John Scarffe, Nederland.  Three finalists have been selected for Nederland town administrator, and plans are being made to bring them to town for interviews during the next week or two, Nederland Mayor Kristopher Larsen said on May 7. On Tuesday, May 2, The Nederland Board of Trustees discussed the hiring process and the possibility of hiring an interim town administrator during a regular meeting at 7 p.m. at the Nederland Community Center.

Former Town Administrator Alisha Reis resigned from the position in December and served her last day on March 3. Since then the Board has been in the process of hiring a replacement.

The Town received 41 applications for the position and trimmed those down to 10, Larsen said during a Mountain-Ear interview on May 7. Three to six Board members participated in Skype interviews with those candidates and narrowed the list down to four candidates.

The top 10 candidates were very qualified, but by talking to them they were able to determine which ones would mesh best with the town. Trustees had an informal meet and greet with a couple of the candidates who were local or who happened to be coming through town, Larsen said.

Therron Dieckman, Michael Foote, Karen Gerrity and Mark Roath were invited to a final interview with the Board of Trustees and Town Department heads, but since then Roath withdrew his candidacy. Right now it’s like herding cats and trying to find a time when the Board can meet with the remaining three candidates, Larsen said. One candidate is from California and another from Wyoming.

Part of the interviews with the final three candidates will be in a public setting so anyone can come and get a feel for the candidates, Larsen said.

Representatives of the Nederland Downtown Development Authority, Town boards and volunteer groups need to be involved, and it’s important for the public to have a moderated question and answer session with the finalists in the next week or two.

“Alisha did a lot, and we’ve been two months without an administrator,” Larsen said. They have a lot stacking up, and he needs some of the responsibilities off his back.

The Board expressed interest in hiring an interim administrator, but there are certain things an interim can and can’t do, Larsen said. The Town needs a public facing person to deal with the day-to-day issues like water bills, but an interim administrator can’t pursue big projects like the Big Springs egress. Also, the staff has the pressure to train an interim administrator and then train the permanent one when that person comes in.

Financially, it’s not cheap and the Town budget does not give the Board a lot of freedom, Larsen said. “I’d rather put the money toward Town staff and the police department.” He wants to visit with Town staff to see if they feel like everything is falling down around them or whether they can make it for another month or two.

The Town has a lot of resources available to them such as the Colorado Municipal League and Don Sandoval with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Through connections Reis helped the Town make, they have built a lot of relationships and are part of a larger, regional network, Larsen said.

During the May 2 Board meeting, with Mayor Larsen absent, the Trustees approved moving discussion of hiring a town administrator to an action item.

Trustee Topher Donahue suggested hiring an interim administrator, which would allow Larsen to get back to doing the mayor thing instead of handling administrator duties. Mayor Pro-Tem Charles Wood said the Town could have someone in within two weeks.

Marshal Paul Carrill said that, at this point, the Town does need that leadership. A lot of decisions need to get made. It has been put off too long. The Board moved to hire an interim town administrator within the current salary range if possible before the next meeting, but directed Town Clerk LauraJane Baur to check with Don Sandoval to see if this is legal.

Wood said they should find two dates for permanent administrator candidates to come for half a day, during which time three Board members are available, and they should invite the public, allowing time with staff and time with the Board.

Public Works Director Chris Pelletier introduced a proposal to increase the 2017 Fee Schedule building permit section by adding a deposit for a pilot Construction and Demolition recycling program. Pelletier said he proposed this a month ago and has addressed comments the Board made.

The program is to incentivize contractors to recycle materials. “We have a grant from Boulder County to help with this, and I want to encourage contractors to recycle material,” Pelletier said.

He wants to offer contractors the opportunity to drop off scrap materials at the Town Shop yard. “I think there’s an opportunity to defer trash from the landfill,” Pelletier said. The town doesn’t have a lot of demolition but a lot of construction, scrap board and cardboard. They can recycle it and get a little money back.

Public Works received a Zero Waste grant from Boulder County to begin a program to encourage C&D recycling, according to Pelletier’s memorandum to the Board. Public Works would like to make a change in the construction and demolition permitting process that would reward contractors for diverting construction lumber and scrap metal by returning a portion of their deposit based on the amount they are able to divert from the landfill.

Public Works will set up an area at the Town Shop to deposit clean construction and demolition scrap lumber, according to the memo Staff will track and quantify the material and provide a slip to the contractor.

