John Scarffe, Gilpin County.

The Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners approved a professional services agreement for a needs study at the Gilpin County Justice Center and a letter asking for a seat at the table regarding the Gross Reservoir expansion during its regular meeting on April 10, 2018, at Central City Hall. The Board also passed three variance requests and two boundary line adjustments.

County Manager Leslie Klusmire said the Board had directed staff to negotiate a professional services agreement with Reilly Johnson Architects, Inc., (RJA) to provide services for the Gilpin County Justice Center’s 20-year needs study. Total compensation for the project cannot exceed $105,575, with reimbursable expenses not to exceed $4,200.

RJA will provide the County with all salient findings needed to best understand whether the existing Justice Center building and site can accommodate the building space and parking requirements over the next 20 years. The study will include inmate population projections through 2038, a systemic review of the Gilpin County justice system and recommendations to reduce growth, space requirements through 2038 including kitchen, laundry and parking, review of zoning requirements and fire-fighting access and a wastewater analysis.

Klusmire said the kick off for the project was scheduled for Thursday morning, April 12, 2018. County Attorney Brad Benning said the contract has not been finished but the parties are in agreement. They had some differences of opinion but major items, such as pricing, are agreed upon. He suggested approving the contract.

Klusmire said this is good, and a little less pricey than they told her it would be. The Board approved the professional services agreement.

Regarding the Gross Reservoir expansion, Board Chair Ron Engels said that at the last meeting the Board discussed a letter saying the construction for the reservoir expansion will have an impact on the residents with debris going down Highway 72. Commissioner Gail Watson said the comment period closed today and sending a letter would be better. Benning said he has seen a draft of the letter and Attorney Jim Petrock will send it today.

Klusmire suggested going ahead and sending the letter to be a part of the record. Engels said the Board needs to see the letter, and it will go under the signature of the chair.

“We are simply asking for a seat at the table, and we’re in agreement on that,” Engels said. There will be lawsuits, and a couple of environmental groups will sue. Boulder

County will have some action, so it won’t be tomorrow. Benning said he will get the letter for the Board’s signature after today’s executive session.

Community Development Director Stephen Strohminger introduced a variance request for Lynnwood Lane, LLC, 161 Lynnwood Lane, Black Hawk, on behalf of Randy Baily. The lot size is 1.42 acres, and the Baileys are requesting to build a 384-square-foot deck addition to the existing deck that will be 15.5 feet from the south property line. The deck was built when the setback was 10 feet.

The septic system is on the opposite side of the house. There were some conditions for hardship since the structure was built before the zoning changed. They would maintain a separation of 134 feet between structures.

Alternatives include building a deck over the septic field but that is not advised. They would have to relocate the drainage field.

Commissioner Linda Isenhart said the home was built before the current zoning and there is only a foot in question, so she is inclined to approve it as proposed, and the rest of the Board agreed.

Strohminger introduced a variance request to allow a 1,200 square foot garage on Lakeview Drive for Ben Crabb at 138 Elk Place. The garage would be within 10 feet of the south property line, and he will build the garage on the back of the property.

The front has quite a slope, and this is closer to the road level. The variance won’t cause any detriment to the public good or county code, Strohminger said. They are not approving anything specifically prohibited.

Crabb came to the Board a year ago, and the Board was concerned about having neighbors to the side. The variance was granted by the Board of Appeals, but it expired.

They didn’t have any objection to the ten feet from property line.

In answer to a question from Isenhart, Crabb said the neighbors are okay with it and are on our side now. He said he didn’t know there was a one-year time frame. Watson said the Board should have some sort of process for extending a variance but made a motion to approve the variance and refund the money for the second variance request. The Board approved the motion.

Strohminger introduced a variance request for Stephen John Baer and Virginia Stancliff Baer, 283 Old Stagecoach Trail, Rollinsville. The Baers are requesting to build a 1,064 square- -foot garage within 15 feet of the north property line. The lot size is 2.369 acres.

The applicants have some slope from the roadway to the bottom of the driveway, which limits the area near the existing driveway. They also have a large drainage area that runs through the back of the house down to Highway 119. It will cause no detriment to the public good or the zoning code.

The proposed location makes use of the existing driveway, and Public Works didn’t have any issues as long as it is 15 feet from the property line. The house was built in

1966, and the current house meets current separation requirements, Strohminger said. They have received no comments from neighbors.

Watson said the height is within restrictions. Virginia Baer said it’s two stories and will have a sub-basement. It will also include an attic for storage and total height would be 16 or 18 feet.

They have no intention to use it as anything but a garage and shop. The Board approved the variance. County Planner Daniel Horn introduced two boundary line eliminations for Carl Schembri with Bonanza Land, LLC.

The property in Russell Gulch on Alps Hill Road was a previously mining claim. In his first request, he would like to divide the property into three equal properties, each about 2.2 acres. They have no building plans at this time.

Typically mining claims are about 5 acres. They were probably two to three acres before a previous adjustment. He had six claims total before the adjustment, which reduced the property to three buildable lots.

Horn said you can have six buildable lots. Benning said that mining claims overlap and are subject to federal law and all sorts of legal issues. Some of these are unpatented but it never really goes away.

Laws were passed in the 1980s and 1990s to make them buildable and people hang on to them. We treat them as legal and the Feds recognize it.

The second BLA request involved making four parcels all 2.4 acres each. Watson said they wind up with two little triangles. Horn said they are just part of the claims. The

Board approved both BLA requests.

The next meeting of the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at the Central City Hall.