Like a New York minute, Thursday evening’s meeting of the Estes Park Health Board of Directors was almost not a meeting. That’s because 15 minutes after calling the meeting to order, all agenda items had been covered, and the meeting was adjourned. Although not on the agenda, Cory Workman, chair of the EPH Board, explained that the transfer of EPH to UCHealth operations has been delayed from Nov.

Greetings, Estes Park. For this Mental Health Minute, it seems fitting to acknowledge that World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10. I love that we have grown in our awareness of the need to support those facing mental health challenges to the point of having an actual day of dedication. Unlike Father’s Day or Valentine’s Day, however, I don’t recall seeing a card section dedicated to World Mental Health Day at the store.

New School Board Member In response to the Oct. 1 letter regarding a new Estes Park School Board member, there are some corrections that need to be made. There was an allegation that a person named in that letter called for or mentioned recalling that Board Member. The ONLY mention she made was she hoped to hear from him on his goals since interviews were not conducted (he had been the only candidate).

On Saturday, Oct. 4, Stephen Carl Fry, known to his friends and family as Steve, passed away. Steve was born on April 13, 1948, in Long Beach, California, to Carl and Carrie (Hale) Fry. The family soon moved to Alton, Kansas, where his father joined a family farm. Steve loved the farm and, although he lived in many other places, he never lost his Kansas roots.

John Duran III of Estes Park passed away from a traffic collision on Highway 34 on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. He was born on Jan. 2, 1963, in Denver to John Duran Jr. and Delores Quintana Esselburn and stepfather of 41 years Scott Esselburn, whom he really loved and looked up to and was a great role model to him.

Three members of the Estes Valley Fire Protection District have resigned in the past week. In addition to the resignation of Paul Capo as chief of the EVFPD, on Friday, Oct. 3, the profile of Erika Goetz, who has served as chief of staff, has been removed from the District’s website. One other employee, Jason Dillingham, who was hired in May as the Division Chief of Operations and Training, has reportedly removed his personal belongings from the Dannels Fire Station, his photo has been removed from his biography on the District’s website, and his official last day with the District is in two weeks.

Check out the EVV picks for A&E: this weekend, Oct. 10-12, including a new movie at the Park Theatre, storytime at Macdonald's, and live music.

The Estes Valley Restorative Justice Program, led by Program Coordinator Megan Graper and Program Director Jay Shields, works to build and connect the community in Estes Park through its many programs, which emphasize conversation, respect, and understanding. “It’s really about bringing the community together to help solve solutions and ultimately making the community much more transparent, with higher communication, and ultimately safer," Shields said.

More than three dozen members of Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization, kicked off Fire Prevention Week in Estes last weekend, working for three days with the Estes Valley Fire Protection District’s wildfire mitigation crew to protect the town’s critical communication infrastructure. With chainsaws and muscle, the “greyshirts” — as they call themselves because of the color of their uniform t-shirts — spent three days clearing branches on trees and cleaning slash in and around the communications towers on top of Prospect Mountain.

The Park Hospital District Board has at least an extra month to map out its next steps after Estes Park Health is transferred to UCHealth ownership. That is because the acquisition, which was set for Nov. 1, has been delayed until at least Dec. 1. In addition, the Board’s September meeting, which had been postponed until tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 9, was cancelled according to both a social media post on Facebook and an email sent by EPH on Wednesday morning to the Estes Valley Voice, and then a short time later, EPH sent out a notice saying that the Thursday, Oct.

As Colorado continues to grapple with high rates of suicide and gun violence, Estes Valley Crisis Advocates remains a cornerstone of support for residents facing trauma, loss, and violence. Despite recent federal funding cuts, the organization is determined to maintain its 24/7 crisis response and advocacy services, even as staff face reduced hours and an increasing demand to meet community needs.

Response to Todd Plummer's commentary I appreciate Estes Park resident Todd Plummer’s willingness (The numbers behind an undemocratic initiative), to educate voters on local democracy and what he believes are undemocratic zoning rights initiatives appearing on the upcoming November ballot courtesy of a grassroots movement. I get that he doesn't want decisions made by a minority. If I'm not mistaken, this is the same Todd Plummer who attended a Trustee Talk a few years back and informed the public in attendance they weren't smart enough to vote on something as complicated as the Federal Lands Access (Loop) project, that only town board members had enough education and background information to make decisions on something of this magnitude.

