Mayor Pro Tem Bell.

Here.

Councilmember Hoback.

Here.

Council Member Bear.

President.

Councilmember O'Connor.

Present.

Councilmember Mortalero.

Here.

Councilmember Pessimarelli.

President.

And Mayor Moore.

Here.

Mayor, you have a quorum.

All right.

Great.

Do we have a motion to approve the agenda tonight?

So move.

Second.

We have a motion and a second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no.

All right.

We have an agenda.

Um, we have a few items uh tonight on the consent agenda.

Um just so everybody knows when I read these, it can be lengthy, and I'm working with our town attorney uh to see if um I could just read the numbers, and I think we can, but I gotta get used to that.

So tonight I'm gonna do it the way we normally do it.

Uh the first item is twenty twenty-six three twenty-eight, approval of the April twenty-eighth, twenty twenty-six town council meeting minutes.

The second item is twenty twenty-six twenty-five police week and peace officers memorial day proclamation sponsored by council members O'Connor and Pessor Amelli.

The next item is um twenty twenty-six two two two four, Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Proclamation sponsored by Council Members Pass Ramelli, O'Connor, and Baer.

Next item is twenty twenty-six two thirty, a proclamation recognizing public works week sponsored by Councilmember Baer.

Next item is twenty twenty-six two eighty-four proclamation.

Um, which is a proclamation, the twenty twenty-six building safety month sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Bell and Councilmember Hoback.

Next item is twenty twenty-six one thirty-one, a resolution of the town council of the town of Erie approving an agreement for professional services with Burns McDonald for the zone three tank systems improvement project.

The historic preservation advisory board, the open space and trails advisory board, the sustainability advisory board, and the tree advisory board.

Item 2026 306, a resolution of the town council of town Erie approving a second amendment to professional services agreement with D2C architects for the Erie Police Department Expansion and Remodel Project Design.

P24 to 519.

I think that's pages 24 to 519.

And the last item is item 2026 318, a resolution of the town council of town of Erie approving a data sharing and license agreement.

With the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment for quarterly census of employment and wages data.

We have a motion to approve the consent agenda.

So I move.

Second.

We have a motion and second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no.

All right, we'll move on to public comment tonight.

Um please remember the public comment is not an interactive question and answer forum, but rather a time for you to state your comments on a particular item or issue.

Public comment provides the opportunity to discuss items that are not in public hearings.

Please sign up using the kiosk in the lobby.

If you have a handout, please hand it to the town clerk.

Uh they will distribute it to the council and include it into the meeting record.

Uh, when called upon, please state your full name and location for the record.

Uh, public comment is limited to three minutes per person.

You'll be given a 20-second warning when your three minutes are almost up.

At the three minute mark, you will be asked to wrap up your final sentence.

And all opinions are welcome, but please be respectful of each speaker to ensure everyone feels welcome to share their comments.

Please refrain from any cheering, clapping, booing, or otherwise disrupting behavior.

All right.

With that, I'll look to our town clerk.

So our first speaker is Michael uh Cadilinich, and I'm he's online.

So, Michael, you should be able to unmute and speak.

Michael, can you hear us?

Can you hear me now?

Yes.

Yes.

Hello, uh Mayor and Council members.

Thank you for this opportunity.

Um, I would just like to uh speak briefly about the page property, which is on the officer tonight.

Um I don't I'm on a 1324 Northridge drive.

Hey Michael, we're having a hard time hearing you.

You're cutting in and out.

Apologies.

I think we've now lost one.

I think what we're gonna do is go ahead, try again.

Sorry, this hopefully will only take one minute.

Uh and that was we can hear you much better.

Perfect.

It was a microphone actually on my extent.

I believe the highest and best long-term community value of the page property is for it to remain open space.

Preserving this land would help connect Coal Creek Park, Ryance Park, and the ongoing flood mitigation and trail restoration work along uh Coal Creek.

And um, I believe these assets together could form a continuous corridor that supports recreation, habitat, drainage, and and the community character uh through this part of Erie.

Um development may provide short-term benefits, but preservation would provide long-lasting uh public value.

And if this property were to be developed, the opportunity to create that connected open space corridor is gone.

So I respectfully urge the council to prioritize preservation of the page property and to explore every available partnership grant and funding option before moving towards any uh development.

Thank you.

That's all I had.

All right, thank you.

Um, next is Sherry Brimer, and she is online as well.

Okay.

Thank you, Mayor Moore and the town council for allowing me to speak.

I'm also speaking in regards to the page property.

This is really a unique opportunity, and Erie has such a rich history.

Why not establish ourselves as a destination to explore that history, the land and the pioneers who built up this area?

Erie has always begun developing this identity with the Shofield Farm and Acreage.

Why not continue that innovative direction?

Why not create an open space coupled with evolving interpretive center that highlights the past, but also gives us an identity for the future.

Erie could really position itself as a destination, a real historical marker for the area where families could visit and become engaged for decades to come.

This area could not only provide a beautiful landscape with spectacular views, of course, but also have it available for community events too.

This area is has so much beauty and possibilities.

We don't want to squander that.

And starting simple, this open space for the community could double as a wonderful resource of land stewardship as well as paying homage to the mining and agricultural past.

Erie could then become a centerpiece for the surrounding area with a living eco museum with a historical interpretive center to help explain not only Erie's colorful past, but that of the entire region.

It could include a rustic area for lectures, volunteer docent for school visits, a covered perhaps musical venue, or act as a backdrop for the many Erie traditional community events that already houses.

It could be a small scale living working farm, perhaps, a barn that houses space for an indoor farmers market, a broad gathering space for local events with lawn seating, all intermingled within trails and nature.

And any of these could all be encompassed in the same wonderful open space with the lovely connection directly to downtown.

So with this very unique opportunity, please envision a quaint historic feeling open space that captures the essence of the past, bringing with it commerce and energy and significance by promoting a strong identity for Erie and Erie's future in a very thoughtful and organic way.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Um next is okay.

I'm gonna totally screw this one up.

So Tamas Shadri Chouthery, uh Erie residents.

Um I'm gonna be talking about the Erie Community Police Academy.

I prepared a statement.

Um good evening, members of the town council and fellow Erie community members.

I am honored to have a moment to speak tonight, and I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for the Erie Community Police Academy, a program that I was privileged to participate in, and one that I believe makes our town generally stronger.

Over the course of the nine-week academy, I came away with a deep appreciation for the full breadth of the duties and responsibilities carried out every day by the men and women of the Erie Police Department.

From criminal law and constitutional concepts to investigative techniques, officer safety, SWAT, and canine operations, vehicle stops, and DUI investigations.

The scope of what our officers are trained for and responsible for is remarkable.

Before this program, I only had a fraction of that picture.

Now I have a much fuller one.

I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to the staff and offers officers of the Erie Police Department who gave their time, their expertise, and their openness to make this program what it is.

Your willingness to pull back the curtain and share the real work of policing with your community speaks volumes about the kind of department you are.

I was also generally moved by the diversity of my fellow participants, neighbors from all walks of life, backgrounds, and perspectives who came together with a shared desire to understand and engage with our community.

That to me is Erie at its best.

Programs like the community police academy represent exactly the kind of investment that pays dividends far beyond what any budget line can capture in trust, in mutual understanding, and in civic pride.

I strongly encourage this council to continue funding this program for the foreseeable future.

It is a benefit to every town resident of this town, uh, whether they participate directly or simply live alongside those of us who have.

Thank you.

And uh lastly, want to give a shout out to Courtney Slama, who is our community outreach and training coordinator and uh Chief Mathis is sitting back there, had a really good time learning.

He's a very funny guy, too, so I had a very good time going to this academy.

So thank you so much.

Yeah, so thank you for bringing a positive message to us tonight.

Oh, next is Megan Hughes.

Good evening.

My name is Megan Hughes, and I live in Northridge.

I am here asking all of you to protect the Page property.

As cited by the town's open space and trails advisory board recommendation, the Page property offers a unique opportunity for Erie to preserve for current and future generations many unique and valuable open space assets in one parcel.

In particular, there's a large pond that provides a habitat for owls, uh herons, herons, excuse me, uh, hawks, and and aquatic wildlife.

It is also an ideal trail connection between Northridge and the Cole Creek Trail and Old Town using the upper irrigation cottonwood ditch.

There is also no reason that we need to develop every open parcel in Erie.

We need open space, and we need to protect this critical habitat.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Lyndon Hirschberger.

Good evening, and thanks for uh thanks for hearing us.

Uh I'm here to talk about the uh police academy also.

Uh a friend of mine uh told me he went to with the one in Brighton, and he was just surprised at all the information he got.

So signed up, didn't know what to expect.

Very uh very interesting, and the perspective that we that I came away with of how the town is growing and and how we're how we're affecting all that and the different things that the the police officers go through was was just very eye-opening.

Uh and uh and I heard the diversity, and that very much was the same.

There was there was two-thirds of the the participants were women, and we got to do really cool stuff.

We got to shoot taser guns and drive the police cars and everything, and it was it was made very interesting and it made it fun, but it also really humanized the officers, and we want to.

I definitely, whenever I see one, I hope to call them by their name, but get to know and get better acquainted to the community.

And and for that, that that was really good for me.

Anyway, thank you for listening.

Very good.

Thank you.

Next is Ann Manette Anse.

Hello, thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to speak to you this evening.

My name is Ann Manette Anse.

I live on Northridge Drive.

I believe that Erie deserves open space, and I even with help with my neighbors made a website called Erie Deserves Open Space.

And if you want to understand why we feel so strongly about the Page property, there is a video, a drone flyover of the space, including the pond and the old growth trees, and I think the property speaks for itself.

It is a unique opportunity to preserve Erie's heritage.

I love some of the thoughtful ideas that are coming in about the ways that the existing structure might be developed and utilized to serve the community.

But I guess my my main feeling is this is something that can and should belong to us all, and I hope that you will preserve this space.

Thank you.

All right.

Is it.com.org?com.

All right.

Next is uh Winfried Reichen.

More Weg maybe song.

Good evening, Mayor and Town Council members.

Uh my name is Winfrey Reichold.

I also live on Northridge Drive.

And I think everybody agrees that uh Erie should have uh open space.

We can see it, it's growing, it's wonderful.

And I think the page property would be uh uh a great addition.

Now here comes something.

I was really wondering whether I should say that.

Uh, but I am going to say it.

I I'm not an elitist.

I think very much uh we should have affordable housing.

Uh I uh as opposed to obviously the majority of uh citizens of Erie, even think we should spend taxpayers' money on it.

Uh always nice to help people, but I'm wondering a little bit whether we should put it in one of the best locations in Erie right next to the creek where everybody would want to live.

Um okay, that's number one.

Uh number two.

Uh the property speaks for itself.

It has been mentioned a few times.

It's a great, it would be a great addition to uh uh the open space in Erie, and it would be a connection between the creek and uh the other open space uh farther north.

Um question about that.

Um a little anecdote.

Uh somebody who lives in the Northridge property uh or neighborhood uh for the since the beginning since it was built, told me just these days that there were the owl nests uh on on the public path, actually.

They're not there anymore.

There's just too much too much going on.

Uh we had an owl sitting there on the back of our yard, uh sleeping there uh the day away, uh not for a few years anymore.

Too much traffic.

Um of course people need to go somewhere.

Now you have an owl nest, and it has been mentioned there next to the pond.

Uh guess what's gonna happen if you build there?

They might even leave if a lot of people use the open space, but they will definitely leave if you put any uh development in beyond open space.

Um so some people don't care.

Uh I do, other people do.

Uh I think it's worth uh keeping some nature around us.

Uh it's beneficial for all of us.

I think that's uh pretty much oh, there's one little thing.

