The Timberline Fire Protection District of Gilpin and Boulder Counties will hold a regular election of the District on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, during the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The Board of
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The Timberline Fire Protection District of Gilpin and Boulder Counties will hold a regular election of the District on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, during the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The Board of Directors of the District has designated the following polling place: Station No. 5, 14908 Highway 119, Black Hawk, Colorado. Voters will be required to sign an Eligible Elector form and the Election Judges will have the voter registration and property owners lists to check proof of elector eligibility.
The names of persons nominated and terms of office for which nominated are Rick Wenzel for Four-Year Term, Scott Mathews for Four-Year Term, Rachel Stanton for Four-Year Term, Ryan E. Roberts for Four-Year Term, Mary Kate McKenna for Four-Year Term and John Bushey for Four-Year Term.
The Mountain-Ear sent questions to the candidates and their responses follow.
Rick Wenzel
Rick Wenzel has lived in Gilpin County for 19 years. He has an A.S. in Medical Laboratory Technique from George Washington University, 1985, a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from Colorado School of Mines in 1995. He also has a master’s degree in underground construction and tunnel engineering from the School of Mines in 2022.
Over the years he has attended several Special District Association (SDA) of Colorado courses in Board membership. More importantly, he has 12 years of Board experience with Colorado Sierra Fire Protection District, Timberline Fire Authority and Timberline Fire Protection.
He is currently employed by Atkins North America (ANA) as a senior resident engineer. ANA is an international consulting engineering firm providing transportation design and construction management services to counties, municipalities and state DOT’s across the United States.
Prior to working at ANA, he worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation for 14 years as a construction project engineer, geotechnical engineer, and a rockfall engineer. He has been a licensed professional engineer in Colorado for almost 18 years.
Wenzel lives in mid-Gilpin County in the Colorado Sierra Beta subdivision with his wife, Colleen, and their oldest son, Justin, and his nine-year-old daughter, Anneliese. “My granddaughter is a special needs child, and my wife is her primary caretaker.
“I also have a daughter who lives in Centennial with her husband and two children, another daughter who lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and two children, a son who lives in Port Hueneme, California, and three stepchildren who live in North Carolina, California, and Florida with their families.”
He has been a volunteer firefighter for Colorado Sierra Fire Protection District, Timberline Fire Authority and Timberline Fire Protection District from 2006 to 2012, Vice President, Colorado Sierra Fire Protection District from 2008 to 2011, secretary, Timberline Fire Authority from 2008 to 2011, president, Timberline Fire Protection District from 2011 to 2014, vice president, Timberline Fire Protection District from 2014 to 2016, Member-at-Large, Timberline Fire Protection District from 2019 to 2020, president, Timberline Fire Protection District in 2020, vice president, Gilpin County Republican Central Committee in 2023, member, Peak to Peak Rotary in 2022, and a member of Central City Masonic Lodge, 2022.
“My primary goal is to maintain the cooperative and supportive relationship that has developed between the Board, Fire Chief, staff and volunteers, so that we may continue to grow and improve our emergency response capabilities to the residents of, and visitors to our district, as well as supporting our neighboring agencies in their time of need.
“Continue to ensure that fiscally responsible budget management practices are utilized to fulfill the mission and vision of the Timberline Fire Protection District, which is the primary responsibility of the Board of Directors. Continue our efforts in pursuing non-taxpayer funding to remodel the Fritz Peak Observatory and make it a fully functional fire station, improving our response capabilities to the entire District, but especially the north part of the District.
“Continue to develop our Fire Mitigation and Defensible Space division within the department that will focus on reducing the risk of wildland fires in the district by engaging in preventative defensible space work.”
Wenzel lives at 272 Beethoven Drive, Black Hawk, CO 80422, and his cell phone is 720-413-1790, email rwenzel@timberlinefire.com.
Mary Kate McKenna
She and her husband initially moved to Gilpin County in 2009 from New Jersey. After moving to the Boulder area for career opportunities, they moved back and purchased a home in 2015. She graduated from Vernon Township High School, in Vernon, New Jersey, in 2003 and received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Rhode Island in 2007.
