The GHTM holds an annual bake and rummage sale to raise operating funds, sponsors this web site, organizes the Spring Cleanup, and has many committees working on topics of importance to the community, such as long term planning, wildfire protection, and forest management. Meetings are held six times each year: February, April, June, August, October, and December, on the second Monday of the month at the Community Center (Fire Barn).

The current Town Council as of August 2009 is as follows:

Chair: Val Crist,  Secretary: Gretchen Diefenderfer, Treasurer: Adriana Galue, Member at Large: Lisa McConnell.  At the February 8, 2010 Town Meeting, Jim Smith agreed to serve as Vice-Chair, replacing Elon Bar-Evan who resigned.

Elections are held once a year at the August meeting.

Those residing in the town meeting area, excluding Summerville, may vote at town meetings provided they:

• Are at least 18 years of age
• Have lived in Gold Hill for 60 days during the 12 months prior to the meeting or for 60 days during the previous 5 years with no less than 5 days in any 1 year
• Are registered with the Secretary at the meeting
• Are present at the meeting to be certified to vote at the meeting

Map of the area

For the bylaws, click here

Code of Bylaws

of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc.

These bylaws were approved by unanimous vote at the second reading on 2-14-2000

Article I

Name, Purpose, and Mailing address

Section 1, Name: The name of this organization shall be Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc.

Section 2, Purpose: The purpose of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. shall be:

1.              To hold town meetings and provide a forum for community discussion and basis for community action, and to establish qualifications for participation therein.

2.              To acquire, hold, sell, or lease real property for the general purpose of preserving the historical and natural setting of Gold Hill and the surrounding area.

3.              To act as trustee.

4.              To cooperate with the County Planning Department, County Health Department, and other departments of the County, State, or Federal government.

5.              To take any and all other action to improve, preserve, and benefit the community of Gold Hill and the surrounding area.

6.              To apply for and receive government grants or assistance, to solicit funds and donations, and undertake or sponsor community fund-raising projects.

7.              To do all other acts necessary or appropriate to promote the social welfare of the community of Gold Hill.

Section 3, Mailing address: The mailing address of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. shall be: 1011 Main Street – Gold Hill, Boulder, CO  80302-8777.

Article II

Membership

Section 1, Eligibility: Those residing in the following area are members and may vote at town meetings, provided they fulfill the voting requirements set forth in Article II, Section 2, Qualification.   This area to be described as the territory within these lines: On the north from the junction of Left Hand Creek and Lickskillit eastward to Snowbound, south to Bighorn Mountain, southwest to Monument Hill, west to Oxbow curve on the Mt. Alto Road, north to Left Hand Creek, and east to the starting point, this area to exclude Summerville.

Section 2, Qualifications: In order to vote, a member of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. must:

1.              Be a minimum of 18 years of age.

2.              Have lived in Gold Hill for sixty days during the twelve months prior to the meeting or for sixty days during the previous five years with no less than five days in any one year.

3.              Be registered with the Secretary at the meeting.

4.              Be present at the meeting to be certified to vote at that meeting.

Article III

Members Meetings

Section 1, Regular meetings: Regular meetings of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. shall be held six times each year: February, April, June,  August, October, and  December on the second Monday of the month at such time and place as may be determined by the Town Council.

Section 2, Annual meetings: The annual meeting of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. shall be held on the second Monday of August each year.  The election of Town Council members shall be held at the annual meeting.

Section 3, Special meetings: Special meetings of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. may be called by the Chair:

1.              At the request of at least three members of the Town Council.

2.              By petition requesting a special meeting signed by at least twenty members of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc.

Section 4, Written notice: Written notice of all members= meetings shall be delivered to members residing locally and sent by U.S. Mail to members who do not reside locally at least two weeks prior to all regular, annual, and special meetings.

Section 5, Quorum: A quorum for a member=s meeting of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. shall exist if three of five members of the Town Council are present to transact any business to be presented in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation or Code of Bylaws.

Article IV

Town Council

Section 1, Members: The Town Council shall consist of five members as follows: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member at Large.

Section 2, Eligibility: The Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer must be a year round resident defined as an individual who has lived within the bounds of the Gold Hill Town Meeting area at least nine consecutive months prior to the election.  All five council members shall be a minimum of 21 years of age.

Section 3, Term of Office: Each council member shall hold office until a successor is duly elected and qualified.   Any council member may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Town Council.  Any such resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein, and, unless otherwise specified, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.

Section 4, Removal: Any council member may be removed according to the following procedure:

1.              At a regularly scheduled meeting, where a quorum is present, the removal of a council member may be proposed by a simple majority of those members present.

2.              The proposed removal of a council member must be included with the minutes of the meeting and distributed to the members at least two weeks prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.

3.              At the next regularly scheduled meeting, the council member may be removed by a majority vote of the Gold Hill Town Meeting.

Section 5, When a council member moves: Any council member, other than the member-at large, shall automatically resign upon moving from within the area bounded by the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc.

Section 6, Vacancies: Any vacancy must be filled for the remainder of the term by appointment by a majority of the council members within two weeks of its occurrence.

