NEWS BRIEFS

to the process.

Elk Creek board member wants to begin strategic plan discussion e Elk Creek Fire board will begin meeting to start developing a strategic plan.

Board member Chuck Newby brought up the idea at the Jan. 12 board meeting, noting that the board needed to develop a policylevel plan that identi es the department’s objectives including personnel, facilities, apparatus and more to achieve the strategies.

“ e idea here is simply to have a series of work sessions to develop an overall policy plan for the district,” Newby said. “I think it’s absolutely necessary that this board get together in a longer meeting forum to understand the questions and the issues that are facing the district and develop the strategies for achieving goals.” e re board is setting a date for a work session to begin discussing the department’s future.

Board members said the pending decision on whether Elk Creek should consolidate with the InterCanyon and North Fork re departments would impact the department’s strategic plan, and the consultant’s report would provide some suggestions.

Newby countered that the consultant would be from the outside looking in at the department, while the re board could look at the department from the inside.

EPRD plans Youth Advisory Council e Evergreen Park & Recreation District board is contemplating creating a Youth Advisory Council to get more youth input and involvement in decisions. e board is looking at the proposed application process and is expected to make a decision at its Feb. 28 meeting. e board hopes to nd one or two high school sophomores to begin attending monthly board meetings starting in May to provide a youth voice to the board for several years.

Board members said they hoped students who apply spend time in the district’s rec centers or are involved in rec center programs.

EMD working on Evergreen dam e Evergreen Metro District is doing some work on the Evergreen dam, so it appears that less water is going over the dam and into Bear Creek.

EMD is repairing the dam outlet piping system below the dam, which has been a to-do item from the State Engineers O ce for some time, according to General Manager Dave Lighthart. e piping system allows water to be released during emergencies.

Lighthart said the outlet piping system hasn’t worked in the 43 years that EMD took over running the water treatment system and dam repairs.

“ ere’s nothing structurally wrong with the dam, Lighthart said.

Workers have cleaned the 42-inch diameter pipe and inspected a valve that needs to be replaced. O cials will bring the plan and budget to replace the valve to the February EMD board meeting for approval, so the work can be done, Lighthart said.

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When learning about how Native Americans lived, it’s better when that learning is hands-on.

at’s why the kindergartners at Rocky Mountain Academy of Evergreen spent time in the school’s STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and math — lab to create tepees out of construction paper and sticks.