AUGUST 26, 2017, 11am — SPCFPD – STATION 3 

Bernie called the meeting to order at 11:04am.
There were about 35 members in attendance.  

Introduction of New Members: 

Mike & Tracy Bandera
Jeff & Julia Spring
Steve & Joy Snell, with son Jeb & Morgan

Introduction of “long-timers”

Everyone stated their name & location. 

Bernie offers thanks to Jay Mulholland for mowing around the Fire Station. 

Secretary’s Report 

In lieu of reading the minutes from last year’s meeting, they are posted on the wall and available on the website. 

Treasurer’s Report – Jon Klima 

We are in good shape financially. Please see the report handed out. The financial summary is also posted online, with Income/Expense details available upon request to Jon Klima.  

Summary as of August 25, 2017 
Income $25,940.04
Expenses $10,080.48
Unspent Funds $15,859.56
Our by-laws require that we maintain a CD. The balance of that is currently $12,761.02.
94 people have paid their dues so far this year. About 12 of those have donated more than requested for their properties.  

As of August 25, 2017, the money has come from:
56 Guffey addresses (46.4% of owners with Guffey addresses have paid their dues)
26 Non-Guffey out-of-state addresses (50% of these have paid their dues)
57 Non-Guffey in-state addresses (71.9% of these have paid their dues) 

Joy Oliver moved to accept the Budget; Peg Larson seconds; Budget approved. 

Special Guest: Darrell Evig 

Road & Bridge Department, Park County Public Works
719-836-4277 – publicworks@parkco.us 

Darrell spoke for several minutes explaining his experience and his role in the Road & Bridge Department of Park County. He addressed our concerns regarding CR 88. He is doing upgrades to the road as much as possible with limited funds and limited staff. There is a truck here to clean out culverts and drainage as much as possible. There is also a “reclaimer” truck owned by the county which came to grind up rocks in the road, then gravel was put down to help with the slickest spots. This truck can also be used for mag stabilization, and he will work to try to keep the road in better shape. Darrell really hopes to make a difference here in the county, but said that the budget is his biggest nemesis, bringing many challenges to work with. He likes to remind his staff that they really work for us, the citizens, not just Park County. We should feel free to call him when we observe problems on 88, and he will do what he can to get out here ASAP.  His field supervisor for this area also checks the road frequently for problems. 

Members expressed their desire for more maintenance, as it gets very slick at times and people have had difficulty sliding while driving up the hill.  

Bernie asked where the funding comes from and how many miles of road are in the county. There are 1700 miles of roads to maintain; 90% of those are gravel. The funding comes from the state, from our county taxes, and some from gas taxes. Darrell is working on getting more equipment and researching better, more cost-effective materials, such as recycled asphalt, some which includes screened shingles as a binding agent. 

With regards to funds, he mentioned that some neighborhoods are donating the funds for materials, and the county provides the labor and equipment to maintain their roads. 

Special Guest: Mike Parrish, SPCFPD Board Member 

Mike spoke for Eugene Farmer, Fire Chief, who had to leave for an emergency. 

The Fire District’s priority is an increased level of services. They have given the EMT’s more training. There are currently 7 EMT’s. 

Handouts available are:  

• • Red “File of Life”, magnetic envelopes for your refrigerator: In these envelopes you may leave important information such as your health issues, medications, etc. EMT’s are trained to look for this.  

• • Pre-Burn Checklist: Please get a burn permit from Chief Farmer, call to be sure it is a “burn day”, and call the office when you plan to burn to let the Dept. know where the smoke is coming from. 

• • Code Red, Reverse 911 calls: These calls will warn you of local emergencies, evacuation, etc. Pick up the handout to find out how to get your phone # on this system. 

• Inclusion: Your property must be “included” to pay taxes for fire protection. If your tax status is “04” you are not included, if it is “20” you are included. Please check to see that you are included. If you are not “included” and there is an emergency on your property, you will be charged for the service. This is not cheap, and inclusion is good “insurance.” See the handout to learn how to be included. 

There will be an election November 7th to have automatic inclusion in our district. Ours is the only district in the state with voluntary inclusion. All property owners who are not already included will receive notification about this election. Voters must go to the polling place for this. Please let your neighbors know about this election and encourage them to vote “yes”, if they are eligible to vote. 

