Comments sought on Cotter Natural Resource Funds

A public meeting was conducted August 30th in Cañon City to receive citizen comments on a proposal to use the remaining $1.1 million in Natural Resource Damage funds that the state received from the Cotter Corporation to continue and expand a park, a riverwalk and wildlife habitat construction started two years ago. The public comment period, which includes provisions for the submittal of written comments, will continue through Thursday, September 15.

The proposal, drafted by local city and county officials following the consideration of a number of suggestions for the use of the funds, calls for:

• The construction of a bicycle path from Florence to the new Pathfinder Park, located two miles west of the town.
• Extension of the Cañon City Riverwalk from First Street along the Arkansas River to the entrance to Tunnel Drive.
• The purchase of 14.8 acres of land to build a park in the Town of Brookside.
• The establishment of about 250 acres of wildlife habitat and open space along the Arkansas River.

Total cost of the proposed projects is estimated at $2,627,570, with $1,123,000 being requested from the Natural Resource Damage account. The balance is proposed to come from the cities of Cañon City and Florence, the Town of Brookside, the Cañon City Recreation and Park District, Great Outdoors Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Parks, and the Fishing is Fun Program.
The projects, which would take five years to complete, would be an extension of work funded from the first round of $1.15 million in Natural Resource Damage funds awarded two years ago for riverbank restoration, wildlife enhancement; work on the Arkansas River Walk; and purchase of property for the 178-acre Pathfinder Park.

The first grant award and the proposed grant award are being funded from interest on the $1 million the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment collected from Cotter Corporation in a 1988 settlement resulting from environmental damages in the Cañon City area related to operation of the Cotter Uranium Mill. Since 1988, the $1 million has earned more than $1.15 million in interest.

The new proposal was submitted by a work group that included William F. Jackson, mayor of Cañon City; Larry Lasha, chairman of the Fremont County Board of Commissioners; Scott Johnson, a representative of the Cañon City Area Metropolitan Recreation and Park District; Ron Fredrick, mayor of Brookside; and Cynthia Cox, Mayor pro tem of Florence.

In addition, the State of Colorado is represented on the work group by Ronald W. Cattany, director of the Division of Minerals and Geology for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources; Jerry Goad, an assistant attorney general from the Colorado Attorney General's Office; and Phil Stoffey, Lincoln Park Superfund site manager for the Department of Public Health and Environment's Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division. Fremont County Commissioner Mike Stiehl represented the Lincoln Park neighborhood, which is located south of Cañon City and near the Cotter Uranium Processing Mill. George Overstreet, county human resources director, represented Fremont County.

Citizens can review the proposals at these locations:
Florence City Hall and the Florence Public Library.
Fremont County Commissioners' Office.
Cañon City Public Library.
Local History Center in Canon City

Written comments also can be submitted through Thursday, September 15, 2005, to Phil Stoffey, Lincoln Park Superfund site manager, Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246. After comments are considered, the proposal endorsed by the work group will be submitted on October 24, to the Colorado's Natural Resource Trustees for final approval.

(The above information was provided by the Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment)

September 1st Meeting Announcement

The Fremont County Board of Commissioners will conduct a special meeting this Thursday afternoon, September 1st, at 2 o’clock. The special meeting agenda will include two items for awarding public bids, 2006 budget discussion, and a landfill disposal issue.

The Commissioners will consider awarding of a bid for construction of the new outdoor arena at Pathfinder Park west of Florence. A $100,000 Great Outdoors Colorado grant is being used to finance construction of the arena. Bids were opened August 17th for a process in which contractors were asked to submit a proposal for a project design using basic specifications.

The Board is also scheduled to award a bid for an asphalt paving overlay project for another three mile stretch of County Road 11, the High Park Road to Cripple Creek. Two firms submitted bids for the project. A Colorado Gaming Impact grant is being used to pave the road. It is the third year of paving a section of High Park Road between Highway 9 and Teller County. A fourth year of paving will be necessary in the summer of 2006 to complete the entire overlay project.

The Commissioners will consider a request by Twin Landfill to dispose of chronic wasting diseased elk at Phantom Landfill and give an overview of the 2006 county budget process.

The special meeting at 2 p.m. September 1st will take place in the Commissioners’ meeting room on the lower level of the County Administration Building.

August 23rd Commissioners' Meeting

The Fremont County Commissioners lifted the countywide fire ban at their August 23rd regular board meeting. The ban had been in place since July 12th when extremely hot and dry conditions sent the fire danger index into the extreme category. The Commissioners lifted the fire ban following a recommendation from Sheriff Jim Beicker and Canon City District Fire Chief Bill Guindon. They said they felt August rainfall had improved conditions sufficiently to permit the ban to be lifted. The Deer Mountain Fire District followed within days and also lifted their fire ban.

