Gilpin routs Sheridan; gets shut down by Vanguard
by Patty Unruh
Match with Sheridan
The Gilpin Lady Eagles varsity team won handily against their hosts, the Sheridan, Colorado Rams in non-conference play on January 17. The score was 66-41, leaving Gilpin with a 9-1 record. (more…)
From “MVP” to “The Sky’s the Limit”
by Patty Unruh
Gilpin County Middle School athletes were awarded for excellence in basketball at a banquet January 9. Secondary principal Alexis Donaldson greeted students and their families and thanked the Booster Club and parents for their support. She recognized the talented and committed coaches who helped mold the school’s sports program. Donaldson also acknowledged the work of coaches through the Gilpin County Community Center, whom she said help the children begin their athletic skills. In turn, the middle school coaches prepare the young athletes for high school teams. “Our athletes work hard,” she praised. “I am proud to hear all the wonderful things about them wherever they go. They are wonderful individuals.”
Coach Aaron Moran and assistant Victoria Stephens presented certificates to the girls’ basketball A and B teams. “We had a great time. The girls made a lot of improvements,” Moran stated. “They showed good teamwork and came prepared. We were five and three in the league. There were a couple of heartbreaking losses, but no technicals, which was nice.”
Team members were Katelyn Armstrong, Aspen Nadeau, Alex Martin, Olivia Randall, Eve Bauman, Kasen Nelson, Kristi Schmidt, Skylar Murdock, Carly Johnson, Trystan Swan, Brooke Prentiss, Devyn Branning, Shania Gonzales, Breanna Kennedy, Annabel Diekman, Berkley Davis, Cicely Lepro, Jada Gohdes, Carissa Wiggen, Aspen Cowles, and Rachael Schmalz.
Aspen Nadeau received the Team Spirit Award, and Cicely Lepro got the honor of Most Improved Player. Offensive Player of the Year Award went to Jada Gohdes, while Rachael Schmalz was recognized as Defensive Player of the Year. Berkley Davis was awarded Most Valuable Player.
Coaches for the boys’ A and B basketball teams were Tom Randall, Ryan Raynes, and Tony Lorenz. Raynes thanked the other coaches and noted that this years’ group was the biggest in three years. “I am amazed at the amount of support we receive,” he said, giving special thanks to Orrin Snyder, athletic director at the Community Center, for his help.
Raynes told the young people, “You guys are the reason we coach. You have a bright future. I am very proud of how you act at other schools.” The coaches then distributed awards for participation to Ben Randall, Nick Peterson, Tyler Stevens, Zach Schell, Sam Snyder, Matthew Immordino, Chris Burtschi, Josh Trujillo, Eryk Lorenz, Tanner Davis, Austin Boulter, Justin Stundon, Alex Shumaker, John Immordino, Juan Madrigal-Garcia, Cooper Lindberg, Avery Schell, Chad Holmes, Emanuel Gomez, Alex Wilhelm, and Will Lorenz.
Awards were given to the B team players. Manny Gomez was recognized as Most Valuable Player, while John Immordino, Alex Shumaker, and Juan Madrigal-Garcia received Most Improved Player Awards. Rebound and Hustle Award went to Avery Schell, the Six-Man Award was given to Cooper Lindberg, and the Sky is the Limit honor was given to Alex Wilhelm. Will Lorenz was named Offensive Player of the Year, while the Defensive Player honor went to Chad Holmes.
Coach Randall commented on the A team. “This was a great group. Not one player was ineligible or quit. In the beginning, we turned over the ball quite a bit, but now we’re better. The shooting went from 32 percent on the free throw line to close to 70 percent at the end. At the beginning, we basically had one or two kids scoring, and then others began to step up.”
Coach Randall advised that there were competitions on various categories and announced the award recipients in each category. Tanner Davis got the Block-to-Block Award, Sam Snyder the Baseline Award, and Ben Randall the Shooting Elbow-to-Elbow Award. Overall winner of the competition was Tanner Davis.
Ben Randall received the award for Most Free Throws and Zach Schell got the Hustle Award. The two Most Improved Player Awards went to Tanner Davis, seventh grade, and Tyler Stevens, eighth grade. Eryk Lorenz, Justin Stundon, and Austin Boulter were “Role Players of the Year” for their unselfish attitudes.
Most Valuable Players were Tyler Stevens, Nick Peterson, Chris Burtschi, Sam Snyder, and Josh Trujillo. The coach commented, “These guys played on the A or B team. They came in and worked every day to make the team better. They worked their butts off.”
The Sky’s the Limit Award for potential went to seventh grader Austin Boulter and eighth grader Matt Immordino. Immordino also received Defensive Player of the Year, and Ben Randall received the Offensive Player of the Year honor.
May 2, 1925 – January 9, 2013
Trudie Dunbar, well know resident of Central City, died peacefully Wednesday, January 9th, after losing a lengthy battle with lung cancer. She was in residence at the Life Care Center of Evergreen at the time of her passing. She was 87 years old.
Born Gertrude A. McCoy to Parker and Anna McCoy on May 2, 1925 in Blair, Nebraska, she was the youngest of nine children, all of whom preceded her in death.
She married Douglas Rued on November 3, 1945 in Denver. They had three children Susan, Marvin and Todd. Douglas died in 1978.
Trudie and Harely Dunbar were married on April 4, 1986 and moved to Central City in 1990. Harley preceded her in death on December 7, 2005.
Trudie is survived by her children, Susan Pearce of this city, Marvin Rued of Aurora and Todd Rued of Longmont: four grandchildren; Susan’s daughters Jaime (Derrick) Adams, Breanne (Mark) Fraley and Marvin and his boys Rodney and Shane, five great grandchildren; Kaleb and Karlee Adams and Xavier, Sebastian and Greta Fraley. Trudie also had numerous nieces and nephews.
