Town News

Catchup with Council, December 14, 2021 – Galena Street Workforce Housing, Universal Recycling Ordinances, Nonprofit Grants Discussion, Slopeside Hall

602 Galena Street Workforce Housing Discussion

Since August 2021, representatives of the Town of Frisco, Summit County and the Colorado Division of Labor and Employment (CDLE) have been discussing workforce housing in Frisco and Summit County, the recently passed Colorado legislation which could facilitate development of housing projects, and the property owned by the State of Colorado in Frisco, which could be used to develop housing.

This Council work session centered on the potential redevelopment of 602 Galena Street, a 0.72-acre parcel owned by the State of Colorado, with a 4,153 square foot building currently home to the Colorado Workforce Center. This property could support 27 to 36 units based on rough initial estimates and would continue to provide office and conference space for Workforce Center staff.

An appraisal arranged by the CDLE in October 2021 established the property value at $3M. Initial development cost estimates were between $13M to $21M. A financial analysis indicated that purchase of the property is the more beneficial option over leasing the land, and there are several funding opportunities with the State of Colorado Department of Local Affairs, and possibly, at the federal level, that may be available to offset some of the initial purchase price. Summit County representatives have also expressed a preference for the land purchase option from the State.

Council directed staff to draft and develop the necessary agreements for Council consideration for property purchase from the State and for the partnership between the Town and County for development and financing. The agreement must be approved by the State legislature in order to move forward.

Additionally, Council provided feedback on potential goals for project development; design aesthetic; sustainability goals, which included providing the most livable density; support for a variety of income levels (60% -120% Area Median Income); and designing to net zero sustainability standards.

2022 Frisco Bay Marina Rates

Staff evaluate boat rental and storage rates at the Frisco Bay Marina on an annual basis. As demand for all marina services has outpaced supply, staff and consultants from F3 Marina analyzed 2021 rates and recommended reasonable rate increases in line with industry standards. Council approved the rate changes as follows:

Motor Boat and Paddle Sport Rentals:

Rental boats include powerboats (fishing and pontoons) and paddleboats (kayaks, canoes, stand up paddleboards, and Hobies).

  • $5/hour rate increase for fishing boats
  • $15/hour rate increase for large pontoons- maintain 10% weekends and holidays increase for all rentals
  • No other price increases to rentals would take place in 2022

Storage:

For 2022, there will be a seasonal flat rate for dockage and moorings.

  • 24’ slip = $1,350
  • 30’ slip = $1,700
  • 40’ slip = $2,300

For boats that measure over their current slip length staff will:

  • Establish a 10% overhang allowance for no additional charge.
  • Move vessel to larger slip and charge accordingly if the extra boat length presents a safety issue if remaining in the slip.

Moorings:

  • There are currently 40 mooring balls positioned at the Marina, and an additional 15-20 will be added in 2022.
  • Boats smaller 22’ (Small) – $900
  • Boats smaller than 27’ (Medium)- $1200
  • Boats between 28’- 33’ (Large)- $1700

Racks Storage for Paddle Sports

Council approved a 2% increase to rack rates for 2022.

On-Land Boat Storage – Trailer Storage, Winter Storage, and Dry Storage

  • Winter – $3.35/square foot
  • Trailer- $3.00/ square foot
  • Dry-$7.00/square foot.
  • Council also discussed a “use it or lose it” policy for dry storage.

During the November 30, 2021 work session on the Marina Action Plan, staff presented preliminary information regarding a proposed managed/paid parking plan for the Marina in 2022, This topic will be revisited with Council in early 2022.

Pay as you Throw and Universal Recycling Ordinances

High County Conservation Center (HC3) provided Council with an overview of a proposed “Pay as you Throw” (PAYT) program and “Universal Recycling Ordinance” (URO) recommendations to solicit Council’s feedback. For individual residences, PAYT is similar to a utility bill model in that a household pays for waste removal service based on how much waste that household produces. Current flat rates for trash services with an additional fee for recycling provide no incentive to reduce waste.

Businesses and multi-family properties already generally pay based on volume and frequency of pickup. In order to increase diversion rates for commercial entities, implementation of universal recycling mandates such as requiring all businesses and multi-family properties to have recycling collection service is recommended.

Summit County’s communitywide goal is to increase landfill diversion to 40% by 2035, a goal set in 2015 by the Zero Waste Task Force (ZWTF), a local stakeholder group that advises the Summit County Resource Allocation Park (SCRAP) and High Country Conservation Center (HC3) staff.

Despite the introduction of recent programs, such as opening the Silverthorne recycling center, creating a public marketing and outreach campaign, adding glass recycling stations throughout the community, offering free food scrap drop-off for residents, and providing free mattress recycling, the county’s diversion rate remains approximately 20%. “Pay as You Throw” (PAYT) and “Universal Recycling Ordinances” (URO) have been shown to dramatically increase recycling in communities by developing consistent recycling ordinances across all local government jurisdictions. The ordinances and implementation plan would be created by engaging local stakeholders to ensure the plan is tailored to the Frisco and whole Summit community. HC3 hired LBA Associates to lead the stakeholder process.

Council fully supported HC3 in moving forward with the proposed ordinances. A proposed budget for implementation, as well as a refined education and outreach plan, will be presented at a later work session, with the goal that the ordinances go into effect in early 2023.

