Patrice LeBlanc, Central City. The virtual Central City council meeting began at 7:02 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4, 2020.  In attendance were Mayor Jeremy Fey, Mayor Pro-tem Judy Laratta, Alderman Jeff Aiken, Alderman Jackie Johnson and Alderman Jack Hidahl. Mayor Fey requested a change in the agenda to move item #10 Proclamation to the beginning of the meeting and Council approved the change.

Mayor Fey announced a Proclamation to Dorothy Tanner, founder of Lumonics in Central City. Dorothy has made a considerable contribution to the city over the years with her artist studio in which she and her husband opened in 1963. Lumonics is the longest running light art studio in the United States. Over the years the studio has ran workshops and camps and set displays throughout Central City. In 2019 the City commissioned work to be displayed in the Gilpin Art Gallery. Mayor Fey expressed gratitude to Dorothy for her contribution to the community and awarded her the Proclamation.

A motion was made for a continuance on the public hearing for the HR 20-10 TBD Academy application. The Historic Preservation Commission had approved the application, however the applicant requested the public hearing to be moved to September 1, 2020, to allow for time to finalize the Option and Lease Agreement between AT&T and the City of Central for the proposed wireless communications facility. Alderman Hidahl objected to the current suggested location for the tower on Academy Street and stated this site was a prominent location for the City. He suggested looking at other sites that would not have as much visibility. Council voted on the continuance and it was approved 5-0.

Resolution No. 20-26 is an agreement between Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder and the City of Central regarding the conduct of a coordinated election to be held on November 3, 2020. The Intergovernmental Agreement designates the County Clerk, Reba Bechtel, as the designated Election Official with Mayor Fey and City Manager Daniel Miera to sign the IGA with Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder. If more than one political subdivision holds an election on the same day in November and there is a boundary overlap, the county clerk will conduct the elections on behalf of all political subdivisions. Cost estimate for the election is $2463.90 for 645 voters. There are currently two Council seat open for the next election. The Resolution was approved 5-0.

Resolution No. 20-27 extends the City of Central’s Local Emergency Disaster Declaration to August 19, 2020. On July 21, 2020, the State issued a mandate requiring all alcohol sales (including casinos) to end at 10 p.m. This mandate is in effect until August 20, 2020. Alderman Aiken commented he did not feel the casinos fall under the same category as bars and venues and there is a different atmosphere in casinos where social distancing was being addressed.  Mayor Fey informed Council the State has put a freeze on variance applications. Alderman Hidahl suggested asking the County Commissioners to apply for a variance on behalf of the casinos for this mandate. City Clerk, Reba Bechtel clarified the sale of alcohol was mandated to cease at 10 p.m. not consumption, and the mandate does not include liquor stores. The Resolution was approved 5-0.

In staff updates, Alderman Laratta asked if there was any restrictions with the traffic on Academy. She stated there was a lot of trailers, ATVs and motorcycles on the road and a lot of trash was left behind. Mayor Fey asked if the City Clean Up Day had been rescheduled as it was postponed due to the pandemic. City Manager Daniel Miera thought the Main Street Commission would reschedule but thy have not had a meeting since March. Mayor Fey and Alderman Johnson would like to see a clean- up day rescheduled before winter. Alderman Aiken expressed concern over the condition of the sidewalk in front of the City building. Alderman Hidahl inquired about further discussions over the budget. Miera said there are meetings scheduled for September for the 2020-21 budget.

In council comments, Alderman Laratta pointed out the good points to wearing a mask in public; no need for makeup, plastic surgery not necessary and it shows respect for people. Alderman Johnson observed there were a lot of visitors in the city and praised Mayor Fey for giving tours to tourists. Alderman Hidahl would like to see a hard copy of the Trails Master Plan instead of a digital one. He also suggested putting a note in the water bills about the programs that are available for people in need. Mayor Fey encouraged anyone who would like to run for City Council to get their required signatures in before the deadline. Mayor Fey read a letter he submitted to the Gilpin County School District about their decision to provide only online learning as the school year begins. He felt this was a bad decision on their part and would like to explore other solutions. Fey would like to look into creating learning pods in Central City until the schools can open up again. He asked if staff could look into this and offer Council direction on how to proceed. Alderman Johnson liked this idea and volunteered to do Physical Education, Alderman Aiken and Hidahl would like more information on the issue. Alderman Laratta did not want to encourage any situation that encouraged crowds and would not approve the pod. 

The meeting went into Executive Session at 8:34 p.m. 

(Originally published in the August 13, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)