Tune in to real-life at Town Hall by Bill Vogrin page 4A
Memorial Park renovation nears completion page 4B
Panther golf season ends at state tournament page 1B
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October 05, 2016
VO LUME 55 | ISSUE 40 |
New Grassy Valley Mining Overlook gives bird’s eye view of pit By Sonja Oliver Contributor The Grassy Valley Mining Overlook, created by Newmont Mining Corp. to replace the beloved and historic American Eagles Overlook above Victor, opened Sept. 27 amid golden aspen trees and clear, blue skies. The new overlook, located along Teller County 82, east off Colorado 67 near the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, allows visitors a glimpse into a 600-feet-deep gold mining pit that’s 3,500 feet wide and 4,500 feet long and is part of the state's largest gold mine. Built on county property, the Grassy Valley site allows visitors to climb to the top of a mining haul truck bed equipped with stairs and a fenced platform positioned to provide a view of the Wild Horse Extension Surface Mine, which started in 2010. It gives a bird’s eye perch to see where ore is dug up daily, tens of thousands of tons, and loaded into huge, two-story tall trucks that trek back and forth to the processing facility and extract gold. Though some in Victor say nothing will ever replace the American Eagles Overlook, optimistic mine officials and guests celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the Grassy Valley Overlook and the continued success of the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Co.
Teller County Commissioner Mark Dettenrieder remarked that he was “really proud to have Colorado’s largest mining operation right here in Teller County.” Newmont General Manager Jack Henris said he was proud to be overseeing the state’s largest mining company and CC&V is “really proud to be a part of the community.” Henris said CC&V’s goal was to conduct mining operations in accordance with “longterm sustainability and responsibility.” “That’s Newmont’s view and our core values,” Henris said. County commissioners Dave Paul and Norm Steen were also in attendance at the ceremony, along with Victor Mayor Buck Hakes and several other local officials and Newmont employees. Hakes noted the overlook offers a “great view” and called it “good for Victor” despite its location farther from the mining town than the American Eagles, which loomed over the town with its signature headframe and century-old cabins and shacks. For over 20 years, the American Eagles offered visitors panoramic views of the gold mine and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains beyond. More than 6,000 people visited the site each year, Victor tourism officials have said. See “Grassy Valley” on 3A
Photo by Sonja Oliver The Grassy Valley Mining Overlook will offer “a window, hopefully into the soul of mining,” as described by Newmont General Manager Jack Henris. The overlook is located along Teller County 82, east from Colorado 67 and the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine.
Banquet raises thousands for firefighters, ambulance district By Pat Hill pathill@yourpeaknews.com
Courtesy Photo Chief Tyler Lambert, right, and his crew at Northeast Teller County Fire Protection District, look pretty happy to be receiving half of the $55,712 raised the evening of Sept. 24 when Andrew Wommack Ministries/Charis Bible College hosted a fundraiser for First Responders.
Hundreds of Teller County residents turned out for the First Responder Banquet and Fundraiser hosted by Andrew Wommack and Charis Bible College. The event Sept. 24 was a tribute to the county’s firefighters, law enforcement, medical technicians and paramedics. “As the largest nonprofit organization in Teller County, we see this as an opportunity to be a blessing to our first responders,” said Paul Milligan, chief executive officer of Wommack Ministries, before the event. Guests paid $30 apiece per ticket or $500 for a table and all the proceeds, $55,712, were donated in a 50-50 split to Ute Pass Regional Ambulance District and Northeast Teller County Fire Protection District. The NETCO board issued a public response after the fundraiser. “We would like to say thank you to the citizens of Teller
County, the sponsors and donors, along with Mayor Neil Levy and master-of-ceremonies Debbie Miller, but especially Andrew Wommack Ministries/Charis Bible College and staff for hosting the First Responder Banquet and Fundraiser. It was truly a wonderful evening and we are honored to have received such praise and appreciation.” Charis covered the ticket cost for all the first responders and guests. “There is no one entity here that could take this event on and do it the justice it deserves,” said Debbie Miller, president of the Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce, speaking before the event. “I think this is a way our community can do something really fabulous for our first responders.” Along with the donations to NETCO and UPRAD, Wommack/Charis donated protective gear, Shield 616s, to the Woodland Park and Cripple Creek police departments and the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.
GMF/CP voters to decide $3.5 million bond issue November 8th By Pat Hill pathill@yourpeaknews.com If voters in Green Mountain Falls and Chipita Park approve a $3.5 million bond issue Nov. 8, the fire protection district will have a new station on a hillside above Town Hall. On nearly an acre of land, the station will have three bays and living quarters for the firefighters. “I want to build a fire station for 30 years from now, not for today,” said Gary Florence, the district’s treasurer who oversees the $200,000-plus annual budget. Ballot issue 4A asks voters to increase debt by $308,000
a year, with the interest rate not to exceed 6 percent. The maximum repayment cost would not exceed $6.1 million. For a home with an assessed value of $350,000, the portion of taxes that help fund the department would increase from about $71 to $142 annually. The current fire station on Ute Pass Avenue has a list of negatives. Built in 1956, it’s in a flood zone, didn’t meet code requirements then and certainly doesn’t now. “In the last couple years, we’ve thrown a lot of money into it – rewiring, new windows, new doors, heaters,” said Rich Bowman, president of the board. “We spent money on the back of the station after the flood.” It’s a sitting target for water flowing from upstream and
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in May 2015, when Woodland Park got four inches of rain, the runoff along Fountain Creek flooded the station, back to front. “The land was disappearing, washing away,” Bowman said. With a $30,000 FEMA grant, plus a 25 percent match, Chief Steve Murphy, along with Bowman and the crew, did patchwork repairs, stacked boulders along the creek bed. But the flood highlighted the need for another facility. “We’re in a flood zone, so we can’t tear the station down See “GMF/CP Voters” on 2A For more election issues, see “Student funding in CC” on 6A
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