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Mark Igel - Town of Estes Park Trustee, Estes Park, CO (2026)

05/08/2026

Safety Fair is tomorrow-- Insider tip: The annual Safety Fair is a great opportunity to see the entire system of emergency responders and equipment in one place at one time- and its not a disaster. Free food is a bonus, but here's the insiders tip: At the safety fair, you will rub elbows with the Fire Chief, Chief of Police, EMS Director, Town Administrator, Head Ranger, maybe even elected Trustees -- and everyone on those teams who solve problems and come together in emergencies but tomorrow, it won't be an emergency. Plan a few extra minutes for a conversation with a paramedic, ranger, firefighter or cop and get the inside scoop on what they do.

I am always impressed at how seamlessly all of the groups involved with public service work together in our community. Most of these folks know each other by name across different fields and expertise. I'll bet that you will leave reassured and with a better sense of how fortunate we are in the Estes Valley to have such a skilled "Safety Team" that runs toward the problem together, while most people head the other way.

Tomorrow, 10am to 2pm at the Estes Park Events Center/Fairgrounds, see you there!

Town of Estes Park Colorado

05/06/2026

Tomorrow morning, join Police Chief Stewart for his presentation about emergency evacuation in our community. It's something your family should discuss before you receive an evacuation notice.

05/05/2026

Small Business Week is May 3-9, and more! This "week" hits home for me...

If you’ve ever tried to run into the store in Estes Park for “just one thing,” you already know two truths:

1. You will absolutely run into three people you know, and
2. You were surprised to find a product or service from a small businesses in town you didn't know about

That second part matters more than we sometimes realize.
As both an elected trustee and a business owner, I get a front-row seat to what keeps this town humming, and spoiler alert: it’s not just the elk traffic jams or the world-class scenery. It’s often our small, family-owned businesses.

Why Small Businesses Matter (Beyond Snacks, Widgets and Emergency Sweatshirts)

Small businesses here aren’t just storefronts. They are livelihoods, legacies, and in many cases, multi-generational family efforts. Small businesses sponsor your kid’s team, donate to local fundraisers, and somehow remember your usual order even when you don’t. Economically, they are also the backbone of our community. Local organizations like the Estes Chamber of Commerce exist specifically to strengthen that backbone and connect businesses, foster learning, and helping ensure Estes Park remains a place where people can live, work, and play (and occasionally nap after a busy summer shift). If we are honest: without small businesses, we’re just a really pretty place with nowhere to buy coffee. That's not a terrible dream, but without small business, our community would be different.

Yes, Local Government Actually Does Things (Besides Meetings)

I know “government services” doesn’t sound exciting. But behind the scenes, there’s real effort happening to support our business community. For example, the Town requires business licensing, not to make life difficult, but to ensure a fair, organized marketplace where everyone plays by the same rules and contributes to the local economy. The Town also tracks economic trends through tools like the economic dashboard, giving businesses real data to make smarter decisions and stay resilient in a seasonal economy.
Through partnerships with programs like the Estes Park Economic Development Corporation’s BASE program, entrepreneurs get hands-on support, mentorship, and strategic planning to grow and succeed right here in the valley. In short: we’re not just cheering from the sidelines, we’re trying to keep the field nice.

A Friendly Reminder from Your Taxpayer Advocate (me)

It is simple: every dollar spent locally circulates right back into our community. It supports jobs, keeps storefronts filled, and helps fund the services we all rely on (roads, parks, snowplows that show up right after you shovel… thank you public works & parks department). Our local sales tax structure is one of the ways visitors contribute to maintaining this incredible place, helping ensure the burden doesn’t fall solely on residents. That’s a win for taxpayers, and a reason to keep our local economy thriving by buying locally, and recommending others do too.

What You Can Do (No Grand Gesture Required)

You don’t need to launch a campaign or buy a second home (please don’t, housing is already… a topic). Here are small, meaningful ways to help:

--Choose a local shop before clicking “add to cart”
--Leave a positive review for a business you love
--Tip well for good service, especially during peak season chaos
--Recommend your favorite spots to visitors (we are all unofficial tour guides)
--Be patient, and good hosts- summer is basically our version of the Olympics

If you’re visiting? Welcome. Seriously. We’re glad you’re here. Just remember: behind every shop door is a local family trying to make a living in a mountain town that’s equal parts magical and mildly unpredictable.