“We will truck the material down to Western Disposal for processing as needed. Public Works will use the funds rewarded for the purchasing of a scale. We will also use funds to make signs for contractors to place at their construction sites that could read: ‘This site is committed to Nederland’s goals of zero waste. This project is supported in part by Boulder County,’” according to the memo.

The funds also will be used to print flyers that inform contractors of ways they can recycle there C&D materials and handed to them during the permitting process. Pelletier included in the Board’s packet information that Boulder hands out. “I can do this too and can provide this kind of information to contractors to help inform them of ways they can recycle.”

A pamphlet from Boulder County describes ways contractors can recycle their stuff, Pelletier said. When they submit their permit to Staff Member Cynthia Bakke, she will have them talk to Pelletier. He also has a list of contractors who will haul this material. “I think this might incentivize folks to do hauling for recycling. There’s no one up here who does that.”

If a contractor is building a 1,000-square-foot addition on a house, they will pay 25 cents per square foot and he’ll return a portion of that back, Pelletier said.

Trustee Dallas Masters said that Pelletier is going to add a new $50 fee for a 1,000-square-foot project. Is that something other communities have done? Pelletier said that communities in California and Texas have had success with that.

Masters asked if he has a budget for what it will cost to do this. Pelletier said he will buy the scale and doesn’t know how much labor will cost. “I don’t think it will happen every day. We will structure it into once a week and have a time when contractors can bring material.” He doesn’t know what it will cost to haul the materials.

Masters said he has concerns about it taking too much staff time. “What are the labor requirements, and do we have a projection of that? I think it’s a good idea, but what are the labor requirements?

“Public Works gets bogged down, and then we add a new thing to your plate. We need to make sure we’re getting the jobs done that need to be done like roads and utilities. Will you take someone off the road crew to haul this stuff down?”

Pelletier said that these are legitimate concerns. “My list is running down the road. It’s a pilot project. The Board has agreed to hire another person for 30 hours a week so I have an extra hand to help with this.”

Masters said that if Pelletier comes to the Board and asks for a new person for a road crew, we will give you that. “You don’t have to create new programs to get new staff. This one comes down lower on priorities.”

Masters asked Pelletier to come up with a spreadsheet that shows how much staff time it will take. Trustee Julie Gustafson said she thinks it’s part of being a pilot program that you don’t know how long it will take. Pelletier should set up a way to track staff time and costs throughout the year. “Then we’ll be able to figure out whether to do this. Do you have feedback from the builders?”

Pelletier said he has several connections with builders, having lived here for 25 years, so he could get that feedback. Gustafson said he should do that outreach so people feel they have a voice.

Pelletier said that they don’t accept lumber at the transfer stations. Clean lumber is thrown out right now. “It’s one more thing that can be diverted from the landfill.”

Trustee Stephanie Miller asked if there is a way for people in town to pick up wood. “I think you might be able to unload it here without having to haul it, and it would save a trip.” Maybe that could be part of the pilot project. Pelletier said he would like to provide space where they could have used wood for people to come and take.

Wood asked what happens next year if the program is successful, and Pelletier said that he would report how many trips they took and how many pounds got diverted, etc. “I do have concerns about staff and taking this on when we don’t have an administrator. I have a real concern that we keep the town working normally. I don’t see spending a lot of time on this.”

Donahue said he thinks it’s admirable, and in the future these won’t be experimental programs. Gustafson said her memory of the rollout of the bag fee project in town was doing outreach in advance. Within the first 30 days they should send a letter to contractors.

Pelletier said he can put it in the newspaper. Donahue said: “I think outreach will occur on the spot when the contractors come in and get a permit. When they go down and drive those trucks on the scale they get charged. It’s a transition of the way it’s paid and going down the canyon for recycling instead of trash. I don’t approve of the delay.”

Donahue made a motion to approve it as written. Masters said he wants legal review and is concerned we’re jumping the gun as far as what fees we’re charging. “I think it would be prudent for us to bring it back and answer those questions and get some feedback. We haven’t publicized this at all. I will be going against the current motion.”

Miller, Masters and Gustafson voted no on the motion. Donahue and Wood voted yes, but the motion failed. Masters made a motion to table this until the next meeting to get a notice in the paper and talk to legal. The motion passed with Donahue voting against it.

(Originallu published in the May 11, 2017 print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)