June 3rd Planning Commission Agenda

Zoning issues at the Fremont County Airport highlight the agenda for the June 3rd meeting of the Fremont County Planning Commission Tuesday evening. The Planning Commission is set to review several changes to the county's zoning resolution identified as the 26th amendment. Included in the changes is the creation of an 'Airport' zone district. An 'Airport' zone district has been under discussion by the Planning and Zoning staff with the Board of Commissioners for the past two years as a way to control development on airport facilities and the area immediately surrounding the airport. Regulations within an 'Airport' zone district are guided in large part by restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. The 'Airport' zone district will generally require that any development within that district be aviation related.

Following consideration of the zoning amendment the planning commission will then formally consider a zone change on the property itself at the airport. The airport currently has two zoning designations. They include 'Airport Industrial Park' and 'Industrial'. The new zone districts being proposed are 'Airport' for the airport facilities and 'Industrial Park' for the industries located in the airport vicinity. The zone change basically means that Fremont County would abandon the definition of 'Airport Industrial Park' zoning. That means there would be only one industrial park zone district identified in county zoning regulations.

The only other item on the Planning Commission agenda is consideration of a request by Stan and Kristina Hinton for a two lot minor subdivision on 9 1/2 acres on the northeast corner of 10th and 'A' streets in the Beaver Park area at Penrose.

The Planning Commission meets 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 3rd, in room LL-3 on the lower level of the Fremont County Administration Building at 615 Macon Avenue in Canon City.

War Memorial Park Bricks Dedication

A ceremony to dedicate the latest addition of veterans names on engraved bricks at the Fremont County War Memorial Park is set for tomorrow. Veterans Service Office Betty Hanawalt says the dedication ceremony for the newly engraved bricks will take place at 12 noon at the memorial wall at the Fremont County Airport.

Pastor Jack Crosby will deliver remarks for the dedication which will also include a flag ceremony by the Canon City High School ROTC and a jet plane flyover by Airport Manager Richard Baker.

Hanawalt says 101 names of veterans, both living and deceased, have been added to the memorial wall. Hanawalt said a list of names to add to the wall had begun a couple of years ago and her office was working last fall to reach a benchmark of fifty names needed for another brick engraving order. But a concerted campaign during the 2007 Christmas holiday period produced a good response from veterans and their families to add names to the memorial.

If you're interested in adding the name of a veteran, living or dead, to the memorial wall you should contact Hanawalt at the Veterans Service Office in the Fremont County Administration Building. She maintains a list in hopes of accumulating another fifty names of veterans to issue another brick engraving order.

May 27th Commissioners Meeting

The Fremont County Commissioners tabled a final decision on a conditional use permit (CUP) for uranium exploration in the Tallahassee area northwest of Canon City following an eight hour marathon public hearing Tuesday.

More than sixty people testified before the Commissioners voicing both opposition and support to the plan by Black Range Minerals to resume uranium exploration on the Taylor Ranch along County Road 2 (Tallahassee Road). Black Range began exploration over a year ago but halted activities last fall when the company learned that exploration activities also require a permit. Mike Haynes, Black Range Managing Director, said the firm wants to explore on 3,900 acres in the middle of 8,169 acres of the proposed CUP area. Black Range wants to drill 800 test holes pledging to exceed state standards for sealing the test holes with bentonite and cement. Black Range also offered to develop a water well monitoring program and to monitor surface water for possible contamination.

Opponents repeatedly expressed concerns over possible cross contamination of underground water aquifers from the uranium test holes that could affect their private wells. They said threats posed by the uranium exploration have already significantly affected property values in what they describe as an area that is becoming increasingly residential in nature. Opponents also argued that continued exploration would create noise, traffic, and night lights in the pristine Tallahassee area.

Supporters of the exploration said they are confident the steps Black Range will take to seal the test holes will adequately prevent cross contamination. Some property owners also argued that they have long held both surface and mineral rights and should not be prevented from exercising those property rights. They said residents moving in to develop their 35 acre lots should have been aware that they were building in a uranium-rich area. Many added that they have used and drank water for years without health problems from their own water wells.

