EVMD Board Meeting 4/16/2026 Recap

4/16/2026 Board Meeting Recap

This is an unofficial summary of the April 16, 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: Vice Chair Laughlin, Director Barcza, Director Copeland, and Director Rumford.

REGIONAL HOUSING SOLUTIONS DISCUSSION, Brian Pool, Government Performance Solutions

• Shared research and feedback from learnings to date.
• Regional housing authorities can be beneficial. RHAs are unique to each community. There is no silver bullet RHA.
• Critical component would be determining a funding source. Administrative efficiencies can be achieved.
• If a RHA were to be approved, the region could increase and expand housing programs and investments, including:
  • Expand buyer assistance deed-restriction programs;
  • Construct new for-sale housing projects;
  • Construct new low-income rental projects;
  • Land banking.
• RHA board composition considerations.
• Revenue model overview to generate $25-35 million per year for regional housing.
• Board discussion: Laughlin asked for further explanation of the Hybrid Model that presents a starting revenue model where 10% of the revenues would go to the RHA for staffing and operations support and 90% would “pass through” to the jurisdiction that generated the revenue. Barcza commented positively on the Good Deeds program, and any programs for local businesses to benefit from. Copeland asked for clarification on who can qualify for deed-restricted programs.

IRRIGATION DELIVERY PIPE UPDATE, Brent Barnum, Superintendent of Golf Courses & Parks

• The irrigation delivery pipe is a key part of the District’s water system. It was likely installed in the early to mid-1970s during construction of I-70. The system includes a 30-inch cement gravity-fed pipe extending approximately 2.5 miles from Dowd Junction to Trout Pond in EagleVail. It supplies irrigation water to District amenities, fills two holding ponds, and supplements flows in Stone Creek. There are no as-built plans. Staff knowledge is based on more than 20 years of experience managing the system. The headgate at the Eagle River was replaced in 2021, and most of the pipe has been inspected and mapped.
• The pipe is generally in good condition, but there are areas of concern:
  • East of Homestake Peak School: Deterioration and root intrusion from willow trees
  • I-70 / Highway 6 Corridor (Primary Issue): Suspected structural failure (crack, joint failure, or compromised manhole)
  • Flow capacity has dropped significantly. Previously, the system handled about 2.5 CFS. It is now limited to approximately 0.35 CFS before leakage occurs, with water surfacing along Highway 6. This reduction limits the District’s ability to meet irrigation demands and creates potential risk to adjacent infrastructure.

Work Completed to Date:

• Flow monitoring and operational adjustments
• Camera inspections where accessible
• GPS mapping of pipe and manholes
• Exploratory excavation
• Initial findings indicate the problem area extends into the I-70 right-of-way.

Next Steps:

• Staff proposed continuing investigation and completing repairs as follows:

• Coordinate with CDOT for access and permitting
• Continue exploratory excavation to locate the exact failure point
• Repair or replace the compromised area (likely a manhole or pipe section)
• Restore full flow capacity to the system

Estimated Costs:

• At this stage, costs are preliminary and will be refined once the failure is fully exposed and defined. We anticipate the repairs to cost somewhere around $50,000-$100,000. This expense is not in the 2026 budget.
• Board action: Unanimous approval to spend up to $100,000 for repairs. 

Communications Update:

• Resume Coffee/Apres Chats in May at the Grill with Manager Steven Barber and a Board member:
  • May 13, 9-10 a.m., Joanna Hopkins
  • June 10, 4-5 p.m., Terry Copeland
  • July 8, 9-10 a.m., Lauren Barcza
  • Aug. 12, 4-5 p.m., Betsy Laughlin
  • Sept. 9, 9-10 a.m., Fred Rumford

Management Updates:

• Barnum said all the hard work over the winter is paying off; everything looking great. Golf operations begin to open up April 24 with the lower 10 holes, the driving range, the putting and chipping greens. Opening date for the remaining upper golf holes is still to be determined; typically open the Willow Creek Golf Course the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.
• Driving range netting improvements pushed a bit, waiting for Eagle County building permit approvals. The range will shut down during construction.
• Parks’ watering restrictions same as residential.
• Barnum discussed new weather stations coming on line.
• Manager Steven Barber:
  •  Moving forward with the installation of three more permanent speed tables in the community. The project is scheduled to begin in mid-June, weather depending. The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project will be completed later this month. Additionally, we will be purchasing a “mobile” radar feedback sign to move through the community where speed issues continue to exist.
  • About 80 RSVPS and about 50 people attending the Second Annual EagleVail & Tell.
  • East End Phase II:
    • We are nearing final completion of the project. Remaining items to be completed in spring (weather permitting):
      • Address asphalt deficiencies
      • Parking lot signage, bollards, and striping
      • Landscape plantings, seeding, and mulch
      • Final irrigation installation and delivery of as-builts
      • Revegetation of the staging area (final grading and seeding)
      • Final walkthrough and punch-list completion
      • Staff continues to work with FNF Construction, Norris Design, Yarnell Engineering and VRD. We are still anticipating a completion date in May.
• Mark Sassi, Director of Golf Operations:
  • The new golf carts arrived.
  • Great place with staffing.
  • Pass sales currently at over $300,000, tracking similar to last year.

Finance Update

• Jon Erickson said capital projects starting to get spent; Pavilion revenue looking strong; February sales tax collections up strong, but still behind budget year-to-date.

Just the Facts - April EVMD Courts Survey