Economic development discusions atract capacity audience from Clear Crek-Gilpin counties
the Clear Creek Economic Development Corp.’s
first “Rural Resilience” economic development
mixer at the new Club Hotel in Idaho Springs
last Thursday and Friday.
The nearly three-hour meeting discussed the
demographic trends and the state of the econo-
mies in both Gilpin and Clear Creek, presented
by Greg Totten, an economist from the State of
Colorado Demography Office.
Senior Reporter
Despite cold weather and an anticipated
snowstorm, about 100 local business owners
and elected officials turned out to hear about
the present and future forecasts for business at
From Rollinsville in northern Gilpin to Du-
mont in Clear Creek, the assembled community
Gilpin County Manager Ray Rears and
Ryan Englund, president of the Better City
consulting organization, discussed resilience
and diversification in Gilpin County. Rears
was appointed to the CCEDC board last year
to inform Gilpin business owners and lead-
ers of how the non-profit organization serves
them.
members were given
an optimistic forecast
about how more busi-
ness could be attract-
ed to the neighboring
counties, with CCEDC
leaders offering as-
sistance to help turn
business dreams into
reality. (See related
story on how the
CCEDC helped the
Club Hotel launch its
new operation.)
Speaking on resilience and diversification
were Brian Bosshart, manager for Clear Creek
County, and Willie Wilkins, Colorado State
University’s Mountain regional specialist for
expanded rural engagement.
Continued on page 11
in this century. The history of Gilpin and nearby Clear Creek counties
add immense history to the launching of Colorado statehood in 1876.
Portions of the early day constitution and statehood documents are said
to have been partially written in today’s Weekly Register building that
escaped the Central City fires.
Being in the newspaper business, we must go with the news flow of the news.
Each week, we monitor events and follow governmental, social, and club
events and political happenings, including candidate announcements and obitu-
aries of local folks who have read this newspaper for the last time.
Portions of the building were purchased from the newspaper owner in
1865 to become Central Masonic Lodge No. 6 A.F.& A.M., sharing the building
with the newspaper to this day.
So, with a small staff of dedicated professionals, we do our best to lasso and
corral the week’s news. If we don’t know about it, likely it won’t make this
week’s newspaper.
Add to the mixture unplanned events, fires, auto accidents, avalanches, floods,
and crimes. And remember sports … where are the girl’s and boy’s teams play-
ing this week? What about the school board meetings and events like the new
million-dollar sewer line? (It seems like state and federal agencies should be
chipping in on that project.)
The old joke told before, “Everyone in town knows what happened. They just
read the newspaper to see if we found out about it.”
We’re here to stay, enjoying the communities and learning something new
every week. Your suggestions, praise, and criticism only make us work harder
to keep this grand old historic newspaper growing older and living longer. It is a
challenging task.
If you don’t know, you will find out eventually that we’re a great cheerleader
for Gilpin County. We can and will make a difference to improve life for every-
one, visitors and residents.
Thank you for the subscriptions that fill Post Office Box 93 every week. We
take this as a ticket to the performance as the curtain goes up and the melodra-
ma continues. Take advantage of the performances and help keep the marque
lights shining brightly.
We continue to bind each issue into yearly books stored with the other historic
bound volumes for future generations to see how we live, play, work, and govern