The Commissioners voted to table a decision on the CUP until the June 9th regular board meeting. The board noted that with the public hearing closed no additional public comment, letters, or e-mails will be accepted as part of the official record.

Routine business conducted by the commissioners prior to the Black Range public hearing included:

• Approval of a liquor store license renewal and 3.2 retail beer license for Forge Food Mart & Liquor;
• approved a special events permit for serving beer by the Fremont Center for the Arts for the annual Build Your Own Boat event June 28th at Canon City Recreation District Offices;
• and scheduled a public hearing for 10 a.m. June 9th on the proposed adoption of updated building codes for Fremont County.

County Nurse Retires after 17 years as Director

Fremont County Nurse Clarice Little will leave her post at the end of May after leading the Fremont County Nursing Service for the past seventeen years. Little has decided to retire from her work in public health where she has worked for twenty-seven years. Little began with the Fremont County Nursing Service in September, 1981, performing home health service, operating immunization clinics, and a multitude of other duties.

She became deputy director of the nursing service in 1985. After completing her Master's Degree in Administration she became the acting administrator in January, 1991, while the administrator was called to active duty with Desert Storm in Iraq. Little took over permanent duties as administrator ten months later.

The Fremont County Commissioners have announced that Becki Vettese is being promoted from her current post with the nursing office to become the new administrator. Vettese is a registered nurse who has worked with the Fremont County Nursing Service since 2001 working primarily in home health, immunizations, well child programs, and emergency preparedness. Vettese previously worked with St. Thomas More Hospital in Canon City as the Director of Obstetrics for one year and as nursing supervisor for two years.

Prior to moving to Canon City in 1998 Vettese also worked in obstetrics and pediatrics in Alaska, New Mexico, and Nevada with the Indian Health Service. Her husband, Dennis Vettese, is a pharmacist at St. Thomas More Hospital. They have three children (ages 28, 22, and 18) and two grandchildren.

County Commission Chairman Larry Lasha said Fremont County is fortunate to have someone of Vettese's caliber and experience to carry on the tradition of public health services in Fremont County.

He said the Board of Commissioners appreciates the dedication that Clarice Little exhibited in her work to the county nursing service over those 27 years and noted that Little can be pleased she leaves behind a well trained staff of professionals.

Countywide Stage One Fire Ban In Effect

Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker has imposed Stage One Fire Restrictions across all unincorporated areas of Fremont County. The Sheriff was preparing to put the restrictions in place when the county's first wildland fire of the season broke out Monday afternoon (May 12th) in the Copper Gulch area within the Deer Mountain Fire District. The fire was believed to have been ignited from a controlled burn that got out of hand and was spread by strong southwest winds onto BLM public lands. It quickly covered 200 acres by nightfall.

Sheriff Beicker said he had decided that conditions had warranted a fire ban and sought authorization from the county commissioners. Stage One fire restrictions were then imposed by the Sheriff which primarily prohibit all open burning. The specifics of a Stage One fire ban include:

A. STAGE ONE ALLOWED ACTIVITIES
1. Open fires only at developed recreation sites or improved sites;
2. Charcoal, propane or other contained fuel grill use;
3. Open fires in metal fire rings in campgrounds and parks;
4. Smoking only within an enclosed vehicle or building, at a developed recreation site, within a

designated smoking area with an approved container for discarding of butts, or while stopped

in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials;
5. Use of an approved spark arrestor for use of any internal combustion engine, only if equipped with

an approved spark arrestor;
6. Outdoor welding and grinding with proper distance from combustible materials, as long as there is

proper and appropriate fire protection and suppression equipment in place.

B. STAGE ONE PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
1. All open fires, open burning and smoking if not specifically allowed above;
2. All agricultural burning including but not limited to weeds, brush, grass;
3. Use and/or discharge of fireworks or pyrotechnic devices,
4. Use of any explosives;
5. Open fires using rock ring burn pits;
6. Recreational below ground cooking;
7. Outdoor smoking except as specifically allowed above, including discard of cigarette butts at any

location or from any vehicle.

