structure along Church Street that offers some
of the city’s best views.
school, there are state-of-the-art technologies
and a dedicated staff who works to serve and
protect people 24/7/365.
Senior Reporter
However, what’s inside the stately building
is vital to the 100 residents and thousands of
visitors who arrive in town daily. What many
people don’t realize is that inside the old
From the valley below, the old school build-
ing on the hill in Black Hawk has been standing
for generations. It’s a serene-looking historic
Recently completed renovations inside the
Black Hawk Police Department encompassed
three-fourths of the first floor and the detec-
tives’ area upstairs, according to City Manager
Stephen Cole. He estimated the remodeling
cost $1.081 million plus another $435,136 for
additional equipment and furniture.
Mayor David Spellman supported the plans
to improve the police operations. “Unlike the
woke whack-job government officials and activ-
ists in parts of Colorado and the country calling
for defunding the police, in the City of Black
Hawk, we say fund the police and fund them
well. We have held this tenet since 1991 with
the advent of gaming in Black Hawk.”
By the WR-C Staff
Two additional candidates are running for the Gilpin Board of County Commissioners this fall.
They are Jeff Aiken (D), who will seek the BoCC District 1 seat, and Darin Jones (D), who is run-
ning in District 3.
“The most recent manifestation of this tenet
is on full display with the recent upgrades
and enhancements that have taken place
over the last year at the Black Hawk Police
Department. In 1994, after the renovation of
Black Hawk’s 1869 schoolhouse, the depart-
ment was relocated to this iconic building on
Church Street,” continued Spellman. “This is
where Chief Michelle Moriarty and her de-
partment members, City Engineer Matt Reed,
Tarik Muhammad and Ryan Blenker from
IT, along with PH Architects and MW Golden
Construction, did an outstanding job in the
design and execution of this project— captur-
ing a user-friendly quality and efficiency while
hosting a safer environment for police de-
partment team members. Boasting advanced
Central City Alderman Jeff Aiken announced Tuesday night he will seek the Democratic nomi-
nation in the primary on June 25. Currently, he is the only Democrat who has filed to run for the
seat, which includes Black Hawk, Central City and the southern part of Gilpin County.
Darin Jones of Rollinsville will challenge incumbent Sandy Hollingsworth for the Democratic
nod this spring. Ac-
cording to paperwork
filed with the state on
Feb. 1, Jones owns
Melt Coffee LLC on
Main Street in Rol-
linsville. No Republi-
cans have announced
yet to seek the District
3 commission seat,
which includes the
northern section of
Gilpin County.
I was at Dostal Alley last week when
a well-informed source told me that Al
Frei had sold AFS to Martin Marietta.
We rushed to get a short story in last
week’s WR-C . This week, we have the
interview; it is somewhat bittersweet for
residents of both Clear Creek and Gilpin
counties. We named AFS “Business of the
Year” in 2022 because of their community
generosity for church and school dona-
tions of aggregate.
While he is thanking all of us, we need to
be thanking him.
EDITORIAL ………………………………………………… 303-906-9902
For the past 30 years I’ve been driving
up and down Clear Creek Canyon and
watching the gravel trucks thunder by
down the canyon. I always looked at those
trucks with pride in American industry.
ADVERTISING …………………… 303-906-9902 or 303-773-8313
LEGALS/PUBLIC NOTICES ………………………… 303-906-9902
SUBSCRIPTIONS ………………. 303-906-9902 or 303-773-8313
They were hauling badly needed ag-
gregate for new home and office buildings
along the front range.
Colorado has been booming for the past
50 years but has always been known as a
“boom and bust” state. The Rocky Moun-
tains were cold with granite mountains
that gave up their minerals grudgingly
with hard rock miners tearing at their
hillside souls. A few made fortunes, and
sweat was lost by many. The mountain
towns came alive with tourism when the
ski boom began.
Along with their strong environmen-
tal efforts of running a clean operation,
they buy millions of gallons of water
from Central City. When you drive in
front of the quarry, they constantly spray
U.S. Highway 6 for dust and dirt. They
have reclaimed acres of quarry digs with
new topsoil, planted grass, and returned
hillsides to a natural state. The mountain
sheep love the place.
Horace Tabor made his money by selling
shovels and mining supplies in Leadville.
AFS has turned gravel into gold, but it
took 60 years of hard labor to produce a
fortune for the well-deserving family.
Along with the quarry, the Frei family
owns additional trails in both counties,
allowing open trails and public use on pri-
vate lands. They have been good citizens
for 60 years. It is a happy ending for them
from a “rocky start,” so to speak.
Al Frei is a very humble man; I’ve never
seen him, but on one occasion, wear-
ing anything but blue jeans, a vest, and a
flannel shirt, with soiled work boots, and
he always drove his white pickup. I saw
him at the Idaho Springs Elks Lodge in
December, volunteering with his daughter
and dog at the non-profit holiday market.
He always seems to be in a cordial mood
and very down to earth. I hope he can stay
friendly, always looking out for others.
With new wealth, he will have many new
friends.
I have become a friend of Al, who has
sponsored our “Looking Back” history
column, undoubtedly the most popular
feature in the 162-year-old newspaper, the
oldest newspaper left standing in Colo-
rado. When it became time to renew his
ad for 2024 last month, Al hung his head
in his office and said, “I have some disap-
pointing news for you, Bob; I won’t be
renewing my ad because I’m selling the
company,” at the end of the month after I
quickly asked, When?
Wherever life leads him, he can be proud
of his years of toil in the gravel pits of the
Rocky Mountains for himself and his great
family. Founder father Albert Frei can be
very proud of his sons.
He did buy a “Thank You” ad in the
newspaper with the exclusive interview
that begins on the front page and jumps to
the center pages of this week’s WR-C .
NEWSROOM
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LETTERS & COLUMNS
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than 350 words) and of local content. Anonymous letters will not be
published. Deadline is noon Friday prior to the week of publication.
nation’s
most
notable
opera
profes-
sionals,
including
fellow
inductees
Cynthia
Lawrence
and Keith
Miller.
Senior Reporter
When the Colorado Music Hall of
Fame conducts its first-ever “Opera
in the High County” this summer,
the spotlight won’t solely shine
on the historic Central City Opera
(CCO). The HOF will also induct
several of the opera’s singer-pro-
fessionals and its late conductor/
music director during the June 29
ceremonies.
The Hall event, at its first “des-
tination” induction, will celebrate
the CCO’s history and three indi-
viduals who have helped contribute
to the organization’s success over
the years. They include Cynthia
Lawrence, Keith Miller and the late
John Moriarty.
Moriar-
ty passed
on Jan.
5, 2022,
at the
age of 91.
“While
much of
his pro-
fessional
career
was spent
at Cen-
tral City
Opera, his
impact on
the opera
industry is
far-reach-
ing,” said General/Artistic Direc-
tor Pelham “Pat” Pearce. “He was
an exceptional teacher and helped
develop the careers of some of the
most renowned opera performers.”
