It has been a very busy September

I get a lot of questions from groups and individuals. When I know the answer, I answer in real-time. Some answers might be of broader interest. The items below came from my engagement with the EP Women’s Club, the Rotary Clubs, the QUO Ecology Panel, Mayor’s Coffee, Trustee Talks, Town Board meetings, individual meetings, and many other interactions.

Downtown Parades and Events: The Catch the Glow parade and Halloween are planned as usual. The Rodeo Parade in 2025 will occur, though there is some discussion about the best place for it. There were some equine and staffing advantages related to having it close to the Events Center.

The status of the Scottish/Irish Festival parade in 2025 will be determined by Peggy Young, the leader of the festival. I very much enjoy that great and popular event.

Virginia and Riverside eastbound turns merging: A citizen asked about some merging murkiness at Virginia Drive and Riverside, where traffic simultaneously turning right onto eastbound Elkhorn. This should now be clarified now with the new pavement markings. (Virginia Drive eastbound turners should yield.)   

Did Loop contractors have to pay for parking when they were up here working? If they parked in a paid lot during paid-parking season, yes, the Town checked for payment. If they were actively working parking lots, with vehicle warning lights illuminated, or otherwise obviously working, the Town did not check for payment.

USPS in paid parking? The USPS purchased commercial loading permits for vehicles that use the Riverside and Post Office lots.

Will the Loop contractors receive a bonus for early completion? The Federal Highway Administration determines that; the Town is not involved in those negotiations. If paid, this is not Town dollars, but from the FHWA budget.

Why haven’t more personal wind turbines been built like the one on Highway 7? Despite our often very windy conditions, the Estes wind is erratic, and these domestic turbines generally do not get a great return on investment. You have costs for installation, operations and maintenance, insurance. The Town regulates these as Accessory Uses under our Development Code. There are two categories, for different zones: “Micro wind energy conversion systems” and “Small wind energy conservation systems. Both are subject to additional standards found in the development code.

Fire/Evacuation Follow-ups: I have received many questions about these topics. I will put a couple items here. I may offer more in future forums.

Communication During the Fire: 1470 AM was up and running as a Town broadcast during the Alexander fire. Also, as long as you have access to the internet, the website and email blasts are also good options. Estes Park now has multiple fiber communication paths to/from town, so we are in much more robust shape than we were a few years ago.

The confusion of communication early in a crisis, and when the shape of the crisis is rapidly changing, can make it difficult to get immediate, complete, accurate information. To me, this means it is better to err on the conservative side and publish cautionary notes to potential visitors until information stabilizes.

Single Reliable Accessible Source of Information:  For local fire-related issues, the Town is the primary provider of information – for example, impacts to Town services, evacuation information, and law-enforcement related information. The best current route/closure information would be released concurrent with evacuation notices. Updates on the fire itself will come from the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and will be published by the Town as necessary to keep the residents and guests informed. The AHJ is the appropriate authority (Town, County, State, Federal, or other) who is in command of the incident.

Preplanning: Anyone who can plan for their actions during an evacuation, should plan. This is true of all, including those who are challenged in their ability to transport themselves. Some may have difficult creating their own plan and should seek help before a crisis for assistance. It is incumbent upon guests, residents, and hotels (including the Y) to have personal/business evacuation plans. 

Does the Town have an evacuation plan? Yes, the Town, LCSO, and Estes Valley Fire Protection District have an evacuation plan. It relies on pre-set polygons but is adjusted for each event. The Town learned a lot in 2020; these lessons have been incorporated into evacuation procedures.

What resources are there to guide us to the best evacuation routes? The Fire District provides many good resources for thinking through a personal evacuation plan. The best routes are typically the state highways, but that can change depending on the incident. The EVFPD describes the different routes out of Town on their “Evacuation Resources” page. 

My discussions with Chief Stewart and Town Administrator Machalek give me high confidence that there is very good fire/evacuation planning at the Town, County, and beyond. The shape of the disaster will always impact the specific shape of the interlocking incident command.