Huerfano County commissioners table resolution on Kachara Mountain Park after hours of public comment

Huerfano County commissioners on March 25 voted unanimously to table Resolution 25-16, an item that would affirm county control of Kachara Mountain Park and cancel earlier actions about returning the park to the Kachara Foundation. The board said it will seek clarifying information before taking further action.

The decision followed about two hours of public comment from residents, business owners and donors who urged commissioners to postpone any move that would enable a long-term commercial concessionaire to operate on the 50-acre park. Several speakers asked the board to either proceed more transparently or to complete last year’s directive to transfer the deed back to the Kachara Foundation.

Why it matters: The park is a long-running local recreation asset that draws skiers, hikers and community events. Residents and nonprofit leaders said the uncertainty about future management and the prospect of a long lease to a private operator would harm public access and local stewardship, and would limit Panadero Ski Corp’s (PSC) ability to secure grants and operate long-term.

Public concerns and requests Grant Monticelli, who identified his address, told commissioners he had asked them to "table any action items today" and criticized the county’s handling of RFP 2023-08, saying the solicitation closed Oct. 30, 2023, and that new notices were “disgusting” until the process is clarified. He warned of insufficient parking and of water constraints in the summer, saying, “In the summer around July 4, our water system is at max capacity.”

Jim Linfield, a long-time donor and volunteer at the park, said donors and volunteers had been "incensed to recently learn" the county was considering a private proposal (identified in public comment as from Buckhorn Ridge Outfitters). Linfield asked the board to give Panadero Ski Corp a long-term agreement and to stop “shopping” the park for a commercial operator while PSC continues to operate the site.

Several other speakers, including Jess Loveless, Aristotle Karas (representing Scott Brown Realty), Valerie Eisman and Annalie Hickey, urged the county to either return the park to the Kachara Foundation as voted last year or to give PSC a multi-year lease so it could pursue grants and stable operations. Concerns raised repeatedly included: proposed lease lengths (public comment referenced earlier proposals of 50 years or automatic-renewal language), numbers in a circulating business plan (speakers cited figures such as “25 tiny homes,” "4,280 winter nights" and tens of thousands of visitors), lack of public disclosure of updated proposals, limited parking capacity near the park, and the absence of water engineering (EQRs) and sewer infrastructure for expanded accommodations.

County response and staff context County Administrator Carl Young told the meeting that the county has not sold the park and that any proposal being discussed “is a proposal to bring to us. We don't even have all that yet.” He said the resolution under consideration is intended to clarify the county’s current stance and that if a proposal is later filed it will be brought back for public comment. Young also described the Huerfano County Asset Management Corporation (a county-owned entity) and said the corporation is being used to finance roof work on the park’s lower maintenance building as part of ongoing maintenance and grant-funded projects.

Board action A commissioner moved to table Resolution 25-16 to allow staff to compile clarifications about motions and votes from prior meetings and to provide the public with more detail. A second was made and the motion passed with recorded affirmative votes from the commissioners present.

What’s next Commissioners said they will collect and publish clarifying materials about last year’s motions, related grant conditions and the county’s options for lease terms. They intend to bring the matter back for further discussion after providing that information to the public. In the meantime, speakers and nonprofit leaders said they will continue to press for either a long-term agreement for PSC or the formal return of the deed to the Kachara Foundation.

Ending The board’s vote to table leaves the park’s status unsettled for now. Commissioners said additional public meetings and written clarifications will follow before the board resumes deliberations or votes on a final resolution.