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Economic flood recovery progressing two years…
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Economic flood recovery progressing two years later
Sen. Cory Gardner, second from left, meets with, from left, Town Administrator Frank Lancaster, Mayor Bill Pinkham, Larimer County Commissioner Tom Donnelly, State Senator Kevin Lundberg and others to discuss ongoing flood recovery efforts.
Trail Gazette photo
Volunteers help each other across fast-moving water on Elkhorn Avenue during the September 2013 flood.
Trail-Gazette photo
Water floods the intersection of Elkhorn and Moraine Avenue Sept. 13, 2013 in downtown Estes Park.
By Jon Nicholas and Estes Park Economic Development Corporation |
It has been two years since the catastrophic Colorado floods of 2013. The outstanding visitation and tax revenue numbers from this summer suggest that most guests could not guess that the recovery is ongoing.
We've come a long way in those two years, but much work remains.
Leadership is one key to our success. All of us should remember that in 2013, we needed extensive help from Gov. John Hickenlooper concerning road restoration. Gov. Hickenlooper quickly announced that all highways to Estes Park (and across the state) would be restored to driving by Dec. 1, 2013.
By Oct. 23 that year, 77 percent of state highways had been reopened. Highway 34 was the last piece restored, on Nov. 21, just before the deadline.
Last Friday, U.S. Senator Cory Gardner met with town and county officials to discuss the status of infrastructure recovery in the Estes Park region. The discussion first covered concerns about an expanded flood plain downtown. Just this past weekend, news stories characterized the 2013 floods as a "less than 100-year" probability, suggesting that flood plain expansion should be a major concern statewide.
The impact in places like downtown Estes Park and Lyons will be substantial, as flood insurance premiums could skyrocket for some businesses.
In addition, Larimer County Commissioner Tom Donnelly announced to Glen Haven residents that $2 million in federal money is being allocated for restoration of bridges and roads in Larimer County.
Under existing federal regulations, money could not be allocated to privately owned roads or bridges that exist in much of rural Larimer County. The presence of second homes in many of these areas was also a barrier to obtaining any federal assistance. Cooperation among our Congressional delegation and Larimer County officials was necessary to obtain an exception to federal rules, which were not designed with our region in mind.
Cooperation has been another key to getting us back on track. No one person or organization can take all the credit. For example, the Fish Creek Road restoration requires cooperation among the town, county, Upper Thompson Sanitation District and Estes Valley Recreation and Park District. The United Way created a unique fund that delivered over $1 million in grants to local businesses for flood recovery. Mountain Strong for Nonprofits evolved from community members who banded together to help their neighbors. Crossroads Ministries received and distributed substantial assistance.
The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado provided grant monies to a host of local recovery efforts, including a grant to Estes Park EDC and the Town of Estes Park for a flood recovery coordinator. Through that program, Estes Park EDC assisted over 50 businesses in successfully obtaining $1.9 million in Recover Colorado business grants.
Our dedicated staffing and partnership with Larimer SBDC greatly benefited local businesses. As of this summer, over 60 percent of the statewide Recover Colorado grants had come to Estes Park, Glen Haven, Drake and southwest Larimer County.
For Estes Park EDC, assisting local businesses is always a top priority, but this was just the first step. The recent completion of the NEO Fiber Consulting plan for competitive broadband is a major step toward addressing both the cost and speed of local Internet services. Assuming the plan goes forward, it will greatly benefit both our residents and guests, our existing businesses and businesses to come.
Finding long-term resources for resiliency is another key. Two weeks ago, we received good news. After receiving an application from Larimer County, the Colorado Economic Development Commission accepted Southwest Larimer County as an Enterprise Zone. Thus provides local businesses with the opportunity to obtain a number of different tax credits designed to expand and support your business. We are an Enterprise Zone because census data revealed that Estes Park is lagging the state in population growth.
In 2013, we spoke about the 28 percent decline in 35 to 44 year old residents that occurred between the 2000 and 2010 Decennial Censuses. The 2012 Census data estimated that we have lost 46 percent of our 35 to 44 year olds since 2010. The loss of working age families can be attributed to less workforce housing availability and fewer year-round job opportunities compared to Front Range communities.
The flood has exacerbated such concerns, as demonstrated by the large number of job ads that continued to appear in July and August. The size of this population decline threatens funding for our schools, due to long-term declines in enrollment.
Later this fall, Avalanche Consulting will meet with the Town Board to present a regional economic development strategy for the Estes Park region. There will also be public meetings to discuss the plan and its implementation. The plan combines the results of extensive community meetings and outreach earlier this year with the experience of a national consulting firm.
This summer has been a record year for tax revenues. Despite our successes, the recovery is ongoing. Long-term resiliency against future events is an important goal. With leadership and collaboration, we ensure we remain a vibrant, multi-generational community in the decades to come.
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Jon Nicholas
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