April 26th Meeting Review

The Fremont County Commissioners took the following actions at their April 26th regular board meeting:

The Board approved execution of a contract with the Colorado Department of Transportation for a bridge replacement project on County Road 95 just east of Coal Creek over Alkali Creek.

The Board approved a contract with Kleinfelder Engineering of Pueblo for technical services on County Road 11—the High Park Road to Cripple Creek for $12,600. The County will use Kleinfelder’s services in preparation for paving another three miles of High Park Road this summer. It’s the third year of using state gaming impact funds to repave High Park Road. One mile of repaving will remain for which the county will seek additional funding in 2006.

The Board recognized Gary Schenk for his five years of service representing the Penrose area on the Fremont County Planning Commission. Schenk has moved from Penrose to Colorado Springs.

A temporary use permit was approved for the Canon City Music and Blossom Festival’s carnival. Wright’s Amusements will operate at Elm Avenue and Oak Creek Grade Road May 2nd through May 9th.

The Commissioners reviewed and offered comments on a sketch plan for the proposed Quail Pointe subdivision located north of Canon City along the east side of Orchard Avenue bounded by Melvina Street on the north and North street on the south side. Seventy-six residential lots are proposed. The Commissioners voiced opposition to the proposal by developers John Ary and J.P. Jean to vacate Cone Avenue which has never been opened to traffic.

The Commissioners also reviewed and commented on a sketch plan for a Planned Unit Development for developer Allen Miller of Colorado Springs along Van Loo Road off of Dozier Avenue. The proposed development is on a 29.4 acre site that was a former county gravel pit. Miller proposes 128 lots which neighbors have objected to because of the density and impact from traffic on Van Loo Road and Dozier. The Commissioners voiced a desire to work with Miller to develop fewer lots but still work within the framework of a P.U.D. which may benefit both the developer and the county. The Commissioners say the next step is to await results of a traffic study in the area.

Pathfinder Park Mineral Impact Grant

The Canon City Recreation and Park District and the Fremont County have been notified that a $300,000 Colorado Energy and Mineral Impact Grant has been awarded to help pay the cost of a highway access into the new Pathfinder Regional Park west of Florence. Colorado Department of Local Affairs Executive Director Michael Beasley notified the Recreation District this week that the Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Advisory Committee awarded the $300,000 as part of the Committee’s spring grant awards.

The money will be used to help pay the costs of widening the highway and constructing an access with acceleration, deceleration, and left turn safety lanes where Colorado Highway 115 turns into the new Pathfinder Regional Park. Engineering work on the access and the entryway into the park is now being completed and is jointly financed by the Recreation District and the Fremont County Commissioners. Work on the access is expected to being later this year.

Recreation District Board President Scott Johnson and Fremont County Commissioner Ed Norden accompanied Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments Executive Director Judy Lohnes to Denver March 23rd to make a presentation for the grant application. Lohnes was instrumental in writing the grant application. They received support at the presentation from District 47 State Representative Liane ‘Buffie’ McFadyen.

Design and engineering plans are being prepared for the park. The Recreation District is initially focusing on building a pair of multi-purpose playing fields on its 131 acres while the County focuses on building an outdoor arena on its 47 acre site.

A $500,000 “Great Outdoors Colorado” grant was awarded earlier to help finance initial development of the Pathfinder Regional Park. Both the Recreation District and the County are exploring other funding options to finance complete build out of the park.

Fremont Property Valuation Notices

The Fremont County Assessor’s Office is preparing to mail Notices of Valuation to Fremont County property owners on May 2nd. For property tax purposes, real property is reappraised every other year in Colorado. The reappraisal occurs in odd numbered years, so 2005 is a reappraisal year for county assessors. Appraisers in the Fremont County Assessor’s Office have been particularly busy since January not only preparing for the reappraisal year, but adjusting commercial property values in line with a state-mandated reappraisal that was ordered last fall.

On October 4, 2004, the Colorado Board of Equalization ordered Fremont County to reappraise all commercial property under the supervision of the Colorado Division of Property Taxation.

