The Parker town council unanimously approved several ordinances and resolutions for town improvements and updates on May 15. 

In continuing the effort to focus on residents’ mental health, the council approved two ordinances that will expand the Community Response Team in Parker. The first was the Douglas County ARPA Beneficiary Agreement. The American Rescue Plan is providing the town with $75,000 in funding to purchase a second vehicle for the Community Response Team.

Community response teams are used to provide assistance to law enforcement dealing with calls for people suffering from mental health issues. The teams consist of officers and qualified clinicians.

According to Town Attorney Kelsey Hall, the county already budgeted for the car and therefore will be acting as a revenue replacement. 

The county also received $167,880 from the Colorado Department of Criminal Justice to assign an officer - which has also been budgeted - to the new community response vehicle, said Hall. 

The council approved the Intergovernmental Agreement to expand the Community Response Team, which will last for one year. 

The funds include equipment, training and other costs. 

“When we get the second added,” said Chief of Police Jim Tsurapas. “We’ll have coverage seven days a week.”

Town council also readopted and renewed items for updates in the town. 

Parker has award-winning parks and recreation and in order to be re-accreditied once again by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CARPA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), town council approved a resolution to readopt the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan as part of the Parker 2035 Master Plan. 

The resolution includes minor text updates to the Town of Parker Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan 2018-2022 to remove the 2018-2022 date range on the cover to reflect relevancy and meet fundamental standards. 

With 120 elevators in the town, the council also approved a Memorandum of Agreement that will allow the town to continue inspection services for elevators and escalators in residential and commercial buildings. The agreement will be valid until June 30, 2028. 

In other business, the council approved an ordinance for an easement to the Parker Water and Sanitation District over town-owned property at Salisbury Park North. 

“This is a realignment of an existing sanitary easement, along with the realignment of the sanitary line itself,” said Michael Grabczyk, of the engineering and public works department. 

The 30-foot wide non-exclusive easement is necessary for the Parker Water and Sanitation District to accept the new line into their system and the existing easement will be vacated once the new easement and sanitary line are in place and operational, according to Grabczyk. 

Also concerning the Salisbury Park North area, the council approved the Salisbury Park North Development-Professional Services Agreement for Design with contractor Hord Coplan Macht in the amount of $3,249,457, which is appropriated in the 2023 Parks, Trails and Open Space fund. 

According to Brett Collins of the parks, recreation and open space department, the uses of the park may include amenities such as multi-purpose fields, play areas, picnic pavilions, restrooms,  landscape and irrigation. 

Another resolution was approved by the council to exempt certain real property known as the Kings Point Way Property from the Definition of Subdivision and Subdivided Land as contained in the town’s Land Development Ordinance. 

Located on the north of E470, east of Parker road and north of Cottonwood Drive, the exemption plat will plat a single right-of-way tract into three separate tracts, according to Amber Wood-Hicken of community development. 

As the town is completing the final design and easement acquisition for the North Parker Road Operational Improvements Project, the council approved a Purchase and Sales Agreement between the town and CST Metro, LLC.

By approving the agreement, the final land acquisitions necessary to accommodate the town’s North Parker Road Operational Improvements projects will be made as the project plans to widen the south side of Ponderosa Drive, west of Parker Road to improve the efficiency of the intersection. This will include an additional right-of-way for Ponderosa Drive over a stormwater detention pond tract. 

Temporary easements are proposed to be obtained over the same pond tract and a portion of the adjacent gas station property to allow for the work, said Alex Mestdagh of the engineering and public works department. 

Payment for the right-of-way and easements in the amount of $56,384 will come from appropriated funds for the capital project. 

In light of the heavy rains, Councilmember Laura Hefta thanked the public works. 

“I noticed that our hard working public works and engineering were out there filling in the potholes,” said Hefta.