John Scarffe, Gilpin County.   The Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners heard the first reading of an ordinance regarding emergency and evacuation routes over private property during a regular meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 23, 2018, at the Gilpin County Courthouse. The board also considered a grant application for the Gilpin County Schools Track and Field project, a structural assessment contract for the Red Tail Cabins and installing broadband fiber at the Justice Center.

With Board Chair Ron Engels absent, Commissioner Linda Isenhart took over the gavel. County Emergency Manager Kevin Armstrong and County Attorney Jim Petrock introduced the continuation of a first reading for an ordinance regarding emergency and evacuation routes over private property. The first reading was continued from September 9, 2018.

Armstrong explained that the ordinance is to help land owners to join into a program for emergency access through easements, so they would have some protection for people accessing the emergency routes. The program is still in development and has to be pretty fluid.

This allows the Sheriff’s Office to issue citations if someone uses an emergency egress unnecessarily, Armstrong said. Petrock said this is predicated on the private property owners agreeing to do this, and in return for that, the county will be informing them of these protections.
The county has identified emergency and evacuation routes in existing developments and subdivisions, according to the ordinance. Private property owners on these routes have agreed to allow these routes to be used for emergencies and evacuations.

Emergency routes will be marked with signage specifying that use is restricted to emergency and evacuation routes only. The routes remain private property and are not available to the public until the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office, Board of Trustees or county emergency operations manager declares the emergency route open to the public, according to the ordinance.

Isenhart said she likes the $1,000 fine, and it shows we’re taking it very seriously. “I think that gets attention.” Commissioner Gail Watson said she is in favor of it and made motion to approve first reading with the second reading scheduled for November 20. The board passed the motion.

The board discussed a resolution supporting an application for a Local Park and Outdoor Recreation Grant from the State Board of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund for the completion of the Gilpin County School District Track and Field project. Gilpin County has partnered with the school district to request $35,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado to develop a new track and field project, according to the resolution.

Watson said the board is fully in favor of this and approved the resolution. Community Development Director Stephen Strohminger requested awarding contracts for the Redtail Cabins Historic Structure Assessments to Bret Johnson Architecture.

On April 24, 2018, the board approved a local match of $3,150 for the assessments. The approved grant amount is $6,300 per cabin for a total of $12,600.

The project went out for bid, and the county received one bid from Bret Johnson Architecture, Strohminger said. He will do the description of rehabilitation to keep the cabins from deteriorating.

Gilpin County acquired the Redtail Cabins in January 2018 and in June applied for historic assessment grants for each cabin, according to the request. The grants were awarded to Gilpin County in July, and the contracts were fully executed on September 11, 2018.

“The purpose of the historic structure assessments is to gain an in-depth understanding of the current conditions so a rehabilitation plan can be developed,” states the request. The board approved the contract.

Tobias Tonelli, Gilpin County IT contractor with Teryx, Inc., introduced a request to sign a master services agreement for broadband fiber at the Justice Center. The agreement with USA Communications of Kearney, Nebraska, will cost a $99 installation fee and the first month’s service fee of $511.

The board passed the original motion to proceed with fiber at the Justice Center on May 8, 2018 according to the request, and then made a motion to move forward on September 11. The board approved the request.
Jody Erwin, deputy director of Jefferson County Public Health, and Bonnie Albrecht, Gilpin County public health coordinator, introduced the annual agreement between Jefferson County Public Health and Gilpin County Public Health to provide public health services to county citizens. Erwin said that the State started requiring a formal agreement in 2008.

Jefferson County will provide the services for $87 an hour for all additional public health support services, according to the agreement. “Total contract payments are not to exceed $150,000.”

The board approved the agreement. The next regular meeting of the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, November 6, 2018, at the Gilpin County Courthouse, 203 Eureka Street, Central City.

(Originally published in the November 1, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)