The City of Black Hawk City Council approved the lease of the convenience store during a regular meeting at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at 211 Church Street in Black Hawk. The Council also approved the Water Storage Agreement between Black Hawk and Golden, the Purchase of one pick-up truck and waiving the payment of certain enumerated occupational taxes.

Black Hawk Finance Director Lance Hillis introduced a resolution approving the commercial lease with Peak to Peak Market, LLC, for the property at 7320 Black Hawk Blvd., Suite 1A. Nicolas Spencer and his fiancé Sage, who rang the traditional bell to start the meeting, represented Peak to Peak Market.

Hillis said it will be a five-year lease. The Spencers said they plan to open on March 1 and will be applying for a liquor license. This commercial lease will allow Peak to Peak Market, LLC, to operate the convenience store at its current location. The lease calls for an initial five-year term, with two one-year options commencing on February 8, 2023, and expiring on February 29, 2028.

The tenant shall pay rent to the City in the amount of $915 per month for the first 12 months of this lease in advance on the first day of each month for that month’s rental. The Council approved the lease agreement.

At the beginning of the meeting, Public Works Director Thomas Isbester introduced new employee Brad Dallam as the new Water Resource Engineer. Isbester said he has a lot of experience, mainly in Lafayette, and can step right in.

Dallam said he is filling the position created by Jim Ford’s retirement, Water Resource Engineer. He has more than 30 years experience in municipal engineering, with an emphasis on water related projects. He has managed complex water systems consisting of water rights management, construction management and system operations.

Isbester and Dallam introduced an ordinance approving the water storage agreement between the City of Black Hawk and the City of Golden. Golden delivers 100-acre feet of water to Black Hawk each year.

This water is typically provided from the Vidler Tunnel. The Vidler water is trans-basin water making it valuable because the water can be used to extinction without return flow requirements.

In most years, Black Hawk takes delivery of the Vidler water into Green Lake or Georgetown Lake. In the event of a wet spring, room in these reservoirs may not be available.

Golden has space available in its Guanella Reservoir and will store the water until we can exchange it to Green Lake or Georgetown Lake. The cost of the storage is 50 percent of the water put into Guanella Reservoir. For example, if we store 100 acre feet in Guanella, we keep 50 acre feet and Golden gets 50 acre feet.

There is no monetary cost to the city. The alternative is to let the water go down stream and make no use of it.

The Council approved the ordinance.

Steve Jackson requested the purchase of a budgeted half-ton GMC pickup truck for Public Works. During the 2022 budget approval process, a pickup truck was approved to be purchased.

Due to the ongoing supply chain issues and equipment shortages we were not able to purchase that unit. We have been able to locate a truck this year to finally complete the acquisition for $58,000, Jackson said

The additional funding is to outfit the truck with the additional accessories such as warning lights and headache rack.

Alderman Paul Bennett said this is number 4. At the previous meeting, the Council approved the purchase of three trucks. Did you get more people to drive them, he asked.

The Council approved the purchase.

City Attorney Corey Hoffmann introduced a resolution to temporarily waive the payment of certain enumerated occupational taxes as otherwise imposed pursuant to Article IX of Chapter 4 of the Black Hawk Municipal Code. The device fee tax won’t be waived.

The Colorado General Assembly purported to streamline the business license application process and the imposition, collection and administration of sales and use taxes by eliminating the City’s authority to impose business license fees on retailers that either do not have physical presence within the local taxing jurisdiction or have only incidental physical presence within the local taxing jurisdiction. The City desires to temporarily suspend the collection of occupational taxes on certain limited and enumerated businesses.

The Council approved the resolution.

The next meeting of the City of Black Hawk Council will be on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. For more information, go to https://www.cityofblackhawk.org/.