The legacy of a longtime Estes Park civic leader was honored Monday before a crowd of more than 70 people in the town hall boardroom with the presentation of the inaugural Kent H. Smith Civic Engagement Award.
The first recipient is David Batey, a longtime volunteer and civic leader who has served on numerous local boards and committees.
The award was presented by Smith’s widow, Judi, and their daughter, Audri Smith.
Judi Smith explained that the award was created to celebrate the collaborative spirit that defined her husband’s work in the Estes Valley.
“Our family believes wholeheartedly in what a community — any community — can accomplish if people collaborate and work interactively,” she said.
A traveling award
The award itself is designed as a traveling trophy, meant to continue the tradition for years to come.
It takes the form of an etched glass block with a slit at the top, designed to hold wooden coins engraved with the recipients’ names. Each year, the current honoree will pass the award to the next recipient during an award ceremony.
“There’s plenty of room in the box,” Judi Smith said. “We hope this will go on for a long time.”
The idea reflects the belief that civic progress is built by many contributors over time — a value Kent Smith championed throughout his life.
Selecting the first honoree
Choosing the first recipient involved extensive discussion. Several community leaders and organizations were considered, including Bill and Sue Pinkham, Donna Shavlik, the American Legion, Wayne Newsom, Pat Newsom, EPNRC, and Jim Pickering.
After considerable deliberation, Judi Smith said the family selected Batey because of his decades of involvement across many areas of community life — often working alongside Kent Smith.
“This first year, we really wanted the recipient to be someone we had worked closely with for many years,” Judi Smith said. “Sometimes on the same board, sometimes more casually, but collaborating on multiple projects over at least a 10-year period.”
A long record of civic service
Batey’s service in Estes Park spans numerous boards, initiatives, and community efforts.
He has served on the boards of the Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center, the Estes Park Local Committee of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, and the Historic Stanley Home, helping guide projects including restoration work on the historic structure’s roof and porch, as well as eight years on the Estes Park Health Board of Directors.
Batey played a key role in several major community initiatives, including helping lead the successful campaign for the 1 percent sales tax dedicated to roads, trails, and emergency communications improvements.
He also provided early financial support for the creation of the Estes Valley Community Center and later served as the community representative during the building’s design and construction phases.
Beyond individual boards and projects, Batey has been involved in broader community conversations about the region’s future.
He spent 10 years on the Trailblazer Broadband board, helping advance municipal broadband service in Estes Park — an effort that preceded similar projects in many rural communities.
During that time, he also collaborated with community leaders Jim Pickering and Howard Hanson on a series of articles examining the housing challenges facing the Estes Valley and exploring potential solutions.
Batey additionally chaired the Broadband Committee for the Estes Development Corporation, helping lead the successful election campaign that established the town’s municipal broadband network.
“A collaborative effort”
When invited to speak after receiving the award, Batey said he was surprised and honored by the recognition.
“It was great to work with Kent over the years,” Batey said. “If something important was happening in town, Kent was there. He was always there in a positive way, contributing to moving things forward.”
He emphasized that the projects both men worked on were never the result of one person’s efforts alone.
“Everything that Kent worked on and that I worked on has been a collaborative effort,” Batey said. “It’s not an individual thing. All of these efforts depend on people working together — and in many cases, on our community coming together to vote in support of them.”
He added that the award’s design reflects that idea.
“I’m encouraged that there’s room for lots of other coins,” he said. “Kent was a great example, and I’m honored and humbled to be part of this new tradition.”
The ceremony concluded with applause as Batey placed the first engraved coin into the glass award box — beginning what organizers hope will become a long-standing annual recognition of civic collaboration in the Estes Valley coordinated by the mayor’s office.