Poudre Canyon vote supports plans for new fire stations

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Poudre Canyon residents spoke loudly and clearly at the ballot box on May 4. By a nearly 2-to-1 margin, they supported candidates for the board of directors of the Poudre Canyon Fire Protection District who want to move forward with construction of two new fire stations and community centers.

Four seats on the board were up for election. Incumbents LeAnn Davis and Jackie Matzner were elected to four-year positions, along with newcomer Rachel Schneider. The two-year position was won handily by incumbent James Venable Jr. Those elected were sworn in at the May 12 meeting of the fire board.

Incumbent Marybeth Snyder was defeated at the polls, along with challengers Robert Smith, Dawn Niesent and David Hubbs. All had been critical of the way the fire board does business.

The official vote totals, according to designated election official Kammy Tinney, were as follows: Rachel Schneider, 233; James Venable Jr., 226; Jackie Matzner, 219; LeAnn Davis, 214; Marybeth Snyder, 119; Bob Smith, 110; David Hubbs, 98; and Dawn Niesent, 87.

Tinney reported that, of 738 eligible electors, 358 or 49 percent cast votes in the election. All but nine of those were ruled eligible. Of votes cast, 316 were by mail-in ballot and 42 were at the polling place. Voters were allowed to vote for four candidates, although some voted for fewer.

The campaign was heated, with challengers criticizing plans for the new buildings as well as conduct of the board and the legitimacy of a 2008 mill levy election. In that election, canyon residents voted 191 to 80 to increase property taxes by 15.65 mills in order to construct new facilities.

Bette Blinde, board president, said the election results showed that "the majority of the Poudre Canyon residents are in support of the board and its efforts to build the new facilities."

Bob Smith, the most vocal of the challengers, said he viewed the election "as an election, not a mandate." He maintains that it is illegal for the fire board to raise money for community centers and plans to file a complaint with the district attorney's office and the county commissioners about the issue. The 2008 ballot specified that funds raised by the increased mill levy would be used to build both fire stations and community centers.

Smith said he was glad to see people becoming active in the district, as evidenced by voter turnout. "It was a huge improvement," he stated.

For future elections, he recommended setting up polling places at both the upper and lower fire stations.

Tony Falbo, fire chief for Station 1 in the lower canyon, said he was "quite pleased" with the outcome of the election.

"It wasn't a close election," he pointed out. "It sends a clear message that the community is totally behind this board and the building project." He liked the fact that the four winning candidates are all "participating members of the community."

The fire board is moving ahead with the building project. At a special meeting on April 5, the board approved lease/purchase financing of $1.1 million, funds that will be repaid with mill levy revenues. Delta Construction, which has an office in Fort Collins, has been hired as the general contractor, chosen from a group of 10 that submitted proposals.

Work on the upper-canyon facility will begin first. According to Blinde, deconstruction of the existing building will begin near the end of June, and construction of the new facility should begin in early July.

The building committee for the lower canyon is nearly finished with a plan to present to the community, Blinde said. Construction of that facility could begin sometime in August, according to the project's architect, JCL Architecture of Fort Collins.

Going forward, Smith has suggestions about Poudre Canyon services in the future. He wants residents in the lower canyon to consider splitting off from the fire district and hiring Poudre Fire Authority instead for fire protection services. He resides in Poudre Park, considered part of the lower canyon, and said lower-canyon residents could get PFA coverage for about half what they are paying in property taxes to fund the PCFPD.

In the past, Smith has taken issue with fire district resources being used to help canyon visitors when they are involved in traffic accidents or other emergency situations.

"I hope this board will pressure the U.S. Forest Service and the state of Colorado to provide more emergency services for the tourists that they invite into the canyon," he said.