Meeting Attendees

An Attendance Roster was not circulated.  It is estimated that over 100 Association members were present.

The following is a summary of the interactions, comments and items discussed. While this summary is not intended to represent a complete or comprehensive account of the meeting, it is intended to reflect the salient points raised and issues for further consideration. Should the attendees believe that anything might be misrepresented or misleading, please bring this to the attention of Brian Varrella, CASFM Secretary.

1)       Call to Order

David Mallory called the meeting to order. A quorum of officers and regional representatives was present.  

2)       Secretary’s Report

The General Meeting minutes for the July 9, 2010 at Snowmass were distributed and reviewed. The minutes were approved by a motion and vote.   

3)       Confirmation of 2010-2011 Officers and Regional Representatives – as introduced at Wednesday afternoon lunch on Sept. 22, 2010

Chair – David Mallory, Urban Drainage and Flood Control District
Vice Chair – Dave Bennetts, Urban Drainage and Flood Control District
Secretary – Brian Varrella, City of Fort Collins
Treasurer – Deb Ohlinger, Olsson Associates

NE Region Representative – Basil Hamdan, City of Fort Collins
NW Region Representative – Betsy Suerth, Garfield County
SE Region Representative – Michael Augenstein, Pikes Peak Regional Building Department
SW Region Representative – vacant
Metro Region Representative – Robert Krehbiel, Matrix Design Group

4)       Treasurer’s Report

Account balances and expenditures were reviewed.  Savings account holds $21,023.59 and the checking account holds $96,737.87. The 2010 budget shows expenses of $153,175 and revenue of $125,500, with actual expenses of $28,467.78 and revenue of $92,261.58 so far this year, but that will change dramatically once conference expenses are paid.  The Treasurer’s report was approved by a motion and vote.

5)       Regional Representatives’ Reports

a)    Denver Metro – There have been three metro socials this year. In February, Rick McLaughlin spoke on the restoration of the Falls of the Chattahoochee River, held at Dixons downtown. In April, Julie Ash spoke on the Eagle River restoration, held at CB Potts in Westminster.  In June, Jim Nikkel, Assistant District Manager of Parker Water & Sanitation District, lead a field tour of the Reuter-Hess Reservoir large expansion project, then, the group went to Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in South Denver.

b)    Northeast – Basil Hamdan had no report.  

c)    Southeast – Liz Staten had no report.

d)    Northwest – Rick Dorris had no report.

e)    Southwest – Victoria Schmitt had no report.

6)       Committee Reports

a)    Floodplain/CFM – Kallie Bauer conducted the CFM training course at the annual conference.  She reported that approximately 30 members took the CFM at this year’s conference. As of the meeting date, Colorado has 356 CFM’s according to the list on the ASFPM website. 12 Continuing Education Credits are already approved for the conference to maintain CFM certification. 142 Conference Attendees have identified themselves as CFM’s and have asked their names to be submitted to ASFPM for CEC’s.  The Floodplain Committee held a discussion this last year on non-levee embankments. CASFM sent letter to ASFPM regarding non-levee embankments. The letter is posted on the CASFM website.

b)    Stormwater Quality – Holly Piza reported on the field trip held June 24, 2010. They toured the High Plains Environmental Center in Loveland, two green roofs at Denver Botanic Gardens, the CDOT construction BMP training facility, and the Highland Bridge Lofts rain garden.

c)    Outreach – Ken Cecil reported that there are 4 people on the committee. The Colorado Municipal League (CML) was held June 22-25 in Breckenridge. CASFM was a bronze level sponsorship at a cost of $700. Ken Cecil, Holly Piza and David Mallory attended the conference to get the word out to communities about CASFM. The committee presented on “Stormwater 101” and “Floodplain Management”. The goal in 2011 is to have a greater presence at CML and host a session. They welcome additional committee members.

d)    Scholarship – Shea Thomas reported there are now 7 members on the Scholarship committee. The committee members will each target different colleges and universities to get the word out about the scholarships. Their goal is to receive applications from more of the schools around the State.  Jeff Cheng, Liz Staten, Danny Elsner and Nancy Love will help spread the word to the different schools. The scholarship process will start in January. Applications will be received in March.

e)    Membership – David Mallory noted that there are approximately 700 CASFM members.

f)     Training – CASFM held a “Bar Stool” training series on Professional Liability, presented by Ed Thomas, Esq., Michael Baker, at Dixons Downtown Grill on July 8.

g)    Website – Stuart Gardner was present, but was saving his voice for the Banquet dinner. He was present, but remained silent.

h)    Community Rating System – Brian Varrella reported that there are Continuing Education Credits (CEC’s) for CRS trainings. The CRS Committee is meeting every 2 months.  They sent a letter to the CRS Task Force providing good feedback. Brian reported on behalf of the committee that the next set of workshops will be in November for Hazard Mitigation Plans and will also include opportunities on the West Slope. Right now, few communities are getting CRS credit, and they are not familiar how to get credit. The committee is considering adding the CRS training at the next CML conference presentation. Ft. Collins is a Class 4 community for CRS and Arvada recently became a Class 5 community. There are very few across the nation with that quality of a rating. It shows a good effort for Colorado.

i)      Annual Conference – Robert Krehbiel reported CASFM is hosting the 2011 conference in Snowmass again. The conference will be held later than usual on September 27-30 due to hotel space availability and to avoid conflicting with the APWA conference which will be held Sept 18-21 in Denver.

7)       Newsletter

Dave Bennetts sends out 2 newsletters per year. He gathers articles from the committee chairs and regional representatives. He has worked with ASFPM to share articles of national interest.

8)       Other Business

Dave Bennetts reported that General Liability, along with Directors & Officers insurance, is highly recommended for CASFM. Non-profit organizations need basic coverage which costs approximately $1500-$2000/year. Dave will take the lead to get it in place for next year.

CASFM will be submitting a bid for hosting ASFPM State Flood Policy Forum. Approximately 60-100 people will be attending. At the last session held in Washington DC, Bill DeGroot was invited to attend. Bids are due October 1. The Natural Hazards Center is supporting the bid and has offered their facilities free of charge. The general membership generally supports the bid. Hosting the forum is a prestigious event for Colorado. A unanimous resolution was passed to support the bid.

APWA Congress will be held in Denver 3^rd week in September. CASFM is going to host the Water Summit, an 8-hour workshop. Members that would like to help organize the event should notify CASFM. It is anticipated that CASFM will form a separate committee for this event. This is a big initiative for Colorado.

There was a discussion of the status of the new CWCB floodplain regulations. The rule making hearing will be held November 15 at the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District office in Berthoud (220 Water Ave.). The CWCB is filing with the State to be on the register. More information will follow at a later date.

CASFM is generally against ballot initiatives 60, 61 and 101. Per the bylaws, CASFM needs to be careful to about displaying political support.