Tuesday was a busy night for Granby\u2019s Board of Trustees as the board dug into a series of topics from the long awaited Moffat Road Railroad Museum to another discussion of the town\u2019s recent controversial mural project.<\/p>\n
Granby\u2019s Board of Trustees got down to business with a lengthy list of agenda items, including three discussion items that garnered significant talk amongst town officials and community members \u2014 the Moffat Road Railroad Museum, road safety measures in the Grand Elk subdivision and Granby\u2019s recently completed mural festival.<\/p>\n
GRAND ELK<\/strong><\/p>\n Granby\u2019s board approved a $17,294 supplemental appropriation request from the Grand Elk homeowners association. The funds will be used to purchase and install a series of roadway safety features within the neighborhoods of Grand Elk. The issue initially came before Granby\u2019s board late last summer after members of the Grand Elk HOA independently placed a speed bump on Thompson Road due to concerns about traffic and pedestrian safety.<\/p>\n Granby initially rebuffed the HOA and required the removal of the speed bump. Over the intervening months, Grand Elk\u2019s HOA has worked to develop a comprehensive roadway safety plan for the subdivision located a short drive west of City Market.<\/p>\n Tuesday night several members of the Grand Elk HOA presented their safety plan to Granby\u2019s board.<\/p>\n The plan includes the installation of two solar-powered flashing light speed radar signs on Thompson Road, installation of seven crosswalks within Grand Elk\u2019s neighborhoods and the installation of four speed bumps on roads other than Thompsons Road. Under an agreement Grand Elk has with Granby the subdivision\u2019s HOA is responsible for all road maintenance within the HOA. Granby\u2019s trustees agreed, however, that the supplemental appropriation was a valid request considering the public safety nature of the issue.<\/p>\n Granby Town Manager Aaron Blair told the board to be prepared for a similar request in the future from the Granby Ranch subdivision, which he predicated would soon presented a similar request to the town for funds related to roadway safety features.<\/p>\n MUSEUM<\/strong><\/p>\n For the last several years, Grand County\u2019s Model Railroad Club has spearheaded an effort to create the Moffat Road Railroad Museum. The museum is a labor of love for Model Railroad Club Director Dave Naples and others from the local community who have sought to preserve Grand County\u2019s historic connection to the early 20th<\/sup> century push by railroad pioneer David Moffat to build a rail line connecting Denver to Craig.<\/p>\n The museum has been an occasional point of contention for the Granby Board as Naples has sought assistance from the town in his efforts to establish the facility south of the Union Pacific railroad tracks and directly west of the Kaibab Park baseball fields. On Tuesday, Naples gave the Granby Board a presentation on the current development status of the museum and what work is outstanding before it would be ready to open.<\/p>\n Naples estimated that the railroad museum needs approximately $730,000 in additional funds to complete the full scope of work Naples and others currently envision for the facility. Board members inquired as to the current status of the museum development and what work needs to be completed to open the museum on a permanent basis. Local citizen Frank Delay, who sits on the museum\u2019s board, told Granby\u2019s trustees that the museum is working on finishing water and sewer work on the property that, once completed, \u201cwill allow us to be open full time,\u201d Delay said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a long process, but the progress that has been made is pretty astounding,\u201d Delay said.<\/p>\n Naples informed the board that he has been in communication with other museums in Grand County about the potential for the establishment of a museum district, a special taxing district, within Grand County. The establishment of a museum district would provide a guaranteed source of operational revue for the museum in Grand County, though the act would inherently require the establishment of additional mills for property taxes.<\/p>\n If the Moffat Road Railroad Museum and other museums within Grand County do seek to establish a museum district in Grand County the question would have to come before voters as a ballot question. Naples said he hopes to have the issue on the 2020 ballot.<\/p>\n MURALS<\/strong><\/p>\n Granby\u2019s recent controversial mural festival was once again a topic of discussion for the Granby Board. Granby\u2019s Trustees initially planned to hold an in-depth discussion about the topic, including the potential for development of a public art policy for the town or a public art committee of some type Tuesday night.<\/p>\n However, due to the relatively full agenda the board otherwise dealt this week the topic was continued to July 23.<\/p>\n