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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 02/04/2025 PUBLIC HEARING February 4, 2025 Present: Jeanne McQueeney Chairman Tom Boyd Commissioner Matt Scherr Commissioner Jeff Shroll County Manager Beth Oliver County Attorney Kathy Scriver Deputy Clerk to the Board This being a scheduled Public Hearing,the following items were presented to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration: Constituent Input Joanna Kerwin, Edwards resident, spoke. She asked that county staff and the board to spend more time in Edwards. She wondered who was responsible for shoveling the two feet of snow off the sidewalk in front of Edwards Elementary School. After making several calls, it turned out to be Eagle County's responsibility, and County Manager Jeff Shroll handled the matter quickly. Secondly, she asked that the county work with the Sheriff's office and Colorado State Patrol to stop the 18-wheeler trucks from parking on Hwy 6 in Edwards next to the Land Trust building. The big trucks parked there overnight and there were no facilities on the road and"no" parking signs posted. She would like to see these vehicles ticketed as they were the same offenders every week. There were also missing safety signs in Edwards. Three signs in the roundabout were lying on the ground. She also requested that the Vail Daily be updated on what they quoted in the newspaper for the size of the parcel of land the county purchased in Edwards. She believed the differences in purchase price and lot size should be addressed. And lastly, she requested that the county work on the safety of our local airport and the efficiency of how it runs. She flew out on January 6th and was horrified to see how busy it was. There was no place to sit, and lines for food were 45 people deep. When she landed, she sat on the tarmac for two hours. She did not feel safe sitting on the airplane. There were dogs,kids,and many people standing up and roaming around to use the bathroom. She thanked the board for listening to her concerns and appreciated their time. Commissioner Updates Commissioner Scherr advised the public that the next community ski day was a week from this Friday in Vail. It was a good opportunity to spend a couple hours with various elected officials and lunch would follow. Commissioner Boyd stated that it was nice to be back on his feet and healthy and he hoped to attend the ski event. Chairman McQueeney stated that the board had a productive week last week with CCAT-Colorado Counties and Commissioners Acting Together, followed by a full day of CCI-Colorado County's Incorporated and a full day with CAST-Colorado Association of Ski Towns. At the CAST meeting,there was a lot of discussion about housing and how to create housing that allowed folks to survive and thrive in the community. They also did a nice presentation on GEO thermal. 1 02/04/2025 County Manager Updates Jeff Shroll had no updates. Consent Agenda 1. Resolution 2025-011 Designating the Aspen Daily News as the Official Newspaper of Record for Eagle County Matt Peterson, County Attorney's Office 2. Resolution 2025-012 Adopting the 2025 Eagle County Emergency Operations Plan Birch Barron,Emergency Management 3. Intergovernmental Agreement Between Eagle County, Colorado and the Eagle Valley Transportation Authority for Bus Stop Maintenance and Management Services Abby Dallmann,ECO Trails 4. Resolution 2025-013 Concerning Hearings on Taxpayer Generated Petitions for Abatement and Refund of Taxes Before the Eagle County Board of County Commissioners -R040485 &R040486 Dani Moore,Administration 5. Approval of the Minutes for the Board of County Commissioner Meetings for October 8, October 29, November 12, and November 19,2024 Kathy Scriver, Clerk&Recorder's Office Commissioner Boyd commented on Item 1 and wanted everyone to know that due to the closing of the Eagle Valley Enterprise, only one newspaper appears to have a periodical license that qualifies under statute for this designation. In terms of legal land use notices, Eagle County would continue to utilize all of the media resources in both the Roaring Fork and Eagle River Valley, including the local newspaper,the Vail Daily. The item did not indicate any significant change. Joanna Kerwin appreciated Commissioner Boyd's clarification. Regarding Item 3, she wanted the bus stop in Edwards replaced, as it had been missing for three months. Commissioner Scherr moved to approve the Consent Agenda for February 4,2025, as presented. Commissioner Boyd seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous. Business Item(s) 1. Three Meadows Open Space Funding Agreement Approval Marcia,Gilles, Open Space&Natural Resources Executive Summary: Eagle County Board of County Commissioners will consider a$12.5 million funding request (of the total$27.7 million)to support the acquisition of Three Meadows Ranch,a 4,251-acre conservation property in Missouri Heights along Cottonwood Pass and boarding U.S. Forest Service land.In partnership with Pitkin County Open Space&Trails and Aspen Valley Land Trust, Eagle County is working to preserve this ecologically significant property, which boasts critical wildlife habitat,vital water resources, and stunning views. 