Future of Marshall’s Office and Pool Park Area Cap Discussions
Rick Langenberg
Green Mountain Falls has become a small town with some lofty big-city-like aspirations and key questions regarding its future.
Such as: Should the town consolidate its law enforcement office with El Paso County and neighboring areas to slice public safety costs?
How can the town maintain a possible $1 million-plus Pool Park area renovation, including a possible new Welcome Center, and should fees be assessed for local pool users?
What are residents/visitors willing to pay in extra sale tax revenue and even a possible property levy hike for needed money for town operations?
Should the town consider a more ambitious economic development effort that includes annexation pursuits, and what can it do to continue its growing reputations as a burgeoning art hu?
What action should be taken to grapple with the community’s main eyesore, adjacent to the lake, known as Hotel Park.
This is just a small sample of the laundry list of questions and concerns as town leaders outline their goals and priorities for 2025. The board of trustees held a spirited workshop on its main goals for the coming year on Feb. 18, a discussion led by new GMF Town Manager Caleb Patterson. At their first meeting in March, the town manager plans to formally present a more condensed version of these goals, with set priorities and projected timelines.
Both the new town manager and the trustees agreed that GMF faces big challenges, but they are vowed to achieve results. “You have an ambitious board,” said Trustee Don Walker, following last week’s discussion, when addressing Patterson directly. “We want to get stuff done.”
Patterson made it clear he is willing to accept the challenge and hit the ground running, referring to his role as the “how and when” official in turning the board’s goals into reality, with a defined timeline.
One of the biggest challenges facing the board deals with the forthcoming November election, which will play a pivotal role in determining the town’s future. All the trustees cited educating the citizenry on the yet to be determined ballot language, as a key goal. More specifically, this vote could determine whether the community continues to fund its town manager form of government, and if it secures more monies to do more loftier projects being planned, such a major rehaul of the pool park area. No plans there have been set in stone, but conceptual rendering have called for a welcome center and major enhancements, running the gamut from a sculpture/art garden to even a small miniature golf course.
Patterson even threw out the possible suggestion of pool-user fees, or possibly reviewing the facility’s future for an alternative use.
But this idea got a cold response by veteran trustee Sean Ives.
“The pool is part of the history of Green Mountain Falls,” said Ives. He said when the pool was temporarily shut down during COVID, this situation created an outpour of complaints. He said locals expect to see it remain operational.
That said, town leaders agreed they need to make sure the town can afford to maintain any future enhancements at the pool park. The town has the possible opportunity to accept a $1 million-plus gift by the Kirpatrick Family Fund for this ambitious pool park rehaul project, being planned by an advisory committee. Some of the plans mulled there are quite ambitious.
“We can’t afford what we have now,” warned Walker. Leaders just want to get more clarity on the final plans for the pool park improvements and the specific maintenance costs involved.
Law Enforcement Changes
One subject that generated some discussion last week deal with law enforcement and the role of the town marshal. Patterson conceded that public safety costs for GMF are staggering, similar to most municipalities. He said he is currently reviewing options but declined to release any details. Patterson wants to research these consolidation possibilities further.
Ives, who has worked in law enforcement, said the main problem deals with the fact that it doesn’t have the resources for 24/7 coverage. He said residents like to complain about this office, until they need the specific services provided.
The town once operated without a marshal for an extended period with assistance from El Paso County, but this solution wasn’t received very favorably by local residents and business operators.
Patterson told the board that he wants to develop a five-year capital improvement plan. He also discussed his interest in doing more planning in the economic development arena, with the exploration of annexation pursuits. These ideas have always been touted frequently in the town’s master plan but never have really progressed from concept ideas.
These goals will be discussed during the board’s first meeting in March.