Trudie was a member of the Peak to Peak Choral, the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW, Gilpin County Bible Study, and the Gilpin County Prime Timers. She served as a member of the Gilpin Library Board, (Friends of the Library), and worked at the Central City Visitor’s Center for many years. Trudie made her spiritual home at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Central City.
Trudie was an artist, working in oil and acrylic paints and jewelry creation. She was an avid gardener and loved to sing. She had a reverence for trees and clouds and displayed an abiding faith which she often shared with others. Her greatest affection was for her family and friends, her church, and the community.
Her love of life and vitality will be greatly missed.
A memorial service will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on February 1st at 1:30 p.m., with a repast to follow.
New employee pay plan, plus annual housekeeping matters
By Lynn Volkens
Black Hawk Mayor David Spellman and City Council members Linda Armbright, Paul Bennett, Diane Cales, Jim Johnson, Greg Moates and Benito Torres conducted their first Council meeting of 2013 on January 9th. They conducted several public hearings (with no public commenting) and then took care of the annual housekeeping issues. City Manager Jack Lewis called attention to Black Hawk’s new fire truck, which was recently put into service and which he said should serve the City for a long time (and doesn’t make the brake noise the old truck did, he gleefully noted).
New Employee
Sandra Slack was introduced to the Council. She was welcomed by the Mayor and each Alderman as she made her way around the table shaking hands. Slack is a Fleet Technician Aide in the Public Works Department.
BID Appointment
In approving Council Bill 1, the Aldermen passed an ordinance appointing Dan Roy to the Board of Directors for the Black Hawk Business Improvement District (BID). Roy is the new general manager at the Riviera Casino.
2013 Pay Plan
Council Bill 2, an ordinance adopting the City’s pay plan for this year, was unanimously approved. City Manager Jack Lewis said the Plan was the result of months of working on a new way to approach the matter. “I think we’ve come up with it,” he said, explaining that the new Plan moves away from merit and step increases. The City’s staff surveyed twelve municipalities to determine the going pay rate for positions similar to Black Hawk’s. Then they determined the average of those pay rates, and added 10% to come up with Black Hawk’s new Pay Plan. Lewis called the new Plan “a very strong compensation package.” He further explained that the City will complete a market survey of rates of pay during the first quarter of the year, annually. They’ll then determine the mid-point for the pay ranges and “see if anything’s moved” before recalculating Black Hawk’s pay plan for each new year. Lewis complimented the City’s department heads, noting there had been some “spirited discussions.” He lauded the market-driven system they had developed, credited the 10% above average rate as a means to attract employees from the metropolitan area, and said the new Plan had flexibility within the ranges of each position so that education and job experience can be considered when setting an employee’s pay rate. Lewis also credited the Council for being a group that is willing to try the new Plan. “Nothing’s perfect,” he told them, adding that if something with this pay plan isn’t working, they’ll change it. He is still working on the criteria for bonuses, he said.
Working with the Feds
The Aldermen approved an agreement for “federal advocacy between the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA) and the City of Black Hawk. CASTA is a non-profit corporation which plays a role in the City obtaining grants such as those used to buy new shuttle buses. Numerous Colorado transit agencies who seek these grants have formed the Colorado Transit Coalition and CASTA acts as coordinator for that coalition-“a liaison between the various agencies,” said Tom Isbester, director of Black Hawk’s Public Works Department. The document before them, he explained to the Council, was simply the annual renewal of that agreement.
Designated Posting Place
In adopting Resolution 01-2013, the Council set Black Hawk City Hall as the designated public place where they will post all meeting notices. The designation of a set place is required by Colorado Open Meetings Law and is one of the actions taken at this time every year.
Parking Impact Fee Rebate
The Aldermen adopted Resolution 2-2013, rebating parking impact fees for the development of hotels and other amenities, specifically for the construction of a hotel consisting of fifty or more hotel rooms. For those projects, the rebate is 50% of the parking impact fees, provided the applicants for the rebate file with the City on or before March 31, 2014. Mayor Spellman described the rebate as “ultimately becoming part of our incentive program,” referring to the City’s history of encouraging and promoting gaming industry development as well as diversifying the City’s economy. The Aldermen chose to set the rebate on a temporary basis, so that should the City’s parking needs evolve in the future, they can re-evaluate whether or not, or how much, to rebate at that time.
Newspaper of Record
Mayor Spellman recused himself and Alderman Moates conducted the meeting for appointing the City’s Newspaper of Record. The Mayor is part owner of the Weekly Register-Call, the newspaper being considered as the one Black Hawk will use for placing all legal notices. The Council voted to appoint the Weekly Register-Call as Newspaper of Record for another year.
Mayor Spellman referred to a recent story in the Weekly Register-Call, which was about planned changes for the Rollinsville and Pinecliffe Post Offices. Rural delivery for many of the people residing in those areas of Gilpin County comes out of the Black Hawk Post Office. Spellman commented that the City’s decision to build the new Black Hawk Post Office, and provide delivery service from it, had paid off as a benefit to the community and that Black Hawk should be proud of a job well done.
Black Hawk’s Contributions to the Greater Community
Finance Director Lance Hillis provided a presentation showing Black Hawk’s property tax and gaming revenues and how the funds benefit the greater community. Of the commercial gaming properties, assessed for taxation purposes, Black Hawk and Central City casinos make up 67% of the total assessed value in Gilpin County. Black Hawk properties are 60% of that equation, resulting in projected 2013 property tax revenues of $2,117,971 for Gilpin County. (Property tax revenues from all commercial properties in the county is projected at $3,517,823). Additionally, the county is expecting to receive $9.6 million in state gaming tax revenue this year. Black Hawk casinos contribute 92% ($8,863,579) of that amount. The total of the two, $11,983,222 makes up approximately 65% of Gilpin County’s total annual revenue of $18,522,502. These combined revenues from Black Hawk’s casinos provide over 59% of the County’s budget.