Section 7, Town Council meetings: A meeting of the Town Council may be called by any member of the Town Council by giving notice to all members of the Town Council at least two days prior to such meeting.  Town Council meetings are for discussion.  No decisions(s) reached at a Town Council Meeting are binding on the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. or the Town Council, or any member of the Town Council.

Section 8, Town Council Duties: Each Town Council member shall have the duties ordinarily attending the office held and other duties as the Town Council may designate.

Article V

Committees

Section 1, Purpose: Committees of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. may be established for the purpose of carrying out the business of the meeting.  They are to make reports at members meetings. Their findings will be approved and published, as appropriate, by the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc.

Section 2,Creation: At a member=s meeting of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc., when a quorum is present, the Chair, with the approval of the members at the meeting, may appoint a committee chair and ask for other members to be part of that committee.

Section 3, Dissolution: At a member=s meeting of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc., when a quorum is present, the Chair, with the approval of the members at the meeting, may dissolve a committee.

Article VI

Contracts, Checks, Deposits, Etc.

Section 1, Contracts: The Town Council, with the approval of the members at a duly called members meeting, may authorize any council member(s)or agent(s) of the Corporation to enter into any contract or execute and deliver any instrument in the name of or on behalf of the Corporation.  Such authority may be general or confined to specific instances.

Section 2, Checks, Drafts, Notes, Etc.: All checks, drafts, notes, etc., shall be signed and executed on behalf of the Corporation by those Town Council members authorized to sign checks for the Corporation.

Section 3, Deposits: All funds of the Corporation shall be deposited to the credit of the Corporation in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as the Town Council, with the approval of the members at a duly called members meeting, may select.

Section 4, Gifts: The Town Council, with the approval of the members at a duly called members meeting, may accept on behalf of the Corporation any contribution, gift, or bequest.

Article VII

Amendments

These Bylaws may be altered, amended, or repealed and new Bylaws may be adopted according to the following procedure:

Section 1.  At a regularly scheduled meeting, where a quorum is present, Bylaw change(s) may be proposed by a simple majority of those members present.  Proposed Bylaw changes are to be made and approved section by section.

Section 2.  The proposed Bylaw sections(s), and the Bylaw section(s) that are intended to be replaced,  must be included with the minutes of the meeting and distributed to the members at least two weeks prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Section 3.  At the next regularly scheduled meeting, the sections of the new Bylaws may be adopted by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. who are present.  Bylaw changes are to be voted on section by section.

Article VIII

Dissolution

This Corporation may be dissolved according to the following procedure:

Section 1.  At regularly scheduled meeting, where a quorum is present, dissolution of the corporation  may be proposed by a simple majority of those members present.

Section 2.  The proposed dissolution of the corporation must be included with the minutes of the meeting and distributed to the members at least two weeks prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Section 3.  At the next regularly scheduled meeting, the dissolution of the corporation  may be adopted by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. who are present.

Gold Hill Town Meeting Newsletter

Minutes of the February 8, 2010, Town Meeting

Next Meeting will be Monday, April 12, 2010, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center

The Meeting was called to order by Chair Val Crist. Five people attended: Edie Eilender, Mark Steen, Jim Smith, Gretchen Diefenderfer, Secretary, and Val.  Adriana Galue, Treasurer, attended long enough to give her Treasurer’s report to Val.

The minutes were approved.

Treasurer’s Report – Our account remains exactly the same as last meeting.  Adriana will meet with Dick Cole and review our records and make a full report at the April meeting.

CPI/Trails and Open Space – Gretchen reports that the Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved our CPI Plan for inclusion into the Land Use Code at their hearing on Tuesday, February 2, 2010.  And so we have now reached our goal of establishing the wishes of our community and having them included in the County Comprehensive Plan and the Land Use Code to make sure we have more say over our own future when County action affects us.  Garry Sanfacon gave the staff report – presenting our CPI Plan and background on our planning process, including our education sessions, the survey, comments from community members, and the Planning Commission’s approval in December.  I thanked the Commissioners for giving us this opportunity as well as Garry and the entire Land Use Department who helped us so much.  We worked hard to be as open and inclusive as possible and the Commissioners all appreciated the process and what we came up with. We told them that some work continues – we have a Trails and Open Space Sub-committee meeting and the Historical Zoning Committee is working on new guidelines. Remember that the Comp Plan is a working document and we can add to our CPI Plan in the future if we decide to develop further goals and/or objectives.  Many thanks to everyone who contributed and participated!

The Trails and Open Space sub-committee of the CPI met January 11, 2010.  Seven people attended and we had a wide-ranging discussion.  For the report on this meeting see

http://goldhilltown.com/gold-hill-cpi-–-trails-subgoup/. Because we have so much potential County Open Space surrounding us (some acquired through Conservation Easements, some to be acquired from BLM through the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, some purchased outright), we have the prospect of future trails, etc, being developed by the County.  We want to be proactive about how that all happens. We encourage all interested people to attend our meetings.  Contact Karen Simmons or Gretchen Diefenderfer for further information.

Historical Zoning – no report.

