OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Town Council Special Meeting: Police Expansion, Sustainability Plan, and Oil & Gas Discussion – September 2, 2025

Town Council — Tuesday, September 2, 2025
BodyErie, Colorado
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, September 2, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:57:38

Transcript — Verbatim
1:46

Mayor Moore?

1:47

Here.

1:48

Council Member Bear.

1:49

President.

1:50

Council Member Pessimarelli.

1:53

President.

1:53

Mayor Pro Tem Bell.

1:56

Councilmember Mortalero.

1:58

Here.

1:59

And Councilmember O'Connor.

2:01

Here.

2:01

Mayor, you have a quorum.

2:03

All right.

2:03

Thanks.

2:04

We'll see if there's a motion to approve the agenda.

2:12

All in favor, say aye.

2:13

Aye.

2:14

Aye.

2:14

All opposed say no.

2:16

All right.

2:17

Motion carries.

2:18

We have an agenda.

2:19

We'll move on to public comment.

2:21

Do we have anybody to speak tonight?

2:23

There's nobody signed up.

2:25

I don't know if there's any of that in the room, but there's just looking to see if anybody would like to address the council tonight.

2:32

All right.

2:33

Seeing there is none, we're we will jump into general business.

2:36

And the first item on the agenda is item twenty-four twenty-five four seventy-four, the police facility expansion update.

2:45

You are I appreciate it.

2:47

We're excited to be here tonight.

2:50

I also have with me Deputy Chief Heather Carmesino.

2:53

Uh we're gonna present to you kind of where we're at with the design of uh expanded police facility.

3:00

Um we figured we we have some individuals here from our architect group and also from France and Pittman, the construction managers, um, who will present later on in the in the presentation, but I just want to give a quick overview of some things going on at the police department.

3:16

The need for the building, the need to increase staffing and and why we need that space.

3:20

So um before we go on, you're gonna do it just a quick introduction.

3:28

So Chad Alexander, town facilities manager and project leading for this project.

3:34

Uh mayor council, Eric Combs, D2C architects.

3:38

We know you, we know you.

3:46

Hi, good evening.

3:46

Uh Miguel Mora with D2C Architect.

3:49

Job Captain.

3:52

Um Thiago project manager with D2C architects.

3:56

Okay, wonderful.

3:57

Thank you for doing that.

3:58

And mayor, if I could real quick, I will also introduce uh members of France with Pitna that are here.

4:02

Uh Josh Davis Davis.

4:05

Uh and Mr.

4:08

John Pittman.

4:09

Okay, wonderful.

4:10

You bet.

4:11

So this first slide is just to kind of give you an idea of where we are headed as a police department.

4:16

Our calls for service over the last couple of years have gone up 20%.

4:20

Our population has gone up eight percent.

4:22

And our crime reports, lo and behold, have also gone up eighteen percent.

4:27

Um all of our services, all of the things that we do are on the rise.

4:31

We have our investigative cases are going up, animal services, victim crime call outs.

4:37

Thanks.

4:37

Thank heavens we have a VRA because those are increasing every day.

4:40

Um our co-responders are going out on more and more calls.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Oil And Gas Regulation██████████████████████████████30%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████15%
Fiscal Sustainability████████8%
Public Engagement███████7%
Environmental Protection███████7%
Sustainability Planning█████5%
Waste Management███3%
Procedural███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Town Council Special Meeting Summary – September 2, 2025

The Erie Town Council held a special meeting on September 2, 2025, to discuss three major agenda items: the Police Facility Expansion Update, the Sustainability Action Plan update, and an update on Oil and Gas in Erie. The meeting included presentations from town staff, consultants, and public input on the topics.

Police Facility Expansion Update (25-474)

  • Presenter(s): Police Chief Lee Mathis, Deputy Chief Heather Carmesino, D2C Architects, and CMAR representatives.
  • Key Statistics & Needs: Calls for service increased 20%, population grew 8%, and crime reports rose 18% over recent years. Priority one response time increased from 1 minute (2022) to 3 minutes (2023-2024). Minimum staffing is often 2 officers and 1 sergeant for 48 square miles. The chief aims for 1 sergeant and 3 officers.
  • Facility Design: The project includes an ~32,000 sq ft addition (total ~50,000 sq ft) with a west expansion, maintaining aesthetics and security. 15,000 sq ft was saved through multi-functional spaces and value engineering.
  • Budget & Funding: Conceptual estimate rose from $39.4M (2024) to $47.7M (current), partly due to all-electric design and 6% annual escalation. Options discussed: Certificates of Participation (COPs), a public safety tax, or ballot measure. Annual COP payment estimated at ~$3M over 20 years.
  • Next Steps: Council will discuss funding mechanisms at an upcoming retreat. Staff will bring first bid package (early release) to council in October 2025. Construction is targeted for January 2026 start, with completion in 2027.

