FIRE BRIEFS

Orr said Yellin was being recognized for his strong leadership in Je erson County and regionally, and his tireless work to increase wild re resistance in the Elk Creek and InterCanyon re departments.

Orr said while the award was for Yellin’s work in 2022, his e orts go way beyond one year.

Elk Creek board President Greg Pixley thanked Yellin for his work to make the re district safer.

“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your e orts,” Pixley said.

Safety fair at Elevation Celebration e fair would help the department engage with the community during the event July 29-30 on Sutton Road in Aspen Park. e department has had safety fairs in the past, re board member Dominique Devaney said at the June 8 meeting, and the event in conjunction with the Elevation Celebration allows the department to reach more people. In the past, the safety fair has had fun activities for children, plus educational outreach to adults.

Elk Creek Fire wants to have a safety fair as part of the Elevation Celebration.

Fire Chief Jacob Ware said he would form a committee to plan the safety fair.

More transparency through earlier agenda release

In an e ort to improve transparency between Elk Creek Fire board members and the community, the board will work to release re board meeting agendas well in advance of meetings.

Fire board members have been concerned in the last few months about how late some information has been provided to the board and the public before votes are taken on important topics. In April, board member Chuck Newby was concerned that an agenda item for a pre-consolidation agreement with Inter-Canyon and North Fork re departments was added to the agenda less than 24 hours before the meeting, and the supporting documentation was sent out late.

After a lengthy discussion at the June 8 meeting, the board has asked that agendas and supporting materials be supplied to the board and the public by the Monday before the board meeting, which is the second ursday of the month. Board members said they wanted to try to have the agendas available a week before the board meeting.

Newby originally asked for the department to strive to have agendas available 14 to 21 days before the meeting, and he still prefers that agendas are available more than seven days in advance of meetings.

According to Colorado’s open meetings law, an agenda must be made public 24 hours before the meeting begins.

Resident Chris Laubis told the board during public comment that she has a di cult time nding up-to-date meeting minutes on the re department’s website, which is important if she is unable to attend a meeting.

“ e (Elk Creek) re board is the only thing I get to vote for in unincorporated Je erson County,” Laubis said. “People should know more about what is going on, so they have a voice.”

Grant for PIO

e three re departments moving toward consolidation have received a grant to hire a full-time public information o cer for two years.

Elk Creek, Inter-Canyon and North Fork re departments are advertising nationally for candidates for the position, Elk Creek Fire Chief Jacob Ware said at the June 8 re board meeting.

e three departments’ outreach committee said they needed to do more connecting with residents. Questions on whether to consolidate and increase property taxes to allow the consolidation will be on the Nov. 7 ballot. Voters in all three re departments must vote in favor of consolidation before it can take place.

Strategic plan

Work on a strategic plan for the Elk Creek Fire Protection District is on track to being brought to the re board for review in October.

Fire Chief Jacob Ware told the board on June 8 that it’s been dicult to get speci c population information for the re district, which is an important part of the plan.

Community required the go community plans. June wanting to community ment. meeting the after hearing annexation be ing. later tion dents comment noting gin trustees the meeting process. Trustee public don’t would from cation process. involved said. being munity ask proposal, munity tion bersome.

I plan to buy a home in the Conifer/ Evergreen, or surrounding areas, to make my primary residence.

BRIEFLY IN MORRISON

Community meetings now required for annexation

People wanting to annex land into the town of Morrison now must go through an extra step: hosting a community meeting to explain the plans.

e Town Board of Trustees on June 6 voted 5-1 to require anyone wanting to annex land into the town to explain the proposal and give the community the opportunity to comment. If the board feels a community meeting is unwarranted, it can waive the requirement.

e community meeting will come after the town board conducts a hearing to determine whether the annexation application is complete. e meeting announcement must be posted 14 days before the meeting. e town has two more hearings later before voting on the annexation proposal.

Trustees in favor said town residents deserved a chance to hear and comment on annexation proposals, noting that when developers begin talking to the town, sometimes trustees can’t talk publicly about the proposal. Adding a community meeting builds transparency in the process.

“ is is all about public input,” Trustee Paul Sutton said. “I think the public doesn’t feel represented if we don’t give them a way to comment.”

Trustee Katie Gill added that she would like the community to hear from developers before the application moves through the town’s process.

“ is allows the community to be involved in the process early on,” Gill said. “If a major land-use change is being proposed, having one community meeting is not too much to ask for a major change.” an applicant to do business in the town of Morrison,” Forey said. “We have plenty of public meetings to hear all of the comments by residents of the town. is is a ridiculous proposal.”

Trustee Sean Forey was against the proposal, saying requiring a community meeting made the annexation process that much more cumbersome.

Morrison o cials have added a community meeting requirement for annexation requests in the town.

A community meeting also will be required for rezoning proposals as part of the town’s revision of its planning code. e Town Board has not voted on the revisions yet.

Speed-enforcement van in Morrison e van will be placed in di erent spots within the town to help curb speeding, an issue the town has

Morrison trustees have authorized starting a radar-van speed-enforcement program. e question is whether it will be a two-year contract or a one-year pilot program.

Town Manager Kara Winters will research and decide which program will be a better option for the town after a discussion at a May 16 Town Board meeting during which Trustee Katie Gill said she did not support a two-year contract with Verra Mobility. She suggested a risk-free oneyear pilot program such as one the City of Aurora implemented.

Board has discussed for six months how to use a speed-enforcement van in areas of town that need it the most, while still complying with state laws.

Police Chief Bill Vinelli told the board that the town’s attorney has said a van could be placed along Highway 74 and Highway 8 east to Mount Vernon and Bear Creek avenues. Streets are not considered highway when running through municipalities. Vinelli said a radarspeed van would help improve pedestrian and vehicle safety as well as provide revenue to the town. e van photographs license plates for speeders, and tickets are sent to the vehicle’s owner. e town has the option to allow the van company to collect the ticket fees or to use another agency, which the town does now.

A person must be sitting in the van while it is operating, and police ofcers must verify the tickets that will be issued, Vinellis said. Signs must be placed notifying drivers that the van is there.

Vinelli said the town would pay $5,000 per month for the van if it purchases one from Verra Mobility, and it would be paid o in two years. In addition, the town will pay for vehicle maintenance and the vehicle attendant.

Hiring Rangers to help at Bandimere e Morrison Police Department will use the Colorado Rangers to augment the work police o cers do at Bandimere Speedway.

Morrison has memorandums of understanding with several agencies to help with policing, but they are having sta ng problems, so Morrison will work with the Colorado Rangers for the rest of Bandimere’s season.

“Using the Rangers will allow us to ful ll our commitment to the citizens of Morrison, the Red Rocks contract and Bandimere without risking the safety of anyone involved,” according to the information supplied in the Town Board packet.

FREEDOM. TO BE YOU.