Reimbursing the Housing (5a) Fund for 2020 Residential Rental Assistance

Council directed staff to draft a resolution to transfer $287,500 from the General Fund to the Housing Fund (5A) to replenish funds used for the COVID Residential Rental Relief Program in 2020.

In 2020, Council established two rounds of Rental Relief Assistance Programs, both residents and businesses, responding swiftly to the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. While both rounds of Business Rental Assistance Grants were paid from the General Fund and largely offset by two grants, the Residential Rental Assistance Relief Grants (totaling $287,500) were paid from the Housing Fund (5A) in order to preserve the General Fund as much as possible during a time of economic uncertainty.

Marina Lift Station Change Order

Town Council approved payment of $405,714.16 for a change order for the Frisco Bay Marina lift station and deep utilities project, to compensate the contractor, BT Construction (BTC), for additional work performed and equipment acquired to manage higher groundwater levels than predicted by geotechnical findings and projections by Denver Water. To keep projects at the Marina on track, staff made the decision continue work and authorized the additional work to be done. This budget amendment required a transfer to the Marina fund in order to absorb this additional cost.

Slopestyle Hall at the Peninsula Recreation Area- Design, Budget, and Sustainability Review

On October 21, 2021, the project team for the new Slopeside Hall building at the Peninsula Recreation Area attended a public hearing before the Planning Commission for a sketch plan review of the Major Site Plan application. The Planning Commission provided feedback on the design that included concerns with parking and the overall sustainability of the building, while generally accepting the site layout and architectural design.

Parking: The Planning Commission expressed concerns about parking, and Town staff recommended formalizing the parking along Recreation Way to include ADA spaces and closer access to the new building and utilizing the existing informal, dirt-parking area by the skate park for special events and peak weekends to meet immediate needs and allow for time to plan for and budget for the expansion of existing parking areas.

Sustainable Design: The Planning Commission strongly encouraged the use of solar to offset energy use and serve as an example to other development projects. Slopeside Hall is being designed in accordance with Town Building Code requirements including the use of a photovoltaic (PV) system to offset 10% of the building’s projected annual energy usage. In addition to the Sustainable Building Code requirements, the Town Council has adopted a strategic plan goal to “include Net Zero principles for all Town-owned or Town-sponsored construction.” Council supported designing to Net-Zero and directed staff to return with a cost estimate for building to that standard.

Concurrent with the design development phase of this project, the consultants have prepared construction budget estimates for the building and immediately adjacent site work, not including the plaza, which came in approximately $800,000 above budget.

Staff presented options for modifying the building design to reduce costs, while remaining in line with the original project goals. While one cost-reducing method was to reduce the overall footprint of the building, Council directed staff to retain the original footprint to ensure that it supports its intended use. Council supported modifications of the rooflines, exterior building materials, and revision of the fire access to reduce construction costs and also requested that the design team incorporate more modern colors/finishes for the building exterior.

Nonprofit Grants Discussion

In response to annual Countywide grant requests from nonprofit organizations in Summit County, Frisco Town Council supported many applicants by allocating discretionary funds to a combined total of $80,400 and an additional $29,806 in in-kind donations.

Council used criteria such as benefit to Frisco and Summit County residents, past allocations, an organization’s results from Frisco supported programs, support of first year requests from Frisco non-profits, and alignment with Town of Frisco Strategic Goals when considering if and how much funding to distribute to an organization.

In the past, Council has received requests for amounts larger than those permitted through the countywide grant process. These requests have come from entities that Council feels provide important health, welfare and community services and Council supports these entities with money out of the General Fund and the Nicotine Tax Fund.

Recreation Path to Stay Put – Second Reading

Council approved on second reading an ordinance to relocate portions of the bike path easement on several lots in the River Pines subdivision. The subdivision was developed in 1991, and as part of the development approval, the developer offered and platted an easement for a bike path along the rear lot lines of several lots and dedicated the easement to the Town of Frisco. The Town has maintained the bike path since its construction. In late 2020, the owner of lot 6 contacted the Town after a survey of his property identified that the constructed path was not located within the platted easement.

In response, the Town contracted with a surveying company to determine that the bike path was located outside of the easement on Lots 5, 6, and 7. Due to the location of the path with respect to the top of the bank of Ten Mile Creek, the lot owners generously agreed to relocate the easement rather than relocating and reconstructing the bike path in order to correct this issue.

Approving a Contract for On-Call Engineering Services

The Frisco Town Council approved a contract not to exceed $175,000 for on-call engineering services with JR Engineering.

The Town of Frisco does not have an engineer on staff, and in recent years Town staff has utilized the services of outside individuals or firms for engineering services during associated projects. As the volume of projects has increased, the Town sees significant benefit in partnering with a single firm to better meet the needs of the Community Development and Public Works departments in streamlining planning and development processes.

Frisco Town Council Meetings: Ways to Participate

Frisco Town Council meetings are available to view via Zoom and YouTube, and are also held in person to make Town Council meetings easier to access for everyone.

The public can provide comment during meetings via Zoom or in person (not YouTube), and a public comment period will be available at 7:00pm; during the consideration of ordinances; and at the discretion of Town Council during work session items, which are discussions that don’t require a formal vote by Town Council and do not require public comment.

Again, this hybrid approach is intended to make Town Council meetings more accessible, and meeting recordings will typically also be made available the day after a meeting in the meeting archive with agenda topics bookmarked to the discussions in the video.