by Becky Olson
The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees for the Town of Westcliffe was held on May 16th, 2023, and convened as scheduled at 5:30 p.m. in Patterson Hall. All Trustees were present and proceedings commenced after recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and unanimous adoption of the consent agenda.
The first item of old business was consideration of a request by Town Manager, Caleb Patterson, to modify the type of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations the town will be installing with the help of a grant from two “fast” (level 1) and two “slow” (level 2) chargers to one fast and three slow ones. The request came as a result of the increased cost of the EV chargers since the grant was originally awarded. After a fair amount of discussion, the motion passed with Mayor Wenke and Trustee Art Nordyke dissenting and voting no.
Next in old business was consideration of the four applications for the façade improvement grant program that have been received this year. The Trustees voted unanimously to approve the first three and require the hopeful new owners of the Courtyard Inn to re-submit their application when the sale of that business is completed. Note: the sale of that business has since been finalized, so the new owners can re-submit their application and obtain approval for their improvement plans.
In a series of motions, the Trustees next unanimously approved a Request for Proposal (RFP) and job description for the town’s new Public Relations consultant; a search committee consisting of Mayor Wenke and Trustees Cathy Snow and Loree Lund was formed and tasked with interviewing candidates; and the consultant who wrote the RFP and job description, Heather Ottem, was granted authority to screen applicant resumés before sending them on to the Trustees.
In new business, the Trustees unanimously approved the installation of two historical informational plaques on public property, as well as the new lease with Colorado Open Lands (which recently merged with San Isabel Land Protection Trust) for management of the Bluff Park. In
other items, the Trustees decided not to charge a fee to businesses that use the sidewalks in front of their establishments for seating, but they did request town attorney, Clay Buchner, to draft an amended section of the municipal code to address permits and fees for businesses that want to use the parking spaces in front of their establishments. Next, a workshop to
prioritize which grants the town is going to apply for was scheduled, and the Trustees indicated their approval of the town’s new property and casualty insurance policy. Before moving into staff reports, the Trustees voted not to grant a request to chip seal a private road between the Lutheran Church and the private school,
stating it would “set a precedent”.
In staff reports, Town Clerk, Kathy Reis, mentioned the farmer’s market was going to be refunded the amount of their permit fee due to being forced to move their location this year because of grass erosion concerns at Jess Price Park. The Clerk’s office is going to be closed on June 12th to allow Mrs. Reis and another employee to attend a grant seminar; and a request for flex hours between Mrs. Reis and another employee that still provides office support five days a week was also granted. Mr. Patterson reported chip sealing will begin soon, followed by parking line striping, and also that the work to replace 22 lights in town due to being too harsh and bright is proceeding. Mayor Wenke reported he is still gathering information on options to repair the grass in Jess Price Park. Mr. Buchner is going to draft a robust purchasing policy that will address the acquisition and disposition of town-owned real estate (among many other purchasing topics), and the Parks Committee is going to meet to determine what to do about the dilapidated stone pillars at Memorial Park.
The Trustees voted to adjourn their regular meeting and moved into a Board of Adjustments public hearing to consider granting a variance to Tim Broll for the purpose of installing a 30,000 gallon propane tank on a parcel just south of town on Highway 69. After an admonition from a Trustee about needing to obtain permits before commencing work, and a requirement that Mr. Broll must come back before this board and provide an update if the work isn’t completed by the end of the calendar year, the Trustees voted unanimously to grant the variance. With no further items, the meeting was adjourned.