Final Thought (With a Smile)

Estes Park doesn’t work without its small businesses. They’re the reason this town feels like a community instead of a postcard. So the next time you’re debating between “quick online order” and “wandering into a local shop,” choose the one where someone might recognize your familiar face, and with your purchase, insure that business will be there the next time you need them. Thank you. It’s good for our community's soul. And the economy.

"Happy Small Business Week", Estes Park. I love living here.

Picture: Downtown hustle and bustle in the 1930s. Small business has always been part of making Estes Park nice for residents, and visitors.

Town of Estes Park Colorado "Economic Dashboard" I mentioned in the article: https://estespark.colorado.gov/dashboard

04/21/2026

Trustee talk is this Thursday 4/23 at 10:30am, at the Senior Center, located at 1760 Olympian Lane. I will spend an hour with Mayor Hall in an informal conversation about local issues, and I understand there may be light snacks. Open to all, this is a great opportunity to step inside the Senior Center and see what they are up to. Looking forward to chatting with you Thursday morning!

Town of Estes Park Colorado

04/21/2026

Yesterday I attended the swearing-in ceremony at the Estes Valley Fire Protection District as they officially pinned a badge on their new Division Chief of Operations and Training, Justin Kearney. Justin has been a volunteer member of the district for 19 and a half years, and town of Estes Park Street supervisor for 16. It was a pleasure to stand with other Town of Estes Park Colorado staff to lend support in Justin's new role serving the community in a different capacity. Justin was well known for his no nonsense manner of solving challenges at the town and brings a wealth of experience and relationships to the fire district. I have served the fire district as a volunteer since 1990 and have experienced cycles of challenges and successes, and there was no denying the positive energy at yesterday's ceremony. Looking forward to Justin's leadership in the new role. Congratulations are in order for justin, and the Estes Valley Fire Protection District .

In the second photo, Justin's parents Mike and Laura pin collar brass on his uniform, all the while making jokes about sharp objects around his neck. They were successful in the end, with a little encouragement from their son, and chief.

04/15/2026

Meeting update from my perspective at the Town Board Study Session and Regular Meeting for April 14th, 2026.

You can watch any meeting live, or watch the recordings posted on the “live” page here:

https://www.youtube.com//streams

Planning director Careccia presented information about murals and signs, and recent cases in Estes which have incorporated commercial aspects or text which marketed the business in the context of an artistic mural. The current code language creates difficulty for Town staff interpreting what is a sign and what was art, so the board discussed the issue and the director will return with suggestions based on the conversation. One of the takeaways is that the name of the business should not appear in the mural. No changes are planned until a court case (not related to Estes Park) regarding a similar issue makes its way through the Federal Courts, which would likely set the tone for how to address these matters.

Next item originated from a request by a business owner to make an exception to zoning downtown in order to allow his business, renting Autocycles, to operate this year. The request was raised by a trustee at the request of the business owner, but was generally not supported after a conversation that covered concerns about the density and traffic in the downtown area, among others. The request will not be taken up formally for action by the board, and the board felt that the business owner could find a location in a properly zoned part of town to operate the rental business.

I requested that the board consider adding a study session item to discuss matters with the Housing Authority including moving administrative offices into the Skyview wedding venue, and the recent rejection by the Housing Authority board to an offer to purchase essentially the upper part of Fall River Village. My request was simply to add the item to the agenda so we could have the conversation, but a conversation ensued anyway. In the end there was enough support to add the item to an upcoming study session, and it should be an interesting discussion about the use of public funds. Tentatively this will occur in early June.

Moving into the regular meeting at 7:00 p.m. we sang Happy Birthday to trustee Marie Cenac, who is term limited and tonight was her last full meeting. She will attend a few minutes of the next meeting as the transition to newly elected trustees takes place.

There were no high controversy issues on tonight's agenda. We heard from the Estes Arts District on past efforts and future plans, with many of the board in attendance. Two liquor license applications were presented, one a transfer for Sweet Basilico Cafe, the other a new license, as the prior license in the same location expired last December, for Sole Rooftop Cantina, which will be above the courtyard shops. Both license applications were approved.