This winter Central City Opera House in tranquil, but come June 29 it will be the
place to be, because the Opera will be inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of
bachelor’s degree and an honorary
doctor of music from the New Eng-
land Conservatory of Music, Mori-
arty has two named opera scholar-
ships at the Conservancy: The John
Moriarty Presidential Scholarship
and the John Moriarty Encourage-
ment Award. In his adopted town
of Central City, the John Moriarty
Award of the Central City Opera is
named after him. He was also the
recipient of the National Opera
Association Lifetime Achievement
Award.
Moriarty’s first professional
opera position was with Santa Fe
Opera, where he also founded an
artist training program. He also
worked as the training director and
conductor at Wolf Trap Opera, in
addition to several other notable
opera companies. He led the opera
departments at the Boston Con-
servatory of Music and the New
England Conservatory. Among his
publications is the widely assigned
education instruction manual Dic-
tion . According to the CCO, train-
ing future opera stars was always
at the core of his work. Holding a
John Moriarty
Inductee photos courtesy CCO
John Moriarity
The late conductor/artistic direc-
tor for the CCO, Moriarty, created
the CCO’s Bonfils-Stanton Founda-
tion Artists Training Program in
1978. The program is considered a
national model for the professional
development of young singers. With
only 30 artists selected from 1,000
applicants yearly, the competitive
program has trained many of the
To honor his 30th anniversary
with Central City Opera, a street
next to the opera house in Central
City was renamed Moriarty Lane.
Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Miller is from one of Colorado’s
smallest towns, Ovid, with a
population of less than 300. A star
football player at the University of
Colorado Boulder, Miller went on
to play professional football before
shifting his career to opera. Once
an Apprentice Artist at Central City
Opera, Miller has had an impressive
musical career across the U.S., from
Colorado, where he served as the
Crested Butte Music Festival Opera
Director for six years to the iconic
Metropolitan Opera in New York
City. He performed in New York as
a principal artist for 18 years.
Cynthia Lawrence
Karen Radman, executive direc-
tor of the Hall, said, “Colorado
Music Hall of Fame is honored to
be presenting an opera-themed
induction class for the first time,
recognizing the important contribu-
tions that opera has made in music
while expanding to a new musical
genre for our inductees. Opera in
the High Country , focused around
the impressive and historic Central
City Opera and those whose careers
were influenced by it, also expands
The Hall of Fame’s reach into the
Colorado mountains and out of the
metro area. This June 29 event in
Central City will be the first of many
destination inductions that The Hall
plans to host statewide. With all
it has to offer, we really hope that
folks from across the state and out-
of-state tourists come out and cel-
ebrate opera with us in Central City
for a summer weekend this year.”
Cynthia Lawrence
Lawrence serves as the Endowed
Chair for Voice and Opera at the
University of Kentucky School of
Music. An alumna of the University
of Colorado Boulder, the soprano
became a principal artist with doz-
ens of opera companies across the
globe and in Colorado, including
Central City Opera, Colorado Opera
Festival and the Fort Collins Opera.
Boasting over 70 performances with
Maestro Luciano Pavarotti, Law-
rence has taken on some of opera’s
most iconic parts. As a dedicated
music educator, Lawrence con-
ducts Master Classes and serves as
a judge for the Metropolitan Opera
National Council Auditions.
Central City to co-host Opera into Hal of Fame induction
By Don Ireland
tured to Central
City to find gold.
Traditionally, the induc-
tion was held at the Hall’s
location at the Red Rocks
Trading Post, part of the
City of Denver’s Red Rocks
Amphitheater near Mor-
rison. However, the Hall
is expected to move into a
yet-unannounced location
in downtown Denver in the
next several weeks. Rad-
man said the Hall may hold
additional inductions that
aren’t related to the Opera
induction ceremony later in
the year.
Senior Reporter
Karen Rad-
man, executive
director of the
Colorado Music
Hall of Fame,
said, “Colorado
Music Hall of
Fame is honored
to be presenting
an opera-themed
induction class
for the first time,
recognizing the
important con-
tributions that
Opera has made
in music while ex-
panding to a new
musical genre
for our induct-
ees. Opera in the
High Country ,
focused around
the impressive
and historic Cen-
tral City Opera
and those whose
careers were influenced by
it, also expands The Hall
of Fame’s reach into the
Colorado mountains and
out of the metro area. This
June 29, event in Central
City will be the first of
many destination induc-
tions that The Hall plans to
host statewide. With all it
has to offer, we really hope
that folks from across the
state and out-of-state tour-
ists come out and celebrate
Opera with us in Central
City for a summer weekend
this year.”
Not only will the Central
City Opera become induct-
ed into the Colorado Music
Hall of Fame this summer,
but the Opera will also host
the associated festivities
along Eureka Street on
Saturday, July 29.
According to the non-
profit music organization,
this is the first time the
Hall will hold its first “des-
tination” induction.
Scott Finlay, Central
City Opera’s president and
CEO, said, “We are deeply
honored to be receiving
this recognition. Central
City Opera’s 92 years of
rich musical heritage is a
testament to the dedication
of our supporters, volun-
teers, artists and staff who
have made this milestone
possible. This distinction is
a tribute to their commit-
ment.”
The mayor is the son of
the late Barry Fey, a 2012
Hall inductee whose pro-
motion of Denver brought
big-name music acts to the
Mile High City from the
late 1960s through his re-
tirement in 2004. For three
consecutive years, Barry
Fey was Billboard Maga-
zine’s «Concert Promoter
of the Year.»
and dinner at the Teller
House. The audience will
head next door to the main
opera house, where the
Hall induction will occur
at 5 p.m., followed by the
inaugural performance of
the Opera’s first show of its
summer music festival, The
Pirates of Penzance. Cen-
tral City Opera is the
fifth-oldest opera company
in the U.S., originating in
1932. It is listed as a Na-
tional Historic Landmark,
built in 1878 by Welsh and
Cornish miners who ven-
Commented Central City
Mayor Jeremy Fey: “It is
a great honor for Central
City to host the Colorado
Music Hall of Fame. We
are especially proud as
Central City Opera, a pillar
of Colorado’s cultural land-
scape for 92 years, leads
the 2024 class of inductees.
June 29 will be a landmark
day, celebrating both the
Opera’s venerable history
and Central City’s ongoing
revitalization. I have liter-
ally been working on this
[induction] for six years.”
Visitors who plan to at-
tend the Hall and opening
night of the Opera are of-
fered special room rates for
June 28-29 at the Grand
Z Casino and Hotel on
Gregory Street in Central
City and at the Monarch
Casino Resort Spa in Black
Hawk. (The promo code is
Opera24.)
The Central City induc-
tion will be hosted in a
partnership between the
Opera and Central City.
The event will include a
pre-ceremony reception
Rock blasting, other projects could impact I-70 driving
Projects between Floyd Hill and Den-
ver
Rock-blasting work restarted along I-70
Floyd Hill yesterday (Wednesday), with the
next blasting scheduled for Valentine’s Day,
Wednesday, Feb. 14. In addition, another new
project announced along the interstate near
Golden also may impact travel between Gilpin
and Clear Creek Counties and the metro Den-
ver area.