Sustainability Action Plan Update (25-478)

  • Presenter(s): Sustainability Manager Eryka Thorley, Climate Mitigation Associate Molly Marcucilli (Lotus), and Sustainability Specialist Emma Marino.
  • Background: The 2019 Sustainability Plan is being updated; about 80% of strategies implemented. A 2023 greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and equity analysis were conducted.
  • Emissions Data (2023): Community-wide emissions by sector: waste (33%, mostly from landfills), residential buildings (30%), transportation (19%), commercial/industrial (8%), oil & gas (10%). Nearly 60% from transportation and buildings combined. Landfill emissions are largely from outside Erie residents (only ~5% attributable to Erie).
  • Community Engagement: Staff tabled at Arbor Earth Day (433 dot votes), five farmers markets (~350 interactions), held staff focus groups, a steering committee (4 meetings), and a charette with town leaders. Key themes: waste diversion, multimodal transportation, renewable energy, and preserving natural character.
  • Strategy Draft: Sectors include buildings & energy, waste & materials, transportation & mobility, nature-based solutions, and education & outreach. Plans to model 5 strategies for cost/GHG impact and set reduction goals.
  • Next Steps: Refine strategies with steering committee, prioritize, model, and aim for plan adoption in early 2026.

Discussion of Oil and Gas in Erie (25-171)

  • Presenter(s): Environmental Services Director David Frank, Environmental Analyst Ben Kellond.
  • Current Status: 375 wells within municipal boundary (115 active, 260 plugged/abandoned). 489 additional wells within a 2,000-foot buffer. Production has dropped 73% from 2021 peak. Civitas operates ~90% of active wells.
  • KP Kaufman: Operator with 21 wells in Erie; faces state enforcement for 148 violations, ongoing litigation, and possible dismantling. Wells remain active during court battles.
  • Draco OGDP: 26 new wells planned, requiring plugging of 22 old wells (mostly from 1970s-2000s). Location adjacent to future Westerly development. Conditions of approval: three-year completion window (May 2028), enhanced air monitoring, paving of County Road 6, and monitoring of 6 previously plugged wells. Town will install independent air monitors.
  • Data Falsification: ECMC discovered falsified lab reports from two consulting firms affecting 404 sites (3 near Erie). Criminal investigations ongoing. Operators (Chevron, Occidental, Civitas) self-reported after identifying anomalies.
  • Spills & Remediation: 68 spills from 2018-2025; two major active cleanups: Erie 124 (1,300 cubic yards removed, groundwater monitoring until ~Dec 2026) and Arapahoe tank battery (6,500+ cubic yards excavated, digging ongoing). Both in neighborhoods.
  • Future Actions: Launching internal inspection program using OGI camera (arriving soon). Developing ordinances for registration fees, fines, and access rights. Exploring municipal water supply protections. Will strengthen communication with HOAs and operators.

Key Outcomes

  • Police Expansion: No formal vote; council acknowledged need and will consider funding options (COPs, tax) at retreat. Direction given to proceed with design and early bid packages.
  • Sustainability Plan: Council feedback incorporated; staff to continue strategy development and modeling. No formal action required.
  • Oil & Gas: Immediate request to Civitas to fence open excavations at Arapahoe tank battery and provide more frequent updates on remediation. Staff will pursue quarterly meetings with Civitas and enhanced communication via website and quarterly reports. Council encouraged enforcement tools and interlocal coordination.

Meeting Transcript

Mayor Moore? Here. Council Member Bear. President. Council Member Pessimarelli. President. Mayor Pro Tem Bell. Councilmember Mortalero. Here. And Councilmember O'Connor. Here. Mayor, you have a quorum. All right. Thanks. We'll see if there's a motion to approve the agenda. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. All opposed say no. All right. Motion carries. We have an agenda. We'll move on to public comment. Do we have anybody to speak tonight? There's nobody signed up. I don't know if there's any of that in the room, but there's just looking to see if anybody would like to address the council tonight. All right. Seeing there is none, we're we will jump into general business. And the first item on the agenda is item twenty-four twenty-five four seventy-four, the police facility expansion update. You are I appreciate it. We're excited to be here tonight. I also have with me Deputy Chief Heather Carmesino. Uh we're gonna present to you kind of where we're at with the design of uh expanded police facility. Um we figured we we have some individuals here from our architect group and also from France and Pittman, the construction managers, um, who will present later on in the in the presentation, but I just want to give a quick overview of some things going on at the police department. The need for the building, the need to increase staffing and and why we need that space. So um before we go on, you're gonna do it just a quick introduction. So Chad Alexander, town facilities manager and project leading for this project. Uh mayor council, Eric Combs, D2C architects. We know you, we know you. Hi, good evening. Uh Miguel Mora with D2C Architect. Job Captain. Um Thiago project manager with D2C architects. Okay, wonderful. Thank you for doing that. And mayor, if I could real quick, I will also introduce uh members of France with Pitna that are here. Uh Josh Davis Davis. Uh and Mr. John Pittman. Okay, wonderful.

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