From Tony Vrba  tonyvrba@nullgmail.com

Gold Hill Soup Potluck– Monday, March 12th at 6 pm Fire Barn Community Room

Let’s warm up with some hearty soup and a great community get-together with the March Soup Potluck!  Bring soup, dessert, crackers, cheese, salad, bread,  etc. and your own drinks – we will have the bowls, spoons, etc.  

The Boulder County Sheriff-Joe Pelle will join us and will let us know about many important issues in the county. 

Hope to see you there!

From Tony Vrba  tonyvrba@nullgmail.com

MIKE & BONNIE COATS will return to the Pub next Saturday, March 10th, 1:00 – 3:00.  Enjoy the classic melodies of the Traditional American Songbook while we serve afternoon lunch and a selection of beers.

You are welcome to attend this hearing and aid the County in their decisions. Information regarding this docket is available for public examination at the Boulder County Land Use Dept, 2045 13th St, Boulder CO. You can also call the County office at 303 441-3930 or email sfrederick@nullbouldercounty.or for more information, or view the file online at www.bouldercounty.org/landusedockets by searching by the docket number listed.

From Tony Vrba, tonyvrba@nullgmail.com

Gold Hill Soup and Smiles – Monday, March 12th at 6 pm, Fire Barn/Community Center

Let’s warm up with some hearty soup and a great community get-together with the March Soup Potluck!  Bring soup, dessert, crackers, cheese, salad, bread, etc., and your own drinks – we will have the bowls, spoons, etc.  

The Boulder County Sheriff, Joe Pelle, will join us and will let us know about many important issues in the county. 

Hope to see you there!

Tony Vrba,  GHTMeeting Chair

At last! The FARMER SISTERS will perform Saturday March 3rd, thanks to a good weather forecast this time. Doors 5:30, Music 6-8.  $5.

Also, The Gold Hill Store & Pub will initiate two new evening pursuits this week:  Friday Pizza + Beer Special 5-8pm, with plans for a weekly Fish Fry; and Sunday Happy Hours with bar snacks 5-7pm (or later).

A great tradition!  MIKE & BONNIE COATS return to the Pub this Saturday, Feb 24th, 1 – 3 pm, for an afternoon of Bluegrass, Gospel, and Americana.   Join us for lunch, a beer, and this rousing session of true American Music.

Ok, Gold Hill area folks, it’s time for participatory democracy! The Caucuses are Tuesday, March 6, 2018, at 7:00 P.M., and you get to help select candidates for offices in Colorado, starting with Governor, as well as elect delegates to attend the County Assembly.

You must be a registered Democrat or Republican as of January 8 in order to vote at the Caucus.

To find out what happens at the caucuses and other info contact https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Candidates/FAQs/caucuses.html

The Democratic Caucus will be at the Gold Hill Elementary School, 890 Main Street, Gold Hill. You can pre-register on line https://www.bocodems.org/caucus/

and print out your pre-registration to bring with you, or register at the Caucus – registration starts at 6:00 p.m and the Caucus is at 7:00

If you are a Republican, the Republican Caucus will be held at Mesa Elementary, 1576 Lehigh Street in Boulder. You can pre-register and bring your pre-registration with you to  the Republican Caucus at http://caucus.cologop.org

Boulder County Democratic Party

Mailing Address:
Boulder County Democratic Party
P.O. Box 18793
Boulder, CO 80308

Physical Address:
5735 A Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, CO 80303-1340

Call: (720) 526-2104     info@nullbocodems.org

Boulder County Republican Party

Mailing Address:
619 Ken Pratt Blvd. 
Longmont, CO  80501

Phone: 303-758-3333 (303) 443-6606

https://www.bocogop.org/index.php

6-7:30 pm Gold Hill Pie Party! Monday, Feb 12th 6pm at the Fire Barn Community Room Bring a pie (or 2,3…) to share and enjoy the sampling-bring your spatula for cutting the pie. Sweet or savory- please identify your pie with a note; gluten free, sugar free, and the kind, etc. I heard that there will be Cajun Shrimp Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Key Lime and more!!!! Did you know there are over 231 varieties of apple pie! We will have napkins, plates, forks and cups, though bring your own beverage; If you are not the baking type, enjoy sampling for a $5 donation. Everyone in the area is encouraged to participate. Gold Hill Town Meeting follows at 7:30

February 12, 2018

Gold Hill Town Meeting Agenda

6-7:30 pm Gold Hill Pie Party! Monday, Feb 12th 6pm at the Fire Barn Community Room Bring a pie (or 2,3…) to share and enjoy the sampling-bring your spatula for cutting the pie. Sweet or savory- please identify your pie with a note; gluten free, sugar free, and the kind, etc. I heard that there will be Cajun Shrimp Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Key Lime and more!!!! Did you know there are over 231 varieties of apple pie! We will have napkins, plates, forks and cups, though bring your own beverage; If you are not the baking type, enjoy sampling for a $5 donation. Everyone in the area is encouraged to participate. Gold Hill Town Meeting follows at 7:30

7:30 Start GHTMeeting

Approval of previous Minutes

Treasurer’s Report

Committee Reports

Old Business

• Move money for Forestry
• GH Communication Plan
• Rick – Fire Cisterns in Town Meadow – plans are at the GH Store
• Strategic Plan of: Community, Communication, and Mitigation
  • Community Center lead needed

New Business/Announcements

1. Soup and Sherriff March 12^th
2. Town Portrait
3. Noise
4. Amend By Laws discussion
5. Guideline for website postings
6. Budget guidelines

Gold Hill Store & Pub –  Wednesday, February 7th, 2018, Don’t forget, seats are limited…..

