Red Feather Lakes Planning Advisory Committee Meeting 2/22/24

For more information (including members in attendance) see the full notes document here.*

View the meeting agenda.

Videos are not posted. This may change in 2024.

From the Larimer County Boards & Commissions website: “The Red Feather Lakes Planning Advisory Committee (RFLPAC) is a committee of citizens who live, work/volunteer or own property within the Red Feather Lakes Plan Area, appointed by the Larimer County Board of Commissioners. Its purpose is to provide an organized forum to facilitate communication with the County and within the community on issues that impact Red Feather Lakes (RFL).”

Public Comments

Julie Dominick, resident, saw comments on social media that Red Feather Lakes (RFL) is considering expanding their borders. What does that mean?

This item was on the original agenda, item #4 – Targeted Expansion Areas for RFL Area Plan. Committee Chair Weixelman said they are not doing this yet, and the item was removed from the Addendum Agenda.

Key Points

Larimer County Sheriff Feyen was invited as a special guest to discuss and answer questions on why RFL doesn’t receive adequate public and safety enforcement.

Feyen said there is only 1 sheriff available and assigned to patrol from the Wyoming border through Rist and Poudre Canyons, and everything in between. The department has a lot of vacancies, and they are investigating better hiring practices along with retention. County Sheriff Feyen shared some possible solutions that have been discussed and why, in his perspective, they don’t work:

1. Stage an old police car to deter speeding - The department doesn’t have any to use; and other Countys that tried this method had the cars vandalized.
2. Put up mobile flashing lights with speed limits - People figure out no tickets get issued and some will use it to drag race and clock their speeds.
3. Camera radar - Camera radar can only be used in a 35 mph or less zone and the camera must catch the person driving. Many households have multiple drivers. Before a ticket can be issued, they must know which driver was speeding.
4. Using the Larimer County Reserve program - Sheriff Feyen said Larimer County has a great reserve program. The drawback is that reserves are volunteers and cannot work alone. The reserve deputies are used for events and/or large incident assistance with Sheriff Deputies readily available to them.

Sheriff Feyen also said that while speeds are high around RFL, deaths caused by speeding are not as high as other areas in the County, so RFL won’t receive as much attention.

Committee Chair Weixelman pointed out that the school zone isn’t marked as a school zone. Larimer County Transportation Engineer Peterson said a traffic study must be done first and his department is working on this. Peterson did say there are data collection sites that can be studied as well. Data collection agencies can retrieve data from any vehicle 2017 and newer, such as speeds, wiper use, lights on or off, braking distances, and traffic counts. In the past they would use streetlights to monitor vehicles and traffic. Now it is through Bluetooth, OnStar, dashboard cameras, and various insurance company monitoring.

Commissioner Communication

Commissioner Kefalas said RFL will receive funds for cyber access (internet). Fifteen percent of the RFL residents do not have internet access. This project will cost the county approximately $25M. The county is working on getting the funds and will email homes directly in areas that will receive the coverage. Coverage will come from the City of Fort Collins Connexion.

The RFL area plan and community vision were discussed. The original vision for RFL was created in 2006 and committee members agree the basic framework of the vision still holds true. Larimer County Planning Liaison Lafferty said the committee should continue to update the plan for 2025 and consider items that can be taken care of within their committee. Several committee members expressed concern about water rights and whether RFL could have a water/wastewater treatment plant.

Committee Chair Weixelman asked Lafferty how this could be funded since RFL is not a taxing agency or able to get grants. Larimer County Planners reminded the members that it’s not only having a water treatment plant, but also residents who would pay to hook up to water and sewer systems.

Some members talked about how to get large employers to come to RFL, such as a larger grocery store, a community center with activities, and medical services in RFL. Planning Liaison Lafferty reminded the committee that the population of RFL is small and seasonal. Lafferty said a medical center typically has a ratio of 1 doctor per 1,600 residents. Even in summer when seasonal residents return, RFL’s population doesn’t meet the minimum required. Grocery stores also look for a sizable population to sustain profitability.

Committee Chair Weixelman asked why, if they’re so small, did RFL get one of the largest county property tax increases, up to 63% for some residents, and not receive any additional services? Lafferty said they would need to ask Commissioner Kefalas that question, but to also remember that real estate sales drive prices and values upwards, not the county. Lafferty will try to get someone from the Larimer County Assessor’s office to attend the next meeting as a special guest. He believes an assessor could answer most of their questions.

The meeting adjourned at 3:50 PM.

Next meeting - Mar. 28, 2024, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in-person at the Firehouse meeting room, 44 Firehouse Lane, Red Feather Lakes, CO., or online via Zoom.

Questions

1. Will it help to get the school zone marked, and how long would this take?
2. How will it be determined which hopes for the community are the responsibility of the committee, or the county?

*Citizen Observers further the commitment of the League of Women Voters to its principle of Citizens Right to Know, however, we are not acting as journalists. Omissions and errors are possible. It is assumed that users of this information are responsible for their own fact-checking. This could include contacting a government clerk, conversing with an elected official or staff, and/or asking us to speak to the Observer who attended.