Incumbent, trustee to square off
Trustee Don Conyac will challenge incumbent Drew Peterson for mayor of Firestone during the town’s upcoming April 2 regular election.
Conyac, 60, who is currently serving in his second term as a trustee, made clear that he wanted to improve communication with the town’s residents.
“There’s been a lot of division occur in the town,” Conyac said. “People on social media are creating their own answers to questions that aren’t getting answered or hearing about things only through … second and third channels.”
In addition to better communication, Conyac insisted that it was time for the town to turn the roughly 250 acres at Central Park into an area that residents could be proud of and utilize.
Amenities such as a sports complex, a hotel and even a waters sports park have been mentioned as possible uses for Central Park. However, Conyac emphasized that no decisions have been made about what will go into the park and again pointed to a lack of communication with residents concerning the process.
“We used water park as an example and, yeah, maybe one will be there, but it’s not a definite or a done deal,” Conyac said. “It’s just an option that possibly could be in there. So could a restaurant; so could a rec center; so could baseball fields. … We don’t know what’s going to be in there but this is the very, very beginning of the feasibility study.”
Conyac, a retired firefighter who has lived in Firestone for nearly ten years, said that maintaining the town’s safety services is another focal point of his candidacy. He also hoped to bring more retail to Firestone, pointing out how the town is often nicknamed “fast-food stone” given its number of fast-food chains.
Peterson, 60, who is currently serving in his first term as mayor, said that he decided to run for reelection because a two-year term was not long enough to get everything he had wanted to accomplish done.
When asked what he would like to see in Central Park, Peterson replied, “I have my own ideas” but did not elaborate other than to bring up a community amphitheater where residents could sit, socialize and enjoy the park.
“I’d really like the park to be developed with input from the residents,” Peterson said. “It’s not so much about what (I) want. It’s what the residents of Firestone want.”
He also wanted to ensure that the town’s recently established Parks, Trails, Recreation and Open Space Commission was actively involved in the planning process.
At times, Peterson has found himself at odds with some of the town’s trustees, including when he opted to skip the board’s two-day retreat at Monarch Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk, in part, due to the town using public funds to pay for it.
Peterson did not think the town was growing too fast and was also well aware that residents have an appetite for more retail and dining options locally so that they don’t have to drive to Longmont or other larger communities for such amenities.
Peterson, who is retired, acknowledged that being mayor of Firestone is not a full-time job but also said that he puts in a “significant number of hours a week” in his role as the town’s top official.
“I meet with a lot of people … residents and developers and state agencies that we work with and we collaborate with,” Peterson said.
Peterson has been a Firestone resident since 2003.