by Ruth Stodghill
TRINIDAD — It was a little bit of this, a little bit of that at a Dec. 11 Trinidad City Council work session, with council members and staff discussing a wide range of upcoming projects and tweaks to city government.
Marijuana business relief efforts
In order to support the struggling local marijuana industry, the council was also presented with a draft ordinance to suspend late fees on sales tax filings by marijuana shops. Currently, marijuana businesses collect a 5% sales tax on marijuana sales, which they remit directly to the city of Trinidad by the 20th of each month, with a hefty late fee imposed for those who miss the deadline. The proposed ordinance would suspend the fee effective on sales from November 2023 thru June 2024.
Another proposed change to support local marijuana businesses was to reduce renewal fees from November 2023 thru the end of 2024 from $1000 to $500.
A somewhat controversial idea that was floated during the work session would be for the city to allow a “420 party” to be held at a secluded location, such as the city’s golf course, where open consumption would be allowed. The economic driver behind the party would be that the event would be a way for vendors to connect consumers with local marijuana businesses. City attorney Les Downs suggested that during the winter, the city could approve a “Halfway to 420” party on Feb. 10, hosted at Space to Create, with much more limits with respect to open consumption. Typically, businesses see an uptick for three to four weeks after party events due to the coupons distributed by vendors. Similar parties are held in Pueblo, Durango, and Boulder.
Much discussion was given to the concept of social use clubs and hospitality as a way to pump life back into Trinidad’s cannabis industry, which has taken quite the hit since cannabis sales were legalized in New Mexico. “I think if we were to do anything in this city that would increase tourism, it would be social use lounges. It would be cannabis tourism,” said Jason Brohard of Strawberry Fields.
Exit 14 discussion with CDOT
First up, the council heard from Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) representatives Jennifer Sparks, Laurel Jones, and Daniel Lucero about a project to update Exit 14 on I-25. CDOT earmarked $5 million for the project based off of a traffic study of the various exits along I-25 in Trinidad.
According to Sparks, the renovated Exit 14 would eliminate the five-point intersection at this location by tying in the southbound ramp with the northbound. To facilitate the project, the city might need to consider purchasing the J&J building and the service station that are parallel to I-25. “The purchase of the properties that are contemplated at Exit 14 would be dependent on the needs of the reconfiguration as far as CDOT’s concerned,” said City Manager Steve Ruger.
“I feel this Exit 14 improvement project is imperative for the economic health of downtown Trinidad,” said council member and mayor-elect Karen Griego. “Trinidad’s invested a lot of money in the river walk project, which is maybe two blocks from Exit 14, and there’s the La Puerta project that is a tourist destination. However we do it, I think it’s imperative we get it done.”
“Another aspect why [Exit] 14 South is so important is because the original changes to Exit 14 North cut off a main artery from Pine Street to Commercial Street, and it seems like there’s people that are ready to revitalize that area, and I think improved Exit 14 South would help us,” said Griego.
The next steps in the process are for the city to purchase the needed properties and establish right-of-way access. CDOT will then complete the necessary surveys and models. The deadline for beginning construction on the project is 2026.
Committed funds discussion
As a budget refresher, Ruger presented a list of projects to which the city of Trinidad has committed funds, including $1.5 million earmarked for river walk improvements, $89,000 for the Exit 14 redesign, $1.25 for renovations of Central Park’s facilities, $1 million for water infrastructure projects, $941,000 for economic development land acquisition, $1 million for uncompensated absences, $300,000 for the Eagle Rock subdivision, $500,000 for fleet vehicle purchases, and $1 million for fire department vehicle purchases.
South Central Council of Governments updates
Brian Blasi, Executive Director of the South Central Council of Governments (SCCOG), gave an update to the council on several items and made a request for support. First, thanks to some excess federal grant funding, the organization is hiring a regional grant writer who can assist member governments, including Trinidad, pursue grant opportunities.
In conjunction with the Area Agency on Aging, SCCOG proposed the idea of taking over operations of the Trinidad senior center, thus enhancing seniors’ access to AAA services. An additional benefit of the change would be that seniors would no longer be charged an annual $20 membership fee. The current board would continue to be active in an advisory position, with SCCOG taking over on the operations side of the organization.
Arts Commission public art purchase
The Arts Commission gave an update on its latest project, which will be a whimsical seating installation designed by a local artist. The art piece is tentatively planned as an installation at either Cimino or Central Park, but can easily be moved to meet the needs of the city. The piece has been dubbed “Kissing Coons,” as it is designed to resemble two raccoons facing one another. The art installation is also ADA compliant.
Proposed ordinance changes
Ruger discussed a proposed overhaul of the city’s ordinances regarding procurement. “It’s not nearly detailed enough, it’s not nearly specific enough,” said Ruger. “In my opinion, there’s a lot of confusing terms in it. It talks about informal bids, which is not defined, versus formal bids, which is not defined.”
“We want to make sure as a courtesy to our fenders that they’re understanding our procurement process and that we are as well internally,” Ruger said.