Forest Management/CWPP – Val reports that the Forest Service has been burning West of Town as part of wildfire mitigation work.

Fire Department – Val reports that our Fire Department continues to train with Four Mile and Sunshine Departments on the second Saturday (hands-on training) and 4^th Thursday evenings (classroom training) of each month and would love anyone interested to attend.  Call Donal Maloney at 443-3928.

Weeds- Gretchen read the report from Susan Fernalld:

Susan reports that she manually weeded the large aspen seedling area before snow fell.  Snow has completely covered the seedling aspens for many weeks, deterring deer browsing and making supplemental watering unnecessary.  We won’t know until spring whether burrowing animals are doing any damage.

Meanwhile, the winter annual noxious weeds, such as cheatgrass, have sprouted beneath the snow.    In spring, before cheatgrass puts up its seed heads, will be the best time to pull it without also having to bag it.  See http://goldhilltown.com/how-to-control-gold-hills-noxious-weeds/

Historic Gold Hill – Edie reports that 2010 Calendar sales are going well.  They are a good record of memories of the past and present.  For the 2011 Calendar, we need drawings, poems, photos (old and new) wise sayings, ideas and participation! We will meet Feb. 20 and March 20 at Gretchen’s and invite all interested contributors.

Mining – Jim reports that Aurora Gold has put up $100,000 to buy into Global Minerals and plans to come up with the rest of the ½ million to be 60% owners of Global’s 50% share.  Mark Steen reports several disagreements with Global and Mount Royale Ventures concerning their operations.  He believes the Mined Land Reclamation Board will be holding hearings.  Bob Mason will keep us informed of any hearings scheduled.

Gold Hill School – no report

NEW BUSINESS

Announcements: Jim Smith has agreed to serve as Vice-Chair of the Town Council.  Thank you, Jim!

The Climb – Val reports The Climb Annual Passes are Available Now – REDUCED RATE! THE DEAL:
The Climb is offering Annual Passes at very reasonable rates, and, when we raise $7,000, Boulder County Transportation will give us $11,200! It is critical to ACT NOW!

PRICE: suggested $120 donation for each individual annual pass

We need 58 people to purchase a $120 donation level Annual Pass.

We will accept donations at lower levels, and suggest a $10 minimum in return for a pass. Donations over $120 are greatly appreciated!

The Climb has a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit status so donations are tax deductible.

HOW TO PURCHASE/DONATE:
Order now through email via pc@the-climb.com, purchase on The Climb bus, or at the Gold Hill Store. PayPal is accepted via email and the Gold Hill Store accepts VISA/Mastercard

RIDE THE CLIMB AND SAVE! 
The current federal calculation for vehicle mileage (gas, insurance and wear/tear) is $.55/mile. It is 10 miles to the edge of Boulder, which makes a minimum round trip cost you $11.00! Compare that to the cost of riding The Climb and watch your savings grow!

By helping meet the goal, you will help us give everyone in the Ward/Gold Hill/Four Mile route an annual pass.

BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO

DATE: February 2, 2010

TIME: 2:00 p.m.

PLACE: Commissioners Hearing Room, Third Floor,

Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street

Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Board of County Commissioners at the time and place specified above. All persons interested in the following item(s) are requested to attend such hearing and aid the Commissioners in their consideration.

Docket BCCP-09-0001: BOULDER COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVISION (Gold Hill Townsite Plan)

Request for approval for incorporation into the Land Use Code.  On December 16, 2009, the Boulder County Planning Commission adopted the Gold Hill Townsite Plan into the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan and recommended to the Board of County Commissioners approval of Docket BCCP-09-0001 for incorporation into the Land Use Code.

Detailed information regarding this item, including maps and legal descriptions, is available for public examination at the Boulder County Land Use Department, 13th and Spruce, Boulder, Colorado (303) 441‑ 3930 or on the website at http://www.bouldercounty.org/lu/townsite_planning/GoldHill.htm.

Free Parking in the City of Boulder CAGID lots is available for Board of County Commissioners’ hearing participants. See the staff at the lobby desk for city parking vouchers.

Persons needing special services provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact Julia Yager, ADA Coordinator, for the Boulder County Human Resources Office at (303‑441‑3508) at least 48 hours before the scheduled hearing.

Please note that the County Commissioners’ agenda is subject to change. To receive updates to the agenda, please subscribe to the Boulder County Commissioners Agenda (BOCCAGENDA) list under the News subheading at http://www.bouldercounty.org/lists/index.htm

Published:  December 30, 2009–Daily Times-Call

Next Meeting is planned for March 8, 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center

Seven people attended: Edie Eilender, John Sand, Karen Simmons, Dirk Arnold, Mark Steen, Marie Brookhart, and Gretchen Diefenderfer.  We had a wide-ranging discussion and we invite all interested people to attend the next meeting.

Presently we have historic, social trails, which many would like to see preserved, although there are sometimes private property issues.  In addition, because we have so much potential County Open Space surrounding us (some acquired through Conservation Easements, some to be acquired from BLM through the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, some purchased outright), we have the prospect of future trails, etc, being developed by the County.  A concern for some is that both the old and the potential new trails can leave us open to a lot of people trucking around – possibly in dangerous places (open mine holes, etc.) and possibly on adjacent private property – as well as the inherent liability issues connected to that.

