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Home My Public Portal About3 Bi-Weekly Update 1 September 2017Last Picnic in the Park for the Season Last Tuesday night played out nicely for this season’s last Picnic in the Park. The was a great turnout and some lively tunes from “Tone and the Vibe.” Good weather and a beautiful sunset serenaded the evening’s last hoorah. The PAC (Public Arts Committee) helped picnic-goers paint some rock-art while the kids enjoyed popsicles as the music played on. We’d like to thank everyone attending for this season’s outings in the park and all the wonderful bands that played their melodies through both the rain and sunshine. We’d also like to thank Ace Hardware for sponsoring this event to help us to provide live music and art activities for the Fraser com- munity. S e p t 1 , 2 0 1 7 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Highlights • Last Picnic in the Park for the Season • Bears and Trash • Crooked Creek Sa- loon Wall-Breaking • Fraser Still Ground Breaking Ceremony • New Mural Program • Planning • Trail Smart Sizing Project • Taste of History Fundraiser • Fixing the Sump Pump Problem Upcoming Events Sept 1-4 Zoppe Family Circus Sept 2 Hideaway Trail Run (Half/50K/100K) Sept 8-10/15-17 Fall Fest Sept 9 Whiskey and Wings Sept 16 Headwaters Trails Alliance Fall Crawl Fundraiser P a g e 2 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Bears and Trash Over the last several weeks, multiple reports of bear break-ins into trash collection containers have been called in within the Fraser Valley. Many locals have stories about bears breaking into their cars, garages, homes, and even climbing their deck to get to that sweet smelling reward, and trash cans. As often seen, trash cans are easily accessible by critters if not effec- tively wildlife-proofed. According to Colorado State Or- dinance, “a wildlife-proof container must be fully en- closed, made of sturdy construction, and include a latching mechanism suitable to prevent wildlife from opening the container. The latching mechanisms shall allow a gap between the container lid of no more than one-half inch.” It’s important to remember to bear proof your collection dumpsters and keep your garbage in your home, garage or heavily protected structure until 6 a.m. on the day of pickup and removed from the curb by 8 p.m. that same day. It’s important to keep wildlife in their habitat and not provoke unwanted problems. Trash is the num- ber one ignitor of human-wildlife conflict which can often lead to injury or death of either the animal or human population. *For more info on Fraser specific regulations, please see the Wildlife Protec- tion Ordinance in the Fraser Municipal Code. Crooked Creek Saloon Wall-Breaking Renovations have begun on the Crooked Creek Saloon and Creekside Eatery. A small wall breaking ceremony was held on Thursday, August 24th, 2017 and featured the owner Toni Hallgren, Mayor Philip Vandernail, and Trustee Cody Clayton Taylor. We look forward to this face -lift of this long-time Fraser favorite! P a g e 3 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Fraser Still Ground Breaking Ceremony We were proud to host the Fraser Still ground breaking ceremony on August 17th celebrating the first ground breaking for a new business in Fraser since 2011 with the ground breaking of The Foundry! Congratulations to the Fraser Still owners Barry and Debbie Young for their hard work! We expect the new Fraser Still to become a new Fraser favorite as they join our wonderful business community! P a g e 4 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e New Mural Program We’re excited to introduce the 2017 Fraser Mural Program! Any business property owner (or tenant, with owner authorization) who is interested in adding an outdoor mural to their building may apply for a grant of up to $1,000 for a mural project. The Fraser Mural Program was inspired by the need for a couple municipal buildings (pictures above) that we need of painting. Instead of just putting another coat of paint on, the Public Arts Committee volunteered to paint something cool and cultural on the buildings embodying the charac- ter and history of the Fraser Valley. This great new initiative has inspired other artists and home owners to paint some buildings of their own (pictures below). To be considered for the 2017 mural program, applications (or questions) can be submitted to Allie Heon, Town of Fraser Business Development Specialist at aheon@town.fraser.co.us. Please speci- fy which wall of your building you are interested in having a mural added. The goal of the Fraser Mural Program is to use murals to turn ordinary spaces into community land- marks and to help instill a sense of community pride through the arts. Criteria for review is included in the requested application, but priority will be given to those spaces with high visibility to the public, to US-40 and to the railroad. Please contact Allie Heon with any questions about specifics of the pro- gram and don’t forget to submit your applications prior to September 8th, 2017! P a g e 5 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Planning Fraser River Corridor Master Plan Fraser has entered into a contract with THK Associates, Inc., Grand Environmental and the Matrix Design Group to assist the Town in creating a new Fraser River Corridor Master Plan. Fraser received a GOCO Planning grant in the amount of $65,000.00 to help Fraser develop a master plan for the Fraser River corridor which lies within a 120-acre parcel of dedicated open space owned by the Town. The plan will assist in researching the impact of active and passive recre- ational improvements, potential for educational opportunities, and enhancements to wildlife and riparian habitat. We held a kick-off meeting and site walk on Tuesday, August 29th. Community engagement and public workshops will be scheduled for the end of September! Development Code Update Fraser received a Colorado Department of Local Affairs grant in the amount of $25,000.00 to assist the Town with a comprehensive overhaul of the development codes, and land use application proce- dures and standards. The objective is to create new regulations that are easy to understand and ref- erence, and reduce the regulatory barriers to development. We have chosen Plan Tools LLC., to provide professional planning services for the Development Code Update project. This project will kick-off in September. Resiliency As a reminder, the Town of Fraser received technical assistance. The assistance is provided by the American Institute of Architects, and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. On September 11-13th, 2017, we will be welcoming this consulting group from all across the country with expertise in the following fields: Political structure, land