PALMER LAKE, COLORADO
Town Council Meeting - Record of Proceedings

November 8, 2007

The Palmer Lake Town Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Parker at 7:03 p.m., November 8, 2007.

Attendees:

Trustees:
Mayor Parker
Allen
Coleman
Flake
Jack - excused
Miner
Stafford

Attorney: Gaddis
Audience: 28

Pledge of Alliance: Trustee Allen

December Planning Commission Liaison - Trustee Flake (No meeting)
January Planning Commission Liaison - Trustee Jack (January 10 and 17, 2008)
February Planning Commission Liaison- Trustee Miner (February 13 and 20, 2008)

Item #3: Approval of Agenda

Trustee Allen made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Trustee Coleman. Motion carried unanimously.

Item #4: Consent Items:

1. Approval of Minutes - October 11, 2007
2. Payment\Ratification of Bills - October 2007

Trustee Allen made a motion to approve the Consent Items as presented, seconded by Trustee Stafford. Motion carried unanimously.

Item #5: Senior Citizen Center - Chuck Roberts
Chuck presented an updated report on the status of the Senior Citizen Center, to include a new business plan, cash flow forecast and Senior Citizen Programs. Chuck also reported that Trustee Flake is an active member of the Health Advocacy Program.

Item #6: Committee Reports
Mayor Parker - Mayor's Report

1. Attended the monthly meeting of the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority. It was agreed to enter a non-binding Term Sheet with INVEnergy as the first step towards a cooperative effort between INVEnergy and the Authority for the delivery of water to INV's gas turbine electric generation plant. The WIPS study final reports for Phases 1 through 5 will be finalized by the end of November.
2. Met with Trustee Allen, Trustee Stafford, Water Supervisor Steve Orcutt, and Mr. Skip Dinges, a Civil Engineer. We discussed the possibility of using his services to support the filing of a Storage Right for Palmer Lake.

Trustee Allen - Police
Palmer Lake Police Department has assisted in approximately 60 Agency assists. Not all assists result in a case report being filed.

Interagency MOU (memorandum of understanding) allow us to support other agencies with back up officers. This is to protect the officers, the people they assist and promote community policing in Palmer Lake.

Officer Donner completed training in C.M.V. through the State Patrol and will be working with the Chief to implement inspections and cite commercial carriers in violation within the town and the weigh station.

Significant for this month: Hazmat team called out due to 'ammonia like odor' in Palmer Lake. Suspicious odor was thought to be a meth lab. Drivers of the waste truck were affected by the odor and instructed to go back and dump the load before continuing. They proceeded on and added to the load and were again overcome. Palmer Lake FD made a second stage assist.

There were 3 suicide attempts in the last few weeks. Welfare checks were done and no one succeeded in their attempts.

A Fraud/Identity theft/check fraud report resulted in a felony filing completed by Sgt Tezak which involved multiple agencies and victims, (approx 11) in the area and out of state. Colorado Springs PD and surrounding areas have victims in the case and the DA may add additional charges based on Sgt Tezak's investigation.

Same suspect has a second case and charges pending--computer crime and forgery, posing as a counselor.

The traffic accident on Hwy 105 last Thursday resulted in no fatalities due to Sgt Tezak and the fire department coordinating efforts to clear the road and assist the victim. She was sent to the hospital for evaluation. Result of a moving box truck not paying attention to the road way, speeding and following too close. Significant damage to property and vehicles.

10 Case reports pulled
9 warnings
7 citations issued

Trustee Coleman - Fire
Trustee Coleman introduced Fire Member Chris Stine.

As some of you know I started my fire career with the Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department in late 1998. It was my goal at that time to learn as much as I could and help my fellow neighbors in their times of need with the skills I gained from the volunteer fire department. I served in many officer positions as a volunteer and responded a wide variety of calls that helped give me a good range of knowledge and experience. While serving as the Assistant Fire Chief with Palmer Lake, I was offered a job at the United States Air Force Academy as their Fire Inspector. 6 months into that opportunity I became the lead Fire Inspector. 6 months following the job change, I was offered a job in Baghdad, Iraq. My first impression was, "There's no way I'm going to Iraq!" However after thinking about it over and over I came to the conclusion that I would never ever have a greater opportunity to serve my country and experience parts of the world that some will never see.

I left for Baghdad, Iraq in August of 2005 to become their lead Fire Inspector and a firefighter, I returned to Palmer Lake October 5, 2007. During my stay in Iraq, my fellow volunteer firefighters from Palmer Lake kept me abreast of happenings in the area both with Fire Department and town events. They wrote me emails and sent me pictures letting me know that I was missed. AND the most appreciated thing they did was take care of my ailing dog and my home. Much of these thanks come to Chief Beckman and the few others when Chief Beckman was away taking care of personal business, doing recovery from hurricanes, or on fires in other states. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to fully repay the kindness that has been given to me by fellow Palmer Lake Fire members.

