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ARPA funds allocated to nonprofits

John Scarffe
Posted 5/11/23

The Gilpin County Commissioners allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to local nonprofit organizations during a regular meeting on May 9, 2023, at 9 a.m. at the Courthouse in Central

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ARPA funds allocated to nonprofits

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The Gilpin County Commissioners allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to local nonprofit organizations during a regular meeting on May 9, 2023, at 9 a.m. at the Courthouse in Central City. The Board also approved local historic designation for the Russell Gulch cemetery, a behavioral health contract for the Sheriff’s Department, and a proclamation for mental health month.

County Manager Ray Rears presented a resolution awarding American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds to local nonprofit organizations. He said the County received $1.2 million, which has been allocated over the last two years.

The Board agreed to set aside $300,000 for nonprofit organizations. The deadline to apply was March 31. The County received applications and the Board had a work session with applicants, each giving a 10-minute presentation.

The Board agreed to award $211,000. The organizations and amounts awarded are: Gilpin County Senior Living, $2,500; Belvidere Foundation, $50,000; Timberline Fire District, $100,000; TEENS, Inc., $8,670; Gilpin Historical Society, $5,335; Eagles’ Nest Early Learning Center, $40,000; Peak to Peak Rotary, $2,135; High Country Auxiliary, $2,400.

Board Chair Marie Mornis said they used a broad definition of nonprofits. She had a concern about one of the applicants, Timberline Fire District, which can collect taxes. She said the remaining funds should be used for concerns of the County Sheriff’s department.

Commissioner Sandy Hollingsworth said leaving Timberline as a nonprofit is fine. They need a chipper and equipment. The Board approved the resolution.

Gilpin County Planner James Shrout introduced a resolution for Landmark Designation of the Russell Gulch Cemetery. On October 27, 2022, the Gilpin County Department of Community Development received an application to designate Russell Gulch Cemetery as a Local Landmark from the Rocky Mountain Lodge No. 41, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The sign for the cemetery identifies Rocky Mountain Lodge No. 2 as the current owner of the property.

The oldest known records for the cemetery are Gilpin County records dated to 1885. Applicant Ed DeCicco is the owner of the Independent Order of Oddfellows Lodge No. 2 in Russell Gulch, which was designated as a Local Landmark in August 2009.

DeCicco is seeking the designation of the cemetery to complement that of the lodge. DeCicco has received support from the local lodge in Arvada, which absorbed the membership of the now defunct, I.O.O.F. Rocky Mountain Lodge in Russell Gulch. Many records regarding the cemetery have been lost to time, and in the 1990s, several tombstones were found in the County Courthouse that could not be reclaimed.

Local lore suggests that this is not the original location of the Russell Gulch Cemetery, and that the original cemetery is located south of Russell Hill and east of the cemetery’s current location. That location has been left undisclosed for the protection of the cemetery and the unmarked graves that are left.

Most graves in the cemetery are dated from the 1880s or later. The earliest known grave found in the cemetery is in the far southeast corner. It belongs to a 4-year-old girl named Mary Jones, whose headstone shows a death date of October 13, 1878.

Several headstones showing tree stumps and trunks are located within the cemetery, indicative of the “Woodmen of the World.” Woodmen of the World was a fraternal organization founded in 1890 by Joseph Cullen Root. The purpose of the organization was to make life insurance affordable to all. From 1890 to 1900, their life insurance policy included a tombstone. Plans for the tombstone would be sent to a local stonemason near the cemetery where the Woodman was to be buried.

Russell Gulch was founded by William Greeneberry Russell, a miner from the gold fields of northern Georgia. Russell and his brothers originally founded Auraria on the banks of Cherry Creek in 1858. Russell later discovered placer gold deposits in June 1859 in the valley that was soon named in his honor.

Before the end of that summer, nearly 1,000 prospectors occupied the gulch, and gold production averaged $35,000 a week. During the winter, when mining and prospecting were limited, residents organized the town and district.

They wrote some of the first mining laws in the territory. Women had the same rights as men, and only children under the age of ten years were prohibited from holding mining claims.

The following year brought more prospectors to the area, soon estimated to be 2,500 citizens. Soon thereafter, a federal hall, a brick schoolhouse, a church, and dozens of businesses and houses were built.

During public comment about the resolution, six people from both Gilpin County and Arvada supported the historic designation but worried about the roads and access to the cemetery. They all have family members in the cemetery, and they visit the cemetery regularly.

The main road, Dakota Ridge, is a public road but those going to the cemetery must cross private land owned by Jack Conway. Conway said that last week 25 motorcycles visited the cemetery, and a group had a scavenger hunt that blocked him late at night. He complained that he now has beer bottles and trash on his property.

Shrout said trash can be an issue, and he will talk to the Oddfellows about putting up a bear-proof trash can. The Board approved the historic landmark designation for the Russell Gulch cemetery.

Sheriff Kevin Armstrong presented a bill to bring the jails into compliance with state laws regarding the treatment of people with addiction in the jail and upon their release. He received funding to support a medical treatment program for $80,000 and $20,000 for a cart.

The contract was given to the Sheriff’s Department last week; he now needed only a signature. The Board approved the behavioral health services contract for $180,000.

Laura Solomon, Human Services, and Ginger Low with the Jefferson Center for Mental Health presented a proclamation for May 2023 as Mental Health Month. Low said the Jefferson Center provides wellness services for 30,000 people, hoping and working toward breaking down barriers.

The Board approved the proclamation.

The next regular meeting of the Board will be on May 23, 2023. For more information, go to https://gilpincounty.colorado.gov/ public-meetings/board-of-countycommissioners bocc-meetings