Now that we have our CPI Vision Statement adopted into the County Comprehensive Plan, we want to look at our area citizens’ wishes concerning trails, both historic and future, with the goal of having input into County policy and plans.  Most felt that the County has been and will be interested in our feedback, including having public meetings before any plans are carried out, but all felt that we should be proactive and not wait until events start to unfold.

Dirk suggested we consider an inventory of present trails and old roads, as well as old mine workings.  Other questions arose concerning private property rights, the difference between public and private roads/trails, and adverse possession issues.

We need to look at the old Open Space plans for our area (developed some years ago with Jeff Moline in many public meetings), see where they stand now, and invite someone from Open Space up to address a meeting so that we all know what’s planned for the future.

John Sand volunteered to contact Garry Sanfacon to find out who we should contact.  Here is John’s follow-up email from January 13:

Yesterday morning I spoke with Chad Ricklefs (303-678-6273; cricklefs@bouldercounty.org) of the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department. I had been referred to him by Gary Sanfacon. Chad now has the responsibility for planning for all county open space development, including the area around Gold Hill.

Regarding the R&PPA Management plan for Horsfal Flats, et al., there has been no action on it since the draft was prepared by Jeff Moline in 2003. The color map of the area showing trails, improvements, etc., has not been changed. He is actively engaged with discussions with the BLM, but nothing conclusive yet. He is sending me two copies of the management plan as it was submitted to the BLM for our reference.

As for social trails around Gold Hill, he is sending me a large aerial photo of the area, which we can use for marking what we can identify.

I emphasized to Chad our strong desire to see a minimalist approach to development of the area, and he is in agreement. I used the Bald Mountain Trail Head as an example. He also plans to cooperate fully with all interested people in the development of a final management plan. He is looking at a 3-5 year time frame before beginning development of the area.

Overall, I feel that Chad well understands where we are coming from, and is willing to work with everyone as the process continues.

Gold Hill Town Meeting Newsletter

Minutes of the Dec. 14, 2009 Town Meeting

Next Meeting is Monday, February 8, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center

The Meeting was called to order by Chair Val Crist. Attending were: John  and Cherry Sand, Chad Julian and Chad Ricklefs (BCPOS), Morgon Haddad and Lorenzo Castano (students studying Pine Bark Beetles), Hector Case (sp?), Adriana Galue, Amy Hardy, Rich Oxley, Val Crist, Lisa McConnell, Edie Eilender, Jim Smith, Bob Mason, and Gretchen Diefenderfer. Val announced that Elon Bar-Evan has resigned as Secretary due to life stresses.  Gretchen has agreed to be Sec’y and we are now looking for someone who would like to be Vice-Chair.  Please let us know if you would be interested.  The main duty is to run the meeting in the absence of the Chair and help with other things that come up.

Minutes – were approved.

Boulder County Parks and Open Space – Chad Julian and Chad Ricklefs gave a report on the POS 10 year plan they are working to develop, principally concerning forest management and wildfire mitigation.  The lands covered are anything they have fee ownership over (not the BLM lands that are still being worked out and will probably take several more years).  They do have relationships with CSFS and so the county can do some work now, i.e., the mitigation work across from the Mill.  They intend to base their management on scientific consensus, and are developing goals, objectives and standards and are looking for what is most important to us.  See the POS website: http://www.bouldercounty.org/openspace/resources/index.htm .  For instance, one goal is that BCPOS values and provides for public input.  One objective is to identify and develop communication tools, and one standard is to hire people like Ryan Ludlow, who presented a program to Gold Hill on the Beetle epidemic, to educate and inform county residents.

They are conducting several smaller meetings and then will have some larger, public meetings, rewrite, then present their plan to the Parks and Open Space Committee for approval, and then to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for adoption into the Land Use Plan sometime in the Spring.

They have had meetings with Professor Thomas Veblen, Director of the Biogeography Lab of the Geography Department at C.U. The Biogeography Lab supports research in the areas of forest dynamics, disturbance ecology and dendroecology.  He does feel that global warming is having an influence.  Pine Bark Beetles, Spruce Bark Beetles, and White Pine Blister Rust effects have been observed on a continent wide scale as never before and will mean most likely more frequent fire cycles.

Treasurer’s Report – Adriana reports that our balance is now $6253.14, with income of $500 from John Sand and the Sesquicentennial Committee paying back the advance, $250 from Leslie Finn to the Cemetery Fund, $1600.45 from the Bake and Treasure Sale, and $37.50 from Jennie Rice.  She will get with Dick Cole to find out about the books and the balances in the various funds.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Community Planning Initiative – Gretchen reports that on Nov.18, we presented our Townsite Plan to the Planning Commission for preliminary consideration, and on Dec. 16 for final inclusion in the County Comprehensive Plan, and then, on Feb. 2, at 2:00 p.m. we will go to the BOCC. Update since the GHTM: As a reminder, the Planning Commission is responsible for the Comprehensive Plan (they adopted the Gold Hill Townsite Plan into the Comprehensive Plan on Dec. 16) and the Board is responsible for the Land Use Code. These are public hearings.