Of course, any development we put in there, and here my concerns are a little bit more general.

Any development and that included needs more water.

And I have mentioned that the last time I spoke here.

I encourage everybody uh to look at the Colorado River where we get our water from.

We get our water mainly from the Great Thompson Project, don't we?

Yeah.

I encourage everybody who hasn't done that yet to go over to uh Middle Park, Granby, and drive over the tiny little bridge.

You won't you will even miss the Colorado River.

It's about as big, I would say give it a take, as Boulder Creek.

And why would it be different in Boulder?

And why would it be different?

Because it's coming out of the same mountains, right?

Maybe, yeah.

That's what it is.

So encourage everybody to take a look at that.

And if there's no snow on the mountains, that tiny little creek where the whole Great Thompson project gets its water from, it's scary.

Anyway, that was all I wanted to say.

Thanks.

All right, thank you.

Uh next is Carol Bunsey.

Thank you for allowing me to speak.

My name is Carol Bunsey.

Moved to Erie 20 years ago, and when we moved on to North Ridge Drive, the Page property was occupied by Buffalo.

Everybody remember that?

Very, very cool.

I want to bring back the buffalo.

Thank you.

That was it.

Uh next is Frank Straza Bosco.

Hi, good evening.

Um, my name is Frank Strazzobasco.

I live in Northridge as well.

I'm just gonna speak extemporaneously.

I don't have any uh particular thing written down, but I want to just express my vehement opposition to taxpayer money going to uh church of any kind, and especially a mega church.

Like, do we need another church?

I mean, there's a church on every corner, basically.

And and as I understand it, the taxpayer money went for open space, and I don't see how allowing a church to come in has any benefit either to the tax base because they're nonprofits, right?

They're they're they're tax-free, or has any benefit for us as taxpayers paying into open space doesn't make any sense to me at all to have a church there.

So that's what I want to mention, and I hope you could consider voting against it.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Next is Rose Butterworth.

On agenda.

I know.

It's still in there.

My name is Rose, and I am in second grade.

I live in Pierce State.

Um, yeah.

In my opinion, I don't want you to develop this open space because the animals and plants need a spot to live.

Another reason is I think we should keep Erie the same.

My final reason is children should have a spot to let it out.

At least I wouldn't.

I would anyway.

Very good, thank you.

Oh yeah, we're not supposed to clap.

No problem violating.

Next is Kevin Vandersdale.

Hello, thank you for allowing us to speak.

My name's Kevin Van Orstell.

I live in Northridge.

I'm a 20-year resident of Erie, hardworking taxpayer for those 20 years.

Oftentimes we as humans make decisions, as you know, and those decisions oftentimes have unintended consequences.

And furthermore, oftentimes those unintended consequences are pretty bad and almost impossible to reverse.

What I'm concerned about with regards to the page property is uh we've already seen a proposal for that property that I understand has been dismissed, but that had a number of uh unintended consequences that were kind of obvious, actually, uh especially with regards to traffic flow and traffic control.

Um we have examples of uh Erie making decisions with regards to traffic that aren't the greatest.

Number one, uh, from the point of view of Northridge, as I'm sure you know, is a poorly designed interface between Morgan Hill and Northridge.

It's had uh years of consequences and concerns and legitimately documented safety issues.

Um shall I say the the progressive uh lane design in front of the grade school over here has already had unintended consequences, and I think I'm pretty sure we'll have more of those as time goes on, which are concerning.

Um I'm concerned about the the traffic design that may be involved in any significant development of this page property.

Um and I would caution uh very conservative approach to any kind of changes in that regard.

Uh I haven't I have yet to hear any good reasons to develop that property.

Um and I thought I urge you guys to follow the uh recommendation of the open space board, or at least take that seriously and leave one of the last untouched properties in Erie as it is.

Thank you for your time.

All right, thank you.

Next is excuse me, Maria Hughes.

Thank you for allowing me to speak.

I don't really have anything prepared to say.

I moved here two years ago.

You just say your name and Maria Maria Hughes.

Okay, yeah.

And I live in Erie.

Okay, that's it.

This is my second year here, and one of the reasons I liked this area in the first place was the open space and the trails.

And I would really, really like you to consider leaving that page property as open space.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Dan Walker.

There's more people than hello, council.

Dan Walker from another Northridge person.

Um first time I talked to the town council.

Vic Smith was sitting right there.

Well, it wasn't downstairs, it was in a little tiny classroom over by the front door.

Oh my gosh.

I've been here a while.

Yes.

Um, but I know the page property fairly intimately.

I trespass through there uh once a week or so and enjoy the beauty along the irrigation trail.

Um and from when we first moved here, there was you know, 3,000 people, and now there's a thousand times more.

I don't know.

Um, not that many.

That would be it's 42,000 now.

Okay.

Um so I've seen it fill in all these years, and and uh just want to say I urge you to keep this as open space.

Um it's a very unique property, and that's all I have to say.

All right, thank you.

Uh next is Molly Rice.

Hi, Molly Rice, and I live on Northridge Drive.

I have lived in Erie for about 22 years.

Started in Country Meadows and moved over here to Northridge.

And I I didn't plan to speak today, but it I just felt the need.

Um I would say that the page property is probably the most special place that we have in Erie, as far as wildlife, the views that we have, the beautiful trees.

I myself walk through there on a regular basis, and I know a family of owls that lives right there, and some of those big beautiful trees.

I've come across coyotes, um, ducks, cranes, snakes, um, you know, all of the wildlife that you know makes a big big difference and and really brings character to where we live.

Um, so I just wanted to say that I first hand it would be just an absolute shame to see that go away.

Um, so important for our community to still have these places uh that we can be proud of and and um spend time in.

So thank you.

All right, thank you.

It's being recorded on the phone.

I can always watch it afterwards to you because Adam, we can hear somebody talking over the uh speakers.

That was weird.

Um, that was our last speaker.

Or I'm hearing voices, one of the two.

That was our there might be some.

Chief, can I impose on you to see if the person out there is signing up to speak at public comment?

Okay, and she can come up.

We'll hold and she can come straight to the podium.

Your timing was exactly when we were uh we were ending.

I signed up a month ago online.

I was feeling very brave.

Um, and now I'm not feeling so broke, but that's fine.

I'm here.

Uh my name is Sarah Knighton.

I live in Old Town Erie, actually, just down the road.

I can see the page property from my front porch.

Um, and one of the things that brought me to Erie 10 years ago was that beautiful open space that we all have access to.

Um, I've raised my son here, and he continues to spend a lot of time in the community.

He's a teen without an e-bike.

Um, so he just pedals his little self all around the place, and um I love that we have access to that.

I have a couple of concerns around developing the page property.

The first one being around infrastructure in particular.

Um, you know, I know Erie has grown a lot, but really in the old town area, we've maintained that kind of small town infrastructure, and what that means is that when things get really busy, um, it can become incredibly dangerous.

And again, as a resident of old town, I've experienced you know near vehicular crashes when I'm walking, when I'm driving, just because it's such um a tight area, and so if we get a lot of traffic, I'm concerned about what that will mean in terms of safety for both pedestrians, cyclists, and also just the vehicles moving around town.

I think that's a big concern.

Um, I also really appreciate that the aesthetic of Erie, and I think that that's something that's really important and special, and it brings a lot of people to our community that we have all of these great open spaces.

I'm concerned that if we um develop that piece of old town, it's gonna start to lose that vibe.

And old town is really what gives Erie that feeling of like, hey, you might live here with 42,000 other people, um, but it really is a small close-knit community, and part of that comes from the fact that we have our old town area.

So I really would urge the council to maintain that field.

Um, and then of course, I you know, as many people in Colorado love our natural spaces.

I love walking around where they've put the trails, uh, the old water treatment plant, right?

Like that's been a new fun place to walk around, and I love just kind of walking down the trails and seeing all of our beautiful open space, and I would hate to see that go away.

So I would urge the council to take action and keep that page property as open space.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

So while while she was speaking, another person signed up.

Okay.

Um Jean Casalka.

There I'm Jean Kazoka, Erie resident for 26 years, and I agree with everything that everybody said about saving the page property.

I think it's super important that we have open space that is actually open space that's natural.

We've got a lot of space, and it's all been developed, and it continues to be developed.

I was living here when you could see all the way to I-20.

Well, you couldn't really see all the way to I-25, but you know what I'm saying.

There was nothing between Old Town and I-25, and it was lovely.

I've actually seen elk back there, and I do know what elk are.

There were elk back there.

So coyotes, elk, foxes, mountain lion was on my house one night.

So I just think it is really, really important for us to have that open space stay as natural as possible and developing it while I also believe that I would like to see housing that's affordable for people.

I don't think that that is the correct place to build affordable housing.

I think we need to balance our affordable housing with our open spaces, and right now I think we need our open space the most.

And then the other thing is the water issue, which we're gonna run out of water, folks.

I mean, this it's not a mystery.

We're running out of water, and we keep on building and we keep using more and more water.

You build more, they're gonna come, they're gonna use more water.

So please save the page property and leave it as open space.

We really, really need our open space.

Thank you very much.

All right, thank you.

Is there anybody else in the audience who would like to address this tonight?

Come on up.

And just name and location.

My name is Claire Scott.

I live in Erie for 25 years.

Um I'm confused because I thought you I couldn't talk about items on the agenda at this time, but I guess I can because everybody's talking about page property.

Yes, you can.

It's only public hearings you can't talk about at this point.

Okay.

But no public hearings tonight, you can address this on anyone.

Okay, so I agree that open space is great.

I also agree that we need affordable housing.

Now, whatever you're gonna decide to do, you're going to decide to do.

Um question to you and my comment is about the ARPA funds that were used to purchase that property.

Half of half of the property.

Half of it was open space funding, half of it was ARPA funds for affordable housing.

So what does that do to the city having to repay those ARPA funds is my question.

And maybe this is a question better kept till after the full presentation.

Um I'm I'm all for affordable housing.

And we're running out of places to put it.

Um it needs to be accessible to downtown to old town, where people can walk to work.

Uh you know, I'm I'm not against keeping the page property as open space.

But what are you gonna do with those ARP funds for affordable housing?

They have to be spent by the end of the year.

So that's my comment.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Anyone else like to address this tonight?

I'm Steve Franca, and uh I don't think we heard from anybody on Northridge Drive.

But I wouldn't share that perspective.

Uh I was a 31-year resident in Broomfield where I felt they did an exceptional job of balancing infrastructure development, housing development, and open space.

And it was a hard fight to keep it there, but it was worth it.

Um so I'm we weren't that thrilled with Erie 25 years ago because we thought we couldn't see the plan.

We're really pleased to see the plan in the last 10 to 15 years, and I hope you'll continue that good inertia and maintain the page property.

Thanks.

All right, thank you.

I think I saw one more hand up.

Yeah, my name is Mike Katternick, and I'm a Northridge uh resident.

Uh, we've lived here about 16 years and have really appreciated that open space down there.

Seen a lot of changes that has happened in our town, but to take something and turn it into something that may not be conducive to what we would like.

Remember, you're elected officials here.

We voted you in here to represent us.

So what we're saying loud and clear, if you can hear it from all these people tonight.

We want to leave that property as open space.

And I want one other thing that I'd like you to consider is a method to codify the results of what happens here so that future boards don't turn around and make a change and we're back here again repeating ourselves.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, last chance.

All right, seeing um no other uh participants in uh the um the public comment section.

We'll go on to our general business.

And the first item is not the page property.

That'll be the second item.

But you'll get to hear about water.

So with that, we'll move on to item 2026 319.

Um this is a resolution of the town council, the town of Erie declaring a stage two water condition under Erie's drought and water supply uh storage plan.

