It’s been a busy past year for Friends of the Gilpin County Community Center (FGCCC), and we’re looking forward to serving the Center again this year in various events. This newsletter is slightly longer to include information about us, the latest about the Center, and upcoming local events.

You are Cordially Invited! Friends of Gilpin County Community Center is holding a reception at the Community Center on May 25. There will be a reception at 6:30 p.m. with light refreshments, followed by a chance to hear from Center Director Gabrielle Chisholm, FGCCC President Carolyn Collins Petersen, and other members about our work.

We’re Fundraising! FGCCC is excited to launch annual sponsorship opportunities for our group by local businesses to make an investment in their community, while receiving recognition at multiple events throughout the year. All sponsorship donations will be used to help support Community Center events, FGCCC events like a star party, our operations, and the Heart of the Community Fund. All sponsors will also have the opportunity for their employees to engage in community events through volunteer opportunities. Check out our sponsorship page at https:// gilpincommunitycenter.org/sponsorship/ for more information.

Special Focus:AYear of Achievement at the Community Center. It’s been a very good year for the Gilpin County Community Center. It reopened for business in March 2021, after a year of shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its reopening, the Center and its 28-member staff have welcomed back our county’s gym rats, swimmers, runners, pottery guild members, afterschool program attendees, yoga classes, martial arts devotees, and others to the many programs it offers.

Attendance is up -- a tribute to hard work by the staff, led by Director Gabrielle Chisholm. In addition, the Center’s schedule is filled with events such as the Gilpin County Fair, parent-child activities, Easter Egg hunt, the Spooky Stroll, the Winter Arts Festival, Dive-in Movies, and much more. The Center is now open five days a week (Monday, Wednesday-Saturday) for recreational use; on Tuesdays, it is open for child care only.

The Mill Levy Saved our Center. During the November 2020 election, Gilpin county voters approved a mill levy aimed at supplying operating funds for the Gilpin County Parks and Recreation. For most taxpayers, it has amounted to somewhere around $80.00 to $150 per year (depending on the assessed valuation of the property), providing a base operations budget of $1,265,280.80 for the Center.

What has the mill levy money paid for? It’s important to acknowledge those funds are what got the center reopened and staffed at its current levels. And, it’s equally important to thank the voters who approved the levy. Without their foresight, the Center might still be closed.

Every penny of the mill levy funds go to Center operations, which include personnel costs, utilities, internal services provided by the County (such as HR and legal, services, and maintenance), plus assorted other operating costs. As of April 2022, the mill levy funding provides 78 percent of the Center’s funding. The rest is covered by grants and fees.

As successful as the reopening has been, the Center still faces many challenges. The current mill levy, which breathed life back into the Center budget, sunsets at the end of 2023. As per public discussions with County officials during the last budget process, the County budget will likely NOT be able to sustain the Center after the current mill levy sunsets. Casino funds have been “flat” since 2005, while the County’s costs, just like those in our family lives, have continued to climb.

Thus, we could face another closure of the Center. It’s clear that the County is still catching up after the extensive shutdowns, and dealing with the loss of revenues related to those closures. It may take several years to recover completely and in the meantime, the County still faces shortfalls in funding its other departments.

Given the central place the Center holds in county life (with all the activities and services it provides), it’s important to consider measures to keep it open. The most likely possibility is to extend the current mill levy beyond 2023. That will allow its operations to continue.

The topic of an extension is under discussion with the Commissioners. Details will depend on future budget projections for the County.

Grants Extend our Center’s Reach. In addition to the mill levy, the Center’s grants from various agencies are directed at specific programs such as Youth Programs, special events, plus fairground and park operations. The funds from these grants contributed to the overall budget for the Center and have allowed the Center staff to expand programs. The staff will continue to pursue relevant grant opportunities as they arise. Here are the current grants for 2021-2022:

GOCO (Great Outdoors Colorado): $109,724.00

CDHS, Office of Behavioral Health: $150,000

Alan Green Memorial Foundation: $2,800.00 and $3,500 (two grants)

Colorado Department of Agriculture: $36,109.00

CDHS Office of Early Childhood: $52,789.00

Fees Round out the Budget. As with all other recreation centers and districts in the state, Gilpin County Community Center charges fees for drop-in visits, classes, and leagues. Those fees allow the Center to pay contract instructors, get materials for league activities, and provide for the youth leagues and groups. The fees have also expanded the Center’s budget.

Senior Program Fees. In the past, the Center offered free admission to seniors. With a tightened budget, that could not be sustained. To provide for Gilpin’s seniors and their access to the Center, the Center staff (with help from Friends of Gilpin County Community Center) applied to become affiliated with three senior fitness programs: Silver Sneakers, Silver & Fit, and Renew Active.

