Red Feather Lakes (RFL) Planning Advisory Committee Meeting 10/24/24
by Nanci Wendland
Main Points
- CDOT received a $47 million infrastructure grant from the Federal government. Larimer County’s allotment will be used to improve Highway 287 corridor from Ted’s Place to the Wyoming border.
- Larimer County liaisons and Commissioner Kefalas continued the conversation encouraging the Red Feather Lakes Planning Committee (RFLPAC) to change their meetings from monthly to quarterly.
Commissioner Kefalas updates
- The $47 million federal infrastructure grant will be shared with Boulder County. Larimer County’s allotment will be used to improve the Highway 287 corridor from Ted’s Place to the Wyoming border. Improvements will include a wildlife crossing overpass, passing lanes and other safety improvements not yet determined.
- The county is in the last phase of budget planning. Kefalas expects a final draft to be completed and voted on at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Dec. 11.
The Larimer County Board of County Commissioners is evaluating whether the RFL Planning Advisory Committee (RFLPAC) is the best way to communicate with the RFL community. The Larimer County Planning Department has previously suggested the RFLPAC meet quarterly (instead of monthly), and only discuss land use and development issues.
Chair of the RFLPAC Weixelman and several other committee members are concerned that resident’s questions and town issues, such as service for a public restroom, will not get addressed or answered without the PAC. Weixelman wants to know who members of the community will go to with questions and problems if the PAC is only for land use and land codes.
Committee member Johnson asked for clarification on the Colorado open meetings laws. He said if this committee isn’t the mechanism for community needs, then it should figure out what the mechanism should be and get it going. The PAC has been warned in the past about following Colorado open meetings laws. Johnson also said he understands now why the committee hasn’t been getting results from the county. It’s because the county planning department is not the right mechanism to solve other town problems. By the end of the discussion, several PAC members said they have a better understanding of the need to create another avenue with the county to solve problems, including the public restroom issue. Larimer County Community Development Director Everette said she will seek the advice of Larimer County Manager Volker or Assistant Manager Kadrich for developing a consistent process to meet the needs of all of Larimer County’s rural communities.
For now, the RFLPAC is on holiday break and will not meet again until January of 2025.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:18 p.m.
Documenter Nanci Wendland
Next meeting – Jan. 23, 1:30 p.m. in-person at the Firehouse meeting room, 44 Firehouse Lane, Red Feather Lakes, CO., or online via Zoom.
Members Present
Lora Gaskill, Ryan Zigray, Roger Svendsen, John Johnson, James Cates, Vice Chair Caryn Hughes, Chair Janice Weixelman. Absent: Lucille Schmidt.
Others Present
Larimer County Liaison Commissioner John Kefalas, Administrator Christina Scrutchins, Larimer County Staff Liaison Kassidee Fior, and Larimer County Community Development Director Rebecca Everette. Absent: Larimer County Planning Engineer Matthew Lafferty.
Recorded Meeting: Videos are not posted.
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).”