The Fire Dept. offers fire land assessment if you have questions about potential hazards on your property. Contact Chief Farmer. 

The Fire Dept. is working on improving service, and is paying personnel to be on duty 24/7. They have also been providing help with the 4-Mile Fire District. This service has been provided to them for free for the first 4 months. Since that time they have been paying for our assistance. There is also mutual aid shared with Hartsel and Tallahassee. 

The ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating here is “9”. The ISO rating may affect your insurance rates; it will also vary depending on how far you are from the station. 

Chief Eugene Farmer arrived later. He indicated that there are 11 properties in Pike Trails that are not “included” for payment of taxes. 

Guffey Gorge was a topic of discussion. Medical billing for rescues in the Gorge are now being charged to the patient. The money is used to upgrade medical and rescue equipment. Staff & volunteers are receiving more rescue training, including ice rescue training.  

Questions were asked regarding how many calls are for the Gorge. Eugene said about 10 in the last year, and that these people are not locals. There was only 1 death in the Gorge, which was in the 70’s. This would indicate that the Gorge is relatively “safe” from a death perspective, but there are a lot of injuries. Additionally, stats are not tracked for incidents after people have left the Gorge, where many accidents occur. There is a BLM Ranger who frequently monitors the Gorge and will cite people for various infractions. Alcohol prohibition at the Gorge is in process, but must go through Congress, and takes a long time. Marijuana is not allowed there, and the Ranger will cite users. 

Burning: For burning slash piles or trash, you must have a burn permit. These must be renewed annually. If you already have one, you may be able to renew simply by calling Chief Farmer. Be sure to call ahead to let them know you are burning. There is also a chipping program available on a limited basis, for a donation ($1-200 is nice). 

Question: How many calls are medical? Answer: 80% 

Question: How to get green address signs? They are made now at the station, $15 for one-sided signs, $20 for two-sided. Please go in person to request your sign. 

Fishing Pond Report – Jon Klima 

Both ponds were stocked April 2, with 160 pounds of rainbow. 

An aeration system was placed in the Upper Pond June 2. Thanks to Bill Jones, Robin Jones, Ken Thomas, Bernie Mann, Mark Norman, and Tim Bratten. They are off-grid and run with solar panels. This has been helpful for the health of the pond. 

If you find a round black ball in the pond, throw it back in. It is there to help with algae control. 

A comment was made about finding bleeding fish with hooks in their mouths. Please, if a fish is injured like this don’t throw it back! Take it home and cook it. 

Roads

Bernie: 33 loads of gravel were placed on the roads about 6 weeks ago. The gravel was more expensive this year, and next year we will try to get it from a cheaper source. There have been some electrical problems with the grader, which Bernie is working on, and will complete grading on the roads when he can. 

Bernie would appreciate help with the grading, and will train anyone who will step up to help. 

Election of Officers 

It is the end of the two-year terms of all officers. All current officers have offered to stay on unless someone else would offer to serve. 

Results of Election

Officers will serve for two years, effective immediately.
President: Bernie Mann
1st Vice President: Mike Bandera
2nd Vice President: Jay Mulholland
Secretary: Laurie Bratten
Treasurer: Jon Klima 

Other comments

Jay mentioned he has free scrap firewood if anyone would like it. 

Bernie will speak to Darrell and push for more gravel on 88. He asks what we might be willing to pay (from the Association) for road materials? There was quite a bit of discussion. We don’t want to set a precedent in which the county will assume that we will do this again in the future. But, we want Park Co to follow through with road improvement, and if a one-time donation will help to get it done, are we willing? 

Bob Erickson moves to authorize up to $1500 from our budget for gravel.
Mike Bandera seconds the motion.
Most members approve, 2 members are opposed. 

FALL WORKDAY

Workday is scheduled for Monday, September 4, Labor Day. Meet at the Fire Station at 9am. A few snow fences need repair, and a few potholes need to be filled.  

Adjournment

Joy Oliver moves to adjourn; Jay Mulholland seconds; Members approve, and meeting is adjourned around 1 pm.