Dec. 16 marked the final Town of Carbondale Board of Trustees meeting of 2025 and all trustees were present.
During general public comments, Sue Zislis with Age-Friendly Carbondale thanked the board for prioritizing Highway 133 safety improvements and renewing (and enhancing) the Downtowner microtransit service. She asked that accessibility at Town Hall (specifically the front doors) be a focus with upcoming renovations. Fred Malo, chair of the Environmental Board, asked that the Downtowner be electrified in coming years.
The Downtowner contract for 2026 appeared on the consent agenda, including increased service during peak hours on weekdays (1 to 7pm). The total cost is $782,933 of which the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority will cover $336,713.
Other items approved on the consent agenda included renewed participation in a collaborative effort to provide meal and transportation services to senior and disabled residents of Garfield County with Carbondale contributing $28,770; a letter of intent committing $500,000 toward acquisition of the Cavern Springs Mobile Home Park by residents if the remaining funds can be raised; a renewed agreement with Red Hill Animal Hospital for impound services.
Trustee comments included many accolades for Town staff, boards and commissions for their dedicated work. Trustee Jess Robison mentioned there were no completed applications for the Carbondale Revolving Loan Fund in 2025, offering low-interest business loans ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.
New business began with approval of a recreational retail marijuana license for LOVA Carbondale to operate at 303 Main Street, previously the location of Verde Natural and once Miser’s Mercantile. Because that space has already operated as a pot shop, Pioneer Interests Inc., LOVA’s parent company with seven other retail marijuana stores in Colorado (including one in Willits), will be able to open in the next few months. LOVA previously intended to open their Carbondale store next to the 7-Eleven, at 1337 Main Street.
Trustees then appointed Keelan Bozman, an educator at Colorado Rocky Mountain School, as a voting member on the Parks and Recreation Board, and Susan Korber as an alternate. A new program was approved for a composting pilot program at Carbondale Middle School funded by carryout bag fees. The Town’s Bag Fee Fund sits at around $100,000 and this pilot program, proposed by the Environmental Board, will cost $5,000 in year one and approximately $2,000 annually in partnership with Evergreen ZeroWaste.
Next, Tammy Tucker with Wember returned before the board with an Aquatics Center update. According to Tucker, the project remains on track for spring completion and the public sidewalk will be reopened by the end of December. Plastering of the pools, installation of solar panels and landscaping will begin in March. Trustee Robison emphasized that A.D. Miller Construction Services is responsible for winter protection costs above their contingency because that company’s delays pushed the project’s construction into a second winter.
Lastly, Town Clerk Patrick Thibault presented a timeline for the April municipal election. In 2026, trustees Chris Hassig, Colin Laird and Erica Sparhawk are up for re-election. Mayor Ben Bohmfalk has stated he is not running for re-election. Aspiring candidates for one of these four four-year terms can pick up a petition packet from Town Hall beginning Jan. 6 and must return it with at least 25 signatures from Carbondale registered voters by Jan. 26.