CDOT
said some
lane re-
strictions
will occur
at various
times at
both project
locations. The new
escape ramp project is expected to be com-
pleted in late May or early June.
Meanwhile, two other CDOT projects
between C-470 and Floyd Hill continue
to impact traffic between Floyd Hill and
C-470 in Golden.
This week and next, parts of I-70 and
U.S. 40 near Genesee will be subject to
closing so CDOT can continue construc-
tion of a wildlife underpass along the
interstate.
Photo courtesy CDOT.
CDOT’s blasting next week along Floyd Hill
will stop traffic on I-70 for 20 minutes. When
blasting occurs, motorists should e xpect a
traffic hold and up to 45 minutes of delay.
A series of airhorn signals will precede each
detonation to warn people in the area. No al-
ternative routes are advised during the traffic
stoppages.
The early-February closures are
scheduled between 7 a.m. and 5:30
p.m. Mondays through Fridays
through Feb. 17. Drivers access-
ing U.S. 40 eastbound can detour
around the closure by using east-
bound I-70 to the Lookout Moun-
tain exit. Westbound drivers can-
not take the exits at Genesee and
Mount Vernon Road.
Project overview
The $700 million I-70 Floyd Hill project will build a
third westbound I-70 travel lane, which will function
as an Express Lane, to improve the current two-lane
bottleneck heading down Floyd Hill westbound. The
new toll lane will begin near the top of Floyd Hill west-
bound and will be a fly-over lane that will end near the
Veterans Memorial Tunnels.
I-70 travelers should know that narrow-
er lanes and shoulders continue to be in
the $700 million project work zone near
Floyd Hill. The transportation department
recommends that motorists follow posted
speed limits and don’t drive distracted.
Slowing down and allowing extra space
between the vehicle ahead of you is ad-
vised.
• Constructing a missing two-mile section of the
frontage road between Evergreen and Idaho
Springs.
The wildlife underpass area has
been ongoing for months near the
top of Genesse Hill and is expected
to be completed this spring. On
unannounced days, the left lane,
heading westbound, is closed to
accommodate the work. Motorists
should read the orange construc-
tion signs heading up I-70 from
Morrison to learn if the work may
impact the traffic flow.
• Building an eastbound I-70 extended on-ramp for
slow-moving vehicles. Improving traffic flow and
access at interchanges and intersections within
the project limits.
Nearby, construction crews continue
working along Highway 40 near the Floyd
Hill/Beaver Brook interchange and at the
highway’s junction with County Road 65.
New roundabouts are being built in both
areas on the north side of I-70. Motorists
are advised to watch for traffic signs and
potential temporary detours.
• Improving sight distance on roadway curves.
Improving the Clear Creek Greenway trail. Imple-
menting environmental mitigation to create safer
wildlife movements and improve air and water
quality and stream conditions an d recreation.
The larger project includes re-
building the eastbound emergency
truck escape ramp between Mt.
Vernon Road (Exit 256) and the
Morrison exit (Exit 259). There will
be overnight double-lane closures
on eastbound I-70 in the vicin-
ity. The emergency ramp has been
closed for weeks.
Driver cautions
CDOT said motorists should expect narrower lanes
and shoulders, reduced speed limits as low as 45 mph
and increased truck traffic entering and exiting the work
zones. All construction activities are weather-dependent
and subject to change. During construction, the exist-
ing I-70 travel lanes will remain open in each direction
during peak daytime travel hours. Lane closure hours
for the duration of construction will vary based on the
season, day of the week, number of lanes being closed
and travel direction.
Highway 6 restrictions
Along Clear Creek Canyon (Highway
6), single-land closures are planned from
5 a.m. to 7 p.m. between mile points 267
and 271.5.
The planned restrictions are part of the
ongoing Peak to Plains Huntsman Gulch
trail project that began last year in Jef-
ferson County, between Highway 119 and
Golden.
The escape ramp work will in-
clude:
Project sections
The Floyd Hill project is divided into three sections.
The East Section is from the west of Evergreen to mid-
way down Floyd Hill near the Black Hawk interchange
(Exit 244). The West Section is from near Exit 243
(Central City Parkway) to the Veterans Memorial Tun-
nels near Idaho Springs. The Central Section is from
the middle of Floyd Hill through Exit 243 (Central
City/Hidden Valley exit). The east section began this
spring and continues through June 2026. The West
section is expected to start this fall and will conclude
in the fall of 2027. The Central section has begun and
will continue into 2028. The East part of the project
includes installing two new traffic roundabouts along
Highway 40, at County Road 65 and Homestead Road.
Flagmen control traffic during some of the daytime
work.
• New signage.
New I-70 Golden closure
Westbound I-70 near Golden will experi-
ence random lane closures until later this
month during weekday hours between 7
a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Drivers accessing west-
bound I-70 can avoid the closure by trav-
eling east on U.S. 40 or I-70 to Lookout
Mountain and taking the on-ramp to the
interstate.
• Larger barriers between the ramp
and the steep embankment.
• Additional cameras.
• New ramp lighting.
• A new design intended to allow late
entry for truckers who miss the
escape ramp entrance.
For information on the Highway 6/Clear Creek
Canyon project being conducted by Jeffco, visit www.
jeffco.us/P2P . Phone information is available at 720-
893-0403. The email address is peak2plains@gmail.
com. For real-time travel information, visit www.
COtrip.org.
Drilling soil nails into hillside along Floyd Hill with traffic moving on Interstate 70.
After Zane Laubhan (D)
decided to withdraw from
the District 1 BoCC race,
Aiken decided to file to
run. Laubhan said he will
continue to serve as Gilpin
County’s elected coroner, a
position he’s held for over a
decade. Political observers
said Laubhan was consid-
ered the front-runner in
the District 1 race before
his withdrawal due to per-
sonal reasons.
by the death of Web Sill.
Kays served eight years as
the Gilpin County Clerk
and Recorder from 1999 to
2011.
will be available. So
will the seat currently
held by Alderman
and Mayor Pro-Tem
Kara Tinucci.
Continued from page 1
Aiken has been on the
Central City Council for
nine years and cannot run
again due to term lim-
its. The 45-year county
resident has been on the
Black Hawk Central City
Sanitation District board
of directors for 10 years.
“I believe in serving and
giving back to the commu-
nity and hope to continue
as a Gilpin County com-
missioner,” said Aiken, a
stone mason who works as
a bartender at the Famous
Bonanza and Easy Street
casinos in Central City. He
filed an affidavit to run with
the Colorado Secretary of
State’s office on Monday,
Feb. 5.
Gilpin County’s District
2 commissioner term, held
by Susan Berumen (D), is
not up for election until
2026. She was elected in
2022 and replaced Linda
Isenhart (D), who was
term-limited after serving
for eight years.
On Tuesday
night, Tinucci said
she hasn’t decided
whether to seek a
second four-year
term.
In addition to be-
ing on the council,
Tinucci serves on
the new Central City
Urban Development
Authority and the
Central City Down-
town Development
Authority. She and her
husband Joe own JKQ BBQ
at Crook’s Palace, a Black
Hawk restaurant on lower
Gregory Street.