The reappraisal order followed an analysis demonstrating that Fremont County commercial property values, which were lowered substantially in 2004, were not conforming to market data or state board approved standards. Because of those discrepancies combined with the 2005 reappraisal of properties, some commercial property owners in Fremont County will see a significant increase in their property values when the valuation notices are mailed.

Appraisers in the County Assessor’s Office, working under guidance of the state officials, say an overall increase in commercial and industrial properties can be expected because the values for the previous year were substantially below market levels.

The Commissioners note however, that those percentage increases also represent new residential and commercial construction which added value to the overall assessed valuation. The numbers take into account new growth, not simply adjusted values on existing properties. That means the property tax burden is distributed to more property owners.

Once property owners receive their notices of valuation, if they disagree with the assessed value, they may file a protest in person or by mail with the Fremont County Assessor’s Office through May.

Howard Hall Town Meeting

The Fremont County Commissioners are hosting a town hall meeting for western Fremont County residents this Thursday evening, April 21st. The meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Howard Hall in Howard. Attending will be District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden, District 2 Commissioner Mike Stiehl, and Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker. The town hall meeting is the first such meeting conducted in the western end of Fremont County in several years. Commissioners Norden and Stiehl say the meeting was scheduled in an effort to improve communications with the residents in that portion of the county. Both Commissioners say citizens voiced those concerns to them during their 2004 campaigns. The need for town hall meetings in outlying communities to talk about issues was also listed as a goal this year at a recent meeting of all the Fremont County elected officials.

Among topics the Commissioners and the Sheriff will discuss are budgetary issues relating to Road and Bridge finances, the Sheriff’s budget, changes in building inspections in western Fremont County, and after hours response by Sheriff’s deputies. They will also take questions from citizens in attendance.

Pathfinder Logo Deadline

The deadline is approaching for design ideas to be submitted for the new Pathfinder Regional Park west of Florence. Fremont County’s Pathfinder Activities Center Steering Committee has organized the effort to come up with a logo design that will be unique to the new park on a 178 acre site along Highway 115 west of Florence.

The committee is seeking recommendations, designs, or sketch drawings of ideas for the logo. The design may focus on the unique natural qualities of the park site, its potential future uses, or the historical significance of the Pathfinder name. The committee may select a completed design, a concept, or may combine aspects of different design ideas to be incorporated into development of a final logo.

April 29th is the deadline to submit logo design ideas to the Fremont County Commissioners Office in room 105 of the Fremont County Administration Building at 615 Macon Avenue in Canon City. Entry forms and instructions are available in the Commissioners Office and the Fremont County Extension Office on the lower level of the Administration Building.

A joint committee of the Commissioners, the RE-2 School District, the Steering Committee, and the Canon City Recreation District will review the logo submissions in May.

April 12th Meeting Review

These actions were taken by the Fremont County Board of Commissioners at their regular meeting April 12th:

A. Recognized Paul Telck upon his retirement as the Fremont County Weed Control Coordinator. His position has been assumed by J.R. Phillips. Telck in turn was appointed to a vacancy on the County Weed Control Advisory Board.

B. Recognized Richard Cozzette for 25 years of service as the finance officer for the Fremont County Department of Human Services.

C. Adopted a resolution giving authority to the Deer Mountain Fire Protection District Board of Directors to enforce its’ resolutions when the District imposes fire restrictions or a ban on open burning. The Commissioners emphasized that the resolution requires adequate notification of both the public and the Sheriff, and should be coordinated as closely as possible with other jurisdictions that may impose fire bans.

D. Approved a contract for a Colorado Mineral Impact grant in the amount of $13,000. The grant is being matched with $10,000 from Fremont County to pay for an engineering study to possibly extend sanitary sewer service into North Canon. Many homes north of Canon City in the area of York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee Avenues experience high water tables which cause septic systems to fail.

E. Approved a new liquor license following a public hearing for Ty Seufer at the Whitewater Bar and Grill on eight-mile hill west of Canon City at the former site of Royal Gorge Rafting. The Commissioners are requiring Seufer to show proof of liquor code training for he and his staff before opening on May 6th.