In 2009, the Gilpin County RE-1 School District began receiving revenues generated from a dedicated 1.50% Black Hawk sales tax, called the Educational Enhancement Tax. Since then, Black Hawk’s tax has provided funding for the school in the amount of $2,399,217 and is expected to provide $690,000 for the school’s current fiscal year. The property tax revenue of $2,690,612 which is generated solely from Black Hawk properties for the school district, plus the revenue from the dedicated sales tax, make up 48% of the School District’s budget. “This city generates a great deal of revenue for the county and the school,” Mayor Spellman concluded.
A more detailed accounting of the revenue generated by Black Hawk, showing its progression since 2011, was provided by the City and is published elsewhere in this issue.
Executive Session
Following the business meeting, the Council met with City Attorney Corey Hoffmann in an executive session to discuss matters related to personnel, transaction(s) related to real, personal or other property, matters related to negotiation, and pending litigation. The Council took no further action.
Heads Up
Black Hawk City Council meets next on January 23, 2013.
Special award for “acts above and beyond the call of duty”
By Lynn Volkens
Members of the Central City Fire Department (CCFD) share a camaraderie that is built on training together and responding to emergency situations of all kinds in order to protect and help the Central City community. On January 10, 2013, Central City’s firefighters got to share that camaraderie in a more relaxed atmosphere, sans the heavy gear and helmets, sirens and adrenaline rush. It was CCFD’s Annual Service and Awards Dinner. The event was held close-to-home; right next door to the Central City Fire Station at Johnny Z’s Casino.
CCFD is a municipal fire department composed of an all-volunteer force headed by paid professional Fire Chief Gary Allen. It was his duty – make that his pleasure – to present the awards and recognize CCFD’s outstanding volunteers of 2012. Alexandra Mills had joined the department as a teenaged “Junior Firefighter,” and was recognized as CCFD’s newest Volunteer Firefighter. Jennifer Mracheck received the award for Most Training Hours. Royce McLain was promoted to Lieutenant.
Chief Allen explained that the coveted “Firefighter of the Year” award might be presented to an individual who is considered the best firefighter of the group, or could be awarded to the volunteer who attends the most events or puts in the most hours of firefighting service. The award may also be presented to recognize an individual who has overcome adversity in order to serve, or one who has completed a particularly challenging achievement – someone who has gone to lengths to better himself or herself for firefighting purposes. The “2012 Firefighter of the Year Award” went to Anthony Cole. “He has done a lot of those things,” Chief Allen said, “but he has also taken the initiative to better our department in other ways.” The Chief expressed appreciation for Cole’s dependability in covering calls, adding “He has taken our Training Division and helped pick it up a notch, which has allowed me to concentrate on other needs and duties.” Volunteer Firefighter Cole was also recognized for having put in the most incident hours in 2012.
Volunteer Firefighter Cody Allen received the “Medal of Honor,” a special recognition award for his quick action to save people, property (and pets) at a fire scene on October 8, 2012. Cody was on his way to work, Chief Allen explained, driving on Highway 119 at 6:22 a.m., when he spotted a residence on fire. He radioed Gilpin County Dispatch, getting fire trucks and firefighters en route without delay, then opened the door and entered the residence. He woke two sleeping adults and hustled them outside to safety, along with the family dog. He returned to the structure with bottled water he had in his truck, using it to help prevent the fire’s spread. “I strongly believe that Cody’s selfless act surely saved two individuals and the dog from certain death and, at a very minimum, from being distinctly overcome with smoke inhalation and becoming very sick,” said Chief Allen. The Chief expressed both pleasure and pride in presenting the special award for “acts above and beyond the call of duty.” Volunteer Firefighter Cody Allen is Chief Allen’s nephew – seems firefighting runs in the family.
Central City businesses also showed their appreciation to CCFD for the work of Chief Allen and CCFD volunteers in helping both residents and visitors to the city. Dostal Alley Brewpub and Casino, Century Casino, Easy Street Casino, moment for Me Salon, and Annie Oakley’s Emporium enhanced the evening with valuable door prizes. CCFD conveys thanks to these supportive businesses and special thanks to Johnny Z’s Casino for hosting the event.
CCFD always welcomes new volunteers. All training and gear is provided. Contact Chief Allen at 303-582-3473 for more information or visit the department’s website at https://www. centralcitycolorado.us/ government/departments/ fire-department/volunteers/html.
Versus Denver Waldorf and Vail Christian
By George Snyder
The Gilpin County boys’ basketball team got off on the wrong foot in 2013, losing 38-33 to Denver Waldorf and 76-18 to 3rd ranked Vail Christian. The losses left Gilpin with a 1-9 record on the season and an 0-1 record in 5280 League play.
Although Gilpin’s 3/4-court press produced a myriad of Spartan offensive turnovers, the Eagles were never able to shake Denver Waldorf throughout the game. In fact the Eagles trailed 18-15 at halftime, but two quick baskets by Bjorn Tomlinson in the fourth quarter gave Gilpin a 29-25 lead with 2:30 left in the game and the small Gilpin crowd a brief whiff of victory. However, the Eagles fumbled the following possession and momentum changed back to Waldorf. In the last minute, the Eagles fouled three times, hoping to gain control of the ball, but the Spartans made the foul shots and finished the Eagles’ efforts. Chase Boulter was the only Gilpin player in double figures with 14 points.
