Applicants Sought for Tourism Council Appointments

The Fremont County Board of Commissioners is soliciting letters of interest from Fremont County residents for the annual appointment to two positions on the Fremont County Tourism Council (FCTC). The Tourism Council develops and administers a Tourism Marketing Plan for Fremont County utilizing the proceeds from the Fremont County Lodging Tax.

Each position is for a three year term beginning January 1, 2009. One position is currently vacant as the result of the September resignation of Danny DeGeorge of Yogi Bear Campground. The other position is currently held by Ryan McCallister of Kwik Stop and Subway Food Stores. McCallister is eligible for reappointment.

Employment or ownership in a tourism related business will be a determining factor in the appointment by the Commissioners.

FCTC members are required to attend monthly meetings as well as any special meetings as voted upon by the council. Periodic attendance at other community meetings pertaining to tourism issues may also be necessary. These positions involve voluntary service with no compensation.

Letters of interest should be addressed to the Fremont County Board of Commissioners, Room 105, Fremont County Administration Building, 615 Macon Avenue, Canon City, CO 81212. The deadline for letters is 4 p.m., Friday, November 28th.

October 28th Commissioners Meeting

The Fremont County Commissioners Tuesday took final action to approve a pair of zone changes around the Fremont County Airport. The zone changes were part of the September 9th public hearing on the 26th amendment to the county's zoning resolution. This action actually adopts the new zone Airport Zone District for the airport property itself. The action also put in place the Industrial Park Zone District for the existing industrial park at the airport as well as some of the acreage on the south edge of the airport property along the east side of Hwy 67. The zone changes take effect December 1st.

Kevin Kerrigan, Manager of Public Affairs for Atmos Energy, was on hand to present an informational item regarding Atmos' request before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for a one percent gas cost adjustment increase. Kerrigan said that with the market the way it is, Atmos sought the one percent gas cost adjustment to reflect the price it pays for natural gas. Kerrigan said when costs were escalating last spring and summer Atmos was busy securing contracts for natural gas supplies this winter. Kerrigan acknowledged that Atmos already received PUC approval for a 17 percent gas cost adjustment increase last June. He said natural gas customers who may have a difficult time paying winter heating bills may want to inquire as to whether they qualify for assistance under the 'Energy Outreach Colorado' program or 'LEAP'...the federal Low Income Energy Assistance Program. Kerrigan said customers can learn more about those programs by dialing toll free....1-866-HEAT-HELP.

The Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a three lot minor subdivision at the southeast corner of Elm Avenue and Chestnut in Lincoln Park. The 3.1 acre parcel is part of the estate of deceased veterinarian Dr. Bert Stratton. The primary issue of concern to the Planning Department and the Commissioners was to make sure that the developers of the two new lots will be responsible for building a detention pond on each of the lots prior to construction of any homes. The ponds would be needed to detain storm water that would flow into the adjoining Sand Creek drainage way.

In other business the Commissioners:

• and Fremont County's West Nile Virus program director J.R. Phillips presented awards to the Oddfellows' Royal Gorge Manor for efforts they undertook over the summer. Phillips said under the direction of resident manager Debbie Sims, the window screens on all 700 windows of the 12-story manor were replaced. Phillips said the program not only makes window cleaning easier but also prevents hundreds of mosquitoes and other insects from entering the apartment building.
• Approved a proclamation designating November as National Hospice/Palliative Care Month and taking note of the services offered through Sangre De Cristo Hospice.
• Scheduled a public hearing for 10 a.m. November 12th to take comment from supporters and opponents of the proposed North Canon Area Sewer Extension Local Improvement District. The Commissioners would have to approve creation of the improvement district based on neighborhood support in order for the Fremont Sanitation District to proceed with the $3.3 million project.

North Canon Sanitary Sewer Public Hearing Set

Construction on the long awaited North Canon Sanitary sewer project could get underway this winter if all of the final legal hurdles can be cleared in the coming weeks. Properties in an area generally north of High Street between York and Lawrence Streets and several residences south of High Street between York and Pennsylvania are targeted to have their failing septic systems replaced by sanitary sewer lines. Many residents have dealt with septic problems for years caused by high water tables and poor soil conditions. They have petitioned Fremont County and the Fremont Sanitation District to aid them in getting sanitary sewer service. Septic maintenance and failures have proven quite costly and have created numerous public health problems due to raw sewage which surfaces above ground.

