Agenda for May 6th Planning Commission

A site development plan for a new library in Penrose and a permit application for an ATV jamboree in the Penrose area in June highlight a busy agenda for the Fremont County Planning Commission May 6th.

The Planning Commission will review details of the Penrose Community Library District's site development plan to build a new library on the northwest corner of Dawson Street and 7th Avenue in the downtown Penrose area. The district is proposing a library building of nearly 6,950 square feet with allowances to build a 2,000 square foot addition in the future. The building site covers a little less than one acre.

The Penrose ATV Club is seeking a temporary use permit from the county to allow the first Royal Gorge ATV Jamboree at 0012 3rd Street (County Road #123) on Saturday, June 7th. The site is located on 80 acres of private property 1 3/4 miles west of Highway 115 in the Beaver Park area. The permit application seeks permission to stage an ATV Rodeo, limited camping, and an outdoor concert that evening.

The county commissioners requested that the jamboree permit application be reviewed by the Planning Commission because as a first time event in that area it has the potential of drawing a crowd of between 200 and 1,000 people which could pose some impacts on the neighborhood.

The Planning Commission will consider a zone change request from Tony Wish for a piece of property along the north side of Highway 50 in the Coaldale area. The parcel is bordered by residential property on both sides. Wish is seeking a change from Business Zone to Ag Estates Zoning so he can build a new residence on the property.

The Commission also considers a special review use permit application from Alltel Communications which wants to install a new 100 foot monopole wireless communications tower in the Four Mile area. The proposed tower site is on land owned by the Jean Colon-Ann Emerson trust and is on the hill just southeast of Highway 50 and MacKenzie Avenue east of Canon City.

The Fremont County Planning Commission meets at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 6th in Room LL-3 of the Fremont County Administration Building at 6th and Macon in Canon City.

Conservation Easements Workshop Scheduled

The Gold Belt Byway Association invites Fremont County landowners to attend a conservation easement workshop in Canon City Wednesday evening May 7th from 5 until 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express. Fremont County Commissioner Mike Stiehl will have opening remarks.

A conservation easement is a legal agreement that ensures a property will be managed in perpetuity according to the landowner's desires. It also qualifies the landowner for significant state and federal tax benefits. Conservation easements can assist landowners in protecting their land, wildlife habitat, scenic areas, and/or historic buildings.

The purpose of the two hour workshop is to enable attendees to begin to understand the process of a conservation easement and its financial benefits under the Internal Revenue Service Code and Colorado tax credit program.

Participants will be treated to a brief overview of a diversity of easement topics. Staff from the Palmer Land Trust and San Isabel Land Protection Trust will make a presentation on conservation easement use and application. Highly qualified, licensed professionals will be available to discuss appraisals and the tax implications of conservation easements. Finally, landowners with conservation easements on their properties will speak about their personal experiences with the process.

The workshop is free of charge. Snacks and beverages will be served. There is no need to RSVP. Contact Charlotte Bumgarner at 719-689-2461 if you have questions.

Fremont Judicial Center Awarded Security Grant

Fremont County's Judicial Center will see improvements in emergency communications as the result of a grant awarded by the Colorado Court Security Commission. The Commission announced that Fremont County will receive a $10,995 grant to install a public address system in the Judicial Center to better facilitate a full evacuation of the building in the event of a fire or other emergency.

Fremont County is one of forty-six counties to receive a grant from among $1 million in grant monies that were awarded. Steven Steadman, court security specialist for the Colorado State Court Administrator's Office, said every county that applied for a grant received some funding from the seven-member Court Security Commission. The Commission was established under Senate Bill 118 approved in the 2007 session of the General Assembly. Steadman said the grants distributed this month represent the first full round of funding under the program. The grants will reimburse counties for security-related spending specified in the grant applications.

A public address system in the Fremont County Judicial Center had been listed as a security priority after concerns were raised when some people had remained in the building following a fire alarm. Emergency evacuations of the Judicial Center can quickly become complicated over security issues with inmates who are in custody; security issues for judges, attorneys, and witnesses; and for juries that may be deliberating a court case. The public address system will enable emergency messages to be broadcast on speakers and telephones throughout courtrooms and offices in the Judicial Center as well as the adjoining offices of the Probation Department and the District Attorney.

April 22nd Commissioners Meeting

Renewal of a conditional use permit for a clay mine south of Rockvale highlighted a brief agenda Tuesday for the Fremont County Commissioners.

The Commissioners conducted a public hearing on Summit Brick and Tile Company's application to renew their permit for the Cherokee Clay Mine along County Road 84 south of Rockvale. Summit has operated the clay mine since 1977. Instead of another ten year permit, this Summit requested a 'life of the mine' permit. One neighbor expressed concern as to whether the mountain across from her will be mined but was told it will not.