And hopefully that somebody oh, okay, here we go.

Hello, Mayor, Town Council.

My name's Dylan King, sustainability and water conservation specialist here at the town.

And go ahead and introduce Eric is here to.

Yes, Eric Atharley Sustainability Manager.

I always forget that you don't know.

So a quick run through the agenda.

Wanted to talk about drought response to date, a little background behind the plan itself, the drought stage two response measures, and then talk through any questions or concerns that folks may have.

So for those of you that don't remember, uh, we did declare the water shortage emergency back on March 20th of this year, 2026.

Um since that time, we've continued to see the ongoing snow drought and record high temperatures.

Um those high temperatures have persisted through March, but obviously things have cooled down a little bit since then.

March was the hottest March on record in 131 years of record keeping.

Um after we lifted the water shortage emergency at the beginning of April, uh, we're talking the around the third or the fourth of April.

We were recommending a two-day a week watering schedule for all water users.

The map that you see here is dated Thursday, May 7th.

Um it's just showing the drought um situation statewide.

Um I looked today to see if it had been updated, see if I could give you all a better one.

It's not been updated, so we're dealing with week old data, but I'm assuming that things have not changed dramatically, even though we did see that large moisture event here last week.

So the drought and water supply shortage plan um is essentially just the plan to help us with resiliency and um making sure that we have the water supply that we need here in town.

Um it's a dynamic plan that has four different measures.

Um it allows us to increase or decrease the actions that we're taking the by looking at um regional regional concerns, um, regional situations, as well as a calculated index.

Um the stage two that we're talking to you all about tonight, calls for increased conservation measures and outdoor irrigation reductions.

Um it also calls for the plan itself calls for a formation of staff-led drought response task force for ongoing monitoring, especially in these dry years.

Um the plan itself talks about how monitoring in most years will be heavily focused on early spring, about March to May.

Um, however, it does call for increased monitoring and ongoing monitoring throughout the irrigation season, um, as well as even beyond that in dry years like we're seeing now.

So that would be one of the things that that task force would be taking on.

Wanted to run through the stage two response measures or actions.

Um there are a lot of them, but I tried to boil it down to a couple of bullet points because it's a slideshow and nobody wants to look through a million tables.

Um however, we did attach those tables as a separate slideshow if we do want to go through it at any point this evening.

Um, what the town is doing on our active parks and rec areas as well, well, not just active.

We are reducing um irrigation use across all town-owned land.

Specifically in these active areas, we will still be seeing water.

A lot of the reduction that we're seeing is across the more passive areas in town, so areas that don't see as much traffic, basically.

Um we have decided that we're targeting a 20% savings relative to the historical irrigation average across a five-year rolling average for the reduction on town-owned land.

Um, when it comes to high residential water users, we've done this action item in the past, but it calls for it in the plan.

We will provide outreach to our highest water users.

So that's folks that are billed in the tier three and tier four rates to try to figure out how we can help them reduce water, including free irrigation audits that we offer to all residents, but that's one of the easy levers that we can pull.

For the large public irrigators, think the golf club, school districts, large HOAs, things like that.

Um, we do targeted outreach to those folks and start to have meetings with them.

Um Todd and I met with the golf course this afternoon.

He's had ongoing conversations with them, as well as other metro districts and large HOAs across town.

Um, and then specifically around residents, businesses, HOA schools, really all users when it comes to that turf grass areas.

Um we are asking for voluntary reductions in outdoor water usage.

So essentially that is eliminating the waste of water and watering should not exceed two times per week and only occur from 8 p.m.

to 8 a.m.

Um obviously to dodge losses to evaporation and transpiration and all that fun stuff.

And then last little page here commercial actions when that when it comes to these the stage two um car washes without recycled water.

So every time you see voluntary in this language, it's a little bit confusing.

It's just meant to say these actions are voluntary.

Um we're just trying to promote best practices across all of these different commercial car washes.

Um and then with construction water, we're reaching out to those construction firms to again encourage the most efficient use of water possible.

Again, I know that you guys seen this in a previous slide, but wanted to touch on it.

This is roughly how this two-day watering schedule works.

Um it's an even odd um breakdown by address, and that's how you decide your watering days.

Um we need to talk as a group, and I should say we'll be meeting our first meeting as a group, a TASLEG group will be this Friday for this drought response to run through some things um that I think could clean this up even more, right?

So for large irrigation controllers and HOAs, for example, that may not have an exact address.

How are we dealing with those accounts?

And so I think there's a little bit of cleanup to be done, just to say that out loud.

Um but this is essentially how the two-day week watering schedule works.

Would this third day to that could come into play later as things continue to stay hot and dry potentially?

Um it's just something we'll talk about as a group moving board.

And then just wanted to again to give some regional context.

This two-day week watering schedule is largely considered to be a best practice, um, not only on the front range, but across the state and many other parts of the mountain west generally.

Um we would not be the only ones doing it.

We've seen Denver do it, we've seen Aurora do it, start seeing Thornton start to do it in Golden and so on down the line.

Um we also participate in regional drought conversations and we'll continue to do so.

So we've really got our finger on the pulse about what other folks are doing and what's happening in a regional context, especially close to home, but also statewide.

Um and then these groups are developing encouraging encouraging this regional collaboration.

Some of y'all may have seen the Boulder County um note that went out today talking about this.

Um Northern Water has a similar kind of uh press release that's going out.

Um and so we're starting to see this momentum build across um not only our town but many other towns around us and providers around us.

And that brings us to the questions and discussions.

All right, thank you.

I'll bring it back to council for any clarifying questions.

Councilmember O'Connor, thank you.

Um thank you for uh bringing that chart out at the uh plan.

And I think I don't know if you can bring that up.

Can I do that?

I can't think so.

I can't.

The which chart it's it's uh I attached the second slideshow that just had um and Adam may be able to Adam is the man behind the curtain.

Yeah and Adam maybe is yeah, I think it's the last one.

Yeah, the drought stage response measures tables will be slides that has all the tables drawn on the plane.

I just I I find that chart is very helpful for at least understanding um if you say bring up page three, because page three to seven is on the demand side.

Yes, and uh pages before that are in the supply side.

I think it's just helpful for the residents to see like we're moving from column one to potentially column two.

Here's maybe where we're headed if we need to head that way, and it gives them an idea of well, maybe we should make an effort to conserve on our side because we don't want to necessarily get into column three and column four.

So I appreciate you bringing that up, and hopefully it helps to provide more context for what it means to be in um stage two or moving into stage two.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Okay.

Other comments, questions?

Councilmember Bear?

I was just curious.

Um, you called out car washes and best management practices.

Do we have recommendations for them?

Are they just they'll they'll tell us or yeah?

So uh in the industry, the best management practices is recycling water systems.

Um, and we did talk with our public works folks about who has them and who doesn't in town.

There's only a handful that don't, and only one of them is operable in town.

Um you'll also notice that in stage three, we talk about um for those that don't have recycled watering systems, it needs to use less than 40 gallons per vehicle.

So I guess that would be another point where we're making this recommendation about what a best management practice is.

So it's not necessarily written down in this plan from our point of view.

However, the industry polices itself pretty well.

Um, and recycled systems are starting to become more and more ubiquitous across the industry.

Okay.

Um, and then the two days a week for residents um and homeowners.

Does that include hand watering like for gardens, flower pots, that kind of thing?

All across the so that's for your turf grass areas.

Um, and then we're strongly recommending hand watering of those shrubs, trees, flower beds, things like that.

It does not need to adhere to that two-day-a week watering schedule.

So water those things is needed.

Um, those are the more important pieces of landscape infrastructure that we're really trying to maintain and take care of um at a high level.

And so we're encouraging people to hand water as needed for those pieces of landscape.

Okay, thank you.

All right, Councilmember Mortalero.

And thanks for uh the presentation and and for being proactive.

And just for clarity, we're formalizing moving into stage three tonight, and that's um why we're we're talking about it.

It's already on our website recommending to move to two days a week voluntarily.

And right now, yeah, we're in voluntary stamp standpoint, right?

Yeah, so to clarify, we're uh trying to formalize stage two.

Um yes, so we have been we've taken a lot of actions that are basically the recommendations of the response measures noted in stage two, mainly around the two-day a week watering schedule and things like that.

So in the grand scheme of things, it does not really change much from the status quo um since we've had we've come out of the water shortage emergency, like I said, early April 3rd or 4th or so.

So yes, it's it's formalizing these things so that we're actually in a drought stage, um, which I believe will help us to actually implement this plan moving forward.

Yeah, I appreciate that.

And I think uh all of our residents understand, you know, all of Colorado and a lot of the West is going through the same same challenges, but you know, in a voluntary stage, if you know, to uh council member O'Connor's point, if we all volunteer and we do we do the right things, you know, hopefully we can stay out of stage three and and beyond.

So um, so so thanks again, and and thanks for bringing this up and so that we can formalize it.

Good.

Thank you.

Uh a lot of great information in the in the in the packet.

And um my question is a lot of the residents were surprised by our sudden emergency understandable.

Um but we had to do it.

What's our communication plan going forward for these um recommendations and then any restrictions?

Um we've got the town fair coming up.

Are we gonna be out there communicating about some of this?

Yeah, so that's a good question.

Um Erica will be at the town fair, so she can take care of it there.

Um and then in terms of a formal communication plan, obviously is the wheels have started really turning and getting this tech stage declared and things like that.

We've been working with the staff communications team to make sure that we have materials that'll start going out through all the various different channels that'll be trying to communicate where we're at, why we're doing what we're doing, what the expectations are, and things like that.

Um so the hope is is that uh we don't catch anybody by surprise like we did in late March.

Um we're trying to make sure that everybody knows exactly what's going on.

Um, and then also, you know, quite frankly, there are a lot of phone numbers and emails out there and different ways of getting a hold of us, and we're just encouraging people to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

But um, you know, if and when this were to be declared, the communications team is ready to go um with getting the word out, like I said, through social media and bill inserts and any any way else that we can start talking about it, um, we'll hopefully be taking advantage of all this.

Okay, thank you.

Uh more sooner is better, right?

Exactly.

Councilmember Petstromelli.

So my question is uh, do have it run any models of if we go at the same place or if if the usage is more.

How long do we have until we hit stage three?

Or no is the easy answer.

We don't have any concrete modeling to say, you know, we'll take these response measures, it'll reduce it by this much, and if we don't, this is where we end up.

Um I think that the important thing to remember is that this plan is an iterative one.

It allows us to continue to move and and make decisions based on what we're seeing on the ground, what kind of reductions we're seeing from these response measures, um, what that drought index is doing, what other municipalities and providers are doing around us.

So while we don't have a concrete model of if this then this, um we do have the ability to move relatively quickly to make sure that we're meeting whatever um demands that we see.

Yeah, that was a point of what is a contingency plan if it increases or if it decreases a simple statistical model of um how soon or how much time do we have until we hit stage three?

Yeah.

So just to point out these meetings from the stack perspective will continue to happen, I would guess on a weekly basis at this point, just to make sure we're really staying on top of it.

And then if anything changes, we're back here talking to all you fine folk.

Thank you.

All right.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Um I think most of my questions were answered.

Uh thank you for the presentation.

Uh yeah, I appreciate uh uh yeah, being proactive on this.

I think uh certainly on everyone's mind.

Um I guess my only remaining question.

Um so again, I understand we moved to stage three, there may be another declaration, but with this particular one, uh is this just in perpetuity until we declare that we're no longer in this or uh yeah, the uh section eight-one-10 of the Erie Municipal Code provides that the restrictions shall continue in full force and effect until the utilities director has determined that the water shortage response level has changed or that the projected water supply shortage has ended.