The next CPI meeting is Monday, January 11, 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center to address trails and open space issues.

Historical Zoning – Cherry reports that there are 5 members on the Board: Amy Hardy, Bear Carlson, Dan Gretz, Steve Barnard and herself. They are currently working on drafting a set of guidelines addressing solar installation issues specific to the Gold Hill Historic district.  These will be presented to the Town for approval at a later Historic Zoning meeting. The Steinberg/Wakefield plan for solar panels installed on the roof of their barn was approved and is installed.  Elon’s and Mason’s solar projects that were presented at the August meeting are on hold at this time.

Forest Management/CWPP – Edie suggests that we need to keep up on Parks and Open Space plans.

Val reports that the CWPP South Project continues as weather permits.  Lots of biomass is being pulled out.

Fire Department – Val reports that they have outdoor/hands on training on the 2^nd Saturdays of the month and classroom/indoor training on the 4^th Thursdays.  Volunteers are welcome!

Weed Management – Cherry reports that they gathered at Susan Fernalld’s house and sorted seeds gathered from around here.  They want to package them for sale to support weed management projects.

Historic Gold Hill – Edie brought 2010 Gold Hill calendars for sale.  They support the Museum and are available from her and the Gold Hill Store.  Buy lots!  The Museum is open by appointment only in the winter.

Be thinking about the calendar for 2011.  We need committee members, photos, drawings, poems, and ideas!  The Museum Committee will probably be organizing the next calendar, since it is the Museum that benefits.

Mining – Bob has found on Marketwire ( on the internet) that Aurora Gold Corp. is planning on ponying up $ (German/Swiss $ this time vs. Canadian) to re-open the Mill.  They have presented an exceedingly hopeful view of things and propose to get moving in March 2010, assuming $400,000 comes in.   They say they have their permits in order.

He also reports that as of now the tailings pond is full and, as far as the present management’s experimental underground injection of tailings is concerned, they got EPA permission, but not MLRB, which they will need if this is undertaken in any measure.  He reports that Mark Steen is objecting to this plan.

Jim Smith reports that every major mine does this and mentioned Stillwater (a big mine) which puts stuff back in when the ore (lead, zinc, gold, silver) is extracted.  It’s pretty inert and is becoming the industry standard.  Bob wants to be sure they are not polluting and will be keeping an eye on it all.  Jim says that they have had a history of cleaning up and if they can reclaim the workings by putting the inert sands back in, it’s a good solution.  He also said that, if it goes much longer without a certain amount of work, they will have to start the reclamation process.

Trails – no report

Gold Hill School – They had their fundraiser and send a big thank you to the community for the support.  It was brought up that we would love a more complete report and to have a representative from the school come to the Town Meetings to let us know what is going on.

OLD BUSINESS

Hisorical Zoning – Cherry reports that a couple of years ago an effort was made to re-write the bylaws.  They got almost done, after many meetings, and then the idea was shot down.  Now Bear and John have suggested that they take the past work (the charette prepared by the County, the M&M girls (students) architectural study, etc.) and try to meld it all together and develop design guidelines.  Denise Grimm and Gary Sanfacon from County Land Use are supportive and will provide any assistance they need.

The present HZ procedure is that applicants bring their plans to the HZ Committee.  If the plans are small and will have little impact, the HZ Committee approves them.  If it is a big project, it goes to a HZ community meeting and then to the County for final approval.  The HZ is advisory only.  However, if an applicant goes directly to the County for a permit application, Denise has only 2 weeks to process it, making it difficult for the HZ Committee to call a meeting and evaluate the plans properly.  Denise is proposing to put into County regulations that if she or the Building Department receives an application, they will refer it to the HZ committee first.

Amy Hardy added a positive tone by saying that it’s a good thing for people with plans to come to the HZ Committee for their help and advice so we can preserve the character of Gold Hill.

Welcome to Gold Hill Pamphlet – We discussed the idea of putting together a pamphlet of information and ideas to give to newcomers to Gold Hill.  Cherry moved that the Member at Large (Lisa McConnell, presently) be designated to work on this project as she has expressed interest previously.

Resignation – Elon has resigned from the Council.  According to the bylaws, the town board should appoint someone to replace him within 2 weeks.  We will do our best.  Bob Mason said he would do it if no one else is interested, but is not really enthusiastic.  How about it?

Agenda items – Val reports that the agenda always includes the committee reports. For new items to add to the agenda, please get in touch with her in advance.

OTHER NEWS –

Correction – in the last town news, I mistyped the url for the Laud Use Department Townsite Planning info – here is the correct one  http://www.bouldercounty.org/lu/townsite_planning/GoldHill.htm

Guardrail – Here is an email that George Gerstle sent to me before the last Town Meeting – I hadn’t seen it, so I failed to bring it.

Hello All:

I am George Gerstle, Transportation Director for the County.

ggerstle@bouldercounty.org

I am writing to thank you for letting us know of your concerns regarding the potential impact on the rural character, and wonderful view, of installation of guardrail along a portion of the Shelf Road.

