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Fraser approves Kona Ice setup in parks

A line forms at the Kona Ice truck on the Fourth of July at Hideaway Park in Winter Park. Fraser's town board approved an agreement allowing Kona Ice to set up in public parks Wednesday.
Eli Pace / epace@skyhinews.com

The Fraser Board of Trustees approved moving forward with a license agreement for Kona Ice of Peaks and Valleys on Wednesday.

The agreement will allow the local branch of the shaved ice franchise to park in public lots at places like town parks and the Fraser River Valley Lions Club Fishing Ponds.

“If you want to use town property or driveways within the town, it does require town board approval,” Town Clerk Antoinette McVeigh explained.



Owners Karl and Gabriella Vogelbacher outlined a business plan for Kona Ice, similar to an ice cream truck, driving around neighborhoods and setting up in private lots with owner permission, along with public lots.

Karl Vogelbacher said the shaved ice truck typically operates for a few hours at time Friday through Sunday in different areas, and that he would like to include Fraser parks in his stops.



Town staff recommended the business get annual approval so that the setup could be evaluated next year. The town board was very supportive.

“I was at the fishing ponds Saturday and definitely could have bought a snow cone,” Mayor Philip Vandernail said.

Vogelbacher added that the shaved ice truck has been following COVID-19 guidelines, including setting up cones 6 feet apart and displaying signs encouraging social distancing. The Kona truck is also introducing a method for pre-ordering shaved ice cups through the KonaCurbSide app.

“We are looking forward to bringing some fun and old traditions back to the Fraser Valley,” Vogelbacher said in his application. “We have heard and been asked by several of its residents about coming to their neighborhood to lighten up their day.”

The board unanimously approved town staff moving forward with an agreement.

The only other item on the board’s agenda Wednesday was a discussion about a possible De-Gallagher Amendment ballot question. Grand County is moving forward with a countywide ballot question to keep the residential assessment tax rate at its 2019 number, which is 7.15%.

Fraser has the option to add its own ballot question to keep the town’s residential assessment tax rate at the same level. The town and county attorneys would work to create similar ballot questions if Fraser chose to move forward with it.

The question would be tied to the Gallagher Amendment, so if Colorado voters chose to repeal the amendment on a statewide ballot question in November, the town and county’s ballot questions would be negated.

If the Gallagher Amendment stays but the town’s potential ballot question is approved, it would ensure Fraser receives the same residential assessment rates for the foreseeable future, rather than seeing the assessment rate continue to drop as it’s predicted to do.

The Fraser board instructed staff to continue work on the language of the ballot measure.


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