All trustees were present at the regular meeting on July 23 with the exception of Ross Kribbs. The consent agenda was unanimously approved and included a sales tax report (24.8% increase compared to year-to-date 2023), a special event liquor license for Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra’s Bach to Bluegrass fundraiser on Aug. 23, a liquor license renewal for the Painted Pig, appointment of Sarah Jane Johnson and reappointment of Quinn Donnelly and Jane Hendricks to the Environmental Board and accounts payable.

During general public comments, a couple took to the podium and aired their grievances surrounding the denial of a permit for their home remodel. Town Planner Jared Barnes responded that the Town has not received a formal application appealing the decision which was based on exceeding the amount of impervious surface a project is allowed. Mayor Ben Bohmfalk directed staff follow up and assured that trustees would be appointing members to the Board of Adjustments later that night.

But first, trustees gave updates from the commissions they serve on. Among some highlights, Riverfront Park is experiencing a surge of noxious weeds after a restoration project disturbed the soil, Erica Sparhawk stated; the Chamber of Commerce predicts 18,000 people coming to Carbondale for Mountain Fair, Christina Montemayor noted; and the trustees will have a strategic planning retreat and training on Tuesday, Aug. 6, Bohmfalk confirmed. 

Town Manager Lauren Gister updated the trustees on the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) contract for the remainder of the pool project after a partial-GMP was approved two weeks previous. “I suspect it will be another couple of weeks,” she said, suggesting that value engineering the masonry “is the issue at this point.” Gister is also working diligently to terminate the master association tied to the Town Center properties. 

Action items

Moving along, the Board of Adjustments officially became active again after its remaining members’ terms had expired in January 2023. Russ Criswell, Jeff Dickinson, Mike Metheny and Mitch Haas were appointed to give that board a quorum, allowing it to review variance requests and appeals of land use decisions. Three seats, including two alternates, remain open.

Assistant Public Works Director Scott Wenning then presented “the most exciting project you’re going to hear about all day.” Carbondale’s Wastewater Treatment Facility digester building was built in 1973 and “after decades of moisture that cinder block building has started to crumble away,” he explained. The aforementioned project includes replacing the blocks and resurfacing and recoating the interior and exterior of the building while installing new pipes to make the work possible. Not addressing this project could compromise sanitation services.

After putting the project out to bid, Excavation Services was selected. This is a local company currently working on the Town’s Nettle Creek Hydroelectric Project. Their bid came in at $710,761, which was $372,516 less than the only other bid. The initial budget for this project was $300,000, however the scope of work increased. Still, the Wastewater Fund was projected to carry a $5.3 million reserve at the end of 2024.

“Seems pretty straightforward,” remarked Trustee Colin Laird. “We gotta do it.” Approval was unanimous.

John Fleet no more

The meeting proceeded with the official renaming of Carbondale’s municipal pool. The building now being demolished was named after John M. Fleet, elected mayor in 1974. It was constructed in 1978 and 1979. 

Following a specific process with public notices and a 45-day comment period, the Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously on “Carbondale Aquatics Center” as the new name. The Board of Trustees were less unanimous.

According to Trustee Chris Hassig, the new moniker is “kinda bougie and obnoxious.” He advocated for keeping naming rights available in exchange for a big donation to help fund the project’s completion and/or the inclusion of features currently outside the budget. Jess Robison, Sparhawk and Montemayor agreed that it may be worth the trade-off, while Bohmfalk maintained, “I don’t feel like this is the key that unlocks the solution to all our problems.”

A renaming motion — leaving open the possibility for another renaming if a major donor were interested — carried 4-2 with Hassig and Robison voting “no.”

Town Center

After a review of the budget calendar with outgoing finance director Christy Chicoine, the board received an update on the Town’s affordable housing development project. 

In a nutshell, the project team returned with feedback from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) on their denial of Town Center this round for low income housing tax credit financing. Andrew Michaelson with Artspace noted this was to be expected and relayed thoughts in preparation for applying again in February 2025.

Essentially, CHFA was dissuaded in part by the complexity of the project with commercial space and eight units for people not income qualified. The proposal was to separate Phase 1 of Town Center into two projects and seek CHFA financing for the portion that borders 6th Street with a few additional housing units and more complete mix for income qualification. The southeast portion of the project would be financed separately and potentially include housing units for purchase.

Trustees reiterated their desire to consider requiring less parking for the project and reflect that in the code. “If you can get some more units and maybe guide us in terms of what we want to do next with our code, I think that’d be immensely helpful,” said Laird, emphasizing that previous attempts to develop the downtown parcels ran up against Town rules.