EVMD Board Meeting 7/17/2025 Recap

This is an unofficial summary of the July 17, 2025 Special Meeting of the Board of Directors of the EagleVail Metropolitan District held at the EagleVail Willow Creek Par 3 and online produced by EVMD Communications staff. A draft of the minutes will be available by contacting krisoneill@eaglevail.org once they are composed.

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

BOARD ACTION:

• Unanimous approval of the 2024 Audit (“Clean” audit opinion.)
• Unanimous approval of a resolution to sell the fire station (closing date expected Sept. 4.)

ERWSD Update:

Eagle River Water & Sanitation District’s Siri Roman, General Manager, and David Norris, Director of Business Operations, presented two key priorities currently being undertaken by the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District:

• Water Conservation Update - Excessive Water User Campaign:  The 2025 Excessive Water User campaign aims to significantly reduce water consumption among the highest residential water users within the District and Authority service areas to help reach the goal of a 400 acre-feet water savings by 2026. The campaign is utilizing targeted outreach, communication, education, and support to drive conservation behavior among homeowners who were in Tier 5 (30,000 gallons or more) water use for three or more months in 2024. Roman told the EVMD board that the EagleVail community is doing a good job with their water usage with less than 10 users in the Tier 5 category.
• Funding Options for the Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Edwards: The District owns and operates three interconnected wastewater treatment facilities, all of which are subject to Regulation 85 (a state control regulation focused on reducing nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) in Colorado’s lakes, rivers, and streams.

In 2023, the District completed a $64 million nutrient upgrade project at the Avon Wastewater Treatment Facility. The District’s wastewater discharge permits require that similar upgrades be completed at the Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Edwards by 2029. The Edwards facility treats District-wide (Vail to Edwards, including Minturn) wastewater solids and produces Class A biosolids. This project is primarily driven by regulatory requirements from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and addresses critical needs to the District’s aging infrastructure.

The project is currently 60% designed using integrated project delivery, and it is estimated to cost approximately $90 million. The District will ask voters in the November general election to fund the project through a mill levy increase (general obligation bond), or the alternative is to fund the project through a rate increase (revenue bond).

Communications Update:

• Held third Coffee Chat of the summer season with Laughlin and Barber July 16 – thank you to the community for your attendance to our Coffee Chats and bringing your ideas and concerns that do elevate to Board discussion;
• Positive feedback to the increased communications around the Stage One Fire Restriction and fact that personal fireworks not allowed (very little activity reported over the July 4 holiday weekend); the installation of speed tables and traffic calming striping; great turnout for the July 4 bike parade.
• Second Parks Master Plan Ice Cream Social to be held on July 24 at West Park to discuss that park and Ptarmigan Park (Manager Barber highlighted a significant goal at West Park is to reduce turf and thus the water footprint by 50%);
• Second annual Enhanced Communications Survey is live and will be open through September – a Summer 2026 Pool Pass drawing will be held for one lucky community member who takes the survey;
• Committees will resume the week of Sept. 8 and just prior to the EVMD Board’s discussion of the 2025 budget.

Management Updates:

• Brent Barnum, Superintendent of Golf Courses & Parks, acknowledged the lack of moisture since early June and the team continues to monitor water usage and do all that they can to conserve and be good water stewards.
• Current scope of work consists of setting up the courses for play, mowing, bunker maintenance, and detail work. Barnum is pleased with the day-to-day conditions and feels the staff is preparing the courses well especially through the dryer weeks. Willow Creek Par 3 course has experienced a fair amount of play.
• In the recent months, the team has been able to accomplish most of their capital items and projects scheduled for this year. Below are some of the items that have been accomplished to this point.
  • New windscreens at courts complex
  • Pavilion Landscaping improvements
  • New sewer line for Par 3 Clubhouse
  • New banners at the Pavilion
  • Park kiosks
  • New forward tee on hole 6
  • East side utility path asphalted
  • Pool Landscaping improvements
  • 2 additional AED units
  • New banners and poles in business district - new signage throughout Golf Course
  • Cart path improvements
  • Purchasing of new equipment

*In the weeks to come, the Golf Course team will needle tine (tiny holes) and apply a light topdressing (light layer of sand) to the greens. This process is executed every four weeks during the summer months. The needle tine process provides access for air, water, and nutrients to move throughout the soil profile.

• Manager Steven Barber updated the Board on the East End Phase II project. The contract with FNF has been executed and a construction start of Aug. 25 is anticipated and a completion date set for the end of November. A full presentation to the Board and community will occur closer to the start of the project. Barber said he is in communication with HPS to help ensure the project does not negatively impact school operations.
• The installation of seven permanent speed tables in the community has been completed. Positive feedback to date, with the tables helping to reduce speeds in the community and have added an element of awareness to drivers and pedestrians. Additionally, the temporary speed table has been installed at the west end of the community on Deer Blvd. Other upcoming projects scheduled for this summer include painting crosswalks and stop bars, repairing orange delineators along Eagle Road.
• The wildfire mitigation work began in Unit 20 last week. The crews have completed about 30% of the prescribed work. They anticipate the remaining work to be completed in the next 2-3 weeks. The work in Unit 17 will take place later this fall. A special thanks to Hugh and his crew for making these projects a priority. The work includes hand cutting and thinning of sick, dead and dying trees to include brush and ladder fuels. The thinning helps reduce the severity of wildfire and keep fire from entering into the crowns. The fire crew will stack and pile the dead debris to be burned next winter. The goal is to create resilient communities in the face of wildfire. This project is a significant step towards achieving that goal.
• F& B performance to date:

Sales Performance:
June Total Sales: $29,517.28; Compared to June 2024, total sales increased by $3,401.48

o Food Sales: $30,416.48

o Beverage Sales: $ 89,594.41

• Joey Roberts reported a rocking pool season to date despite revenues trending slightly down due to other valley-wide community pools back in operation this summer. Board discussion about keeping EVMD pool open post Labor Day. Barber explained historically, very challenging to staff, and with school under way then, very little usage.

Financial Update:

• Sales tax forecast was adjusted to reflect a bit of a down trend, likely due to loss of a couple of businesses in EagleVail.

Other Business:

• The Board discussed concerns expressed to Barber from homeowners at the 19^th Fairway Condo Assoc. and errant golf balls from the driving range. Board direction to Barber was to have him reach out to EVMD’s golf course architect consultants to analyze and identify any potential fixes with regard to the driving range, net height, and staffing.

The Board discussed an unauthorized play structure that is on EagleVail Metro District property, presenting a challenging precedent and a potential liability concern. Board direction was for Barber to ask homeowner to move the play structure onto their personal property, or remove it, within 45 days. Barber and the Board expressed appreciation to the homeowner for their offer to keep the structure where it is for kids to enjoy but explained that a lack of public access and ability for the EVMD to maintain also present challenges.

Just the Facts