So that the code sets it up where the utilities director has the authority to make the decision to um lift this restriction.

Okay, yep.

All right.

Thank you.

So I'll have all right.

So just uh a couple questions here.

You mentioned car washing on the commercial side.

Can you wash your hand, your car by hand?

You can.

We're asking folks to think about not.

So there's it's a voluntary prohibition.

So we're just trying to say, hey, because there are these facilities that utilize recycled water and things like that, please do so.

Um, you know, I just candidly, I talked to a lot of folks during the water shortage emergency that were trying to sell houses and clean them off or things like that.

And it's like, hey, you know, not right now, we're in an emergency.

But in this stage two, you know, obviously you could.

Um we're just voluntarily, voluntarily asking folks to choose different options.

Yeah, and I think one of the key parts of that message is it's more effective to go to a car wash than it is to wash your car in your driveway.

Yeah.

All right, and then I imagine uh we will have some residents that are calling in, maybe to the police department, maybe to town hall, saying that somebody isn't following something here.

And so what is our response reaction um to those that likely will do that?

Yeah, so we have a waste of water ordinance that's 811.

Um double check me.

But um the when it comes to the enforcement of that ordinance, there's still some work to be done, frankly.

Um, and I think that that's a lot of the work that will start to come out once this drought team of the staff drought team starts to get together to figure out you know, what is this enforcement mechanism look like?

We do have the loose structure of warning, warning, fine.

You know, that's in place.

Elliot again, correct me if I'm wrong.

Um, and so you know, we have the loose framework and a skeleton of how this will work.

Um, and then we also have uh the like the C click fix stuff where people can report problems that are happening.

So that'll be another tool in the water waste tool belt.

Um to answer your question specifically.

Well, it's a work in progress.

All right.

And so the uh like our code enforcement officer may be sent out.

Um I think you know, this is one of these things that I'm hopeful.

Most people will say, I get it.

I need to dial back, and you know, my lawn does not have to be perfectly green.

I get it for those that really like a perfectly green lawn, that that may be hard, but this is where we're at, and it's uh it's getting everybody to be part of the team here.

Yeah.

All right, with that, I'll see if there's a motion to approve resolution 26097.

So moved.

Second.

We have a motion and a second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no.

Motion carries, ordinances in our resolution is in place.

Thank you.

All right, we'll move forward to uh the next item, uh, which is item 2026 317, the page property update and discussion.

You're gonna take the lead, Sarah?

All right, I'll turn it over to Sarah Novella, our director of community community development.

All right.

Thank you, Mayor, Mayor Pratem, Council members.

Uh, my name is Sarah Nermella.

I'm the director of planning and development, and I am joined by Luke Bollinger, our director of parks and recreation.

So let's see.

Tonight we are overall seeking direction from the council for the future of the page property.

I'm going to provide just a very brief history of our uh relationship with the uh page property, walk you through the alternatives that you've seen in the past year plus, and uh hopefully get some direction from you and talk about next steps.

I'll just say over on the right uh part of this slide.

This is a good visual of where this property is.

A lot of folks have talked about it being next to the Northridge neighborhood.

You can see it's just southeast of that neighborhood, and it's just northeast of our old town neighborhood.

And it's approximately 50 acres.

It used to be in Weld County, and that's kind of where we are where the history started.

Uh the property at the time that we began engaging with it was actually under code enforcement with uh with Weld County.

It had a lot of complaints about the uses that were on the site, which included some industrial uses, even though it should have been agriculture.

And it also had it has a home on the site as well as associated barns, but the biggest issues were the uh kind of an illegal activity of um soils and rock cleaning on the site, as well as a lot of um storage and warehousing.

So that's when we came into uh discussions with the owner, and ultimately decided to purchase the property with the hopes of hitting a couple of different goals, including creating a mixed income neighborhood that would forward some of our affordable housing efforts, as well as creating an amazing opportunity for open space and uh and trails.

So that was the intent of the purchase, and so the purchase was actually split between our American Rescue Fund um dollars, the ARPA dollars, and our um TNAC dollars, and so it the total cost was about 6.6 million dollars for the acquisition that happened in October of 2023.

So again, that was in Weld County, so we did need to annex it into the town, and we annexed it into the town in January of 2024 with uh agricultural holding zoning, which allowed us to just have some time with figuring out what to do with the property.

In uh December of 2024, we initiated a contract with Dig Studios to help develop a concept plan for how the area might look if it were to be developed, as well as have open space and trails.

So we went through a number of iterations of just testing the site, and really the site has some pretty distinct areas and views and some uh flood zones and some big infrastructure.

So it has kind of a finite area of where it can actually be developed, which is really on the south side, and then some the area on the north, the east, and really on the west were the areas envisioned for more open space and trails.

And through the conversations that we had with council in April of 2025, as well as September of 2025, when we brought some graphics to and some testing of concept plans to council, the um ideas of particular view corridors were established and tested, and I would say that we also had some conversations with our umstab board.

Um, and so it was in November of 2025 when you saw these last.

The um we had been asked to bring two additional concepts with no development for council to consider, and that was going to be testing some parks and open space and potentially a parks and open space facility on the site.

So I'm going to just show you these were some of the alternatives that were shown earlier in 2025, which tested where development could go and where open space could go on the site, and the red area was kind of the footprint for potential development, where the dark green area was for parks and open space facility, and the light green area was just pure open space.

So these were the alternatives that council evaluated.

You can see some of the view corridors that were also identified and carried forward.

And then these were the additional open space options that were brought to council.

And the one on the left included an open space facility, and the one on the right was just purely all open space.

So as a reminder, we did a an evaluation of kind of what would these and what do these entail in terms of achieving some of our goal, original goals in terms of housing and open space and facilities, and what each one of those uh options meant in terms of potential traffic considerations and costs.

So this table was presented to council back in November.

Hopefully your memory is jogged with all of this, and uh no particular decision was made at in the November conversation.

So we're back to you today to um get your input.

I did want to just give you an overview quickly of the project costs to date because money has been spent here, so that will be one of your considerations.

Um again, the property purchase it's probably a little bit closer to 6.7 million.

We had TNAC 3.4 million, ARPA 3.3 million.

The uh there was some uh site evaluation that was conducted, particularly around the environmental resources.

Um and we did some demolition as well of some of the existing buildings.

That's why it looks a little bit better than it did originally when we bought it.

And then the concept planning, we had a total contract cost of about 172,000 dollars with dig, and we have about a sixty-seven thousand dollars remaining after those concepts and the time spent in 2025.

So here we are today.

We're happy to answer any questions you may have.

I know this was a quick overview, but um, we're hoping to get your direction on future use of the page property and kind of wrap up some of the conversation around the TNAC and ARPA funds.

All right, and ultimately we want to give you just some type of direction so we get it off to kind of we don't know what we're doing phase.

All right, then I'll bring it back to council uh to see if anybody would like to start.

Okay.

Councilmember Mortalero.

All right, well, well, thanks.

I know this has been a long project with with us.

Uh I think I took the tour with Ostab a year ago, March, um, when uh when we walked the walked the property uh as a group.

So but first I want to kind of I know Sarah Hancock's not here tonight, but kind of wanna clarify the the ARPA money.

So Erie received about six point seven million dollars in ARPA money, which which is basically uh money from the federal government to help spur the the economy, right?

Correct.

And it was around six point seven million.

Yes, I think about that, yeah.

And director Hancock is online if you want to ask questions.

She can hear you.

Okay, great.

Thanks.

Um and so the money was used to purchase uh cheeseman and the page property plus some demolition on the page property and also the uh the study for the dig study was also paid for out of that.

Initially it was at a certain point once the dig studio's contract had the scope updated to not include housing, then we paid for it out of general fund dollars, the and any work that was done after that scope update.

Okay, thanks.

Um so I know it's been mentioned, but just uh reiterate because uh not everybody was here for all the other meetings that we had.

Um so the requirements of uh ARPA money uh needed to be spent by a certain date.

Um, and we eerie proposed that the funds would be used uh for affordable housing and other government services.

Is that correct?

Yes.

And the so as far as Erie's concerned and the federal government is concerned, this project is closed.

There's no more reporting on it.

The money's been spent.

We we held up our our requirement to spend it by a certain date.

Um so that that's all free and clear.

No question on there's no payback, yeah, nothing like that.

Correct, we did expend it all per the requirements.

Thanks.

Okay.

Yeah, I just wanted to clarify that before I I asked uh some of the questions about the property.

Um the detention pond or there's gonna be required detention on this property.

Is that been determined where that would go yet?

As only if we develop the property would additional detention be required.

The angel pond, the pond that's on site, that's a seepage pond that's fed by the nearby ditch.

That's not a stormwater facility.

No, okay.

Um, so options one through three, we we would have to come up with a the detention area.

Yes, that would be part of the development process.

Um and then I don't think we think at the last meeting we asked if if there were any plan number of units or or an AMI range, and that's not been sorted out yet at this time if it were to be housing.

No, we were that was gonna be part of the analysis, so we have not come up with any finite numbers.

Okay.

Um so um I'm lucky enough to be the liaison for OSTAB the council liaison.

So um I appreciate what they've provided uh in the direction I echo that.

Um but I would suggest that options one through three um that we should also have you know not only um you know we show in options four and five or reimbursement of some sort, uh I would say options one through three, we should be talking about a reimbursement to the OSTEP or the TNAC uh funds.

That those are taxpayer dollars that you know go into that fund, and then if we don't feel the value the open space value um is preserved with housing on that property, then there should be some form of payment back to the taxpayers back to the TNAC funds.

So I I think that's something that I'd like to see included if this were to go to housing.

And you know, I just did some rough calculations if it was you know in the middle middle of the uh density range or whatnot, you know, that that could be anywhere from you know uh 1.8 to the full 3.4 million that TNAC funds were um were paid into this.

So um that's my uh my two cents on options one through three.

If if we were to go that way, I would like to see a proposal for um paying back some of the TNAC uh dollars.

All right, other comments?

Go ahead, Councilmember Hobek.

Just real quick following up on Councilmember Mortalero's question about the ARPA funds.

What's our certainty that there would not be a later audit that might check up on these funds?

I'm I know the project closed, but I also know sometimes there are post activity audits that as to the use of the funds.

I don't know if Director Hancock would like to answer that.

Yes, can you all hear me?

Yes, yes, yes, Sarah Hancock, director of finance.

Um, and I'm so sorry.

Um Councilmember Hoback, can you lean into the mic a little bit more and repeat your question?

I apologize, I couldn't hear you very well.

Sure.

Uh sorry about that.

Um yeah, I was just curious.

Um, even though the project is completely closed, the funds have been dispersed, and et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Uh do we have a what's our level of comfort that there won't be some sort of an audit at a later date saying just following up on how we spent the funds?

That's a great question.

Um we have had um our auditors do single audit reviews of the ARPA funds every year since um we received those funds and expended any of them.

So what they do is they um check the expended funds against what we report back um to the federal government, um, which are very short, simple reports that basically state um what the funds were intended for, what we spent them on, and if we've met that obligation, which for this was to purchase the property was the obligation met.

Um I of course, because ARPA is you know a very a lightning in a bottle kind of thing where we haven't seen anything like it before or since there is always a chance that um you know the IRS could come in and say, hey, we want to see how you spent those funds, but from a reporting standpoint and from prior review from auditors, we have met those obligations.

So I think even if that happened, we would still have documentation to say that we met those obligations and reported them appropriately to the federal government.

Great, thank you.

No problem.

Okay, council member.

Thank you.

Um yeah, so I I know we see that sometimes happen with FEMA funds where they're you know used.

And then the government will come back and say we didn't like how you use that, you have to pay us back.