However, I do have a gift for the Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department. I will need to give you a short background before I present it. After the Persian Gulf War in 1991, Saddam Hussein began building a vastly huge palace in Iraq and named it "Victory Over America" Palace. I should mention that Saddam also had palaces that were called "Victory Over Iran" to show Iraq's great victory over Iran during the Iran vs. Iraq conflict. Neither of those wars was a victory for Iraq, but this is how the Iraqi leadership lead their people to believe for decades. The construction for Victory Over America Palace was never finished. Every time the Iraqi's would come close to finishing it, the United States would drop a 500 pound bomb through the roof and damage it, possibly to send a message to Saddam. To this day, it still has plastic covering the marble floors underneath the bomb damaged rubble.

When Operation Iraqi Freedom started on March 19th, 2003 it was a multi-national effort to remove Saddam from power and free the Iraqi people from his tyranny. Both of those efforts were achieved. The Multi-National Forces entered that country to help it and not occupy it, or take it over. So there are certain rules that the United States and its allies are to follow since we are not occupying Iraq, we are merely guests of that country. One of those rules is that no other countries flag is allowed to fly at anytime in Iraq. This applies to everywhere, including American bases. I will tell you now that we do fly our flags around Iraq in secrecy. This comes from our sense of pride of being American's and helping to spread freedom throughout the world. When our flags fly, they are not in open view and Iraqi's never see them. Flags are carried by our military in helicopters and airplanes over Iraq and on occasion over some of Iraq's palaces. The flag that I am presenting to Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department was flown on September 20, 2007 over "Victory Over America" palace. Being in the position I was in with the Fire Department in Baghdad, I worked very closely with the military. The Camp's Mayor's Cell which is the governing body there, escorted me to the top of the Victory Over America where this flag was flown for one entire day. It is with great honor and pride that I am able to present this flag to my first and favorite Fire Department. I truly want to thank Palmer Lake Fire for being there for me when times were rough in a place so far away and so very different from what we refer to as ‘normal.'

After 26 months in Baghdad, Iraq working with the greatest military's in the world, I am happy to say, "It is good to be home" At this time, Chris presented the PLVFD with the flag.

Trustee Coleman: Fire Report

OTHER:

1. PLVFD's annual Open House was held Saturday, October 6th in recognition of Fire Prevention Week.
2. PLVFD members hosted a free screening of "Into the Fire" on October 12th. Approximately 45 people were in attendance. DVDs are available for $20.
3. PLVFD members taught fire safety to schoolchildren on October 18th at the Fire Station.
4. PLVFD members attended the party for town volunteers on October 20th.
5. PLVFD members passed out candy for Halloween at the Fire Station.
6. PLVFD members Bob Kirby and Matt Ricci became certified in Firefighter I and Hazmat Operations.
7. PLVFD members who do not currently hold the S-130/190 Wildland firefighting certification will begin class November 6th. Classes will last until mid-December.
8. PLVFD members will host the Annual Chili Supper and Star Lighting on Saturday, November 24th at the Town Hall beginning at 5:00pm. Donation request letters have been mailed.

REMINDERS:

***Place house numbers so they are visible from the street.***
For a $20 donation, the PLVFD will install address signs for Palmer Lake residents. Call 481-2902 for appointment.

Trustee Flake - Parks and Recreation\Buildings
BUILDINGS
No report.

PARKS & RECREATION

• The Palmer Lake Recreation Area Master Plan Steering Committee meets next week. We will review the site plan and schedule a public open house.

• You may have noticed that the south entry sign at Centennial Park is undergoing a make- over. Cripple Creek Concrete - owned by Jim Eaton and Kyle Fishlock has completed the flower bed at the entry sign at Centennial Park. It looks awesome and they completed the project in quite a timely manner. Next, we have hired Oasis Landscaping to add an electrical transmitter and some low wattage lighting. After the lights are done we will add soil and plant.

• The Lake is Awake event went well, but the hurricane-force winds deterred attendance a bit. Gifts were given to volunteers….special thanks to Jeff Hulsmann who provided the hot dogs and chili and music, Jen Martin, (& the Martin kids) for planning, setup, master of ceremonies, and cleanup, Al Goodman of Goodman and Sons for the hay rides! The best part was the Pegues family's banner off their deck on Oakdale that said "Thank You Awake the Lake!"

• The Chautauqua Revival is moving ahead! We have an opportunity to use a Mark Twain presenter. Jim Sawatski has volunteered to head up this effort. We are shooting for August. We have scheduled a meeting for Monday, November 12, 7:00 pm, at the Pinecrest Lodge, for any one who wants to be involved. I would like to invite the Council to attend this meeting and we will preview Jim's latest film which ironically covers the Chautauqua movement called "Summer Sojourn".

