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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11. Town Manager Report, April 2018 TOWN MANAGER REPORT - April 3rd TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Newsletter Date TOPICS • Housing Director • Virtually Vail • Spring Clean Up • County Manager • Retreat Dates • IT Updates • Fire Department Updates Town of Vail Housing Director We are excited to announce the selection of our very own George Ruther to lead the newly created housing department. George will begin his role as Housing Director immediately. He was selected from a pool of more than 60 very qualified candidates. Six semi-finalists were interviewed by two teams – one including myself and Krista Miller, Human Resource Director, and the other comprised of four members from Town staff and two members of the Vail Local Housing Authority. It was a very thorough and inclusive process. Needless to say, the six semi-finalists were all quite qualified and the competition was stiff. George’s success in leading recent housing initiatives in Vail and his passion for housing in Vail made him the top choice. An offer was extended and accepted on Wednesday, March 28. An appointment for an interim Community Development Director will be forthcoming, and we will commence a process to fill that vacancy in the months ahead. Congratulations to George! Virtually Vail Courtesy of Lori Ann Barnes, please note the following: Vail Public Library now has three digital collections: Vintage Vail Quilt, Vail Valley Voices, and Art in Vail. To access the digital records, click on the “Virtually Vail” tile in the online catalog at https://vail.marmot.org/. The Vintage Vail Quilt collection has information about the early years and landmarks of Vail. Vail Valley Voices and Art in Vail are both works in progress, with recordings and photos being added as they become available. Town Manager’s Report Page 2 Vail Public Library joined the Digital Archive movement through the leadership and guidance of the Marmot Library Network, located in Grand Junction, Colorado. Marmot hosts the servers that house the digital collections and also provides expertise, when it is needed. Marmot’s Digital Archives Initiative was named “Colorado Library Project of the Year in 2017.” The beauty of digital collections is that they can be discovered online and separate from the library catalog. The Vintage Vail Quilt collection has been spotlighted by the State of Colorado’s Virtual Library and it will very soon be part of the first set of digital files shared with the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) when the Colorado/Wyoming hub is added to DPLA. Spring Clean Up Yes it is that time, and insofar as Council expressed interest and input into this program, we are including the public announcement and schedule below. Our frontline contact is Mark Hoblitzell, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, and should you have questions, he can be reached at 970-479-2333. Vail Spring Cleaning Blitz Dates Vail’s annual spring cleaning activities are returning this year with multiple events in April and May. The 2018 Town of Vail Cleanup Day has been moved to an earlier date and will take place on Sunday, April 29. Dumpsters will be placed in East Vail and West Vail neighborhoods beginning on Wednesday, April 25 and are available for residential use. Volunteers are encouraged to register in advance by e-mailing cleanupday@vailgov.com. The spring cleaning blitz continues in May with free one-day-only recycling opportunities on Friday, May 11 for paper shredding, e-waste and household hazardous waste. Annual Cleanup Day – Sunday, April 29 The town’s annual cleanup day takes place on Sunday, April 29 with check-in beginning at 9 a.m. at Donovan Park. Community members are encouraged to take part which will include a free barbeque after the event at Donovan Pavilion. As in the past, the first 100 participants will be awarded $25 to be distributed to one of many area non-profits approved by the Vail Town Council. Individual participants and groups are asked to contact the town in advance to make arrangements to participate. To pre-register, email cleanupday@vailgov.com or call 970-479-2333 and indicate how many volunteers will be participating, the non-profit recipient and any dietary considerations. Large Item Residential Pickup – Friday, April 27 On Friday, April 27 the town will offer the free collection, by appointment, of large items in Vail’s residential neighborhoods from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This includes tables, shelves, chairs or other items too bulky for regular trash collection. Ineligible items include couches, mattresses, refrigerators/freezers, tires and hazardous waste. As a reminder, eagle county residents may dispose of up to 1,600 lbs. annually for free at the Wolcott landfill. Town Manager’s Report Page 3 To make an appointment or to inquire about acceptable pickup items, call the Public Works Department at 970-479-2158 no later than noon on pickup day. Hard to Recycle Items – Friday, May 11 For hard to recycle items, the town is offering a free collection event for residents, property owners and those employed within Vail from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, May 11 at the Ford Park Parking lot. This event includes the collection of electronic waste (computers, TVs, phones, screens, printers, etc.), household hazardous waste (cleaners, paints, fuels, chemicals, etc.) and paper shredding (documents needing secure destruction). Ineligible items include smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, ammunition, explosives, biomedical waste, sharps, tires and biohazards. Participants must bring proof of Vail residency or employment within Vail to qualify for the service. Charges may apply for excessive amounts of materials. For questions, call the town’s environmental sustainability office at 970-479-2333. Event organizer Mark Hoblitzell, the town’s environmental sustainability coordinator, says the cleanup programs this spring are a great opportunity to get a jump start on spring cleaning and to encourage community members to join the town in keeping Vail clean and eco-friendly. Funding for this event comes from fees generated through Vail’s “Kick the Bag Habit” program. To learn more or if you have questions about items not listed, visit lovevail.org or contact Hoblitzell at 970-479-2333. Eagle County Manager The Town of Vail, at the request of the Eagle County Board of County Commissioners, participated in the final review process related to the new County Manager. We were honored to do so. As you have likely seen in the media updates of recent, the County hired Jeff Shroll, current Gypsum Town Manager, to fill the vacancy. Jeff should be able to hit the ground running, as he has a long-tenured working knowledge of the valley, and is very well connected. We have sent him our congratulations. Retreat Schedule There are two events that we need to place on your calendar in the near term. First, the town staff would like to reconvene with the Council to continue the discussion, and prioritization, of the Town Council 2018-20 Action Plan. It is suggested that this occur at a Town Council regular meeting on May 15. Our intent is to have the retreat in the Grand View Room during the afternoon, and then resume the regular meeting schedule in the evening at Town Council Chambers. Second, the working group for the Vail Resorts retreat has suggested, as a starting point, to meet in Vail on May 22. This is not a Town Council day. The Town Manager’s Report Page 4 agenda topics have been drafted and are still a work-in-progress. We could again use the Grand View room, or an alternative location if desired. Please take note that I will be on holiday during the last two weeks of May and will unfortunately miss this meeting, although I am assisting in the agenda formulation and other details. Dr. Karah Maloley will be facilitating. IT Updates Appended to this report is a memorandum from Ron Braden, Information Technology Director. The memo addresses two items of interest: the Crown Castle Cellular System update, and the Town of Vail Data Center. Ron will be present to walk you through the updates. Fire Department Updates As part of the transition out of the Resident Fire Fighter program, Vail Fire and Emergency Services recently welcomed six regular firefighters into our organization:  Duncan Oddy - promoted from Resident Firefighter to regular Firefighter  Peter Hodgson - Peter is returning to Vail Fire from the Seattle area. He began his career as a Resident with Vail Fire and was promoted to the rank of Engineer prior to taking a position in the Seattle area.  Oran Tool - Oran is returning to Vail Fire from a position with Westminster FD. Oran was previously a Resident Firefighter.  Kelly DeLaney - Kelly comes to Vail Fire from Wellington Fire Protection District.  Rio Burgess - Rio comes to Vail Fire from Southeast Weld County Fire Protection District.  Louie Podesta – Louis comes to Vail Fire from the Jackson Fire Department in the Sierra Foothills in California. We are pleased to welcome these new (or returning) members into the organization.