The deadline for residents of Fraser’s Grand Park to submit nominations for the four open seats on the West Meadow Metropolitan District board is Friday, Feb. 24. The election, set for May 2, offers a chance for homeowners to be fully represented on the board. Grand Park is developed by Cornerstone Holdings, led by Clark Lipscomb.  

Since the district was formed in 2012, election cycles have been every two years. However, every election since 2012 has been canceled, with only the developer Clark Lipscomb, and his wife, Meredith Lipscomb, selected to the board each time.  

A metro district levies and collects taxes on the residents to divide the costs of services and improvements. Cornerstone Holdings submitted a request to the Town of Fraser in July 2022 to increase the local taxation limit and timeline to provide more services and improvements. One significant concern for residents opposed to the increases was that they were not represented on the district board.

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Homeowner Deborah Shulman discussed how the upcoming elections can prevent metro district overreach, during the Fraser Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 1.

“In 2016, when we put down the deposit on our dream home … we had no idea that we were buying into a metropolitan district,” she said during the meeting’s public comment. “Up until December of 2022, the developer endeavored to keep the metropolitan district secret – there was no disclosure of the district in our contract nor about taxes … there was lack of accountability of debt and spending.”

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Shulman explained that the Denver-based law firm, Spencer Fane LLP, represents the West Meadow Metropolitan District, as well as oversees all the board’s elections. According to Shulman, the law firm had not notified residents via email of the elections in a timely fashion.

“It is a clear conflict of interest that the law firm administering the metropolitan district is also representing the developer. Metropolitan districts are meant to keep home prices down. Instead, due to rampant abuse of metropolitan district statewide, home prices and taxes are dramatically increased,” she said.

When residents realized Cornerstone Holdings had asked to increase taxation, several advocated for a seat on the board to be part of the decision-making process. Residents felt that waiting to run for a seat during the May elections would be too late. Lipscomb eventually appointed three residents to the board on Nov. 15. Now, the board consists of Clark Lipscomb, Meredith Lipscomb and three homeowners – Michael  Featherman, Steve Watts and Michael Basel.

The seats for Basel, Featherman, Watts and Clark Lipscomb are up for election this May (Meredith Lipscomb’s seat is up in May 2025).

“Elections are important; it’s how we keep these districts accountable to the taxpayer,” said Shulman. “We are not rich; we bought (the home) when prices were considerably lower … we cannot afford excessive taxation.”

Homeowners can submit their election nomination forms by email to kstahl@spencerfane.com. They can also learn more about the election process and request a nomination form by visiting WestMeadowMD.com. To check voter registration status and add an email, visit SOS.State.CO.us.

The town of Fraser is currently reviewing Lipscomb’s request for taxation limit and timeline increases for Grand Park residents.