The Falcon Fire Protection District held its regular monthly board meeting June 20. All board members were present except Mike Collins, who participated via conference call. Attorney Richard Shearer did not attend.Reservists Wyatt Benoit and John Gue were sworn in as firefighters by FFPD Chief Trent Harwig.Public Safety Task Force updatePaul Hanley of George K. Baum & Co. discussed the results of the public opinion mail survey sent out to district residents in May. There was a response rate of about 9.7 percent; previous surveys by this company have yielded response rates between 8 and 17 percent. Hanley said this was not a scientific poll, nor is it a predictor of a potential ballot measureís success or failure. Rather, the survey results provide a general undertone of the electorate.Hanley said about 74 percent of respondents supported the proposed mill levy increase to establish a district-run ambulance service and improve staffing. He said the issues presented in the survey resonated with participants across all demographics (age, gender, political affiliation). He also said the fire department received high marks compared to other surveys his firm has conducted. Even so, he advised that the department and its supporters would still need to advocate for the measure.Harwig commented that credit for the ìhigh marksî goes to the districtís firefighters.Hanley was scheduled to present the survey results to the Public Safety Task Force at its meeting following the board meeting. After reviewing the information, the task force will present a recommendation to the board at the July 12 meeting.Treasurerís reportHarwig reported that the fiscal year was 42 percent complete as of May 31. The district had received 56 percent of its anticipated revenue, and general fund expenses were at 32 percent. Harwig said revenue from special ownership taxes is down about 3 percent, which translates to around $10,000 less for the district.Harwig said the district just paid for the cab and chassis for the next engine being purchased. Delivery is expected around September.Chiefís reportDeputy Chief Jeff Petersma said there was a spike in reserve standby hours as firefighters from the previous fire academy were released to the line. Reservists logged 753.5 standby hours in May. The current academy had completed eight weeks of training as of the date of the board meeting. There were no staffing ìbrownoutsî in May.Incident statisticsFFPD had 241 calls for service in May, which is a 6.2 percent increase over May 2017. The year-to-date total as of May 31 was 1,088 calls, which is a 15.7 percent increase over the same period in 2017.Meridian Road/U.S. Highway 24 intersectionDirector Tom Kerby said, ìThere is a lot of movement going onî related to the Highway 24/Meridian Road project. He said the county anticipates construction will begin around September, but he has not seen the most current plans.Land west of Station 3Harwig reported that the fire district has entered into an agreement with the Falcon Highlands Metropolitan District regarding the parcel of land west of FFPD Station 3. As reported in the June issue of The New Falcon Herald, this parcel was originally sold by the fire district but the transaction was never recorded. Falcon Highlands is technically the owner, but FFPD is still shown as the owner of record. The county wants to buy the land for its reconfiguration of Meridian Road and U.S. Highway 24.The agreement names the metro district as FFPDís agent to negotiate with the county. Falcon Highlands will reimburse FFPD for the required appraisal. Harwig anticipated that negotiations with the county should be complete by July 28. Once the sale is finalized, Falcon Highlands intends to transfer to FFPD an approximate 2-acre strip of land between FFPD Station 3 and U.S. Highway 24.Shiloh Mesa exclusionHarwig said that FFPD legal counsel Richard Shearer has received the information regarding the specific lots to be included in the exclusion, and has contacted the attorneys for the city and for Shiloh Mesa. Harwig said the exclusion process is moving forward, and Shearer feels it will be done by the July board meeting.Station 2 cell tower leaseSince no one has contacted FFPD regarding interest in the Station 2 cell tower, the board will remove the item from its agenda.Approval of amended and restated service planHarwig reported that FFPDís restated service plan has been reviewed by the county, and the county has deemed the changes minor, so it will not be necessary to go through a complete re-approval process. The board voted to accept the amended and restated service plan.
