TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES PUBLIC MEETING JULY 23, 2024 The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on July 23, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Center, 381 Minter Avenue, De Beque, Colorado. Present were the following: Mayor: Shanelle Hansen Trustees: Cindy Farris, Walter Wood, Sarah Hambrick, Lisa Lippoldt, John Giffin, and Vernon Bruse Absent: Staff Present: Town Manager Care' McInnis, Town Clerk Lisa Rogers, Marshal Bob Dalley, Public Works Supervisor Sam Flores and Maintenance Worker John Haas. Also Present: Dawn Palmer, Boone Savoca, Diane Sandelin, Summer Black-Greening, Loren Cunnington, and Chad Clark. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. by Mayor Shanelle Hansen. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. ROLL CALL: Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present. ADDITIONS, DELETIONS, OR CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA: Ms. McInnis stated there were none. PRESENTION - MOSQUITO CONTROL: Loren Cunnington of Central Life Sciences stated that public health is important to every community. Mosquito control is very important due to West Nile and other diseases. Mosquito control is also important for nuisance control. The most important mosquito control is not to have standing water. The next is chemical solutions. There are two types larvacide and adulticide. Chemicals for pest control are quite safe. Science is winning. Trustee Lippoldt asked ifit is safe for animals/bees. Mr. Cunnington stated that with adulticide generally spraying occurs after dusk and that most bees are in their hives. Summer Black-Greening stated that the Town is not spraying at the right time, the technician is not licensed, and that the public is not uneducated when it comes to mosquito spraying. Ms. Black-Greening stated that she does not agree with the spraying. Boone Savoca stated that bees do not all go inside the hive at night, that the chemicals are harmful and will kill the bees. Mr. Cunnington stated that Tim Moore oft the Grand River Mosquito District is a great resource. ITEMS FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATING IN CONFERENCE: Summer Black-Greening, 283 W. 7th Street, stated that she has a letter with grievances that is over one hundred pages long. She stated that Code Enforcement is issuing tickets, but the Town is not taking TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JULY 23, 2024 PAGE 2 care ofits own weeds. Ms. Black-Greening also stated that the grasshoppers are taking over our town. She also stated that she has the paperwork to file with Mesa County regarding the water system and the double and triple paying of water taps. Boone Savoca, 320 W 7th Street, presented/read a statement protesting the mosquito spraying. He stated that the mosquitos do not go away and that the chemicals leave residue. He also stated that he does not trust the EPA and that the government should not tell us what to do. It should be the other way around. The Town should not be spraying. Property owners should be responsible for their own property. BOARD COMMENTS: Trustee Wood asked if there was an update on the mural project. Trustee Giffin stated there was not yet. Trustee Wood asked ifi there was an update on the bike trails. Trustee Giffin stated a detailed concept plan needs to be developed. Trustee Hambrick asked about the splash pad at the Mesa County Community Center. Mayor Hansen stated that the County did not have the expense for a splash pad in their agreement. She did state that an area had been reserved to later put in a splash pad and that the Town could petition for grants. Trustee Wood asked when the Community Center is open. Ms McInnis stated that she will speak to that during her board report. TOWN MANAGER REPORT: Ms. McInnis stated that there was a constituent letter in the back oft the packets regarding Sam Flores and the entire public works department. It commends his level of detail, professionalism, and accountability. Mesa County Community Center ribbon cutting was a success. Ms. McInnis thanked all who attended, and she also thanked the Mayor for hers speech. Budget season is in full swing. Joey will be reaching out to schedule an in-person meeting between each trustee, Katherine Boozell, and Ms. McInnis. Iti is optional for trustees, but it has proved beneficial in years past as the Board is well aware ofthe proposed budget prior to its presentation in September. Ms. McInnis stated that she anticipates needing a BOT Special Meeting prior to August 27th. She explained that she can't get ahead of the Board, but that their vote on the election item tonight will determine if we enter into an IGA with Mesa County and the deadline is the 27th. Special meeting was set for August 13th at 5:30. County Administrator Pete Baier annouced his retirement this morning. It will be effective in January 2025. He has been a friend to De Beque and will be missed. Ms. McInnis stated that the Town has a great relationship with Todd Hollenbeck who is the current Deputy County Administrator. We don't know yet who will fill Pete's position. Mesa County is terminating their contracts with municipalities for animal control services. The effect is really two-fold. First, enforcement for communities to be on the community. De Beque already does this. Second, the sheltering of animals. This will need to be put out for RFP. The County says ifthere are no takers, the County is open to engaging in a contract to continue to provide services. Mesa TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JULY: 23, 2024 PAGE3 County received a non-renewal effective December 31, 2024. The transfer station is also not being used. Iti is only open twice a month and maybe has two users each time. Ms. McInnis thinks it