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19 apply for appointment to two Eagle Town Council seats

Interviews with eight planned for Tuesday, appointments could be made March 9

EAGLE — The town of Eagle saw 19 people apply for the two vacant seats on the Eagle Town Council following the deaths of Andy Jessen and Adam Palmer in an avalanche near Silverton earlier this month.

Meeting on Tuesday, the Town Council decided to review the 19 applications this week and determine which eight applicants will move forward to interviews. The interviews are tentatively being planned for next Tuesday, with possible appointments to the Town Council made on March 9 and the two new councilmembers starting their duties on March 23.

According to town officials, the 19 applicants are Mary “Ragan” Anthony, Geoffrey Grimmer, Yvonne Schwartz, Gerry Lopez, Kevin Brubeck, Sarah Parrish, Shauna Gould, Jaimie Mackey, Janet Bartnik, Steve Sheldon, Brian Bloess, Shawn Bruckman, Jeremy Gross, Jonathan Christensen, Erinn Hoban, Josh Stowell, Nate Morris, Tony Powell and Evonne Sylvain.



“It really gets me choked up to see that much support from the community,” said Mayor Scott Turnipseed. “It’s very hard — this whole thing with Andy and Adam is still raw, but I do think it’s important we try to fill these seats, and do it as quickly and responsibly as we can.“

Councilmember Ellen Bodenhemier agreed, saying, “It’s a difficult situation, but the community support with everyone stepping up is just very reassuring.”

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Downtown authority

Eagle Town Councilmembers also appointed people to staggered terms on a newly-formed Downtown Development Authority. The authority is being formed after voters approved it last November, following nearly 18 months of community outreach.

Kat Conner and Scott Schlosser were appointed to terms ending on June 30, 2021; Marci Leith and Wayne Hauter were appointed to terms ending on June 30, 2022; and Jake Roach and Greg Schroeder were appointed to terms ending on June 30, 2023. The Town Council also appointed Councilmember David Gaboury to be its representative on the authority.

The appointees will now work with the town’s consultant Downtown Colorado Inc. to develop plans to revitalize the town’s central business district.

Other business

In other business Tuesday, the Eagle Town Council:

  • Approved a $2,000 donation to La Plata County Search and Rescue, for its help in the rescue effort in the avalanche that killed Jessen, Palmer and Seth Bossung, an Eagle resident who worked for the county.
  • Accepted an annexation petition for the 13.5-acre Base Camp Eagle property at 3220 Brush Creek Road, east of the Haymeadow planned unit development. Applicants are requesting zoning and a special use permit for a recreational vehicle park. The application will go before the town planning commission March 16.
  • Discussed possible land use changes for the West Eagle Sub Area Plan. The plan covers about 40 acres along Grand Avenue from the Sylvan Lake roundabout to the intersection of 5th Street and south to the Eagle Ranch open space.
  • Authorized town staff to apply for a $69,993 grant from Colorado Department of Local Affairs. If awarded, the grant would help pay for the town to partner with University of Colorado Boulder’s Masters of Outdoor Recreation and Environment program to develop a strategic vision to diversify the town’s economy, develop technology and outdoor recreation businesses currently in the Eagle River Valley, and help direct development for these businesses to expand and relocate to Eagle.
  • Heard an update from Janet Bartnik, executive director of Mountain Recreation, on its proposals to renovate and expand facilities, raise funding, poll the public to gauge support and potentially move forward with a ballot measure in November.
  • Held an executive session to discuss negotiation strategies related to an intergovernmental agreement with Mountain Recreation and Eagle County Schools.
  • A proposed no-cost agreement for Bird Rides Inc. to pilot a mobility program with its shared electric scooters in Eagle starting on April 15 was pulled from the agenda, with town officials commenting that the company is no longer prepared to move forward with the program this year.

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