The Carbondale Board of Trustees tackled a light agenda ahead of Mountain Fair weekend and the next town manager, Ryan Hyland, arriving in early August. All trustees were present minus Christina Montemayor. The unanimously approved consent agenda included accounts payable and tree board member applications from Vanessa Harmony and Leslie Kuhn. There were no public comments.
During general trustee remarks, there was a discussion around the State of Colorado Energy Office’s Local IMPACT Accelerator grant opportunity providing local governments with $200,000 for policy adoption and $1.8 million for implementation. The first round of applications closes Aug. 1. A second round for applications will open Oct. 1 and close Nov. 17.
Trustee Jess Robison suggested the implementation funding could offset the $1.3 million cost of replacing the Town’s water metering infrastructure, a project approved in late May. Trustee Colin Laird thought researching policy changes around affordable housing and particularly accessory dwelling units would be a good match for the policy adoption funds.
Mayor Ben Bohmfalk expressed reticence to ask staff to compile an application so hastily. He thought it better to prepare something for the next round. Trustee Ross Kribbs felt differently, concerned “we’re leaving something on the table” and speculating more municipalities may similarly apply in the second round. Public Works Director Kevin Schorzman, serving as interim town manager, encouraged the trustees to wait.
“I’m not hearing enough staff support and board support to move quickly,” said Bohmfalk. “We may come back and say, ‘We missed an opportunity and they gave all the money away.’ That’s a risk we’re taking.”
Next, Schorzman updated the trustees about the Town following Garfield County into Stage 2 fire restrictions. Schorzman also announced that a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) toward predevelopment work at the Town Center site is set to expire at the end of this month, and DOLA doesn’t intend to extend it. The grant already reimbursed $108,000 in costs, Schorzman said, and could have offset another $92,000, but hasn’t been tapped since 2023.
“I don’t see it as necessarily devastating news because it doesn’t seem like that project is moving all that quickly right now,” Schorzman said. “And if we get to a point where it is, we can reapply.”
Action items included an agreement with the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) to partner with the police department to provide a school resource officer. A memo stated that RFSD will cover $61,250 of the officer’s salary this year and that RFSD “has been incrementally working toward covering 75% of [the salary cost].” According to the contract, RFSD’s contribution will drop to $50,000 this year “if Pitkin County money is not secured.” Bohmfalk, RFSD chief operating officer, recused himself from the vote and a motion passed to approve the contract.
The next item was a development improvement agreement for 888 Main Street Lodging. As noted by Planning Director Jared Barnes, the trustees were only asked to review and approve a few public improvements, like sidewalk and curb replacements and landscaping. The minor site plan review, conditional use permit and alternative compliance request for construction of two new buildings totalling 5,667 square feet was already approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission on April 24.
A log building previously occupied the site. The cabin was determined to be structurally unsound and lacking historical significance. It was documented with floor plans, elevations and photographs before being demolished. The new development will create 11 dedicated lodging units close to downtown operated like short-term rentals with no on-site front desk or manager.
“This is a great example of the process working,” Bohmfalk stated. “Our role at this level is not to review and weigh in on every single project and what we think about it personally, which is totally unpredictable for a developer.” He said for the trustees to not have to review a project on this scale is a sign the Town’s plans and codes are serving their purpose. The public improvements agreement was unanimously approved.
Lastly, Lauren Gister, Carbondale’s former town manager, joined the meeting remotely to weigh in on the dissolution of the Town Center Owners Association — a project she’d diligently been working on prior to retirement. The Board of Trustees gave approval for staff to work out final details so long as these don’t include substantive changes to the reviewed draft. With unanimous support from all members of the association, a significant obstacle to developing the Town Center parcel, donated to the Town in late 2021, will be lifted.
The meeting concluded with gratitude for Schorzman fulfilling the interim town manager role once again.