will be closed in the future. Mesa County will be managing the new Community Center, including scheduling and cash receipting. It is a good thing because it gets confusing surrounding questions of1 how it is funded, staffed, and the scheduling process. The Town has unfunded mandates to investigate and develop a plan for the replacement of lead and copper lines. Joey obtained a list of eighty-nine homes in the Town that were constructed before 1959. Staff is working on sending out information to each of these homeowners. We will also post in the newsletter. Then we will need to investigate whether they actually have lead or copper lines. Public Works may have to pothole, etc to investigate. The deadline for substantial compliance is October of 2024. We will then need to develop a plan to move forward. Ms. McInnis stated that she has asked Steph to start diving into grant funding options. Ms. McInnis went on to discuss all things electrical and water. She stated we were using the river pump. The VFD burnt up due to lightning. Public Works ordered a new one which was very pricey. It also burnt up due to inconsistent voltage from Xcel. Luckily, early rains improved the Roan Creek flow, and the Kobe Water. Authority agreed to turn on their pumps for a period of3 30 days on Laramie's tab. So, we are able to go back to Roan Creek. It is almost a given that the Cameo call will come 30 days after they started (July 11). Just this morning, we approved a bid for a new VFD and the its installation. Time is tight to keep the Town in irrigation water. The Town has three upcoming RFPS. The Comp Plan has a 100K matching grant. The Compost RFP is for the removal oft the old compost pile. Iti is an RFP to have it hauled away. The Town continues to have issues with residents dumping material that the Fire District and the State can not allow us to burn. For sidewalks, the designs have been firmed up. Hopefully, there will be bidders this time. Ms. McInnis stated that she will discuss it more later in the meeting. It was good timing on the way-finding signs. Ms. McInnis is set to present to the State, OEDIT, and other municipalities regarding our progress with Roadmaps to Resiliency. There is a needs and wish list of7i items recommended by the study to develop resiliency in De Beque. First, required rate increases to stabilize the enterprise funds SO that we could seek grants or loans. Second, a new water plant ($3.5M). Third, sewer improvements ($1.2M). Fourth is the sewer bore. It was an $800K funded project. It was underbudget and the excess returned to the State. In this project, we coordinated the first link oft the oroadband project. Fifth, is the Broadband project itself. There was $50K in design and engineering and funding for $925K for the construction. We may possibly award the contract tonight. Sixth is way-finding signs. Roan Creek BikeWorks replacement sign is in route. The Country Store Awning was a big project and is underway. Seventh, recreational opportunities such as the Riverfront project. There was a grant funded design. Staff will make grant requests in 2025 to start the implementation. Finally, Ms. McInnis asked about colors for the fill station. The engineers suggested light colors. It was discussed amongst the board and Desert Sand was decided as the color. TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JULY 23, 2024 PAGE 4 CONSENT AGENDA: a. Approval of Minutes: June 25, 2024.and June 27, 2024 b. Bills and Expenditures: June 2024. Discussion Before Motioning on the Consent Agenda: Mayor Hansen asked if anyone had any questions or comments on the Consent Agenda items. There were none. Motion: Trustee Hambrick motioned to approve all items on the consent agenda. Trustee Lippoldt seconded the motion. Motion carried 7-0. REGULAR AGENDA: NEW BUSINESS: Remaining bills and expenditures: Expenditures related to the Country Store Motion: Trustee Farris motioned to approve expenditures related to the Country Store. Trustee Hambrick seconded the motion. Mayor Hansen abstained. Motion carried 6-0 with 1 abstaining. Discussion and possible action regarding in-kind mosquito spraying - Hector Castro: Ms. McInnis stated that Hector Castro does a lot for the Town in terms of Roan Creek irrigation. He does headgate checks and makes sure that the Town is not short on water. He has requested mosquito spraying up at his property in return. She stated that this is not a favor but an in-kind serviçe for the help that Hector provides and that he is consisent in his help to the Town. Mayor Hansen questioned whether it would set some sort of precedent. Ms. McInnis said that it should not as it is for services rendered not a favor. Trustee Giffin asked how long the agreement would be for. Ms. McInnis stated for as long or short as the Board wants. Trustee Wood asked if other citizens would need to be informed. Mayor Hansen stated that where the house is is not close to any neighbors. Motion: Trustee Lippoldt motioned to approve in-kind mosquito spraying for Hector Castro. Trustee Hambrick seconded the motion. Motion carried 7-0. Discussion and action regarding Resolution 2024-20: A resolution approving the text of a referred ballot question by the Town of De Beque, placing the question on the ballot whether the Town should coordinate municipal elections to occur at the same time as county general elections: Ms. McInnis explained that the agenda item is to coordinate the election with Mesa County sO that there is just one election held in November. Mesa County would handle the logistics for the actual election. Mesa County would do the actual printing, mailing, recounts, and canvases. The County Clerk finds and trains election judges. Recounts and UOCAVA falls to the County to do. There would be savings of the actual cost oft the election, labor