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Latest update on Permit Process

photo by AnDrew Brislin
photo by AnDrew Brislin

Yesterday was the culmination of a very long process regarding the Outdoor Event Permit Process. The Board of County Commissioners ( BOCC) took over six hours of public comment around the event permit regulations. I think it was as hard on them as it was on me.

There were only two event producers at the meeting, myself and the producer of the Hundo. Our community also was represented by Kendall Theissen, our legal counsel and Eric Moutz representing Bart, our land owner. The rest of the room was filled with the vocal minority of Park County that really would like to see no events, outside of the events they like, in Park County. Just to back up just a bit, this is all precipitated by a few events in Park County that over taxed and disrespected the local community last year and it caused a County wide review of the special events permit process that is affecting Apogaea.

The BOCC listened to all of the comments both pro and con. Some comments were clear and concise and others were emotional based, especially around fire. I understand the fire component since Park County and Colorado in general have had to deal with so many devastating fires over the past decade. I was troubled by some of the claims and outlandish concerns that people were making but, luckily, the Assistant Fire Chief Joe had a moment at the podium and was able to get some real information on the table.

Joe spelled out how he goes about permitting our burn barrels and our effigy fire and that it is no different than how he handles a rancher wanting to burn a slash pile. He also explained the process that we and the fire department go through all the way up to the moment of lighting the match. His presentation made the BOCC feel more comfortable about the process that their professional Fire and Safety personnel have in place around special events and I hope will rely on these agencies instead of putting knee jerk specific regulations in place.

Eric, Kendall and I all spoke to differing points around the special event permit regulations. We fielded many questions regarding fires, adult behavior, noise, and cultural appropriateness, while we drove home points on non biased regulations, creating waivers and faster approval track for existing events in good standing, clarifying the noise regulations, and allowing for longer events than 48 hours.

So my take away is that we are still in a little bit of limbo about what the event is going to look like this year. We may need to make adjustments around sound, there may be additional medical services that are required as well as some law enforcement presence at the event this year. We have already made some adjustments to our burning policies, and with clear communication with the fire department, we hope to burn an effigy.

I am still confident that we will be able to get a permit for this years event but we may need to raise the bar about how we deal with sound, traffic, fire and safety services  I want Apogaea to be the highwater mark that every other event is held up to for years to come. We are an amazing group of people that create a very special place for a week in the woods, and yes that might scare people but we are the true shining light of the Burning Man culture.

I look forward to Apogaea 2015. This is one we will never, ever forget!

Gate opens in 110 days. Lets do this thing!

>>Click here for all previous permit process updates