Next was a resolution for supplemental budget appropriations for the 2026 budget. It was approved without much conversation, but quite a lot of documentation in our packet if you're interested in reviewing all of the changes.

You might remember a hot topic several months ago with regard to postal carrier vehicles parking during the day and overnight in the post office lot and remotely at the Museum on 4th Street for overnight vehicle storage. In an attempt to ease the burden on the distance to the museum from the post office, transportation and parking manager Klein proposed substituting the Davis parking lot for the Museum parking lot. The Davis lot is located on Moraine, across the street from Snowy Peaks Winery, and after discussion it was approved to include both parking lots as an option for the business parking permit: commercial loading.

Water department project manager Wesley proposed amending an agreement with Kimley-Horn, for professional services regarding the mall Road water line project. The initial contract was $331,000, there was a prior amendment for an additional $71,000, with tonight's proposed amendment for + $86,000. I asked about the initial cost being accurate in this and other bids for projects, related to making decisions based on the first proposal in my mind, versus amendments and changes that often seem to be added. I get a sense that we need to anticipate changes or get better estimates when making decisions based on cost although I was advised by project manager Wesley that these changes were due to outside influence and requirements by the Bureau of Reclamation or state that could not have been anticipated. She also said that the bid award was not based on price initially but on qualifications.

Museum Director Fortini made a presentation on the past year and future plans for the museum and funding, and it sounds like things are going well there. A couple of things stood out in his presentation, that their hours are consistent year-round Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 to 4:00. He also commented that the Estes Park Museum was regarded as one of the best facilities in the region, and recognized that volunteers who support the museum are a large part of that success.

Finally there was a conversation about funding Salud Clinic with Town resources including options like adding a sales tax or using other committed funding. The consensus I gathered was that there was no available funding and it was unlikely that the town would ask for additional funding from the community through a tax to support Salud. A couple of Trustees gave detailed perspectives before we adjourned the meeting at a reasonable hour.

I have received a lot of input from constituents over the last few weeks on issues on their minds, and I appreciate those comments, as they help me see issues more clearly and add to the discussion, although it feels like time moves slowly doing business as a Trustee. Thanks for staying engaged!

Town of Estes Park Colorado

Image shows part of the path of the upcoming water main that will connect water lines between Hwy 34 and 36 via Mall Road, including a couple of tricky crossings of the Big Thompson River and a Bureau of Reclamation tunnel that requires hand digging.

One small addition:
the public comment policy has been revised such that there is a Monday 4pm deadline for written comment to be included in the final board meeting packet. The purpose of this deadline is to ensure trustees have sufficient time to review the packet prior to the next day’s board meeting.

This deadline applies to written comments in whatever form they arrive at the Town Clerk’s office (online form, email to the Town Clerk’s office, or forwarded to the Town Clerk for inclusion in the packet by an individual trustee).

04/08/2026

Unofficial results are in from the town clerk's office, here are the numbers from the town elections page. Keep in mind these are subject to change as the final vote will not be official until April 17th. Check out the Town of Estes Park Colorado page for additional information. Congratulations to the newly elected Trustees Bill Brown, Chris Eshelman, Jamie Mieras and Kirby Hazelton!

04/07/2026

I have a confession to make, I'm not sure where my original ballot is. I just got a replacement in order to cast my vote in today's municipal trustee election. I admit that in order to encourage you to participate if you might be in the same situation. I realize the importance of elections, but I didn't want to mail it in- I wanted to vote on Election Day by dropping off my ballot in person.

Good news, if you have not voted and can't find your ballot, a quick stop at the town clerk's office will get you a replacement ballot and you can have a voice in this election. Ballots are being processed at this moment, and counting will begin shortly, although only about 25% of eligible voters have cast their vote.

I have always wondered about, but I have never seen the process to handle ballots, so I registered as a poll watcher today and dropped in to see the election judges in action, this is what I saw. (You can observe too, stop by the clerk's office)

Ballots are collected from the outdoor ballot box in front of town hall as shown in the picture, and the ballot box in the town clerk's office, which are the only two locations you can hand deliver your ballot. From here, two election judges collect then deliver ballots to the processing room.

