News Now Blog

New changes to the Fremont County Building Code were adopted by the Commissioners last November and took effect Jan. 1.

For years, Fremont County had been working under the 2006 International Building Code. Building Official Wyatt Sanders worked for the better part of a year to plan and prepare to implement the changes. Following workshops, discussion and a Public Hearing that saw no input from the public, we adopted the 2018 IBC with a few minor changes.

Naturally, the new code affects only unincorporated Fremont County only, and not land that falls within the limits of any city or town. Each city and town adopts their own Building Code.

The county’s modifications shouldn’t come as a surprise to builders or contractors, but some citizens who own agricultural parcels may not understand the changes affect them, too.

Many of the revisions were minor, housekeeping items that did not affect the way the Building Department or contractors do business. Most of the substantive changes affect ag land, including a modification of the agricultural “exempt from permit” status and the definition of “Agricultural Building.”

“Exempt from permit” status previously meant an ag owner could put up an ag building with no notification to or permission from the county. Although agricultural buildings still do not need an actual building permit, owners now are required to submit plans for a determination on the building’s conformity with the new definition of “Agricultural Building.”

Those plans must include a plot map that will be shared with the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning, where it will be examined to ensure all setbacks follow regulation, which is required even on ag-designated parcels.

Ag buildings still will not be issued an actual building permit, and there will be no fees for the review by the Building Department. However, the process will create a permanent record of the conforming building that will be used in the future by both the Building Department and Assessor’s Office.

Plan approval should prevent questions and issues, including challenges of legality, for ag buildings. The new code is not to stop anyone from building, it is intended to be more definitive and to apply the rules uniformly.

Checking in with the Building Department before putting up a new Ag building will save a lot of time and trouble in the end.

Although a new Building Code is in force, all building fees adopted in 2016 remain the same. There were no increases for building permits.

In addition to adopting the 2018 International Building Code, your County Commissioners also adopted the 2018 International Residential Code and the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code. All are available to view on the county web site, www.fremontco.com; or you may contact the Building Department for more information.

Debbie Bell is the District 2 Fremont County Commissioner.

Even though life has changed dramatically since the second week of March, we were incredibly happy to see one tradition alive and well – the Fremont County Fair.

Admittedly, because of COVID-19, the 2020 edition looked different than it has in the past. All appropriate physical distancing and mask requirements were in place, which meant the Fair spread out over about two weeks instead of the usual one. In addition, the number of attendees had to be kept to a minimum, so few spectators were allowed at many of the events. Despite all the obstacles, the Fair was an overwhelming success!

The Fremont County Fair Board struggled for a few months with major decisions surrounding the Fair. Should we cancel it? Should we limit it? Should we hold it? If so, how can we possibly be successful while adhering to the new rules? Likewise, the Fremont County Livestock Sale Committee was consulted with questions of how it might be possible to hold the Sale.

Those decisions were terribly difficult for these 28 county residents, all of whom have close ties to the Fair. All volunteers, many of them have offered their personal time to serve on the Fair Board for years, and in some cases, decades. They were raised in 4-H, or are leaders in 4-H, or have children or grandchildren in 4-H – or, in some cases, all of the above. These extraordinary folks have a heart for the work they do.

Discussion centered on the 4-H and Future Farmers of America kids themselves, especially once the Open Fair division was canceled. What would they miss out on if the Fair did not happen? And the even bigger question: What might they learn if it did?

For 2020 seniors in high school, this would be their last opportunity to participate in the County Fair. Their last chance to show off their baking skills, to exhibit their photography, to march through the arena with their prized steer. Remember, these are the very youth who already have missed out on so much, including Senior Prom, state tournaments, and a traditional graduation.

The Fair Board, much to the Commissioners’ everlasting praise, ultimately decided to continue with the Fair by making the necessary changes. This year’s crop of kids in 4-H and FFA, from the youngest to the seniors, were handed the opportunity to learn life lessons that typically aren’t part of the Fair.

They learned things don’t always go their way, and how to adapt.

They learned choices can be taken away, and how to move forward.

They learned life hands out disappointments, and how to succeed anyway.

Having participated in 4-H in my own childhood, I remember all the life lessons I learned during those formative years: Responsibility. Patience. Deadlines. Leadership. Quality. This year’s crop of 4-H’ers and FFA’ers came away with all those same lessons, and many more: Resilience. Adaptability. Gratitude. Goodwill. Unity.

We applaud the unsung heroes who made the 2020 Fremont County Fair a success: the 19 members of the Fremont County Fair Board, the nine members of the Fremont County Livestock Sale, every 4-H’er, every FFA’er, their families, 4-H Extension, and everyone else who volunteered their time to make this year’s Fair a success. Lessons learned today will help ensure every youth’s success tomorrow.

Debbie Bell is the District 2 Commissioner and current Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners.

Over the past two months, the Fremont County Commissioners have been dealing with the State of Colorado trying to get our Fremont County businesses back open, as well as spending many hours on a few recent projects.