• I can't wait to see the star lit on Veteran's Day this week! Thank you to all of you who have served or are serving our country!

• Trustee Flake stated she had met with Tri-Lakes Little League and the two contractors, Shane, Scenic View Landscaping and Jim Stiltner, Masterbilt Homes. We have quite an opportunity in front of us that not only will make the ball field safe for our children, it will provide a huge improvement of the aesthetics of the ball field area at Centennial Park.

Shane and Jim explained that would like to completely redo the ball field to include improving the drainage by installing retaining walls, putting in dugouts, repositioning the bleachers, redoing the infield and planting a 5/6 seed mixture of Kentucky Blue Grass. They are asking for the town's help in calling for locates, installing electricity and in finding a solution to the water issue.

Trustee Flake made a motion to authorize Scenic View Landscaping and Masterbilt Homes, in conjunction with Tri-Lakes Athletic Association, to proceed, with no commitment by the Town regarding the usage of Kentucky Blue Grass or the issue of water, seconded by Trustee Stafford. Motion carried unanimously.

Trustee Jack - Roads (Reported by Mayor Parker)

• Continued preparations for winter - welding on snowplows, replace edges, mounting, replace fluids & hoses.
• Received ‘new' mower. Continued mowing operations.
• Attended meetings concerning Streetscape & Safe Routes to School (SR2S) with engineering team. As of this report, no progress has been made with the CDOT IGA (inter-governmental agreement). They ask that we be patient. As a reminder, the clock (2 years) does not begin until the IGA is signed. Our engineering team within the SR2S group met with Paul Gilbert for preliminary planning.
• Graded roads and ditch work.
• Shoulder work on Sailing Way & Pie Corner.
• Cleaned several culverts (2 days) with pro cleaning company out of Denver.
• Plowed our first snow fall of the season (8"). We had a few minor issues. 1 plow broke (manhole), some old chains broken. Phillip will repair the plow for us, saving at least $ 400.00.
• Demoed 2 loaders. 1 Case - 1 John Deere. With this upgrade, the heavy equipment will be good for several years.
• Bryan & Bob met with Della for our budget meeting.

Trustee Miner - Economic and Community Development
No Streetscape meeting was held this month.

Trustee Miner reported she had met with Tim Wolken, El Paso County Parks & Leisure
regarding incorporating information from the Comprehensive Plan, Park & Recreations,
Awake the Lake and Streetscape into the Parks Master Plan.

Trustee Stafford - Water

Trustee Stafford made a motion to hire Skip Dinges as Water Rights Engineer, after Attorney Gaddis has an opportunity to review the contractual agreement, seconded by Trustee Miner, Amended by Trustee Allen and accepted by Trustees Stafford and Miner, to include ‘for a period of 12 months'. Motion carried unanimously.

Town of Palmer Lake water production statistics

Bob Miner - Fountain Creek Watershed - excused

Jeff Hulsmann - Awake the Lake
The Lake is full and looks good.

Staff:
Roads Supervisor Radosevich stated the chipping program is done for the year.

Item #7: Sign Request - Bodhicitta Bakery - Jason and Gretchen Anthony
780 Hwy 105 - Unit B

The sign request is for a backlit sign which is allowed in this speed zone.

Trustee Miner made a motion to approve the Sign Request for Bodhicitta Bakery, seconded by Trustee Coleman. Motion carried unanimously.

Item #8: Business License Request - Creative Common Sense - Nick Casale
Trustee Miner made a motion to approve the Business License request for Creative Common Sense, seconded by Trustee Coleman. Motion carried unanimously.

Item #9: Business License Request - Lincoln & Associates - Paul Lincoln
Trustee Stafford made a motion to approve the Business License request for Lincoln & Associates, seconded by Trustee Miner. Motion carried unanimously.

Item #10: Minor Subdivision - Lot 2, Block 9, Elephant Rock Acres, Filing No. 3
Jody Newton/Masterworks, LLC

Ms. Newton stated she had met all of the requirements from the last meeting.

Trustee Miner made a motion to approve the Minor Subdivision for Jody Newton\Masterworks LLC, seconded by Trustee Stafford. Motion carried unanimously.

Break - 8:36 to 8:50

Item #11: Preliminary Budget - 2008 - Discussion
Clerk Gray presented Draft 2 of the Preliminary Budget for 2008 and asked all Trustees to submit any last minute changes before the December workshop. Mayor Parker stated there would be an Executive Session following the December Workshop.

Trustee Stafford announced he would schedule a water meeting for sometime during the following week.

Item #12: Public Input
A request was made by the Palmer Lakes Fireworks Committee for help to offset some of the expenditures of the 2007 show.

Trustee Miner made a motion to adjourn at 9:00 pm, seconded by Trustee Coleman. Motion carried unanimously.

Approved as written or amended this 13th day of December, 2007.

Max Parker, Mayor Della Gray, Town Clerk

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