The Commissioners honored Fremont County Chief Deputy Clerk JoAnn Ortiz for 25 years of service with the county. Ortiz noted that her mother, Carmen Martinez, had worked in the Clerk’s office for 21 years and she never imagined that she might exceed that achievement. County Clerk Norma Hatfield praised Ortiz for her hard work and dedication in presenting her with a 25 year service pin.

In other action the Board of Commissioners:
Ø Approved continued indemnification for former Commissioners Jim Schauer and Keith McNew who have been named individually in a legal action against the County.
Ø Approved an application for a Special Events Permit for the Penrose V.F.W. for Apple Day on Saturday, October 1st.
Ø Approved a six month extension for West Fletcher to allow completion of contingencies for a zone change on his property on the southeast and southwest corners of Highway 50 and ‘N’ Street in Penrose.
Ø Authorized the chairman to sign a proclamation designating Saturday, September 17th as Barbecue Shootout Fundraising Day for the Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments at Buckskin Joe.

August 9th Commissioners’ Meeting

The Fremont County Commissioners approved a Special Review Use Permit for a monastery to operate in the Tallahassee Creek Valley northwest of Canon City but restricted its use to a fewer number of people than the applicant had sought. The permit was approved for the Benedictine Fellowship of St. Laurence to turn a former hunting lodge into a retreat and monastery for Benedictine Monks. The order had sought a permit for up to 100 people on site for weekend retreats but the permit approved on a 2 to 1 vote by the Commissioners allows up to 60 people. The 120 acre site is within the Cabin Creek gated community off of County Road 21A. The religious group plans to use the natural, remote setting as a quiet place of meditation for monks while also offering liturgical training on weekend retreats for clergy of all denominations.

The Commissioners also voted unanimously to renew a Conditional Use Permit for B & B Septage which operates a septage treatment facility on a 40 acre site a half mile east and a half mile north of the Fremont County Airport. Operators Rick and Wanda Byrd said they are ready and able to comply with regulations adopted by the County in 1995 after they applied for their initial permit. Those regulations include comprehensive record keeping of the source of the septage and how the material is spread onto the ground after it shows a neutralized Ph once treated with lime.

In other action the Fremont County Commissioners:

Ø Approved the final plat for the Fallwell Subdivision west of Pine Street and north of Highway 115 in the Lincoln Park area. Anthony Zupan plans to develop a ten lot subdivision. The Commissioners required construction of a retention pond but the pond must be maintained by the adjoining property and be drained naturally into the soil profile following a major storm.

Ø Approved a Temporary Use Permit and a Special Events Liquor Permit for the annual Belvedere Blues Festival at Merlino’s Belvedere on September 10th, 11th, and 12th.


Ø Approved a resolution of support for creation of a Pikes Peak Regional Veterans’ Cemetery to serve veterans in El Paso, Fremont, Teller, and Pueblo Counties.

Ø Reported that August 17th is the deadline for bid proposals for constructing an outdoor arena at the new Pathfinder Park west of Florence and that 12 noon, August 22nd will be the deadline for bids for an asphalt overlay paving project for another three miles on County Road 11 (High Park Road). Great Outdoors Colorado grant monies will fund the arena project while Colorado Gaming Impact funds will be used for the paving project.

Board of Equalization Hearings

The Fremont County Commissioners recently concluded three afternoons of hearings as the Commissioners sat as the County Board of Equalization to hear protests of valuations of real property. 2005 is a reappraisal year in Colorado. After property valuation notices were mailed out last spring, the staff at the Fremont County Assessor’s Office received protests during May. Notices of determination with any adjustments were mailed out by the end of June. Property owners then had until July 15th to protest those determined values to the Board of Equalization. The Assessor’s Office received nearly 1,200 protests during May of which 845 were approved, 156 denied, and another 174 protests were satisfied.

Eighteen protests were received by the Commissioners for Board of Equalization hearings. Two were later withdrawn. The Board conducted hearings on July 19th, July 26th, and July 27th. Values were adjusted downward on 10 parcels of property and reductions were denied for 11 other parcels. Property owners were notified by mail of the Board’s decision. They have the right under law to make a further protest to the State Board of Equalization if they are unsatisfied with their assessed values.

Commissioner Ed Norden said there were only seven parcels of commercial property that came to the Board for protest hearings. Norden said with commercial properties showing an average increase in assessed value of 22 percent this year it indicates two things. He noted first that the assessed values set by the Assessor’s Office with assistance from the Colorado Division of Taxation reflected what is happening in the marketplace in Fremont County, and secondly that many of the original protests were appropriately adjusted over the counter by the Assessor’s staff.

Commissioner Mike Stiehl is pleased that these more accurate valuations will mean that property taxes are as equitable as possible for everybody.

