The Estes Park Town Board combined celebration, community updates, and routine business during its April 14 meeting, recognizing Mayor Pro Tem Marie Cenac’s last full board meeting as a Town Trustee. Cenac has served since first being elected in 2018. She was term limited.
Two new board members, Chris Eshelman and Jamie Mieras, along with two current board members who were reelected, Kirby Hazelton and Bill Brown, will be sworn in at the next board meeting on April 28. The four were elected to new terms as Town Trustees on April 7.
Mayor Gary Hall led the trustees in a chorus of Happy Birthday to Cenac who celebrated her 60th birthday during the board meeting. Trustees thanked her for her commitment to the community and years of civic leadership.
Hall also issued a proclamation designating April 24 as Arbor Day in Estes Park, citing the environmental and community benefits of trees, including improved air and water quality and increased resilience to heat and storms.
During trustee comments, Kirby Hazelton highlighted the success of the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival and recognized event organizers for strong turnout and programming.
Town Administrator’s report
Town Administrator Travis Machalek recognized local emergency dispatchers in honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, thanking them for their service to the Estes Valley. The annual observance, established in 1981, honors dispatchers who serve as the first point of contact during emergencies.
Machalek praised staff at the Estes Park emergency communications center for coordinating responses across multiple agencies, including the Estes Park Police Department, Estes Valley Fire Protection District, Glen Haven Fire Department, and emergency medical services at Estes Valley Medical Center.
He said the Estes Park dispatchers assist municipal departments such as light and power, water and public works, and provide coverage for surrounding areas including Allenspark, Pinewood Springs, and Big Elk Meadows, and also supports the National Park Service with dispatching on a scheduled basis.
Machalek also addressed findings from the town’s 2024 audit, outlining steps to improve internal processes, including additional review of grant accounting, interdepartmental billing, and compliance with new accounting standards.
He outlined four contributing issues and corresponding corrective steps, including a reversed grant receivable in the power communications fund that will be addressed through a double review of grant worksheets. A $51,963 prepaid expense in the IT fund was improperly capitalized.
Staff will also more closely review invoice dates and subscription periods to ensure expenses are recorded in the correct year.
Machalek said a duplicated $260,000 capital outlay entry in the street improvements fund, tied to broadband work on the Cleave Street project, will be prevented through closer review of internal work order billing between departments.
And a $369,058 restatement for an unrecorded 2023 subscription-based technology license, tied to a new Governmental Accounting Standards Board rule, will be addressed through ongoing review of subscription service invoices.
Machalek said the town is still implementing updated accounting standard and refining its processes.
He added that while the town acknowledged the need for adjustments, his office disagreed with the auditor’s characterization of the issues as a “significant deficiency” in internal controls, maintaining that existing controls are sufficient to prevent material misstatements.
In response to a follow-up question from Trustee Bill Brown, Machalek clarified that the duplicated Cleave Street entry was an internal accounting error between departments and did not result in a double payment to an outside party.
Arts district highlights economic and cultural impact
Estes Arts District co-chair presidents, Lars Sage and Dana Paiment, presented an update to the board, emphasizing efforts to drive economic growth through the arts and business partnerships while building “a creative community of collaboration, creativity, education, inclusion and cultural vitality in the Estes Valley.”
Talia Siens was introduced as the organization’s new arts and culture program director funded through a combination of funding from the Town and Visit Estes Park.
The Estes Arts District has opened a downtown headquarters on Elkhorn Avenue behind the Earthwood Collections gallery and is working to expand programming, including public art, murals, First Friday events, and youth-focused arts initiatives. Plans are also underway to request a proclamation designating August as Arts and Culture Month in Estes Park.
Future efforts will focus on forming an umbrella organization to coordinate arts groups and strengthen collaboration across the community.
Business and action items
The board unanimously approved its consent agenda, including routine expenditures, meeting minutes, and several resolutions including a public hearing on inclusion of properties into the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, approving a professional services contract for geo mapping, and authorizing an eintergovernmental agreement with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for landfill remediation.
The board also approved two liquor license items, including a transfer of ownership for Sweet Basilico Cafe and a new license for a rooftop restaurant.
In other action, trustees approved a supplemental 2026 budget amendment, primarily reflecting carryover of projects, grants, and purchase orders from the previous year.
Members of the board discussed concerns about Estes Park Salud Clinic remaining solvent, but did not take action, noting limitations on available revenue sources and the need for broader community collaboration.
The meeting concluded with updates from Derek Fortini, the director of the Estes Park Museum, on increased visitation, ongoing digitization projects, and future exhibit plans.