The December 7, 2021, Central City Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Jeremy Fey at 7:06 p.m. In attendance were Mayor Jeremy Fey, Mayor Pro Tem Judy Laratta, Alderman Jeff Aiken and Alderman Kara Tinucci.

The consent agenda covered four Resolutions and was approved unanimously by the Council. Resolution No. 21-33 approved the extension of the Professional Service Agreement (PSA) with IMEG Corp. Resolution No. 21- 34 approved the extension of the PSA with Complete Business Systems of Colorado, Inc. Resolution No. 21-35 approved the extension of the PSA with Deere & Ault Consultants, Inc., C&L Water Solutions, Inc., and W3 Engineers LLC. Resolution 21-36 approved the extension of the PSA with Prospective Business Solutions LLC.

New Business involved a presentation on the restoration of Engine 7. Jim Crawford represented the Gilpin County Historical Society and presented a request to Council to transfer ownership of Engine 7 to the Historical Society so they may obtain grants and financial backing to restore the train. Crawford informed Council the train is currently located at the Grand Z Casino and is planned to be moved to 220 Spring Street, where tracks are already in place.

The Historical Society is partnering with Colorado Central Railroad to restore the train. Some funds are already set aside and grant opportunities are available once ownership is transferred from the City to the Historical Society. Benefits of the restoration of Engine 7 will promote tourism and bring historical significance to the City.

Mayor Fey inquired if any lien would be put on the train in the future if the finances fall through. Crawford assured him there is no lien connected with the contract agreement between the Historical Society and Colorado Central Railroad. The Council agreed to address the issue in an Executive Session.

Crawford gave the annual report of the Gilpin County Historical Society. The organization struggled in 2021 with staffing issues, which resulted in closures. They held their annual Cemetery Crawl and Creepy Crawl events even though there was limited capacity due to Covid-19. Future events planned include tours of the Masonic Hall.

Eric Chinn, Director of Historic Properties for the Central City Opera, reported the events of the last year in association with the Opera: JKQ BBQ maintained a restaurant at the Teller House, Peak to Peak Players continued a lease on the Stables, Gilpin County Historical Society offered tours of the Opera House, and Main Street Central City recently held the Tommyknocker Holiday events at the Teller House. There were also many restorations on Opera properties and an upgrade on the gardens. The Opera will celebrate their 90th anniversary in 2022 in addition to the 150-year anniversary of the Teller House. The Opera is committed to bringing unique cultural events to Central City.

Gilpin County Arts Association President Eric Miller thanked Council for their continued support of his organization and the use of Washington Hall, which they lease from the City for their art gallery. The Society has over 100 members and made a good profit in 2021 despite the pandemic. The Society will celebrate their 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Juried Show in 2022 along with school events and many other art shows.

Main Street Central City’s report was given by Lisa Roemhildt, City Planner and Main Street Advisor. Events in 2021 included a Clean Up Day, Madame Lou Bunch Day, the Belvidere Pocket Park project, a Halloween Pumpkin Patch, and Tommyknocker Holidays. There were six hundred volunteer hours put into these events.

Jamie Boyle, Historic Preservation Officer & Special Projects Coordinator for the City, presented the Historic Preservation Commission report. She reported ten meetings took place in 2021 along with trainings. The commission reviewed twenty applications for financial needs on historic properties and they reimbursed eight residential paint projects. The Community Development Department gained two new staff members this year, which will increase productivity and production.

Jack Hidahl, President of the Belvidere Foundation, recommended Kevin Wright to the Board position of the Foundation. Wright was a long-time local resident but currently lives in Arvada. He is retired and feels he can commit to the Foundation. The Council approved his appointment unanimously.

Resolution No. 21-37 adopts the revised 2022 City budget. City Manager Daniel Miera detailed the budget for the Council and stated the priority the Council agreed on for 2002 was to increase marketing and tourism plans. The Resolution was approved unanimously.

Staff Updates: Daniel Miera gave the Public Safety Annual report, which is required. He also reported that Dragon Tiger Casino will have their grand opening on January 22, 2022; they have requested searchlights for the event.

Gilpin County Deputy Wheeler gave the Covid-19 update. All vaccine clinics have child doses available. In the last seven days there have been 14 new cases reported and a total of 540 cases since the pandemic started. There have been two hospitalizations and one death in the last week. Four deaths total in the County have been blamed on the pandemic.

Council Comments: Alderman Tinucci thanked the full house of residents for attending the meeting and thanked the staff. She felt the Tommyknocker event at the Teller House went well. Alderman Aiken thanked the staff on their work on the budget. He offered his condolences to the Spellman family in Black Hawk for the death of Delores Spellman, who was considered the matriarch of the family. He stated that she will be missed in the community.

Mayor Pro-Tem Laratta requested a moment of silence for the deaths of Cody and Shelby Allen and all the other loved ones who passed away during the past year. She thought the tree lighting celebration was fabulous and complimented Aidarfa Fey, wife of Mayor Fey, for her presentation. Mayor Fey recognized Barbara Thielemann for her contributions to many of the nonprofits in the City. He feels that 2022 will be a special year for the City and there is much progress being made. He also thanked the press for their continued coverage of the meetings.

Public Forum: Barbara Thielemann, President of Main Street Central City, reported on the Tommyknocker events from December 2 through 5. Gilpin School brought 187 students to parade down Main Street on December 2, followed by a party at the Teller House.

The Community Potluck after the Tree Lighting Ceremony brought many residents together. The Belvidere Players presented the play The Legend of the Tommyknockers after the dinner on December 3. The Gift Bazaar, featuring Father Christmas, vendors, cookie decorating, and Victorian costume contest, was held on December 4 and 5. Thielemann also mentioned the many organizations that were involved in the Tommyknocker Holiday events and stated it was a city-wide effort to pull it off.

Todd Williamson is a new resident and told Council he loved how the town ate dinner together at the Community Dinner. He encouraged the City to invest in Bitcoin and he was excited about the Engine 7 restoration plans. Jomar Suarez, director of 7 Healing Stars, which is adjacent to the lot on Spring Street, stated their organization is in support of the train restoration.

The Council moved to Executive Session at 8:58 p.m. There will be no City Council meeting on December 21, 2021.

The next meeting will be held at City Hall, 141 Nevada Street or by remote access. Information can be found at www.centralcity.colorado.gov.