Summary Notes of Elbert County Transportation Master Plan Public Meeting of September 17th, 2007
Richard Miller, Elbert County Planning Director introduced members of his staff who were in
attendance as well as Commissioner John Metli. Elbert County staffers who attended were:
Carolyn Parkinson- Elbert County Planning Dept.
Rick Manyik- Elbert County Road and Bridge Superintendent
Denny Van Why-Elbert County Office of Emergency Management
Richard introduced the team from Carter & Burgess:
Karen Stuart- Municipal and County Services Specialist
Scott Jones- Transportation Planner
Misty McCoy- Environmental Planner
This meeting was held in the Elizabeth Middle School. There were about 40 people in attendance.
A brief overview was given of the public process to date that included information about the creation of the technical committee, the citizen’s outreach committee, mention of the transportation survey and a summary of comments received from the participants in that survey. The survey is available at each meeting and at the county administration building. Anyone wishing to get a copy by email should contact Karen Stuart at Karen.stuart@c-b.com. The survey is for the collection of anecdotal data regarding citizen concerns about transportation issues in Elbert County and is not considered to be statistically relevant.
A summary and review was given of the first public input meeting of August 16th. At that meeting three prevailing issues arose as critical transportation concerns. These three issues were 1) Funding, 2) Road Connections and Network Improvements, and 3) Road Base and Infrastructure Improvements. A volunteer committee was formed to analyze each of these issues. The reports from these committees were included in the power point presentation at this meeting of September 17th.
The entire group at this meeting was then asked to participate in a “visioning” exercise that would call out what an optimum transportation system for Elbert County would be in the year 2035. Each table worked collaboratively to define a set of components that would consider the future needs and be desirable for Elbert County’s future transportation system.
The following observations were made:
Traffic counts will double
There will be more fire and police calls
There will be more haz mat traveling through the county
There will be more infrastructure in the County to accommodate more people working within the county instead of commuting into the metro areas
The demographics along the corridor of SH 86 will increase in density all the way to Kiowa
There will be an increase in aging population
Farming and ranching will still be important; Elbert County still has a rural feel, especially in the eastern portion of the county
Children will still ride buses and also depend on parents to drive them to school
There will be a need for alternative housing options; cluster homes, patio homes , etc. not just large lot property development
Envisioning the future of a great transportation system for Elbert County included the following desires:
1. There will be major thoroughfares in place to collect traffic and get it moving. North-south and east-west connections will alleviate traffic on SH86 . A high speed bypass of SH86 will route through traffic around Elizabeth
2. Haz mat will be routed around towns
3. There will be park and ride locations throughout the county and transit service including light rail (to Parker and Franktown too) with a bus system that connects to light rail
4. There will be more transportation options for seniors and special needs populations
5. There will be pedestrian and bicycle trails and horse trails included within developments
6. Many routes will be built as parkway-style street design, not highway design, with limited access where possible
7. Motorists will have access to a thoroughfare within a mile of approved communities
8. The rural character of Elbert County will be maintained through cluster developments and large areas of open space between developments.
9. Commercial and retail development and services will be built in intelligent locations, so money will remain within Elbert County
10. Employment opportunities will exist within the county
11. More schools will be built within neighborhoods, within walking distances
12. Roads will be built with state-of-the art technology with sewer, water, and utility conduit within the ROW easement. Central water and sewer connections will be part of the development process and planned appropriately. Planning will be ahead of growth and plans will be well published and communicated.
13. Senior centers and services will be incorporated within the planned communities. There will be conveniently located emergency medical centers for seniors so they can continue to live in the community as they age.
14. Emergency centers will be strategically located
15. Community colleges will be located within the county and will spin off the creation of jobs and small businesses within the community.
16. Elbert County will be Colorado’s premier equestrian county, with an extensive horse trails system. The rural way of life is preserved and valued, embracing a slower pace, 4-H, and elbow room
17. The region will have preserved wildlife corridors, this might make Elbert County an eco-tour attraction
18. Consideration will be made for landowners and creative ways to compensate landowners for land needs will exist
19. There will be no congestion because Elbert County citizens and policy makers were thoughtful in how they planned for the future
There was discussion about holding policy makers accountable to the master plan, the pros and cons of a regulatory versus an advisory master plan, and concern for consideration for current (2007) residents as we envision the future. There was some dissention on transit needs and the density needed to make transit possible.
Several people spoke about not accommodating growth with transportation improvements. There is some desire for “closing the gate” once the roads are too congested.
The group revisited the primary three issues already identified in the workshop on August 16th (funding, road connections, road base) and decided to form an additional issue committee that will be called a policy issue committee. This committee will focus on possible policy decisions that will be necessary to move the transportation plan forward.
(All the issues committees will meet again before the next public meeting on October 29th which will be held at the Rattlesnake Fire Protection District Station #51)
Finally each participant at the meeting was asked to fill out a questionnaire about the spheres of influence to determine people’s perceptions of which sphere of influence, (community policy, the market sector, external policy) has the most impact on transportation solutions. The results of this questionnaire will be used to assist the issues committees members as they work toward an action plan strategy.
The next public meeting scheduled for October 29th will address DEVELOPING A TRANSPORTATION ACTION PLAN.
Karen D. Stuart
County and Municipal Services Specialist
Carter & Burgess
707 17th Street, Suite 2300
Denver, Colorado 80202
Direct phone 720.359.3044
Mobile 303.263.3079