News
BASALT — The results of Tuesday’s election are forcing the Basalt Town Council to reassess its priorities.
It has been a top priority of the town government in recent years to move residents of two trailer parks “out of harm’s way” of a potentially catastrophic flood.
But the council either failed to convince voters that it was a pressing priority or failed to convince them that the proposed solution was the right one. The town government’s proposal to buy the Pan & Fork Mobile Home Park for $5 million lost by 10 votes.
“I don’t think the council is ever going to turn its back on the problem,” Councilman Chris Seldin said Wednesday.
However, the voters’ decision raises issues about how high of a priority the relocation of the trailer parks should be.
“The Town Council is going to have to draw its own conclusions about that,” Seldin said.
Here is how the relocation of the trailer parks became such a high priority in the first place:
In Spring 1995 — Heavy runoff convinces town officials they need to invest in studies that show the flood threat and how it can be eased. High flows on the Roaring Fork River threatened various parts of town, including the Pan & Fork and Roaring Fork Mobile Home Park.
• February 2000 — McLaughlin Water Engineers of Denver, a consultant for the town, issues a preliminary report that says a 2.7-mile stretch of the Roaring Fork River is one of the most unpredictable stretches of waterway in Colorado.
Encroaching development has made the unpredictability worse, the report said, because the river cannot do what it wants to do during floods. The report spurs the town later that year to adopt tougher regulations for development in the flood plain.
• September 2004 — Town consultant Rick McLaughlin reports that it will cost between $15 million and $20 million to mitigate Basalt’s limited ability to absorb flood waters. He advised that relocating the residents of the two mobile home parks should be the town’s top priority.
• March 2005 — After some skepticism emerges about the actual risk to the trailer parks, council members press McLaughlin for a concrete assessment. He estimated there was a 25 percent risk that a catastrophic flood would affect the two mobile home parks within a decade. “All I can tell you is it’s pretty bad,” McLaughlin said of the threat. “Even if this was a stable river, these (trailer parks) would be in a hazard zone.”
• May 2007 — A second report concludes the trailer parks face a real threat. The town hired Anderson Consulting Engineers of Fort Collins to perform a “peer review” of McLaughlin’s work. “The two mobile home parks are in a tough spot,” said an engineer for Anderson. “They really are in harm’s way.”
• December 2007 — Town officials announce they have a contract to purchase the Pan & Fork from owner Renee Ritchie for $5 million. The deal is contingent on voter approval.
Tuesday’s rejection of the proposal snuffed that contract. The town cannot place the issue back on the ballot within two years. However, one of the biggest supporters of the proposal said she doesn’t feel at this point it should ever go back to the ballot.
Jacque Whitsitt, who won a council seat in Tuesday’s election, promoted approval of the Pan & Fork purchase as well. She said approaching voters for funding was probably a one-shot deal.
“When voters say ‘no,’ they mean no,” Whitsitt said. The close vote only shows that people should have worked harder in this campaign, she said. The measure failed by a vote of 260 in support and 270 against.
Ritchie said the proposal could have passed if more effort was put into the campaign. Visual aids to show what the town envisioned for the property would have helped.
“Voters need to be educated more clearly,” she said.
Town officials hoped to preserve the portion of the park in the flood plain as open space. Higher ground along Two Rivers Road would have been redeveloped. Residents of the Pan & Fork would have been offered replacement housing within the next decade.
Ritchie said the Pan & Fork will continue operating as usual. She has no desire to redevelop it. She will entertain offers from buyers, either in the private or public sector, she said.
scondon@aspentimes.com
It has been a top priority of the town government in recent years to move residents of two trailer parks “out of harm’s way” of a potentially catastrophic flood.
But the council either failed to convince voters that it was a pressing priority or failed to convince them that the proposed solution was the right one. The town government’s proposal to buy the Pan & Fork Mobile Home Park for $5 million lost by 10 votes.
“I don’t think the council is ever going to turn its back on the problem,” Councilman Chris Seldin said Wednesday.
However, the voters’ decision raises issues about how high of a priority the relocation of the trailer parks should be.
“The Town Council is going to have to draw its own conclusions about that,” Seldin said.
Here is how the relocation of the trailer parks became such a high priority in the first place:
In Spring 1995 — Heavy runoff convinces town officials they need to invest in studies that show the flood threat and how it can be eased. High flows on the Roaring Fork River threatened various parts of town, including the Pan & Fork and Roaring Fork Mobile Home Park.
• February 2000 — McLaughlin Water Engineers of Denver, a consultant for the town, issues a preliminary report that says a 2.7-mile stretch of the Roaring Fork River is one of the most unpredictable stretches of waterway in Colorado.
Encroaching development has made the unpredictability worse, the report said, because the river cannot do what it wants to do during floods. The report spurs the town later that year to adopt tougher regulations for development in the flood plain.
• September 2004 — Town consultant Rick McLaughlin reports that it will cost between $15 million and $20 million to mitigate Basalt’s limited ability to absorb flood waters. He advised that relocating the residents of the two mobile home parks should be the town’s top priority.
• March 2005 — After some skepticism emerges about the actual risk to the trailer parks, council members press McLaughlin for a concrete assessment. He estimated there was a 25 percent risk that a catastrophic flood would affect the two mobile home parks within a decade. “All I can tell you is it’s pretty bad,” McLaughlin said of the threat. “Even if this was a stable river, these (trailer parks) would be in a hazard zone.”
• May 2007 — A second report concludes the trailer parks face a real threat. The town hired Anderson Consulting Engineers of Fort Collins to perform a “peer review” of McLaughlin’s work. “The two mobile home parks are in a tough spot,” said an engineer for Anderson. “They really are in harm’s way.”
• December 2007 — Town officials announce they have a contract to purchase the Pan & Fork from owner Renee Ritchie for $5 million. The deal is contingent on voter approval.
Tuesday’s rejection of the proposal snuffed that contract. The town cannot place the issue back on the ballot within two years. However, one of the biggest supporters of the proposal said she doesn’t feel at this point it should ever go back to the ballot.
Jacque Whitsitt, who won a council seat in Tuesday’s election, promoted approval of the Pan & Fork purchase as well. She said approaching voters for funding was probably a one-shot deal.
“When voters say ‘no,’ they mean no,” Whitsitt said. The close vote only shows that people should have worked harder in this campaign, she said. The measure failed by a vote of 260 in support and 270 against.
Ritchie said the proposal could have passed if more effort was put into the campaign. Visual aids to show what the town envisioned for the property would have helped.
“Voters need to be educated more clearly,” she said.
Town officials hoped to preserve the portion of the park in the flood plain as open space. Higher ground along Two Rivers Road would have been redeveloped. Residents of the Pan & Fork would have been offered replacement housing within the next decade.
Ritchie said the Pan & Fork will continue operating as usual. She has no desire to redevelop it. She will entertain offers from buyers, either in the private or public sector, she said.
scondon@aspentimes.com
