EVMD Board Meeting 2/19/2026 Recap

2/19/2026 Board Meeting Recap

This is an unofficial summary of the Feb. 19, 2026 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: Chair Hopkins, Vice Chair Laughlin, Director Barcza, Director Rumford, and Director Copeland (virtual).

PARKS MASTER PLAN PRESENTATION

• Landscape architect, Pedro Campos with Zehren & Assoc., presented three West Park design concepts to the Board.
• Based on community, Board feedback and Staff review, Staff recommendation is a hybrid of Options 1 and 2.
  • Meets the three major priorities of the Parks Master Plan and priorities for each of the pocket parks:
    • Irrigation system replacements for greater watering efficiency, water conservation, including identification of areas for potential turf reduction at the pocket parks, if deemed appropriate.
    • Playground facility replacements due to age and condition, to meet present day regulations, with focus on new equipment that is up-to-date, fun, durable, safe, and universally accessible.
    • American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant access into the community parks and the facilities provided within them.
• Public comment question around the natural grass perimeter and who is responsible for care. Manager Steven Barber addressed saying the Metro District is responsible for maintaining the entire park at a premium level.
• Based on Board feedback, Staff and Campos will come back March 19 with recommendations and budget.

COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE

• Kristin Kenney Williams, Commfluent Inc., highlighted the winter newsletter available digitally in a flip book format.
• Planning for Second Annual EagleVail & Tell community event April 9, 4-6 p.m., with food and beverages, and stations including golf operations, wildfire mitigation, water conservation, EagleVail Trail Extension project, and resident card information. Barcza asked that a map showing emergency egress routes and EC Alert sign-up information be provided.
• Request to have a couple of the summer monthly Coffee Chats with a Board Member be Après Chats with a Board Member. The informal feedback gatherings taking place at the Clubhouse will resume in May and a schedule will be shared in April.

MANAGEMENT UPDATES TO BOARD MEMBERS

• Brent Barnum, Superintendent of Golf Courses & Parks, discussed ongoing turf protection by removing snow off the greens as we continue to experience a lack of significant snowpack. New Nordic equipment is ready to go as snowfall allows.
• Planning for upcoming golf season underway.
• Barber highlighted for the Board that Staff continues to work on scheduling 2026 capital projects and finalizing operational plans for the upcoming season.
• Mark Sassi and Chad Rush are busy with managing the simulator and planning for the upcoming golf season. Barber thanked Rush for helping to hold down the fort last season and for helping during this transition period.
• The Administration Office remains open to the public, providing resident cards, parking passes, and meeting the District’s day-to-day administrative needs.
• Skier Shuttle Update
  • The skier shuttle remains a popular amenity for residents this season. Service is provided to Vail only and began on Dec. 12. This service is funded by sales tax dollars. Proof of residency is required to ride.
• Strategic Operations (Strat Ops)
  • Wednesday, March 11, from 2–5 p.m.
  • Current action items include:
    • Asset Management Plan
    • Staffing Plan
    • Par 3 Golf Course plan (2027)
• Barber was asked about the drought management plan for the District; based on levels of prioritization. Greens, tees highest priorities, for example. Highlights importance of upgrades to the irrigation systems.
• Phase II Hole 9 project: Hopkins asked if there was a way to flag trees or identify boundary of trees to be removed. Mature spruce trees not part of this process.

COMMUNITY DINNER UPDATE

• Barber thanked the Board for their support of the joint EVMD and EVPOA community event that saw a great turnout and came in under budget. Thanked the community for more than 213 pounds of non-perishable food items donated to The Community Market in recognition of scaled back hours of our community’s critical workforce.

• Hopkins gave kudos to the staff; would like to see something similar twice a year.
• Barcza recognized the great collaboration; suggested that maybe the next collaborative effort be around wildfire mitigation communications. 

Just the Facts