John Scarffe, Black Hawk. The Black Hawk City Council approved an ordinance allowing the sale of industrial hemp during a regular virtual meeting on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, at 3 p.m. The Council also awarded the design contract for the Miners Mesa Sanitary Sewer and Waterline Project to Baseline Engineering.

City Attorney Corey Hoffmann introduced an ordinance amending the Black Hawk Municipal Code to allow for the sale of industrial hemp products by licensed retail marijuana stores. The State of Colorado legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and the Constitution specifically excludes industrial hemp from the definition of “marijuana” and finds and declares “that industrial hemp should be regulated separately from strains of cannabis with higher delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration, according to background. 

“The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (the “CDPHE”) permits registered persons in the State of Colorado to carry out the processing, sale, and distribution of industrial hemp-based products and declares medical marijuana stores and retail marijuana stores may sell industrial hemp products.” Hoffmann said that when State first allowed marijuana retail stores, they could only sell marijuana or marijuana products. 

State law changed, and the ordinance would now allow retail stores to sell hemp products. Hemp has no more than 3 tenths of 1 percent THC, and the products have to undergone testing required by state law.

The Council approved the ordinance.

Public Works Director Tom Isbester introduced a resolution awarding the design contract for the Miners Mesa Sanitary Sewer and Waterline Project to Baseline Engineering, Planning & Surveying in an amount not to exceed $63,274.

Proposed Development on the property known as Miners Mesa Park includes an RV park, a boutique distillery and hopefully additional distilleries. The property received an SRU to allow the RV park at the last Council meeting. 

“To facilitate the development of this area, a sanitary sewer needs to be designed,” according to background. Staff looked at numerous initial designs and alternatives and determined that a route down Miners Mesa Road seems to be the most feasible. 

The sanitary sewer will be designed to connect at the Bobtail and Miners Mesa Road intersection, extending all the way up the mesa and across the mesa to a point near the proposed roundabout at the west end. Waterlines will be designed to run from the Bobtail and Miners Mesa Road intersection to a point in the RimRock parking lot and a loop on the mesa connecting in front of the EOC, following the Miners Mesa Road across the mesa to a point of connection to an existing line on the west end of the mesa. 

Baseline is already designing the roadway improvements. It makes sense to have them complete the design for these utilities which will ultimately provide a single biddable package by the end of the year with the intent of beginning construction first or second quarter of 2021. 

Isbester told the Council they need to get a sewer line put in and running down Miners Mesa road is the best thing to do. The Council approved the resolution.

The Council will have a workshop on November 11, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. and then commence with the regular Council meeting after the workshop.

(Originally published in the November 5, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)