Seniors who have Medicare Advantage plans or carry the secondary plans (Part F, G, etc.) already have access to one of these three programs. All they have to do is join the programs (usually through an online registration), and then let the Center know which one they belong to when they visit. The Center then receives a fee from the insurance program for each visit. The programs cover drop-in visits, but not class fees. To date, the Center has received $5,546.00 in total revenue for 162 members of these programs.

Future Improvements to the Center. According to Director Chisholm, there are a number of improvements set for the Center, mostly paid for with a mix of general funds (from the County) and grants. Here’s a list of just some of the projects that have a Request for Proposal advertised:

HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit) is slated for repairs and replacement;

Flooring replacement in the downstairs hall;

Entryway tile replacement;

Cybex exercise machines to replace the Matrix equipment (note, these updated machines were purchased from Breckinridge, Colorado)

Playground pour-in-place resurfacing (GOCO grant);

Protective fencing around the Fairground area (GOCO and Dept of Agriculture grants)

In addition, the County Commissioners are the final source of information about all things pertaining to County budgets and spending. We thank them for their work and support of our activities on behalf of the Gilpin County Community Center.

About Friends of Gilpin County Community Center. Friends of Gilpin County Community Center began as a group of like-minded folks who wanted to get the Center reopened after it was shut down during the pandemic. Members banded together to discuss ways to do this and met with the Gilpin County Commissioners to explore the idea of a mill levy to provide basic operating funds when the Center did reopen. During the early months of the pandemic, it became very clear that the County would not be able to afford to reopen the Center with General Fund money, since the revenues from gambling were slashed due to the COVID-related shutdowns. Once a mill levy was decided upon, FGCCC provided voter education on the issue during the election cycle.

FGCCC (which is a 501(c)3 charitable organization) has itself received grants from United Power, the Alan Green Memorial Foundation, and the Gilpin County Commissioners, to help sponsor events at the Center and advance our agenda of assisting the Center and Gilpin residents who wish to use the facilities. These include activities at the 2021 Fair, offering a Stargazing Party, providing hot chocolate and cider at the Spooky Stroll, and providing refreshments at the Winter Arts Festival.

A small committee of FGCCC members has also spent considerable time researching the idea of forming a special district to support the Center. This idea and its possible implementation is very likely many years off in the future. We are also involved in discussions with Director Chisholm and her staff about future programs at the Center.

The Heart of the Community Fund. In March 2022, Friends of the Gilpin County Community Center established the Heart of the Community Fund. This mini-grant program assures that Gilpinites in need have access to the Center and its programs. Funds to pay for Community Center activities are available through an application on our Web site. They can be used for general admission to the center and pool, or to help with class fees and league sports expenses.

Interested applicants can read more here: https://gilpincommunitycenter.org/ heart-of-the-community-fund/. We are particularly grateful to the Alan Green Memorial Foundation and the Gilpin County Commissioners for their support of this Fund.

Come Join Us as a Volunteer! FGCCC is forming a Volunteer Corps for the Center and its events. We will be instituting a formal program, complete with perks for volunteers, so please consider joining us. We’re currently recruiting volunteers to help out with the Gilpin County Fair in July. If you are interested in helping out, please contact us at gilpinparksandrec@gmail.com Selected Calendar of Gilpin Events

April 22: Summer Camp Info Night - 4:30 p.m. at the Community Centerpril 22: Dive In Movie - 6 p.m. at the Community Center

April 22: Book and Bake Sale - 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Library

April 23: Book and Bake Sale - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Library

April 23: Chili Drive-By - 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Fire Station #7 on Highway 46

April 23: Scholarship Dinner Fundraiser - 6 p.m. at the Ameristar Casino gilpineducationfoundation.org

April 27: Slash Site open for the season

May 7: Silent Auction to benefit First Responders in Gilpin - 5 to 7 p.m. at Gilpin County Arts Association, 117 Eureka St, Central City highcountryauxiliary.com

May 25: Meet the Friends of Gilpin County Community Center. Our Annual Meeting and reception. Public welcome! Event starts at 6:30 p.m, Community Center

May 29: Levit St Market opens for the Summer - 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays in Central City

Preview for June: Friday Senior Lunches at the Center (Tentative), Father’s Day Fishing Clinic, Summer Camp

To have your Gilpin County events included in our monthly newsletter, please email us at: gilpinparksandrec@gmail.com

Got Questions? We’re happy to chat with our neighbors here in Gilpin about our work supporting the Center. If you have questions about our group, its aims, and volunteer task force, please contact us at gilpinparksandrec@gmail.com