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Updates on Park County Permit Process

 

Dirty Santa - Apo 2014
Photo by Dirty Santa

 

2/18/2015

In regards to the permitting process, there have been a lot of markups on the proposed regulations. Some of these changes have benefited us and some of them have not. We will be going to the next public comment period to get greater clarity on these changes.


2/11/2015

As you may know, the permit process for events in Park County is currently being re-evaluated, and some vocal opponents are working to impose excessive restrictions on large events. We have an update from Michael Moss, our current Apogaea president. He attended a public meeting with the Park County Planning commission today.  Here are his comments after the meeting:

Today’s meeting of the Park County Planning Commission was quite the event. Sadly though most of the folks in the room are of the mindset that Park County is not the place for events like Apogaea.

With that said, I made a case for what we feel appropriate regulations should be for Special Events in Park County.  The next step is for the Planning Commission to have a work session to look at the regulations and make changes in light of the comments they have received. I will be at that meeting on Tuesday morning and then I will go up again on Thursday to make comments in front of the County Commissioners.

If you are a resident or property owner in Park County and support the mission of Apogaea, please contact me at [email protected] so we can get you lined up to support appropriate regulations for special events in Park County.


1/8/2015

Due to a number of factors, Park County decided this fall to put a halt to approving future event permits until the permitting requirements can be discussed and re-evaluated.  Our Board of Directors, land owner, and Public Outreach Department have attended several “stakeholder meetings,” in which a few vocal residents have suggested restrictions that wouldn’t work for Apogaea.  Now that the process is in the review period, we are writing letters to the agencies that will be crafting the final permit requirements.  This letter was sent out in early December by the Apogaea Board of Directors.  It addresses some of the specific issues that have been brought up by those who are suggesting tighter restrictions. Our land owner is also writing letters to the appropriate agencies.

One black eye that Apogaea incurred in 2014 was a number of unpaid ambulance trips.  Park County had to absorb several thousand dollars because some of our participants needed a trip in the ambulance, but they (or their insurance) did not pay for those services. One improvement our community can work towards is a reduction in the need for ambulance trips. Play safe and smart, and keep an eye out that your friends and neighbors are also being smart and self-reliant.  Don’t be afraid to speak up if you observe a medical situation in the making.

The good news is that compared to other large events that are held in Park County, Apogaea is doing it right.  We have a much smaller negative impact on local community resources than other large events, we give a significant amount of money to local charity and emergency services, we have the full support of our land owner, and we have a great relationship with the local fire and sheriff’s departments.  With all of this in mind, we have high hopes that the final outcome will be a permitting process that will work for us.

What can you do to help during this process?  At the moment, nothing.  We have done everything we can so far, and we will continue to represent Apogaea’s interests as the process winds its way through the review process.  Assuming that we do get the permit and Apogaea is again held on Fhloston Peak in 2015, there are a few things you can do to assure that we continue to stay in good favor with the County and can continue to hold our event there as long as it works for our needs

  • Drive courteously, obey all traffic regulations, and don’t cause obstruction on public roads. Don’t drive in or out of the event while intoxicated.
  • Support the local economy.  Buy last minute supplies in Bailey, charm the pants off the clerk, and tell them you’re an Apogaean!
  • Keep your eyes and ears open for other suitable locations for our event.  Even if we are able to continue to hold Apogaea at Fhloston Peak, there will come a day when we outgrow our venue.

That’s all the news on the permitting process for now.  Although the County originally hoped to have a new process in place by January, it looks like the process will get pushed out.  We will keep you informed as things solidify.

Thank you Apogaea Family!

Your faithful Board of Directors