MEEKER | The Meeker Board of Trustees held its monthly meeting last week at the town hall at 7 p.m., with all board members present.
The meeting began with the approval of the agenda, followed by the approval of minutes from the previous meeting. The board then moved to approve the monthly disbursements before opening the floor for public participation.
During the public comment period, Vanessa Trout, forestry program coordinator for the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts, addressed the board. She explained that her grant-funded position focuses on forest and watershed health projects and planning. Trout provided background on the Colorado State Forest Atlas Plan and the Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
“The Rio Blanco protection plan that just came out in July and they revised it, they both identified priority areas of severe risk for wildfire impacts,” Trout said. “That would be like Ute, Campbell Creek, Buford, and since those areas are identified, part of my job is to plan projects and find funding to implement those projects.”
Trout also discussed a recent grant opportunity, the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG), which was announced in November as part of round three funding. She informed the board that the grant is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.
“The money goes through the United States Forest Service, and then the Colorado State Forest Service is the financial administrator,” Trout said. “I am aware of the administration’s freeze on federal funds for loans and aid, but I was reassured by the Colorado State Forest Service administrator to proceed with the grant.”
The grant focuses on funding for the creation, revision, or implementation of projects outlined in the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Trout explained that a core planning group identified four priority projects, with the town of Meeker serving as the lead agency for one.
“I called Mandi and Carly and had a meeting with them to see if the town would be interested in the district pursuing funds to implement this project, which is the Robert Street and Sanderson Drive construction,” Trout said.
Trustee Tiffany Jehorek inquired whether the town would need to match the grant funding.
“So part of the grant is you plug in your county, and it runs it through a couple different filters,” Trout explained. “We were eligible for a match waiver. Even though we don’t have to match, they want us to show a match just in case we don’t get the match waiver.”
The project timeline is estimated at five years. Trustee Jessica Browning asked how potential cost increases over time would be handled.
“If it’s $3.9 million right now, in five years, what if it’s $4.4 [million]? Who’s coming up with the rest?” Browning asked.
“If it’s awarded for $3.9 million, that would be the amount that would be grant-written accordingly,” Trout responded. “Saying like inflation or something, we just got to hurry up and complete the project.”
Trout noted that the grant application was due on Jan. 25. She was unsure when awards would be announced but stated that if the grant is awarded, further meetings would be scheduled to discuss project details.
Following the public comment period, the board held public hearings. The board approved a tavern license transfer from Chippers Downtown to Riggs Downtown LLC. It also approved a conditional use request for an accessory dwelling unit at 925 7th St., a property owned by Daniel and Sabrina Ferguson. The couple plans to convert a cabin on the property into an accessory dwelling unit.
Later in the meeting, the town manager and Mayor Travis Day provided their reports. With no further board business, the meeting was adjourned. The board then entered an executive session to discuss the 2024 evaluation of the town administrator.
The next Meeker Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for March 4 at 7 p.m.