Texas Creek Flash Flood Damages ATV Recreation Area

Heavy rains in the Texas Creek area Sunday afternoon heavily damaged a county road leading into a popular Bureau of Land Management ATV recreation site. The storm that dumped more than two inches of rain in a short time period stranded fourteen people from the Denver area when flash flooding washed out several sections of Fremont County Road 27. The people stranded had been four-wheeling in the area of a ridge near the end of the seven mile

stretch of the county road when the storm hit. (Photo Courtesy of Arkansas Headwaters Park & BLM))

Fremont County Sheriff's Officers launched a rescue effort Sunday evening for the stranded people assisted by BLM staff members. They had to walk or ride their ATV's to get out of the storm hit area. The four trucks they had driven into the area had to temporarily be left behind.

Fremont County Cotopaxi Road Foreman Paul Garrett said the washouts were up to eight feet deep in places. Garrett said he will be working the area today with a front end loader to make the road passable again so the vehicles can be driven out. Garrett said he did not travel the entire distance of where the flash flooding washed away the road, but was told that there were at least four significant places that will require major repairs. Garrett notes that while he may get the road passable so the abandoned vehicles can be driven out, it may be several weeks before the full seven mile length of County Road 27 can be restored to a drivable condition for all motorists.

The Bureau of Land Management has begun making their own assessment of repairs that will be needed to the trails throughout the Texas Creek Recreation Site. The BLM issued a statement advising all ATV and other recreation users to avoid the Texas Creek recreation area while repairs are underway. The recreation area's parking lot was also heavily damaged by the flooding but the boat ramp is still accessible.

Garrett said another problem the county will try to deal with in the coming days is the fact that the flash flood washed tons of dirt and rock from the hillsides into the Arkansas River beneath the Texas Creek bridge. He said the debris needs to be cleaned from the river channel to protect the concrete bridge abutments. That will likely require special permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to work in the river channel.

July 14th Board of Commissioners Meeting

The Fremont County Commissioners dealt with a brief agenda of business at their July 14th regular meeting reappointing two members of the Building Code Board of Appeals and approving a pair of temporary use permits.

The Board voted to reappoint Tim Payne and Francis Williams to three year terms on the Fremont County Building Code Board of Appeals. The board meets only when someone files an appeal of a decision by the Building Department Official and occasionally through the year for training sessions.

The Commissioners approved a temporary use permit for the annual Fall Harvest event at Happy Apple Farms at 1190 First Street in Penrose. Tony Ferrara said folks would be able to take part in picking fresh blackberries, raspberries, and other crops. They will also have hayrides, smoked brisket served on weekends, and a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. The event is scheduled every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from August 8th through October 31st.

The Commissioners also approved a temporary use permit for the Crossroads Event Center at Highways 50 and 115 at Penrose. The permit allows a used car sale on the property from August 10th through August 15th. Spradley Motors of Pueblo is expected to have up to 150 used cars on site for the sale. Property owner Dr. James Pickart said he does not want to alienate local Fremont County car dealers with the sale and that if he schedules any future sales on the property he intends to invite multiple dealers to participate.

A public hearing was conducted on a hotel and restaurant liquor license for the Mountain View Trading Post along Highway 50 at the top of Eight Mile Hill west of Canon City. The restaurant will now have a menu limited to pizzas and sub sandwiches and is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. There was no public comment and the Commissioners voted to approve the liquor license.

McCormick & Lamborn Honored as Civic Leaders

Harold McCormick's daughters Ellen and Carole are shown at left. Barbara Lamborn's son Jeff and granddaughters Rochella, Melodie, and Falina shown in photo on right.

The Fremont County Board of Commissioners today voted to formally approve the addition of two names to a plaque which honors the 'Outstanding Civic Leaders of Fremont County'. The plaque hangs in the foyer of the main south entrance of the Fremont County Administration Building.

Former State Senator Harold L. "Mack" McCormick was nominated by the Rialto Theatre as they noted his decades of contributions to the movie and film industry in Fremont County and Colorado. McCormick served for 28 years in the Colorado General Assembly championing the causes of establishing a Colorado Film Commission and satellite water monitoring stations.

McCormick died March 28th at the age of 90. The inscription honoring McCormick on the plaque reads: "WWII, Distinguished Colorado Legislator in Water Law and the Film Commission".