So I do have some concern about that.

Um I don't think we can ever be a hundred percent sure, but I think I totally trust um our finance team that we have met our obligations there, um, as far as we know how to meet it, since it's a lightning in a bottle situation.

Um I did want to mention I think the page property, if I remember right, has 54 encumbrances.

Does that sound right?

Um yeah, that between floodplain, wastewater access water.

So the buildability of that property is really less than half.

Um 50 percentage, 50 percent of the property.

And so to Councilmember Mortelaro's concern about refunding the funds to TNAC.

I think that half of the property was paid for with TNAC funds, and more than half would end up being open space.

But I I'm totally open to considering that, but I I do think that it's just it's not feasible to use 100% of the land.

So for affordable housing, should we do that?

Also, we never mentioned the church, and so I bet some folks are like, wait, why did we all get so upset about a church and then there's no church mentioned?

Um so that was um a situation that came forward that a church was interested in swapping land with the town, and um to build to locate a church, a campus there, um, and they have withdrawn that pre-application, correct?

Yes, we did one pre-app with them and they did not move forward.

Okay.

Um so just want to set everyone's mind at ease there, and then um so uh you know, we've certainly heard from the Northridge neighborhood, and um you know, there's a lot of interest in keeping this open space.

I think um I think if that's what we should do, then we can do that.

But I do believe we need to continue our um commitment to meet the community's desires, and we know that affordable housing is a top four priority for the community based on last year's snapshot survey questionnaire that we did, and also confirming the long-term decade long um survey that was statistically relevant.

Um so because of those things, I think that we do need to look at refunding ARPA funds to or not are they're spent, they're no longer ARP funds, but refunding the funds spent on this piece of land with the intention to develop affordable housing so that those can be spent uh in on actual housing and affordability in some capacity, whether that's purchasing other land, whether that's helping with um down payment assistance, or um maintaining a permanently affordable um development.

Um, I think that that's important.

I also wonder, Director Bollinger, if you could talk about we've heard lots of ideas from folks about what this could look like.

Um so many wonderful ideas, but I wonder from a just feasibility.

How's this work in our capital improvement funds and our work plan?

Can you talk to us about that a little bit?

Yeah, absolutely.

So I think our first step would be we're we're planning on doing an open space management plan refresh in 2027 with all of our properties.

And if this property were do would be all open space, then this would be a property on our list that we would evaluate as part of that plan to figure out what do we need to do with it in terms of reclamation, uh, where do trails go?

So sort of almost like a small conceptual plan for it, but really focused on the the rehabilitating the natural areas.

As far as the the two structures on the site, um, you know, that all comes down to availability of funds, priority of different projects, right?

Right now we're just using it as storage for equipment because we're short of space at the Leon A World Service Center.

And I'll just be honest, it's not in our it's on our uh long-term CIA up uh CIP budget, it's not in our in our project uh queue to do anything with those structures at this time, just because of the competing priorities that we would we do have uh among the town.

So, yes, we've heard uh environmental center, we've heard offices, we've heard but you know, a lot of the same uh things, but it just comes down to funding availability um with uh with a number of other projects that we have in our queue in terms of parks and and facilities.

Thank you, because I think it's important to level set expectations that um should this property be open space, it's likely to sit for a while.

I I also hear and know that people um utilize the land currently um that they've thought of it as open space for a long time.

Um is it possible to open existing trails?

I think there's one that goes to the east side of that pond in particular.

facilities thank you because I think it's important to level set expectations that um should this property be open space it's likely to sit for a while I I also hear and know that people um utilize the land currently um and they've thought of it as open space for a long time um is it possible to open existing trails I think there's one that goes to the east side of that pond in particular formal trails um yes that's possible obviously a possibility for formal trails to open up the property uh we'd we'd have to evaluate it to make sure that it's safe to make sure that it's uh accessible um so there had to be a little bit of investigation to make sure that it's uh appropriate um you know trail corridor for for everybody and it meets our standards and it meets our maintenance standards um you know so think of the North Ridge Trail uh for a lot of years it was you know kind of this community maintained trail and then when we took it over right we have certain standards to make sure that it meets uh appropriate standards for uh a maintained trail so we we would have to do some um probably a little bit of a work to make it uh accessible okay yeah okay thank you follow up to that if I may yes go ahead short of a major you know plan knowing that residents do use it anyway do should we have some signage that says walk with the with the coyotes at your own risk or something probably I it would we would treat it just like any other open space that we have in our system where we we put signage up saying stay on designated paths and watch for wildlife and and things like that.

So although it's not technically open to the public um we would have to install some signage as well to make sure that people knew to stay on designated paths um but it's just like any other open space property is people may use it when they're not supposed to uh and that just comes down to enforcement and hopefully people are at least being uh safe and using it where they're supposed to be using it.

All right thank you.

Council Petersonelli Yeah um we see options one to three and uh loud and clear open spaces uh I agree it should be in the second half is where we need to think more where we need the facilities to have a house we need to buy either a land or make best use of this and question I have is that is it 19 million like on the high end or we just stopped looking at it right from last time and we said it was so so when we did present to council uh we received direction not to pursue any more design for the parks and open space facilities so at the time that Ascenza presented that information that was the estimated cost at that time was the 19 million so we did not we have not pursued any further design on that facility so I couldn't tell with any certainty on you know if those costs have gone up or down because we haven't done any more work on it.

Right.

And what alternatives do we have for that we know we need to build it somewhere right what I'm sorry could you use what alternatives do we have?

Alternatives well I I think what we're gonna be starting looking at is the Loral Service Center to uh expand and uh that facility through the public facilities impact fund.

Okay.

So moving on with the affordable housing I think what we are missing in the town is uh housing needs assessment kind of an advisory board to look at is there a demand or what kind of housing should be there we are just um going off of this location is not good or whatever inventory we have is not selling or these are all hypothetical derivations but I think it's better to have community involved as an advisory board and come up with what is necessary for the town do we need affordable housing if so what are the options if so if we have this uh our POF funds how do we better use them like if page property is not the ideal location where do we have this housing and we do have a housing needs assessment that we conducted in 2022 and brought to the council in 2023 along with an associated um affordable housing strategy and policy so um we still have those the affordable housing policy was adopted at that time the housing needs assessment could probably use a refresh that's um you know to help inform us and also include it like a formal board advisory board that way the board will advise the council of what what what are the needs and it'll take the survey as an input and also you know come up with ideas and uh that's one idea I had or a solution for this um and I like to have the facilities in there plus the open space and affordable housing which is starter homes and also agree with the an inventory of small homes where people can get started

Um and I like to have the facilities in there, plus the open space.

And available housing, which is starter homes, and also agree with uh an inventory of small homes where people can get started, and basically the middle housing is missing and the ladder is not there anymore in Erie.

So option one, two, three with facilities.

Which one is that?

Um either one, yeah.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

I'm looking to Councilmember O'Connor or Mayor Pro Tem Bell before I speak.

I'm good.

Um so between option four and five, what is the zoning difference if there is any between the two different shades of green?

So go up to here.

We uh we would have a um the open space.

I'm trying to remember we just adopted it.

What is it called?

It's reserved open space.

So reserved open space would be the light green, and then PLI would be the facility portion.

So depending on right now, the dark green kind of could be that, but it could be smaller.

Okay.

And is the PLI treated the same way as open space as in okay.

Oh well, I'm sorry, you're the you're directly.

It gives you more flexibility, obviously to have um you could have open space on it, but it gives you the flexibility to have a some type of facility on there as well.

And and if the if all of it is zoned open space, um can the house be used for something like a nature center or the other ideas that were proposed?

Yes, absolutely.

The the open space designation does allow some limited facilities.

So think of uh Schofield is a great example of uh open space that has you know facilities on it.

It they're just very limited on what they can be.

Okay.

And is the barn in good enough condition to use for the foreseeable future?

For storage for storage, yes, but but for the foreseeable future, it's fairly you know it's it's structurally okay.

Okay enough for storage, yes.

Fair enough.

All right, thank you.

Yep, thank you.

Uh and thank you for the presentation.

Um I know there's been a long discussion on this.

I'm trying to think I think um uh uh just for the public.

I mean, obviously this originated back with the the prior council, um, and then with the dig studio uh what we hired them to do and look at that.

Was I'm trying to think February or March of 25.

Um so uh we're several years into this, but just going back to um the the maps that we have here, the work that Dig did to do this, and somebody asked the question about you know how do we codify this and and the essentially the codification is in the zoning designation, correct?

When we whatever we ultimately zone this as that that's what uses we can have or correct.

We it's currently ag holding, so it gives us a lot of flexibility to just keep it as it is, rehabilitate the land, but yes, to finalize the direction would be to zone it something specific.

Yeah, yeah.

So um I I think when we hired on Dig, um we weren't really sure what the delineations of of where we could build housings, and that's why these these maps um uh that are presented here tonight were were done.

Um so I guess uh there were a lot of great comments uh up here for my colleagues.

Um uh just kind of circling back on this on this whole thing.

One of the I I think one of the issues, well, there are two big issues um that I had, and I kind of suspected before we got the maps, um, but kind of what when I saw the maps of how we could have maybe the housing area designated.

I I think um uh there were there were two issues that that I was concerned about.

I think public works director uh Passick was saying that that bridge needed significant improvements to really use that as kind of ingress egress access.

Maybe you could do an emergency uh out of there.

But um uh so that kind of funnels everything on to County Road one and a half.

Um and um and I realize we're not necessarily talking about a huge development in here, but it was a concern, and I think also just the geography here with the uh with the the ditches, the the pond and um uh and the the floodplain.

Um and I know we did try to uh on the map there, that little green strip we were trying to protect those view corridors.

Um but uh essentially you st you still kind of have housing kind of going in the middle of this area.

So um I guess that's where I'm I've kind of come back to where I I think this probably best is uh preserved as open space.

Um as far as um, you know, I understand you know I I'm certainly concerned about affordability.

I mean, I I've I've got kids in their 20s, and my son's telling me you know he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to buy a house, and and and that concerns me because you know I we want our kids to have the same opportunities that that we had.

Um and uh you know, so uh on the flip side, I think that that's kind of a macroeconomic problem, and uh I certainly want to partner in what we can.

One of the things that I I would like to see whatever we decide to do monetarily wise, I guess with with the funding.

Um we since I've been on the board, the focus has always been in partnering with Boulder County on affordable housing.

And one of the issues that I have with that is is I always talk about you know who are we helping, and um there's kind of two parts to this is that one is we're able to use a higher AGI when we partner with Boulder County because the AGI is higher there, but then um does that really help the teachers that are making you know 50, 60,000 a year that you know or cheeseman uh estates, they they wouldn't even be able to qualify at those income levels.

So um I I would personally like this board, and I I've only got you know seven months left on here, but I would hope going forward we would concentrate it maybe partnering with some of the Weld County communities, especially uh uh maybe some of the tri-town areas to look at um you know can we come up with a solution that that maybe helps um uh uh lower income designation and and uh um and and also I think that rather than trying to do everything ourselves, I I uh we have our metro district policy that may be another tool we could I know that's in there, the affordable housing thing, but maybe we could utilize uh a little more, but um really partnering with the people that that that build the housing to do that.

So um I kind of view money as um unless it's like an enterprise fund, you know, where we have to use it for a certain thing, money is fungible.

So um if there's some other designation that we could move this around, I'm I'm okay with that trying to honor the original intentions of this, but um uh yeah, I I think I would go with with option five at this point.

So uh instead of depending just on bundle county, maybe we can open it up as an RFP and see if Habitat or some others can come and build start our homes.

And we can move out of the AGA part.

And it innovative enable people to have be able to build equity.

