Posted on: March 9th, 2016

GOLD HILL TOWN MEETING NEWSLETTER

Minutes of the February 8, 2016, Town Meeting

 Next Town Meeting is Monday, April 11, 2016, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center

The meeting was called to order by Chair Peter Swift. Seventeen people attended: Erich Gundlach, Steffi Wilson, Laurie Britton Newell, Chrissy McCaul, Dan Maedke, Michael Albes, Rick Geesaman, Pamela Sherman, Bobby Vrba, Marcus Moench, Elisabeth Caspari, Treasurer Martha Knapp, Member at Large Tony Vrba, Vice Chair Bear Carlson, Chair Peter Swift, Secretary Gretchen Diefenderfer, and President of the GHFPD Board of Directors Rich Lopez.

Minutes – were approved as published.

Treasurer’s Report – Martha presented her report:

At the previous Town Meeting in DECEMBER our reported bank balance was $13,349.11. A balance adjustment for an overlooked deposit is reflected in this current report.

      Revenue includes a donation to the cemetery fund. Expenses include insurance and porta-potty servicing. Our current bank balance is $13,859.11. A portion of the Community Relief Fund being held in trust at the Ward Church remains at $85.00. Our total cash assets are $13,944.11.

Current individual fund totals are as follows:

General Fund $2015.58; Cemetery $4710.21; Community Relief $3,576.95; Forest Management $94.12; and Safe Link (funds for SafeSite, AirLink, NeighborLink projects) $3,547.25.

Report from the Chair – Peter reported on the proposed Fourmile Run on May 15. We sent the proposal out to our email list asking for input and received only one reply, which was in favor, and so the Council signed the letter of approval as there was a time constraint for Bret Gibson, Fourmile Chief, and it could not wait until this meeting.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Community Planning/Trails – Tony reported that a couple of people had approached her with questions about the proposed new Community Center, possibly at the Gold Hill Store. Tony has looked at the old survey and would like to work on a new survey to find out what our community feeling is on this. She would like to propose a committee and a budget line for funding. Martha suggested that we could reactivate the Community Planning fund and add funds to it as needed.

Historical Zoning – Bear reports that the Weaver property has sold again. The new owners, Marcus Moench and Elisabeth Caspari are beginning the slow, measured process to improve the property. They brought Architect Roger Bresnik’s sketches to the HZ meeting. Their first step is to replace the upper grey steel shed/garage with a new building/studio and generally clean up. Bear stressed that the Committee very much appreciates it when people come to HZ at the beginning of their proposed projects. Tony asked how new owners know about HZ. There is information included in the Welcome Buckets, plus if they go to the County, they will refer them to HZ.

Forest Management/CWPP – no report

Fire Department – Rick reported that the Fire Department would like to install a 30,000 gallon cistern for firefighting in the Town Meadow, relatively close to Bob Walter’s property, underground as much as possible – discussion was moved to Old Business.

Gretchen reported on the January 21 Fire Board Meeting, which was attended by Chief Chris Finn, Board Members Paul Garabedian, Chair Rich Lopez, Bobby Vrba, Rick Geesaman, and community members Boyd Brown and Gretchen Diefenderfer. Dave Sturtz, Secretary, has submitted his resignation and Boyd Brown has stepped up. Rich spoke about the responsibilities of the board to the community, that they are working on strategic planning, working with neighbors, and that it is an important job. Each board member gave a brief report of their history in town and on the board. Boyd reported that his family has been in Gold Hill since the 1870’s and that, since he has retired as a teacher, he has more time to give back to the community. Bobby moved that they appoint Boyd to the board, Paul seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Rich administered the oath.

