Tuesday’s meeting, Nov. 25, was over in well under an hour. All trustees were in attendance sans Christina Montemayor. Much of the meeting consisted of public comments.
To begin, Judith Alvarez, known locally as director of La Clínica del Pueblo and the Safe Abundant Nutrition Alliance, was the first of three Cavern Springs Mobile Home Park residents to address the board. She emphasized her involvement with Carbondale, including as a member of the Town’s Latino Advisory Board. She said that losing the mobile home park, which is currently on the market, would mean losing families that work in Carbondale and send their kids to Carbondale schools.
Monica Muniz affirmed it, explaining how she’s worked in Carbondale for 35 years, owning a business for 25, shopping and volunteering in Carbondale and sending her daughter to Carbondale schools. Muniz asked that the Town commit $260,000 toward helping these residents preserve their park, $10,000 of which would be designated toward legal expenses.
The third speaker, Kimberly Andres-Martinez, graduated from Glenwood Springs High School in 2023 and is now attending Colorado Mountain College. She explained how convenient Cavern Springs is for her and her younger siblings and how much her family values their home.
The park, located between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale near the Thunder River Market, has 98 lots and is listed for $23 million. Mayor Ben Bohmfalk requested more information about the residents’ strategy for the purchase.
Next, Nanette Weinhold, the new president of the Roaring Fork Pickleball Association (RFPA), asked trustees to reconsider removing the $80,000 for shade structure and bleachers from their 2026 budget, as decided at the Nov. 18 meeting with a split vote. “We’re not asking for a country club experience,” she stated. “We’re looking for shade and seating, which is pretty basic in a park that gets used quite a bit.”
Former RFPA president Trevor Cannon spoke to the economic value of the courts, saying how RFPA has over 500 members and other locals and visitors who are not members also benefit from using the courts. “I would argue it is the most utilized Parks and Rec facility in Carbondale,” he argued.
Lastly, Tristan Purdy made an appeal for putting $30,000 back in the 2026 budget for higher quality sand at the Miners Park volleyball courts. He said that while it’s great the Town is having a conversation about their general fund financing Park and Rec expenses, “I don’t believe we need to attach somewhat of a sacrificial lamb to this in the form of $30,000 for sand replacement.” He added, “Effectively, a baby lamb.”
During trustee comments, there was unanimous approval for adding all three proposals to the agenda for their next regular meeting on Dec. 9. Trustee Jess Robison emphasized, “I would like to be careful moving forward about cutting things without moving things somewhere else if the budget is conservatively balanced.” She also updated the board that Garfield Clean Energy is making difficult decisions due to funding cuts from Garfield County for 2026.
The only action item of the night was a consent agenda that included a contract with Aspen Preservation Company for restoring the rear porch at the Thompson House for $24,200; an ordinance prohibiting the use of and installation of graywater treatment systems; accounts payable. Staff recommended against opting into the State’s authorization of graywater systems because “the public health and safety risks outweigh the benefits given our location and hydrology,” the memo stated.