Mindy Leary, Gilpin County. On Tuesday, October 20, 2020, the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners met online at 9 a.m. for their regular meeting. Commissioners Gail Watson, Linda Isenhart and Ron Engels were present, as were County Attorney Brad Benning and County Manager Abel Montoya. Highlights included a Covid-19 update, fire discussions, a liquor tasting application, and discussions on the Comprehensive Plan and the East Portal historic cabins.

Public Health Coordinator Bonnie Albrecht said there are now 26 cases with five cases in the last week. A resident asked what the guidelines are concerning private gatherings and the commissioners responded by saying they had yet to issue anything formal. Watson suggested sitting as the Board of Health soon.

Outdoor venues are capped at 175 people in outdoor spaces with distance according to the state guidelines for “Safer-at-Home.” The current cases are spread throughout the county with only one in the last week from the casinos.

Emergency Manager Nate Whittington said the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) has been preparing first responders for this increase in cases. 

“Sunday afternoon Gilpin County was asked to help with the Lefthand and Cal-Wood fires,” said Whittington. GCART (Gilpin County Animal Rescue Team) was activated and the fairgrounds were used for evacuation of animals. 

The fires are about seven miles from Nederland and with the recent high winds, the danger persists. The Isle of Capri opened many rooms for evacuees and was activated as a Red Cross Shelter for fires across the state.

The board then convened as the Local Liquor Licensing Authority and reviewed the application from Mid-County Liquors for a liquor tasting permit for 50 dates in 2021. The board passed the application unanimously.

Community Planner Stephen Strohminger presented the new Comprehensive Plan which is the foundation for implementing orderly growth and collaborative decision making. The engineering regulations were delivered to Strohminger yesterday and zoning ordinances will be delivered by the consultants soon. Gilpin has an aging population with a lot of retirement homes being built. About 43,000 acres are under county jurisdiction with about 20,000 acres as residential. 

Community input from March to June reflected the desire to stay small and rural and of course the question is how to diversify the economy whilst preserving Gilpin’s character. Input from June to September dealt with locations for economic diversification.  

Benning presented the Legal Status Report spoke about remediation of the five historic cabins at the end of Tolland Road in East Portal near Moffat Tunnel due to the fact they were built with asbestos and lead-based paint. The county wants to preserve the historic nature of the buildings which would be gifted to the county by Union Pacific. Any remediation would occur in 2021 and the county would foot the bill with a grant hopefully. 

Watson said, “Fifty thousand dollars value for cabins they have allowed to sit and through their neglect degrade, on property that they don’t own, seems a bit much.”

Last September the board extended the last call for alcohol to 2 a.m. and a study was done to see how it affected the health of the county. There was an increase of alcohol-related incidents inside the casinos, an increase in traffic to the casinos and a slight increase in DUI’s. More data is necessary to determine statistical significance. Patrons who refused to wear masks were asked to leave the casinos. 

During the County Legal Status Report, County Manager Abel Montoya reported from the courthouse about the Sheriff’s Report. There were 14 bookings that were gaming related. “The pattern is that alcohol and gaming comprise the majority of intakes,” said Montoya. 

Business Analyst Gabrielle Chisholm is tracking approximately two dozen grants and updated the board on a recent Covid grant application for 1.7 million, which should have a response early November. 

County Planner Tami Archer was given an award for exemplary service which can only be gained through recognition by a resident. “I am absolutely speechless,” said Archer.

A public hearing was held for the Gilpin County 2021 Proposed Budget which is about two-thirds done. Budget materials are available online via the county website. No public comment was made and the hearing was closed.

The minutes from September 15, 22, 29, and October 6 were approved. 

Watson said the cause of the recent fires is suspected to be human error and urged caution during this dry, windy season. She brought up the upcoming USFS forest closure which includes all National Forest land in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimar, Boulder and Gilpin counties. 

The temporary closure goes into effect October 21 in order to support the suppression of three fires in these areas. Watson hopes the county issues a resolution supporting the closures. 

No public or press comments were made and the meeting adjourned into an executive session.

 The next regular meeting for the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, at 9 a.m. virtually and can be accessed by following the instructions on the current agenda on the Gilpin County Commissioners website at http://www.gilpincounty.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=9285259&pageId=11072364

(Originally published in the October 22, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)