Setback Field Trip Set for July 27

OURAY – In an effort to set the record straight, the Ouray County Commissioners on Monday stated that a recent email written and sent by a citizen, which purported to describe a discussion that occurred during their June 28 meeting, was inaccurate.

The discussion in question focused on an upcoming field trip the commissioners were planning to the edge of Log Hill Mesa and other areas within the county to look at several properties and see how possible setback guidelines for ridgeline development would work in practice. The email, which was a private communication and not intended for public dissemination, stated that one commissioner pushed several times during the meeting to approve a resolution that day that would send new Section 9 visual impact regulations to the Ouray County Planning Commission – before the field trip and before further work sessions that had been held.

While there was a discussion among the commissioners about the best process for sending setback regulation recommendations to the Planning Commission, commissioners Heidi Albritton and Lynn Padgett (Keith Meinert was absent) said on Monday that the private emails did not reflect what they said.

Upon approval of the meeting’s minutes on Monday, the commissioners emphasized that the approved minutes are correct and added that there is a recording of the meeting available if the public would like to hear exactly what was said.

The upcoming commissioner field trip is scheduled for July 27 at 9 a.m. and a schedule of the trip is still being planned.

“I want to understand the difference of what the proposed draft [of Section 9] might be interpreted as,” Padgett said on Monday, adding that she would also like to look at what the recommendations from the recently formed Ouray County Realtor Property Rights Advocates group would look like on the ground as well. “We need to look at what is there today, what is in the proposed draft and what did the ad hoc committee propose that is different.”

After eight months of reworking Section 9 of the Ouray County Land Use Code, the commissioners are currently holding work sessions to iron out more details prior to the possible approval of a resolution that would send the visual impact regulation revisions to the Planning Commission for consideration. If the Planning Commission approves new regulations, they would be sent back to the commissioners for final approval.

Transit Advisory Committee Established

The Ouray County Commissioners approved a resolution on Monday that creates and establishes the Ouray County Transit Advisory Committee, which will eventually work with committees from Delta, Montrose and San Miguel counties to work on regional transportation issues.

All four counties have been working to move forward with regional transit development since the completion of a 2009 transit study.

“This is the result of what has been a pretty lengthy process,” Commissioner Heidi Albritton said at Monday’s meeting in Ouray. “This is the starting point of being able to establish a group that will work on transportation issues regionally. Transit is one of those issues that no county is in the position to do on its own.”

Since Ouray County was the first in the group to form its advisory committee, it will become active only after the other participating counties have done the same. At that point, representatives from Ouray County will be appointed.

Juvenile Diversion Program Moving to Public Health Facility

Once a Memorandum of Understanding is drafted and agreed upon, Ouray County’s Juvenile Diversion Program will be moving from its privately rented space to a room in the county’s public health facility in Ouray.

The Juvenile Diversion Program offers first- and some second-time youth offenders a community alternative to a formal court filing or a possible criminal record.

The program’s Director, Helene Cassarini, told the Ouray county commissioners on Monday that while the program is located in a good space now, the decision to move to a vacant room in the Public Health facility is because of budget restraints.

“Asking for a county space is a good move for the program in general,” Cassarini said. In her search for a new space, Cassarini said that Ouray County Public Health Director Cheryl Roberts offered an empty room at the facility that is currently being used for space. “We thought that room would be appropriate.”