Mindy Leary, Gilpin County. On August 18, 2020, County Manager Abel Montoya and Business Analyst Jaime Tirado hosted the third workshop to discuss creative solutions for reopening the Gilpin Community Center. The center has been forced to close because it is not a statutory requirement for the county which is facing a growing financial crisis amid the pandemic.

Recently the county had to make several staff layoffs and close the Community Center Campus which included the gym, pool, arena, barn, senior services, daycare services, etc. During the virtual Zoom meeting, there was a live chat with links to community surveys.

Tirado went over the live survey results concerning funding for the Community Center and the Sheriff’s Office. Tax revenue stabilization had a lot of support at 51%, with the most popular choice being the adoption of 9 mills.

The county would need 4.5 mills to generate enough revenue to fund the Community Center and 4.5 mills for the Sheriff’s Office. Survey takers were equally as willing to help both these institutions.

“The county has the lowest effective tax rate in the state. The proposed mill levy increases would be $18/month increase to property tax bills,” said Montoya. 

About half a million is necessary for deferred maintenance improvements including the roof, foundation and flooring. Increases in space for social distancing also require updating and revenue. 

Gabrielle Chisholm, Assistant Director of Gilpin Parks and Recreation, introduced the special district focus group and the subgroups.

Jim Reed and Carolyn Petersen presented on behalf of the lead group. They stressed that the community center is an approved Red Cross shelter that is ADA compliant. It’s a critical resource for emergency training and is an animal shelter for GCART. 

Operating costs for the center include one million for staff salaries, with utilities as the second highest expense. Capital expenditures include code upgrades and custodial services. 

The lead focus group is concerned with the reasons why two-thirds of the county population do not use the center. Another challenge is marketing and increasing collaboration with local and corporate sponsorship. If a special district is adopted, households can opt out, which would affect revenue. 

“The scope of work for a special district involves due diligence for finances, revenues, and data collection,” says Petersen. Staff contracts, state compliance, licensing and human resources are a huge concern.

The mission statement reads, “In the near-term, it is our mission to support the mill levy initiative this fall to reopen the center. In the long-term, it is to create a parks and recreation special district, with funding coming from taxes, grants, and/or corporate support.”

Residents want the community center open as soon as possible and the fastest way to do that is with a mill levy. A special district plan will go through if that fails and the group will be collecting data from residents about community needs.

The lead groups will create one communication flow between the subgroups, with one representative from each group to attend the P & R special district meetings, happening every two weeks.

The lead group will provide all documentation to the county for the development of the Gilpin County Comprehensive plan. 

Commissioner Gail Watson said, “The community center being closed impacts so many different things.” From senior citizens to youth, the need for the center is far-reaching.

Watson is hopeful for some interim funding come springtime. Grant funding may be found from GOCO, explicitly for outdoor activities, as well as the Colorado Covid Relief Fund, for youth services, said Watson. 

Gilpin County has been disproportionately financially impacted by the pandemic and the purpose of these workshops is to find creative solutions for reopening the community center. 

The next community center workshop will be held virtually on September 15, 2020 at 6 p.m. and can be accessed by visiting the county website.

(Originally published in the August 27, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)