Chapter 37.32 PUBLIC SAFETY

Chapter 37.32
PUBLIC SAFETY

Sections:

37.32.010 Law enforcement.

The essential services of fire, police, sheriff and emergency medical services are critical components of the health, welfare and safety of the Pear Park area. Law enforcement is provided by the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, the Grand Junction Police Department and the Colorado State Highway Patrol. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the planning area. At present the area is served by two deputies. The City of Grand Junction Police Department responds to calls within the incorporated limits of the City. The department assigns one officer to the area as part of the community policing program. As the City of Grand Junction continues to annex, additional officers will need to be added. The number of Colorado State Troopers in the Pear Park neighborhood varies depending on calls for service in other areas of the County. The Colorado State Patrol responds to all vehicular accidents in unincorporated areas of Mesa County.

Annexation patterns have created challenges for law enforcement. Overall, 80 percent of the Pear Park area is still in unincorporated Mesa County. Access to the Pear Park neighborhood from Ninth Street can be blocked by a train, affecting response times. These problems should diminish when the 29 Road Bridge and viaduct are completed. The lack of lighting in parks, on trails and neighborhood streets in unincorporated areas of the County has been a challenge for the Sheriff’s Department. Existing parks are patrolled by foot because they are not lighted.

The Sheriff’s Department averages 10 service calls per day in the Pear Park neighborhood and the City of Grand Junction Police Department averages 1.5 calls per day. It is estimated that 65 percent of those calls are assistance related and the other 35 percent are enforcement related.

Both the Sheriff’s Department and the City Police Department encourage neighborhood watch programs; however, the City currently does not have an active neighborhood watch program in this area. Both the City and the County provide officer assistance and provide area representatives with tools to coordinate and implement an enforcement program for the neighborhood.

A few transient camps exist along the Colorado River near 28 1/2 Road. They are not currently reported as a problem; however, transient camps are usually not an issue until parks, trails or other uses are developed around them and the public begins to utilize them. As the area is annexed into the City, “Trail Host Programs” coordinated through the Police Department will expand to serve those areas.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) regulates hunting along the Colorado River. CDOW owns one property that consists of two islands adjacent to Corn Lake. They are in the process of developing hunting access on these islands. The Colorado River Wildlife Area and the Orchard Mesa Wildlife Area along the Colorado River, between the 29 1/2 and 30 3/4 Road corridors, are cooperatively managed by the Bureau of Reclamation and Western Colorado Wildlife Habitat Association.

The Colorado River corridor consists of a combination of shooting closure areas (no shooting areas) as adopted by the Mesa County Board of County Commissioners, legal hunting areas on private property outside those areas, as well as the established hunting areas on federal- and State-owned lands. There is no hunting allowed within the City limits. As the area continues to develop, there will be increased pressure to further regulate hunting along the Colorado River; however, this plan’s Future Land Use Map maintains lower densities of two acres or more per residence along much of the Pear Park side of the Colorado River.

(Res. 13-05, 1-5-05)

37.32.020 Fire protection.

Fire protection for Pear Park is provided by two fire districts; the Grand Junction Rural Fire Protection District (GJRFPD) serves the area primarily located west of 30 Road; and the Clifton Fire District serves the eastern half of Pear Park. Fire protection west of 30 Road, but within the City limits is provided by the City Fire Department. The two nearest fire stations for the City and Rural Fire District are located at 330 South Sixth Street (Station No. 1) and 2827 Patterson (F) Road (Station No. 2). The Clifton Fire District has a fire station located at 3254 1/2 F Road.

The City and Rural District average approximately 37 calls per month in this area; 72 percent are emergency medical service calls. Currently 30 percent of all calls for Clifton Fire are from the Pear Park area. The foremost impediment faced by fire officials in serving this area is poor access from existing fire stations. Timely access via Ninth Street and 30 Road is unpredictable. Planned improvements to 29 Road should decrease response time; but, as the area continues to develop, the existing service level will be impacted.

Hazardous material spills in the Pear Park neighborhood are an uncommon occurrence. Locations that have been problematic in the past are the railroad tracks near 32 Road and an area known as the railroad hump yard in the 28 Road area.

The City is currently identifying some preferred sites for a fire station in Pear Park. A new fire station could be located and built in conjunction with a community-wide public safety training facility.

Properties located within both the City limits and the Clifton Fire District that are not excluded from the District are currently being double taxed. The City has reimbursed those homeowners on an annual basis for their property taxes paid for City fire service. This issue may be resolved by an agreement between the City of Grand Junction and Clifton Fire District. Clifton Fire District has no long-range plans for expansion.

Another issue for the Clifton Fire Department is the residential setbacks required by the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County. Both the City and County codes allow between 10 feet and 30 feet between principal structures, depending upon zoning, measured at the foundation and even a smaller distance for accessory structures like sheds. For fire safety, the Clifton Fire District staff would like to see a separation between residential uses of no less than 15 feet between structures measured from the closest point of one structure to the closest point of the adjacent structure.

Emergency medical response is an important part of the service provided by fire protection districts and authorities. Both of the service providers in the planning area have trained staff to provide medical response. Mesa County Emergency Management (MCEM) recently hired a consultant to review current services and to develop standards for services and response times. MCEM’s goal is to provide “wall-to-wall” coverage Countywide. In addition, the consultant will be giving recommendations for funding sources for emergency services and appropriate response times. The study has preliminarily mapped emergency response times throughout the valley. Most of Pear Park is located outside of the five-minute response time service area. The national average for response times is eight minutes.

(Res. 13-05, 1-5-05)

37.32.030 Goals.

(a) Provide excellent emergency services within acceptable response times.

(b) Provide for public safety in the design of parks and trails and other public facilities.

(Res. 13-05, 1-5-05)

37.32.040 Implementation strategies.

(a) The City and County will improve night lighting of pedestrian trails and trail connections to subdivisions and in parks to provide a better deterrent to crime and illegal activities.

(b) The City and County will establish appropriate measures to ensure emergency services access during construction of the Riverside Parkway and the 29 Road corridors (bridge and viaduct) projects.

(d) Develop a plan to resolve the double taxation in annexed areas within Clifton Fire District.

(e) Public safety agencies, through the coordination of the Mesa County Emergency Management Department, will develop a plan for “wall-to-wall” coverage for fire and EMS.

(Res. 13-05, 1-5-05)