Innovative they can move up the ladder loss, and we don't have to be restricted with the boulder county.

On the um, all right, I guess I'll get started on my questions.

On the affordable housing side, we're gonna have a joint um session with the planning commission to talk about um a few things.

Prop 123 is one of them, um, which is along this lines of affordable housing and using state funds to help us.

Uh the survey that we got back did say that affordable housing is important, um, but they don't want us using local money.

Um, if we can get state and federal money, then that's uh that was supported in the survey.

And so um I think this conversation is not done with the affordable housing.

There's a lot more uh to be said, and I think the next opportunity will be this joint session uh with the planning commission.

All right, I want to um just say a few words around the church because I got that whole debacle um off the ground, and I did address it at the state of the town, um, but so it's on the record here as well.

Um there are many moving pieces in Erie on things that are happening.

And when St.

Scholastica approached me, they approached me because they have a piece of land on Highway 52 right next to our water treatment uh facility, and they wanted to get annexed into Erie up there, and there are challenges to that on sewer and water and and road access and many things.

And so it was at that time that this discussion was getting started with the page property, and I got thinking, well, hold it, um Catholic charities separate from the Catholic Church.

It's a 5013C.

They do affordable housing at that lower level, 30 to I think it's 80% AMI, maybe it's 60% AMI.

Um, and they do it for free if you provide the land.

And so the thought was could we get affordable housing, find a place to preserve the 125-year-old church that's already in Old Town, um, uh do some type of land um deal with them uh to get the land up at the north for Erie and then make this all work out here.

Um they did open the pre-app and through the pre-app process.

How many um encumbrances are there?

It was 54.

Yes.

I'm just trying to remember what Patrick said a long time ago.

But it's a lot, right?

And you just think of the power lines, you think of the um the bridge if you want cars to go over it, you got ditches on there.

Um so all of that, they they withdrew and are now refocused up on 52 to the best of my knowledge on that.

So that is how that came into the equation and then out of the equation.

Um also during that time, Ostab, our open space trails advisory board, um, got involved and was looking at this, and they sent us a letter um basically highly encouraging us, imploring us uh to make this 100% open space.

And about that same time, um, the public started to become more aware, and we've been getting emails for the last couple months on this, and I would say the vast majority of those are about open space.

Um there are a few in there to preserve the affordable housing, um, but overall I would say it's at least 60 or 70 percent that is open space as the the primary.

And so um for me, I think what I'd like to see is a number of things.

First off, um zone it as open space um for the whole thing.

I love the uh Schofield analogy.

Um the whole development around Schofield, the makerspace and the barn, um, it's really coming together, and you can see the open space and the new trail connections uh connecting Erie Lake.

Um it is a place that will be both open space but will have facilities there as well.

And so um zoning it for open space.

Um I would like love to see support to direct staff to study the feasibility of using the house for either or and either or and um an interpretive center, nature center of some sort, um, and history center.

Right now we have historical memorabilia in Erie, and it gets shipped to Lafayette, is my understanding.

And so a lot of our history is actually leaving Erie and going to Lafayette simply because we don't have a place to put it.

And so, can we do something with the house to be able to create both this nature center and um and the historical um place as well?

Um I would love to see the trail connections come in there.

Um, when I think about uh the dog park across the street, I think about Cole Creek um trail coming up.

I think about I think it's Cottonwood, is it called the Cottonwood Ditch Trail or Cottonwood Trail?

It's uh it comes out of Northridge, right?

And it's on the levee that uh is around.

Oh wait, yeah, we it's it's along the I think it's the Cottonwood Extension Ditch.

Okay, but yes, you're you're more or less correct.

All right, and people are um you know using that to get in.

Yeah, you're talking about the trail through the middle of Northridge.

Yes, yes, yeah.

And the town maintains that, yes.

And somehow connecting that into here.

So if you're on Cole Creek Trail, you can easily get up onto the Cottonwood Ditch Trail and continue around.

Umtages that I saw with the church was that they had a parking lot that was gonna be open a lot of the time.

And one of our challenges in Old Town is that we don't have enough parking.

And so I thought, huh, well, if we can get affordable housing church, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

We can also help Old Town as well.

When that fell apart, I got thinking about this, and if we created a um a trailhead, basically, where you have parking so people can go there, park and get on all these trails we're talking about.

And then um this is new to me about the retention pond.

I suspect if we pave over it, then you might need a retention pond.

Um so another piece of this that I would like to um get support is to direct staff to study the feasibility of a parking lot for the trailhead that can also then it's close enough to walk to Old Towns, right next to Col Creek Park, um, to see whether that's feasible.

And so then that comes to the money part of all this.

We've already got the TNAC funds in in there, and or excuse me, the um ARPA funds.

Well, we have TNAC for half of it, basically half it for ARPA, but the ARPA funds could be used for other government services.

So since we're gonna make this potentially, if we have support up here all open space, can we use TNAC funds of which we have a pretty good healthy budget right now?

Can we use that to do the design and hopefully the construction of this um nature center historical center?

Can we use the TNAC funds to create the parking lot for the trails um?

Can we use that um to um oh the last thing in here is to rehabilitate the land to whatever the state was a hundred years ago.

Could we use TNAC funds to do that as well?

That way it leaves the ARPA funds already used and paid for and solid on that land.

We don't have to worry about audits, it's already done.

Um we tap into the TNAC fund to do all of these, essentially creating I don't want to say a second scrolfield because it's a different type of thing, but a similar thing in the sense it would be a destination place to go and enjoy.

All right, that was a lot of words.

I'd love to um hear um from staff if anything I said there was like, oh no, we can't do that, or and Sarah for you too um online as far as the money side of things.

Uh so mayor, I think a lot of those those amenities that you mentioned are certainly eligible under TNAF, especially since we with Trails and National Areas Fund, especially since uh voters decided to diversify that fund.

Uh I would just say that it would fall where it would fall on the priority list, right?

We'd we have a lot of projects that are in design or under construction, sunset, compass to uh Col Creek Trail, um Schofield uh is a great example.

So we have a lot of projects that are um encumbering uh some of the TNAF dollars.

So we we would obviously look at that as part of an annual budget cycle, trail connections, parking, rehabilitation, uh the the nature history center, I think all those are are acceptable uses uh for TNAF.

I'd have to I we'd have to go back and look at the ballot language to make sure um if that falls under parkland infrastructure or not.

So I'm kind of looking over at Elliott, so just to kind of flag something maybe for us to discuss in the future.

But I think for the most part, yeah, I'll all those all those are feasible.

It just comes down to where do they fall on the priority list of other projects that we have forecasted in our five-year plan for use of of the TNAF.

Okay, so go ahead, Sarah.

I would also add so if we do zone the site reserved open space, then a parking lot would actually be a special review use.

That was um a part of the that new district requirement.

So we would have to just do some extra zoning.

But it's still for that, yes.

I would rather make it simple now, so long as we have the capability to do it in the future.

And if it doesn't work out for whatever reason, it doesn't work out.

Um Mayor, if you if you don't mind on to what Luke was saying, I think as far as adding extra amenities out there, be it a museum or a natural site or whatever.

Um just want to be careful about setting expectations that someone doesn't leave and go, oh, they're melding a museum tomorrow.

Yeah, you know, that's something that would really have to go into our capital budget planning, into our staffing planning.

Um and it could be many, many years out.

So I just want to set that expectation that all of that can be looked at.

It's just not a snap your fingers thing and it's done tomorrow, even if we have the funding right now.

Okay, good point.

And that's why I was trying to use the word feasibility and understanding that, but I want to if I if I make a motion to this so that we can get further council input on it.

I want to be very clear on what we're doing.

Maybe what I do is I go through council again and just um you know comments on what I just said and any anything else, and then I'll probably pause the meeting and then we'll figure out how to make a motion one way or the other.

Okay, council member Bear.

Thank you.

Um yeah, so that's why I asked all those questions earlier about setting expectations for what's possible um should this land be designated as open space and all the wonderful ideas and all the great things it could be.

Um it just seems like we can't just drop it into our work plan and everything.

I mean, that would take a lot of planning.

Um I I love all of those ideas.

I think they're all great.

I wish we could do everything, and I think back to all the kids that would come to council and tell us I just want a park in my neighborhood and Morgan Hill and then compass and um I want to be able to walk to school.

And so I, you know, we have to think about trade-offs.

Um and what are we not doing if we do something else?

So um keeping that in mind.

I also saw in the presentation that we still have sixty-seven thousand dollars for feasibility study left with Dig Studios.

Um, I think we could use that, but I also am hearing from constituents that they're concerned about all the money that we're spending on studies and and things.

Um, so I I also want to respect that feedback and recognize that um again, we need to look at trade-offs and be careful um with how we're spending taxpayer dollars.

Um and then also looking at the funds.

Um, spent, they're done.

We met our requirements.

What I'm talking about is looking at this through a lens of these these were funds that we committed to the community were going to be invested in affordable housing, and that's what I'm saying needs to go back to the affordable housing fund um so that we can use those and invest those dollars into affordable housing, like we promised the community we would.

Um, and in whatever way that opportunity comes forward in the future.

Um, this was a very high on Ostab's list of the page property um when it came available, and so it was really important to them.

And so we but it was too expensive to spend it would have wiped out, I think the TNAC fund at the time.

Uh so we found a way to be able to acquire the land to um keep promises and expectations to the community, and to also acquire a really important piece of land to OSTAP.

And um, so while also creating trail connections and maintaining the pond, we if we can, I think we don't even know that for sure yet on the pond.

I also want to set that expectation.

Have we done a feasibility study on the pond?

It's sound and it's staying.

We did actually do that.

We looked at the structural integrity of it.

Yes, thank you.

It is good.

It's staying, the owls are staying.

Um so anyway, I just want to um reiterate it's really important that we are uh investing in affordable housing.

That's a top priority for our community, and that we're being careful and considerate of future studies.

Um I think it's wise for us to utilize the $67,000 that we have remaining with Dig Studios, and we can look at whether a parking lot is feasible or if the house is feasible, or look at that in future years.

Um but it's very important to me that we are also investing in affordable housing, and we're putting those dollars back into that fund.

So I think I've iterated and reiterated.

So I'll I'll stop talking.

So let me ask a question of um Sarah Hancock.

Um if we wanted to move the money back into the general fund, but really just designated, I think, for affordable housing.

Um can we do that with TNAC funds?

I mean, here's here's the dilemma.

You've got a seven million dollar property, 3.5 roughly was paid for with TNAC funds, open space fund, and three and a half roughly paid with ARPA funds.

If we use TNAC funds, which there's enough of to purchase the whole land is open space, and then to free up that 3.5 million dollars.

Can we put it back in the general fund?

So that's a question to you, Sarah Hancock.

Yes, thank you.

Um, understanding um from my discussions with legal as well as Luke and I have kind of bounced this one around as well.

Um, I think that what we would have to do was to create some sort of transfer um from the TNAC um into the general fund, specifying that it's for the purchase of a property um that is partially owned through the purchase of ARPA funds.

So I think it's possible I would just want to triple check that with Brina and Elliot to make sure that um there wouldn't be any issues but um from an accounting perspective I I don't see any reason why we couldn't um essentially make that a an internal purchase and transfer.

Elliot I will look to you if I misspoke on that at all.