We have received a variety of responses from Gold Hill residents, expressing both support for installation, as well as concern about the impact, of shiny guard rail on the rural character of the road, and the potential that the road might be narrowed by the guard rail.

We are installing the guardrail to address safety concerns that exist, particularly during major snowstorms. Over the years we have had a number of close calls (and some actual events) where people, including our snowplow drivers, have (at least partially) gone off the road during snowstorms. However, we also want to make sure that we are not unnecessarily eroding the wonderful scenic character of the road or entrance to Gold Hill.

In response to the concerns we’ve heard, we will not be installing shiny steel guardrail, but rather oxidized (ie pre-rusted) guardrail at a somewhat greater cost, that will not be as visually intrusive. We will be installing the guard rail off the current driven way, so the road will not be narrower.

So, again, thanks for letting us know your thoughts, and I hope you have a wonderful winter season.

George

Emails – If you are not on our email list to receive town news and the Newsletter and want to be, send requests to elon01@gmail.com or get in touch with Val Crist.

Gold Hill Town Meeting Newsletter

Minutes of the Oct. 12, 2009 Town Meeting

Next Meeting is Monday, December 14, 2009, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center

Attendance – Chair Val Crist, vice-chair Gretchen  Diefenderfer and member at large Lisa McConnell were the officers present, along with Edie Eilender, Karen Simmons, John Sand, Richard Roth, Bear Carlson, Heidi Kessler, Marie Brookhart, Barbara Lawlor, Richard Oxley and Jim Smith.

Minutes – Val opened the meeting by approving the minutes of the last meeting, with the exception of the revised CWPP report from the August meeting, which will be read for approval at our December meeting.

Treasurer’s Report – There was no treasurer’s report, but Lisa McConnell noted that the Treasure and Bake Sale brought in $1504 and there was a $250 donation to the cemetery fund.

CPI – Gretchen gave the Community Planning Initiative report, saying that the committee had solidified the final vision and it is available on the web site (http://goldhilltown.com/). The next step is to take it to the County to get the plan adopted into the comprehensive plan. It will have to go through the Boulder County Planning Commission and public hearings. Gretchen said the committee didn’t seem to spend much energy looking into any major changes in the land use code.

Garry Sanfacon is still working with the historic zoning subcommittee. Gretchen said that schedule (tentatively Nov. 18 – we will know by Oct. 28) for the Planning Commission hearing will be mailed to property owners, and the County Commissioner meeting will be scheduled at the PC meeting.

Historic Zoning – John and Bear said there have been a few applications for approval of solar energy systems. One of them was for panels on a Charles Steinberg’s, which would be small, dark and unobtrusive. The committee agreed to approve the application.

One of the issues about the solar applications is that the town has no guiding principles for rejection or approval and they are discussing each application case by case.

Bear said they are in favor of sustainability, but there had been a consensus that Bob Mason’s proposed solar system was too big and he should could come up with a less obtrusive plan. His system would face Main Street and is high and long.

Another application for a solar system on Dan Gretz’s shed was approved.  When asked when the next historic zoning meeting would be, Gretchen observed that the committee meets when it needs to. The newly elected members include Cherry Sand, Bear Carlson, Steve Barnard, Amy Hardy and Dan Gretz.

Resident and solar power guy, Richard Roth explained that many people design solar systems that are larger than necessary. He said with a photovoltaic system, there is little if any benefit gained in putting the panels at a steep angle. He says a 40º angle captures most of the energy, but if one were to decrease the angle to 25º, the panels would still get 96.7 percent of the energy. More information on the subject can be found on PV Watts.com

It was agreed that this was important information for homeowners to know. Roth also said that more energy is captured in the summer than is lost at a more shallow angle in the winter.

This is important information when considering the Mason’s application because the back, facing north would be 19 feet from the base of the shed. “It will look like a billboard.” This information could help the Mason’s come up with an acceptable design.

Fire Department – Val reported that the fire department meets on the fourth Thursday and second Saturday of the month. Val said the CWPP is finishing their fire mitigation work on the South Project and that the Four Mile Mitigation Crew is looking for help.

Weeds – Gretchen said that although there was no weed committee report, Susan Fernalld plans to give a master gardener type of class in the spring, hoping more people will get involved in learning about invasive weeds in and native plants near  Gold Hill.

Historic Gold Hill – Edie reported that the museum is closed for the winter, but is open by appointment, and that the new Calendar, which benefits the Museum, is on sale for $10.  Jim Smith said he has cut wooden discs to put cards with information on the historic buildings in Gold Hill.

Mining – Jim Smith said the Mill and Mine operation is still suspended, that the owners are looking for funding to reopen. Jim said that regulatory agencies, including the EPA, Division of Mines, and Mined Land Reclamation, are satisfied that no violations have occurred and that former information that there had been violations is not correct.

Town Email – Val reported that the old town email, the one that started by the fire department, is no longer the town email.   There is a new, easy to use website and email list. Please sign up with Elon (elon@continualenergy.com) if you’re not on the email list currently.

