Page 14 - Sentinel July 2018

JUNE NEWS FROM NEWS FROM THE LARKSPUR
THE WATER DISTRICT FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
Jim Matchett... Cindy Applegate,
Secretary-Board of Directors...
The June regular board meeting of the
Perry Park Water & Sanitation District The Larkspur Fire Protection District
was held on the 20th with all directors (LFPD) Board of Directors and staff
present. The meeting was called to order are extremely grateful to our local
at 4:30 p.m., and the first order of busi- taxpayers for their continued support.
ness was the approval of the minutes of LFPD has worked hard to be frugal
the May16th Regular Board Meeting, and effective in allocating the local
which was unanimous. Next, Eric Barnes funding that we receive.
of Fiscal Focus Partners, LLC, was in at-
tendance to review their 2017 audit of In November of 2015 seventy-one percent of you voted in favor
the district. He advised the board there were no adjustments to of a 3.95 mill levy increase to address LFPD’s operating needs.
the district’s financial statements. This increase in funding has helped tremendously in increasing
and maintaining the level of service we are able to provide for
The district manager, Diana Miller, then requested the board you. Unfortunately, due to the synergistic effects of two previ-
authorize the purchase of a 2018 Jeep Cherokee to replace the ously enacted modifications of the Colorado Constitution, the
district’s present 1999 Jeep Cherokee as due to its age and mile- Gallagher and TABOR amendments, the revenue received from
age of 145,000, there are concerns of reliability and safety. The the mill levy increase you voted for is in jeopardy.
board unanimously approved $23,000 for this purchase. Dis-
bursements totaling $194,471.64 were then unanimously ap- If a solution to the negative effects of these two amendments
proved. is not achieved at state or local levels, special fire districts
throughout Colorado will be unable to provide adequate levels
The district has long had the standard of K Copper for use in of service.
service lines. Recent developments and requests from residents
building their new homes has prompted consideration of High The LFPD Board of Directors is NOT considering pursuing
Density Polyethylene (HDPE) piping material as an alternative a mill levy increase ballot measure. Instead, the proposal
to the K Copper. After a thorough technical review with the dis- being considered is an effort to stabilize the District’s future
trict’s engineering consultants, the district will now approve the funding.
use of HDPE piping meeting the specifications now included in
the district’s standards for HDPE service lines. Next, the board The primary benefits of the proposed voter-approved measure
unanimously ratified an Easement Agreement and Deed with would include:
Sun Jelly-Larkspur CO RV LLC for manhole and sewer main * Continuing to deliver service to all residents, businesses, and
pipe near the Sage Port Waste Water Treatment Plant. visitors in the LFPD by providing an evolving and adaptable
level of coverage with around-the-clock on-duty resources.
A district customer had advised the district manger by letter of * Attracting and retaining paid employees who are seasoned
operational issues with a shared sewer tap. After discussion, the emergency responders and avoiding vacant emergency re-
board requested the manager respond to the customer with two sponder positions.
options to correct the problems. The District Systems Report * Maintaining emergency response apparatus and equipment
for May, as submitted by Semocor, was then reviewed. Opera- and replacing outdated and unreliable apparatus and equipment
tions were noted as normal. The Monthly Staff Report as sub- to better protect both residents and emergency responders.
mitted by District Manager Miller was then reviewed. The Ban- * Extending the life and safety of LFPD’s fire stations and re-
nock Road Lift Station Bid Tabulation report was discussed as ducing the need for emergency repairs by continuing the Dis-
the bids received were considerably higher than the engineering trict’s current scheduled maintenance program.
estimates. Fourteen permits have now been issued year-to-date, * Protecting LFPD’s volunteer firefighter recruiting capabili-
compared to ten at this time last year. Finally, work has started ties and training program, ensuring that the District is able to
on the Sageport Waste Water Treatment Plant and Country Club continue its successful efforts to attract the highest quality can-
Loop projects, and commencement of work on the Bannock didates.
Lift Station will begin shortly.
If nothing is done, an imminent funding shortfall resulting from
The meeting was adjourned at 6:10 PM. As always, further the effects of Gallagher and TABOR will create many chal-
information is available on the district website, www.ppwsd. lenges including:
org. * Existing employees of the Fire District will actively pursue
other career options. The district will struggle to attract expe-
rienced firefighters, paramedics and EMT’s because decreased
Continued on page 15
Page 14 - July 2018 Perry Park Sentinel