for the Town’s portion of the cost is between $5,000 and $7,000.
Williamson also noted the following dates will be observed during this process:
- Aug. 25: Intergovernmental Agreement with the county to conduct a coordinated election due
- Sept. 5: Official ballot language certified
- Sept. 20: Mailing the ballot to overseas residents of Larimer County
- Oct. 17: Ballots mailed to residents
- Nov. 4, 7 p.m.: Ballots must be received
Postal contractors complain about the parking policy near the post office
Robin Scritchfield, one of the contractors delivering the mail to residents in the Town of Estes Park, Allenspark, and Glen Haven, raised some concerns about the Town’s new overnight parking regulation. Vehicles cannot be parked overnight at the Baldwin Parking Lot, formerly the Post Office Parking Lot. Instead, delivery vans must be stored overnight at the Event Center Parking Lot.
Scritchfield told the Trustees that contractors must drive an extra six miles daily to drop off keys and vehicles, adding about an hour to their workday. Contractors are paid by the day and are not compensated for the extra gas and time needed to comply with the policy.
Mayor Gary Hall said this matter will be discussed again at the end of October.
Signature authority not approved for certain uses
Machalek presented a proposal to expand the signature authority of several staff members to establish memorandums of understanding or leases with entities outside of the Town without having to get approval from the Town Board each time.
Trustee Bill Brown said he would like more investigation into this matter, especially since Colorado police agencies are prohibited by state law from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including sharing information with the federal agency. Brown also mentioned the proposal to install Flock cameras and the potential privacy concerns that may arise.
While several Trustees said they trusted Police Chief Ian Stewart, they asked if police MOUs could potentially need some extra oversight. At the Board’s direction, this portion of Machalek’s proposal was held for revision.
The next Town of Estes Park Board meeting will be held on August 26, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, 170 MacGregor Ave.