The District 1 BoCC pri-
mary on the GOP side will
include Marie Mornis and
Jessica Kays, who serve as
chair and treasurer, respec-
tively, for the Gilpin Coun-
ty Republican Committee.
Mornis is the incumbent
after being appointed to
the BoCC in December
2022 to fill the vacancy left
The Colorado Secretary
of State’s office listed no
additional candidates as of
Tuesday, Feb. 6. The final
date for candidates to file
to run for the primary is
Tuesday, March 19.
There will be no races in
the City of Black Hawk this
year. Mayor David Spell-
man and Aldermen Paul
Bennet, Benito Torres and
Gregory Moates are run-
ning unopposed for four-
year terms.
Central Council seats
Two vacant seats will be
up for election in Central
City this year. Aiken’s seat
City of Black Hawk
Valentine’s Dance
The Save the Belvidere Foundation
will hold a Valentine’s Dance start-
ing at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, at
Elks Lodge 557 in Central City. Music
will be provided by deejay Eric Chinn,
with food and beverages available.
sibility and flag etiquette. The VFW holds an
annual Teacher of the Year award. Three teach-
ers will be nominated by the post (K-5, 6-8 and
9-12) to compete for teacher of the year at the
VFW National Competition. The award is also
known as the Smart/Maher Award.
Nomination forms will be available soon and
must be submitted prior to Oct. 31. For infor-
mation, email VFWCMD7563@YAHOO.COM.
BRIEFS
BRIEFS
Opera housing needed
Central City Opera Association needs sum-
mer rental housing for the 2024 summer festi-
val cast and staff. Dates needed for housing are
June 1 – August 9. Please contact Wanda Lar-
son for more details by calling (303) 292-6500,
ext. 100, or email admin@centralcityopera.org.
Vinyl and Gumbo
The Coal Creek Canyon Improve-
ment Association and United Power
will be sponsoring a Mardi Gras
gumbo and vinyl night from 4 to
6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17, at the
CCCIA center along Highway 72.
The group will be spinning some
New Orleans Soul & Jazz records to
celebrate all things Mardi Gras. Au-
thentic Louisiana food will be served
a la carte while supplies last.
The price per item is $5 for
members and $8 for non-
members. It is a BYOB event.
U.S. Forest Service
continues pile burns
Seeing smoke in Gilpin
County? The USFS is ask-
ing residents not to report
it to authorities because
most of the smoke is com-
ing from piles being burned
north of Central City and
in the vicinity of the Gross
Reservoir near Pinecliffe.
Black Hawk gaming revenues, sports bets rose in December
By Don Ireland
During Armbright’s
childhood, the first floor of
the former church served
as the neighboring school’s
gymnasium, including a
basketball court. Recalled
the councilwoman, “We
were a little naughty. We
weren’t supposed to climb
up the rickety old set of
steps inside, but we did.
We’d go up and play in the
attic – where the church
bell was.”
experienced
a 1.30 per-
cent decline
during the
six months, a
loss of $1.113
million. Com-
bined, the state realized a
.25 percent decline over the
six months from one year
earlier, earning $1.36 mil-
lion less.
Senior Reporter
According to newly-
released reports, gaming
revenues bounced back for
Black Hawk during Decem-
ber.
gered $71,430 million
during the month, a 17.74
percent jump over Novem-
ber, establishing a record
for $608.488 million in
wagers. In December 2022,
those who spent money
on sports betting wagered
$518.089 million.
Black Hawk’s 15 casinos
reported an 8.76 percent –
or $5.875 million rise – in
Adjusted Gross Proceeds
during the final month of
2023 compared to Decem-
ber 2022. AGP, or Adjusted
Gross Proceeds, is the
amount wagered by players
less the winnings paid to
players.
While Black Hawk’s AGP
has shown losses and gains
during the first six months
of Colorado’s fiscal gam-
ing year, the city’s casinos
entered 2024 slightly
ahead of the same period
in 2023. During the month,
Black Hawk provided
85.05 percent of the state’s
casino AGP revenues, while
Cripple Creek contributed
9.73 percent and Central
City 5.22 percent.
Today, the school building
retains its vintage appear-
ance on the exterior, but
changes are evident to those
who step inside. “I think it’s
wonderful. It’s just wonder-
ful. For some reason, there
seems like there’s more
room in it today compared
to the past,” commented Al-
derman Armbright. “When
I was growing up, my mom
and dad had the Gilpin Ho-
tel. I used to think that was
so big, too.”
Colorado collected
$3.682 million in taxes
from sports bets in Decem-
ber, representing a 147.27
percent increase from a
month earlier. It also was
a 42.52 percent increase
from December 2022
($2.584 million).
While Black Hawk fin-
ished the first six months
of the Colorado gaming
revenue with improved re-
sults from the period from
July 1 to Dec. 30 in 2022,
the gaming towns of Cen-
tral City and Cripple Creek
(Teller County) weren’t
quite as fortunate.
During December, NFL
football and NBA hoops
accounted for the most-
bet-upon sports, with 26.9
percent and 23.9 percent,
respectively, waged on
games. However, parlay/
combination bets repre-
sented the largest single
category – 28.5 percent
– of where the month was
played. Behind them, the
other most popular bets
were NCAA football (6.4
percent) and NCAA basket-
ball (4.2 percent).
Black Hawk saw AGP
increase in September,
November and December,
while declines occurred in
July, August and October.
Before July, Black Hawk
experienced an unprec-
edented winning streak, as
AGP set records for 26 of
27 months.
Central City’s AGP de-
clined by 0.34 percent, a
loss of $21,296, compared
to Dec. 2022, while Crip-
ple Creek showed a 5.89
percent rise, or $755,598.
For the final six months of
2023, Black Hawk expe-
rienced a .041 percent
increase (representing a
$1.759 million gain). At
the same time, Central’s
revenues stumbled by 4.77
percent, a loss of $2.009
million. Cripple Creek
Mayor David Spellman
grew up in Black Hawk
and – as an avid historian
of his city – recounted
the history of the build-
ing. “Construction on the
Black Hawk Schoolhouse
commenced on July 20,
1869, and was completed
by Dec. 24, 1869. The first
classes began on Feb. 28,
1870. The total cost of the
schoolhouse, including
furniture, was $14,538. It
“The Black Hawk School-
house missed its centennial
anniversary of operating
as an educational building
by 10 years as the school-
house closed its doors and
the last students left the
classrooms in the spring of
1960,” said Spellman.
Sports betting
Colorado saw record-set-
ting sports betting income
for the second consecutive
month in December.
(See related story on
how the old school is used
by the Black Hawk Police
Department today.)
Continued from page 1 Remodeling of the BHPD station
system was built out across the state, police
and fire transitioned to the state’s radio sys-
tem. The department’s radio system tran-
sitioned from a stand-alone single antenna
attached to a shed to an integrated 800 MHZ
radio system with multiple talk groups. Our
technology in records management, video re-
tention, and dispatch, that is the envy of much
larger police departments. My off-the-cuff
conclusion is the overall project has arresting
features and is
now a source of
immense pride
for the dedicated
and steadfast
members of the
Black Hawk Po-
lice Department.”
radios were
upgraded to
be interop-
erable with
other agencies
during emer-
gencies.”