McKenna said her husband and she own and operate a local business, Mid-County Liquors, and manage their rental properties. “When I am not having fun working at the store, I am grateful to be able to enjoy our Colorado home off South Beaver, hang out with our dog Okie and our amazing neighbors,”
She has had the honor of being on the Timberline Fire Department Board of Directors for almost a year. “I thrive on supporting my neighbors and this community.”
As an elected official, her top goals for the Fire District would be:
Improve Response time via additional 24/7 to 365 staffing
Complete Fritz Peak Observatory Station renovations – breaking ground in 2024
Continue seeking non-taxpayer funding
Expand low-cost wildfire mitigation program
“I am supporting fellow incumbent candidates Mark Bushey and Rick Wenzel in this election. For more information go to https://tfpdelection2023.wordpress.com/.
Rachel Stanton
Rachel Stanton has lived in North Gilpin County since she was six years old, aside from attending university. She has a bachelor’s degree in communication, a minor in health and wellness from the University of Colorado, a master’s in public administration from the University of Colorado and paralegal from the University of New Mexico.
A course in economics and public finance will certainly help with ensuring the generous budget allocated by the Timberline Fire District will be ethically and responsibly used, Stanton said.
“Personally, I have a direct connection to the Timberline Fire District. My father had a major cardiac event in 2013 while I was getting my undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado.
“My mother was performing CPR and my younger sisters had to watch this traumatic event unfold as they were about to leave for elementary school.
“Volunteers from Timberline were there within six minutes of the call and provided relief for my mother’s-tired hands. Unfortunately, my father did not survive, but the impact these incredible public servants had on my family was profound.
“These responders were our neighbors. Now we know them personally, and I would be honored to serve our community together. My mother is now a volunteer in the department, hoping to help her community the same way they helped her.
“I, too, have this same desire to ensure my community is protected and served responsibly with the funds allocated to the Timberline Fire District.”
Stanton said her current career is in public service. “I previously worked for Jefferson County in the Community Assistance Division and currently work for a Long-Term Care agency ensuring individuals over the age of 55 have proper healthcare.
“I have dedicated my life to education and serving my community through my career and personal life.”
She has served the broader community throughout her life with blood drives, health fairs, cooking classes, nursing home visits and feeding the homeless. In Gilpin County, she has served in the Ameristar Cares program when she worked in the Human Resources Department.
As an elected official, her top goals would be:
1. Fiscal responsibility corresponding with transparent and accurate reporting to educate the community and keep them informed and involved.
2. Proper district coverage for our constituents, including response times (particularly to the Northern end of the district) for medical and fire.
3. Finally, ensuring active community participation. This involves seeking input, encouraging involvement (in board meetings, as a volunteer, and in other capacities such as high country auxiliary) which will allow the community to remain informed, have a say, and feel confident in the department’s preparedness for when disaster strikes.
It could be our forest that burns in the next large fire– we’ve certainly had some scares already before the fire season has even started. It could be your house that needs fire or medical next.
“I know my family was not expecting it to be us. If you have doubts, vote for oversight and accountability. I am qualified and educated to serve my community and would be honored to be your advocate in this department. With your support on May 2nd, I would be honored to serve you.”
She can be contacted by email at rstantonmpa@gmail.com.
Scott Mathews
Scott Mathews has been living in Gilpin County for 24 years, north of mid-county.
He attended Boulder Valley School District elementary and middle schools, Boulder High School and the University of Colorado.
He had a Colorado structural firefighter certification, NWCG wildland firefighting certification, and NREMT license, which he trained for when he was an active TFPD member for over nine years.
“I’ve worked in the public sector in education, county government, and water districts, for a total of about 17 years of the past 25 years, not including the time I spent volunteering with Timberline Fire. I understand the culture and challenges encountered in taxpayer-funded nonprofit organizations.
“I’ve operated my own business for close to 30 years, mostly part-time, but now full-time. I currently spend a few days each week on the road with my dog.
