To start the meeting, Mayor Bill Kane read the town’s vision statement, first prefacing, “It’s good to read this every once in a while to remind ourselves what we’re doing up here … ‘Basalt is an inclusive, sustainable, mountain community that boasts both historic charm and progressive vision. it is an engaging place to live, work and play while offering an abundance of creative, professional, educational and recreational outlets.’” 

There were no public comments, so Town Manager Ryan Mahoney moved into his report. He noted there is a parking enforcement survey for the public to chime in on. 

According to the town’s website, “The Town of Basalt is currently researching options for how to best implement parking enforcement in downtown Basalt in the future. This is not paid parking, but rather a program designed to enforce limitations on the number of hours a vehicle can remain in one parking spot downtown.” Visit www.basalt.net for a link to the survey. 

Mahoney further reminded the council about the Midland Avenue and Midland Spur intersection night closures coming up. The closures will take place Aug. 16-17 and Aug. 17-18 from 6pm to 7am. To access Midland during those times, motorists can use Cottonwood Drive or Homestead Drive. 

“The point of these night closures is to get through that intersection … from where the Spur ends to bring the waterline over to [Alpine Bank],” said Mahoney. “If we were to do that using daytime work, it would extend that work by a minimum of six days.” 

Next up, Finance Director Doug Pattison gave a second quarter financials update. He noted that sales taxes represent 59.1% of the revenue collected to date, followed by property taxes at 16.4%. As far as expenses are concerned, Public Works and Parks make up 31%, followed by administration at 21.3% and the police department at 19.6%. 

“There are two items of income that are at risk of breaching the budget: one is sales tax and the other is building permits,” said Pattison. “What we’re seeing here is some softness in recent months, particularly in the area of building, lodging, restaurants and retail.” 

Next, the council interviewed Michael Horvath — a Basalt-area resident who works as a civil engineer for the Town of Snowmass Village — for appointment to the Planning and Zoning Commission. After a brief interview, Horvath was unanimously approved to serve a three year term on the commission. 

Jadwin Park, LLC submitted an annexation petition for its property, at 431 Emma Road, west of the Basalt Post Office and Library. The property is located partially in unincorporated Eagle County and partially in unincorporated Pitkin County. 

Annexation would not occur until the planned unit development (PUD) process is completed. The purpose of Tuesday’s resolution was for the council to determine whether or not they believe the property would meet the criteria to be eligible for annexation — a requirement of the state. The council voted unanimously in favor, deeming the property eligible for annexation and moving the applicant toward the PUD phase.

“The portion of the property that is proposed to be developed … is within the urban growth boundary of the town that’s set forth in the Master Plan,” stated Assistant Planning Director James Lindt. 

The property has already been determined as eligible for annexation in the past, as there have been two development applications preceding the current one. 

The Jadwin development proposal is for 68 dwelling units, 12 short-term rental cabins and seven seasonal “glamping sites.” The applicant is also proposing to dedicate a portion of the property, adjacent to Emma Road, to the town for public use (potentially a daycare facility). 

Lastly, the council approved a lease agreement between the Town and MSP Development Group, LLC (the landlord), for the Stotts Mill daycare space. Blue Lake Preschool and the Basalt Education Foundation intend to sublease the property from the town to operate a preschool. 

Blue Lake Preschool and the Basalt Education Foundation moving into the property is contingent on a grant they are working on with Pitkin County. On the off chance that that grant is not awarded, the council will be able to sublease the space for an alternative community benefit. 

Visit www.basalt.net/412/Town-Council for meeting agendas and minutes, and to view the meeting in its entirety.