The Vail Christian game was a mismatch from the beginning, as the senior-dominated Saints hammered the young Eagles’ defense for a 72-13 lead at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter was more even as Vail Christian played its junior varsity, but the Saints still mastered the Eagles 4-3.
The Eagles will play their next game at the Denver Jewish Day School on Tuesday. It is a 5280 League contest. The Eagles next home game is a January 22 non-league contest against Denver Waldorf, in which Gilpin will be seeking a measure of revenge for last week’s defeat.
December, 2012
Alford (Buddy) Sullivan 34, formerly of Rollinsville, Colorado died in a railroad accident recently in California. He is survived by his 6 year old son Ryun James, mother Linda McElroy of California, father Alford Sullivan of New York, brothers James Sullivan and Tommy Allen, step father Tom Allen, and foster father Steven Young. No services are planned.
Central City Council Meeting
By Wes Isenhart
Finances, appointments, year end reports and farewells were the order of business as the currently composed Central City Council met for the last time on December 18th with Mayor Engels presiding. All council members were present except for Councilwoman Rita Lee. All department heads and legal council were attendance. Council unanimously approved three ordinances after public hearings and second readings. They unanimously approved three resolutions and received the new Master Water Plan. Volunteers for the Gilpin County Historical Society and Tommyknockers Festival gave year end reports on their activities to council. Mayor Engels new appointments to the Historical Preservation Commission and Planning Commission were also approved as stated by the mayor. Councilman Bob Giancola and Councilwoman Rita Lee whose terms were completed were thanked for their service to the city.
In quick succession the Council held public hearings and voted on Ordinances: 12-18, 12-19 and 12-20.
Ordinance 12-18: Procurements
Finance Director Shannon Flowers presented Ordinance 12-18 again which amends the city Municipal Code concerning revenue, finances and procurements. The section on Procurement of Goods and Services has been simplified with a chart that easily identifies what purchasing requirements shall be followed within certain budgetary ranges which will allow staff to obtain good pricing and potential cost savings when purchasing goods and services thereby saving the City money. Motion to adopt Ordinance 12-18 was approved unanimously without discussion.
Ordinance 12-19: Fire False Alarm Fees
Ordinance 12-19 which amends the Municipal Code to removes specific fees and/or charges from the Code itself and incorporates them into the new Comprehensive Fee Schedule. Director Flowers explained that this amendment specifically removed fees for false or avoidable fire alarms. Motion to adopt Ordinance 12-19 was approved unanimously without discussion. In conjunction with Ordinance 12-19, Council unanimously approved Resolution 12-12 which amends the new Comprehensive Fee Schedule to include fees for false or avoidable fire alarms.
Ordinance 12-20: PC and HPC Board Qualifications
Member qualifications for being on the Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission were more clearly defined in Ordinance 12-20. Historical Preservation Director Greg Thompson presented the amendment to the Municipal Code which now allows an individual who is not a council member to serve on both commissions at the same time. Motion to adopt Ordinance 12-20 was approved unanimously without discussion.
PC and HPC Board Appointments
Following the vote on Ordinance 12-20, Mayor Ron Engels appointed Alex Thome and Margaret Grant to the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) with Gina Fuerst as the alternate and thanked Perry Eppenger and John Friery for their interest in serving on the HPC. Mayor Engels also appointed Barbara Thielemann, Margaret Grant, and Herman Gaines to the Planning Commission and thanked John Friery for his interest. Council unanimously approved the appointments to both commissions as stated by the Mayor.
Resolutions 12-22 & 12-23 Contracts
Resolutions 12-22 & 12-23 renewing contracts with Code Consulting, LLC for professional services and One Way, Inc. for residential trash disposal services were unanimously approved. There are no changes to the contract for trash disposal services and the fees for trash disposal will remain the same.
Spelling Bee Support
In other business, Director Flowers asked for a $100 donation from the Education Fund to support the Gilpin Middle School Spelling Bee. Director Flowers explained that the Middle School would be using donations for small cash prizes for the spelling bee and also asked for volunteers to serve as judge. Council donated the same amount last year with Director Flowers serving as a judge. Council unanimously approved the request.
Gilpin Historical Society
Gilpin County Historical Society (GCHS) president Gloria Gaines gave a year end activities report to Council and thanked them for their continued support. Ms. Gaines said that the Historical Society will be using the shorter name Gilpin History going forward and that the Creepy Crawl and the Cemetery Crawl were both very successful this year. Tour numbers are up and the Washington Hall museum has been a boost to their exposure.
Tommyknocker Festival
Tommyknocker Festival volunteer Barbara Thielman also gave Council a report on the festival and thanked Council for their continued support.
New Master Water Plan
The final presentation of the night was the new Master Water Plan. Utilities Superintendent Griffith explained that the engineering firm Black & Veetch was contracted to do the Water Master Plan to assess the existing system and develop plans for future needs, and the capital investment necessary to complete them. The plan concluded that our system needs regulatory improvements at a projected cost of $700,000 for raw water diversion, transmission costs of $191-$396,000, and distribution upgrades of $1.6-4 million to be completed in the next 2-5 years. The next step is to develop a comprehensive capital improvements plan that will prioritize the water projects in terms of need and funding availability. During staff reports Operations Director Kisselman announced that Central City has been named the 2012 winner by American Public Works Association for the Water Meter Project. He thanked Shawn and the water department team for their excellent implementation. Mayor Engels stated the award is well deserved and thanked Shawn for spearheading this project.
