For drivers who exceed speed limits in Green Mountain Falls, the cameras are watching.

“We issued 419 citatations in April, up from 345 in March,” said Marshal Sean Goings, speaking to Mayor Todd Dixon and the board of trustees May 5. “We had 262 citationis paid for in April.”

Of a $40 fine, the town keeps $28 while Meta Traffic, which maintains the system, shares the remainder. The fines are doubled in school and work zones.

“We are ordering another set of cameras for the park in the summertime, to keep our kids safe,” Goings said.  

According to town manager Caleb Patterson, the fines contributed $3,600 to the town budget in the first quarter of this year.  

“No doubt that number will rise,” he said.

After the Colorado Department of Transportation denied Goings’ request for cameras on U.S. Hw. 24, the marshal hasn’t given up.

“I talked to the El Paso County sheriff( Joe Roybal) who  is vehemently against speed cameras but I showed him the number of speeders  on that part of the highway,” Goings said. “He was shocked.”

As a result, Goings said, Roybal agreed to add his support. 

“We’re trying to figure out where the best configuration for the cameras,” Goings said.

Goings said he expects another meeting with CDOT to happen in June.

“So we are making some headway and progress on cameras and trying to keep our town safe,” he said.

Dark sky

The town’s planning commissions presented an information session by Mark Laurin about the town’s becoming a Dark Sky community. Laurin, a Dark Sky Certification Mentor for the Colorado Tourism Office and Dark Sky Colorado, spoke remotely from his home in Silverthorne.

“If Green Mountain Falls decides to move forward with becoming certified as a Dark Sky Community, there are three drivers, community, the local businesses and the municipality,” he said.

Dark Sky communities can be an economic driver for tourism as travelers seek places where light pollution is minimal, Laurin said.

“You could create a light ordinance,” he added.

After the presentation, Dixon  and trustees Sunde King, John Bell and Sean Ives, agreed to seek input from the community and directed the planning commission to study the feasibility of becoming a Dark Sky Community,

In other business

• The board approved a request by Nancy Dixon to allow students from Ute Pass Elementary School to build a rock garden, with flowers, in front of the poolhouse, The students are part of a garden summer camp based at Marcroft Hall in Chipita Park.  Dixon and Dani Hainds will assist the students for the two-day project.

• Rocco Blasi announced that the planning commission hosts a public workshop about updates to the town’s comprehensive plan at 6 p.m. May 19 in town hall.  The workshop will include a report on progress on the plan since 2019, Blasi added.