“Unlike the woke whack-job government officials and
activists in parts of Colorado and the country calling for
defunding the police, in the City of Black Hawk we say
fund the police and fund them well.
— Mayor David Spellman
In addition,
Cole noted,
“We were the first in the county to issue body
cameras to our officers. We updated our
Chief Moriarty
said the renovations and upgrades will help her
department. “A newly remodeled station means
a more efficient and up-to-date police depart-
ment. We remodeled records,
dispatch, booking and inves-
tigations. We removed walls,
utilized space better and im-
proved the workflow. It took
months.”
records manage-
ment system
and began using
tablets instead
of tradition-
ally higher-priced
Panasonic Tough-
books. Now, most
of the records
held by the de-
partment are in
electronic files. The
dispatch center used
the latest equipment
to provide public ser-
vice. Over the years,
the Black Hawk Po-
lice Department has
upgraded dispatching
equipment, comput-
ers, radio equipment,
recording equipment,
and 911 equipment in
the dispatch center.
The evidence col-
lection system was
upgraded to include
modern storage
equipment and
procedures. Video
collected from of-
ficers’ body cameras
can now uploaded to
the district attorney’s
office in criminal cases. The city also has added
cameras at several locations in the city that
dispatchers can now monitor. In general, old-
fashioned paper has been replaced by electronic
Black Hawk Police Chief Michelle Moriarty stands near
the booking area, which has a bulletproof glass window
and (behind her) a prisoner cell, where suspects are
held until they are transported to the Gilpin County Jail
or other locations. Previously, there was just a single
restroom on the first floor that prisoners and employees
shared. Another staff-only restroom was added as part
of the recent renovation project.
The new dispatch area
includes several workstations,
each of which has multiple
TV-style monitors that can
help several dispatchers pull
up reports, view videos, go
online, and communicate with
others.
Photos courtesy of Black Hawk Police Department
clearances for officers, hospital-status informa-
tion and rapid SOS response.”
The Black Hawk Police Department includes
41 full-time members, 29 sworn-in officers and
12 non-sworn staffers. That includes Moriarty,
two commanders, five sergeants, 18 patrol
officers and three detectives. The non-sworn
department members include eight dispatchers,
two records officers, one property and evidence
worker and one chief administrative assistant/
court clerk.
Moriarty noted that technol-
ogy in law enforcement has
significantly changed since
she first began working with
the Arvada Police Department
in 1995 before moving to the
Black Hawk Police Depart-
ment a little more than three
years ago.
Spellman said the city has a history of law
enforcement. “When the City of Black Hawk was
incorporated in 1864, the City Charter stated the
fledgling city would have a Marshal who would be
the ex-officio Chief of Police. In August of 1991,
the city retired the designation of City Marshal
and organized the Black Hawk Police Department,
with the Chief of Police as the top law enforce-
ment officer. The office for the new department
was located on the first floor of City Hall on Selak
Street. In 1994, after the renovation of Black
Hawk’s 1869 schoolhouse on Church Street, the
department was relocated to this iconic building.
The recently completed project marks the third
renovation for the schoolhouse turned police
department and is the most extensive and expen-
sive. The schoolhouse may be an imposing edifice
on Church Street, but for a police department, the
square footage makes for tight quarters.”
“When I started in 1995, we
wrote everything down and
had to memorize maps. When
we were sent to a call, we had
a notepad rubber-banded to
a clipboard. Now, there are
computers in the cars with
mapping, dispatched calls,
pending calls, etc. We had no
cell phones; now we have cell
phones or iPads with all the call information.
Chief Moriarty shows off the department’s
high-tech Mavic 3T drone with zoom and
infrared cameras that can assist police
and fire department members. Several
city employees are expected to participate
in a drone pilot training program later this
spring.
Photo courtesy of Black Hawk Police
“Cameras and photos were different. Now,
we can download by a click of a button versus
sending a roll of film or a memory card off.
Dispatched calls
used to be writ-
ten on dispatch
cards; now, they
type everything
into a Computer
Aided Dispatch
(CAD) system.
All the CAD systems get better and better with
every passing year. The officers wear body cam-
eras and can now download in minutes versus
hours. Records Management is electronic, and
all officers now do data entry,” the chief said.
files, too.”
Moriarty said
one of the depart-
ment’s
ongo-
ing
goals
is to
work closely with the Gilpin County
Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Division
of Gaming, Colorado State Patrol,
Gilpin Dispatch, Black Hawk Fire
Department and the Gilpin Ambu-
lance Authority.
“One of the things Black Hawk has done has been
to continue to update technologies in the police depart-
ment,”
— City Manager Stephen Cole
Cole, who was Black Hawk’s police chief
from October 2005 until he became city man-
ager in March 2019, said the department has
grown from 34 positions in 2014 to 41. “When
I arrived in October of 2005, the police depart-
ment had good equipment, but we looked for
opportunities to improve our operation every
year. We leveraged grant funding to purchase
new radios and other equipment. Technology is
changing so fast it’s easy to fall behind. I would
say that every piece of technology has been re-
placed and upgraded over the years, making the
police department more efficient and effective,”
he commented.
“We dispatch for BHPD, BHFD,
and Gilpin Ambulance (for city calls,
not county),” said Moriarty. “Gilpin
County Dispatch Center is our back-
up dispatch center, and they are our
backup center (we work closely with
them). Dispatchers handle many
things during a shift, including 911
calls, non-emergency calls, police/
fire/ambulance radio traffic, Emer-
gency radio traffic, several criminal
justice systems to aid the officers
on calls, Computer Aided Dispatch
(CAD), towing calls and calls for
medical helicopters, assisting other
agencies with 911 rollover calls,
administration duties, searches and
“One of the things Black Hawk has done has
been to continue to update technologies in the
police department,” according to Cole. “The
Black Hawk Police Department played a cru-
cial role in building new radio towers in Black
Hawk and Gilpin County. Once the 800 MHz
Central hauls Of-Highway Vehicle plan of to junkyard
By Don Ireland
City is what we need. We need to
put our positives on something
everyone can agree on – not
quarreling on a project that we’re
not sure of.”
whole thing would’ve been costly.
I think that if there had been a
vote, it would’ve gone down. It
would’ve been a waste of our time
and money for a pilot program. I
think it’s a good decision to save
the money and stuff.”
ken voted against it. However,
the council hit the brakes on the
program recently, saying they
were busy dealing with the city’s
2024 budget and other matters.
At the time, they predicted that
discussion of the program would
resume in the early months of the
new year.
Senior Reporter
A controversial plan allowing
Off-Highway Vehicles to travel
along Central City streets won’t
happen anytime soon. At least,
not in 2024.