“I ran a computer charity from 1998 to 2004, which involved refurbishing computers to provide free of charge to folks in need, when technology was still expensive. I served as a firefighter/EMT on Timberline from 2013 to 2023.
“Contrary to the stated goals of current TFPD board president, I don’t believe that the role of the BOD is to ‘cooperate’ with the department administration and just rubber-stamp everything the Chief wants to do and pat themselves and the department leadership in the back for a job well-done in every meeting.
“I feel the oversight role is crucial. The board needs to review the plans for the department with a critical eye, looking out for the best interests of the residents and taxpayers. That’s why they’re elected, so that taxpayers have a voice in how the district is run and how their taxes are spent. We’re all in dangerous territory when the oversight board is “cooperating” with the organization they’re tasked with overseeing to spend tax dollars.
“Take the Fritz Peak Observatory, the new “Station” 3, for example. Rick Wenzel, current BOD president, is proud to have acquired it for “free.” What he doesn’t mention is how much “free” is going to cost in renovations for a moderately derelict building that has no bays for fire apparatus and interior spaces that were far from suitable for training, administration, or residence purposes.
“It’s an aging, historic building that is not remotely energy-efficient in a county that experiences frigid temperatures several months of the year. As with any aging building, it’ll doubtless need extensive ongoing repairs, year after year. The Gilpin and Boulder taxpayers likely would have been better served with a purpose-built new station if a new station was necessary to TFPD’s mission.
“I’m not even convinced of that need, fewer than eight years after Station 7 was rebuilt to be HQ and how Station 5 has been remodeled extensively every couple of years for the past six years to meet the needs of the shift/resident and paid shift lieutenant & paid shift firefighter program. Time will tell whether this Station 3 project was a boon for the citizens of the Timberline Fire Protection District, or an expensive boondoggle.
“TFPD’s budget has been soaring to new heights, from about $630,000 in 2013, to $1.1 million in 2018, to nearly $2.3 million projected for this year, and it’s still climbing. It seems almost a sure thing that TFPD is going to approach taxpayers soon, begging for more money, when many of us can least afford higher taxes.
“Timberline also continues to hemorrhage in-district volunteers and wants to hire more full-time, paid personnel to make-up for the losses of those citizens who were dedicated to serving their own community. The department went from two part-time office admins and a full-time chief when I joined the department in 2013, to 11 full-time employees and a couple of part-time hourly people to assist the full-time maintenance coordinator and the fulltime office administrator in their duties.
“Does this really make sense for a small mountain department that was already doing great responding to emergencies in our community with a robust cadre of in-district volunteer responders out of all eight stations that existed in 2013? I’d especially encourage those of you on the north end of the district, especially in Boulder County, to turn out to vote at Timberline Station 5 this election, and please consider just how far you are from that station.”
My goals are simple, to provide meaningful, critical oversight to the Timberline Fire Protection District’s administration, without being adversarial, to make sure we all serve our Gilpin and Boulder taxpayers with the stewardship they deserve, and make sure TFPD is meeting our citizens’ emergency response needs even if they’re located miles away from the middle of Gilpin County.
His cell phone is 720-295-9855.
Ryan Roberts
Ryan Roberts has been a Gilpin County resident since 2000, when he bought his first house in Colorado Sierra. “I lived in three separate houses in Colorado Sierra before moving to Rollinsville two years ago,” he said.
After graduating high school, he attended Juniata College in Pennsylvania before transferring to the University of Colorado. He also took accounting and business courses while living in Coos Bay, Oregon. He also graduated from Saint Anthony Health Paramedic program.
“I have been a firefighter since I started volunteering with Nederland fire in about 1995. I am trained as a structural Firefighter and certified in Hazardous Materials as well.
“I have completed training to become an Engine Boss/Crew Boss for Wildland Fires. For medical, I have been an EMT since 1991, but am currently certified as a Paramedic. I have also attended the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg Maryland.”
Roberts is a part owner in a company providing EMS services on Wildland Fires. The company deploys individual Paramedics and EMTs as well as specialized teams.
