John Scarffe, Gilpin County. The Gilpin County Democrat Central Committee discussed the upcoming redistricting of the State of Colorado with an opportunity to give feedback to the Redistricting Commissioners on how they want Gilpin County to fit in the new plan during a regular online meeting on March 25, 2021. The Committee also discussed gaming funds and heard an update from County officials.

In the absence of Chair Eric Douglas, Whitney Donoghue, 1st Vice-Chair called the meeting to order. The Committee tabled the previous minutes.

Congressional Redistricting Commission comments were from March 16 to April 5, and State Legislative Commission comments were from March 31 to April 19, so the comment periods have ended.

The two sets of redistricting Commissioners (Congressional and State Legislative) will be traveling the State and holding 21 public comment meetings in the future though it is not yet clear when that will begin.

The objective is to get Gilpin County included entirely in the new district instead of splitting the County in some fashion. Donoghue said, “We in Gilpin County want the whole county to be in it.” 

Douglas sent out a sample letter from comments submitted to the Colorado Congressional and State Redistricting Committees. He gave his name and said he was a 23-year resident of Gilpin County, just west of Jefferson County.

“Gilpin County is the second smallest county by area in the State of Colorado. We have an estimated population between 5,000 and 6,000 people. We have three small towns: Black Hawk, Central City and Rollinsville. 

“We are a tight knit community with one public library, one K-12 school and one community center. If you have lived here long enough, it is possible to personally know a significant number of the people in the County.

“Gilpin County is currently completely contained in Congressional District 2, Colorado House District 13 and Colorado Senate District 16. For all these reasons, I request that you keep the entire county in one Congressional District, one Colorado House District and one Colorado Senate district. 

Phil Gibbs said he got invited to a training session and said Eric’s example is what they advise. Former State Senator and Gilpin County Commissioner Jeanne Nicholson said, “Rep Chris Kenney, a member of the Colorado State Legislature, is introducing a bill that, if passed, would require a separate commission to redraw the county commissioner districts rather than the current law, which states the county commissioners have the authority to draw the new county commissioner district lines.” 

The Committee discussed authorized distributions from the local government limited gaming impact fund, which is in the legislative committee as of March 18, 2021, and is sponsored by Judy Amabile and Tammy Story. Right now, Gilpin and Teller counties are handicapped when they apply for grants because they already get gaming money. 

The bill takes that away. It says that grant awards have to be prioritized based on county wealth, and it uses property values as a proxy for county wealth. Gilpin County is the poorest county by this measure, so it should help Gilpin County get more grant money.

Nicholson said the funds would only be distributed for cities that have a negative gaming impact. Gilpin County Commissioner Sandy Hollingsworth said that mental health funding was included for training and services, but the funding was cut, so they should restore $5 million.

Nicholson acknowledged the Food Bank, because a third of county families have been relying on that. People are really struggling. “Every one of us knows we are not out of the woods in terms of the large population who are struggling throughout this pandemic,” she said, and suggested a contribution from the party would be appropriate. The Food Bank also needs more people to do deliveries.

 During officer updates, County Commission Chair Linda Isenhart said she and Commissioner Hollingsworth have been running fast-paced, commissioners’ activities and acting as the Board of the Health. Hollingsworth said that limited gaming impact funds should have a more equitable distribution, so maybe Gilpin will get money for nonprofits and law enforcement.

Gross Reservoir released its tree cutting plan, and Gilpin County is strongly opposed to that use. The comment period is open. 

Isenhart said the County has been against the Gross Dam Reservoir expansion. She, Hollingsworth and County Manager Abel Montoya have attended a meeting with Denver Water, which is trying to find routes to go from Highway119 to Highway 6 and then to Highway 93 with their materials and cut down trees. 

“We are against that,” she said. Montoya has suggested an alternative route via a railroad spur around Pinecliffe, so they could transport by train. 

The County has issued a public health order moving to level green for the COVID-19 Pandemic, so restaurants can open to full capacity within the six feet restrictions and alcohol can be served 24/7 for seven days. Hollinsworth reminded that people still need to wear masks unless working outside or riding a horse in the arena. 

The Gilpin County Democrat Central Committee met on April 22, 2021. Look for the meeting report in the April 29, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.

(Originally published in the April 8, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear. The original story has been updated in this online story.)