July 9th, 2009

Gold Hill Town Meeting Newsletter

Minutes of the June 8, 2009 Town Meeting

Next Meeting: Elections! Monday, August 10, 2009 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center

Next Community Planning Initiative Meeting: Monday, July 13, 2009, 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center

The meeting was called to order by Chair Jennie Rice. Nineteen people attended: Dave Rice, Rebecca Gretz, Karen Simmons, Carol & Roger Garnett, Dave Noredgren, Susan Fernalld, Jim Daus of Parks and Open Space, John & Cherry Sand, Jim Smith, Jennie Rice, Edie Eilender, Mike Walker, Bear Carlson, Mary Ryan, Elon Bar-Evan, Kris Gibson, and Gretchen Diefenderfer.

Minutes – The April 13 minutes were approved.

Treasurer’s Report – no report as Dick was not present.

Boulder County Open Space Land Sale in Gold Hill – Jim Daus of Parks and Open Space (www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org 303-6787-6264) presented the proposal and answered questions about rules and regs concerning Open Space. The land in question is ~ 6.5acre triangular shaped parcel located between Nordgren’s (they already have an easement across it for their driveway) and the Colorado Mountain Ranch, right up the road west of town. The County is notifying us as a neighbor. The Official notification process will happen a few months from now and any further objections or comments can be made by anyone concerned. They want to get rid of the parcel because it is too small for them to deal with. As adjacent landowners, Dave Nordgren and Mike Walker have proposed buying this parcel and splitting it between them. They will have to pay market value ($30,000 negotiated, so far). As open space it will be subject to conservation easement and will require that the properties be merged with those of the new owners. No objections were raised at this meeting. If the town has an interest, we would have time to sit down with Dave Nordgren and Mike Walker and hammer out an agreement. Conservation easements can be amended, but it sounds like the County doesn’t like to.

Community Planning Initiative (CPI) – We met on Monday, June 1 and continued work on the Vision Statement, incorporating suggestions people submitted. We decided that it is now time to send the latest draft out to everyone in the suggested area (the Town Meeting boundaries) along with a map for everyone’s suggestions and comments. Our plan is then to submit the final draft to the County for inclusion in the County Comprehensive Plan in order to guide county planners, the public, and landowners in making future land use decisions that will take into account our collective vision. The County has mailed these out and included a stamped envelope, so please give us your input!

If you do not receive this latest draft, please contact Gretchen Diefenderfer, 442-3847 or gretchend@mac.com and I will get you one. Our next meeting is Monday, July 13, 2009, 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center. Please, y’all come!

Historical Zoning – Cherry reported that they have received a preliminary plan from Bob Mason regarding a bank of solar collectors to be mounted on his sheds. Elon as well as Dan Gretz are also beginning to make plans for solar collectors. The HZ committee is looking at the best ways to make solar collectors compatible with their guidelines. The CPI is also having this discussion and the County is also working on new rules.

Forest Management – Edie reports that she hates the sound of chain saws at this time of year because of her fears about the Pine Bark Beetle. She lost 6 trees in the 70’s and her neighbor lost 4 after one was hit by lightening and the beetles arrived the next day attracted by the sap. She stressed that it’s a matter of timing.

CWPP – Jennie reports that, if the green wood is going to be left in the forest, cutting needs to stop by June 15 in order for it to dry enough not to attract the beetles. The flight mainly begins in mid July. On our project, all the green wood is going to be removed, so we are able to cut until late June. Right now they are about ½ way done, intend to be stop by June 25, and will restart in the fall. Our project consists of three pieces: thinning the forest, shaded fuel breaks (10-12’ spacing between trees), and patch cuts (like mini-clear cuts of the Lodgepole leaving other species and planting baby Aspen) up near the Few’s and Hugh Moore’s. There were some 135 year old Lodgepole that were only 5” in diameter because they were so crowded. Bordering the Town Meadow, they will do some thinning and low limbing to restore the health of the Ponderosa.

The USFS is planning a prescribed burn out by the Switzerland Trail and because of the potential risk has allocated money to mitigate the wildfire danger around Gold Hill. Boulder County has also donated $12,000 and the Town has donated previously and will need to donate more in the future. This work has turned out to be more expensive than first estimated, but it’s a matter of public safety. The Four Mile Fire Mitigation Crew is doing the cuttting.

Weed Management – Susan reports that it’s weed season and she is working on the weed page for the town website.

Historic Gold Hill – Edie reports that because it’s our sesquicentennial year there are a lot of events scheduled and new displays at the Museum.

