Town Administrator                April 1, 2019

Great 'Site Visits'

Each quarter I have a “site visit” with the staff in each of the Town’s 9 departments. In the case of the Police Department, these visits happen 3 times each quarter, during the 3 different watch change times, so it’s convenient for Officers who are on Watch I, II, or III to meet with me. During these meetings, tours and facility visits I encourage staff to ask questions, show me what they are working on, share suggestions and concerns.

 
Last week I met with the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Managers, and all 23 of the Planning and Development Department staff. The PR&O team have done impressive work to build an innovative organizational culture and foster great partnerships. I especially like their collaboration with the J. Frank Schmidt Nursery on the Trial Trees program. That program helps identify trees that can thrive in Colorado’s harsh climate. The P&D staff had great questions for me about the development review process and how we might update the process to better achieve the Vision the Board of Trustees has for Erie.
 
This week I’ll be meeting with the Police Department staff, bright and early at 6:30am, during their Watch I briefing. Thanks to everyone for making these site visits productive. 

Lafayette IGA

We anticipate a response to Erie’s proposals after the Lafayette City Council considers the matter in executive session on Tuesday. 

Highway 52 Coalition

I drove all the way out to Hudson for this meeting, and I’m glad I did, because I got to talk with CDOT staff about how they approach Access Control Plans (an important issue related to the Lafayette IGA). CDOT and Coalition members (all jurisdictions along Highway 52 from Keenesburg on the east to Boulder County on the west) also talked about the PEL (Planning and Environmental Linkage) process through which we will ultimately identify the access points along the Highway that we want to maintain, create and/or remove.  

Palaces for the People

On my way back from Hudson, I listened to this podcast about Social Infrastructure. To Staff - if you have 30 minutes (before or after work ?? ), I recommend listening to it. Because you are on the front line of delivering social and civic infrastructure, I hope it inspires you about the importance and impact your work has on people’s lives. Social infrastructure, such as parks, community centers, community gathering spots, civic events and community oriented policing, is “the glue that binds communities together”. It generates all kinds of benefits. Among other things, it fosters more interactions among people. As the podcast illustrates, that can be, literally, lifesaving. So check it out…Palaces for the People.