F. Approved a temporary use permit for a Sportsmen’s Expo on April 23rd and 24th on a vacant lot at 3271 East Highway 50, east of the Holiday Inn Express.

G. Rejected a request for a waiver but agreed to a two year extension of the deadline for paving requirements for the Coyote Coffee Den parking lot on the southwest corner of 6th Street and Highway 115 in Penrose.

H. Approved a final plat for a three-lot subdivision for Mary LeBlanc on the southeast corner of Windsor and York Avenue north of Canon City.

I. Conducted a public hearing for a ten year renewal of the Bresnan Communications cable TV franchise agreement in the unincorporated areas of Fremont County. The Commissioners extended until May 15th the deadline for any written public comments. After that date the Commissioners will negotiate terms for the renewal of the franchise.

Fire Impact Fees

The Fremont County Commissioners gave final approval on second reading Tuesday to an ordinance that will permit the Canon City Fire Protection District to begin imposing impact fees associated with new growth in the district. The Fire District needed authorization from Fremont County for assessment of those impact fees in the unincorporated areas of the district. Similar action will be required by the Canon City Council before the impact fees can be collected in the City of Canon City.

The Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the impact fees which are assessed on building permits only for new residential and commercial construction. The Commissioners said they believe when growth forces an expansion of new services for fire protection, the cost of those services should be borne by that growth instead of by people who may have lived in the area for many years.

The ordinance would allow the Canon City Fire District to assess $304 in impact fees on any new residential dwelling and $304 for every 2,000 square feet of commercial space. New motels and hotels would pay higher fees because of the impact they pose to fire protection.
Money collected from the impact fees would be held by Fremont County in a separate account and could be used only for future construction of another fire station and new fire equipment. The money could not be used for day to day operating costs.

Website Popular

The Fremont County web site, http://www.fremontco.com/, continues to grow in popularity with a record number of visits to the County’s web site logged in March. Information Technology Technician Matt Eliason reports that there were 90,134 hits on the County’s web site in March. That topped the previous records set in January and February. January saw 75,274 hits to the web site with February recording just over 79,000 hits. The largest number of monthly visits to the web site prior to 2005 was in November 2004, when 68,869 hits were recorded. Most of those were related to election result inquiries.

Eliason also reported that after initial visits to the Fremont County home page, the County Assessor’s "QPublic" web page with detailed information on property records and sales was the most frequently visited page. Other frequently visited web pages were Human Resources-Employment Opportunities, the "News Now" news page, the Building Department, and the Clerk-Recorder’s Office.

Fremont County’s web site went on line in June 2004. Canon City High School technology student Rene Tate aided Eliason in designing the web site and maintains it as a student intern for the County. Rene works under the guidance of Industrial Arts instructor Mike Geesaman at Canon City High School.

Pathfinder Regional Park Logo

Submit your ideas for the Pathfinder Regional Park logo! Click here to view the form.

Planning & Zoning Regulation Reviews

The Fremont County Planning Commission will begin a review of Fremont County Zoning Classifications dealing with duplex construction at their April 5th regular meeting. The review of the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Fremont County Zoning Resolution was prompted by a moratorium put into place by the Fremont County Board of Commissioners at their March 8th meeting. The Commissioners adopted a moratorium to last no longer than six months when it came to the Board’s attention that duplex construction is permitted in the County’s Low Density Residential Zone along with single family dwellings. The moratorium on the issuance of building permits for duplexes covered all zoning classifications except for medium and high density residential zones. The Planning Commission is now set to review what kind of permanent restrictions should be made in the other zone classifications regarding duplex construction.

The Planning Commission’s agenda also includes review of the proposed 1st amendment to the Fremont County Subdivision regulations which deals with amendments regarding interior lot lines, boundary line adjustments, design standards for street cuts, and driveway access.
You can find the complete documents with detailed changes the Planning Commission will review in Pdf form on this web site by linking to http://www.fremontco.com/planningandzoning/planningcommission.shtml on the Planning and Zoning Department’s web page.

The Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5th, in the Commissioners Meeting room on the lower level of the County Administration Building at 615 Macon Avenue in Canon City.