Mindy Leary, Gilpin County. On Tuesday, March 2, 2021, the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners met online at 9 a.m. for a regular meeting. Commissioners Linda Isenhart, Web Sill and Sandy Hollingsworth were in attendance. County Attorney Brad Benning and County Manager Abel Montoya were also present. The agenda was scheduled until 11:30 a.m. at which time, a work session with Clear Creek County was scheduled for an hour. Remaining business resumed at 12:30 p.m. Highlights included the Covid-19 update, a boundary line elimination, a parking regulations ordinance and the determination of Community Center fees.  

Emergency Manager Nate Whittington and Public Health Coordinator Bonnie Albrecht presented the Covid-19 update. Albrecht reported there have been two cases in the last seven days with a positivity rate of 1.3 percent. 

Whittington said Emergency Management is looking to build a larger footprint for a vaccination site and has been talking to Monarch Casino about moving it from the second floor to the third floor ballroom, allowing for greater social distancing.

Albrecht said she is working on the state application for Level Green because the numbers are looking good. The county has done a total of 1,090 vaccinations, 681 first doses and 409 second doses.

Starting March 5, Group 1B3 will be eligible for vaccinations, including people aged 60 and over, workers in grocery and agriculture, and people aged 16-59 with two or more high-risk conditions. Group 1B4’s queue in the vaccination list is projected to be called in late March. 

The 2021 Annual Operating Agreement for Wildfire Suppression was approved after a brief discussion of state-managed land around schools.

BLE (Boundary Line Elimination) 21-01 for Rollinsville Mini Storage would combine four existing undeveloped lots into a single lot, eliminating three development rights. 

Isenhart said, “Well it makes sense to combine all the smaller lots into a larger lot that might be build-able in the future. That’s what this program [current zoning plan] was trying to do initially.” All were in favor.

BLA (Boundary Line Adjustment) 20-03 was presented by Tami Archer for Bonanza Land, LLC. Commissioner Sill was reluctant to approve it because it would make one plot large and the other small and less usable. Surprisingly, it passed 2-1 with Hollingsworth as the “nay.”

Next on the agenda, Fire Chief Paul Ondr discussed Timberline Fire Protection District’s lease with the Rollinsville Shop bay space. Ondr proposed to extend the lease for up to five years at no cost for one bay at the Tolland Road location. All were in favor. 

Gabrielle Chisholm gave an update about the Community Center’s reopening saying it was very successful with 60 reservations having been made. They will work on speeding up health checks, simplifying prices, acquiring the Silver Sneakers program, and adding a discount rate and/or free days. 

Capital improvements for the Community Center include the roof, the foundation and the HVAC system.

After a lengthy discussion, the board approved the 2021 Parks and Recreation Fee Proposal with admission rates for GCCC at $4 for resident adults, $3 for resident children and seniors, and $6 for non-residents.  

Benning presented the Legal Status Report which included a discussion of parking regulations. Sill made a motion to continue the first reading of the parking ordinance on March 16. All were in favor.

The sale of the Black Diamond Mine Claim to Proximo Distillers was approved with all in favor. “It’s more than the assessed value,” said Benning.

The County Manager Status Report included a request to increase the allocation to $20,000 to pay for one seasonal staff member at the slash site so that the site could open one month early.

The board approved the motion to pay Jeff Wein $2,400 for 15 hours work to facilitate at the upcoming Summit meetings that concern county leadership. All were in favor. 

 The Board of County Commissioner Status Report included a discussion on the need for representation to the State Local Government Limited Gaming Impact Advisory Committee. Web Sill was nominated to serve for the four-year term.

The board appointed Ruth Arnold to the Library Board of Trustees for a five-year term, with all in favor. 

Hollingsworth reminded everyone of the March 8 Town Hall meeting regarding Colorado Natural Gas improper installations at 3:30 p.m. online and can be reached via the county website.

The board then considered and approved the meeting minutes for February 16 and 23, 2021. 

No public or press comments were made. Meeting adjourned at 2:05 p.m.

(Originally published in the March 11, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)