Santa Cop and City Government
The meeting concluded with Councilwoman Shirley Voorhis thanking Police Chief Krelle for the new Santa Cop program and Councilman Bob Spain thanking Councilwoman Rita Lee and Councilman Bob Ginacola for their service and efforts to improve the effectiveness of the Central City government. Mayor Engels and Councilwoman Voorhies concurred.
Next Meeting
The next council meeting will be Tuesday January 15th at 7pm when new council members Gloria Gaines and Kathy Heider will be sworn in and take their seats on the council to start 2013.
Gail Watson and Buddy Schmalz, 2013 appointments
By Lynn Volkens
It was the changing of the guard at the Gilpin County Commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. Newly elected District 3 Commissioner, Gail Watson, was sworn into office, as was Buddy Schmalz, who was re-elected to his second term as District 1 Commissioner. Judge Jack Berryhill of the First Judicial District Court administered the oaths of office to Watson and Schmalz. District 2 Commissioner, Connie McLain, plus a gallery full of friends, family and county staff members looked on. As the County is just getting back up to speed following the holidays, there was little business to conduct and no departmental reports.
Certificates of Election
Gilpin’s Clerk and Recorder, Colleen Stewart, presented Commissioners Schmalz and Watson with their official Certificates of Election.
2013 Commissioner Chairman
One of the Commissioners is appointed annually as Chair of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), to conduct their meetings and take the lead on other Commissioner business. Commissioner McLain had held the position throughout 2012. She passed the gavel to Commissioner Schmalz, who will be Chairman for 2013.
Annual Appointments
Colorado statute requires every Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to designate authority to specific people to perform the duties of the office. Gilpin Commissioners appointed themselves (Schmalz, McLain and Watson) as “Commissioners to Convey” for purposes related to real estate transactions. They also appointed themselves as the Board of Adjustment and the Liquor Licensing Authority.
Roger Baker was officially appointed County Manager; Jim Petrock, County Attorney; Sharon Cate, Administrative Assistant to the BOCC; Clorinda Smith, Budget Officer; and Steven Watson, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. The Depository Banks for the County were specified as Wells Fargo, Colorado Trust General, Colorado Trust CDT and C-Safe. The Weekly Register-Call was again appointed as the Newspaper of Record.
CCI Appointments
Colorado Counties, Incorporated (CCI), an organization which lobbies legislators on behalf of member counties, includes nine Steering Committees which cover various areas of interest. Participating counties have direct representation on these committees. Gilpin has traditionally divided that representation among the three Commissioners depending upon their individual areas of interest or expertise. For 2013, those committees with the corresponding appointed Gilpin Commissioner are:
Public Lands: Mclain
Agriculture, Wildlife and Rural Affairs: McLain
Land Use and Natural Resources: McLain
Health and Human Services: McLain
Tourism and Resorts: Schmalz
General Government: Schmalz
Taxation and Finance: Schmalz
Transportation and Telecommunications: Schmalz
Legislative Committee: Watson
CCI Mountain District: All three Commissioners
Commissioners also appointed County Manager Baker as their CCI Steering Committee Voting Proxy to fill in for them if needed.
Other Committees and Board Appointments
Besides the internal appointments and the CCI committees, there are 17 other committees and boards on which Gilpin Commissioners have a seat. These are listed below, with each designated Commissioner representative.
Recreational Sport Shooting Collaborative: Watson
Upper Clear Creek Watershed Association: Watson
Community Health Assessment Project: McLain
Human Services Advisory Board: Schmalz
Gilpin Ambulance Authority Board: Schmalz
Gilpin Ambulance Authority Alternate: Watson
Eagles’ Nest Board of Directors: Schmalz
Jefferson Center for Mental Health: McLain
911 Authority Board: Schmalz
Rollins Pass Restoration Association: Watson
Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission: Schmalz
Public Forfeiture Funds Committee: Schmalz
Gilpin Water District: Watson
Worker’s Compensation Pool: Watson
Casualty and Property Pool: Watson
Rocky Mountain Rail Authority: Watson
South Platte River Authority: Watson
Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG): McLain
Triad Early Childhood Council: Larry Grieco
Human Services/Foster Care
Commissioners discussed the Chafee Foster Care Independence Plan Memorandum (CFCIP) of Understanding (MOU) and then, acting as the Board of Human Services, voted to renew it for 2013. The MOU is an agreement between Gilpin, Clear Creek and Jefferson County for the latter to provide services for minors placed in foster care. For youth who are not expected to return to their biological parents, the Chafee Plan teaches them the independent living skills (budgeting, secondary and post-secondary education, job training, transitional housing, health and healthy lifestyle choices, etc.) that they will need to succeed once they “age out” of the foster care system at age 18. Chafee services extend up to age 21 for these young people, providing them with a caseworker who assists and mentors them through the process of learning to be self-sufficient. Youth participating in the program can earn cash incentives related to attendance in trainings, accomplishing educational and work goals, and volunteer hours.
Funding for the CFCIP is federal, disbursed through grants to the state and then to the county administering the program. The funding is disbursed to the three counties based on how many people are served. In Gilpin, there have been only a few recipients of this program’s services over a period of several years’ time. The total tri-county funding for 2013 is $174,269. Gilpin’s portion of that (0.75%) is $1,307. County Manager Baker pointed out the amount would not cover hiring someone to administer Gilpin’s participation in the services (if any) so the Gilpin portion of the funds is allotted for administration services that would be provided by Jefferson County, as needed.
