EVMD Board Meeting 7/16/2026 Recap
7/16/2026 Board Meeting Recap
This is an unofficial summary of the July 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: Chair Hopkins, Vice Chair Laughlin, Director Copeland, Director Barcza and Director Rumford.
Proposed Indoor Pickleball Idea
Beaver Creek resident Bruce Aronow, on behalf of the Vail Valley Pickleball Club (VVPC), presented a concept for constructing and operating a membership-based, indoor pickleball facility at EVMD’s East End recreational area. Aronow noted the popularity and high demand for dedicated indoor pickleball courts in Eagle County. His proposal is modeled after Steamboat’s 12-indoor court facility, and he proposes to sell 500 memberships.
- Facility would operate as a non-profit, and be eligible for grant funding;
- A valley-wide accessible facility would help raise bulk of needed capital, and potential loan;
- EVMD would be expected to provide a base $1/year long-term lease, with VVPC making additional payments to the EVMD annually based on net income, up to the full market value of a commercial lease for the land;
- Contingent rent will be calculated annually based on the net income of VVPC, after any depreciation and interest;
- VVPC would pay EVMD $0.50 of every $1 of net income annually up to a predetermined amount to compensate for rent. This money can then be used by EVMD for any other purpose;
- Ask of EVMD Board is an 18-month exclusive to conduct community outreach and raise funds;
- Board discussion included questioning whether the facility belonged in the EagleVail community; an understanding of current pickleball use (EagleVail vs. out-of-community); a water line in place; and parking and traffic concerns with nearby school. Board asked Aronow to explore with Eagle County and the EagleVail Property Owners Assoc. what approval processes are necessary and whether the proposed facility complies with current zoning.
- Aronow will return with an update at the August EVMD Board meeting.
Recreation Pool ("Baby Pool") Update
After identifying recent mechanical and operational concerns with the Recreation Pool (aka the "Baby Pool"), District Manager Steven Barber informed the Board that the Baby Pool was temporarily closed for a few days while staff worked with Eagle River Water & Sanitation District (ERWSD) and our pool contractor to investigate a significant increase in the June water bill and overall water usage.
Barber explained that the Baby Pool is maintained using potable water. Testing revealed that the Baby Pool consumes approximately the same amount of water as the much larger Main Pool. Unlike the Main Pool, however, the Baby Pool was not designed with a recirculating system that reuses water, making it significantly less efficient during periods of extreme drought. As a result, water usage has exceeded ERWSD's tiered thresholds, leading to higher rates and associated water-use penalties.
Barber proposed exploring a temporary modification that would reduce water consumption while allowing the Baby Pool to reopen on a limited schedule for the remainder of the summer season. Staff will also evaluate a long-term plumbing improvement to increase the pool's water efficiency beginning next year.
Barber also highlighted the District's ongoing water conservation efforts throughout the community. Irrigation reductions on the golf course and in District parks resulted in an approximately 25% reduction in water use during June. Staff anticipates achieving approximately 30% savings in July and up to 45% in August, depending on stream flows and anticipated monsoonal rainfall.
The Board expressed concern over the baby pool’s closure due to its significant use by children learning to swim and during high-temperature days. The Board authorized staff to move forward with exploring the temporary fix but if that fails, the direction is to resume normal operations and incur the ERWSD costs and penalties until school starts and usage drops.
Capital Projects Update
District Manager Barber and Brent Barnum, Superintendent of Golf Courses & Parks, provided a capital projects update, starting with the driving range netting project that began June 16. It is expected to be completed on July 24th and will reopen shortly thereafter.
Work on the irrigation delivery pipe continues and is going well. Barnum also reviewed the Hole #9 project that has significantly improved errant golf balls.
Communications Update
Kristin Kenney Williams, Commfluent Inc., highlighted continued communications around the drought and fire mitigation efforts. Drafting the July newsletter (digital and print) is also underway. Committees will resume in September.
Management Updates
Mark Sassi, Director of Golf Operations, says golf operations and staffing are going well however play is down a bit from last year. Food and beverage sales are up over 2025.
Brent Barnum, Superintendent of Golf Courses & Parks, discussed the drought conditions and implementation of the EVMD’s drought management plan, saying besides the heat, we also have been experiencing high wind events that have damaged trees. The drier conditions and high winds do pose challenges, but doing well to manage water usage, plant health, and good playing conditions.
The drought management plan is an effort to keep as much water in the rivers as possible; we have been only watering in our pocket parks (that are on potable water) twice a week, and at a lower amount. We continue to monitor our water usage and do all that we can to conserve and be good water stewards.
Also, in late June, the county implemented Stage 2 fire restrictions. We created and installed sandwich boards at the entrances of the community depicting this information.
Steven Barber, District Manager, highlighted that we are nearing final completion of the East End Phase II project. Remaining work includes corrective asphalt work in areas that were not installed to specification, as well as completion of landscaping items. Staff anticipates conducting a final walkthrough and punch-list review in the coming weeks, with the goal of completing the project by the end of July. The new field is already seeing regular daily use for recreational programming and general community use.
He also said staff continues to work with Ski & Snowboard Club Vail regarding the disposition of the fire station property. SSCV is submitting its Special Use Permit application to Eagle County. Staff is also working to finalize an amendment to the original contract to reflect the parties’ current position and to support efforts to move the transaction toward closing. Barber has also been working to secure a right-of- way easement and identify required parking area improvements needed to satisfy County requirements. These improvements are anticipated to be completed prior to closing and are part of the District’s obligations as the current property owner in connection with the proposed residential use of the building.
Finance Update
Overall, Jon Erickson says financials are looking good. Property taxes are as expected. As of end of June, Pavilion rental strong; sales tax normal; biggest variance is the irrigation delivery pipe expense; a little bit of a tight year compared to years’ past.