SOUTH FORK— Dan Hicks has been named the new town administrator according to an announcement made recently by South Fork town officials. Hicks has been in South Fork for a total of 14 years with the last 10 as a full-time resident.
Officials went through a hiring process to choose the new administrator and have since set him up with a list of items they wish for him to focus on. “I am really happy to be a part of this and the first thing is to get to know the people,” said Hicks.
Hicks and his wife own Mountain Lighthouse and Gallery. He has over 40 years of management experience working for large businesses including Siemens, IBM and Rolm corporations. Following his corporate career, Hicks worked as the chief operating officer for a “dot com” startup software development company and founded a multi-location color graphic printing company. He is the president of the River Island Ranch Property Owner’s Association, president of the Rio Grande Water Company, and past president of South Fork Ranches Homeowner’s Association. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in business and finance.
“The board gave me three topics to focus on at first, and the most important one is to get to know the board, the town staff and the people of South Fork,” explained Hicks. To begin, Hicks stated that he has had the opportunity over the last week to work with town staff and is happy to report that the people he will be working with are “a great group of people.” Over the next few weeks, Hicks has plans to meet individually with board members in order to get to know them and their goals for the town as well as open his door to the general public to learn about the town’s people and their insights as to what his job will entail. “My goal is to treat everyone with respect— whether they are voters or employees,” finished Hicks.
Next, Hicks will be working with South Fork Chamber of Commerce Assistant Director Joe McCarn to finalize a plan for the sign code changes that have been proposed by the planning and zoning board. Hicks has tasked McCarn to speak with local business owners in order to find a decent compromise for the proposed changes and then reconvene with the town board in a meeting to pass the sign code changes later this year. “We want a document that everyone can agree on before we present it to the public and the board,” explained Hicks.
In addition to the sign code changes, Hicks is currently working with CDOT representatives to finalize the ATV route through town. The current work is focused on enlarging the overall trail and reviewing a location near County Road 19, where there is a proposed highway crossing. Along with the crossing, Hicks and CDOT are working on an addition to the original trail near the Beaver Creek Road, adding in safety railings where the ATV trail runs near Highway 160 on the south side of town. “This will be only phase one of the project, and this is the perfect time of year to review what has already been put in place as well as look at how we can enlarge it for the next season,” said Hicks.
While Hicks is busy working on his first two tasks, he will also be working to create the 2018 budget with Town Clerk Amanda Hill to present to the board in the October meeting later this month. Hicks hopes to have an article published in the next few weeks explaining the budget process in layman’s terms for the general public to help educate the people of South Fork. “Really my focus is getting to know and forming a relationship with all of the key people here in South Fork.”