the Month for 2025 were
middle school student Ella
Spooky Stroll,
Interact Club
and MathCounts.
Eagle Eye Reporter
Albrecht and high
school student Makae-
la Johnson. Both stu-
dents perform acts of
in the community.
Johnson is an
Interact Club and
helped lead efforts
–
tary and Secondary
School to make
Christmas orna-
to unhoused people.
Staff and teachers
“always serves with
a grateful heart and
never draws atten-
is an example of
what service looks
like at Gilpin.”
Gilpin, Clear Creek,
Nederland Students:
Got good grades?
We want you!!
Bring in your report
card and receive:
$10 for every A
$5 for every B
Gilpin County teach-
ers said Albrecht is
“a great student who
participates in many
activities in addition
to her academic work.”
She helps her peers
during class time and
assists teachers when
needed. Albrecht is
also active in the com-
munity, volunteering
with the Gilpin County
Mill levy, revised adopted budget, capital improvements
by Patty Unruh
The Gilpin County Board of Education held its final regular meeting before the winter break, on Tuesday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m. Members Craig Holmes and Brook Ramsey were absent, but there were enough members for a quorum. Members Steve Boulter, Kersten Armstrong, and new member Sarah Swanson were present. Also present were Superintendent David MacKenzie and Secretary to the Board Joni Schmidt. (more…)
Gilpin Schol district may have to pay county aditional $60,00 for SRO
pulling one deputy off the
road to be an SRO would
be challenging.
soon for the sewer project
and will be discussed at the
said this would not only
bring tourists to a private
lake area but could impact
safety considerations for
the school.
people were to pull over
on Colorado Highway 119,
where students use the
crosswalk, they could be
distracted, causing acci-
dents and injuries.
By Ruth Rodgers
Education and Community
Feb. 20 board meeting.
Reporter
Funding for the School
Resource Officer (SRO) for
the Gilpin County School
was one of the topics at
the Feb. 6 Gilpin County
School board meeting.
He hopes to
meet with
Sheriff Kev-
in Arm-
strong
and Divi-
sion Chief
Sean
Wheeler
to dis-
cuss the
additional
charges. After
that, he will be
able to have more spe-
cific information, including
the cost and any revisions
to the current intergovern-
mental agreement between
the district and the county.
Bonds will be
used to pay for
part of the
The significance of this
location is related to a pro-
totype submarine designed
by Rufus T. Owens and
built in Central City.
project, and
They also pointed out
that visibility is poor at the
proposed location of the
marker, which could lead
to more crashes on the
highway as vehicles merge
back into traffic.
a Request
For Bids
for a Cer-
tificate of
Participation
has gone out,
which means he
should have more
information on financ-
ing the project by the next
school board meeting.
Dr. David MacKenzie
has been notified by the
Gilpin County Sheriff’s Of-
fice (GCSO) that the GCSO
will charge the district for
the full cost of the position
rather than the $35,000
it currently pays to the
sheriff’s office. According to
MacKenzie, the SRO could
cost the district an addi-
tional $60,000.
In 1898, the United
States was at war with
Spain over the sovereignty
of Cuba, and the naval
battle of Manila Bay em-
phasized how effective
submarines were in the
defense of the U.S. coast-
line. Owen’s submarine,
named “The Nautilus,” was
brought to Missouri Lake
for a test dive but sank.
The submarine was raised
to the surface in 1944 and
now rests in the Gilpin His-
tory Museum.
They hope to suggest to
the commissioners and
county manager that the
sign be located at the pull-
off to Golden Gate Canyon
Road, just two miles north
of the school, where there
is more room for parking
and better visibility for
merging traffic.
In the public participa-
tion portion of the meet-
ing, two members of the
Missouri Lakes HOA board
shared their concerns
about a proposed histori-
cal site marker the county
is planning for the school’s
area.
It was the school dis-
trict’s understanding in
the past that they would
share the expense with the
sheriff’s department, but
budget cuts at the county
level seem to be changing
the allocation of funds.
During his report, MacK-
enzie said the district has
applied for the necessary
permits for the atrium
and elementary entrance
and ramp, which must be
approved before the work
begins in April.
Other concerns included
long-term parking across
from the school, which
could result in additional
noise and safety issues.
The HOA representative
supports the county’s ef-
forts to honor local his-
tory and increase tourism.
However, they have had
difficulty getting informa-
tion on new signage and
fear safety problems. If
The board agreed, and
MacKenzie discussed the
issue with the county com-
missioners.
The county received a
grant to place three or four
additional historical mark-
ers, one would be placed on
the school campus. They
The board discussed what
options may be available,
including hiring private
security. Other issues were
safety implications, and
The contract with ESCO
Construction Company of
Evergreen will be signed
However, Commissioner
Marie Mornis continued
to voice complaints about
the proposed pantry, say-
ing the county could spend
money to fix the existing
one rather than build a new
one. Hollingsworth coun-
tered that discussion of a
Gilpin’s 2024 budget in-
cludes $1.3 million to build
the new pantry, although
the county has been seeking
grants to lower its overall
potential investment. The
new pantry is proposed
for the south side of Nor-
ton Drive, almost directly
across from the Gilpin
Community Center. It will
replace the double-wide
modular used for decades
at nearby 101 Norton Drive.