Bake & Treasure Sale – Lisa McConnell and the organizers of the Bake and Treasure Sale want to thank all of those who helped make the fundraiser a success. There were great deals, wonderful baked goods, awesome art vendors and a beautiful day. A Special ‘Thank You’ to the volunteers (even teenagers this year) and to Elon for all his efforts on the sale and as our Outgoing Member-at-Large.

There were many leftover items and it took a lot of work to take care of them. It was suggested that next year the big items not sold should be picked up by those who brought them. If anyone has any feedback on the sale or any suggestions for next year, please send them to Lisa McConnell at McConnEnt@aol.com.

The Climb – The Climb fundraiser did well, in spite of the freezing weather. There was a cover charge to add to the shuttle’s funding, a silent auction, two bands, great food and barbecue. The Climb wants to thank all who came, supported, and continue to ride and support The-Climb.

Sunshine Paving – After the Sunshine Paving hearing with the Boulder County Commissioners, they decided not to pave any more of Sunshine, mainly to protect the rural character of the area.

Sesquicentennial – John reported that there are still sesquicentennial mugs and     t-shirts available for purchase.

CPI – Karen Simmons says that there wasn’t much response to the info booth or the email asking for input on the CPI Mission and Vision Statement. She said there is a large open space transaction being discussed concerning property northeast of town and thinks the town should become proactive about any possible development in open space. She said trails could be built that could need parking lots and bathrooms and we don’t want to have to react to something we don’t want. We don’t want to be in a reactive mode when it will be harder to be successful.      Karen suggested forming a subcommittee of the CPI to stay on top of open space action and collect relevant information. She said people having expertise in this area need to come forward.

Gretchen agreed that a group should create a management plan and that she will volunteer.

John Sand suggested not waiting for people to volunteer, but to go out and recruit those with a known interest in trails and open space.

Edie Eilender volunteered to be on the subcommittee.

The next CPI meeting is scheduled for January 4^th, 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center.  Note! This has since been changed to Jan. 11.

School – The group was reminded that there would be a school fundraiser at the Gold Hill Inn on Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. Mary Russell will be performing and items are needed for the silent auction.

Meeting Time – Val suggested taking a vote on whether or not to change the time of the town meeting to 7 p.m. The change in time was not approved. Meetings will continue to start at 7:30. The next meeting is on Monday, December 14, 2009 at the Community Center (firebarn) at 7:30 pm.

New Business - Val Crist requested that reports be given orally and written down to pass onto our secretary at the meeting’s end to reduce errors in reporting.

Notes were graciously taken by Barbara Lawlor in Elon’s absence and edited by Val, Lisa, and Gretchen.

For more information, see  http://www/bouldercounty.org/lu/townsite_planning/GoldHill.htm  or  contact me at gretchend@mac.com.  I really want to thank everyone who participated in our year long process.  I feel like we all tried to do a good job of being inclusive, transparent, and communicative and to enable everyone who was interested to contribute.

quoting Garry Sanfacon (our Land Use staff planner and resource person):

The final step for the Gold Hill Townsite Plan is for the Board of County Commissioners to review it and adopt it into the Land Use Code. The hearing is set for Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2PM. As a reminder, the Planning Commission is responsible for the Comprehensive Plan (they adopted the Gold Hill Townsite Plan into the Comprehensive Plan on Dec. 16) and the Board is responsible for the Land Use Code.

This will be a public hearing.     See following notice:

PUBLIC HEARING

BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

DATE:             February 2, 2010

TIME:              2:00 p.m.

PLACE:           Commissioners Hearing Room, Third Floor,

Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street

Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Board of County Commissioners at the time and place specified above. All persons interested in the following item(s) are requested to attend such hearing and aid the Commissioners in their consideration.

Docket BCCP-09-0001: BOULDER COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVISION (Gold Hill Townsite Plan)

Request for approval for incorporation into the Land Use Code.  On December 16, 2009, the Boulder County Planning Commission adopted the Gold Hill Townsite Plan into the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan and recommended to the Board of County Commissioners approval of Docket BCCP-09-0001 for incorporation into the Land Use Code.

Detailed information regarding this item, including maps and legal descriptions, is available for public examination at the Boulder County Land Use Department, 13th and Spruce, Boulder, Colorado (303) 441‑ 3930 or on the website at http://www.bouldercounty.org/lu/townsite_planning/GoldHill.htm.

Free Parking in the City of Boulder CAGID lots is available for Board of County Commissioners’ hearing participants. See the staff at the lobby desk for city parking vouchers.

Persons needing special services provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact Julia Yager, ADA Coordinator, for the Boulder County Human Resources Office at (303‑441‑3508) at least 48 hours before the scheduled hearing.