The Commissioners unanimously approved a 35 year permit for what the company considers will be the life of the mine. Of the 35.2 acre permit area they will mine 9.9 acres of clay used in firing bricks. Summit will limit mining and hauling to six weeks per year from 8 to 5 Monday through Saturday. They agreed to a condition to provide 100 tons of gravel annually to help the Road and Bridge Department maintain County Road 84 due to impacts from their truck traffic. They will also make necessary grading and gravel surface improvements to their access so as to prevent muddy, clay material from dropping/washing onto the county road.

The Commissioners Tuesday also:

• Appointed Randy White and Jay Seavy to two year terms on the Fremont County Airport and Industrial Park Advisory Board. White and Seavy replace John Ary and Dave Nash on the board;
• Approved a temporary use permit for the annual Blossom Festival carnival to operate along Elm Avenue just west of Canon City's Public Works Building;
• and re-scheduled the regular June 10th Board of Commissioners meeting to Monday, June 9th, to allow the board to attend the summer conference of Colorado Counties, Inc.
  

Emergency Preparedness Phone Test a Success

The first test in several years of Fremont County's Emergency Preparedness Network (EPN) has been deemed a success based upon statistical data returned from the test that ran Wednesday evening, April 16th. The pre-planned test event for EPN, often referred to as 'reverse 9-1-1' targeted two neighborhoods which could see the effects of high water runoff along the Arkansas River this spring.

Canon City Police Captain Allen Cooper said it took less than ten seconds for a computer in Longmont, Colorado, to place 317 telephone calls with a test message which was recorded by Fremont County Commissioner Ed Norden. Of the 317 phone calls, 246 emergency test messages were actually delivered for a success rate of 78 percent. The calls went to Canon City residents from Riverside Drive east to 4th Street and in the area of Brewster Lane and McCumber Lane between Canon City and Florence.

Of the 317 phone calls made, 136 were "full person delivery" calls in which a person picked up, answered, and listened to the entire message. 40 persons listened to part of the message, 50 answering machines recorded the whole message, and 20 recorded a partial message. 13 calls went to a modem or fax machine, 12 phone lines were busy, and there were 34 "no answer" calls.

Cooper said authorities knew that they would never achieve a 100% success rate. Prior to the test, several persons contacted Captain Cooper and reported that they had rental houses with working phones but no tenants and no answering machine. These calls would appear as "no answer calls". The test parameters were set with a maximum number of two call back attempts. 509 total call attempts were made.

It cost $76 to stage the EPN test. Fremont County's E 9-1-1 Authority spends $8,700 annually to have the EPN service ready and available if the reverse calls need to be made for possible evacuations or other emergency notices.

Fremont Child Support Group Meets '07 Goals

Members of the Fremont County Department of Human Services Child Support Enforcement Unit have received certificates for their participation in the 2007 goal to collect $300 million in child support payments statewide. Each county must meet specific goals and Fremont County's Child Support Enforcement Unit met all of their 2007 goals, collecting child support payments totaling $4,524,704. The goals include paternity establishment, percent of cases with child support orders, percent of current support paid and arrears cases with a payment. Credit for this success is given to the experienced team of legal technicians who take pride in their work.

You do not have to be receiving public assistance to have a case opened with Fremont County Department of Human Services Child Support Enforcement Unit. If you would like to have a case opened to establish an order or enforce an existing order to collect child support, you can do so for a $20.00 fee. You may request an application in person at the Department of Human Services, 172 Justice Center Rd, Canon City, CO, by phone at 719-275-2318 Ext. 3018, or through the Child Support Website at http://www.childsupport.state.co.us/.

April 8th Commissioners Meeting

Approval of an agreement with Colorado Springs Utilities regarding the Southern Delivery System highlighted a brief agenda of business for the Fremont County Commissioners at their April 8th regular meeting.

The intergovernmental agreement (IGA) was proposed by the City of Colorado Springs to set up the review process by Fremont County should the city and the Bureau of Reclamation settle on a Fremont County route for a 66-inch water pipeline that would be part of the Southern Delivery System (SDS). Under the IGA Colorado Springs Utilities would agree to pursue whatever Fremont County permits might be required and go through the review process by the Planning and Zoning Office, Planning Commission, and County Commissioners. The Commissioners noted that the IGA actually gives the county more oversight if Fremont County is the choice for the SDS route. That's because Colorado Springs could use its own independent authority and eminent domain powers to establish a route for the pipeline. The Commissioners say the IGA would allow them to have input on the route chosen for the pipeline and the location on the Arkansas River for a large pump station.

As part of the IGA, Colorado Springs Utilities agreed to put down $50,000 as a deposit towards the costs of the engineering and technical review by Fremont County. The Commissioners emphasized that the $50,000 is not a payment adding that if actual costs of the review are less than that amount, any remaining money would be refunded to Colorado Springs.

In other business the Commissioners acknowledged a request from Black Range Minerals to delay a public hearing on the company's application for a conditional use permit by another two weeks. The Commissioners set Tuesday, May 27th, as the date for a public hearing during the board's regular meeting on Black Range's permit application to resume exploration for uranium on the Taylor Ranch along County Roads #2 and #21 in the Tallahassee area northwest of Canon City.