Gilpin County Commissioners

County backs Watershed group

According to Major, the Missouri Gulch area has been impacted by legacy mining, off-road recreation and minimal forest management. “Missouri Creek was identified as one of the most at-risk basins in the 2021 Upper Clear Creek Pre-Wildfire Planning Study,” she said.

If CCWFHP receives the grant, several seniors from the Colorado School of Mines will participate in a program to help conduct the proposed work. The organization said fire-mitigation work and stream-cleaning preservation work would be part of the project, which will involve other groups.

Resident Bill Merline, who lives in the Missouri Lakes neighborhood, expressed concern that Missouri Lakes HOA residents weren’t told about the Clear Creek Watershed group’s plans for fire-mitigation and stream work in Missouri Gulch. He noted that the programs could potentially impact water in a local ditch that supplies water to the area.

In other business:

Mobile biz rules

The commissioners approved revisions to regulations covering food trucks and other mobile businesses operating in Gilpin County. Interim Community Development Director Tami Archer said the changes would simplify the process for vendors to obtain permits to operate. The BOCC approved new rates for mobile businesses based on the length of time they plan to sell their food and products.

Rental meetings

Chair Sandy Hollingsworth said the county plans to hold meetings in the coming months to hear residents’ opinions about short-term rental properties in Gilpin County. Earlier this month, the commissioners imposed a 90-day moratorium on new short-term rental property permits, explaining an increase in complaints about the rentals.

Crime calls rise

Sheriff Kevin Armstrong gave his department’s report for January 2022. He noted there had been an increase in calls to the department. Calls for victim services rose to 377, compared to 306 a year earlier. The number of adults detained in the jail averaged 34 for the month, compared to 14 previously.

“We’ve been getting busier and busier,” said Armstrong, noting the increasing number of jailed adults has resulted in the need for more food, personal supplies and other needs. He said the increase in police activity isn’t “one thing in particular,” such as increasing patrons to county casinos.

Covid cases down

Alisa Witt, the county’s public health coordinator, said the county’s positivity rate has fallen to 5.3 percent, down from the previous 17.2 percent. To date, 63.4 percent of Gilpin County residents have been fully vaccinated.

Appointments

The BOCC appointed Craig Connell as the interim road supervisor for the public works department. Connell, who has been with the department for 15 years, will assist Public Work Supervisor John Combs.

Appointed to a two-year term as an alternate on the planning commission was long-time resident Bill Thibedeau, who has a background in education and forest-agriculture. Thibedeau is a retired Boulder County teacher who owns property in mid-county and was recommended for the majority of the Gilpin County Planning Commission.

Clerk’s report

Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder Sahari McCormick said her office has seen an increase in automobile-license requests, noting, “there have been a lot of new car sales in the county.” She said a resignation and one staffer on leave has resulted in a higher workload in the department. McCormick invited anyone interested in working for the clerk’s office should visit the department’s website.

“Getting to know you”

Newly-hired County Manager Ray Rears, who has been in his new position for less than a week, said he plans to hold informal sessions in the coming weeks with various county department staff members. He also would like to meet with officials from Gilpin County RE-1 School District, the City of Black Hawk and Central City – his former employer.

An informal “getting to know you” meet-and-greet with Rears is planned for 1:30 p.m. on April 19 at the old county courthouse in Central City.

In-person meetings

The BOCC announced it would resume in-person meetings at the county courthouse beginning on April 5, following a year of holding commissioner meetings via videoconference because of the pandemic. The upcoming BOCC sessions will also be aired live via the Microsoft Teams videoconference platform for those who want to attend the meetings virtually.

Man tried to cash 2 bad checks at the same bank

A man from Empire was arrested by the Idaho Springs Police Dept. (ISPD) on March 10 for multiple check fraud cases in Clear Creek County. There were also arrest warrants out for Anthony Stockman, 31, from El Paso County for driving under restraint and Denver County for possession of a dangerous drug.

It began on March 2 when the ISPD responded to the CityWide Bank at 1744 Miner St. because Stockman was allegedly trying to cash a fraudulent check. Although the check was made out to Stockman, the bank teller at the drive-up window thought the business check was suspicious and contacted the owner. At which time the teller called in the ISPD.

Before ISPD arrived, the female driver and Stockton drove away. As it turns out, in September 2021, ISPD had a previous check fraud incident involving Stockman. In that case, he had been an employee at the business on Colorado Boulevard and allegedly stole the check. He then supposedly put his name as the payee and tried to cash the check without the business owner’s permission – at the same CityWide Bank.

Needless to say, there were several warrants out for the arrest of Stockman, so when an ISPD officer spotted him on March 8, he was contacted and eventually arrested on the warrants, where he was taken to the Clear Creek County Detention Facility. He was due to be in court on March 16.

Prepare for power outages today

WITH A HOME STANDBY GENERATOR

$0 MONEY DOWN + LOW MONTHLY PAYMENT OPTIONS

Contact a Generac dealer for full terms and conditions

REQUEST A FREE QUOTE

CALL NOW BEFORE THE NEXT POWER OUTAGE

(855) 614-7504

Join the Clear Creek Veterans Coalition Sunday – March 27 at 1 p.m. Idaho Springs Elks Club Burgers & brats to honor our Veterans