John Scarffe, Central City. Central City will move forward with a grant application to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to plan trails in the city after approval by the Central City Council during a regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, at the Central City Hall. The council also approved calling for a special election with Gilpin County on November 5, 2019, and using the upstairs of the Visitor’s Center for economic development.

Central City Community Development Director Ray Rears presented a resolution supporting a Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Colorado The Beautiful Grant application for the City Trails Master Plan and supporting the completion of the project if the city receives the grant. On April 9, 2019, during a public forum, the community supported open space and trail planning efforts.

CPW offers planning grants for outdoor recreation master planning. The grant requires a 30 percent match and a supporting resolution from the City Council, according to background. The city has also applied for a Go Colorado (GOCO) grant, which would be the same as the CPW grant, with an estimated project cost of the GOCO grant at $63,800. 

Central City is requesting $48,000 from CPW, and the city is contributing $15,000 in cash and $3,000 of in-kind support, according to background. If Central City is awarded the GOCO grant, the city will withdraw its application for the CPW grant. 

The GOCO grant awards will be made on September 27, 2019, and the CPW grant awards will be made in January. The funds will be used for plans that include developing a trail network within the city, stairways to the high streets and improved directional signage, connecting the downtown corridor to the Chase Gulch Reservoir and the high streets and exploring other recreational opportunities.

Rears said the CPW grant application is a hedge to assure that if the city doesn’t get the GOCO grant, they have an alternative. This funds the plan, and then they could apply to either or both of the organizations to complete the project.  

The council expressed concerns that applying and then withdrawing could cause the city to get a negative reputation. City Manager Daniel Miera said the city did have a reputation in the past because the city was not able to follow through with projects that received grants, but that reputation has been turned around and has now increased the likelihood of an award. 

Rears said the city hasn’t applied for a GOCO grant in a number of years. Alderman Jeff Aikens said he thinks it’s good to be proactive. Rears said this gives us a road map so we can all move forward, and the council approved the resolution.

The council approved calling for a special election and entering into an Intergovernmental Agreement with Gilpin County to conduct a coordinated election on November 5, 2019. The resolution designates the city clerk as the designated election official with the mayor or city manager to sign the IGA with the Gilpin County clerk and recorder.

The city will conduct a special election to ask voters whether to authorize sports betting in designated portions of the city, according to background. During a work session at 6 p.m. before the regular meeting, the council discussed calling for the special election. 

Miera said the casinos are open to the option. Mayor Jeremy Fey said a lot of the businesses interested in coming in are not planning on a physical building but it would be all digital.

Joe Boehm, with the Business Improvement District, said it is likely that a brick and mortar building would be up running soon, because they have a facility that would accommodate it. “If we have brick and mortar, we can go online.” 

City Attorney McAskin said the statewide 10 percent tax is quite a bit and is on the net proceeds, so he suggested not imposing and additional, local tax. Boehm said, “If you tax it, it’s not going to work.”

During the regular meeting, City Clerk Reba Bechtel said she has already given notice to the county clerk to enter into the IGA, because she had to let them know by July 26. The next step is to get the IGA back to the county and approved by our attorney.

Miera said the cost would be four times as much for the city to run its own election. Bechtel said they are always better off to have a coordinated election on the same day, and the council approved.

Rears introduced a proposal to use the upstairs of the Visitor’s Center as a new business incubator and start-up location. City staff wants to utilize the space to promote business awareness and assist businesses having trouble finding a location. 

The draft agreement includes a 15-month maximum term. Termination would be 30 days, for either party, so if a business is not viable, it can be terminated, Rears said. The city would receive 4 percent from the vendor, and the vendor would have to be manned 20 hours per week and open the same hours as the Visitor’s Center with a $2,000 deposit and a business license.

Miera said staff has had discussions about the incubator and start-up language and may prefer to say it’s for economic development purposes. Mayor Fey said that incubator and start up could mean further resources than just free rent, so it should state that it is for economic development purposes.

Rears said the goal is to have this completed as soon as possible, and he will vet the two who are interested and see if they are agreeable, so maybe someone could be in there by August 1. He hopes that a business will get a foothold in the city and find a permanent location. 

Attorney McAskin said the purpose is to give authority to the city manager to work out an agreement with a tenant, so they have an ability to tailor the agreement, and he will work with staff. “That’s why we’re not structuring it as a lease.” 

Rears said he has two vendors who are interested, and one has attended this meeting. He introduced Teri Metallo, a photographer and Black Hawk resident. She said she has been a resident of Gilpin County for 32 years. She is a reporter and has won photography awards. 

Metallo said she would like space to display her photography. She already has postcards in the Visitor’s Center and wants to work together with the city. She’s also interested in starting a newspaper.

“If we could have a newspaper office in that building, we could have some fun again,” Metallo said. Right now, she just needs a space to get started, sell photography and share with the Visitor’s Center. She has also been approached to do a city calendar. 

The council approved the proposal with the amendment of changing the title and language to state that it is using the space for economic development. The council also approved a Change Order for additional work on Spring Street to include the removal of existing asphalt and an overlay on Lawrence Street from D Street west to Spring Street. Funds for the additional work are appropriated in the 2019 budget, and the project will cost $63,810.

(Originally published in the August 1, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)