Record of Proceedings
Foothills Park & Recreation District Regular Board of Directors meeting
December 10, 2024
A virtual attendance option was made available through Microsoft Teams.
Call to Order
Director Trimble called the regular meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance
Director Trimble led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.
Roll Call
Director Hanson, Present; Director Lodice, Present; Director Daughtrey, Present; Director Writz, Present; Director Trimble, Present.
Also in Attendance: Paul Rufien, District Counsel; Ronald Hopp, Executive Director; Dennis Weiner, Director of Finance and Administrative Services; Becky Richmond, Director of Recreation; Derek Eberhardt, Assistant Director of Recreation; Colin Insley, Director of Parks, Planning and Construction; Randy Meyers, Director of Golf; Richelle Riley, Recording Secretary; other Foothills staff and members of the public.
Potential conflicts of interest were disclosed pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes 18-8-308(2), 24-18-109(3)(a), 24-18-110, and 32-1-902(3).
Approval of Agenda
Motion: Director Hanson moved that the Foothills Board of Directors approve the December 10, 2024 agenda as submitted. Director Lodice seconded the motion. Poll of the Board: Director Hanson, yes; Director Lodice, yes; Director Daughtrey, yes; Director Writz, yes; Director Trimble, yes. The motion was approved.
Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
Motion: Director Lodice moved that the Foothills Board of Directors approve the minutes of the November 12, 2024 board meeting as submitted. Director Writz seconded the motion. Poll of the Board: Director Hanson, yes; Director Lodice, yes; Director Daughtrey, yes; Director Writz, yes; Director Trimble, yes. The motion was approved.
Community Comments
Kerry Schaper, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints, wished the Board happy holidays and expressed thanks for all that Foothills does for the community. She said the members of their congregation are grateful to partner with Foothills to help the community stay lovely and a good place to live. Ms. Schaper expressed enjoyment working with Sean Kitners and Sarah McAfee.
Randy Meyers, Director of Golf, made the Board aware of the incredible actions of Foothills Golf Course employee, Brooke Stroop. He said that on October 4th while working, Brooke, with the help of a few customers, used the AED and administered CPR on a customer who had passed out on the driving range until EMS arrived on the scene. Mr. Meyers recognized that Brooke’s quick response saved a life.
Ronald Hopp reiterated it took incredible bravery for Brooke to do what she did and expressed appreciation.
Director Hanson congratulated Brooke, that person can have Christmas with their family thanks to Brooke.
On behalf of the Board, Director Trimble presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Brooke Stroop.
Decision Items
Item 1: 2025 Budget Hearing
Mr. Hopp discussed that the Proposed Budget was presented at the October and November meetings. The Final Budget presentation will highlight the budget changes that happened between the initial presentation of the budget and the final presentation, show a comparison of the 2024 budget to the 2025 budget, and give a general overview. Mr. Hopp expressed appreciation for the Board’s input on all of the items related to the budget and thanked Dennis Weiner and staff who were part of the budget process.
Using a PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Hopp went over revenue and expenditure changes between the preliminary budget and final budget and what changed from 2024 to 2025. Mr. Hopp provided an overview of the 2025 Final Budget and detailed each budget for Administration; Parks, Planning and Construction; Recreation; Golf.
Mr. Hopp concluded that the 2025 Final Budget is balanced with total revenues and expenditures of $48,314,947. Staff are requesting formal and final approval of the budget as submitted. Mr. Hopp pointed out the resolutions included in the packet: Adoption of the Budget, Appropriation of Funds, and Certification of the Mill Levy. He noted that a Public Notice has been published in the Jeffco Transcript.
- Public Hearing
- Director Trimble opened the Public Hearing at 6:35 p.m. for public comments on the 2025 Foothills Park & Recreation District’s budget. There were no public comments, and the Public Hearing was closed at 6:36 p.m.