Rollinsville and Pinecliffe Post Offices
During Public Comment, Cindy Thompson, retired Postmaster of the Rollinsville Post Office, told County Commissioners she is working to make sure delivery services to post office customers in the north-Gilpin area retain convenient package delivery. The U.S. Postal Service will be making changes at Gilpin County post offices at Rollinsville and Pinecliffe. It’s possible that the USPS will change their current plan, which would make it necessary for some residents in north-Gilpin to drive to Black Hawk to pick-up some packages, Thompson said. If the USPS alters the current plan nothing more will need to be done, she said. But if that doesn’t happen, she asked Commissioners for their support in working with the USPS to insure the best service for County residents.
A meeting for Postal Service representatives to meet with community members has been rescheduled from a previously published date and location. That meeting will now take place at 2 p.m. on January 30, 2013 at the Nederland Library. Thompson said people needing rides should watch the Rollinsville Post Office bulletin board for a sign-up sheet.
Heads Up
Gilpin County Commissioners meet next on January 29, 2013.
Hearing required before District submits plan to CDE next week
by Patty Unruh
The school board held a brief hearing the evening of January 8 for the purpose of giving the public an opportunity to ask questions and make comments about the school district’s unified improvement plan. The plan’s purpose is to help students to bring their academic performance up to Colorado state standards.
Board members present were President Craig Holmes, Charlotte Taylor, Rusty Hardy, and Kersten Armstrong. Interim superintendent Morris Ververs, secondary principal Alexis Donaldson, and elementary principal Lisa Schell were also present. District Accountability Committee members Gigetta Nadeau, Mary Lorenz, and Dee Adams attended as well. No other parents attended; however, they have been kept well informed throughout the process.
Ververs began the hearing by noting that the hearing was being held as required by law to allow parents to provide input about the District’s plan to make improvements in students’ learning outcomes. The District is required to submit the plan to the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) by January 15. The changes are to be in place for next school year.
Ververs summarized the progress, stating that this past October, the District came up with a plan with the help of the CDE. The plan was in place by November 11, and educational consultant Ava Lanes came to work with the teachers on techniques to bring the school in line with state standards.
Ververs was pleased at the “rich discussion” that had been held previously with the District Accountability Committee (DAC), who is required to approve the plan. Holmes thanked Ververs and the two principals for “digging into the numbers and not waiting until September.” He believed the school would reap the rewards for beginning work on the plan aggressively.
Gigetta Nadeau rose to speak. “I’ve been on the DAC for three years,” she said. “I’ve been watching Lisa (Schell) and Alex (Donaldson), and we are headed in the right direction. As a parent, I believe this is the right direction. Let’s work with the state, but not wait for them.”
Board member Armstrong was also pleased that the plan was being attacked vigorously. “One problem has been to align to the test standards,” she said. “But that is not as important as the elementary students having the tools to be successful in middle school and high school. The task is to align the teaching with the testing. It’s a more achievable goal than teaching things that we are not already teaching.”
The law is S.B. 10-191, which is intended to provide “a system to evaluate the effectiveness of licensed personnel to improve the quality of education.” Its provisions include feedback for professional growth and continuous improvement, and a basis for “making decisions in the areas of hiring, compensation, promotion, assignment, professional development, earning and retaining non-probationary status, dismissal, and nonrenewal of contract.”
For example, the definition of principal effectiveness notes, “Effective principals in the state of Colorado are responsible for the collective success of their schools, including the learning growth and achievement of both students and staff. As a school’s primary instructional leaders, effective principals enable critical discourse and data-driven reflection about curriculum, assessment, instruction, and student progress, and create structures to facilitate improvement. Effective principals are adept at creating systems that maximize the utilization of resources and human capital, foster collaboration, and facilitate construction change…”
The Unified Improvement Plan for the elementary school shows the 2011-12 federal and state expectations for academic achievement status at 72.05 percent for reading, 70.11 percent for math, 54.84 percent for writing, and 45.36 percent for science. The actual results were 75.61 percent, 71.84 percent, 53.47 percent, and 48.65 percent, respectively. The elementary school’s main difficulty shows not having clear grade-level expectations as a root cause to low writing achievement.
Documents from the plan and assessments show that the 2011-2012 state and federal expectations for middle school and high school reading were 71.43 and 73.33 percent, respectively. The actual results were 74.32 and 81.08.
For math the expectations were 52.48 and 33.52, and the results were 54.05 and 40.54. For writing, the expectations were 57.77 and 50, while the results were 54.79 and 64.86. For science the expectations were 48 and 50, while the results were 68.75 and 63.16.
That means the school meets expectations on those categories.
Gilpin also meets expectations for overall rating for secondary academic growth, meets the expected graduation rate of 80 percent (with 89.5 percent), and the expected mean ACT composite score with 20.2. The expected score was 20.
It is approaching the expected level for dropout rate of no more than 3.6 percent, with a figure of 6.8 percent, although in a small school like Gilpin, that figure may be problematic, and each student can impact that figure greatly, whereas in a large district each student would have nominal impact on that.
Gilpin also is approaching the expectation for overall rating for growth gaps.
Other results show that the school did not meet the target for academic achievement for 5th and 6th graders, although the students went from 68 proficient and advanced in 5th grade to 69 percent and advanced in 6th grade. The expectation was 71 percent.
Regarding academic growth, the high school met expectations, with an academic reading score of 65. For middle school, the score was 41, with 42 being the expected result.
Gilpin confirmed it has implemented a literacy intervention in middle school, and officials hope to address individual student gaps in reading, because the average growth percentile in reading for grade 6-8 free and reduced lunch students, while it was hoped to increase to 48, actually rose to 39.
Among the observations was that the school needs “to use standards to align instruction as opposed to a particular text book.” The school also concluded, “We must use ACT/PSAT data to drive instructional decisions and intentionally teach ACT test skills.”
Also assembled were targets for the coming school years, with hopes that ACT averages will rise to 21, then 22.