Fey said, “My hesitation in
backing down – so to speak, for
lack of a better term – was that
some people would see it as a
sign. It would be seen that if the
council made a decision they
disagreed with, they would only
have to come to the council or
have conversations on the street,
and we would reverse that [deci-
sion]. I didn’t want to set that
precedent. I hope the people –
especially
the Pros-
pector’s
Run folks –
won’t look
at this as a
conciliato-
ry measure.
It’s not that
we’re back-
ing down
from what
our opin-
ions have
been – we’ve just got bigger fish
to fry than whether we should
have side-by-side [vehicles] in
town.”
Alderman Todd Williams said,
“I would like to add that I ap-
preciate the conversations I’ve
had – both positive and not-so-
affirmative conversations – about
the whole program. Mr. Mayor, I
appreciate the time we’ve spent
talking about it, and I think we’re
in agreement on where we are
right now with it.”
Mayor Jeremy Fey said a pro-
posed pilot OHV program, which
had been eyed to begin this
spring, is no longer on the table
before the council. He announced
during the council meeting on
Tuesday night, Feb. 6, that sev-
eral other economic-related mat-
ters are a higher priority.
Since the discussion of the OHV
program surfaced last summer,
several residents turned out
to protest the idea. Aiken and
Enloe suggested at the time that
the proposal should be put to a
vote by residents. Residents who
opposed the plan said they were
concerned that trucks hauling
OHVs by trailer to the national
forest north of the city would
lead to speeding, noise and safety
issues for those who live along
Eureka and Lawrence streets.
While the short agenda indicat-
ed the council meeting wouldn’t
last long, a question about the
OHV program by resident Zane
Plzek led the council to slow
down the meeting and explain its
previously unannounced explana-
tion about stopping the effort.
Fey offered
the final word
on the sub-
ject, “I often
tell my four
girls that
wisdom is not
the ability
to get out of
trouble but
to avoid it
altogether.
The last thing
I ever wanted
to do was to put the residents –
or anyone – or the tourists on
these vehicles in harm’s way. I
didn’t want to bring conflict. That
really was the end of decision-
making for me. I wouldn’t want
to put any resident who would
be up in arms about it in a place
where they think they’d have to
confront a wrongdoer on a vehi-
cle. It wouldn’t be a healthy thing
to do. That’s one thing I wanted
to avoid – conflict.”
“It’s not that we’re
backing down from what our
opinions have been – we’ve
just got bigger fish to fry than
whether we should have side-
by-side [vehicles] in town.”
Several residents who de-
nounced the proposal told the
council they were nearly struck
by speeding vehicles traveling
up Eureka Street toward the U.S.
Forest Service lands. Among
those who voiced opposition were
Plzek and other Prospector’s Run
residents, whose HOA is near the
upper end of Eureka.
Fey gave a detailed explanation
of why the council is abandoning
the OHV plan for the foreseeable
future. He said he had discussed
the pilot program with aldermen
Kara Tinucci and Todd Williams,
who voted last August to move
ahead.
— Mayor Jeremy Fey
“It wasn’t an easy decision to
make,” said Fey about postpon-
ing the plan for the foreseeable
future. “We have decided to table
the issue for now and not move
ahead with the pilot program.”
Some opponents cited a similar
situation in the southern Colo-
rado town of Silverton. Residents
there voted to ban OHVs from
community streets in 2021. How-
ever, several businesses said the
ban caused them to lose revenues
from visitors and asked for an-
other vote. In October, residents
again rejected the concept of per-
mitting OHVs in the community.
“To anyone who’s in favor of the
program, please call on me. There
were some people and busi-
nesses who were excited to see
what those results could be. Let’s
talk about it. At a future date, if
there’s a strong sentiment from
the residents or businesses, we’ll
reconsider it. For now, the coun-
cil has made the decision – and I
think [aldermen] Marsha [Enloe]
and Jeff [Aiken] would concur
– that it’s not worthy of further
consideration at
this time.”
“I want to be clear that our
decision was not based on a clear
understanding that it’s not the
right thing to do, one way or the
other,” continued the mayor. “We
just formed a Downtown Devel-
opment Authority and an Urban
Redevelopment Authority. We’re
looking at economic development
around this town. Not everyone
may be on the same page, but
nobody knows if the program
would’ve had a net positive or net
negative. The three of us believed
that it would be positive, and
that’s why we voted that way. We
don’t know. We do know that
further development in Central
Last fall, Fey, Tinucci and
Williams voted to move ahead
to study an OHV pilot program
for 2024, while Enloe and Ai-
Even neighboring Black Hawk
weighed in against the plan
last fall. Mayor David Spellman
warned that his city’s police
would immediately issue
tickets to any OHV that
ventured off Central City
streets into Black Hawk.
Responded
Aiken, “It was
my contention
all along that we
were going to have
a vote [by resi-
dents]. I think the
At the time, Fey sug-
gested that the city could
generate new revenues by
selling permits for OHVs,
which currently are prohib-
ited from driving on Cen-
tral’s streets. City leaders
said they wanted to hire a
consultant to recommend
a pilot program, which
could be discontinued if the
council thought it didn’t
work out.
This week
Friday, Feb. 9 — High
school basketball hosts Lyons.
Junior varsity games at 4:30
p.m., followed by varsity games
at 6 p.m. High school wrestling
team at the regional tourna-
ment in Sterling on Friday and
Saturday for qualifiers.
Thursday, Feb. 15 — High
school basketball hosts Peyton.
Girls jayvee plays at 5 p.m.,
followed by varsity at 6:30 p.m.
The Snowcoming Dance and
activities will follow the game.
Mini Storage Sale
Pursuant of Colorado State Statues,
Rollinsville Mini Storage will sell at public
auction on February 12, 2024 Personal
property of Johanna Maison and
Johnathan Baumhover to the highest bid-
der. The sale will be held online at Locker
Fox commencing at 10:00 a.m. Items
to be sold: furniture, clothing and other
household items.
Legal notices for Gilpin County that were published outside the boundaries of Gilpin
County and, therefore, invalid:
The Super Bowl annually
attracts the most wagering
of any American sporting
event—second internation-
ally to the FIFA World Cup
championship game.
(?) on four occasions, all in
the first half. This included
once in a replay of the
Chiefs’ second touchdown
(a two-yard run by Isiah
Pacheco on which Kelce
sealed off a would-be tack-
ler with a well-executed
block) and with 3:42 left
reaction of the world’s pop
icon to the performances
by two of music’s other
megastars.
And the shows of affection
after the Baltimore game
appeared to include Taylor
mouthing the words, “I
love you.”
1.5-point favorite. A few
days later, bettors had
made the 49ers the two-
point choice.
* * *
Prop Bet No. 3— Will
Travis propose to Taylor at
midfield after the game?
With Taylor watching in
person, the Chiefs beat Mi-
ami, Buffalo and Baltimore
to reach SB LVIII with a
14-6 record. San Francisco
is the top seed in the NFC
and, with playoff wins over
Green Bay and Detroit,
stands 14-5,
My choice: Quite a set-
ting, but this is HIS show,
if not his swan song. Their
“moment” would be over-
shadowed in the post-game
hoopla, especially if there’s
a Kansas City victory. Any-
thing’s possible, but I don’t
think so.
