John Scarffe

Gilpin County

The Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners put into place fall fire restrictions for Gilpin County during a regular meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at the Gilpin County Courthouse. The County also placed fire restrictions in effect on July 10, 2016.

County Manager Roger Baker said Sheriff Bruce Hartman had been talking to others in the state about the fire potential. Fires are currently burning in other areas of the state.

“By reason of extremely dry fire conditions prevailing for the past month, an emergency exists because of extreme fire danger,” according to the resolution establishing the fire restrictions. It became effective at 5 p.m. on October 18, 2016, but Baker said it may not last very long.

The restrictions prohibit any fire or campfire except those within permanently constructed fire grates, smoking except within a car or a six feet cleared area, open burning including bon fires, fireworks and chainsaws without a spark arrestor.

Acting as the County Licensing Authority, the Board approved a liquor license renewal for Stage Stop and tasting events at Mid-County Liquors. Heather Hatwan, of Nederland, requested the liquor license renewal for the Stage Stop restaurant and bar in Rollinsville. Deputy Clerk Sharon Cate said it was very straight forward, and the Sheriff’s letter came in very clean, so there was no reason not to approve it.

Jan Petersen applied for 2017 liquor tasting events at Mid-County Liquors, 17218 Highway 119, Black Hawk. Cate said they turned this in early for 2017, because another nearby liquor store might also put in an application, and they were not sure if the Board would allow them to overlap on their times.  

The application requested events during two days each month. Commissioner Buddy Schmalz recused himself from voting because, he said, he was involved in it.

The Board approved a boundary line elimination for Mark W. Heidebrecht,  at Watchdog Replat A, off of Black Gulch Road between Pinecliffe and Wondervu. County Planner Dan Horn said the applicant wanted to consolidate two lots into one.

Horn said one of the lots, with 5.6 acres, does have a house on it. The other 2.8-acre parcel is vacant. Combined the lot will total 8.4 acres.  

After much discussion and several drafts, the Board approved a Procurement and Purchasing Policy for the County. In a memo to the Board, Finance Director Clorinda Smith wrote: “Gilpin County has never had a formal Procurement and Purchasing Policy. This policy is long overdue and has become a requirement for many grants.”

The policy has been the focus of two work sessions and has been shared with Gilpin County department directors and elected officials. The policy applies to the procurement and purchase of goods and services, whether capital items or not. “All real property purchases should go through the County Manager to the Board of Commissioners,” according to the policy.

The policy provides separate instructions for small purchases less than $5,000, informal purchases of $5,000 to $49,999 and formal purchases of $50,000 or more. The policy also includes a general purchase order form.

Human Services Director Betty Donovan presented the Core Services Program for the Colorado Department of Human Services, and said they do this every year, detailing the services put in place to assist children out of the home or working with them in the home. County Human Services contracts for services in Boulder and Jefferson counties.

“We have clients in Longmont and Weld County,” Donovan said. “We contract everywhere.” Core Services to be provided by the County are home based intervention, intensive family therapy, sexual abuse treatment services, day treatment, life skills, special economic assistance, mental health services and substance abuse treatment services.

The Board approved the Core Services Plan. The next meeting of the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at the Gilpin County Courthouse, 203 Eureka Street, Central City.