Since contract agreements were circulated among residents in late 2006, the Fremont Sanitation District has worked to assemble a grant and loan package to help finance the $3.3 million project. Sanitation District Manager George Medaris said there are two key components to finance the project. The first is a $1.3 million Community Development Block Grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. The project was first estimated to cost $2.6 million but as prices escalated over the past eighteen months the original $500,000 grant application was reworked into a much larger grant.

The second financial component is a $2 million loan from the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. Since its creation by the legislature in 1981, the Authority has evolved into a major financing resource for water and wastewater utilities throughout Colorado. The $2 million loan will have to be repaid over a 20 year period by the 176 customers who will hook up to sanitary sewer. The contracts signed by residents in the service area listed a maximum monthly charge of $45 for debt service on the loan. In addition to the debt service, residents will also have to pay the standard monthly sewer charge, which currently is $17.56, once sewer lines are installed. As part of their in-kind contribution to secure the grant, the residents will be responsible for removing their existing septic systems.

To formally initiate the project the Fremont County Commissioners must create a local improvement district. A public hearing on creation of the improvement district is set for Wednesday, November 12th, at 10 a.m. during the regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners. As part of the hearing the Fremont Sanitation District will report on how much support has been shown from residents within the proposed boundaries. Based upon the signed contracts from residents submitted in early 2007, nearly 54 percent of the residents have indicated support for the project. All of the residents in the proposed district will soon receive a letter detailing the status of the project, estimated costs and assessments, and an announcement of the public hearing.

If the county commissioners approve a resolution creating the North Canon Sewer Improvement District it's expected that the Fremont Sanitation District will be ready to advertise for bids by January. That would allow a bid to perhaps be awarded early next year so construction can get underway soon thereafter. Officials hope to get most of the project completed by early summer of 2009 before water tables begin rising in the area.

Human Services Employees Saluted for Welfare Fraud Recoveries

Two Fremont County Department of Human Services (DHS) employees received statewide recognition at a recent meeting in Snowmass of the Colorado Welfare Fraud Council and the United Council on Welfare Fraud.

Shelly Poole, a Fremont County DHS fraud investigator, was named the 'Investigator of the Year' from among local, state, and federal level welfare fraud investigators who were nominated for the award. Poole was instrumental in the recent preparation of a case prosecuted by the District Attorney's Office in Canon City which resulted in misdemeanor and felony convictions. The case also produced restitution of $18,923 for the Low Income Day Care Fund. Poole has worked at Fremont County DHS for nine years and has been a certified welfare fraud investigator with the United Council on Welfare Fraud for two years. She was also recently selected to serve as Treasurer of the Colorado Welfare Fraud Council for 2009.

The other honoree was Melissa Zapien, Eligibility Technician with the Fremont County DHS Office. She received the award for 'Eligibility Technician of the Year' for the State of Colorado. Zapien has been an eligibility technician with the department for four years and has an impressive history of fraud referrals, disqualifications, and recoveries. A case referred to Poole by Ms. Zapien resulted in a client's disqualification from the Food Stamp and Temporary Aid to Needy Families programs for a period of twelve months each. Her efforts resulted in a total recovery of $61,597 because of public assistance benefits that the clients were ineligible to receive.

The two Fremont County DHS employees received their awards at a welfare fraud council joint training conference in Snowmass in mid-September.

Fremont County DHS Executive Director Steve Clifton said not only can citizens be proud of the honors received by Ms. Poole and Ms. Zapien but should particularly be pleased with efforts to root out welfare fraud in the county and make sure public assistance dollars reach qualifying and deserving families.

October 14th Commissioners Meeting

After several months of language modifications the Fremont County Commissioners approved the 26th amendment to the Fremont County Zoning resolution at their October 14th regular meeting. The Planning Commission spent three months this past summer reworking language in the latest zoning amendment. Following a September 9th public hearing, the Board of Commissioners tabled final consideration for another month while they spent a pair of workshops with planning staff to review all of the proposed changes in detail.

The biggest change from the 26th amendment is the abolishment of the Airport Industrial Park zone district. It will be replaced by two new zone districts defined as 'Industrial Park' and 'Airport'. The motive behind the change is to more strictly define uses permitted on Fremont County Airport property which are directly associated to aviation uses. Current light industrial uses adjacent to the airport will be zoned in the new Industrial Park zone district. The area immediately south of the runway will also be zoned 'Airport' as the county seeks to promote the expansion of aviation uses there, but there will also be acreage south of airport property zoned for Industrial Park.