No I I think you are spot on I think we would need to look at the permissible uses and and how the funds could be shifted um with with potential changes or the the dollars being allocated from what would the original purpose of the purpose was um versus the where you know the the replacing those funds um with TNAC funds and shifting the ARPA dollars back to general funds just to a uh look at SLFRF regulations I'll just I'll just add as well in terms of fund balance I could probably tell you with a fair level of confidence that teen the the balance wouldn't support a uh a one time transfer I think I'd I'd like to have a discussion with director Hancock on I don't know setting up a payment plan over time so that we don't drain the fund which is why we didn't do it in the first place because we didn't want to drain the fund because there are other open space acquisition opportunities out there there's existing projects that utilize that funding we want to make sure we we get those completed so uh I think any any any future uh discussion on transferring that I'd like to like to propose maybe something like a payment plan with director Hancock and see if that'd be possible and and repay it over time versus a one lump sum payment so we don't drain the fund down to uh a a low balance to where we can't do any projects or acquire any other open space I'm trying to capture that hold on one second I also just as the final thing wanted to mention that I I think um councilmember Pessmarelli had a great idea to utilize a community housing needs not assessment but uh an affordable housing advisory board I think that that is something other communities have and whether that's a permanent thing or or just for a season I think that's a really great way to utilize community feedback.

So good point let's make sure that we talk about that on the joint session.

I have what okay then I'm gonna go left here so I don't miss anybody um council hoback any other comments um I'm gonna take a break by the way once we get through everybody we'll have another bite at the apple as to your suggestions yeah just uh all the stuff I was saying right if there's yeah I mean when I when I look at the map and think about old town um in the interest of best use of funds and staff resources um I would like to put the idea of a parking lot on a back burner I just don't see that as being we can't just cram it in the bottom corner where it would be convenient.

And I just I just think locating it and having it actually get used for access to the old town is a is a stretch.

Okay.

Council Mortalero I'm fully supportive of of the open space uh it being all open space uh in that we we look at ways to you know use the house um in a in a productive functional yeah uh community educational way uh that'd be great i um like say I've always been on the you know since since we we walked it uh over a year ago in March I've been fully supportive of of it being open space and and uh working you know being on the OSTEB uh liaison also put me uh you know I I saw from their point of view as well I I did I certainly was willing to look at the Saint Scholastica proposal even though I was very pro open space um because they were going to provide 80 to 120 uh affordable housing units uh through Catholic charities and you know I'm always if I have time I'm I'm always rather have more data than less data um and and like you mentioned their typical AMI is is 30 to 60 or 80 percent not in the hundred and hundred to hundred and twenty like we we typically see um and that's based on Boulder County and it would be no cost to the Erie residents right they they would uh do that all we had to do is provide the land so did I think this was the best location absolutely not but I was still willing to to listen to their proposal because I thought that it brought value and I think it was important information for us to hear and know so I'm I'm glad uh that they did put in um a pre-application and I'm also glad that they pulled their pre-application so um I'm you know in support of of what you mentioned okay let me come to this side council passelli any other thoughts yeah this question is for Sarah online I'm here I'm ready yeah so uh the question is uh if we cancel the money back to general fund

So I'm I'm glad uh that they did put in um a pre-application, and I'm also glad that they pulled their pre-application.

So um I'm you know in support of what you mentioned.

Okay.

Let me come to this side, Councilman Petersonelli.

Any other thoughts?

Yeah.

This question is for Sarah.

Online.

Online.

I'm here, I'm ready.

Yeah.

Sarah also uh the question is uh if we answer the money back to general funds.

It can be used for other purposes right.

So is there a way to create a bucket for affordable housing and then move it and lock it there?

And make it use only for future affordable housing projects.

Yes.

So what we could do um is create a project for it and appropriated it much like we did um some previous funds.

Um I think that that Sarah, our director Mela has um has mentioned.

Um, and then we would essentially um it it was it's kind of informal because it would be attached to a project.

It's not fully restricted the way that voter approved restrictions would be, but we would be restricting them through the appropriation into that project.

Um, and then any movement from from that to other places would have to be approved by council through budget appropriations and transfers.

So um we could treat it like a a restriction on that project, um, if that was how the council wanted to proceed proceed in um moving those funds out of TNAC and into the general fund.

Um we could essentially earmark them with a project and have them at the ready for whatever direction the council wanted to go.

All right.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Councilmember O'Connor.

Thank you.

Um so I've had a chance to walk the property a few times, and um each time I see the vision of it being open space.

Um I'm certainly not opposed to the idea of honoring the reason why the um the funds were taken, the ARP funds were taken.

I made a suggestion about a year ago and then made it again a couple months ago, and that one was deemed not viable.

Um, but I'm certainly not opposed to that idea, but I wrote over here on the way to the meeting tonight, looked at the land again, and I just see it as a continuation of the uh you know I printed out the green open space running up through the center of town.

It's uh it would be a great continuation of that open space.

So that's where I'm at at this point.

Okay.

Yeah, thank you.

Um just a couple things here.

So uh first off, uh yeah, I agree that if there is a transfer back, I like the idea of doing a payment plan over time and not exhausting those funds.

Um I I guess I also throw out the question of of um does that necessarily need to be done right away, or if there's I mean, if we have a future identifiable affordable housing project, can we uh can we do it at that time that that we if there's money allocated for that, depending on how much it is that we could set a loan uh uh from TNAC back into that.

Um I I don't know if that makes this any easier to do now.

I the thing I'm worried about is that there's a lot of moving pieces here, and I don't want to necessarily overcomplicate this.

Um I agree that the additional whatever was 67,000 for for dig if that if there is uh uh uh you know potential feasibility uh thing that maybe we could allocate that for uh that I don't know if that'll be sufficient funds, but it makes maybe that will offset some of it.

Um I would say as far as the parking um looking at this and and again I don't know the the one thing that I would be curious about on a feasibility is that um I I know we did some environmental cleanup of the site, there was a lot of issues out there.

Um uh the the area where the outbuilding is just off cheeseman there or that area around there, I think was where a lot of that was um uh uh I would think if if there is a potential parking lot, that would be the place to do it.

The the issue that you're gonna run it into, as I said before, is from the bridge at Cheeseman.

You can't really have that be the ingress, but what I'm wondering is for like overflow parking for events like uh the town fair or something like that, that possibly uh there's already that dirt road off from one and a half going into that area if maybe for a special event or like a concert in Cole Creek Park that maybe you could have traffic come in there, but then have the foot traffic come out off cheeseman into Cole Creek Park, those types of things.

Um then oh I I did have another question because there was there was a cell tower uh on the property, right?

Or are we that's correct?

Okay, do we or were we collecting revenue off that?

We are okay yes.

I could I I'd have to go back and look at what the exact amounts are, but yes, we are collecting uh lease payment from that from the Crown Castle.

Okay, does that go into any particular fund or is it just I believe that goes into the to into TNAF?

I can double check that, but I I think that's where we directed that those lease payments to go to.

Okay, cool.

I'm just wondering if there's maybe another fund there to kind of help out with some of this.

Uh do you know about how much do we collect off that?

Do you know?

Yeah, I it's somewhere between 25 and 30,000, but I I can we can go back and look.

I know exactly where the spreadsheet is, but my computer is updating right now.

So all right, cool.

Um so yeah, I I I agree.

I think I think um, yeah, this is best left as open space.

I think we've we've heard from the the neighbors out in uh Northridge and and other areas too.

Um I I think there are um other opportunities we can do with with affordable housing, but but um I I think um I uh uh as far as I I don't know if there's maybe like a task force.

I know you said we'll probably talk about this at the joint session, so maybe it's time to do it, but um I don't know that uh full-time advisory board would uh um uh you know depending on how much work there was, I I could I could definitely see maybe like a task force um that that we've done that in the past with uh uh various things, so um it's more ad hoc um and focused, but uh um anyway, that's my thoughts.

Um okay.

Um let's see, I let's take a break until 20 to the hour.

I'm working on a motion based upon the general feedback I'm hearing, but I want to run it by um both of you um and maybe both of you, just to make sure that what I'm saying here, you guys are like, oh no, you can't do that.

Um so we'll take a break.

Sure.

Um uh sir, uh if we could do a land swap opportunity, um, you know, to the last lessen the impact to uh the TNAC funds, is that a um is that a possibility that um do some land swap as well if we found a good location for affordable housing.

Um I know that I had previously spoken um with our prior town attorney Kendra um on the possibility of land swap.

That is something we would have to explore a little bit further.

Um we thought that it might be allowable, but much like the transfer, we just have to make sure that um all of the the code and everything behind the funds would allow something like that.

So I don't want to say definitively, but we did explore it as an option and we can look into that further if the council would like us to okay, great.

One thing I didn't mention is I met with the chamber this morning and I brought up the parking lot, and it was one of the things that lit them up because they're always trying to figure out how do you get more parking for the businesses.

And I was at Azteca last night and Omar, who is um one of the family members that uh owns uh Aztec, he recognized me and we got talking about the challenges of parking when there are events, specifically the farmers market, and I mentioned that we were gonna be talking about the page property, and it was also a positive discussion with the potential for a parking lot.

Understanding that there will be challenges if we go down that path.

All right, we're gonna break until 22, so just seven minutes here.

And then if maybe I can get the four of you just for a question here.

Okay, we're gonna reconvene the meeting, and the topic is the page property and what direction would we like to give staff.

So um after listening to the discussions up here and then um talking with our attorney, our uh acting town manager and our um presenters tonight.

Um I'm I move to number one bring back an ordinance to the council to zone the page property as ag open space um sometime this summer.

Number two, bring back in 2020 in the 2027 budget process a funding plan for ARPA funds revenue replacement for affordable housing with a payment plan from TNAC.

Number three, in 2027, assuming funding is approved in the budget, determine the feasibility of future uses that may include items such as but not limited to creating a nature center historical center, a trailhead where all trails in the area come together, and a paved or gravel parking lot for the trailhead and old town overflow parking.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Oh, you know.

I think uh councilman Mortalero beach to that.

All right, so we have a motion second.

Now we can discuss this um kind of overall trying to meet everybody's needs, but knowing that maybe not everybody gets everything.

Um councilman Bearer.

Um first of all, I want to thank you for um trying to get everything in there.

Um and I appreciate that you tried to figure out a way.

I don't want to um to deplete the TNAC fund.

That is not what I'm going for, but I'm trying to I I do think it's important for us to um sort of keep our promises to the community and um what are whatever that looks like so that we're able to make those investments in the future for affordable housing.

Um I I think that should be a priority.

Um, whether that's a payment plan or a land swap, um, I think we can remain open to ideas um and possibilities.

Um then zoning for ag open space.

Um I I think that sounds like a good idea unless there's something we haven't thought of.

Um, but I I would hope that if that ordinance comes back to council, anything we haven't thought of also comes with it.

Um if just in case there's a use case that we would need that to be I don't know, consider something else.

Um then the feasibility for uses.

I hope that we would be able to use the sixty-seven thousand dollars that we already have spent or on reserve or whatever with DIG studio.

All right, and uh well, we were um in the break.

Apparently, that money's already been put back into the general fund and is no longer obligated for that purpose.

All right.

Is that it?

I think I can support this motion.

All right, thank you.

Yeah, I'm I'm fully supportive of the motion.

Um again to council member bear.

Uh, don't want to um plate the uh TNAC uh funds.

So payment plan, land swap, uh whatever we can do to you know move this forward and and and preserve uh the dollars.

Uh that that would be great.

Um so but yeah, fully supported.

Council Pesser?

Yeah, um this there.

So I'm okay with the open space and all of the other ideas, but I want to see a housing needs advisory board.

Which will make sure the efforts are continued, and also when the money is transferred, if it is in a dedicated project.

We will have the next steps in motion, and not like start because this is something that came up in the survey.

And I want to keep it moving.

So all right.

And I the right time to have that conversation, I think is or start that conversation is with the joint session with the planning commission, which is scheduled.

I think it's scheduled.

Yes.

Early June O'Connor.

Thank you.

Can just for the residents, can you go through what um ag hold open space means as a zoning designation?