Chris gave the chief’s report – they had 32 calls last year, mostly medical, but did have one major structure fire in Lefthand, which they luckily knocked down, putting 500 gal. on it in 2 minutes, mutual aid departments showed up -we have automatic mutual aid with Sunshine and Fourmile and everybody jumps for a house fire. Former Lefthand Chief Dave Nyquist taught us to knock down a fire as fast as we can with as much water as we can, so we can get ahead of it and then rely on mutual aid to supply more water when we have used ours up. The other fire could have been a big problem, but a hunter who saw it (off Rim Road and Shining Star) called it in and we got there quickly.     Training – not as much training with the trucks and water in the winter, so we do more inside, classroom stuff. A Wildland Refresher course will be held in April – always recommended for everyone who can attend. Maintenance is ongoing. Still looking for a new truck – hard to find one that holds 500 gallons, is 4WD and will fit in our barn. Our newest truck is a 1980. We have money budgeted and just received a good anonymous donation, which will help as well.

Rich reported that we have a lot of address signs (green and white), free from the County – started taking addresses from people who wanted them at 4^th of July, and will continue to get more as requested. Everyone is encouraged to post their address so emergency responders can find you! Contact any board member if you want one.

Dry Hydrants – they are looking to install 3-5 in Lefthand. Ted Plank, County Road Supervisor, will help as the repairs in Lefthand Canyon proceed. One would be at the bottom of Lickskillet.

Cistern in the Town Meadow – Gretchen asked a County person, Sandra Duff from Boulder County POS, during our hearing on the Schmidt Property, if a cistern would be ok on our town open space, and she was sure it would be. Rich will attend the next Town Meeting to present the idea.

New Firefighters – always needed! Chris hopes new owners especially, who have a stake in our firefighting and emergency response, will volunteer. We ask that they attend 50% or more of the trainings (there are 2 per month), on the 4^th Thursdays and 2^nd Saturday’s of the month. There are a variety of skills needed and lots of jobs to do. He has recently recruited two! Contact Chris or Donal Maloney, Assistant Fire Chief, if you are interested.

Community Relations – Bobby attends Town Meetings as possible, and Gretchen attends Fire Board meetings and reports on them. Rich stressed that the Fire Department serves the whole community and community relations are important.

Elections – Also, Gretchen reports that she has been appointed the Designated Election Official for the regular election on May 3, which requires a bunch of paperwork, but if no more than 3 people are nominated for the 3 positions open the election can be canceled. ADDENDUM- the election has been cancelled. Bobby Vrba and Boyd Brown were declared elected to 4-year terms and Paul Garabedian for a 2-year term. Rich Lopez and Rick Geesaman were not up this time.

Weed Management – no report

Historic Gold Hill – Peter read Deb Yeager’s email – Hi everyone:

I won’t be in town this evening so will miss the meeting.  I have a small check for Martha.  I’ve sold a few more items and have less than 1 case of glasses left.  Tony, you have everything else.

Historic Gold Hill:  All I can say is that we have a BIG season this summer filled with lots of activities so please watch for us on the town e mail.  We will be paying tribute to the Bluebirds and specifically Matilda Vanderpoel, Marie Brookhart’s aunt.  Also, Gretchen is now a member of our board.  Congratulations to Gretchen.

Neighborlink:  We are in the process of revamping this program to better fit the needs of the community and specifically utilizing Tony’s great military background.  Together with Tony, Gretchen, and Dina, we are finding ways for the program to quicken communication and lessen the responsibilities of the four of us by creating more small groups of closely-knit friends within each POD leading to more Group Leaders.  We are planning another mock “telephoning” this spring.

Gretchen added that there are still 2016 calendars available at the Gold Hill Store.

Mining – Gretchen reports that there is activity up at the mill, but she hasn’t spoken to anyone to know their progress.

Gold Hill School – Chrissy reports that the Colorado Shakespeare Company is presenting an excerpt of Taming of the Shrew at the School this coming Thursday (Feb. 11), followed by a group discussion on bullying. They’ve done this before and do a wonderful job – people are welcome to come by.

They are midway through their ski program Fridays at Eldora, and any Gold Hill skiers are welcome to join them – they headquarter up in the lodge.

There is a Read-a-thon planned for a couple of weeks in February. They are looking for donations per page read, so be prepared to get a phone call asking you to participate. Money raised goes to the garden program.

