EVMD Board Meeting 11/20/2025 Recap

11/20/2025 Board Meeting Recap

This is an unofficial summary of the Nov. 20, 2025 Meeting of the Board of Directors of the EagleVail Metropolitan District held at the EagleVail Pavilion and online produced by EVMD Communications staff. A draft of the minutes will be posted to the EVMD website once they are composed.

Board members present: Chairman Hopkins, Vice Chairman Laughlin, Director Barcza, Director Rumford, and Director Copeland (virtual.)

Public Comment:

Dennis Saffell expressed his opposition to any further netting at the driving range. Asked staff and the Board to look to other creative solutions.

REGIONAL HOUSING SOLUTION DISCUSSION Brian Pool, Principal Consultant, Government Performance Solutions, Inc., retained by Eagle County and Town of Avon, to carry out community outreach meetings and present data and ideas around future housing solutions. Board comments, questions: Aware of the housing crisis; noticeable less families in the EagleVail community; how are the valley’s bigger employers playing in this space? Vail Resorts?; would like to see another Miller Ranch; are we overbuilding with rental building projects/free market rental projects?; how team up with more organizations/collaborative opportunities? Avon Town Manager Eric Heil spoke, saying he thinks there are several rental projects in the works that would target the 100% AMI level; have had success with county’s Good Deeds program. Eagle County Housing Director Kim Bell Williams provided a current housing program update.

2026 EVMD BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING, DISCUSSION

1. Jon Erickson explained that the assessed value of the District is up about 7% while property taxes are up about 2%. The District’s operations and debt service are primarily funded with property taxes.
2. Chairman Hopkins raised Hole 9 project based on recent Exception input to re-look at landing area (a Board-approved phased approach to address the issue two years ago did not move forward due to community opposition); she asked if there is Board support to potentially include this as a budget item placeholder and a community outreach effort to look at it again. Director Rumford clarified the need for tree removal.
3. Director Barcza stated her support for a preventative measure based on expert input with enhanced netting at the driving range. Vice Chairman Laughlin agreed and stated her support for bringing the netting to code. Director Rumford agreed. Director Copeland stated she believes the netting is not effective and not the solution. Chairman Hopkins said she is willing to support both netting and explore the idea of an attendant.
4. Chairman Hopkins re-opened 2026 Budget public hearing. No public present for public comment.
5. Motion to adopt the 2026 budget with two changes: $200K to address hole 9 design pending secondary Board approval in 2026; and unspent east end project from 2025 will carry over to 2026. The 2026 budget was approved 4-1, with Director Copeland opposed.
6. The Board approved 5-0 the 2026 rates as presented.

Oct. 31 Financials presented by Mr. Erickson. Sales tax has been in flux; likely under budget this year but difficult to identify reasons.

WILDFIRE MITIGATION UPDATE AND PLANS FOR 2026 Tim Swaner, ERFPD

In 2025, EagleVail participated in the Eagle County Chipping Program, resulting in the removal of an estimated 75,000 pounds of slash from local properties. This represents a significant investment by your residents and staff in maintaining defensible space and reducing available fuels within the community.

EagleVail also took part in the Residential Wildfire Inspection Program, helping identify and address hazards around individual homes. These inspections continue to be an effective way to engage residents and provide personalized recommendations for home hardening and defensible space improvements.

Additionally, 33 acres of hand treatment work were completed within the District in 2025. Slash from these operations was piled and will be burned when conditions safely allow. To further protect forest health, multiple pheromone packets were installed for fir beetle protection in targeted areas.

Looking ahead to 2026, our shared objectives include:

Option A. Treat the adjacent state land with the funds. This option is preferred for a couple of reasons. It allows our staff two seasons to burn piles without additional piles being created. It also treats an area that is prone to wildfire due to its proximity to Interstate 70 and overgrown fuels. This would be machine treatment.

Option B. Treat EVMD land. This is a good option, and certainly there are many small things that could be buttoned up. I would still recommend treating the state lands next year.

• Continuing fir beetle monitoring and protection efforts to sustain forest health.
• Including EagleVail again in the County Chipping Program to maintain momentum in community engagement and vegetation management.

To continue this important work, we are requesting the same financial contribution from EagleVail as in 2025. Maintaining this level of support not only sustains ongoing mitigation efforts but also enhances our ability to secure state and federal grant funding, as matching contributions from local partners significantly strengthens our applications and expands available project resources.

Cost Breakdown:

Fir Beatle Packets: 30,000
County Chipping program participation: 25,000
Management: 35,000 (Pile burning, project planning and inspection, chipping management,) Projects: 110,000 (For either option)

Board discussion: Which specific areas will be treated in 2026 along the pros and cons for each location. Continue to explore partnership for future funding on non-EVMD parcels. The approved 2026 budget includes $200k for wildfire mitigation.

COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE

Kristin Kenney Williams, Commfluent Inc.

• Board recaps
• Current e-blast information, for example the traffic calming projects for next year
• Ongoing communications regarding the Parks Master Planning process
• Upcoming: Winter newsletter and courts, Hole 9 community surveys

MANAGEMENT UPDATES

Steven Barber, Manager

• Currently working with Epic Mountain Express to finalize details for this season’s EagleVail Skier Shuttle. Excited to announce that the shuttle will return for another great year, continuing our successful partnership with Epic Mountain Express. The proposed schedule includes service to Vail only (historical service to Beaver Creek saw very little ridership), operating 56 days during the 2025–2026 season, beginning Friday, Dec. 12. Ridership continues to grow each year—up 360 rides to 4,361 total in 2024, compared to 4,000 in 2023 and 3,250 in 2022. This steady increase highlights how popular and valued this community amenity has become. The skier shuttle is funded by local sales tax dollars and remains a great benefit for EagleVail residents. Proof of residency will again be required to ride this season.
• As winter approaches, the Everkrisp Trail will close for the season starting November 23rd, reopening June 20th to protect elk habitat and calving areas. We’re working with the U.S. Forest Service and the Adopt-A-Trail Program to recruit local trail ambassadors who will help monitor closures and educate users about protecting wildlife. The goal is to increase compliance and awareness throughout the winter months. The EagleVail Trail will remain open and continues to be a great option for winter recreation.
• Moving forward with the disposition of the fire station. A commercial realtor has been retained to handle the sale and the District received multiple offers. The Board at it’s last meeting decided to move forward with The343 LLC. Anticipate a quick closing and expect to have an executed agreement in the coming weeks. A special thank-you to Joanna and Betsy for their expertise and assistance in bringing this process to a successful conclusion.
• Residents and homeowners will now be able to access their resident cards digitally on their phone or they can opt for a physical card. The minor cards will still be physical cards.

Brent Barnum, Superintendent of Golf Course & Parks

• November is upon us, and the transition from the summer seasonal operations to winter operations is in full swing and nearly complete. We have accomplished much in the past eight weeks from aerification to chemical applications. To this point, we are preparing for the snow to fall and to start our winter obligations.

Maryanne Cederstrom, Pavilion Manager

• The Pavilion is 95% booked for the year 2025, with about $117,000 in booked revenue and $99,000 in rental revenue alone. 2025 sales are trending normally for this time of year, with 2026 sales maintaining momentum.

The Board entered into EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO 24-6-402(4)(f), C.R.S. FOR PERSONNEL MATTERS REGARDING STAFF.

Just the Facts EagleVail Skier Shuttle Bus Program