After the Fremont County Planning Commission spent several meetings reviewing detailed language changes, the Planning Commission in August voted against a recommendation for adoption of the amendment. The planning members said their opposition was directed at site development requirements in the zoning resolution rather than any specific changes proposed in the 26th amendment. Commissioner Ed Norden said the Planning Commission did a good job reviewing the changes and said the Board of Commissioners in their workshop took up some of those philosophical discussions which they hope to continue in a future joint meeting with the Planning Commission.

A resolution with the formalized language changes will be considered by the Commissioners for adoption at the October 28th meeting.

The Commissioners also conducted a public hearing on a request for special review use permits for a pair of wind monitoring towers on state school lands near the Stirrup Ranch close to the Fremont-Park County line. One mast would be 262 feet high and the other 198 feet. E.ON of Houston, Texas, already has two wind monitoring masts erected in Park County as the firm studies the potential for a wind farm in the area. E.ON's Development Manager Cyrus Tashakkori said the four masts will give them a general idea as to whether the area would support a wind farm. Paul Bowman of E.ON said the project would be commercially viable if wind turbines were able to generate electricity 40 percent of the time. He said it will take only a matter of hours to erect the two wind masts which will gather data and record it electronically for retrieval through cell phone calls. The wind monitors will accumulate data over two years to determine the project's viability. The Commissioners approved both mast permits.

In other business Fremont County Clerk Norma Hatfield reported that over 7,000 mail ballots had been requested from her office for the November 4th election. Hatfield said it's estimated that perhaps 85 percent of the registered voters in the county will participate in this year's election which would be the highest turnout ever.

Tourism Council 2009 Community Funding Applications Available

The Fremont County Tourism Council is accepting applications from community organizations for 2009 tourism funding allocations. Community organizations and non-profit groups that conduct special events which attract tourists and visitors to the area are invited to submit applications for funding assistance. The Tourism Council by-laws require that at least five percent of Fremont County lodging tax revenues each year be distributed to community groups to support their special events. The total amount of money to be distributed will be determined by the Tourism Council as part of their 2009 budget adoption in December. Because lodging tax revenues have declined in 2008 the Tourism Council reports that the amount of money available for distribution is expected to below levels of a year ago.

Application forms are available at the Fremont County Commissioners Office at 615 Macon Ave., Room 105, in Canon City, or on the main page of this the web site: www.fremontco.com. Click on the funding application link found on the main page. The application deadline for the 2009 tourism funding allocations is 4 p.m. Friday, November 14th at the County Commissioners Office. The Tourism Council will hear oral presentations from the applicants at their December 2nd regular meeting.

County Sells Industrial Park Lot for ICE Facility

Fremont County has closed on a sale of eight acres of property near the Fremont County Airport which will be the site of a new federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility for immigration detainees. Sale of the property has been in the works for more than two years. County Commission Chairman Larry Lasha signed the sale documents last Friday. The buyer is JIOL L.L.C. of Lakewood. Managing partner Floyd Sack said excavation of the site began today with plans to complete work on the ICE facility within six to nine months.

The Fremont County Commissioners sold the eight acre lot for $200,000. It is part of a forty acre parcel of property that the county owns on the west side of Highway 67 across from the airport. The Commissioners had anxiously been anticipating sale of the property having budgeted for the revenue in 2007 and again in 2008. Lasha said that given the shortfall in sales tax revenue the county has experienced this year, receipt of the $200,000 was particularly important to this year's budget.

Lasha also noted that this is the first significant piece of industrial park property to be developed in Fremont County in the past decade. With JIOL extending water and electrical utilities to the west side of Highway 67, it will not only allow the firm to develop the remainder of their eight acre lot but also improve the marketability of the remainder of the county's property to JIOL or any other private firm wanting to develop in an industrial park setting.

JIOL was one of two firms which held purchase options on the property over the last two years. The General Services Administration finally chose JIOL this summer to build the new ICE facility. JIOL will lease the facility to ICE. It will replace an ICE facility now located near the Pueblo Airport. The ICE facility will process immigration detainees and hold them only during daytime hours.

Sack is also the owner of the former B.L.M. office building on East Main in Canon City which is now for sale.