The Big School Play will be Thursday, March 17 – one performance in the daytime and the main one at 6:00 p.m. It will be a lot of fun.

Monday, April 11, there is a fundraiser at the Kitchen Next Door. If we go there, the school will get 50% – you have to tell them you’re there for the Gold Hill School. Refer others, too!

Spring Projects include the garden and greenhouse, chicks and ducklings, and archery. They have a $5,000 donation for the greenhouse on the west side of the school. It will be attractive and solid – less than 120 sq. ft. and Matthew Legg will help this summer. Meanwhile they will have garden boxes there in the spring with a lot of help from the community. Bear suggested that they run their plans through HZ.

They have $3,000 in the archery fund in Kirby Field. They still have honey for sale, which supports the bee program.

Open enrollment is closed. They have plenty kids and a waiting list.

Everything is great at the Gold Hill School and Chrissy thanks everyone for their support always!

Safelink/IMA – Pam reported on the IMA. In past emergencies, when we wanted to help, we weren’t vetted, so people from all over came and helped, but we couldn’t do anything except bring food. There are now three organizations offering quick and dirty vetting before the next disaster: the Red Cross, Medical Reserve Corps, and VOAD. She will get us more information.

NEW BUSINESS

501(c)(3) – Our application has been approved by the IRS (retroactive to November 7)! This is very gratifying as I spent many hours on it, and with help from Peter, Bear, and Martha we accomplished it. What this means for most people is that any donations to the GHTM are tax deductible and what it means for the Town Meeting is that we are qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers, or gifts.

Town Hall/Community Center – Peter reported that the feasibility of the Lickskillet and Pine location is not the best because of conflicting mining claims, although it still may be possible. Also, Land Use regulations may limit us to just civic use versus the other uses we have considered – SafeSite, classes, etc. The option of the Gold Hill Store has advantages and disadvantages. It would be expensive, although grant money may be available. Steffi questioned the need for a separate Community Center, but since the Fire Department has asserted their ownership of our present CC, we can only use it at their discretion and many people would like our own space.

Martha suggested that the Cemetery Annex (across the road from the Cemetery), might be a consideration, but it’s not very central. Tony stated that first we should have a committee and survey the community regarding their opinions of our needs and uses envisioned, plus a budget line. Martha stated that we can reactivate the Community Planning line and add funds as needed. Chrissy moved that we reactivate the Community Planning account to pursue the potential Community Center project, Bobby seconded, and it passed unanimously. Tony asked who would like to be on the committee and Peter and Gretchen volunteered.   Tony stressed that it is important to find out what people really want and need. Peter reported that during the flood, people came over the hill and showed up at the store looking for help and that we are uniquely situated to help in emergencies (high ground). NeighborLink and SafeSite were started after the Fire and the Ham Radio group (AirLink) came out of our need to communicate when the phones are out.   Having a place to coordinate all this seems like a big positive.   Chrissy stated that we are only restricted by our imagination, so keep our minds open to all possibilities! Laurie added we have the potential for everything we can imagine – Meals on Wheels, after school programs, and she would like to join the committee also. She’s up for Blue Sky Dreaming!

Moose – There has been a large moose spotted several times around town and Martha contacted Bill at the Colorado Division of Wildlife (303- 297-1192). Here are his recommendations:

            Methods for Dealing with Unwanted Moose

To report an aggressive or nuisance moose needing relocation, call the CDOW Service Center at (303) 291-7227.

1. Be Safe. Stay a safe distance from moose. Leash dogs. If moose is outside your door, stay inside or find another exit if you must leave. If outdoors, look for safe areas such as a tree or vehicle in case the moose starts toward you.
2. Make the moose feel unwelcome through hazing. Loud noise is effective. An air horn (bear horn) or whistle can be effective in turning the moose away.
3. If the moose is meandering away, an empty soda can filled with rocks, gravel or uncooked beans can be lobbed at the moose. It won’t be hurt if it gets hit with the can.
4. To chase the moose away from an area, an organized effort can be made to have folks at various locations along the moose’s exit path with noises and gravel cans to move it along.
5. Always be safe.
6. If a moose is repeatedly attracted to particular bushes or small trees in the area, repellent can be placed on the bushes or trees. This can be lion urine pellets or similar. You can also soak rags in ammonia and place in a Ziploc bag, punch holes in bag and hang from bush or tree.
7. If the moose becomes aggressive or is not deterred by the hazing, call the CDOW Service Center at (303) 291-7227 and leave a message. They will respond and relocate the moose.