This week
Friday, Feb. 16 — High
school girls basketball hosts
Peyton. Jayvee begins at 5
p.m., followed by varsity at
6:30 p.m. CHSSA state cham-
pionship wrestling tournament
begins at sites around Colo-
rado.
Friday and Saturday,
Feb. 23-24 — High school
basketball district games for
qualifying boys and girls teams.
The new pantry office
spaces could be used for
Week of Feb. 26
Monday, Feb. 26 — First
official practice date for spring
sports. Middle school girls
basketball hosts Bennett.
Tipoff for the C-team is 4 p.m.,
followed by the B and A squad
games.
Saturday, Feb. 17 —
Middle school girls basketball
hosts a round-robin tourna-
ment beginning at 10 a.m.
Week of Feb. 19
Monday, Feb. 19 — High
school boys basketball plays
at Addenbrooke in the CHSAA
quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Tickets
are $8 for adults and $5 for
students. The winner will ad-
vance to the district semifinals,
scheduled for Friday, Feb. 23,
at Dakota Ridge High School.
Gilpin County Grant
Manager Jamie Boyle said
the DOLA grant would’ve
required the project to fol-
low federal Davis-Bacon
Act guidelines for construc-
tion wages strictly. This
process might require the
county to hire a consultant
to supervise the project,
which also would require
American-made products to
be used in the project. She
said the consultant could
cost $50,000 or potentially
more. Another require-
ment would be for Gilpin to
conduct an environmental
impact study. The grant
would be eligible strictly for
construction-related costs
but not for the new equip-
ment and furniture needed
inside the facility.
Wednesday, Feb. 28 —
Middle school girls basketball
hosts Clear Creek. The B-team
plays at 4:25 p.m., followed by
the A-team at 5:15 p.m.
December 2023………………….$173,718
Year to Date 2023…………….$1,823,767
Since Inception……………..$15,128,419
Saturday, March 2 —
Middle school wrestling at
West Grand. Time TBA.
Thursday, Feb. 22 —
Middle school wrestling at
Clear Creek. Time TBA.
NOTE — Schedules are
tentative and may change due
to a variety of factors, including
weather.
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.
Libraries support reading all summer when school is out. Gilpin Library’s summer reading program ran from June 1- August 4, called Tails and Tales. Gilpin had 140+ preschool to adult readers sign up for the reading program by age groups; babies and preschool, kindergarten-5th grade, 6th grade to high school and adults. Each age group picked up a Tails and Tales game board. Library staff have seen that all game boards are at various levels of completion, as of Wednesday, August 4, 2021. (more…)
You want to eat a piece of cake. You know it’s not the best choice, so a voice in your head says, “Stop!” And with that, you dutifully move along to a glass of sparkling water with lime instead of the indulgent treat. If only it were that easy. (more…)
Shining star of Gilpin’s past, only heaven knows the future – Part 2 of 2
By Don Ireland
The past of the Fritz Peak Observatory is an indelible part of Gilpin County’s history. The short-term future for the 5.8-acre property, however, will remain something of a (more…)
The final school board meeting for the 2020/2021 school year the board was started a half hour early with a budget work session designed to provide time for the public to ask questions about the 2021/2022 budgets. Gilpin County School Business (more…)
Rachel Schmalz has visited many European countries in the years since she graduated from Gilpin County High School. This fall, she’ll be working in another country – one that many people here haven’t heard about. Schmalz has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award for an English Teaching Assistantship to Moldova for the 2021-22 academic year, which begins in September. (more…)
School Board President Steve Boulter started the meeting by sharing care and concern for School Board Member Joe Marr who was with family after his son Mike and two grandchildren were in a serious accident in Wyoming. The grandkids have recovered from minor injuries, while his son Mike is improving, but still has a long road to recovery. The board celebrated (more…)
What do Bigfoot, Girl Scout cookies, soccer, Michael Jordan, police and s’mores have in common? They all have been the subject of recent news stories involving drones, technically called small Unmanned Aerial Systems by the Federal Aviation Administration. Although drone operations and sightings (more…)
To start the second Gilpin County School Board meeting in the month of May, Dr. David MacKenzie gave praise for the 2021 Gilpin Grads. The senior class graduated with a 100% graduation rate, and together earned over $463,000 in scholarships. (more…)
Attending college and working with drones is a reality for students enrolled at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. As the evolving, emerging field of drone technology continues to surge internationally, the CSU Drone Center offers students a flight plan into the future for the rapidly-growing, multi-billion-dollar drone industry. (more…)
In 1909 the Gilpin Observer referred to Russell Gulch resident Fred W. Dolley as a “gentleman of varied experience” and “one of the most versatile fellows in this section.” By then he had already been a roller-skating rink owner, farmer, miner, and railroad builder after having been in the county only a few years. (more…)
Mill levy, revised adopted budget, capital improvements
Age of Drones
Gilpin Library Summer reading program
Health and Fitness – Your Personal Trainer
Shining star of Gilpin’s past, only heaven knows the future – Part 2 of 2
Approved in school year’s final meeting
Central City native will teach in Moldova
June 1st School Board Meeting
Maybe you need the help of a drone
With Gilpin County School Board
Age of Drones
From the Gilpin Historical Society