Firestone Board of Trustees retreat in Estes Park garners praise from some, criticism from others
Some have described the Firestone Board of Trustees' two-day retreat in Estes Park last week as "beneficial." Others have said it was an unnecessary expenditure that should have happened in town.
The retreat was held at 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 and 12 at the Holiday Inn Estes Park, according to the address listed on the meeting notice. Trustees talked about: water, growth, future revenue options, the town's master plan, the police department, engineering, communications accessibility and strategic planning, the meeting notice stated.
"It was extremely beneficial," Mayor Don Conyac said of the retreat.
Conyac said a plethora of vital information was provided during the retreat, particularly about water.
"Understanding the complexities of Front Range water supply ... it takes a concentrated effort for several hours, uninterrupted, so that everybody is on the same page," Conyac said.
Conyac made clear that citizens were welcome to attend the retreat, if they wanted to.
Estes Park is roughly 45 miles from Firestone.
Trustee Matt Holcomb, who declined to attend the retreat because of it being out of town, said it should have happened in Firestone to make it more accessible to residents and to avoid what he called a "non-essential expense."
"If we had a retreat here, I would of participated," Holcomb said. "I can't think of a single ... advantage to having it out of town."
By holding the retreat in Firestone, Holcomb said any money spent on food or the like would have also stayed in town and supported local businesses.
It isn't immediately clear, exactly, how much the Firestone Board of Trustees' two-day retreat in Estes Park cost. An open records request filed with the town produced just one document that listed three transactions: $676 for "Trailborn Rocky Mounta (sic) Estes Park"; $6,000 for "Estes Park Lodging"; and another $2,000 for "Estes Park Lodging."
Firestone Town Manager AJ Krieger said in an email that because the retreat was last week, the town hasn't yet been fully expensed. The document provided is all the town had to date, Krieger said.
Firestone Mayor Pro Tem Frank A. Jimenez said in an email that he attended this year's retreat, calling it "incredibly beneficial for the town."
Jimenez said the two-day retreat allowed the board to focus on key priorities and challenges facing Firestone in a more streamlined, cohesive manner. Without a retreat, such information would typically require several weeks of 2- to 3-hour work sessions, Jimenez said.
"Regarding the location of the retreat, I understand the concerns about holding it out of town," Jimenez said. "The decision was based on finding a setting that allowed the board and staff to focus and engage in the kind of productive dialogue and long-term planning that is central to our responsibilities."
Annual retreats are fairly common for elected officials to attend. However, various governing bodies around Colorado take different approaches to handling such get-togethers.
For example, the Longmont City Council held its annual retreat this year at the Izaak Walton Clubhouse, 18 Sunset St., in Longmont.
The Frederick Board of Trustees held two mini retreats this year, one at the United Power Carbon Valley Service Center just off Interstate 25 near Frederick and the other at Bella Rosa Golf Course. Frederick Public Information Officer Renae Lehr said there was no cost to reserve meeting space at either of those two facilities, but that officials paid for dinner expenses for each meeting – one meal from Qdoba, the other from Cheba Hut.
Last year, the previous Firestone Board of Trustees held its two-day retreat at Monarch Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk , which drew criticism from some local elected officials at the time.
Citing accessibility and cost concerns, Firestone Trustee Linda Haney said that as a resident she took issue with the Board of Trustees' retreat occurring out of town. She said that her position had not changed on the matter since becoming a local elected official.
"The further away from Firestone we hold public meetings, the louder we communicate that resident involvement is not wanted," Haney said. "I did my best to dissuade the board from continuing the practice for many reasons, like the appearance of secrecy, enriching ourselves at the expense of taxpayers and making a public meeting inaccessible."
Haney still planned on attending the retreat, saying she did not want to be out of the loop. But in the end, Haney said she did not go, due to illness.
"For what it is, I wish they would have been there, but they weren't," Conyac said of Holcomb and Haney. "They missed out on an incredible amount of information."
