March 24 was a good day to be Wendy Dillenschneider. Reappointed to a three-year term on the Teller County Planning Commission, Dillenschneider continues her service on the commission as she has for the past 30 years.  

“We all respect Wendy and very much value her contributions,” said Commissioner Dan Williams, speaking at the commissioners’ meeting last week. “She is a wealth and a treasure trove of things from the 1990s when we had campgrounds and obsolete zones.”

Articulate and vocal about land use issues, Dillenschneider’s work on the commission leaves a record of decisions made over the years.

“We take land use seriously and we have authority; it’s the one thing the governor doesn’t have that we have,” Williams said. “And so, it’s hard to find someone of Wendy’s caliber and caring. She has a passion for public service.”

Voting to approve Dillenschneider’s reappointment, Williams looked ahead. “I’d like to ask for another 30 years. … She is a wonderful person who is involved in the community,” he said.

And the praise continued.

“I appreciate her volunteerism as a planning commissioner for 30 years at zero dollars,” said Commissioner Bob Campbell. “Wendy is the epitome of a great volunteer for a non-political job that has to do with land use and how we structure and create zoning.”

Each sentence of praise highlighted the effort, chiefly by volunteers on the planning commission, to make decisions that consider rural over urban.

“I don’t think Wendy has ever missed a meeting that I’ve been involved in,” said County Attorney Paul Hurcomb. “She is well-prepared every single time, asks great questions of staff and applicants, and has a tremendous knowledge of the history and evolution of land use regulations in the county.”

Stepping up to the podium, Greg Liverman added additional accomplishments for his wife. “Wendy was instrumental in instituting the Dark Sky portion of our land-use regulations that require a reduction of lighting,” he said.

Efforts to reduce light pollution are seeing a resurgence to include Dark Sky designation for the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Liverman said. “We were one of the first counties in Colorado to have some kind of lighting regulations, one of the values we all moved up here for. To be able to go outside and night, look at the sky and see the Big Dipper.”

Williams agreed. “This board has had pressure about lighting, spirited debates with city folk who move up here and when summer comes, turn all their lights on because there are ‘creatures out there,’” he said. “That’s why we have corde enforcement, one of the hardest things to enforce.”