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