Courier View Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak 11-27-2013
Teller County, Colorado • Volume 52, Issue 48
November 27, 2013
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourtellercountynews.com
A hundred years ago, in the days of hoists and underground mining in the Cripple Creek District, accidents and even fatalities were frequent but modern operations have kept the dangers to a minimum locally. Photo by Rob Carrigan
Bear, the male, and Bronco, the female, are seven-year-old Anatole shepherds siblings. The two are a team that need a home with a large fenced yard. Currently, they are under the care of the nonprofit organization Adoptable Animal Rescue Force.Courtesy photo
Brennan is a force for AARF By Pat Hill
phill@ourcoloradonews.com A dog’s best friend, Dottie Brennan is forever finding homes for the lost, the abandoned and the starved. Cheerleader and worker bee for the Adoptable Animal Rescue Force, AARF, Brennan has a wealth of stories to tell, each loaded with ulterior motive. Her latest one is about two Anatole shepherds, brother and sister, 7 years old. They’ve been together all their lives and
AARF is dedicated to finding a home for the team, Bear and Bronco. “They’re loveable, friendly, love people,” she said. “They’re just gorgeous. And they’re both current on their shots” However, Bear and Bronco need a home with a large fenced area. “We want to give the dogs to someone who will appreciate them,” Brennan said. “They just sit and look at you and those eyes, you melt.” While Brennan is tiny, may look a little frail, she’s a tiger when it comes to being an adoptable force in the dog world. “We’ve
just hit the 300 mark, of taking in dogs and finding homes for them,” she said, referring to 2013 through the first half of November. “We’ve had a remarkable year.” Brennan, along with 20 volunteers with the nonprofit organization, has acquired a regional reputation. “People call us from all over the area,” she said. “If the dogs are going to be put down, we’ll take them.” As the dogs keep coming, now including
Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mine takes safety seriously Gold mine employs 508 people By Danny Summers
Dsummers@ourcolroadonews.com
It was a case of not-enough-information when it came time for Woodland Park City Council to approve the city’s new building fee structure at its Nov. 21 regular meeting. Because Teller County pulled out of an agreement to provide building services in Woodland Park, the city has been working with the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department to create a building department in city hall. The new fee-structure resolution, which was first presented at the Nov. 7 council meeting, has the same fees for residential properties as El Paso County, or about 0ne-third of what Teller County Woodland Park Mayor David Turley, right, a big-time supporter of the Woodland Park High School softball team, was charged. However, the fees for commercial unable to make it to the last few games of the season, including the playoffs, so team members came to him instead properties are a bit more complex. That complexity presented too many at the Nov. 21 city council meeting. Pictured from left are junior Lexie Comer holding a team photo, senior Kellee questions for some councilmembers, inSuggs with the winning game ball from the team’s last regular season game against Widefield, head coach Dale cluding Mayor Pro Tem Eric Smith, who is Huntington and senior Mallorie Trichell with the roster and season highlights. Photo by Norma Engelberg developing the Trail Ridge Apartment complex said that despite an assurance at the POSTAL ADDRESS last meeting that commercial fees would be lower than what Teller County charged Printed on recycled it looks as if his fees will be substantially newsprint. Please more. He wanted comparisons between recycle this copy. his fees under the new structure and the old structure. He also wanted comparisons for the new Tractor Supply Co. facility and for a single-family dwelling.
The news of two miners who were killed and 20 others injured in Ouray on Nov. 17 sent shockwaves through the state. The blast caused people to wonder how such a mining catastrophe could occur in 2013. Within hours, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration were on site at the Revenue-Virginius Mine, located in southwestern Colorado. The hard rock mine is closed while the investigation continues. “We feel great sympathy for the people in Ouray,” said Jane Mannon, manager of community affairs for the Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mining Company. “Anytime we get a report of something like this we always try to learn from it” With 508 employees, CC&V is the largest mining operation in the state. About 250,000 ounces of gold is taken from the open pit mine annually. The risks associated with open pit mining are considerably less than they were 100 years ago when miners were lowered into shafts; sometimes up to 1,000 feet. “A mining disaster like the one in Ouray causes people to refocus,” Mannon said. “You think about `Can I go home safely tonight.’ “Our No. 1 concern is safety and we take that very seriously.” CC&V employees are required to take an 8-hour refresher course on safety every year. When a mining employee is first hired, they are required to take 24 hours of safety training. “Slips, trips and falls are the majority of the things we deal with,” Mannon said. CC&V has been in business since 1976. The last fatal accident at the mine was on March 23, 1993, when Harry Marsteiner was killed on a truck in the pit. “My dad Harry Marsteiner was driving a Euclid Water truck. It looked like one of their 85 ton haul trucks but modified to haul water to wet the roads to keep dust down. He was driving the truck down into the Cresson Pit when the brakes failed. All attempts to stop the truck failed, so he called in on the radio that he would have to jump from the truck. The cab sits about 18 feet of the ground with a small walkway around it. He had to exit the cab, make his
Council continues on Page 14
Safety continues on Page 14
AARF continues on Page 13
Council tables building fees Chooses Memorial Park master plan A By Norma Engelberg Contributing writer