Tension over the fate of the 28-acre Elephant Rock property donated to the town of Palmer Lake came to a boil at a recent board of trustees meeting.

“Keep your mouth shut please,” shouted Mayor Glant Havenar, interrupting trustee Shana Ball during a discussion about the property.

The exchange last week prompted the walkout of Susan Miner, Palmer Lake Planning Commissioner and the current leader of the Elephant Rock Advisory Committee, a volunteer group that had been tasked with gathering ideas from the public about how to use the space.

Palmer Lake Elephant Rock temp advisory committee underway

The board was deciding whether to tear down seven cabins on the property slated for possible renovation by the advisory committee. Havenar later said she regretted the outburst.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at my trustee,” she said.

Havenar also called the recent community rhetoric around the decision and attacks on her personally, especially on the platform Nextdoor, “nastiness.”

Miner said the mayor’s behavior was “absolutely unacceptable.”

The catalyst for the controversy was a set of buildings once slated for demolition due to the presence of asbestos. The cabins are again scheduled for destruction thanks to a 5-2 vote last week, with Ball and trustee Nick Erhardt voting in opposition.

The original demolition was postponed because of community objections. Havenar said that the town wanted to give the advisory committee the chance to present a viable way to preserve the structures, which would require about $80,000 to $100,000 each in renovations.

The cabins, part of the complex built by the Living Word Church , would require extensive work to reverse years of vandalism and to perform asbestos mitigation. Living Word also donated the property.

The advisory committee presented at a previous trustees meeting the possibility of converting the cabins for use by local businesses. According to Miner, the renovation of the cabins would be sponsored by local interests, including a school, a counselor and the EcoSpa complex already planned for another portion of the property. In exchange the businesses would have use of the buildings to offset the cost.

Palmer Lake trustees hear EcoSpa final proposal for Elephant Rock property

EcoSpa designer and developer Lindsay Willan said that she had hoped to use several of the cabins as overnight accommodations for the spa. She said that the previous $200,000 quoted to tear down the buildings was a “waste.”

“They just won’t listen to what we’re saying,” she said. “It’s really frustrating.”

Havenar, who voted in favor of demolition, said that the plan was not ultimately detailed or concrete enough.

“I didn’t see anything monetary answered in their proposal,” she said.

Havenar maintained that the plan would need to have better identified funding and addressed planning issues like zoning and road access. She said she was concerned that the multi-use cabins could open the space for future development. In the meantime, she said that the buildings were a safety and fire risk due to trespassing.

“Ideas are good,” she said. “It’s just a matter of which is applicable.”

Miner said she disagreed with those assessments, but said she understood the role of the committee . She said she supported the board moving forward with some plans for the property, no matter their shape.

The board left intact a pavilion already claimed by the town’s parks department for renovation, as well as the main campus building of the former church and its dormitories building. Havenar suggested that the idea with local business sponsors could go ahead in the dormitory.