- Resolutions
- Motion: Director Daughtrey moved that the Foothills Board of Directors approve Resolution No. 24-007 to Adopt the 2025 Budget for Foothills Park & Recreation District; Resolution No. 24-008 to Appropriate the 2025 Budget for Foothills Park & Recreation District; and Resolution No. 24-009 to Levy 2025 Property Taxes for Foothills Park & Recreation District. Director Hanson seconded the motion. Poll of the Board: Director Hanson, yes; Director Lodice, yes; Director Daughtrey, yes; Director Writz, yes; Director Trimble, yes. The motion was approved.
Item 2: 2025 Board Meeting Schedule and Posting Locations
Referring to the memo provided, Mr. Hopp discussed that board meetings are currently held on the fourth Tuesday of each month except for November and December when the meetings are held the second Tuesday. The posting location is the District’s website; www.ifoothills.org.
Motion: Director Lodice moved that the Foothills Board of Directors approve the recommended meeting dates for 2025 and approve Resolution No. 24-010 to establish posting locations for the year 2025 as discussed. Director Writz seconded the motion. Poll of the Board: Director Hanson, yes; Director Lodice, yes; Director Daughtrey, yes; Director Writz, yes; Director Trimble, yes. The motion was approved.
Executive Director’s Report
Highlighting the report provided, Mr. Hopp said the District’s Holiday Brunch was last Wednesday and 170 employees attended. He pointed out an attached list of employees who were honored at the meeting with service awards.
Mr. Hopp pointed out pictures of two bridges that were placed a few weeks ago on the Dutch Creek Trail.
Mr. Hopp discussed the concessionaire agreement with Premier Restaurant Group. Staff arrived at extending that agreement for one additional year. He talked about an adjustment that was made to the agreement since it was put into the board packet and outlined the agreement. Mr. Hopp said that staff plan to issue a Request for Proposals in 2025 for the year 2026 and beyond. In answer to Director Trimble, Mr. Meyers discussed gross revenues for the golf course restaurants in 2024. Director Daughtrey suggested reaching out to event planners, there is a group in Colorado, to let them know the Foothills Clubhouse is available. That might be able to take up some slack for January, February and March.
Mr. Hopp explained that as part of the process for the Dutch Creek Trail, there was discovered a sliver of property that staff are highly confident it should have been conveyed as part of the CDOT development of C470, no fault of the District. Jefferson County Open Space determined it was not properly conveyed so as a result the previous owner still owns it. They are in negotiation with the previous owner. Jefferson County would treat this like their other acquisition processes which would require a 50/50 match on behalf of the District, Mr. Hopp discussed. He indicated there might be some board action in the future to get that conveyed and cleaned up.
Mr. Hopp added that Colin Insley was approached by Columbine High School, they want to do an artificial infield for the Dave Sanders Field at Columbine High School. Mr. Hopp explained there are two fields south of the pickleball courts at Clement Park and to the west of Columbine High School and they are owned by Columbine High School. The District has an IGA or Memorandum of Understanding with the school where we utilize the Dave Sanders Field for some of our programming for part of the year, the school uses it for part of the year. District staff assists with maintenance when we are using it, Mr. Hopp explained. The school has a desire to put an infield turf at that field and they have asked if the District would have an interest in participating financially. Mr. Hopp indicated we do have some costs that we would probably not have for a turf field, for dragging and lining and that sort of thing, but not significant.
Staff would like to see if there is some palatability from the Board to consider participating financially in that, Mr. Hopp said. He questioned Paul Rufien, could the District potentially use District funds for an improvement on a school property. Mr. Rufien said yes, the District could, it would be a bigger IGA than what is currently in place.
Staff are in the exploration phase to see how much we utilize the field and what the value might be, Mr. Hopp discussed. He suggested staff can bring more information in the future if the Board is palatable, and asked the Board for some direction about whether staff should consider it or not. There was discussion and questions were answered.
Mr. Hopp recognized there is some palatability from the Board for staff to continue to explore that, making sure it is in the best interest of the District, seeing what impacts it might have on the current agreement, would there be additional revenues that could be generated if we participate, is there an ROI over time or not.
Discussion Items
There were no discussion items.
Adjournment
The regular meeting adjourned at 6:59 p.m. The next regular board meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.
Submitted by: Richelle Riley, Recording Secretary