We still need materials for the Calendar, which benefits the museum. We’re looking for old and new photos, poems, drawings, ideas, and anyone who would like to be on the committee.

Jim reports that Marge McLellan, who has the only landmarked building in Gold Hill (the cabin just West of the Red Store), is attempting to do an historic restoration. She will have to raise the building to put a foundation under it. Mud has flowed in over the years and has filled the space right under the floor.

Mining, Trails, and the Gold Hill School – no reports.

Sesquicentennial – John reports – Gold Hill’s Sesquicentennial events kicked off over the Memorial Day weekend with a fanfare and a birthday cake celebrating our 150 years. The Gold Hill Museum has many new exhibits covering the history of Gold Hill on many different topics. Many people were attracted to the Museum to see these, plus purchase commemorative items such as t-shirts, coffee mugs, buttons, and magnets. Especially popular were the homemade Cornish pasties, the staple of miners’ lunch pails.

- June 20: Miner’s Day. From 11 AM to 3 PM the Museum will be open, plus there will be demonstrations of hard rock hand drilling and blacksmithing, exhibits of old mining equipment, experts to discuss the geology of gold, plus sales of all the commemorative items, including pasties.

- July 18: Walking tours of Historic Gold Hill, from noon to 3 PM. Visitors will use pamphlets to learn the history of Gold Hill, as they stroll through the town and visit cabins and houses that reflect the 150 years of the town. Towns people in period costumes will answer questions and guide visitors around the town. The Museum will be open with its displays and the commemorative items for sale, including Cornish pasties.

August 15: A repeat of the July walking tours and open Museum and cabins, plus two special events:

- at 11 AM, Rev. George Brunner, of the Trinity Methodist Church in Denver, will ride into town and deliver a sermon at the Museum. This commemorates Rev. Jacob Adriance who did the same as a circuit rider from that church in 1859 and 1860.

- at 1:30 PM, Donlyn Arbuthnot will portray one of her ancestors, who was a miner in Gold Hill in the early days, at the Gold Hill School.

Town Website – Elon reports the website is goldhilltown.com, and trainings are being held for those who are willing to own specific pages. Angela Bowman is working with us to help put it all together and it looks wonderful so far.

OLD BUSINESS

Aspen Planting – Susan read the following:

Thanks to 28 people who turned out with their shovels June 6 to plant 90 aspen trees on town property after fire mitigation work west of the town meadow. Mary Ryan, Amy Schreiber, Jennie and Henry Rice, Cherry and John Sand, Joan and Arthur Few, Maggie Simms and David Brigham, Lisa and Darrel McConnell with Molly, John Rankin, Mike Petrillo, Poppy Copeland and Bear Carlson, Elon Bar-Evan and family, Jane Maslanka, Martha Knapp, Jan Eaton, Val Crist, Gretchen Diefenderfer, and Edie Eilender stepped up to benefit the forest and help protect Gold Hill from fire. Thanks to Ken Fernalld who drove the water tank up the patch cut’s slash-strewn slope to water the new seedlings and to Hugh Moore who provided access to the patch cut area. Watch for Barb Lawlor’s article on the event in The Mountain Ear.

Town Clean-up – Becky and Dan have volunteered to manage the clean-up, which is scheduled for June 20. They will make flyers and signs and everything is on track.

Bike Race Bake Sale – Karen reports that the mini-bake sale with Gatorade, hot chocolate, and bananas (the cookies not so much) was a big hit although the organizer had failed to let people know to bring money. They did bring in $80.00. The following day, she took the leftovers to the triathlon downtown and made another $40.00.

ACTION ITEMS –

The Town and the Museum each loaned $500 to the Sesquicentennial Committee to purchase commemorative items for sale. We will revisit the finances at the August Town Meeting to see how the money raising is going.

Elon requested $60 for snacks for this meeting, the next two, and the website trainings. Motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS

Jennie reports that Rick Schmidt, who owns approximately the Eastern 1/3 of the meadow (the other ~2/3 is the Town Meadow), came to the Town Meeting briefly to remind people that this is private property. People have been trespassing and leaving garbage as well as fire rings. Please respect his private property.

CWPP – Jennie will bring a proposal requesting a donation for the CWPP work to the August Town Meeting.

Bake and Rummage Sale – Elon has scheduled this event for August 22. The Finn’s have offered the Beer Garden and Sinner’s have offered their side yard. More info to follow.

Couches with “free” signs were left on Main Street. It was requested that people NOT do this – save items like this for the town rummage sale.

NEXT MEETING – August 10, 2009 – ELECTIONS! Jennie will NOT be running, so be thinking about who could/would fill her shoes – she’s done an awesome job.