2025 PID Annual Owner Meeting
Date & Time: June 21, 2025,
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: Fire Station #9, 100
Palisade Mountain Dr
Audio Recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16a8cD3ptVbgeGeT3l7JlyjUGb1eHrWs0/view?usp=drive_link
Board Members
James Toland, Chairperson
David Hoffman, Treasurer
Connie Garrett, Secretary
Ed Ostransky
The meeting was called to order
and commenced by suspending Robert’s Rules.
New board members, David Hoffman and Ed Ostranksy, were introduced. Andy Hitch, the prior chairperson, resigned
from the board in April. There is one open
position on the board and can be filled in the fall.
Officers
David Hoffman was appointed as board
treasurer. Connie Garrett was appointed
as board secretary. James Toland was
appointed as board chairperson. Currently
there are 4 members on the board. The
county PID Program Manager will serve as a tie breaker in the event of a tie vote. Applications for board members can be submitted
on the Larimer County website in the fall: https://www.larimer.gov/boards/storm-mountain-public-improvement-district#/board
Board Mission and General Discussion
The mission of the board is to
maintain the roads in the Storm Mountain PID district and improve roads as the
budget allows. The PID is not a HOA or
related to the HOA on Storm Mountain. The
PID cannot own property. The PID may not
change tax rates. The PID has no regulatory control over private property and
may not enforce any code issues. The PID
board members are volunteers that own property in the community. The PID advises
the county and works with contractors (hired by the county) to maintain and
improve roads. The PID may recommend for private property owners to clean
culverts or cut back trees where they impact the public right of way.
The PID budget is funded by
property taxes and managed by Larimer County.
The Forest Service does not contribute to any road maintenance as their
portion of the road is considered a 4WD trail.
The roads in the district are owned by multiple owners: private owners,
county, state and federal forest service.
This is the main reason why only portions of the Access Road are paved. The unpaved section of the Access Road is
owned by the forest service. Generally speaking there is a 25 foot easement
from the center of the road for road maintenance and improvements. Culverts on private driveways are not maintained
by the PID, but in special circumstances where drainage is causing damage to
the public road, then the PID may recommend the private owner to improve the culvert.
Financial Review – 2024 Spend
The beginning balance in 2024 was about $80k. This was a carry-over from 2023 for chip seal
reserve and emergency\contingency expenses.
2024 Revenue
- $280k from
property taxes
- $17k
from ownership taxes
- $11k
from intergovernmental revenue
- $7k from
interest
- $5k from
road and bridge fees
2024 Expenses
- $207k on
summer road maintenance
- $51k on
snow removal
- $19k on
county collection and administrative fee
2024 Carry Over for 2025
- $125k of
unspent funds will be carried into 2025.
This is more than projected of $90k.
The reasons for the carry-over are as follows:
- The summer
road contractor did not spend as much as anticipated
- There
were no major snow events which can be costly
- The expected
carry-over for chipseal and emergency/contingency funds
The county financial report is updated monthly and available on the
Larimer County Website: https://www.larimer.gov/engineering/improvement-districts/more-info#storm-mountain
2025 Proposed Budget
The following budget for 2025 was reviewed and approved with minor
changes to increase the chip seal reserve and decrease summer road maintenance
so that the next application of chipseal could be completed in 5 years instead
of 7 years. The county recommends to re-apply
chipseal every 5-7 years. The chipseal
is projected to cost $100k for both the upper and lower sections of the Access Road.
2025 goals are to continue to improve main thoroughfares first and then side
roads.
Plow Work in 2024-2025
The contractor for the 2024-2025 season was based out of Estes Park. This complicates snow removal operations as
it takes about 2 hours for the contractor to get their equipment ready and get
on the mountain. The additional time
requires more effort in forecasting the timing and intensity of snow events. Larimer
County also standardized the plowing threshold to begin at 4 inches across all
PIDS. Due to the variations in elevations
and traffic volumes, the PID will advocate to return to the 6” threshold for
green and red roads, and 2” threshold for the Access Road. Winter residents should plan to have appropriate
tire traction for mountain winter conditions (chains, studded tires, 4WD).
Several sand barrels were damaged or destroyed in the Alexander fire. Larimer county has provided specs for barrel
replacements. A quote was received for
$1200 per barrel, which is too expensive in the opinion of the board. An additional quote has been requested from Foster
Dirt. Due to the high cost, the board recommends
a community volunteer effort to build and install the sand barrels.
The general feedback from the community was that the winter was very mild
and felt that there were some instances when plowing was unnecessary.
As there are no other on-mountain snow removal bidders, the contract with
the current Estes Park contractor will be renewed for the 2025-2026 season.
Summer Work Review
Following a lengthy roadblock in the spring caused by driver attempting
to bring up a trailer on icy roads, board members have requested a sign at the
bottom of the Access Road. The county
has proposed two versions of a sign which if approved, could be placed at the
bridge. Both versions call attention to the challenging road ahead with switchbacks,
no turn around, and recommended trailer lengths. The sign will cost about $1500
to install. The sign will not be enforceable. Community support was mixed for
the sign. Some community members felt
this may deter future roadblocks. Other residents voiced concerns that signs are
frequently vandalized and ignored. Others were concerned that the sign might make
it more difficult to get contractors up to Storm Mountain. In the event of road blockages, 911 dispatch should
be contacted.
2025 goals are to work on main thoroughfares. In years past, roads in upper filings did not
get graded until late summer. This year,
the contractor will grade all main thoroughfares earlier in the season. The Access Road will get additional mag
chloride and recycled asphalt past combat rock. Foster Dirt has advised we discontinue
using recycled asphalt as it is difficult to maintain. Foster Dirt recommends roadbase which can be maintained
more easily. There is not a significant cost
difference between recycled asphalt and road base. Ditching and culvert cleaning will continue
to be a priority. A few problem areas
were discussed: Cedar Park leading up to Jug ct is bedrock and needs road base,
mushy areas on Spruce Mountain need road base, and Snow Top. As work is completed on the Access Road, areas
beyond the T will be targeted for additional road base as the budget allows. The board values Foster Dirt. They have gained experience on Storm Mountain
and are familiar with challenges and pain points.
Open Discussion
Cedar Springs Reservoir Non Profit has been formed to take ownership of
the lake and to actively work towards repair of the dam. The state will be inspecting the lake in July. If the current condition of the dam is not
repaired the lake will be shut down.
This transfer in ownership is pending a signature from the Cedar Springs
HOA. The PID uses water from the lake the
summer maintenance. The newly formed
Cedar Springs Reservoir will work with the PID to ensure access to the lake. In previous years, the HOA has charged the
PID for water use. Additional discussions
between the PID and the Cedar Springs Reservoir Non Profit group will continue
to work out any details for water use from the lake.
There was some discussion on best practices for communications. Most PID communications are posted on the Storm
Mountain PID blogger website as access is not restricted. Members have been banned from various email
groups and social media platforms so the PID will post where possible (groups.io
and Facebook), however the primary location for PID communications are located
here: https://stormmountainpid.blogspot.com/
There was some discussion about the recent vandalization of the Foster
Dirt’s equipment. This costs the
community money for the contractor’s lost time working on roads and repairing
equipment.
Reminder: there will be open positions at the end of the year. Board members must own property within the
PID district. Board officers must be full-time
residents. Applications can be submitted
on Larimer County website: https://www.larimer.gov/boards/storm-mountain-public-improvement-district#/board
Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned.
