Penrose — A new interim board of directors for the Penrose Park and Recreation District was sworn in Friday evening, three days after being appointed by the Board of Fremont County Commissioners.
The interim board, including Patrick Slawson, Susan Luck, Roberta Newton, Calvin Sundermann and Tami Mundy, has set a meeting for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Penrose Park Pavilion. The board plans to elect officers, select legal counsel, file oaths and bonds and assess and secure park property.
After nearly two years of receiving complaints of mismanagement from Penrose area residents, the commissioners learned in August there were no duly elected officers because the board had not filed election documents with the Department of Local Affairs for 2012 and 2014.
Candidates who were declared elected were Trina Finto, four-year term; Dawn Ann Franklin, four-year term; Rory York, four-year term; Terri Gosnell, two-year term; and Jennice Fagin, two-year term. The acting board was removed from the board and the commissioners Aug. 28 issued a statement seeking letters of interest from those who wished to serve as a director.
Commissioner Ed Norden on Tuesday said nine individuals expressed interest in the positions, all of whom were interviewed Monday afternoon. None of those nine included any of the previous board members, Norden said. The Board of Commissioners, excluding Commissioner Debbie Bell who was absent, appointed the five individuals during a special meeting Tuesday. They also approved a resolution appointing the five members to a term of six months or until midnight, March 15, 2015, with the obligation to conduct an election by then to elect a permanent board.
“We felt these five are the best fit for the next six months to get the election up and running, to get some bills paid and to get the house in order,” Commission Chairman Tim Payne said. “We think they will do a good job.”
Payne said the appointees know the road that lies before them, but he said he is confident they “are up for the challenge.”
Mundy, who has lived in Penrose 17 years, said she wants to make a difference in the community. She had asked to attend a previous board meeting, but the board said they could not conduct the meeting with her present.
Newton, a 40-year-Penrose resident, said there are safety issues with the park equipment, there is no upkeep, people can’t get a hold of board members to reserve the pavilion and the bathrooms are not opened.
“I want programs for our kids,” she said. “During the summertime, they have to go to the Cañon City Park District and pay out-of-district. I want things for our kids here to do. We don’t have anything.”
She also would like to see the recreation district, the school district and the Chamber of Commerce working together.
Residents also have expressed concern about mismanagement of funds. The district’s 2014 budget report submitted in January to DOLA reflects telephone expenses of $13,000 in both 2012 and 2013. The board budgeted $1,000 for 2014.
Andrea Cooper, office/records manager for the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, said the FCSO and the District Attorney’s office are aware of the allegations.
“We are waiting for the new board to be appointed and will work in cooperation with the newly appointed board to determine if there is evidence once an audit is done,” she said.
District Attorney Thom LeDoux said as with nearly all alleged criminal matters, the investigation phase of is handled by the applicable law enforcement agency, in this case FCSO and/or the Combined Investigative Response Team.