2 02/04/2025 Marcia Gilles, Open Space Director, stated that a lot of time, energy, and effort had been invested in this request. Partners included Pitkin County and Aspen Valley Land Trust. Brittney Parker, Conservation Project Manager for Eagle County Open Space and Natural Resource Department,presented an overview of the property and funding request. The Three Meadows parcel was 4,251 acres/33 parcels,the largest available land holding on the market in Eagle County and Roaring Fork Valley. Multiple off-grid cabins,barns, and a caretaker's residence and equipment barn were connected to the grid. There were 29.06 CFS Senior Water Rights for irrigation and domestic use. There were also two reservoirs(609 acre-feet allocated for reservoir storage). The property was being marketed or sold as an Aspen amenity, catering to the luxury home type of development. The platted lots were at high risk of large-lot development. Pitkin County and Aspen Valley Land Trust(AVLT)were funding and management partners on the project. The property was listed for$29 million and appraised for$27.8 million. The funding request from Eagle County OSNR was $12,500,000. AVLT went under contract on Dec 19, 2024, for$27.7 million with the contingency of approval from Eagle County OSAC,BoCC,and Pitkin County BoCC. AVLT would be the fee title holder. The partners would work together to determine the best conservation outcome for the property. She reviewed the Open Space criteria and indicated that most of the staff's recommendations were high. The criteria concerning access to streams,rivers,public lands, and recreation opportunities were low. Public access options would be considered collaboratively among partners via a management plan. Matt Yamashita, Colorado Parks&Wildlife Manager, expressed his support for the purchase of the parcel. The Frying Pan River elk herd had declined for the last two decades. CPW did not see this herd persisting into the future without assistance. The property provided all the habitat types that would help them successfully manage the elk in this area. Ms. Parker reviewed the criteria and other considerations. Considering the price and partnerships, staff believed this was a unique once-in-a-lifetime legacy project. Dale Will,Pitkin County Open Space,Acquisition and Projects Director,believed this purchase was unique. Although the public access part of this was not a driver, other types of access opportunities existed. Susan Stephens,Executive Director of Aspen Valley Land Trust, acknowledged the Eagle team for pushing this along with an aggressive timeline. In 2018, they attempted to conserve the property with the owner at the time with a conservation easement,but it fell through due to various factors. The property had changed hands twice since then.Now that the property had been carved up into 33 parcels, the risk of development and what it would bring to the area was catastrophic. They were grateful to be part of this project and for everyone's interest and participation. Gary Tennenbaum,Director of Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, spoke. He appreciated the board's trust in staff, having not seen the property in person. This property would be fun to work on,but from a management perspective, it would take time and much more work. He hoped to get everyone on the property and celebrate one of the largest property acquisitions. Jeff Shroll believed this had been a great collaborative process. For the record,he clarified that the county did not have the money budgeted but would be discussed at the next meeting on February 11. The transaction costs had been budgeted. Commissioner Scherr appreciated the staffs work on the acquisition and Pitkin County and AVLT's willingness to operate outside political boundaries. Commissioner Boyd stated that learning about all the partnerships was a pleasure. He believed this was a win across the board and felt great to be a part of it. He hoped the public would understand the urgency and wildlife maps and what the property could become if the county did not act. Chairman McQueeney expressed appreciation for Ms. Parker's presentation of the open space standards. She believed it was helpful for the public to understand that the Open Space had a set of standards that they measured each property against. Not every piece of property meets the standards,but this one clearly did and came with a recommendation of"high" from both staff and Open Space. She believed providing CPW with the tools needed to protect wildlife was important. She also liked the idea of educating children on the importance of protecting open space. 3 02/04/2025 Commissioner Scherr moved to approve the Three Meadows Open Space Funding Agreement. Commissioner Boyd seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous. 2. Resolution 2025-014 Authorizing Funding for Three Meadows Open Space Funding Marcia, Gilles, Open Space&Natural Resources Ms. Gilles stated that the resolution supported the spending of the $12.5 million from the Open Space Fund and authorized each commissioner to execute documents associated with the closing. Chairman McQueeney gave a shout-out to Kathy Chandler-Henry for her work on expanding the Open Space department and encouraging the collaboration. Commissioner Boyd moved to approve the Resolution Approving the use of Open Space Funds for the Acquisition and Permanent Preservation and Conservation of the Three Meadows Ranch located in Eagle County, Colorado, and Authorize any of the Eagle County Commissioners to execute documents associated with the same. Commissioner Scherr seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous. Commissioner Scherr moved to adjourn into Executive Session pursuant to C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(f)to discuss personnel matters and annual performance reviews of County Attorney and County Manager. Commissioner Boyd seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous. Executive Session - Holy Cross Room 1. Executive Session pursuant to C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(f)to discuss personnel matters and annual performance reviews of County Attorney and County Manager 2. Executive Session pursuant to C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(f)to discuss personnel matters and mid-year performance reviews of County Manager 3. Executive Session pursuant to C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(f)to discuss personnel matters and mid-year performance reviews of County Attorney Work Session - Eagle County Room 1. Climate Action goal confirmation and Decarbonization Plan RFP preview Tori Franks,Resiliency/Climate Action LTMC Interviews - Holy Cross Room There being no further business before the Board,the meeting was adjourned until February 11,2025. C Attest: y: yUl � C OuLevy Clerk to the Board Chairman /` PJt-Q.t[-`i C-l-o t- 4 02/04/2025