“Although we saw a significant increase in our ACT scores in 2012, our composite score remains below the state average: 20.7 (2010), 17.6 (2011), 20.2 (2012).
Plans are to provide training time to teachers as well as schedule formative assessment training, four days at $1500 per day, and formative assessment coaching days, four days at $1000 per day.
New insurance provider, Chief’s work agreement, AWOL website.
By Lynn Volkens
Timberline Fire Protection District (TFPD) held a special board meeting on January 6, 2013 with only one item on the agenda: to discuss and review an employee health care plan. Approximately half of the three-hour meeting time was spent in an unposted Executive Session to discuss personnel matters and the fire chief’s contract. Board president Rick Wenzel and members Kay Johnson, Paul Ondr and Chris Samuelson were present; Jim Crawford was absent.
New Healthcare Benefit Plan
TFPD Business Manager Jennifer Hinderman told the directors that TFPD employees are unhappy with the district’s current insurance provider, Anthem, mainly because the out-of-pocket expense for premiums has gotten too expensive and there is no dental or vision plan included. The 2013 rates show the chief’s out-of-pocket portion has gone from $206.78 per month to $312.61; the monthly out-of-pocket cost for the business manager and maintenance technician has gone from $62.04 to $85.54. The district’s total monthly contribution of $1,076.25 ($893.93 for the chief; $182.32 for the business manager and maintenance technician, together) remains unchanged. Hinderman had researched plans from numerous insurance providers and presented the Board with a summary of the plans from Public Sector Health Care Group (Cigna), Warner Pacific (Rocky Mountain Health Plan), CEBT (SDA) Pool (Self-Insured), and CTSI (SDA) Pool (Self-Insured). Public Sector, with four plans to choose from, was the provider that employees favored.
TFPD has budgeted $15,220 ($1,270 per month) for healthcare benefits in 2013. Employees who work over 24 hours per week are eligible for benefits. That is currently the chief, business manager, and maintenance technician. Chief Jennings told the directors they should consider costs for expanding the benefits to include four employees. After checking the figures, the directors determined they could add the bookkeeper position to Public Sector’s plans, thus providing healthcare benefits for four employees, and still remain within budget. Dental and vision plans could be included in that. Further TFPD could afford to pay more than the required 50% of the employee portion of the premium. Directors voted (with Ondr’s the only vote against) to change the district’s healthcare provider from Anthem to Public Sector (with Cigna as the network provider). They then voted (again, with Ondr voting “No”) to set the TFPD’s contribution to the employee out-of-pocket portion of the premium at 75%.
Chief’s Work Agreement
Chief Jennings originally called for an executive session to discuss “personnel,” stating that the directors should not even discuss the healthcare options until he had made them aware of its impact on an employee who was not present. The chief also pointed out that $10,800 of his $18,700 annual benefits package is comprised of his healthcare benefit – an amount that had been negotiated under his employment agreement. Changing that amount would mean renegotiating that agreement. The $10,800 is the bulk of the $15,220 total budget for all employees’ healthcare benefits in 2013. The Directors reviewed the insurance material Hinderman had provided, and then decided to meet with the chief in an executive session to hear his concerns. When the Board reconvened to public session, Wenzel announced that they had been discussing the Chief’s compensation package, reached no conclusion, and would discuss it further at a later date. The Board moved on to pass the two motions authorizing the healthcare benefit changes outlined above.
Website
Http://Timberlinefire.org, the District’s website, has been down since November, depriving citizens of easy access to information such as Board meeting schedules, meeting agendas and minutes, information about burn permits, departmental documents and, of course, the District’s budgets. Jennings said the problem lies with the volunteers who had been maintaining the website up to November. After a meeting in August when numerous citizens told Board members that they wanted more transparency from Timberline, including information that was accurate and up-to-date on the website, Jennings set about having the website managed by a contracted firm in Nederland. He said he is ready to proceed, but there is now a problem regarding use of the domain name. Jennings could offer no timeline for when the website might be back.
Heads Up
TFPD’s Board of Directors meets next at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 14, 2013 at Station 7 (next to Taggert’s).
No explosives; everyone safe
By Lynn Volkens
A suspicious package spotted at Black Hawk’s Gilpin Casino on the morning of December 26, 2012 got the attention of casino security, Black Hawk Police, and the Jefferson County bomb squad.
John East, Vice President of Operations at the Gilpin and Lodge Casinos, said the brown paper bag was found by an employee on the landing of a stairway that is not frequented by the casino guests. “The location was suspicious,” he said. The employee notified casino security. Security notified Black Hawk Police, East said. The bag appeared to contain a box, but officials could not identify the contents beyond that.
Black Hawk Police Chief Stephen Cole said the bag did not look like it had been just thrown down, as one would drop trash. Based on the placement of the bag, the location in the stairway, “and everything that’s been going on across the country,” the reasonable thing to do was to make sure. Areas at risk, including the upper end of Main Street, were evacuated and the Jefferson County bomb squad was called in. After they’d x-rayed the package and determined there were no explosives, the evacuation was lifted, Main Street reopened, and business got back to normal. The entire incident took about an hour, Cole reckoned. “It didn’t turn out to be anything – that’s the way we like it,” he said. The chief gave credit to the alert employee for acting to make sure everyone was safe.
East echoed Cole’s comment, crediting the employee for following protocol and law enforcement officials for acting prudently. “Guest safety and employee safety is a priority for us. We want people to have fun, but we take guest safety very seriously.”
Options range from reducing hours to closure
By Lynn Volkens
The Post Offices at Central City, Rollinsville, Pinecliffe, Coal Creek and Ward are among the 184 Colorado Post Offices that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering for reduced hours of operation or potential closing. According to the Post Office Structure Plan (POStPlan) “realigning” hours of retail operation may be the solution to avoid complete closure of some 13,000 small rural post offices across the United States.