Here, eight community members serve as election judges and are positioned to process ballots in three steps:

1. Unopened envelopes with the voters signature are compared with signatures on file with the state to verify authenticity. In the event there's a discrepancy this ballot may be pulled out of ballots to be counted, and a letter is sent to the voter with an affidavit to confirm they voted and the signature is theirs. There's a limited time to respond and confirm the accuracy if that's the case. I understand this does not happen very often. If the signature is verified by the two election judges at this station it moves on to the opening station, I'm sure there's an official name for this that I don't remember.

2. At the opening station, staffed by four election judges, envelopes are slit open and ballots are separated after inspecting for any physical damage that might not pass through the electronic counting machine. In the event a ballot is damaged or marked incorrectly there is a process that involves several people and documentation to duplicate a ballot. That process invalidates the illegible one and submits the duplicated ballot, In order to register the voters intention. In groups of 25 ballots at a time they move on to the next stage, counting.

3. At the counting station, two election judges pass the ballot through an electronic machine that counts and tallies votes. The number of votes cast for any particular issue or candidate is not known to any of the election judges immediately, since the final results appear when a report is run after all ballots have been processed. So there is no running tally of who is winning or losing- I always wondered about this part. When I visited just a few minutes ago, the counting station was running their test batch to again confirm that the machine was doing its job accurately, this was at least the second test of the system using a control batch of ballots.

After all of the ballots have been processed and counted and the report has been run, the election official will confirm results with all of the election judges and she will contact candidates to provide results prior to releasing this information to the public. The public announcement is posted at Town Hall on paper in the window, and on the website: estes.org/elections.

The election official, town clerk Jackie Williamson, told me that if there wasn't a dramatic surge in ballots, that is people like myself waiting until election day, results would be available shortly after 7:00 p.m., when the window to vote closes.

Unfortunately, Jackie also indicated this was the lowest turnout she remembered in a municipal election and we contemplated reasons this might be happening, but that seems to be a complicated formula as to why voter turnout is big or small.

I hope that reading this will encourage you to exercise your responsibility to vote in this election and contribute to choosing four representatives that will join the town board made up of seven community members.

If you can't find your ballot, head for town hall right now and get that duplicate ballot to vote today! Ballots are due by 7:00 p.m.

I look forward to working with any of the six candidates who are selected in today's election.

04/02/2026

Today at 4:00 p.m., drop in to hear from the folks who answer your 911 calls as well as manage all non-emergency assignments behind the scenes.

03/25/2026

Meeting update from my perspective at the Town Board Study Session and Regular Meeting for March 24th, 2026.

You can watch any meeting live, or watch the recordings posted on the “live” page here:
https://www.youtube.com//streams

Last night as I packed my things up at the end of the meeting I was contacted by a couple of locals questioning my voting position during the meeting tonight (silver lining, people do watch the meetings). Sure enough, the prediction I heard when I began this trustee term two years ago, that half the people would love me and half the people would hate me has not come completely true but it has stimulated some frank conversations about how I vote to represent people in the community. Both people shared strong concern about the influence and prevalence of alcohol in Estes Park, as we held two public hearings for new liquor licenses - that were both granted. On the first application I was the sole vote against approval, and that was based on the understanding I have of approving a new license that asks for some evidence of a need for a new liquor license to serve the desires of the adult residents in the affected area, which in this case was a little over three mile radius from the center of East Elkhorn. This applicant, called the Estes Perk, is located on the ground level of the Park Place Mall and will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. or so, functioning as a coffee shop and a quiet place to enjoy a glass of wine and quiet conversation with a friend in a small space. It's not a restaurant or a bar, and in my mind this is a new and different approach to selling alcohol that the town board has not discussed previously. The second application was for the business you know as Mary Janes, which I thought was a clothing store and it caught my attention with their application to serve beer and wine. I voted to support this license after a question and answer session with the applicant, learning more about their plan and experience and commitment to enforcing a limited sales and service area in the back of the business including a small patio overlooking the river. In the presentation, the applicants indicated you would not be able to buy a glass of wine while you shopped throughout the store, consumption will be limited to their 400 sq ft service area. I wondered out loud, regarding any new application, about the process of determining the community desire for an additional liquor license. I believe that we need to refine this process to provide that information clearly to the trustees making decisions like this. I asked the town clerk whether any retail business could apply for a liquor license, and my concern about the precedent we may set. In conversation the mayor accurately described the process as an individual consideration for each license and approving one license did not mean another license application would automatically be approved. That having been said, Trustee Lancaster described the current process for approving licenses as routine and generally without a lot of questions, and he agreed that we should spend sometime defining that process. Take a look at the meeting video to get all of the details, or I'm happy to elaborate in person.

