Genesee Fire Protection District

Board of Directors’ Meeting

July 16, 2025

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 18:00 by President Neil Frame

Attendance and Explantion of Absences

Board Members in Attendance: Neil Frame, Mark Villa, Greg Klaiber, Branch Russell, Keith Dierking (Zoom)

Also Attending: Will Quinby, Josh Boyles, Peter Greenstone, Max Herte, Kris Kleiner, Doug Barenburg John Cummings, Suzy Kleiner, Brian Maillett

Zoom:  Christina Jantzef, Ty Holman, Jim Hurd, Charles Bisbee, Tyler Pattishall 

Approval of the June 18, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes

• Motion made, seconded and unanimously approved

Public Comment & Announcements

• No public comment

Financial Reports

Review of June financials

• The June 2025 financial report was presented by Christina Jantzef.
• All budget categories are below half year expectations.
• Total operating budget is at 37% for the year.

Review of Notable Payables.

• The Genesee Fire Protection District acted as the fiduciary agent and dispersed the grant award of $40,000 to the Genesee Foundation and Forest Hills Metro District. For fire mitigation.
• A motion was made, seconded and approved unanimously to accept the year-to-date financials as presented.  

Reports of Officers, Committees, Professional Consultants

Deputy Chief Peter Greenstone

• There were 28 calls for June.
• Call status for year to date is 153 total calls.
• Sixty-three percent of the department calls are medical related.  

Administrators/Training Coordinator - Lt. Max Herte ●

• GFPD participated in helicopter orientation with St. Anthony's Hospital and Flight for Life.
• Six members recently completed Rope Rescue Low Angle training.
• GFPD participated in the Summit County Wildland training and observed truck and draft training operations.
• Fire Academy with Evergreen Fire begins August 11 with a total of 30 cadets.  

Retention Program - Captain Hank O’Brien

• In lieu of an ongoing pension program for new GFPD members, the department  is working with Skaggs Uniforms to create a retention program to support members with gear, equipment and swag for their service to the community and department.
• $10,000 is budgeted to support the member retention program.

Apparatus Coordinator - Deputy Chief Peter Greenstone

• A module for the transition in 931 was replaced.
• A fuel bypass separator was replaced on Ladder 971.

Facilities Coordinator - Deputy Chief Peter Greenstone

• The department’s lawnmower was serviced
• Genesee Station One hvac will be serviced to function more efficiently.
• Bids are currently out to replace the security system for the department's exterior doors.

Recruiting Coordinator Lt. Kris Kleiner

• Five new recruits have committed to the August Fire Academy.
• The department has a total of six slots available for the 2025 academy, and they are hopeful of filling the remaining slot.

Wildland Coordinator - Deputy Chief Peter Greenstone

• There is limited wildland activity locally due to wet conditions.
• The National Preparedness Level is Level 2.
• GFPD is preparing to status a wildland team for deployment in early July 2025.  A crew could be called to serve in California or the South West region of the country.

Medical - Captain Doug Barenburg

• A new tracking system is in place to monitor and reorder used medical supplies.
• Automated External Difbulators (AED) are strategically positioned throughout the district to assist in direct to scene response by EMT level Firefighters.  This type of coverage is an upgrade from service level to the community in the past.

Auxiliary - Deputy Chief Peter Greenstone

• Planning preparations are currently underway to support the department's Open House September 20.
• GFPD will host its second Fire House Cookout on Friday, July 18. 

Old Business

EAR Update - Owner's Representative Will Quinby

• Will Quinby spoke about the necessary administrative support required to complete the Genesee Emergency Access Route, which exceeds his abilities as Owner’s Representative. Negotiations with Baseline Engineering Corporation can provide the necessary construction administration services needed to complete the EAR for an estimated cost of $75,500.00.
  • A motion was made, seconded, and approved unanimously: “To enter the Genesee Fire Protection District into a contract with Baseline Engineering Corporation at an estimated cost of $75,500.00 to provide construction administration services required to complete the Genesee EAR.”

• The Genesee EAR Technical Evaluation Panel ranked all the qualifying contract proposals for the EAR.  The following order was established.
  • Composite Technical Rankings:
    • 1. CEI  247.60
    • 2. Zak Dirt Inc. 226.80 
    • 3. JHL 204.80
    • 4. ESCO 171.90
  • CEI was awarded the highest ranking, and the Genesee Fire Protection District will enter into negotiations with CEI on the construction and completion of the Genesee Emergency Access Route on July 18.
  • If negotiations do not proceed satisfactorily, then the Genesee Fire Protection District will begin negotiations with the second highest-ranked contractor for the EAR, Zake Dirt Inc.

• EAR Contract Proposal Resolution:
  • A motion was made, seconded, and approved unanimously: “The Genesee Fire Protection District authorizes Neil Frame to enter into negotiations regarding the scope, terms, and conditions for the Emergency Access Route, provided that the negotiations conclude satisfactorily and the contract amount does not exceed $6,400,000, including a $250,000 contingency, with CEI Constructors, located at 2027 West Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80204.”
• Current Genesee EAR timeline;
  • July 18 - Contract negotiations with CEI begin
  • July 22 - Target Contract Award
  • July 24 - Date of Bond Sale for the EAR project
  • Aug, 1 - Notice to Proceed 

New Business

Promotion  

• Chief Josh Boyles announced the promotion of Kris  Kleiner to acting Lieutenant.  The GFPD Board of Directors recognized Lieutenant Kleiner for his well deserved promotion.

GFPD Alert System

• A preliminary discussion was proposed by Director Greg Klaiber to support a community-wide advanced emergency alert system. Due to ineffective cell tower communication in the district, Director Klaiber suggested that the Board look into the matter of an advanced warning system in case of community emergencies.
  • The Board recognized the need for such an alert system but also acknowledged that the Genesee community has also rejected such systems in the past.
  • A process of community outreach, information exchange, and community awareness of the implications, both for and against such a system, will need to be completed before a project like this is implemented.
  • Further discussion of such a proposal was tabled to after the construction of the EAR.

CWPP Discussion

• Brian Maillett of the Genesee Foundation spoke to the Genesee Fire Protection District Board of Directors about the importance of updating the Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP). The last CWPP was completed in 2021.
  • The Colorado State Forest Service recommends updating the CWPP every five years.
  • Over the last four years, the Genesee Foundation Open Space Crew has completed wildfire mitigation on more than 100 acres, guided by the 2021 CWPP.
  • Ember Alliance proposed an estimated cost of $63,000 for a five-year update of the CWPP.
  • The Genesee Fire Protection District will address this matter after the completion of the Genesee EAR.

Blacklock Integrated Services Contract Update

• Chief Josh Boyles informed the Board that a contract update with Blacklock Integrated Services will be implemented to reflect the current cost of market rates for accounting services. Blacklock Integrated Services provides administrative accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, and many other financial budgeting services to GFPD.
• The last rate increase was effective December 1, 2020.
• New rates of $84 for managerial-level accounting and $71 for basic bookkeeping and processing of payables will take effect on October 1, 2025. 

Meeting Adjournment

• There being no further business, the board meeting was adjourned at 19:55