Former Westcliffe Boss Gets the Preliminary Nod for Interim Post
Rick Langenberg
Unless any unexpected hiccups occur in the next week, the town of Green Mountain Falls will be anchored by yet another town manager, starting in early February.
Only this time, the head boss assignment only extends for a year, with the future of this position ultimately in the hands of the voters during a special election in November 2025. The pick of a new interim manager follows the exit of Becky Frank, who held GMF’s administrative ropes for three years.
In a brief meeting with no drama, the GMF Trustees by a 4-1 vote last week approved a one-year contract with Caleb Patterson, the former town manager of Westcliffe, who also served as a Reconnaissance Marine in Japan. The only “nay” tally was cast by Trustee Sean Ives, who has consistently objected to the idea of funding a town manager.
The contract calls for an annual compensation of about $88,000, with the understanding that this is a one-year interim position. Also, Patterson still must undergo a background check and a performance review sometime this summer.
Although the job is an interim position, the possibility exists that this could become a permanent position, contingent on the outcome of the November vote. Town leaders have still not decided on the ballot language for the forthcoming election.
Following last week’s meeting, Mayor Todd Dixon stated that Patterson clearly emerged as the top applicant for the position among a number of contenders. “We really believe Caleb is a good fit for the town,” said Dixon.
The probable GMF town manager is also quite an outdoorsman with an affinity for hiking, hunting, fishing and practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Dixon stated that the long-term future of this position will represent one of the main issues that will be decided by the voters. “There is a perception that the town cannot afford a town manager,” admitted the mayor. At the same time, he stated that he and other civic leaders aren’t convinced that is the case. This topic sparked much debate at the end of 2024, with the trustees remaining quite divided over whether they should continue with their town manager form of government. The mayor hopes the upcoming election will finally put this issue “to bed” one way or another.
Dixon cautioned that Patterson’s appointment is not completely official, until a complete background check is concluded. But at last week’s meeting, Marshal Sean Goings stated that the preliminary results of this inquiry are quite favorable. Also, in an announcement on Zoom, Patterson stated he was looking forward to working with the town trustees and citizens and apologized for not attending the Jan. 7 meeting in-person.
Even though he hasn’t started working for GMF, the town last week already embarked on one key internal policy change, with the new changing of the guard. Due to Patterson’s knowledge of zoning, plus with the help of the town’s part-time planner and Dixon, GMF plans to handle nearly all of its planning, land use and building duties in-house. In the past, many of these duties were contracted out to consultants, a process that sparked mixed reviews.
Skynet Art Display in GMF
In other GFM news, concept plans were unveiled for the new display of Green Box this summer, dubbed as a “Skynet Installation.” Once again, the display will be quite visual with a colorful, ambitious presentation over the Gazebo and park area from June 1 through late October. A few remaining hurdles exist, such as anchoring the environmental-friendly “Skynet” art display among the trees and the lighting at night. These Skynet displays have made big sensations in major cities across the globe. How to adopt them in a mountain community is the main task at hand for Green Box. This particular project will be handled by a group called Poetics Kinetics, based in Colorado.
For the most part, the trustees reacted favorably to the proposal. “This is another example of bringing art from around the world to Green Mountain Falls,” said Dixon. The only concerns voiced by the trustees dealt with how it will look at night and the types of colors utilized.
The initial application for the project was approved unanimously.