The Gilpin County Commissioners called their regular meeting to order at 9 a.m. on June 13, 2023. In attendance were Commissioner Marie A. Mornis from District 1, Commissioner Susan Berumen from
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The Gilpin County Commissioners called their regular meeting to order at 9 a.m. on June 13, 2023. In attendance were Commissioner Marie A. Mornis from District 1, Commissioner Susan Berumen from District 2, Commissioner Sandy Hollingsworth from District 3, County Manager Ray Rears, and Deputy Clerk to the Board Margaret Keller. County Attorney Brad Benning was absent.
Rears discussed Highway 6 coordinated closures, which will happen at night 146 times until 2026. They were planned to start June 21 and go to September 23, when they will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.; September 24 to October 31, closed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.; November 1 to February 29, closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.; and March 1 to June 20, closed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
The stakeholders in Gilpin County were just alerted to this two weeks ago and have raised concerns about emergency responders and events.
There will be concurrent work happening at the I-70 Interchange which will complicate travel in the winter upon less-used roadways like Golden Gate Canyon and Gap Road. Sheriff Armstrong expressed concern for the need for mutual aid in the event of an emergency.
He said the County needs to be informed of future closures in order to create contingency plans. Mornis mentioned that the construction company said it would take ten minutes to get the road clear for emergency traffic.
Commuters using Highway 46, Golden Gate Canyon, would require more plowing in the winter to mitigate slippery roads. The bottom of Highway 46 is in Jefferson County and Hollingsworth supported coordinating road maintenance with them.
Timberline FPD Chief Ondr said it was unacceptable to have both roads closed, and that Golden Gate becomes a “complete mess” in the event of an emergency or slick roads.
The County is discussing these issues with CDOT and there has been progress. There will be only 100 closures instead of 146, and they are asking for partial closures rather than full closures, with a reduction of closure hours.
Hollingsworth expressed that half the county residents commute “down the hill,” and better communication needs to be in place for them to plan their travel.
The board approved the Proclamation of July 2023 to be Parks and Recreation Month.
Next, the board heard Resolution 23-47, Gilpin County Public Library Trustee Recommendation and Appointment, presented by Harvey Mastalir, Gilpin County Public Library Board of Trustees, recommending David Josselyn. All were in favor.
James Shrout, Planner 1, presented Resolution TUP-23-4, Temporary Use Permit (TUP) for the Fjallraven Classic. Applicant Matthew Szmanda of Field Athletic Management is seeking permission for a Temporary Use Permit for the Fjallraven Classic event that is scheduled for July 23, 2023 through July 25, and July 24 through July 26. The event route will traverse Rollins Pass on a rolling start and will cover roughly 30 miles, mostly in Boulder County.
The Fjallraven Classic event is being held on property owned by the United States Forest Service and will start and end in Gilpin County. Shuttle service will be provided to the participants to the starting point at Jenny Lake Trailhead.
Due to the number of participants and staff, this event required a recommendation to be made by the Planning Commission before it could be presented to the County Commissioners. Participants will utilize Leave No Trace principles and all human excrement will be removed. Other provisions within the plan include a complete fire ban, respect for wildlife, and respect for cultural or historic structures and artifacts
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the matter on June 13, and voted in favor of recommending approval with the following conditions: United States Forest Service Permit, Boulder and Grand County Permits, and placing notices near the base to inform other recreationists of the event. Hollingsworth moved to approve, Berumen seconded and motion passed 3-0.
A public hearing was held concerning Resolution 23-35, Adopting the 2018 Editions of the International Building Code, International Residential Code, International Mechanical Code, International Fuel Gas Code, International Fire Code, International Energy Conservation Code, International Property Maintenance Code, International Existing Building Code, International Plumbing Code and 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC). The Resolution was presented by Rob Gutierrez, Community Development Director.
Any new homes must be pre-wired for solar panels and have exterior wiring for electric vehicles. Chief Ondr said the codes need to be updated. He added that sprinklers save lives.
Public comment was opened. One resident, a general contractor, estimated a ten to fifteen percent increase in construction costs. Another resident said people would not want to retrofit their homes.
Any updates to the Gilpin County Building Code after July 1, 2023 will trigger a requirement in state law for the County to adopt the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code with the model electric-ready and solar-ready code language as developed by the state.
These new code requirements, while eventually inevitable for the county, may have a notable impact on the cost of compliance for new building permits in the county. Staff have brought forth a resolution to update the County’s building code to the 2018 codes, in case the Commissioners would wish to defer adoption of these additional requirements to a later time.
Staff recommended that the County move to adopt updated building codes either now, with the option to defer compliance with the 2021 IECC, or later in the year with the requirement of adopting the 2021 IECC along with electric- and solar-ready state codes.
The County’s adopted 2015 building codes and 2006 fire code are lagging behind current industry standards and create confusion both for staff and permit applicants. Important note: Adoption of the 2018 International Residential Code as presented would require that all new residential homes be constructed with fire sprinklers. This is a notable change from the current requirement that exempts structures under a certain square footage.
Public commented at 10:33 a.m.
The board decided to vote on adopting the 2018 codes with post amendments. If the dwelling is over 3,600 square feet, then a sprinkler system would be required. Under that footage, it would only be recommended. Sleeping rooms will not be included.
All commissioners were in favor. Public hearing was closed at 11:36 a.m.
Laura Solomon is retiring as Human Resources Director in July and the county thanks her for her service.
Gutierrez presented Resolution 23-34, Adopting a Fee Schedule for All County Departments. The purpose and hope is to consolidate all the floating fee schedules.
The commissioners expressed their concerns regarding their knowledge of the County’s operating costs, and to have the fee schedule reviewed. The motion passed 3-0 with an amendment and an addition.
Gutierrez presented Resolution 23-45, the DOLA Affordable Housing Commitment. In 2022, Colorado voters approved Proposition 123 to create a Statewide Affordable Housing Fund to support the maintenance of affordable housing within Colorado. For local governments, organizations, and businesses to access these additional funds for housing projects, the relevant local government must make an “Affordable Housing Commitment” with the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).
The commitment to DOLA is supposed to outline how the local government intends to increase the affordable housing supply and also establish a baseline number of affordable units while pledging to increase that number by three percent annually by the end of 2026. The actual filing of the commitment can be done online through DOLA’s website.
Resolution 23-45 approves the Director of Community Development to execute an affordable housing commitment with DOLA. The resolution establishes a baseline number of affordable housing units and the County’s goal to meet by the end of 2026. The baseline estimation was determined utilizing DOLA’s online baseline tool.
The board members thought the baseline too high for this area and requested Gutierrez to speak to DOLA about it. There will be a special meeting on July 10 to revisit this before the deadline. There was a motion to postpone and all were in favor.
Benning and Rears delivered the County Attorney’s report and County Manager’s report, respectively.
The meeting adjourned into Executive Session at 1:50 p.m.
The next meeting of the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled for July 11 at 9 a.m. and is held in person at 203 Eureka Street in Central City and online via Zoom.