747 Community Project Mail: PO Box 74, Allenspark, CO 80510 Email: [email protected] Website: www.747CommunityProject.org June 15, 2009 If you live full or part time in the area, own land, or a business, you need to participate in the 747 Community Project this summer. We heard you in May when you told us that you wanted to provide input from the bottom up, so this summer, the 747 project team has cooked up several ways to gather that input from you without it becoming a burden on your busy schedule. This summer, we’ll build upon the input received from last summer’s meetings and this winter’s survey, to get more specifics about what you want to see in our community plan – what you want the community to be like in the future, and your thoughts on how to solve the issues that have been identified. All we ask is for you to set aside one hour, one evening, or one day this summer to contribute your thoughts to this project, to give you and your neighbors a larger say in local affairs. So find something that you can fit into your schedule and mark it down on your calendar. If you want to have a voice in the process: •

Participate in one, or both of the large community working sessions we have planned: Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, August 16. Both sessions will be held at Highlands Camp, from 12:00 to 4:00 PM.

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Groups are being formed in several localities in the area to work issues from the local perspective. Check our website for dates, times and locations. If you’re not sure which local area applies to you, send us an email and tell us where your property is located; we will get you in contact with the proper people from your area.

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Participate in the 747 Community Project Team meetings the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. Check our website for meeting details.

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Send us input via email or post (see addresses above).

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Have comments or questions for the Boulder County Commissioners? Come meet with them when they visit Allenspark: Thursday, July 16, at 7:00 PM (location TBD).

Included in this package, you’ll find a summary of this summer’s activities, a project update, and agendas for the initial summer work topics. Visit our website for additional information. These are the core discussion points we are seeking input on…Feel free to write us with your thoughts or better yet, bring those thoughts to a meeting. Hope to see you this summer. Questions? Contact us via email or post (see addresses above). If you haven’t already done so, sign up for our email notifications! Send your name, property address, and email address to [email protected]

June 15, 2009

2007-2008 Boulder County adopts new regulations, offers community planning process

Thursday, July 16, 7:00 PM, location TBD

Meet with County Commissioners:

Summer 2008 Community meetingsdecide to do plan; identify goals and initial issues

Fall 08 – Spring 09 747 Project Team: organizing; mission; community survey; education sessions

Summer 2009 Community meetings: geo areas determine guiding principles, actions

Fall 09-Summer 10 Work sessions: Develop draft plan; community survey.

Summer - Fall 2010 Community meetings; confirm agreement on plan; County review and adoption

Sunday, August 16, 12-4PM, Highlands Camp & Retreat Center

August 16 – September (as needed) Follow-up as needed – alternatives, solutions, strategies and actions

This summer is part of the overall timeline for creating our community plan:

Overall Community Planning Process

Saturday, July 11, 12-4PM, Highlands Camp & Retreat Center

July 11 – August 16 Prioritize issues, and begin to identify actions to solve issues and achieve vision

Community meetings:

Geographic area meetings: June 1 – July 11 Identify what you want your community to be, and core principles to guide decisions.

This summer’s agenda: each geographic area decides the guiding principles and actions which should be reflected in the plan. We’ll also gather for two community-wide meetings. Here’s a summary of this summer’s activities (see other documents for details):

This Summer

This effort is called the "747 Community Project" (inspired by the area's telephone exchange). Some of your neighbors have been working over the winter to get the project organized, but the decisions belong to all of us -- the residents and landowners within the Allenspark Fire District.

The goal: create a community plan for inclusion in Boulder County’s Comprehensive Plan and land use regulations (zoning, site plan review, etc). The plan will encompass the entire Allenspark Fire District area, with specific sections defined by each geographic area (the Allenspark Townsite, Raymond, Riverside, and the remainder of the area).

Last year, Boulder County gave our community a choice: live with the county’s regulations or create our own plan for our area. At a community meeting last summer, the overwhelming majority decided that having our own plan was our best chance for self-determination.