costs, and attorney fees. There is the con of if there is more than one funding measure on the ballot, they may all get voted down. Ifthe measure is approved, expiration TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JULY 23, 2024 PAGE5 oft terms for elected Board members would move from April to November. This would need to be approved by ordinance. A number of other entities already contract with Mesa County for their elections. Town Attorney McAnany stated that there is larger turnout. Trustee Farris stated that makes sense. Trustee Hambrick stated that it sounds like there is a lot oft benefit in terms of manpower, stress, and better turnout. Mayor Hansen stated that she has been through elections and that it is very stressful. Mayor Hansen asked ift there were any questions. There were none. Motion: Trustee Hambrick motioned to approve Resolution 2024-20. Trustee Farris seconded the motion. Motion carried 7-0. OLD BUSINESS: Discussion and action regarding NeuComm: Town Attorney McAnany explained stated that this is regarding a contract with NeuComm to enhance internet service to businesses and residents. It is to install fiber optic cable and and a CNL on the Mesa County Community Center property. The contract is for approximately $922,000. DOLA officials have no issues with this contract being sole-sourced given the history of NeuComm completing projects along I- 70. NeuComm has already designed the project and is highly recommended. When there is only one viable vendor, the Town can depart from the typical procurement process. In terms of qualitative aspects, there are other considerations than just price such as reliability. Ifthe Board wants, Staff will solicit competitive bids. Trustee Wood stated there are too many unanswered questions-old pictures, no walk-through, railroad permits (cannot build/bore without written consent). Mayor Hansen stated that NeuComm has already completed projects in Rifle and Silt from the interstate to site, and that they have been dealing with the railroad. She also explained that the company has done the design plan on a public right of way route that was chosen purposefully. Ms. McInnis stated that this is the last link in the chain. All the other sites locally had the river, railroad, and interstate that needed to be dealt with. Ms. Diack of NeuComm has been out on-site several times. She also stated that Mesa County would be funding the process to bring conduit across their own property. Mr. McAnany stated that an IGA would be forthcoming. Mayor Hansen stated that she was comfortable with this company as they already have working relationships and experience in the local area. Mr. McAnany also stated that if there are any problems moving forward, that this is their own design and would be on NeuComm. He also stated that he is not sure when they plan to break ground but they do plan to work through the winter. The work must be completed before the grant expires in 2026. Mayor Hansen asked if there were any questions. There were none. Motion: Trustee Lippoldt motioned to approve Resolution 2024-21. Trustee Hambrick seconded the motion. Motion carried 7-0. Discussion and possible action regarding mosquito spraying: Mayor Hansen stated that larvacide would be good to budget for. Trustee Hambrick stated that the Town should keep doing what it's doing but get more going. Trustee Giffin stated that staff should look at the spring processes to prevent overspraying later. Trustee Wood stated that we should use the granules instead. Mayor Hansen stated that Mosquito Mama would go around and treat all standing water. Trustee Lippoldt voted to continue to spray. Public Works Supervisor Sam Flores stated that it is wind dependent. Even though we try to start at dusk, we may have to start a little earlier due to wind TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JULY 23, 2024 PAGE 6 predictions. Trustee Wood asked since there are wildfires -are there any plans not to spray. Mr. Cunnington stated that the wildfires should not impede application. He also talked about the alternative of larvacides. Ms. McInnis stated that we are currently in the budget process so now is a good time to think about it. Discussion and possible action regarding statue at Gazebo Park: Ms. McInnis stated that Public Works had brought the statue down to its patina. Diane Sandelin stated that it looks good, and the painted railing looks nice. Mayor Hansen stated that she liked it, and it looks nice. Trustee Lippoldt stated that she wants to keep it like it is. Trustee Wood asked ifit could be polished. Trustee Bruse stated that it should be left alone. Trustee Hambrick that this is Old Town De Beque, it looks just right. Update regarding sidewalk project: Ms. McInnis said she wanted to give a quick update on the sidewalks. The latest estimate is about $700,000. She stated that there are zoomed in and zoomed out pictures in the packets. She stated that the project focuses on school/town safety, beautification, and ADA compliance. She stated there was major patchwork that needs to be done. ADA corners are very expensive. The design calls for painted crosswalks, right-angled curbing, and bulbous corners. This is what will go out for bid unless the Board has any recommendations. Trustee Bruse asked about the bid process. Ms. McInnis stated that it will be through Bidnet. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hansen asked ifthere was a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion: Trustee Farris motioned to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Lippoldt seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 8:48 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Approved by the Board of Trustees vo M. dihegne Lisa Rogers, Town Clerk Shanelle Hansen, Mayor SEAL - Soi