Thanks to the Estes Valley Voice for the opportunity to offer my perspectives.
In the aftermath of the fires, I can say that the skill and strength of the firefighters, police officers, emergency medical services, American Red Cross, other first responders and support crews, and Town staff were in full display throughout the events.
There will be after-action meetings to determine what went well and what could improve. In the early stages of these crises, or when conditions are rapidly changing, information can be conflicting and confusing from many different sources. I have received lots of ideas to consider for future events.
We know that we will have more fires. We know that we cannot isolate Estes from those fires. When the Troublesome Creek fire leaped the Continental Divide in 2020, it demonstrated that there is no way to cloister the town away from future fires. Each crisis is a prelude to the next, and an opportunity to optimize our readiness and focus our communication methods.
Our efforts to accelerate the completion of the Loop project, while doing it safely and accurately, have helped.
We expect completion in October, months ahead of schedule. We can begin to evaluate the results of this project on traffic flow and business. Other factors like the general economy will also affect the recovery. I have been speaking to businesses elsewhere in town, away from the downtown corridor. Some are doing very well, but we will not know the full story on downtown recovery until at least next summer. Will we lose some of our longtime repeat guests? We have heard comments like, “I’m never coming back!”
My view is that the Estes Valley is still the Estes Valley. The mountains are still here. The desire of so many, from Colorado, the USA, around the world, to visit this spot will not fade away. The beauty of this valley will bring most of our guests back and will bring new guests – though there will be necessary healing time.
The aftermath of construction is a prelude to improving our “quaintness quotient” and developing our downtown experience. The downtown development plan from 2018 still has great value in retaining and nurturing our Estes culture: pedestrian friendly walkways, a mall experience, greenery, and more.
And there will always be needed repairs and upgrades around town; witness the Neighborhood Reclamation project between the Legion and the Museum, which is moving rapidly to completion. As we continue to build and repair, we must keep in mind our sustainability objectives.
The Town Board passed the electric rate increase on Aug. 13. The greatest amount of discussion and debate happened at the very last public hearing. When the next rate increase comes around, I am going to remind you all to speak up early in the process. I greatly appreciate the input from various citizens as the Board worked through this issue, and all topics. I continue to learn every day from my fellow residents and guests.
There are other changes coming. What will happen to our newspapers (and e-versions thereof)? Longtime editor Michael Romero is retiring from the Trail-Gazette; the Estes Valley Voice is just beginning its adventure; the steady EP News keeps rolling along. How will our reporting to our residents (and guests) develop over the next months and years?
I wish Michael all of the best as he moves on, and I hope the news outlets thrive. Michael has been a powerful voice in the community, as he worked to encourage, and occasionally demand, timely, open, forthright communication to our constituency. I thank him for his service to Estes.
Nationally, there are very concerning trends in the journalism world that America has to weather, and so I applaud those who are working diligently every day to bring us the news.
You will see the announcement of my inaugural Mayor’s Coffee, planned for Sep. 4. I will shape those periodically over time to supplement the Trustee Talks and other sessions.
I very much appreciate Trustee Bill Brown’s initiative to hold a public session on property considerations. His very thoughtful article in the newspapers (“Balancing the Interests of Property Owners”) is, as always, educational and enlightening.
I would love to see the final closure of the Fall River Village deal—a rare opportunity—and the Board helped on Aug. 13 by committing the Town’s portion of funding, so that a lender can now be procured. I hope that the Sundance Festival comes to Boulder. The impact on Estes would be a significant boon.
I want to see the Board define “hosted short-term rentals” and continue to find a way to help our vacation rentals succeed while moving forward aggressively on workforce housing. As I have said before, the two can coexist if we manage it right.
We need to finish Cleave Street, which is also part of the vision of the downtown mall experience. CDOT will finish the long asphalt overlay. West Elkhorn will get its overlay facelift. I’m very eager to see how the Stanley Chocolate Factory plays out; I’ll be in line with the kids for that new bolt of fun in downtown.
Through it all, I want to continue to help us move toward green standards in town and with our energy provider. I want everyone who comes to Estes as a guest to leave with a sense of wonder at the beauty of this place and to take away a higher ecological consciousness than when they arrived.
I hope this summer is a prelude for your ongoing health and your pursuit of happiness. Be well, be safe, take joy in how green our valley is, and let us keep it that way.
You can contact me at ghall@estes.org, through my phone at Town Hall at 970-577-3706, or by requesting a meeting at https://dms.estes.org/Forms/mayormeetingrequest.