The Golden Gate Fire Protection District Board approved renovating Station 81 during a regular meeting on Thursday, January 25, at 7 p.m. at the Grange, 25231 Golden Gate Canyon Road. The Board tabled a request for an impact fee study.

Chief Benson requested approval to renovate Station 81, located at 32360 Robinson Hill Road. He declared that at the District’s budget meeting this Board approved the financial commitment, saying “This is our money.”

He continued, “We are ready to begin the interior demolition of Station 81, with the tentative demo date of January 31. We would like the permission of the Board to move forward with demolition and renovation projects at Station 81.”

The current plan for Station 81 includes removal of the downstairs temporary wall, eliminating the office to make a crew room with murphy beds, a TV space for crewing, and limited workout equipment. There will be a full remodel of the single downstairs bathroom. Replacing all flooring with waterproof vinyl planking will alleviate future flooding concerns. The renovation will also include resurfacing all drywall and repainting.

There will be an updated kitchen area, with the addition of an electric stove and updated appliances. The transition upstairs will include a community dining area that will also continue to function as a training space, meeting space, and open office.

Further, they will be adding a gear washer and clothes washer to the bay and installing security cameras.

The total budgeted for these combined projects is $30,000, which is allocated in the 2024 budget. This should include the Chief’s $5,000 spending limit. The majority of the work involved will be performed by volunteer firefighters and trade professionals volunteering their time.

The Board approved.

The Board discussed a recommendation for an impact fees study. The purpose of this study is to describe the process and results used by Golden Gate Fire Protection District to meet all requirements for levying an impact fee on new development within its boundaries.

Current rules assert that “A local government shall quantify the reasonable impacts of proposed development on existing capital facilities and establish the impact fee or development charge at a level no greater than necessary to defray such impacts directly related to proposed development.”

This study will document the existing fire and emergency response capital infrastructure in Golden Gate Fire Protection District, and describe the methods and results used to calculate a fee amount that will defray impacts from future development at a level no greater than the capital costs already borne by current district residents.

Colorado statutes and a series of court decisions have established when and how government entities can levy, manage, and use impact fees. This study is needed to ensure that Golden Gate Fire Protection District meets all requirements relating to impact fees on development within the district’s boundaries.

The Golden Gate Fire Protection District encompasses an area of approximately 45 square miles in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado. The district’s western boundary is the Jefferson County / Gilpin County line. The south and east borders are indistinct lines that respectively are north of U.S. Highway 6 in Clear Creek Canyon and along the toe of the foothills west of Colorado Highway 93. The north boundary is a stair-step that approximately follows the ridgeline between Golden Gate and Coal Creek Canyons.

The public lands in the District attract large numbers of recreational visitors throughout the year. The primary access to the district is via Golden Gate Canyon Road. Users of the road include local residents; recreationists such as public land visitors, bicyclists, and people driving the road for pleasure; and travelers to areas east and west of the district.

The Jefferson County Assessor’s Office lists almost 600 tax-paying properties within the boundaries of the District. Of these, about 150 properties are clustered in the Geneva Glade subdivision and along Robinson Hill Road in the Douglas Mountain Ranch and Elk Creek Meadows subdivisions.

The remaining 450 properties are widely scattered throughout the district and include 140 properties that are so isolated that they are not associated with any street name.

Impact fee studies need to be updated regularly in order to reflect constantly changing information regarding a district’s inventory of capital assets, and the value of the land and buildings owned by the district.

It has been recommended that this study should be updated every other year, when the Jefferson County Assessor produces new assessed values for all privately owned property.

The current fee schedule:

• Comprehensive Planning Review Partnership-$300 per year.

• Residential Rezone and Subdivision Review-$100 per lot

• Secondary Driveway Permit Inspection-$150 per review

• Burn Permit, suggested - donation of $50

• Insurance will serve letter-donation $50

• Cistern re-inspection-donation $100

• Defensible Space Inspection-donation $75.

After much public comment regarding the study, the Board tabled discussion and adjourned the meeting.

The next regular Board meeting will be on February 22, at 7 p.m. at the Grange, 25231 Golden Gate Canyon Road. For more information, go to https://goldengatefire.org.