Last night’s City Council meeting began with a beautiful choral reminder, that while we are individuals, we are woven together as part of one whole community. Many thanks to the incredible talents of the Woodland Park High School Madrigals and their Director Jeff Hemingson, for sharing their enchanting melodies with City Council and the community! We wish them the biggest success as they prepare to perform at the upcoming Western Slope Honor Choir Festival in March.
Council made a declaration to repeal Ordinance 1431 and send it back to the Planning Commission. Councilmembers agreed to a March 2, 2023 work session to discuss recommendations for the Planning Commission. The work session is tentatively planned for 5:00 pm on March 2 in City Council Chambers.
Director of Operations, Kip Wiley, spoke on the necessity of passing Ordinance No. 1440, approving the purchase of a Twin Lakes water share for Woodland Park. Wiley recommended purchasing the share to help secure the future of Woodland Park’s water supply. Council passed the Ordinance unanimously.
Aron Melvick, owner of AJ’s Pizzeria, sought approval of a change of location for the establishment’s Beer and Wine Liquor License. The new AJ’s Pizzeria is now open and located at the corner of HWY 24 and Grace Avenue. Council unanimously approved the liquor license transfer.
The next order of business for discussion was the approval of Ordinance No. 1439. This is an ordinance of the City Council for the City of Woodland Park amending Title 5 of the Woodland Park Municipal Code, regarding small cell facilities, to establish a procedure for the application, review and siting of small cell facilities. As 5G technology is expanding across the United States, this ordinance provides proactive regulation of these facilities and establishes an application process within the City of Woodland Park. City Attorney Nina Williams explained that there are federal ordinances that allow these facilities, for which Woodland Park can do little to successfully contest without potential lawsuits. The goal of this ordinance is to establish a local plan which will meet any federal requirements, while minimally impacting residents. Council passed the ordinance in a 6-1 vote of approval.
City Manager Michael Lawson reminded the community of the Name Our Snowplows contest, which is accepting name entries through February 26, 2023. This has been a fun community-building activity for all ages, and the City is excited to learn which names will be chosen as the winners by the community when voting opens March 3, 2023. To submit your entry, visit What’s Up Woodland Park.
