GILPIN COUNTY - Shovels hit the dirt on Tuesday as Timberline Fire Protection District kicked off construction on the Station 3 bay addition, then rolled into a board meeting around 7 p.m.

The crowd was bigger than expected, the mood was easy, and the message was simple: after years of work, the project is finally moving. 

Fire Chief Paul Ondr opened the ceremony with a quick walk through the long road to this point, from hunting for a Rollinsville site back in 2017 to finally getting keys in 2022 and fixing everything from a balky sewer to a leaky roof. 

“We did it,” he said, adding that crews plan to start digging right away and aim to finish around the first of April. 

The plan calls for three new apparatus bays, five bedrooms, significant safety and accessibility upgrades, and on-site water storage: 30,000 gallons for firefighting and another 10,000 for sprinklers. 

He also tipped his cap to the folks who kept the project moving, including local and state historic partners and longtime caretaker Wanda, who tended the building for four decades. 

Board President Rick Wenzel kept it short, introducing the board and thanking the team that pushed the project over the line. He thanked those involved for the funding assistance, Congressman Joe Neguse’s office, and DOLA, along with Timberline Chiefs Ondr and Hinderman.

Emma Marion, District Director for Neguse, told the crowd the congressman wished he could be there and plans to return for the ribbon cutting. She recapped how the idea first came up at a Gilpin roundtable and how the office worked to secure federal dollars. 

Sally Clark, Colorado State Director for USDA Rural Development, congratulated the department on the $908,279 Community Facilities Grant to help build the new bays and the water system. She called the project critical for faster response and public safety in a region that faces fire risk all summer long. 

From the state side, Chris LeMay with DOLA connected the dots on Energy and Mineral Impact funds that help communities build essentials like stations and town halls. He noted the project should tighten response times, support mutual aid with nearby districts, and even help with insurance costs. 

Design partner Paul Vanderheiden of ARETE Inspired Architects talked about the hands-on design sessions with Timberline’s volunteers and the puzzle of fitting a modern addition to a historic site. 

KCI Construction’s Noah Pickett thanked local subs and said the team is eager to turn the shared vision into a finished station. 

Then it was hard hats, a few photos, and the classic “one, two, three—toss” for the ceremonial dirt throw. 

Board meeting

After the ceremony, the board convened: President Rick Wenzel, Vice President John Bushey, members John Carder, Kristin Turner, and Mary Kate McKenna, with Administrative Chief Jennifer Hinderman and Chief Ondr present. 

Correspondence

The district read a thank-you email from Cathy Ross and Marc Giuliani praising Timberline’s mitigation crew by name and calling the program vital for homeowners and the wider community. 

Minutes approvals

• July 11, 2025, regular meeting minutes were approved unanimously, with a quick correction that the agenda had listed the wrong date earlier. 

• August 12, 2025, special meeting minutes were approved with two corrections. Both motions carried.

Those were the only formal votes of the night. Everything else was updates and discussion.

Money, insurance, and the construction contract

Hinderman flagged that the monthly financials will start reflecting construction activity flowing through escrow, which will make the budget look “skewed” and likely trigger another amendment later this year. 

On reserves, there’s $500,000 set aside, with about $9,000 in interest above that figure currently accessible. 

On health insurance, Timberline is in a pooled plan and expects roughly a 17.8% rate increase next year, driven by claims trends and drug costs. 

The board will review contribution options soon, so enrollment isn’t squeezed. No vote yet, just a heads-up that decisions are coming in September. 

On Station 3’s bay addition, Chief Ondr said attorneys finalized the design-build contract with KCI exactly as requested, and the 25/75 savings split is set.

Chief’s Report

• Calls: 74 in July. 

• Coverage: A Nederland reserve Type 1 engine now lives at Station 2, tightening ISO coverage for a couple of outlying pockets and serving as a shared reserve. An IGA will follow. 

• Fair week fire: Crews handled a small wildland fire near Robinson Hill Road with help from Golden Gate Fire and the US Forest Service, then monitored it for several days. Hose testing is complete for the year. 

• Apparatus: A new tender arrived; radios and gear are being installed, and the older tender will get maintenance once the new one is in service. Garage door springs at Station 5 are being replaced. 

• Fuel capacity: Staff are working to upsize Station 7’s tanks from 500 to 1,000 gallons each for diesel and gas after a couple of runouts, with minimal cost. 

• Mitigation & wildland: Brush 59 redeployed to the Red Canyon Fire in Wyoming with four mitigation employees. Timberline bid on two large projects (Los Lagos, Porter Ranch) and may subcontract portions of Porter Ranch. USFS roadside mitigation approval is expected by month’s end; residential jobs are booking into the second week of September. 

• Recruitment & retention: About $40,000 remained in the FEMA SAFER grant’s R&R bucket, so the district secured an amendment for a mobile LED sign on a trailer to help with outreach. It can double for community messaging and events. 

• Code and coordination: Staff met with the County’s new Community Development Director and code enforcement to align on impact fees, sprinkler and driveway standards, and mitigation rules, with an eventual update to the 2021 fire code likely. 

• People: 10 recruits, possibly 12,  are set for the fall academy starting September 27, with four in-district. A department-wide mandatory training falls on September 11 at 6 p.m., followed by a board meeting.

Before adjournment, Chief Ondr noted that Timberline is ready to help Nederland Fire on August 30 as they host services and therefore lose capacity in their department, potentially by running calls or handling logistics so NED can focus on the event. 

The meeting adjourned at 7:44 p.m. Next up: the regular meeting on September 11, 2025, at 8 p.m. at Station 3, 19126 Highway 119, Black Hawk, CO 80422.