Also honored as an Outstanding Civic Leader, is Barbara Lamborn who died April 4th at the age of 75. Lamborn taught school in southeastern Colorado for several years before moving to Canon City where she taught at the Harrison, Washington, and Lincoln Elementary Schools before retiring in 1993. She was an active member for many years in the Fremont County Cattlewomen's organization and the Fremont-Custer County Farm Bureau.

Lamborn was nominated by the Cattlewomen and the Farm Bureau. The Cattlewomen's nomination noted that Lamborn was always there to assist with anything that needed to be done and volunteered hundreds of hours to various projects. The inscription on the plaque honoring Lamborn reads "Inspirational Teacher and Community Volunteer".

The Board of Commissioners approved creation of the 'Outstanding Fremont Civic Leaders' plaque in 2003 allowing any recognized service organization in the county to nominate someone posthumously for the honor. Four other persons were previously nominated and honored for their service. They include Ruth Carter in 2003, Frank Romanick and Sharon Cushman in 2004, and Darryl Biggerstaff in 2006.

Planning Commission Rejects Mining Amendment

The Fremont County Planning Commission heard another four hours of testimony Tuesday night before voting to reject a citizens-initiated amendment to the county's Master Plan. A public hearing that ran for three hours on June 2nd had been continued for another month to allow more public input and additional time for Planning Commission members to review materials.

A detailed presentation by the Tallahassee Area Community (TAC) supporting an amendment to the Master Plan dominated most of the comment at the June 2nd hearing. The amendment would have banned uranium mining activity within a two mile buffer zone around residences in the county's mountain district. However at Tuesday's hearing, most of the people testified in opposition to the amendment.

A number of Holcim Company employees said the amendment would kill mining jobs and the local economy, and possibly force the cement company out of the county with their business. Jim Javernick told the Planning Commission that the amendment was a job killer.

Other Tallahassee neighbors in the South T-Bar subdivision also spoke against the amendment. Terry Hartman said he still bought a lot after learning the uranium was there. Hartman said his mineral rights are for sale and suggested his neighbors could certainly buy those rights and leave them in the ground.

Several Tallahassee residents said it was time that Fremont County shifted the focus from jobs and money to emphasizing health, safety, and the environment. TAC Legislative Committee Chair Lee Alter said even if the Planning Commission was inclined to bypass the amendment and start reworking the Master Plan on a broader scale, TAC would expect the county to impose a moratorium on issuance of any conditional use permits for further exploration or mining until the Master Plan is amended.

Planning Commission member Dean Sandoval said after hearing the seven hours of testimony he's convinced the Master Plan is in need of change but questioned whether this particular amendment was the way to go about it. Sandoval said in his ten years on the Planning Commission he has not seen this amount of public emotional involvement in connection with mining as has taken place the past two years in front of the Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners.

Planning Commission members hesitated over the thought of tabling the issue and the public hearing for another month. Chairman Tom Piltingsrud said that continuing the public hearing for another month would only add another month's delay in getting down to the detailed work of amending the Master Plan. On that suggestion, member Keith McNew moved to reject the amendment which was approved on a 6 to 1 commission vote.

Fremont County Adopts Body Art Regulations

Body art studios will now have to be licensed and inspected to operate in Fremont County following action by the Fremont County Commissioners who met Tuesday as the County Board of Health. The board conducted a public hearing on the body art regulations after taking action at the April meeting to require the licensing of body art studios.

Richie Streate and Darcie Wige, who operate a studio on Main Street in Canon City, said they welcome the regulations to assure customers that they will receive professional body art services operating under sanitary health conditions when they visit a licensed studio. Streate told the commissioners that too often people experiment with needles and ink on their friends, then buy some equipment off the internet, and set up shop. He says they claim to be professionals but have no certified professional training. Streate said too many times people have come to him infected and scarred from a poorly done tattoo.

Fremont County Environmental Health Officer Sid Darden said the local body art regulations come very close to mirroring state regulations. Darden said language was added requiring anyone under age 18 to have a signed parental consent form before getting a tattoo or body piercing.

In addition to adopting a resolution putting the body art regulations into effect on July 1st the commissioners also approved a resolution setting application and inspection fees. It calls for an initial $75 application fee plus $30 an hour for plan review. Annual inspections would cost $150. Darden said the body art studios would be inspected once a year unless a complaint was filed against the establishment.

Darden agreed that a list of licensed body art studios and inspection reports can be published on the county's web site at www.fremontco.com similar to restaurant inspection reports.