As part of the USPS evaluation process, surveys are being sent to postal customers who have Post Office boxes or receive rural delivery in the zip code area of the Post Offices being considered. In the case of the Rollinsville Post Office, (zip code 80474) the survey asks for input on four options:
1) Keeping the Post Office open, but reducing the window hours to four per day Monday through Friday with the Saturday hours remaining unchanged.
2) Conduct a discontinuance study for the Post Office in question, and provide delivery through a rural carrier. (A discontinuance study is the USPS procedure for evaluating the feasibility of continued Post Office services. Several factors are looked at, including insufficient customer demand.)
3) Conduct a discontinuance study, and find a suitable alternative location to be operated by a contractor. These are usually inside an already established local place of business, but cannot be in any establishment which sells alcoholic beverages.
4) Conduct a discontinuance study, and provide Post Office box service via another nearby post office, relocating the Post Office box deliveries from the current Post Office to the nearby one.
Box holders and rural delivery customers of the Rollinsville Post Office should receive their surveys by January 9, 2013. After that date additional survey forms will be available at the counter. The USPS will review completed surveys that are returned. Then Rollinsville Post Office customers are invited to a community meeting where they may ask questions or add further input. That meeting has been scheduled at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at Roy’s Last Shot in mid-Gilpin County. The USPS has not yet posted the dates when surveys will be distributed and meetings held for the Central City, Pinecliffe, Coal Creek and Ward Post Offices.
If the USPS decides to implement the first option, keeping the Post Office open but reducing hours, the proposed changes, per the USPS website, would be for the Pinecliffe, Ward and Coal Creek post offices to decrease window service hours the same as proposed for Rollinsville – from eight hours per day to four hours per day during the week, and keep Saturday hours as they stand now. For the Central City Post Office, window service would be reduced from eight hours to six hours per day during the week, maintaining current Saturday hours. Six-hour per day offices will be staffed by a part-time Postmaster. Post Offices reduced to four (or two) hours per day will be staffed by a non-career “relief” Postmaster. In all cases, customers would still have access to their Post Office boxes 24 hours every day.
If the Rollinsville, Pinecliffe, Ward and Coal Creek Post Offices are reduced to the four-hour per day schedule, the Postmasters of those offices will continue in their current full or part-time positions until sometime in 2014. After that, Postmasters of six-hour per day offices will be demoted to the position of part-time Postmaster with a salary adjustment equivalent to the appropriate hourly pay. Postmasters of the offices which are reduced to four-hour days, will not automatically become the part-time non-career Postmaster of that office, but may have the opportunity to retire or resign from the full-time position and then be reemployed in the part-time non-career position. There are numerous conditions detailed on the USPS website, regarding personnel options, including opportunities for early retirement.
According to their website, the USPS reaches 151 million Post Office boxes, residences and businesses, from 32,000 retail locations. It was ranked by Oxford Strategic Consulting as number one among postal services in the world’s twenty wealthiest countries. Yet, the USPS closed out their fiscal year 2012 with a net loss of $15.9 billion (compared to $5.1 billion net loss at the end of fiscal year 2011). The main financial impediment facing the USPS is not fewer customers, although First Class Mail has seen a 3.9% drop (electronic bill paying affected First Class Mail, but that decline is now slowing); and Standard Mail dropped by 4.3% (but appears to recovering). Package service increased by 8.7% ($926 million). According to Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe, improved productivity has produced cost savings for 13 straight quarters. The postal service has reduced controllable expenses, but is hampered by a major uncontrollable expense – 2006 legislation which mandated that the USPS “pre”- fund 75 years’ worth of healthcare benefits, for future workers, over a ten year period; that’s $5.5 billion per year. The 2012 net loss ($15.9 billion) includes payments to the future retiree healthcare benefits “pre” fund of $11.1 billion and accounts for approximately 70% of the USPS losses.
The USPS receives no tax dollars and relies on the sale of postal products and services. It generates annual revenues of around $65 billion. Donahoe called for legislative changes that would allow the USPS to determine frequency of delivery, sell non-postal products and services, streamline governance so that pricing and product decisions would be made more quickly, require labor negotiators to consider the financial condition of the USPS when rendering decisions, and resolve the overfunding of the Federal Employees Retirement System. Meanwhile, the USPS is looking to further reduce the expenses they can control by closing or relocating Post Offices, or reducing window service hours to the times most used by customers. The national list of Post Offices being considered for these changes includes some Post Offices (urban, suburban and rural) in all fifty states. View that list at https://about.usps.com.
Held in Gilpin County jail, pending charges
By Lynn Volkens
Officers from the Black Hawk Police Department and Colorado Division of Gaming played Santa Claus for the Lakewood Police Department this year, “gifting” them with a suspect wanted in connection to the December 23rd robbery of the U.S. Bank at 1927 South Wadsworth in their city. Lakewood Police had released information and a photograph of the suspect which were circulated en masse through various media outlets. When the 27-year-old Asian man was spotted in Black Hawk, around 7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve, law enforcement officers here arrested him and transported him to the Gilpin County jail.
Black Hawk Police Chief Stephen Cole said Cao was arrested without incident and that the case belongs to the Lakewood Police Department and the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force. “The only thing we did here was take him into custody,” Cole said. Cao was held on a warrant for parole violation, pending charges related to the Lakewood bank robbery. He is also suspected of robbing the TCF Bank on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver on Monday morning, December 24th, prior to coming to Black Hawk. His previous arrest record includes charges of check forgery, fraud and theft.