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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLand Conservation And Stewardship Board - Minutes - 04/08/2009MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS LAND CONSERVATION & STEWARDSHIP BOARD Regular Meeting Wednesday, April 8, 2009 DATE: LOCATION: TIME: For Reference: Wednesday, April 8, 2009 215 N Mason Street, Conference Room 1-A 6:00 p.m. Linsey DeBell Mayor Doug Hutchinson Mark Sears, Staff Liaison - 217-7436 - 416-2154 - 416-2096 Board Members Present Linsey DeBell, Lesli Ellis, Chris Gaughan, Juli Germany, Michelle Grooms, Linda Stanley Board Members Excused Trudy Haines Council Liaison Mayor, Doug Hutchinson Staff Present Natural Resources / Natural Areas Department: Geri Kidawski, Mark Sears Guests Eric Sutherland - Citizen Robert B. Gregg — CSU Student David Montague — CSU Student Stephanie Strodtman — CSU Student Phillip Rohrbach - CSU Student Collin Brozka — CSU Student Briana Bartscherer — CSU Student Stephanie Bush — CSU Student - Aubrey Kingman — CSU Student Justinian Ramos — CSU Student Stacie Farmer — CSU Student Eric Panebaker — CSU Student Justin Calvert — CSU Student Chris Berg — CSU Student Savannah Ledford — CSU Student Will St. John — CSU Student Brian Kailer — CSU Student Michael Dutcalt — CSU Student Eric Stonak — CSU Student Corey Paterson — CSU Student Jennifer McCabe — CSU Student Jenna Swartz — CSU Student Ross Powers — CSU Student Fred Fleischman — CSU Student Anthony Saab — CSU Student Aaron Michael — CSU Student Aden Papilion — CSU Student Sean Hall — CSU Student Maura Bishop — CSU Student Land Conservation & Stewardship Board Wednesday, April 8, 2009 Page 2 of 5 Public Comments • Eric Sutherland spoke about the absolute necessity for the City of Fort Collins government to engage in constructive conversation about the future of Maxwell Ranch. Sutherland mentioned that the City of Fort Collins Utilities and Platt River Power Authority proposes to use environmentally sensitive lands, which have the potential to be preserved for future generations, for the production of future electricity. Sutherland asked that the Land Conservation and Stewardship Board recommend to City Council for city staff to consider all the implications of continuing this absurd contest of building a wind farm at CSU's property at Maxwell Ranch. Sutherland suggested that the Board vote on this recommendation, under other business, at their May or June meeting. • Stanley: Mark where is this property, and let's get an update on this. • DeBell: Is this the property by Red Mountain Open Space? • Sears: Yes, it is West of Red Mountain Open Space and the towers would likely be visible from Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, which is our concern and Larimer County's concern. We will provide the Board with an update on this. Agenda Review • Sears: Conveyance of a Revocable Permit to ERO Resources Corporation has been added to this evening's agenda. Review and Approval of Minutes Gaughan moved to approve the March 11, 2009 meeting minutes as written. Germany second. It was unanimously approved. Conveyance of a Revocable Permit ERO Resource Corporation • Sears: As part of the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) environmental impact statement (EIS) and the Halligan -Seaman Water Management Project (HSWMP), groundwater monitoring is necessary along certain areas of the Poudre River. ERO Resources Corporation (ERO) is the third -party contractor for the NISP EIS and has requested that the City of Fort Collins grant permission to enter various parcels owned by the City to install eight monitoring wells to conduct periodic groundwater monitoring. • Gaughan: Is part of the agreement to share the data, you may want to ask. • Stanley: This is a third party contractor with EIS; does this mean that Northern Colorado Water Conservancy hired them? • Sears: It is through the Corp of Engineers. • DeBell: It means they are paid by the people trying to do the project, but they are managed by the Corp of Engineers. • Grooms: Why are they installing them? Land Conservation & Stewardship Board Wednesday, April 8, 2009 Page 3 of 5 • Sears: To monitor the ground water elevation, and then in someway to try to predict the impact the reduction in flow, in the spring, would have on the Poudre River. • Stanley: Does someone from the City feel that these are good sites? Is it up to the City to say that? Will the Natural Areas do their own monitoring? • Sears: I'm not sure if we have a say one way or the other as to whether these are appropriate sites for monitoring or not. I am not aware of whether or not we are monitoring on our own, however we have hired consultants. • Gaughan: Is this monitoring request going through the City engineer's office for their review? • Sears: We may not have hydraulic engineers on staff to review this request. • Grooms: If the city pushed back and said that