SOUTH FORK— After the approval of the minutes and financial reports during the regular meeting of the South Fork Town Board on Tuesday, Nov. 28, Town Administrator Dan Hicks reported on the number of people visiting the South Fork Visitor Center for the month of October.

He reported a slight decrease in the number of visitors coming to the center, stating that after checking with the Great Sand Dunes National Park, he found that the decrease percentage was almost exactly the same as the larger park and stated that the reason for the decrease has yet to be determined.

During the report, Mayor Rodney Reed spoke up and stated that he wondered what percentage of the number of people visiting were new to the area or if there was a portion that were returning visitors. Hicks stated that he was looking into changing the way the number of visitors is collected for the coming year by getting more specifics out of the data collected instead of going off the raw numbers and would include trying to determine whether or not a visitor was new or a returning guest. Trustee Becki Helmstetler spoke up stating that it may produce more useful data if changes are made.

Hicks moved on to the police report that showed a total of 364 calls for the month of October. Of those calls, 147 came through Colorado State Patrol Dispatch and 217 were answered directly in the town hall. Hicks explained that the November preliminary numbers were slightly higher than October due to the increased focus on catching speeders passing through town and having town staff answer calls during business hours.

Hicks explained that the calls handled directly by town staff have increased since the initiative to decrease the number of calls going through state patrol had been put in place. Each call that is answered through the state patrol costs the town $17, creating a large expense for the town previously.

Hicks continued the report stating that there has been a dramatic increase in citations over the last month. In October there were only 11, compared to November which reported 74. The increase was due to the department focusing on traffic safety and speeders. The department recently purchased a used radar machine through CDOT which is not working correctly. Public Works Director Nate Goldsberry is hoping to get the machine in working order soon; the machine will show drivers their speed when entering a reduced speed zone.

Hicks finished the report by stating that the replacement police vehicle that was approved by the board has been purchased and is out on the road. The 2010 Dodge pickup was purchased last month and is actively helping catch speeders as they travel through town. This coupled with the decrease in state patrol dispatch call expenses has helped even out the budget for the year and will hopefully aid in the 2018 budget as well.