Adjusting My Compass – Estes Park Trail-Gazette

We human beings are capable of changing our programming.

As mayor, I am not talking about our core philosophical or spiritual beliefs that guide our path through life. I am talking about our ability to hear diverse opinions, to gather information from many sources, and to have all of that information change the way we think about a subject.

It is not a moral compass, it is a practical compass. Your contribution, when it affects my opinion, does not deviate me from my true path. On the contrary, you give me a broader and deeper understanding of the issue at hand. You have enhanced the sum of my understanding.

I am pleased to be receiving feedback at this time regarding hosted short-term rentals. During our preliminary review of the August 27th council meeting, we allowed community members to provide feedback. This was a great idea and added several insights to my understanding. Our City Clerk Jackie Williamson presented her research on how other municipalities and counties define and manage hosted short-term rentals. It was wonderfully enlightening. It is always a very malleable topic. We will have another study session in the near future where several different options will be presented to us.

I like projects at this stage, when all possibilities are on the table. And this topic is important for our vacation community, and very important for many of our residents for their economic survival.

In doing so, we must respect our traditional lodging types, which are a mainstay in Estes, and have suffered from the pandemic, the ups and downs of the economy, and many other factors. My wife and I typically stay in traditional hotels and motels when we travel, but STRs and their variations are very important to provide all options to our guests.

At the August 27th council meeting, I also cast the only dissenting vote at a hearing. While I will not go into detail here due to the quasi-judicial nature of the proceedings, I can say that it was the impassioned comments of the various residents that convinced me in this case. Some of the comments were very mild, but still quite intense. After four or five comments, I was able to see through the eyes of these other citizens. The scales tipped just enough for me at the end of this particular vote. So, once again, the comments of the citizens influenced my opinion and my vote.

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to serve on the Larimer County Board of Trustees Board of Trustees to approve $3 million in grants to 41 recipients. It didn’t take much convincing for these worthy causes. There was a good presentation of all the applicants, who was chosen and why. I am very pleased to have made the motion at that meeting to move these grants forward. I want to remind the various agencies in Estes to apply for these grants in future years: while Estes was represented in the grants awarded, we certainly could have had more applicants and probably more awards.

On the community front, I will be helping welcome everyone to the Scottish Festival and participating in the Tattoo (thanks to Peggy Sue Young); speaking at the YMCA International 30th Anniversary Celebration last week (CEO Julie Watkins is a true visionary for world peace); speaking at the Noon Rotary this week and the Estes Park Women’s Club next week; selecting and presenting the Mayor’s Award at the Plein Air Festival at the Estes Art Center; hosting my first Mayor’s Coffee at the Community Center; helping film a video that will help PRPA apply for a grant to fund our first battery to store renewable energy; welcoming everyone to the Upper Thompson Sanitation District’s WIFIA loan announcement; and much more.

I cannot ignore the excellent work of Greg Muhonen, his crews and contractors in completing the loop ahead of schedule. While there are still many small items to be worked out and adjustments to be made, we are in a very good place and can finally start to see much better traffic flow. Labor Day weekend was a wonderful example of eliminating congestion and gridlock. I look forward to next summer.

Here is my parting note, in regards to the Loop. I have been asked to rename the Loop roundabout “Dieter’s Donut.” Those familiar with the history of the Donut Haus will know where this idea came from. We may not be able to officially make this a reality anytime soon, but how about we informally call this roundabout The Donut (or Dieter’s Donut)? Sounds like a good idea to me. Estesians, take a ride around The Donut in your car!

You can contact me at [email protected], through my phone at the town hall at 970-577-3706, or by requesting an appointment at https://dms.estes.org/Forms/mayormeetingrequest.