Re: Proactive Water Conservation Planning for Estes Park

[Christy A. Jacobs]

Dear Mayor Hal and Trustees, and Town Clerk,

Town Clerk, please also forward to the oncoming New Trustees.

I appreciate the intent behind encouraging proactive water conservation, and I agree that protecting our water resources is important to the long-term health of Estes Park.

I also appreciate the concern expressed in Becky Robbins’ email. At the same time, it is worth noting that Estes Park’s water situation and environmental conditions are different from areas like Arizona, where long-term water scarcity is more severe. Our local context, including how water resources are managed here, should remain part of this discussion.

However, I would like to point out a significant inconsistency that many residents are noticing. When the Town was asked a few years ago whether Estes Park would ever need to be concerned about water shortages, residents were told that it was not expected to be an issue and likely would not be in the future. The Town has also more recently communicated that our water supply is secure. At the same time, the Town continues to support increased tourism, additional hotels, and expanded employee housing—all of which place added demand on water resources.

Given those priorities and assurances, it is difficult to reconcile why the focus is now being placed on additional conservation measures for residents—particularly during a drought when even the Town’s arborist has advised that trees should be watered before it is too late. If water supply is sufficient to support ongoing growth and increased visitation, then it should also be sufficient for homeowners to maintain their existing landscaping, including trees that are essential to property value, environmental health, and the character of our community.

I fully support reasonable, consistent, and community-wide conservation efforts. However, those efforts must be applied equitably across all sectors—residential, commercial, and tourism-related development. It would be unfair to ask residents to make sacrifices, such as reducing watering to the point of losing mature trees, especially when expert guidance is encouraging proactive care, while continued expansion and visitor growth proceed without similar scrutiny.

If conservation becomes necessary, it should be communicated clearly and applied consistently, with the Town also evaluating the cumulative impact of growth and development on our water resources.

Residents should not be asked to bear the primary burden of conservation while policies continue to encourage increased demand.

Thank you for your consideration.

Christy Jacobs

Concerned Resident

c...@ap-tm.com

[Gary Hall]

Thanks, Christy. Your thoughts should be part of the discussion, worthy that they are, so I'll make sure that when we do discuss, these points are raised. 

Gary M. Hall

Mayor of the Town of Estes Park

Cell 970-744-9052

Email: gh...@estes.org

[Gary Hall]

FYI. Folks have not yet converted to adding the two new board members to these open emails.

Gary M. Hall

Mayor of the Town of Estes Park

Cell 970-744-9052

Email: gh...@estes.org

[Christy A. Jacobs]

Thank you, Mayor Hall!

I also want to apologize that I had a typo with your last name.  I should have proofed it better.

With Thanks!

Christy Jacobs

c...@ap-tm.com

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From: Gary Hall <gh...@estes.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2026 5:16 PM

To: Christy A. Jacobs <c...@ap-tm.com>

Cc: Mark Igel <mi...@estes.org>; Frank Lancaster <frankla...@estes.org>; Marie Cenac <mce...@estes.org>; Cindy Younglund <cyoun...@estes.org>; Kirby Hazelton <khaz...@estes.org>; Bill Brown <bbr...@estes.org>; Town Clerk <town...@estes.org>

Subject: Re: Proactive Water Conservation Planning for Estes Park

The Town of Estes Park is committed to providing accessible information and services. If you need any accommodations to view or interact with this email, please reply with your request or contact me at the phone number listed above.

[Gary Hall]

I used to get advertising mail from some source where they had my name spelled "Gray Hall". Eventually, it became true. No problem. 😁

Gary M. Hall

Mayor of the Town of Estes Park

Cell 970-744-9052

Email: gh...@estes.org