This is volunteer month in Estes Park and we recognized almost 300 volunteers who provide nearly a million dollars in labor to the town through their service. I highlighted some accomplishments of the police auxiliary who I am the board liaison for, including Bill Bradford as the auxiliary volunteer of the year and David White, who received a service pin for 10,000 hours of service. Volunteers make this community what it is whether in service to the town or any of the organizations in our community. If you volunteer in Estes Park, thank you!

The finance director made a presentation about sales tax and the board discussed exempting some feminine hygeine products and diapers beginning in July, as well as reviewed some of the other exemptions that the state would allow not taxing. The second topic on the issue of sales tax has to do with the vendor fee permitted to merchants who collect and remit sales tax to the state, county, and town. Recently the state and county eliminated that small deduction for merchants, and the town finance director recommended not eliminating the service fee for Town sales tax, which was a smart gesture to show support for local business in my opinion. The vendor service fee is a deduction that is taken from sales tax to be remitted to the town if made on time in full. Customers will not notice a difference, but merchants will appreciate this decision.

Annexation came up with regard to enclaves, which are parcels of land still in the county, and are surrounded on all sides by the town of Estes Park. There is a state provision that enclaves can be annexed by the town after 3 years if they are entirely surrounded, which the town is considering for two areas including a segment of properties along Highway 7 between Pawnee, and Mary's Lake Road. 15 Parcels would be affected. The second enclave identified last night is on Fall River Road, around the Fawn Valley Inn which was formerly a hotel accommodation property and is now individually owned. I recognize the need for early, proactive communication on issues like this which was the general consensus of the board to reach out to the affected properties and encourage affected property owners to participate in the conversation. The proposal and parcel maps are available in the packet from last night's meeting as well as by watching the video recording.

Trustees heard a presentation from a developer who owns property north of the Stanley Hotel that has preliminary approval for their development and was seeking final approval which was granted, despite some opposition shared by adjacent property owners. This area is governed by the Stanley Historic District Master Plan, which has different rules and guidelines than other areas in the town. The developer also indicated that there is pending litigation initiated by the adjacent Property Owners Association that names the town as a defendant along with the developer who presented last night. Details on the recording.

We discussed naming the land formerly occupied by The Donut Haus, now a roundabout and adjacent park like property that was created during the construction of the loop. Since this is a new piece of land and now park, I objected in process to this being a renaming, and I characterize it as naming, which is a different process all together, in the way that the land is named. Despite that objection to the way the process was handled, trustees voted to approve the request and it will be known as Monteverde Park. There will be a sign erected to describe the relationship between the two sister cities. I think it will be a nice connection, I wish the process would have followed the guideline we have published to eliminate any future concern about the way new park names are handled.

At the end of the meeting town clerk Williamson presented an annual report on short-term rental statistics which were interesting to see a trend that shows str's increasing in accommodation zone areas, and numbers staying the same in residential areas- which are limited by a cap. I have heard considerable input from residents that do not want str's in residential areas and I raised the prospect of reducing the cap on strs. Since this was a report item not an action item we will likely be discussing this in the near future. The current number of str's in the Town and County is around 575 for the Estes Valley.

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention Trustee Cindy Younglund's last meeting, capping 6 years of service to the community as a trustee. She announced her resignation effective at the March 24th meeting for family priorities. Her position is one of the four that will be elected in the April 7th municipal election. Eligible voters should already have a ballot mailed to them, due back by election day. If you haven't already voted please do! This is your opportunity to choose who represents you in the decision making process for our community. I am in the middle of a four-year term so you're stuck with my questions and perspective for two more years as I hope stimulate discussion which leads to good decisions for our community.

Another late night, finished up after 10, so thanks for staying engaged and please stay in touch with me on issues that are important to you.

Town of Estes Park Colorado

Mark Igel - Town of Estes Park Trustee

05/08/2026

05/06/2026

05/05/2026

04/21/2026

04/21/2026

04/15/2026

04/08/2026

04/07/2026

04/02/2026

03/25/2026

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