What, Why, and Who

www.747communityproject.org

The 747 Community Project Overview

747 Community Project Mail: PO Box 74, Allenspark, CO 80510 Email: [email protected] Website: www.747CommunityProject.org

747 Community Project Update June 15, 2009 Residents and landowners in the greater Allenspark area are engaged in developing a community plan for our area. This effort, identified as the 747 Community Project, has been lead by a group of citizen volunteers who came together at a community-wide meeting last summer to work out a planning process, gather the information needed, do the legwork necessary, and provide direction for area stakeholders to develop an integrated community plan. The 747 project was created to give the members of the area a coordinated voice to insure our community is managed in ways acceptable to the citizens. The initiative was started last summer after several new regulations were put into place by the Boulder County Commissioners. The intent of those regulations was to protect the character of the area, limit growth and protect the environment, but they were implemented with very little community input. After recognizing that individual areas are unique and that the citizens of these areas are in the best position to shape their respective communities, the commissioners designated local town sites and hired a coordinator, Garry Sanfacon, to encourage citizens to develop their own community plans. The town sites in our area are Allenspark proper, Raymond, Riverside and the Peak to Peak scenic highway corridor. Folks not within any of these presently defined areas are currently included as part of the Peak-to-Peak group, with the option of forming an “Other” group if desired as the planning process proceeds. Although this Community Project was triggered by the new county regulations, it encompasses much more than a few government rules. The 747 Project Team is coordinating the members of the community to develop a vision of our community, to identify the specific items necessary to accomplish that vision, and then to coordinate the implementation process. Our plan may require modification of some existing county regulations, and other aspects of the plan would not involve the government at all. An example of a non-government issue is the desire of the citizens to have a local grocery or general store. Although this is primarily an economic issue and not one of regulation, our community plan could insure that policies and zoning regulations that would facilitate the establishment of community desired businesses are in place. Our progress so far has been to develop the structure of the 747 Team, outline a methodology for creating a community plan, establish a schedule, conduct a survey of all property owners and voters in the Allenspark Fire Protection District, and present the findings to the community. The survey results are presented on our web site, (www.747CommunityProject.org) , the county web site, and were also presented to the community at a May 3 meeting at Highlands Camp.

The 747 Project Team meets in the community room of the fire station on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, and guest speakers often appear to address topics of interest to the community. These educational talks are planned to continue for future meetings and will be announced prior to the scheduled team meetings. Team membership is open, and all community members are encouraged to participate. The more voices heard the better our community plan will represent the wishes of all stakeholders. May 3 Highlands Camp Meeting The 747 Project Team announced and held a meeting at Highlands Camp on May 3, 2009, to update and inform members of the community on what the Team has been doing over the winter, formally present the results of the community-wide survey completed in March, and obtain citizen input on the next steps to be taken in developing our community plan. Opening comments presented at the meeting, as well as the survey results, are available for review on the 747 Project web site (www.747communityproject.org). At the May 3 community meeting, input was sought and received on a strategy for proceeding with the planning process through the coming summer months, when the majority of our citizens and landowners will be present in the area. It was initially proposed by the 747 Team that there be geographic-area (local townsite) meetings during the summer to provide the opportunity for stakeholder input into the planning effort. However, because of logistical complexity in organizing local area meetings, and to reduce the time burden for stakeholders, it has since been decided to instead hold two half-day community-wide meetings this summer. Summer Meetings Community-wide summer meetings are scheduled for July 11 and August 16 at Highlands Camp. The agenda and goals for these meetings are presented in the materials included with this mailing, and will include breakout sessions for the geographic areas. Although the 747 Team will not attempt to schedule or coordinate geographic area meetings, interested stakeholders within each geographic area (townsite) are encouraged to proceed with local meetings to discuss issues of interest to their specific areas. 747 Team members from each area will be available to assist with local meetings. If you are interested in participating in local geographic area meetings and/or volunteering to be a lead contact/coordinator for your area, please e-mail [email protected] The goal for this summer is to obtain input from the individual geographic areas and to meld that input into a draft outline for the overall Allenspark area plan for community review. With this input and information gathered from the survey, the 747 Team and interested stakeholders can then begin drafting our community plan, with the intent of having a first draft available for community review and approval by next summer. Thank you for your interest and participation in the 747 Community Project. Your participation in the 747 Community Project is always welcome and strongly encouraged. Your 747 Community Project Team.

