May 2022 Resident Meeting
Deerfield Resident Meeting
Date: Thursday, May 19th, 2022
Time: 6:30 to 9 PM
Location: Franktown Fire Station – Main Large Meeting Room
Tom covered the agenda and highlighted this opportunity to share our thoughts with our elected officials. We also want to capture interest for the fire mitigation grant program so we can share with the forest service.
Tom introduced George Teal, who was elected as a county commissioner in January 2021. George provided his background and experience as a town council official in Castle Rock.
Growth & Water
We asked George to address concerns around high-density growth (can only address Douglas county growth tonight) and preserving rural residential area.
George addressed Castle Rock growth. There were no plans to move the border east of the cliff face. The Sky Cliff facility wants to annex into Castle Rock.
Cobblestone Ranch also does not have plans to move further south, though there is interest in putting in a supermarket to the north side of the entrance. No one has approached the county yet with any serious proposals.
George is not aware of anything that will negatively impact the water in this area. There is no unallocated groundwater in the region based on current ownership and not a lot of water to allow growth. For example, Castle Rock developers have to buy water to pump in through the Wise Program.
Discussed efforts to bring more water to larger cities in the country so they are less reliant on well water sources, including investing in Parker Ditch Project to update diversion. Castle Rock does not have rights in the Dawson. He is unsure if Parker has any wells in the Dawson.
Salt on the Road
Last year, there were issues with an existing contract and not being able to change from salt to sand. There have been some changes in leadership and they can revisit prior decisions.
They will also discuss cleaning up dead trees along right of ways, especially for fire mitigation.
Traffic, Speeding, & Loitering
This is the first time George has heard of concerns with Deerfield Rd. He will communicate progress back through Tom and the DHPO Board.
George suggested we participate in the upcoming election for Douglas County sheriff to voice our concerns and push for change regarding to speeding.
George will follow up with the transportation crew on signage for Deerfield Rd, but enforcement would be on the sheriff’s department.
George is going to a meeting of all county commissioners in the state and is working to improve relationships with Elbert County commissioners. They have not interfaced much previously.
There are no proposals for a homeless shelter in Douglas County. There are some ideas and discussion about what to do and not to do. They recently purchased a van and assigned a deputy (starting next month) to ensure those apprehended in the county can return home. This impacts ~30 people per year.
The Homeless Response Team will respond to calls if someone is trespassing/camped out on your property. You can contact the Sheriff’s department.
The county is considering a temporary shelter option for those who are not willing to accept help from social services.
Proposed Zoning Changes
Proposal was introduced by George to address the need for a business owner to perform accounting from their home.
Current regulation allows for 1500 square feet dedicated to running a business out of your home and does not limit truck weight. Employees can come and go throughout the day.
Proposed zoning change clarifies that is okay to work from home, store work gear inside garage, and limits the amount of traffic by 2 employees. Proposed max weight of truck and trailer is 35,000 lbs.
After the discussion with George Teal, Lash introduced Spencer Weston from the Colorado State Forest Service.
Forest Service PresentationDownload
Spencer has worked in the Franktown field office for the past 7 years.
Deerfield community is considered high risk for fire due to high level of vegetation and condition of the forest.
Goal for fire mitigation in our community is to keep the fire on the ground (under 6ft) so it can be contained. We also want to create defensible space and improve forest health.
CSFS staff will oversee and inspect all work being completed to ensure the contractor is following the scope of work and the work is completed to a satisfactory standard.
FRWRM stands for Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation. This program is funded by the state of Colorado and is a highly competitive grant.
To be competitive, we need 15-20 land owners to participate in the application process, which opens in August.
There is no commitment made to participate until property owner receives and signs off on the final bid.
Likely looking at Spring/Summer 2023 for project work to begin due to the August application process.