Tuesday’s meeting, April 23, was brief but well-attended. Exercise equipment lined the walls of the Town Hall meeting room as the Rec Center is transformed for the weekend’s 5 Point Film Festival.
First, the consent agenda was unanimously approved. This included accounts payable, meeting minutes, a $19,901 maintenance contract for North Face Bike Park with The Jump Doctors, the reappointment of Hannah-Hunt Moeller to the Environmental Board and a sales tax report for the first two months of 2024 elucidating a 25.2% increase over the same period last year.
Next, members of the public were allotted three minutes each to address the board on matters not on the agenda. Mayor Ben Bohmfalk requested comments remain relevant to local issues. To begin, a local high school student thanked Carbondale for not considering an Israel-Palestine ceasefire resolution first presented on March 13. The student emphasized that “Israel’s sovereignty was broken” on Oct. 7 and “terrorists need to be eliminated” before peace can be considered.
Five others addressed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza asking that Carbondale trustees lend weight toward ending the conflict. “If we don’t talk, it will never end,” said Adrián Victór. “We need to talk, not in spite of how difficult it is but precisely because of it.”
In response, Ron Kokish, representing Age-Friendly Carbondale, stated that “there are groups working on public dialogue” beginning with this Sunday’s Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist service at the Third Street Center.
The meeting then shifted into trustee comments, most of which revolved around bidding adieu to outgoing trustees Marty Silverstein, Lani Kitching and Luis Yllanes and welcoming Jess Robison, Christina Montemayor and Ross Kribbs to the board.
Before presenting each of the outgoing trustees with a gift, Town Manager Lauren Gister announced that Carbondale received a $500,000 Garfield County Federal Mineral Lease grant toward the new pool on top of more than $51,000 in individual donations, so far. Gister said that after free shower vouchers ended for the newcomer migrants, more than 10 bought memberships to the Rec Center and are playing basketball. The Town Center project team will formally present to the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority for funding on May 17. Lastly, a salary and benefits survey will be conducted to assist with staff retention.
The sole action item was a proclamation to celebrate Arbor Day on May 4 this year. Silverstein moved to approve and the motion was seconded by Yllanes then approved unanimously.
Finally, Robison, Montemayor and Kribbs took the oath of office to assume their roles on the Board of Trustees beginning May 14. As Silverstein quipped, “This is where they get sworn in instead of sworn at.”
Members of the public are invited to learn about boards and commissions at an open-air open house on First Friday, May 3 from 5 to 6:30pm on Main Street between CenturyLink and Peppino’s. All boards and commissions have at least one opening for appointment beginning in June.