Please note that the County Commissioners’ agenda is subject to change. To receive updates to the agenda, please subscribe to the Boulder County Commissioners Agenda (BOCCAGENDA) list under the News subheading at http://www.bouldercounty.org/lists/index.htm

Published:  December 30, 2009–Daily Times-Call

]]> http://goldhilltown.com/notes-on-dec-16-planning-commission/feed/ 0 http://goldhilltown.com/cpi-planning-commission-hearing-wed-dec-16-6/ http://goldhilltown.com/cpi-planning-commission-hearing-wed-dec-16-6/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:57:26 +0000 gretchen http://goldhilltown.com/?p=1715

BOULDER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

PUBLIC HEARING

AGENDA ITEM #6      December 16, 2009 – 6:45 PM  (our meeting will be a little later than 6:45 because the session will start with the Transportation Department’s element proposed for addition to the Comprehensive Plan)

Hearing Room, Third Floor Boulder County Courthouse

PUBLIC HEARING

STAFF PLANNER:            Garry Sanfaçon

BCCP-09-0001: Boulder County Comprehensive Plan (BCCP) Revision

Description:             Proposed Townsite Plan for the community of Gold Hill, for inclusion into the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan.
For entire document, visit http://www.bouldercounty.org/lu/bccp/mountain_subregion_element/pdf/BCCP090001PCStaffRec121609.pdf

SUMMARY

At the November 18, 2009 Planning Commission Study Session, staff provided an introduction to the Gold Hill Townsite Plan and background about the planning process. The November 18 staff report is attached (Exhibit A). In addition, members of the public were invited to provide input.

This docket contains the proposed community of Gold Hill Townsite Plan (Exhibit B) and map (Exhibit C). At this stage, Gold Hill has developed a vision statement that they are proposing to be included into the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan.

Additional information about the project, including meeting notes, support documents, and maps may be accessed at the Land Use website: http://www.bouldercounty.org/lu/townsite_planning/GoldHill.htm.

BACKGROUND

In order to help preserve the unique character of each of Boulder County’s historic communities, the County Commissioners invited several townsites (Allenspark, Eldora, Eldorado Springs, Gold Hill, Raymond, and Riverside) to participate in a community planning process where property owners and residents work together to develop a plan and proposed regulations for guiding future preservation and development in their respective communities.

In the fall of 2008, the Gold Hill community, through its Town Meeting organization, voted to participate in the Townsite Planning Initiative and appointed a chairperson to coordinate the process. The Committee soon thereafter named itself the Gold Hill Community Planning Initiative (CPI). As part of its initial work, the CPI developed a mission statement and project goals, defined the boundaries of the planning area, and convened two-full day education workshops.

After several months of work the CPI created a draft vision statement and survey, which they sent to 220 property owners and to their extensive email list. They received over 40 responses and used the input to craft the proposed Gold Hill Townsite Plan.

DISCUSSION

At the November 18, 2009 Planning Commission Study Session, there were several questions related to the purpose and structure of the Gold Hill Town Meeting. To address these questions the bylaws are included in Exhibit D. In addition, below is a description of the Gold Hill Town Meeting taken from the town website http://goldhilltown.com/.

The town of Gold Hill has had some form of local government since it’s founding as a mining camp in 1859. In the 1980s, the Gold Hill Town Meeting (GHTM) was incorporated as a 501c4, a tax-exempt organization under the IRS. Its primary purpose is to hold town meetings and provide a forum for community discussion and a basis for community action.

There were also questions about the physical boundaries of the Town Meeting as delineated on the map. The Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. bylaws defines its boundaries as the following:

This area to be described as the territory within these lines: On the north from the junction of Left Hand Creek and Lickskillet eastward to Snowbound, south to Bighorn Mountain, southwest to Monument Hill, west to Oxbow curve on the Mt. Alto Road, north to Left Hand Creek, and east to the starting point, this area to exclude Summerville.

Another concern was that the language did not sufficiently differentiate between the established historic townsite and properties not within the historic townsite. The CPI has proposed adding the following language to the fifth bullet point beginning with “Historic Zoning Committee (which applies to the historic zoning district only).” In addition, the map labels have been revised to Historic Zoning District and Town Meeting/Community Planning Initiative area.

Finally, staff was directed to provide the raw data from the vision statement survey, which can be reviewed in Exhibit E.

REFERRALS AND PUBLIC COMMENT

No additional referrals have been received since the November 18, 2009 Planning Commission Study Session. Newly submitted public comment is included in Exhibit F.

RECOMMENDATION

STAFF RECOMMENDS THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION ADOPT THE GOLD HILL TOWNSITE PLAN INTO THE BOULDER COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BY APPROVING DOCKET BCCP-09-0001 AND RECOMMEND TO THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVAL OF DOCKET BCCP-09-0001 FOR INCORPORATION INTO THE BOULDER COUNTY LAND USE CODE and certify the Docket for such action to the Board, which certification includes the approved text of the Docket, and the official record of the Docket before the Commission with its staff comments, public testimony, and Commission discussion/action.

ATTACHMENTS

Exhibit A            BCCP-09-0001: Planning Commission Staff Report, November 18, 2009

Exhibit B             Gold Hill Townsite Plan

Exhibit C            Gold Hill Townsite Plan Map

Exhibit D Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. Bylaws

Exhibit E Gold Hill CPI Vision Statement Survey Data

Exhibit F Public Comment ]]> http://goldhilltown.com/cpi-planning-commission-hearing-wed-dec-16-6/feed/ 0