use, envisioning downtown and mixed - use housing, market analysis, affordable and workforce housing, climate adaptation and hazard miti- gation. The plan is to have stakeholder group sessions on Monday, September 11th followed by a public meeting that evening. Work sessions for the consulting group on Tuesday, September 12th followed by a final presentation to Town on Wednesday evening, September 13th. The goal is to help Fraser develop a strategic vision and promote community resiliency. Mark your calendars now! Additional information will be forwarded to you next week. Community in- volvement is critical to this process. Together, we will find solutions to our resiliency challenges and gain an increased understanding of how regional planning, cross-sector collaboration and inclusive community engagement can maxim- ize our impact on both policy development and implementation. P a g e 6 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Planning Commission Vacancy We are looking for people interested in filling a vacancy on the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission is comprised of seven members of the community and all members must be residents of Fraser. The Planning Commission may prepare plans and regulations for adoption by the Board of Trustees and shall act in an advisory capacity to the Board of Trustees. The Fraser Planning Commission meets on the fourth Wednes- day of each month at the Fraser Town Hall at 6:30 PM. For more information or if you are interested in serving as a Planning Commissioner, submit a let- ter of interest to Antoinette McVeigh (970-726-5491, ext. 201), Town Clerk, P.O. Box 370, Fraser, CO. 80442 or amcveigh@town.fraser.co.us. Trail Smart Sizing Project The collaborative Trail Smart Sizing (TSS) project is a collaborative effort between HTA and the USFS that will improve the trail system in the Fraser Valley in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The project will connect existing trail networks in the Fraser Valley by constructing new trails and rerouting existing trails to create a loop system with varying diffi- culty levels close to communities for mountain biking, hiking, and other trail users. The project includes new trail construction, trail reroutes, trail width reductions, trail bridge construction, trailhead enhancement, and closing and decommissioning system and non-system (social or user created) trails. The TSS project will also limit bicycle use to designated system trails and roads on the Sulphur Ranger District. More information can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/landmanagement/projects/? cid=fseprd491318 P a g e 7 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Taste of History Fundraiser To the joy of 175 attendees, Cozens Ranch Museum held its annual fundraiser, the Taste of History Cham- pagne Brunch, on August 26. Most guests were from the Fraser Valley but also came from as far as Kremmling and Denver. The location was Casa de Engel, the home of George and Joyce Engel located on the hill above the Fraser Ballfields. Thanks to generous donations from dozens of local businesses, restaurants and artists, the Taste of History raised $30,000 for the operations of Cozens Ranch Museum in Fraser. Major sponsors included Rendezvous Foundation, Sprout Foundation, Devil's Thumb Ranch and Winter Park Resort. Stop by the museum to see the updated history ex- hibits and art gallery. Fixing the Sump Pump Problem There’s a real problem that most people don’t think much about and it could be detrimental to your sewer bill due to millions of tax dollars needed to increase intake capacity at our Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP). Snowfall is coming to the Town of Fraser which means there will be a large excess of ground water (snow-melt water) once spring reluctant- ly returns. Because of this, you may wish to install a sump pump on your property. It is best to take necessary precautions during your sump pump installation to prevent a higher sewer bill. It may seem harmless enough to just run your sump pump line into your sewer system but this clean ground water goes directly to the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP). The truth is, the inflow and infiltration of clean water entering our WWTP results in unnecessary rate increases to the consumer due to various negative impacts of this infiltration. The wastewater treatment process fundamentally breaks down organic waste using an eco-system of living organisms. Ground water is cold and clear, both of which effect the water treatment pro- cess negatively. This results in expensive counter-measures to restore the eco-system to favorable conditions to properly treat the sewer water and return it to our water system i.e. the Fraser River. Proper sump pump and gravity system discharge (see photo) drains to the Town’s storm water system by being directed onto the ground (but away from homes and other structures) and/or into the Town’s storm water drainage system (surface drainage swales). Please help us prevent unnecessary increases to your sewer bill by keeping our WWTP working the way it is supposed to. Preventing ground water infiltration from entering our sewer lines is im- perative in keeping our water treatment process running within its capacity and keeping your water rates low. Did You Know… A German POW Camp existed in Fraser? Yep! During the wartime years of 1945 to 1946, the POW camp provided much needed labor for the production of lumber. These particular prisoners were captured during the Battle at Anzio Beachhead in Italy and shipped to the main Colorado prison camp, in Greeley, Colorado and then transferred to a POW camp in Fraser. These captured soldiers found peace and kindness at the mountain camp in Fraser. After the war, letters from Germans POWs spoke of the good, understanding people and of their prison time as an opportunity to learn about the free country of the United States. Some 200 prisoners loaded an average of 25,000 feet of lumber on rail cars every day. They were quick learners; doing all phases of the work, from horseshoeing to bookkeeping. For their hard work, they were paid 75 cents a day, which they could spend at their Post Exchange (PX). They were also rewarded with trips to the local movie theater, allowed to form a dance band, utilizing handmade instruments, and were permitted to bake special German pastries. Examples of the beautiful inlay woodworking skills of the prisoners are on display at the Grand County Museum in Hot Sulphur Springs. P a g e 8 Bi-W e e k l y U p d a t e Town of Fraser PO Box 370, Fraser, CO 80442 https://www.facebook.com/OfficialFraserCO/ Please feel free to contact us with any questions Town Hall 970-726-5491 A full list of contacts can be found at: www.frasercolorado.com