If Taylor Swift shows up
in Las Vegas this Sunday
to root for Travis Kelce and
the Chiefs in SB
LVIII, this Su-
per Bowl could
offer a whole
new dimension
of betting for a
whole new au-
dience—name-
ly, Swifties.
If you believe widespread
rumors, this could be the
last game of Kelce’s illus-
trious pro football career.
There’s also a report that
he popped the question on
New Year’s Eve, with plans
to announce their engage-
ment after the Super Bowl.
in the second
quarter as part
of a promo for
live coverage
of the Gram-
mys a week
later.
My choice: Taylor will be
there. Need I say more?
* * *
Who will win? Kansas
City opened as a slim
My choice:
If this is the
most-watched
SB ever be-
cause of her,
then take the
Over on this
one, too.
Well, ahead
of Super Bowl
Sunday, Swift’s
Eras Tour is
scheduled for
four concerts
at the Tokyo
Dome, Wednes-
day through Saturday.
SAVVY SENIOR
And laparoscopic
adjustable gastric
banding, which
inserts an inflatable
band that creates a
gastric pouch encir-
cling the top of the
stomach.
Dear Savvy Senior,
Does Medicare cover any weight-loss
treatments for overweight retirees? I
just turned 65 and need to lose about
100 pounds and would like to know if
Medicare can help.
(Expect bo-
nus post-game
cameos—and
maybe even
one of the
lovebirds hugging and
kissing, depending on the
outcome. There were two
of those after KC beat the
Ravens, plus two cutaways
to Taylor beaming proudly
during the trophy presenta-
tion.)
Overweight Owen
Dear Owen,
Yes, traditional Medicare does indeed
cover some weight-loss treatments like
counseling and certain types of surgery
for overweight beneficiaries, but unfor-
tunately, it doesn’t cover weight-loss
programs or medications. Here’s what
you should know.
The flight from Narita
International Airport to the
runway on Wayne New-
ton Boulevard is a little
more than 12 hours. But,
thanks to the International
Dateline, Taylor can arrive
Saturday night, well before
kickoff—unless there’s a
glitch.
What’s not cov-
ered
BY JIM MILLER
Unfortunately, original Medicare does
not cover weight-loss programs such
as fitness or gym memberships, meal
delivery services, or popular weight-loss
programs such as Jenny Craig, Noom
and WW (formerly Weight Watchers).
* * *
Prop Bet No. 1— Will
CBS feature an interview
with Taylor Swift as part
of its multi-hour pre-game
programming?
Who’s eligible
For beneficiaries to receive available
Medicare-covered weight-loss treat-
ments your body mass index (BMI),
which is an estimate of your body fat
based on your height and weight, must
be 30 or higher.
Here are some possi-
bilities and my suggested
plays:
Medicare also does not cover any
weight-loss drugs, but it does cover
FDA-approved diabetes drugs that have
unintentionally become very popular for
weight loss.
Over/Under— Will
this game break last year’s
record for largest television
audience?
There’s plenty to talk
about: Her relationship
with Travis . . . What’s in
their future. . . the 12-hour
flight from Japan . . . all the
attention and public fuss
over her budding romance .
. . and . . . and . . .
Medicare Part D plans cover Ozempic
and Mounjaro for diabetes only, not for
weight loss! So, your doctor will need to
prescribe these medications for diabetes
to get them covered.
A BMI of 30 or above is considered
obese and increases your risk for many
health conditions, such as some cancers,
coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes,
stroke and sleep apnea. To determine
your BMI, the National Institutes of
Health has a free calculator that you can
access online at nhlbi.nih.gov/health/
educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm.
When Kelce & Company
knocked off Philadelphia,
115.1 million pairs of eye-
balls watched (according
to those who measure such
things), topping the previ-
ous record set in 2015 by
almost 700,000. (There’s
been no suggestion that
Taylor’s Baby Blues were
among them last Febru-
ary.)
Medicare also does not cover Wegovy
or Zepbound because they’re approved
only for weight loss.
My choice: If she’ll
agree to do it, I can’t imag-
ine the network passing up
the chance. But will she?
I’d say she won’t want to
upstage her beau, so I’d bet
No.
The reason behind the weight-loss
drug omission is the Medicare Mod-
ernization Act, which specifically
excluded them back when the law was
written 20 years ago. They also ex-
cluded drugs used for cosmetic pur-
poses, fertility, hair growth and erectile
dysfunction.
What’s covered
If you find that your BMI is 30 or
higher, Medicare Part B will cover up
to 12 months of weight-loss counseling
conducted by a medical professional in
a primary care setting (like a doctor’s
office).
* * *
Prop Bet No. 2— Will
Taylor Swift be shown
on TV during either the
national anthem or the
halftime show?
My choice: With Swift-
ies tuning-in to once again
catch glimpses of their idol,
take the Over.
Weight-loss medications are expen-
sive without insurance, often costing
$1,000 to $1,300 a month. To help
curb costs, try websites like GoodRX.
com or SingleCare.com to find the best
retail prices in your area. Or, if your
income is limited, try patient assistance
programs through Eli Lilly ( LillyCares.
com ) which makes Mounjaro and Zep-
bound, or Novo Nordisk ( NovoCare.
com ) the maker of Ozempic and We-
govy.
Most counseling sessions entail an ini-
tial obesity screening, a dietary assess-
ment and behavioral therapy designed to
help you lose weight by focusing on diet
and exercise.
* * *
Another Over/Un-
der— Will CBS show Tay-
lor more or fewer than six
times between kickoff and
0:00?
Reba McEntire, called the
“Queen of Country,” will
sing The Star-Spangled
Banner , and Usher, her-
alded as the “King of R&B,”
will be the star of intermis-
sion.
Medicare also covers certain types
of bariatric and metabolic surgery for
morbidly obese beneficiaries who have a
BMI of 35 or above and have at least one
underlying obesity-related health condi-
tion, such as diabetes or heart disease.
You must also show that you’ve tried to
lose weight in the past through dieting
or exercise and have been unsuccessful.
In the American Football
Conference Championship
Game Sunday before last,
the same network cut away
to the future Mrs. Kelce
My choice: Of course, a
resounding Yes! Who could
pass up checking on the
Medicare Advantage
If you happen to be enrolled in a pri-
vate Medicare Advantage plan, you may
have coverage for gym memberships
and some weight loss and healthy food
delivery programs. These are consid-
ered expanded supplemental benefits
and have gradually been added to some
plans to provide coverage for nutrition,
health and wellness. Contact your plan
to see what it provides.
These procedures change your diges-
tive system to help you lose weight and
improve the health of your metabolism.
Some common bariatric surgical
procedures covered include Roux-en-Y
gastric bypass surgery, which reduces
the stomach to a small pouch that makes
you feel full even following small meals.
Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
will be home to a regional
summer professional
repertory theatre com-
pany and allow local,
regional, and national
artists to share their
craft.
Clear Creek County and
By Danny Tomlinson
Reporter and Photographer
The Weekly Register-
Call was recently invited
to join a “behind the
scenes” tour of the “old
high school” on Highway
103 just outside downtown
Idaho Springs, which is
being re-purposed as the
new Carlson Elementary
School. The building has
been nationally recognized
as the “Tower of Learning.”