What happens to all the trash and recycling? Where does it all go? The Estes Valley has a population of just under 12,000, but this Rocky Mountain community hosts an estimated 4 million visitors annually who create mountains of waste. The Larimer County Landfill is responsible for handling residential and commercial waste management in Estes Park, as well as the rest of Northern Colorado in Larimer County.

Community meeting on Ballot Issues 300 and 301 Estes Valley United Neighbors are hosting a community meeting on Ballot Issues 300 and 301 Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Estes Valley Community Center Chiquita Room, 600 Community Drive. Food and drinks will be provided. Click here for more information. Estes Park Health to meet on Thursday…

At first glance, the restrictive rezoning initiative wording seems okay, but analyzing the numbers tells a different story. The proposition requires written approval by at least two-thirds of the record owners within 500 feet of the property to pass a rezoning request, implying that one third of the neighboring record owners would be needed to force a denial of the rezoning request.

Pending negotiations, Sarah Leonard, currently head of Visit Longmont, has been selected to be Visit Estes Park’s next CEO. The decision came during a special meeting of the Board of Directors on Monday morning. Leonard’s commitment to community engagement, emphasis on sustainable tourism, destination stewardship, and leadership skills were cited as strengths supporting her appointment. VEP Chair Sean Jurgens and Vice Chair Kirby Hazelton will lead negotiations on final contract terms with Leonard during the next two weeks.

Voters in the Town of Estes Park will have six ballot questions to consider in the Nov. 4 Coordinated Election. Two concern state income taxes, two concern county taxes, and two concern Estes Park zoning and development issues. Voters in unincorporated Larimer County in the Estes Valley will have only two state and two county questions. Voter registration and voting information…

Listen to Story on the EVV Podcast here: The Estes Valley Voice wants to bridge the gap and lower the height of the silos between the English and Spanish-speaking communities in the Estes Valley by making the news we publish accessible to non-native English speakers whose first language is Spanish. According to data from the 2023 American Community Survey and the U.S.

Four new American citizens – Veronica Rojas, Javier Martinez, Jessica Campagnola, and Hella Ducheneaux – were honored Sunday afternoon at the American Legion Post 119 in Estes Park. The celebration was organized by the Estes Park Citizenship Project, with support from the Estes Valley Library, EVICS Family Resource Center, the Estes Park Learning Place, the League of Women Voters of Estes Park, the Estes Nonprofit Network, the American Legion Post 119, and the Estes Park Patriots for Peace.

Even though no final decisions were made, consideration of a new Visit Estes Park initiative using drone light shows and a revised contract for sponsoring Frozen Dead Guy Days topped the list of topics discussed by the VEP Board of Directors when they met on Thursday, Sept. 25. Finances were a high priority when discussing both events. According to Board member Pat Murphy, who suggested VEP invest in drone light shows, the potential for recouping an investment could be significant.

Other than tweaking some language, a policy guiding decisions on how annexation proposals are viewed by both the Estes Park Town Board and the Estes Park Planning Commission in the future will not change significantly. However, streamlining processes related to the town’s revised development code, which is currently being written, may require some adjustments in the future. Both subjects were the focus of the Town Board and Planning Commission members when they met in a joint study session on Tuesday.

Estes Valley Fire Protection District responded to a vegetation fire off Cedar Ridge Circle. The fire was reported at 3:15 p.m. and cleared at 5:04 p.m. US 36/Moraine Avenue was closed westbound at the roundabout and eastbound at Marys Lake Road. Officials asked the public to avoid the area during the fire to give emergency responders the space they needed.

ESTES PARK – Gov. Jared Polis said today that Rocky Mountain National Park is open and that his office has “fought hard to make sure it stays open as it will during this shutdown.” Polis was in Estes Park today to address the Colorado Outdoor Industry Leadership Summit at YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park Center, hosted by the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office.

Fire restrictions lifted As of 8 p.m. this evening, Estes Valley Fire Protection District Interim Fire Chief Stacey Sutherland has lifted the open burning ban within the EVFPD. In a press statement released late this afternoon, Sutherland wrote, “The risk of wildfires never goes away completely, so residents and guests are still reminded to exercise care whenever burning outside, especially on windy days.

The Estes Valley Fire Protection District announced today that the District has accepted the resignation of Paul Capo as its chief, effective immediately. The resignation follows Capo's placement on paid administrative leave by the Board in June. The Board hired a human relations firm to investigate issues that led to the chief being put on administrative leave. In August, the Board appointed a two-person committee, consisting of Board President Sandra Smith and Director Jon “Hippy” Smith, to negotiate the settlement.