Community leader urges reconciliation and shared management for Sky High Complex

Carla Shriver told the Monte Vista City Council that a reconciliation or restructure process is needed for the management of the Sky High Complex and urged the council to keep community voices involved in the facility’s leadership.

"I speak tonight in support of a reconciliation or restructure process related to the management of the Sky High Complex," Shriver said, identifying herself as someone deeply involved in the facility’s renovation and operations over many years.

Shriver told the council that much of the Sky High work was completed with community donations and grants and that the facility “has no debt to the city.” She outlined a history of improvements, saying that the north side of the grandstands and bucking shoots were replaced in 2009 and that larger grandstand replacement followed in 2010; she also said community partners helped fund the Westside Pavilion and the McMullen Building work circa 2013 and that the new multiuse building opened in February 2022.

Shriver urged the council to consider a formal advisory group and to replicate the collaborative hiring process that she said had worked previously for facility managers: "That collaborative approach built trust. It worked, and it should continue." She asked that selection of Sky High management remain a shared process among the city, Friends of Sky High and user groups if the council and staff cannot resolve issues internally.

City staff and council did not make a policy decision during the comments period; the meeting later included manager and staff reports about ongoing Sky High capital projects and federal grant compliance. Staff and the city manager noted work remains to finalize grant invoicing and federal Buy American requirements for generator, shower and RV site projects tied to Sky High.

Why it matters Sky High is a regional facility, the speaker said, used by groups across the San Luis Valley. Shriver framed her remarks as an attempt to preserve the community investment in the facility and to avert a return to earlier periods when trust and maintenance were concerns. The council received the comments during the public‑comment section and did not take immediate action.

Next steps noted by staff City staff reported they are continuing work with engineers and state fiscal agents to ensure federal grant requirements are met for Sky High improvements and that the city is coordinating with community partners on grant administration and project timelines.