It was built in 1968 and
served as the Clear Creek
County High School until
2010 when it was moved to
Floyd Hill.
CCCAE was recently
awarded a $1.538 million
grant from Colorado Cre-
ative Industries to sup-
port Phase 1 of the reno-
vation. Additional support
will come from the Clear
Creek School District for
mitigation and renovation
required under the 2021
bond program approved
by the County voters.
Phase 1 will include
designing and renovating
three performance spaces,
three event/performance
centers, educational
space, dressing rooms,
practice studios, costume
and set design and stor-
age space. Phase 1 will be
finished later this year.
The new Tower Arts
Complex (as part of the
Clear Creek Center for Arts
& Education: CCCAE) will
reside on the fourth floor of
the historic building.
It will feature a 300-seat
main stage theatre and
community meeting space,
a 175-seat cabaret-style
theatre, and an 80-seat
children’s black box the-
atre. Additional areas will
have multifunctional use.
Phase 2 will expand
the industrial or scenic
and textile (costume)
learning spaces. Phase 3
will include the finish of
a professional recording
studio space and additional
storage space.
The fourth floor of the Tower of Learning. It’s in a beautiful setting, just up Chicago Creek on
Highway 103.
CCCAE aims to focus
on educational programs
for all Clear Creek’s grade
school, middle school, and
high school students in the-
atre, dance, art, textile and
construction and design.
Friday Adventures with CCMRD — No school
on Fridays? Put your child in our Friday Adventures
Program. We will be exploring all around Clear Creek
County and going on several field trips! Drop off at the
Clear Creek Rec Center between 7:30 and 9 a.m., pick
up between 4 and 5:30 p.m. For ages 5-15. $45 per
child. Friday, Feb. 9 – Ice Skating at Evergreen Lake;
Friday, Feb. 16 – Denver Zoo; Friday, Feb. 23 – Ham-
monds Candy Tour; Friday, March 1 – Colorado History
Museum; Friday, March 8 – Denver Museum of Nature
& Science Planetarium – Black Holes. Contact caitlin@
ccmrd.com or call 303-567-4822 for more information.
share ideas, and connect with other local authors!
Hosted by local author Lisa Manifold. Light refresh-
ments will be provided. To register, email chris@cccld.
org by the day before the event.
Corn Hole at the Idaho Springs Elks Club —
1600 Colorado Blvd., 6 p.m. monthly on the last Friday
of each month – Feb. 23, March 29, April 26. For-
mat Changes Monthly. Bring your own bags or bags
provided at the Lodge! Entry fee is $10 per person.
Minimum 8 – maximum 20 players with 20 percent of
the proceeds will be donated to the Elks Club Building
Preservation Fund. 10 or less – Payout for 1st place is
50 percent and 2nd place is 30 percent; 12 or more –
Payout for 1st place is 40 percent, 2nd 25 percent, 3rd
15 percent. Mini Pizzas available for purchase – Free
Popcorn. Text 303-349-2052 for sign-up and more
info.
Kids Night Out with CCMRD — Clear Creek
Recreation Center, 98 12th Avenue, Idaho Springs,
Fridays – Feb. 9, March 8, April 12 and May 10, 5:30
– 8:30 p.m. Kids will enjoy a pool party, dinner and a
movie in their jammies. Bring kids dressed in bathing
suits, a towel, a wet swimsuit bag, a water bottle, pa-
jamas, and a blanket/pillow if desired. $27 per child,
ages 5 to 15 years old. For more info, call 303-567-
4822 or email caitlin@ccmrd.org.
CCMRD Adult Pickleball — Clear Creek Rec-
reation Center. Skills and Drills for Intermediates on
Tuesdays, 8 – 10 a.m. $10 per class covering a variety
of topics to improve your game. Pickleball Basics for
Beginners on Fridays, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, $10 per
class is for anyone who wants to learn the basics of the
game – forehand, backhand, serve, volley and scoring.
Saturday Open Play, 10 a.m. to noon, for Intermediate
players. All equipment is provided or bring your own.
Advance registration is required for classes and open
play. Check out the Open Play schedule and register
for classes at clearcreekrecreation.com.
Mill Creek Valley Historical Society Mardi
Gras Party — Saturday Feb. 10, 5 – 9:30 p.m. 150
Dumont Lane, Dumont. The Mill Creek Valley Histori-
cal Society is celebrating Mardi Gras at the old school.
Entry fee is $20 per person, cash only at the door. Deli-
cious, homemade southern food and a cash bar serving
wine, Louisiana Beer and Hurricanes. Drawings and
best costume prizes. Benefit for MCVHS, visit www.
mcvhs.org for more information.
Clear Creek Library District Book Groups
— Idaho Springs Library: Monday, Feb. 12, 4 p.m.
– Where the Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas; John
Tomay Memorial Library – Georgetown: Thursday,
Feb. 15, 3 p.m. – River of the Gods by Candace Millard.
Contact libby@cccld.org for questions or go to cccld.
org to reserve books.
STEAM LuvBug Coding — Idaho Springs Public
Library, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Explore
beginning coding and a fun coding craft for Valentine’s
fun! Please bring your Chromebook so you can work
on your projects at home! Snack included. 12 kids max;
4th-5th-6th graders. Email chris@cccld.org to register
and for more information.
Friends of Georgetown Library Annual Soup
Lunch — John Tomay Memorial Library, Georgetown.
Thursday, Feb. 15, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. oin the Friends
for a free soup lunch.
XCEL Energy Dam Warning Siren Testing
Program — Wednesday, March 6, 10 a.m., then on
the first Wednesday of every month. Xcel Energy has
installed four early warning sirens to notify people in
the town of Georgetown of potential flooding due to the
unlikely event of a dam failure at Xcel Energy’s Cabin
Creek or Georgetown hydroelectric plants. The warning
system installation is a federal requirement. In col-
laboration with the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office,
the Town of Georgetown, and Xcel Energy, Clear Creek
County will provide notice to the residents of George-
town ahead of the tests, so they know what to expect
and when. Learn more at clearcreekcounty.us/1486/
Georgetown-Monthly-Siren-Testing.
Devil’s Gate History Club — Friday, Jan. 19,
7 p.m., Georgetown Community Center, 613 6th St.,
Mudlarking the Thames River, presented by Anne
Marie Cannon.
Quill & Spill with Local Author Lisa Mani-
fold — Wednesday, Feb. 21, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Idaho
Springs Public Library; Saturday, Feb. 24, 9:30 – 11
a.m. Need some help plotting? Stuck in the middle?
Join us for any or all six Quill & Spill sessions at the
Idaho Springs Public Library to discuss your project,
If you have regularly scheduled meetings or upcoming special events that are open to the pub-
lic, we want to add them to the CCC Community Calendar. Please email the who, what, when,
where, why and how in 75 words or less, exactly as you would want it printed, to amy@week-
lyregistercall.com . Please send information at least two weeks in advance of your event.