Work Session “A” Agenda WORKING FROM OUR STRENGTHS: DEFINING OUR COMMUNITY CHARACTER AND CULTURE

Deliverable: Define our community character and culture and what we want to preserve and change that will become part of the 747 Community Plan to be incorporated into the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Code (zoning, Site Plan Review, etc.). To be completed at Community Meeting #2, July 11. Get Organized (5-10 minutes) Introductions, select a facilitator, recorder, timekeeper, sign-in sheet Task 1 (15 minutes) Take a few minutes individually to read and reflect on the responses to the two questions posed at the August 6, 2008 meeting about why people live/visit here and what they are proud about their community. Visit our website for the meeting notes: www.747communityproject.org. Go around the group and allow everyone to talk briefly about what themes they saw or what stood out for them or what they felt was missing. Record on flip chart. Task 2 (30 minutes) With this information in mind, take a minute and jot down some phrases that captures the character and culture of your area. Go around the group and allow everyone to state their top 2-3 phrases. Record on flip chart. After everyone in the group has shared their ideas, have a brief discussion about what you heard, common themes, differences, surprises, etc. Record on flip chart. Task 3 (30 minutes) As we plan for the future, we need to understand the existing conditions and strengths of our area and what we want to preserve and what we want to change. Examples include population, natural habitat, architecture, businesses, community character and culture, property rights, activities, health and safety, aging, etc. Rules of Brainstorming: all ideas are valid, record them as they are stated, the same idea can be on both lists, no discussion or evaluation at this point. Brainstorm #1: List the aspects of the existing community you want to preserve. Record on flip chart. Brainstorm #2: List the aspects of the existing community you want to change. Record on flip chart. Task 4 (20 minutes) Discuss and choose the top 3-5 you want to preserve and the 3-5 you want to change. Record on flip chart.

Work Session “B” Agenda DEFINING WHAT WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO BE IN THE FUTURE

Deliverable: Define what we want the community to be in the future and the agreed upon principles, values and criteria to guide decisions that will be part of the 747 Community Plan to be incorporated into the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Code (zoning, Site Plan Review, etc.). To be completed before or at Community Meeting #2, July 11. Get Organized (5-10 minutes) Introductions, select a facilitator, recorder, timekeeper, sign-in sheet Task 1 (20 minutes) Take a few minutes individually to read and reflect on the responses to the two questions posed at Work Session “A” that resulted in defining the community character and culture and what we want to preserve and change. Go around the group and allow everyone to talk briefly about what themes they saw or what stood out for them or what they felt was missing. Record on flip chart. Task 2 (35 minutes) Take a few minutes individually to read the responses to the question posed at the August 13, 2008 meeting about your area’s desirable future in 2020. Visit our website for the meeting notes: www.747communityproject.org. With this information in mind, take 5-10 minutes by yourself to work on what you want your community to look like in 2020. Visualize the community you really want in terms of population, natural habitat, architecture, businesses, character, property rights, activities, population, health and safety, etc. What is life like, feel like, look like, what are people doing, how are they interacting, etc.? Assume that the community has been very successful in attaining its desires. Each person writes their top statements on a piece of flip chart paper. Have everyone hang up their flip chart paper and share their statements. Task 3 (10 minutes) After everyone in the group has shared their statements, have a brief discussion about what you heard, common themes, differences, surprises, etc. Record on flip chart Task 4 (20 minutes) Take some scissors and cut out the individual statements and group similar statements together into theme areas. If the group cannot agree that a particular statement fits with another then it is left as a stand alone. The goal is not to group everything together, but to group very similar ones. Task 5 (20 minutes) Break into smaller groups and work on crafting one statement for each theme area. Each group take one theme area to work on. Share with rest of group and get input for final draft language.