Our specialized team is a “REMS” unit, Rapid Extraction Module Support. Basically this team is trained to do High angle rope. “I rescue in a wildland Fire environment. Think of a mountain rescue by Alpine , but there is fire all around.”
In the off season, he is a professional ski patroller and medic for Eldora. He also has a real estate license to help friends and neighbors buy and sell property for a discount.
Roberts lives in Rollinsville with his daughter and long-time girlfriend. He has an Aussie and three cats and should be getting chickens any day. He enjoys hiking in the Summer as well as mountain biking. In the winter, you will find them skiing, both alpine as well as uphill. Roberts has been a volunteer with Colorado Sierra Fire Protection District, which was the precursor to Timberline Fire from 2000 to about 2012. He finally served as Chief.
He engineered the formation of the merger between Timberline Fire and High Country Fire to form Timberline Fire Protection District. He left Timberline Fire for a paid position at Nederland Fire where he served for 12 years.
As an elected official, his goals for the Fire District follow.
Actual long term planning. Timberline has been shooting from the hip too long with no clear path forward. The current board has a station on Virginia Canyon under construction, what they don’t say is they don’t have money to finish it.
They have no money for heat or even floors. The new station at Fritz Peak was free, but not really. It is a functionally obsolete building that will require millions in renovations and additions before it is a functioning station.
2. Transparency to the actual state of the district. Services in the North end of the district have been rapidly decreased. The free station in Rollinsville was closed with zero warning or cause. Chief Ondr admitted in a board meeting that the fire department is only meeting response metrics in the North end 5% of the time. Those are the two measurable items, response time and number of volunteers. TFPD hit response time metric as suggested by NFPA 5% of the time.
3. Clear financial planning. Currently Timberline fire receives about $1.2 million in property tax revenue. Its current salary expenditures alone are $862,619. Propane still needs to be paid for, insurance needs to be paid for, Engines need to be replaced. Timberline has vacated station and is renting them out because they are short on cash. They have sold off their fire engines and not replaced them. Basically, they are living outside their means.
4. Volunteers. Timberline has steadily driven away local volunteers in favor of out of area volunteers. Senior officers have talked of the district wanting to go to all paid firefighters (which means a huge tax hike). Senior firefighters have also talked of splitting the district into a North and South, basically splitting off the Boulder section. Volunteers have always been the heart of the fire districts in the mountains, Timberline can’t seem to recruit or keep them.
“While I applaud the accomplishments of the current Board, they seem to have lost direction. A clear, financially sound plan is needed to go forward. “
For more information, email Ryan.Roberts@yahoo.com.
John Bushey
John Bushey has lived in Gilpin County since 2011. He lived in Missouri Lakes 1 for a year and I have lived in the Aspen Springs subdivision ever since.
He attended the University of New Hampshire at Plymouth with a bachelor’s degree in applied computer science and Tufts University with a master of science engineering management..
“I’ve been an IT professional for over 30 years and bring years of business, project management and team building experience to TFPD. I have two children with my wife Sarah Swanson.
“We both grew up in small mountain towns and moved here to be closer to family. We love Gilpin County and have made many close friends here who we consider family.
“My kids both attend Gilpin County school and play on the school’s basketball, soccer and track and field teams. My family and I enjoy the outdoors, and during our free time you can find us out skiing, fishing, hiking and more.
“When my children were younger I volunteered at the elementary school. Later, when I had more time, I decided to give back to the community and I joined the TFPD Board of Directors.
“It has been a rewarding and eye-opening experience. It has been an honor to work with so many highly skilled, dedicated and brave volunteers and staff, and I’m proud of the work that the board does to support them and the community.
“As a member of the TFPD Board of Directors my top goal is to continue to improve response time throughout the district. We are currently building a new station near Virginia Canyon” which we expect to be operational later this summer.
“This new station will be a big benefit to the southern portion of the district. We have also acquired the Fritz Peak Observatory which is our new permanent home in the northern part of the district.
We have moved our headquarters into this bigger space for greater organizational efficiency. When complete, the observatory station will have 3 garage bays for apparatus and lodging for 24/7 staffing.
For more information, email jbushey@timberlinefire.com.