we will not let you put these wells here, what are the indications on that? • Sears: I'm sure we are pushing them to get more data and research these impacts. Gaughan moved to recommend that City Council approve a Revocable Permit to ERO Resource Corporation for the installation of groundwater monitoring wells on City property in relation to the Northern Integrated Supply Project and the Halligan -Seaman Water Management Project. Ellis second. It was unanimously approved. Cultural/Historical Resource Discussion • Sears: This item is more of a philosophical discussion. It is one that we have been having at our senior staff level in the Natural Areas Program. I would like to have this discussion with the Board to get your perception of where you feel we are in regards to cultural resources and historical resources. Sears gave a PowerPoint presentation for the Board, which included: o Bobcat Ridge Natural Area grant received from the Pulliam Family Charitable Trust to conserve historical buildings ■ Hired historian Carol Tunner, received a $7,000 grant from the Pulliam Family Charitable Trust. ■ Caving shed artifacts ■ Existing historical house ■ Pioneer Cabin received grant money from Pulliam for pump restoration, crusher fine to cabin, vault toilet ■ Conserved farm equipment o Soapstone Prairie Natural Area ■ Verbal interpretation to some sites ■ Roman buildings will not be restored and no tours to these sites at this time ■ Old sheep buildings • Gaughan: Regarding Bobcat Ridge, one good way to talk about this to biologists is that the local wildlife have adapted to these structures. Once you remove one of these structures, it will disturb the local wildlife in that area. Land Conservation & Stewardship Board Wednesday, April 8, 2009 Page 4 of 5 • DeBell: How many hours did staff spend on restoring the cabin? • Sears: I do not know hours, we received a grant of $12,500, and the total cost was $32,000. • Stanley: What are the cost fees for maintaining all of these buildings? • Sears: It may be very insignificant, due to the occasional new roof, or stabilizing a building. There are some replacement costs, and we could reapply for a grant for a major restoration. • DeBell: Are you guessing $10,000 per year? • Sears: I believe it would be less than $10,000 a year. • Gaughan: Can you get other stakeholders involved in this, for instance CSU or Poudre Schools. • Lesli: If you were to restored the buildings could there be a functional purpose for it other than interpretation? • Sears: We've had people approach us regarding a living museum, and I would be willing to have the questers put artifacts, in the appropriate building, found at a ranch at that time. • Stanley: I would hope that you would not go that far because that is not how the ballot language is written. To me that would be a museum shop. Cultural has some value; I like the idea of the Natural Areas staff finding other funding for these restorations. • Juli: I like the diversity of users, there is so much at Bobcat Ridge for hikers, bikers, equestrians and the fact that school children and the partnership with CSU are involved is very valuable. If you could get the seventy percent grant and have the Pulliam Trust Foundation handle the remainder that would be good. • DeBell: I like the program and that it is being funded by other grant money. If there were other grant monies I'd like to see the buildings at Bobcat Ridge restored. • Grooms: I feel it should be on case by case bases. There is a benefit to families, from their tax dollars in visiting places like Bobcat Ridge. • Stanley: When building a road in a Natural Area, does that come from the five percent for transportation? • Sears: No, and to date we have not had anyone spend the five percent. City Council Board Survey • Sears: The review questionnaire needs to go to Council Work session on July 28`h The Chair and Vice -Chair are requested to attend this work session. • Grooms: I feel the Board should look at this and address it at the next meeting. • DeBell: This item will go on the May agenda for discussion by the Board. Land Conservation Update Sears showed the Board conservation updates on various maps. Items that were updated were: 1. Windsor community separator 2. Wellington 3. Soapstone Prairie Natural Area Land Conservation & Stewardship Board Wednesday, April 8, 2009 Page 5 of 5 4. Negotiation on nine acres in the Taft Hill Road and Spring Creed area New Business: Announcements: • Sears: o Soapstone update and Grand Opening is scheduled for June 6, 2009 and the Grand Opening Ceremony has been changed to June 7th o Education program activity guide o Web site improvements — Natural Areas finder is a new page o Prairie Dog fumigation completed, and sites re -seeded. o Field trip to Running Deer, Lafarge completed restoration. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 8 p.m. Submitted by Geri Kidawski Administrative Clerk II Approved c. 3