In December of 2019, we were awarded a Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Energy and Mineral Impact Grant for $1 million to construct a community center at Pathfinder Park. The DOLA grant, combined with about $600,000 from the 4-H Foundation and approximately $917,000 from in-kind work and Conservation Trust Funds, will provide our community with a much needed community center which will provide an updated and spacious facility to begin moving the Fremont County Fair to Pathfinder Park as well as a location for other community events. It’s worth noting that we have received some verbal commitments from local companies to help with the in-kind work for the Pathfinder Project. We expect design work for the building to be completed by the end of June.

One of the goals of the Commissioners when I took office in January of 2013, was to find a permanent home for the Fremont County Search & Rescue (SAR). They have been housed at the Sheriff’s office, and have outgrown the space available. The old Atmos buildings on East Main Street recently became available, and our offer of $425,000 was accepted. These funds will come from the Sales & Use Tax Fund, which is a voter approved fund for capital expenses, and this type of project would work well for those funds. We are currently in Phase Two of an environmental assessment to determine if there are any environmental hazards on the property, and Stantec Inc. is working on finalizing the reports.  We should have results by next week and are scheduled to close by the middle of June. We are hopeful to move forward with relocating our SAR group and a few other county services to a bigger location.

And lastly, Canon City Councilman Jim Meisner and I have met twice within the past month with the Oil Creek Ditch Board of Directors to come up with a plan for the new storm drain intersecting the Oil Creek ditch on Rhoades Avenue. Our last meeting with them included Atkins Engineering, and I believe we can come up with a solution to benefit all the entities involved. This storm water project is a combined effort with the City of Canon City and Fremont County is contributing $200,000 of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funds towards this project, which runs just north of East Main Street down the west side of Rhoades Avenue. I believe this will be money well spent, as the flood of September of 2015 through this area severely impacted not only Rhoades Avenue and businesses along East Main, but the Sherrelwood and Cranberry Park subdivisions as well.

While the bulk of our time is spent on working on variances to present to the State of Colorado due to Covid-19, we are still working on a plethora of projects, both large and small for the citizens of Fremont County.

Tim Payne,

Fremont County Commissioner, District One.

Working With the White House

All three Fremont County Commissioners recently joined historical discussions with officials at the highest levels at the White House in Washington, D.C.

For the first time in history, all 580,000 County Commissioners across the United States were invited to participate in in a three-year, ongoing series of State Leadership Days under President Donald Trump. Colorado Commissioners joined other participants from the seven-state Western Region in September.

This event allowed us a unique, bipartisan opportunity to discuss challenges we all share. We not only listened to presentations from federal officials, but we also had the opportunity to engage with them and ask questions relevant to all citizens of Fremont County.

Since 2017, 5,213 Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated officials joined the unprecedented movement to take our concerns to the White House. The 45 different events held over those three years allowed serious face-to-face communications and professional relationships that are essential to build strong intergovernmental partnerships.

Vice President Mike Pence addressed our group and said six million new jobs have been created in this country since President Trump took office. He said the current administration is focused on investment in infrastructure, workforce, and safety. We were most pleased to hear the White House believes in empowering local communities, an issue we all focus on every day.

Because the Western Region encompasses most federal lands in the United States, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt also spoke during our session. He discussed current difficulties with attracting high-ranking agency staff to live in Washington and the administration’s efforts to move the positions where the jobs are. That effort created the Bureau of Land Management federal headquarters move from Washington to Grand Junction, Colorado. Bernhardt, a Colorado native, also said more people are working now than ever before.

Following the conclusion of State Leadership Days, Bernhardt said he appreciated the opportunities to visit with and learn from leaders across the country.

“Their input and insight are invaluable in our work and service to the American people,” Bernhardt said.

During the event, we also heard other officials discuss current administration priorities, including shared stewardship of federal lands, combatting the opioid crisis, permanent funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes, facilitating infrastructure development and rural prosperity, promoting economic and workforce development, and improving disaster recovering and resilience.

Perhaps one of the most interesting topics was the Selective Service System. Director Don Benton said men are registered to require before the age of 26 or face lifetime consequences. If not registered after the age of 25, men cannot be employed by the federal government or by federal contracting agencies including UPS and FedEx. About 50 percent of all states have adopted the same policies, so unregistered men also would not qualify for state jobs. In addition, there are no federal grants for college for men who have not registered. He said this equates to more than $10,800 in lost financial aid and other funding per person that would otherwise be available.

Most registrations – a full 92 percent currently – take place online, at www.sss.gov. Benton said kids who drop out of high school are at the biggest risk for not registering.

“It takes 45 seconds to save a man 45 years of heartache,” Benton said.

In addition to all the discussion, I believe one of the most important pieces of information we received was a list of contact information for many of the folks in White House Intergovernmental Affairs, allowing us to contact any of them in the future for one-on-one discussions.

Casey Hammond, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior, told us to use that contact information when the need arises.

“The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” Hammond reminded our group. “If you have to, knock twice.”

Armed with the information we received during State Leadership Days, the Fremont County Commissioners are now more prepared than ever to work with the current administration in moving local priorities forward.

Debbie Bell is the Fremont County Commissioner for District 2. She can be reached at debbie.bell@fremontco.com.