Plus, from Bear: This is a pretty good link you may want to share about what to do if you spot a moose:  http://www.nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/moose-safety.htm

Fire Department Cistern – Rich Lopez, President of the Fire Board, reported that the Board has been working on strategic planning and identifying the needs in our district. They have dry hydrants planned in Lefthand in several locations and property owners who have agreed. They are looking to replace their 500 gallon capacity truck with a new one that has a 500 gpm pump., they want to recruit new firefighters, and plan new cisterns in and around Gold Hill. There is one in the Subdivision, one just west of town, 1 in Sunshine at the 7 mile marker which was jointly installed with Sunshine, two at the Firebarn, and they think the next best place to locate a 30,000 gal. one is in the town meadow for firefighting purposes in town. Later they will look for another location as well. This would be underground and uphill from the road so that it will gravity feed, and the outlet would be close to the road.

Martha moved that the Town Meeting grant the Fire Department permission to pursue the installation of a cistern in the town meadow at the location described. Steffi seconded it and it was approved unanimously. ADDENDUM – Rich emailed us the next day saying, “Thanks for voting to allow the GH FPD to pursue the installation of a fire fighting cistern in town property.  We will keep you updated on our progress.  This is an import addition for the safety of the town and its residents. Rich”

NEW BUSINESS

Proposed Resolution adopting Boulder County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan – Erich reported that FEMA told the County planners that they need community input. He and Peter put together a list of our risks/hazards – essentially fire is our greatest risk and flooding is a medium risk – as well as possible financial losses etc. Approval of a plan is required in order to get FEMA funding. Martha suggested that we call a Special Town Meeting to discuss just this and invite Mike Chard of OEM (Office of Emergency Management – also an excellent website to consult about any questions you have about emergency planning as well as updated information in any actual emergency). A tentative date approximately 3 weeks from today was suggested and we would send out announcements. Chrissy moved that we schedule a Special Meeting to discuss the Mitigation Plan, Bobby seconded it and it passed. Tony will check with Chris about the availability of this room. Thanks were expressed to Erich and Peter for their work. More information will be forthcoming.

ADDENDUM: A Special Town Meeting was scheduled and held on Wednesday, March 2, and the meeting voted to adopt the plan – minutes to follow soon.

Art Installations – Laurie had to leave earlier, but Gretchen read part of her report. “The Gold Hill Art Project is planning a series of site-specific contemporary art installations in Gold Hill this summer. Three emerging artists, Molly Berger, Jennifer Ling Datchuk and Eric Stewart, have been commissioned to create new artworks that respond to Gold Hill’s rich history and cultural legacy. The commissions explore ideas about mining, migrant communities, tourism and the ways in which the landscape has been viewed and altered during the past 150 years. Collectively these installations will form a walking art tour, offering a different visual journey for visitors to Gold Hill.

Alongside the exhibitions there will be an extensive program of free public events scheduled on August 7^th, 14^th, 21^st, 28^th and September 4^th, 2016. These events will include guided talks and walks, performances, ceramic and photography workshops, film screenings and a village feast.

This project is curated by Laurie Britton Newell (lbn@nulllauriebrittonnewell.com, 720 369 0424) for Black Cube – A Nomadic Art Museum (blackcubeart.org).”

Contact Laurie for more information. I have personally met Molly, and she is an exciting, inspired person whom I believe will create something great.

Respectfully submitted, Gretchen Diefenderfer, Secretary, Gold Hill Town Meeting