Mindy Leary, Gilpin County. On August 6, 2020, the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners met online at 9 a.m. for their regular weekly meeting. Commissioners Gail Watson, Linda Isenhart, and Ron Engels were present, as were County Attorney Brad Benning and County Manager Abel Montoya. Highlights included a Covid-19 update, a GOCO (Great Outdoors Colorado) grant application and a DOLA (Department of Local Affairs) grant application.  

Public Health Coordinator Bonnie Albrecht reported that there are now 16 cases in the county with 27 people tested this week with turnaround on tests being 48 hours. “The compliance with the variance for casinos and restaurants is going well with few cases reported. They’re doing amazing with contact tracing,” Albrecht said.

The board then reconvened as the Board of Health. The county has adopted the state’s mask order which expires on August 16 and Benning suggested an indefinite extension to match the state’s expiration date. No action as the Board of Health was necessary so they adjourned and reconvened as the Board of County Commissioners.

The deadline is Friday, August 7, for the GOCO Resilient Communities grant application and information was presented to the board for consideration. Part of what the county is pursuing is funding for the Gilpin County Community Center’s outdoor activities like the BMX pump track, the community garden and next year’s fair.   

Watson emphasized to be conservative with the interim funding being requested and that it will show that the county has been working on other funding as well. Engels said, “Asking for more in this case is better.” Isenhart agreed.

The board approved the submission of the grant application with minor modifications.

A DOLA grant in the amount of $91,000 could allow Gilpin’s only childcare facility, Eagle’s Nest Early Learning Center, to retain its staff. One minor change to the application has to do with proposed pay raises for staff, when in actuality the staff was hired back in June with a pay cut due to Covid-19, and this funding seeks to return the staff to pre-Covid salaries. This rural economic development initiative grant application is due next Monday and was approved unanimously by the board.

If the county were to get government loan funding, then it might be able to open some of the outdoor facilities at the Community Center. Government grant funding usually comes with a low interest rate, said Watson, who sought to take the temperature of the board. Engels responded that the county should wait to see what gaming profits and elections bring. Isenhart said she would also be reluctant to take out a loan at this time. 

Human Services Director Laura Solomon discussed the Tri-County Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Agreement that’s a 3-year MOU that helps place workers in appropriate positions. The motion passed unanimously.

Upon finalizing an IGA with Black Hawk, the board voted to sell the Black Diamond Mining Claim property off Central City Parkway at $12,000/acre to Proximo development to build a distillery. Watson suggested the $46k sale might help to open the Community Center.    

During the meeting, Albrecht received the news that all the recent Covid tests came back negative. Additionally, Watson got the good news that the DOLA grant for $294k has been approved for Covid-related, non-budgeted items.

Minutes for July 24, 28 and 29 were approved and the meeting was adjourned.

The next meeting for the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, at 9 a.m. virtually and can be accessed by following the instructions on the current agenda on the Gilpin County Commissioners website at http://www.gilpincounty.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=9285259&pageId=11072364