Hayden Prepares for Construction

Hayden prepares for construction
Parks and Recreation expands its scope beyond town limits
By Melinda Dudley
Saturday, January 5, 2008

Hayden — Hayden town government kicked off 2008 with new faces and new construction projects, including a replacement police station and a redesign of Poplar Street.
Trace Musgrave became the Town Board’s newest trustee during Thursday’s board meeting. Musgrave filled the vacancy created when former trustee Ken Gibbon was appointed mayor in November. Gibbon will finish the mayoral term of Joseph Schminkey, who resigned Oct. 1 because he was moving outside of town limits.
Musgrave and his family moved to Hayden in 2006, when he took the position of senior estimator and project manager for the Steamboat Springs office of Connell Resources. He will serve for the remainder of the term vacated by Gibbon, which ends April 3.
Current Hayden Planning Commission member Richard “Festus” Hagins also submitted a letter of interest for the appointment, though he and the Town Board agreed that he could best serve the town by finishing out his term on the Planning Commission, which already is short of members.
Jack Giessinger and George Wixson were reappointed to three-year terms on the Hayden Economic Development Com­mission, and former alternate Rodney McGowen was appointed to a three-year term as a full-fledged member. The HEDC still has two openings for alternates.
Trustees also looked ahead Thursday to the some of the town’s upcoming construction projects.
Hayden officials expect to receive four or five bids for the replacement police station in the next few weeks. The project aims to move the Hayden Police Department out of its cramped quarters in Town Hall to a new facility on Shelton Lane near The Haven Assisted Living Center. The facility is estimated to cost $1.5 million.
In November, the police dep­artment received an $800,000 energy impact grant for the project from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Town Manager Russ Martin said Hayden likely will issue certificates of participation to cover the remaining costs.
Hayden officials also are finalizing plans for the redesign of Poplar Street, from U.S. Highway 40 south to the Villages at Hayden subdivision.
The current plans call for a 32-foot-wide roadway with curbs, which may cause the loss of some trees and open space, Martin said. A meeting is planned for Feb. 5 to solicit public opinion on the plans, but a time has not yet been set.
Parks and Recreation
The Parks and Recreation Board gained two new alternate positions through bylaw changes approved Thursday. The at-large alternates, who do not have to live outside the town borders, will not vote unless they are needed to establish a quorum.
The Parks and Recreation Board had to cancel several meetings in 2007 because it failed to get a quorum. The board has had problems with absenteeism, Parks and Rec­reation Director Kathy Hockett said.
At-large representation is a good move as the greater Hayden area works to create a new recreation district independent of the town, Hockett said. Town Board trustees overcame initial skepticism about potentially allowing nonresidents to control tax dollars from Hayden, but opted to limit the arrangement to a one-year trial run.
The Town Board will continue to hold approval powers over decisions made by the Parks and Recreation Board.
“We do still hold the ultimate stick here,” trustee Tom Rogalski said.
— To reach Melinda Dudley, call 871-4203 or e-mail mdudley@steamboatpilot.com