Commission Chairman Larry Lasha also praised the work of the staff and assistance of the Division of Taxation for their preparation and research in the protests heard by the Board of Equalization.

The Assessor must now prepare an abstract showing the estimated assessed property valuation countywide and by each taxing district. That is due by August 25th. Local government administrators will then rely on that abstract to begin 2006 budget preparations in determining what they might expect for property tax revenue next year. The Assessor must certify final assessed valuation figures by December 10th.

Human Services Department - - Request for Proposals

The Fremont County Board of Commissioners, in their capacity as the Fremont County Board of Human Services, has issued a Request for Proposals for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Reserve Funds. Completed Requests for Proposals must be received by the Fremont County Department of Human Services located at 172 Justice Center Road, Canon City, CO no later than 4:30 p.m. on August 15, 2005. Late proposals will not be accepted even with postmarks dated prior to the deadline. Electronic transmissions are not acceptable, either faxes or e-mail. If you have questions regarding this proposal please call Steve Clifton at 719-275-2318, ext. 3002.

This Request for Proposals will be a competitive process, which is designed to fund other agency programs that will significantly increase the self-sufficiency of TANF recipients and potential recipients up to 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Any and all funding is dependent on the availability of funds.

Interested applicants should contact Steve Clifton, Director of Fremont County Department of Human Services, (719) 275-2318, ext. 3002, for application forms to be completed for consideration.

Fremont Airport Supports Mason Gulch Firefighting

The Fremont County Airport played an integral role in the firefighting efforts for the Mason Gulch Wildfire that burned over 11,300 acres in the San Isabel National Forest in Custer and Pueblo Counties. Airport Manager Richard Baker said 205 aircraft sorties were flown from the airport to attack the Mason Gulch fire from July 7 – 11.

The Fremont County Airport is serving as a staging location this summer for a pair of small air tankers which are designed to provide a quick aerial response to fight fires in southern Colorado. One tanker is under contract to the Colorado State Forest Service and the other is under contract to the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM’s tanker has a capacity of 600 gallons and came from Plains, Texas. The Forest Service tanker, from Rigby, Idaho, has a capacity of 800 gallons.

Three other small air tankers were also brought in to help fight the Mason Gulch fire. Baker said over the five days the air tankers delivered 103,000 gallons of fire retardant slurry on the fire. Baker said having the new one million gallon water tank available south of the airport also provided crews with an ample water supply to mix the slurry that was loaded on the air tankers.

Baker said the firefighting also resulted in sales of over 9,800 gallons of jet fuel and over 4,600 gallons of aviation fuel at the Fremont County Airport.

The Fremont County Commissioners praised the work of Baker and his airport staff who worked a total of 142 hours over the five day period to support the efforts of the firefighters.

Baker says because of the strategic value of having the air tankers stationed at the Fremont County Airport and because of the high wildfire danger, the BLM and the Forest Service have extended the contract for the air tankers at the airport through the end of September.

July 26th Commissioners' Meeting

The Fremont County Commissioners rejected a Planned Unit Development for a proposed 115 unit housing project on the site of a former county gravel pit at the northeast edge of Canon City. Colorado Springs developer Allen Miller had returned to the Commissioners to review changes he had made to the ‘Mesas on Sunrise Ridge’ P.U.D. after the Board initially reviewed it on April 25th. Miller was proposing 13 fewer housing units, some wider streets, and improvements to the intersection of Dozier Avenue and Van Loo Road. A number of neighbors were again on hand to protest.

The P.U.D. sketch plan was only scheduled for a second review and did not require Board action but a motion offered by Chairman Larry Lasha to terminate the P.U.D. process was approved on a 2-1 vote. Lasha said it appeared obvious from the Planning Commission’s recommendations, the neighborhood reaction, and the Board’s own concerns that the site was not well suited for a planned unit development. Miller has indicated to Planning Department officials that he will now explore the option of developing the site for single family homes under the existing low density residential zoning.
In other action the Board of Commissioners:

• Approved a request to change the name of the ‘Bondurant Subdivision’ at Howard to the ‘Hope Subdivision’ to avoid conflict with another subdivision bearing the same name.
• Approved a temporary use permit to allow a fund raising banquet by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation at the Airport Industrial Park on August 13th.
• Approved a two lot minor subdivision for Effinger Estates at 1240 Logan Street in Lincoln Park dividing the property into one lot containing one acre and another lot containing 1.95 acres.
• Approved the Legacy Subdivision, a two lot minor subdivision for Cynthia Molello on the southeast corner of ‘K’ and 4th Streets in Penrose. Lot 1 will contain 4.65 acres and Lot 2 will contain 4.64 acres.
• Heard a request for support by the Commissioners for development of a Pikes Peak National Cemetery for veterans in a four county area including El Paso, Fremont, Pueblo, and Teller Counties.