April 1, 2015 VOLU M E 5 4 | I S S UE 1 3 | 7 5 ¢
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Mixed-use lot owner seeks bigger mix
State demographer returning to present local population trends By Norma Engelberg
Contributing writer Cort Wahl’s property at 105, 107, 109 and 111 Boundary St. is already a mix of residential and commercial buildings but he wants to expand the mix of commercial
uses to make the property more marketable. His request for a conditional use permit went before the planning commission on March 26. Before Wahl acquired the property in 2014 the four buildings on the property had been used as homes, contractor offices, a dog wash/retail shop and a repair facility for racing vehicles. If his permit is approved by Woodland Park City Council the uses for the site would include single-family rental homes, auto repair, appliance repair, contractor and construction services with lim-
ited outdoor storage, wholesale trade and distribution services and warehousing and storage services with indoor-only storage. There would be no new construction or substantial improvements on the site. One neighbor spoke in favor of the changes and, so far, no other neighbors submitted comments. The commissioners gave a unanimous recommendation of approval the conditional use permit ordinance will be heard on initial posting by council on April 2 and in public hearing on April 16. This was new City Planner Lor Pellegri-
no’s first official case presentation. City Planning Director Sally Riley invited the commissioners and the public to a special presentation by State Demographer Elizabeth Garner from 4-5 p.m. on April 15 in council chambers. Garner came to town three years ago to present demographic information targeted to Teller County. This time she’ll present data on population growth, population by race/ethnicity and age and will forecast population growth and trends.
INSIDE THE COURIER Native plant classes scheduled, Page 2 ‘Top of the World Rodeo’ under Cripple Creek’s protection. Page 4 Carrigan column: Marking the trail in the Ute Pass. Page 6 Minimum wage proposals pass committee. Page 10 Report finds continuing racial disparity in pot arrests. Page 10 Sports: Minor leagues, Sky Sox, aim for faster games. Page 11
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Rich Fretterd of Woodland Park discovered this topaz in the southeastern portion of the Pikes Peak massif, in his Angus Dei mine. Photos by Pat Hill
Miner stars in ‘Prospector’ PIKES PEAK COURIER (USPS 654-460)
OFFICE: 1200 E. Highway 24 Woodland Park, CO 80863 PHONE: 719-687-3006 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Teller County, Colorado, the Pikes Peak Courier is published weekly on Wednesday by Colorado Community Media, 1200 E. Highway 24, Woodland Park, CO 80863. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WOODLAND PARK, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legal: Thurs. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 10 a.m. GE T SOCI AL WITH US
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Topaz discovered on television in Agnus Dei mine By Pat Hill
phill@coloradocommunitymedia.com
R
ichard Frettard has a different take on what happened when he discovered a large topaz on “The Prospector Show” filmed on site at his Agnus Dei mine near Pikes Peak. Whatever the case, however, Frettard will go down in mineral history as the miner who found a topaz weighing a pound-and-a-half. What the audience didn’t see was what went on behind the scenes. “I was a little upset because we’d had a lot of rain and I had my tailings pile shored up to keep it away from my diggings, so I could dig,” said Frettard, who lives in Woodland Park. As he was getting ready to start digging, a large cameraman zeroed in on Frettard. “I warned him to get back, told him to use his telescopic lens,” Frettard said. “He didn’t listen to me, got too close to my cribbing; he sunk in and all the cribbing went down.” Frettard spent the day mucking. “Of course on television they’d don’t show that,” he said.
Francisco Sotomayor crafted an eagle’s head from the topaz discovered by his friend, Rich Frettard. On television, the caved-in site was due to the heavy rains. “They have to ad-lib a little bit because it’s the Weather Channel,” he said. “I was pretty upset that day, spent the whole day shoveling.” No matter, for the television audience, the next set of events led to mining glory. “I started poking around and pulled out this pound-and-a-half piece of raw
topaz,” he said. “I handed the piece out to my partner, Jean Cowman.” The downside of the discovery is that the topaz is a partial. “That’s what the chase is after — complete crystals,” he said. “This was only half of a crystal, split Miner continues on Page 10