The Gazette editorial board | Denver Gazette
The quaint Tri-Lakes town of Palmer Lake is a gem Coloradans cherish- its serene lake, charming shops, and tight-knit community make it a Front Range treasure. Sadly, a storm brews over a proposed Buc-ee’s travel center at 1-25 and County Line Road, sparking a recall effort against Trustees Shana Ball, Kevin Dreher, and Dennis Stern.
This push, fueled by an outside activist club – the leader of which compared trustees to the “Taliban” – risks needlessly fracturing an otherwise peaceful village.
Palmer Lake’s leaders deserve a chance to navigate this opportunity, not a divisive ouster.
With Buc-ee’s promising economic uplift, the town should leverage it wisely.
Recall campaigns typically sow discord where dialogue could build bridges. The grievances – unsupported claims of collusion and secrecy and other extraordinary claims – stem from a December 2024 vote merely deeming the site eligible for annexation, a step rescinded in March 2025 after Buc-ee’s withdrew its application for technical tweaks. The company and property owner plan to file an amended request.
No decisions have been made. Yet, petitioners demand 275 signatures by May 23 to force an election costing tens of thousands, based on Palmer Lake Mayor Giant Havenar’s estimate. That’s money from a $2.96 million budget already stretched thin.
Buc-ee’s, slated for a 74,000-square-foot site on the edge of an eightlane freeway, is a revenue tree. Johnstown’s Buc-ee’s, opened last year, generates an estimated $25 million in annual taxable sales. The proposed Tri-Lakes location, two miles east of Palmer Lake, could draw 8,000 daily visitors – 2. 9 million annually – based on Denver 7 projections.