If conditions worsen the Sheriff would have the authority to impose an even stricter ban under Stage Two or Stage Three fire restrictions.

May 13th Commissioners Meeting

The Fremont County Commissioners Tuesday gave the Sheriff authority to impose a fire ban and approved a permit that will allow the former Broken Spoke arena at Penrose to reopen.

Sheriff Jim Beicker sought the Commissioners approval of a resolution to authorize him to impose fire bans this spring and summer due to the extreme fire danger conditions that have emerged in recent weeks. Beicker took a break from helping manage the Sheriff's wildland fire team response to the Ferguson Fire which broke out in the Copper Gulch area southwest of Canon City Monday afternoon. Beicker said conditions are such that even with a break from welcome rain showers, a day or two of sunny and windy weather would again leave conditions ripe for wildfire. With the Commissioners' approval the Sheriff announced he would impose Stage One fire restrictions which basically prevent all open burning and agricultural burning in unincorporated areas of Fremont County.

The Commissioners unanimously approved a special review use permit for the Crossroads Event Center which will open soon in the former Broken Spoke arena on the southeast corner of Highways 50 and 115 at Penrose. James Pickart told the Commissioners that he and his partners intend to operate a large animal veterinary clinic at the arena as the basis for their operation. He said the arena will cater to the owners of horses involved in competitive roping and rodeo type events. Pickart said scheduling arena events and operating a restaurant will help to round out the operation of the new business. Pickart said eventually a residence will be built on the site.

In other business the Commissioners:

• Approved a temporary use permit for the Penrose ATV Club to operate a Royal Gorge ATV Jamboree on June 7th at 0012 3rd Street in Penrose. Ron Faulkner said the event has been scaled back considerably to now feature only an outdoor concert that Saturday evening. He said they hope to do better planning next year to include an ATV rodeo and trail rides;
• approved a proclamation designating May as Foster Care Month in Fremont County;
• approved a zone change from Business to Ag Estates zoning for Tony Wish along Highway 50 at Coaldale. Wish has already torn down an old barber shop and is preparing a new home site on the riverfront property;
• approved four abatements referred from the County Assessor's office;
• and approved Fremont County's sponsorship of issuing a revenue bond through Wells Fargo to finance acquisition of new offices for Sangre DeCristo Hospice in Canon City. The bond issuance carries no fiscal liability to the county.
  

Tourism Council Web Site Report

As members of the Fremont County Tourism Council (FCTC) analyze the number of internet visits to the council's official web site, www.rgcountry.com, the next challenge is to come up with a message that will compete with other Colorado attractions.

R.A. Burrell of Internet Honey told FCTC last month that the number of visits to the Royal Gorge Country web site is up significantly within Colorado, as well as from California, Illinois, and New York. Burrell said web visits from New York State are up about five times. He said there has also been a significant growth in web site visits from Denver and the Front Range region. He said what's puzzling is that inquiries from Texas, typically one of Colorado's strongest markets, have gone down.

Burrell said the growth could be attributed to the overall increased marketing campaign for Colorado tourism but he added that the interest has particularly peaked in relation to Colorado sightseeing. But when it comes to connecting web visits to tourists who actually travel to Fremont County, Burrell notes that unfortunately Fremont County doesn't have the exclusive market for beautiful Colorado scenery.

He said the Royal Gorge is of course unique to Fremont County, but there must be a further "call to action" of what will make Fremont County a unique place to visit for the traveling family. Burrell challenged the Tourism Council saying, "What is the conversation we will have with that family once they check out the Royal Gorge? How will the Royal Gorge compete against a Steamboat Springs or Summit County?" Burrell said what must happen next with internet promotion for www.rgcountry.com is the need to move the Royal Gorge to new markets that don't know the area. He said that's the task ahead for FCTC to develop a 'branding' campaign.