So ag the it's not ag holding, it's agricultural slash open space.

Sorry.

Which I know, because we have it's currently designated ag holding.

Um but the agricultural open space component uh district definition essentially allows you could have farming, grazing, um, growing of crops, as well as trails, recreational activities.

So it gives you a lot of flexibility on how you might utilize the land.

Um I don't know if like gravel parking lots in it, but we'll have we we will look at and make sure as we come back um to the um uh you know, with the ordinance for um a zoning change that we'd be able to tell you, you know, here's what you can and can't do out of those feasibility items.

Um but the for example the um I always sorry, now we screw up how to say it.

Schofield Farms, um, that is ag open space, so you can sort of envision that you can do pretty broad amount of things on that.

And to um ease a resident's concern about um how this is locked in, basically to change it in the future, it would have to go to the residents for a vote.

So reserve open space would be the vote.

I'm gonna go to our deputy town chair.

I believe the the charter provides that um and I think it's it's the disposition of property that has been reserved as open space.

So um I I'm pulling up the charter provision now, so bear with me for one moment.

But I believe the ag holding or ag open space is separate and distinct from reserved, the reserved open space, yes.

So then if in the future, how would that if it was ever there was ever a push to convert that back from open space, how would that happen through this same process and not go in front of the students?

It would not be a vote, it would be public hearing.

Okay.

So most of our property, most of our open space property right now is ag open space.

And Scofield is ag open space as well.

That's right.

Yes.

Yes, it is.

Okay.

I'm good.

I'm good for true.

Okay.

So I guess my concern is that reserve space would it go to a vote of the residents.

Ag open space does not.

So I'd like to see a reserve open space.

Yeah, and um, so this was part of the conversation.

If we do reserve open space, we could do that, but some of these other uses may not be um available to us.

Is that right?

If I understand you for which which zoning does it?

If we did the reserve, yeah, the reserved open space is is pretty restrictive, and that's what Sarah's looking at right now.

It's I think it's pretty much just parking lot, but I'll let Sarah confirm it.

Scrolling through our giant table.

It's open space park, and then uh as I mentioned earlier, a parking lot would be a special review use, so it would have to come back through public hearing.

And that is all we have in there.

So potentially we can do a nature center uh his historical not on not on reserved open space.

On ag open space, it does based on the 36 acres on the top and agree.

Yeah, you could you could split okay.

I'd like to make a friendly motion to my own motion to uh split the property, ag open space for the um the lower section and reserve or excuse excuse me, reserve for the lower section and ag open space for the top part.

I don't know how else to describe it.

I guess that would be the east, uh the northeast uh high part of the land.

All right, so I just scrolled us to um the two open space maps.

The we could you know if you want to keep it pretty tight around the existing buildings, yeah.

We could do even less than what's shown in the dark green on the left.

But we could, I mean, we're not talking any of these other it's it seems to me the dark green, we would be okay by doing that, the ag open space and the lower reserve.

I I think depending on what your definition of of lower is.

So the light green.

So the light green.

So we're looking at the left image option four here.

Yes.

Um I I think your ideas of um an access road in a parking lot.

Would that be allowed in the reserved open space in that light green?

I don't think it would be the parking lot would have to be a special review use.

Regarding a road, probably an access road would be permitted.

I have to look.

We could come back, confirm if a road's allowed.

Mayor, if I might make a suggestion so we don't have to hash it out here from the dais.

Yeah.

Um you could make a motion to ask staff to bring back an open space to zoning designation later this summer with a suggestion at that time of which parts of it should be kept as egg reserve and which should be egg open space.

All right, I accept that friendly amendment to my own motion that our um acting town manager just made.

If I have a second to that amendment, second.

All right, back to Councilman O'Connor.

Got some more questions.

Okay, yeah, go for it.

So um uh what other areas in Erie are reserved open space, just as examples to compare this to.

None.

Okay.

So maybe that answers that question with bringing back options or all right.

I think we're to the point.

Um so we have a motion, we have an amendment to the motion to give you flexibility on to bring back to us either ag open space or reserve open space.

Um with that, I'll call the vote.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Look forward to seeing it come back to us.

Thank you.

All right, and with that, we will move on.

I know we're not see if I allow clapping for the positive things, then I gotta allow it for all the not so positive things.

So we could all be happy though.

Okay, we're still um going here.

Hold on, we still have board reports and stuff.

I know some people uh council member Petersonelli, we're still in session.

And with that, I'll turn it over to council reports.

Do we have anybody who would like to uh start tonight?

You you start off and you're organized.

All right, Councilmember Bear.

I got it written down and ready to go.

Um this last week I had the opportunity to go to Seattle with Dr.

Cog, and um we were there.

I think there were 20 or so of us on the trip um from different municipalities and jurisdictions and county commissioners and uh Dr.

Cog staff, and um we were able to go and learn about their housing and transit and transportation and ride the train from Seattle out to Redmond, and it was just it was a really great trip.

Um got we learned so much.

We got to um interview and talk with all a lot of local electeds there in the Seattle region, mayors and commissioners, and we met with their equivalent of Dr.

Cog, which is the Puget Sound Regional Council, I believe.

Um and then you know, just tour around some it was just really fun to nerd out about infrastructure and um to they you know they took us through the whole planning process for a moving the viaduct, um, which was the double deck double decker road that was separating Seattle from kind of the waterfront in 2019, they took that down and built a tunnel underneath Seattle.

It's a double decker road through a pipe, basically.

It was fascinating.

Anyway, I don't think we have a viaduct or a tunnel in our future, but it was great to um be there with other electeds and learn so much about um the process they've been through.

Um the legislative session ends tomorrow, and I cannot be more excited for it to be over.

I'm so tired.

I'm not even I just am trying to pay attention.

I can't imagine how they feel.

Um but I'm looking forward to that.

And um I would have the opportunity to serve as the second vice chair for our legislative committee and CC4CA this session, and I think that's why I'm so tired because we've been paying such close attention.

Um but that was a really great experience.

If anyone in the community wants to talk to me about what I learned, um please come ask me.

I won't bore you now, but um wanted to mention that the Erie B is up and running, and I hope we've all had the opportunity to take it, and I'd love to hear your stories.

It will be running during the town fair.

Um, so if you don't want to deal with parking in old town, it's a really super great um option.

You can book it from your house.

It's also I think they'll have a circulator running back to the ECC parking lot.

So check out the B.

And then just want to reiterate community awareness around the drought situation.

None of us are excited to be there, but I I really appreciated the idea of coming together and voluntarily cutting back our water usage so that we can benefit as a community.

And really just look forward to ways.

In fact, Councilmember Hobak was telling me about how he was collecting water in the shower to water plants with.

So I'm gonna mix things up and only go this way, but I'll come this way and then we'll go all the way around.

Just trying to mix it up a little bit right here.

Go ahead, Mayor Pro Tim.

Um yeah, thank you.

Don't really have anything.

Uh uh theory town fairs this weekend.

So hopefully maybe unfortunately I won't be there because I'm gonna be in Grand Junction helping my son uh move out of uh college for first semester or so.

But uh yep, uh hope everyone's out there.

All right.

Uh I just wanted to give a shout out to the uh town forester team and the sustainability team for all of their efforts uh from last week's snowstorm.

And um the town forestry team is out there trimming trees, uh making sure that they were um first.

They went over the the most hazardous areas where the trees were like hanging over sidewalks and entrances of buildings, um, sustainability team coordinated bringing in um 30 or 40 yard dumpsters.

I think they brought four in at the recycling center, and what the town forest told me was that um they were filling them at a rate of uh one every 30 minutes.

Um it's probably slowed down now, but and then found out tonight.

I was wondering where it was going, and apparently it is going to um going to be composted, so it doesn't go to the landfill, it gets um reused.

So shout out to the forestry team and sustainability team.

Nice work.

Um thank you for doing this for the town residents.

All right, Councilmember Pets from LA.

Yeah, it's uh shout out to the same teams again, and uh Councilmember Hoback and Ivan to the School Field Tour.

It was amazing, and we really liked everything that's going.

That's all I have.

All right, great.

Um thank you.

Yeah, uh thank you, Luke.

Uh Director Um Bullinger for the tour of Schofield.

That is gonna be a gem, a real gem.

That's gonna be beautiful.

Um makers base is gonna be ready in a couple of months.

Uh well, probably be ready before that, and then makerspace has to get their ducks in a row to actually have it uh utilized.

But uh the entire facility is gonna be really special.

Um, can't wait to see the finished thing.

Um enjoyed the pump trek.

Um races on Saturday morning.

Um I was only there for the qualifying rounds.

Um didn't wasn't there for the knockout rounds and the and the finals, but uh a lot of fun, especially the little kids on the striders.

Man, those kids are fearless.

Um for the last six weeks.

I did the I attended the Mountain View Fire District, uh, fire protection district uh community academy.

Um learned a bit about what uh what they do on a day-to-day basis.

Um their uh EMS and the week on EMS pyramidic stuff.

There was a week on hat uh hazmat, wild land fires.

Um got to use some of the gear and the equipment and uh tear apart a car with the uh what we call the draws of life, they call splitters and or spreaders and cutters, but um so stuff like that.

So next year, the police academy.

All right, yeah.

Um yeah, I'd like to echo um you know thanks to Luke and Andrew.

Uh I took the uh Schofield tour with council member uh Bear this afternoon.

Uh yeah, it's gonna be a pretty spectacular um event center, and the views off of there are incredible.

Also, yeah, shout out to the staff um and everybody who helped out with the uh uh solutions pump track uh qualifications.

They we they sent four women and four men qualify for the Beijing uh championships and uh first place of each elite category, got a all expense paid uh trip uh to to Beijing.

So uh so pretty pretty impressive.

This second year that they came here.

We're the only repeat in recent history um that they've come to.

Uh so yeah, so pretty exciting.

Awesome.

All right, I'll wrap it up.

Um so Western disposal and everything you said with the uh the bins.

We had a lot of tree damage at our house.

It's uh 28 years old and beautiful trees.

Ash trees got especially hit hard in our neighborhood.

Uh three loads um on my trailer uh down there.

And every time I was down there, well, the first time was Friday, it was pretty calm.

Saturday, though, I was down there, and every time I was there, they were taking a bin and putting a new bin down.

So somebody was on top of it.

Um so I appreciate that.

Um the police academy 2002, I think is when I went through it.

I I think you were here or close to it.

I'm looking at our police changed a lot.

It is change.

I should go back through it.

Maybe.

All right.

And then the last thing is uh the name change for Erie Parkway.

Um for those that know that Erie Parkway goes all the way to I-25, but it stops um pretty, I don't know, maybe less than a quarter mile shy of 287.

Meredith uh um told me, I think yesterday that the paperwork will be in on May 25th, but that is Memorial Day, so hopefully they'll take it on the 26th.

Yes.

They only accept these changes um on a set time frame.

But I'm hopeful the eerie name will be out on 287 um sometime before the end of the calendar year, I can hope.

Uh so that's it for that.

I'll turn it over to our um acting town administrator if there's any updates from you tonight.

Um said the town fair is on Saturday, so please come out.

The town is gonna have, I think, seven booths all kind of clustered up at the north end of Briggs.

It includes some of our boards, some of our departments, um, so please come and visit.

There'll be a police car.

I'm sure the chief will let you rummage around inside of that.

Um also reminder that the farmers market is on Thursday nights.

Come downtown for that.

And uh for everybody sitting up here on this diet, please remember to remind your partners you'll be home next Tuesday night because there is no meeting.

Yes.

All right, and um Elliot, anything tonight?

No, nothing from the town attorney's office tonight.

All right, great.

With that, I will adjourn the meeting.

Thank you all.