Please join us in welcoming lead singer and guitarist from the Gasoline Lollipops, Clay Rose. Tickets are $10 per person. Please email kortmccumber(at)gmail(dot)com to reserve seats. The best way to guarantee a seat is to call or pay in person, in advance at the Gold Hill Store & Pub. 303-443-7724. Doors @ 6:30pm, Concert @ 7pm. 531 Main Street, Gold Hill, CO

His musical style has been described as “complex, macabre and powerful …Tom Waits’s meets mountain bluegrass.”

Amy Fortunato 

amy@nullcowboys-sweetheart.com

From Chief Chris Finn

Firefighters
Attached is a map with road closure dates.
When the road is closed, our district runs down to the closure!
Questions?
Chris

—–Original Message—–
From: Cash House [mailto:cehouse4662@nullgmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2018 8:44 AM
To: Chris Finn; Michael Schmitt; Andy Almafitano; Jeremy Felix; Chris
Williams
Cc: Bret gibson Home; Four Mile Fire Crew
Subject: Gold Run road closure map

Hey Chiefs,

Please see the attached road closure map for the Gold Run area west of
Salina.   These closures will begin Monday, Feb 12.  These will be full
daytime closures so no access will be available through these locations
during a 3-5 day period from the start of the closure except at night….
super fun.  

There aren’t exact addresses for the closure sites so I will do my best to
get that info out to ya this week and add it to the map.

For any EMS/Fire response above these closure locations, all access must
come up sunshine canyon, through the town of Gold Hill and then down Gold
Run.  

Give a shout with any questions.  

Saturday afternoon music at the Gold Hill Store & Pub

From Tony Vrba – tonyvrba@nullgmail.com

Get Your Pie on!

Gold Hill January Pie Party!  Sunday January 21^st at 4pm at the Fire Barn Community Room

Bring a pie (or 2,3…) to share and enjoy the sampling-bring your spatula for cutting the pie. 

Sweet or savory- please identify your pie with a note; gluten free, sugar free, and the kind, etc.

I heard that there will be Cajun Shrimp Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Key Lime and more!!!! Did you know there are over 231 varieties of apple pie!

We will have plates, forks and cups, though bring your own beverage;

If you are not the baking type, enjoy sampling for a $5 donation. 

Everyone in the GHTM area is encouraged to participate.

Hope to see you there!
Debra, Joan and Tony

Mountain MidLife Friends:
​Sign up now for Mountain MidLife Breakfast THIS Saturday, January 13!  Optional hike follows. Details in calendar listings below. Sign up by replying to this email or call 303-258-0799. (Meetup recently redesigned the site and no longer shows the “+1” signup to the host, so if you signed up there, please contact us if you are registering more than one.)

 URGENT Special Opportunity! Easy money for NAS! We need less than one minute of your time and your vote to bring dollars to our host nonprofit.

Lucky’s Market in north Boulder has nominated Nederland Area Seniors to be included in their new Bags for Change Program! In Bags for Change, every time a customer brings in a reusable bag they receive a 10¢ credit. They can choose to keep the credit or donate it to one of three local nonprofit organizations. It adds up quickly to a significant donation!

Winning nonprofits are decided by community vote and we need YOUR help to secure this substantial community donation. The voting has already begun and runs ONLY THROUGH MONDAY, JANUARY 15.  At the end of the voting period the three nonprofits with the most votes will be the next Bags for Change recipients. We are currently in 3^rd place and we need your votes to stay there!

Let’s make this happen! To vote, go to Lucky’s Market-North Boulder’s Facebook page, or just click here: http://woobox.com/vskh2j  We only have this week to do this, so please post this on your own Facebook pages and email your friends, family, and co-workers to ask them to vote for us, too!

 It is not too soon to sign up for Mountain MidLife Dinner & Games Night on Friday, January 26, only two weeks away!  See details in calendar listings below.

 Invite a friend to a meal (lunches every Monday and Wednesday or monthly dinners or breakfasts) and offer to pick them up and drop them home afterwards. With a “requested contribution” of $5 (over age 60), we offer a fun and affordable get-together with friends. We need and appreciate your anonymous meal contributions, but please ensure people know that we welcome anyone over age 60 even if they cannot pay.

All ages of adults are welcome at all events, attended mostly by folks over age 50.

Sign up for all Mountain MidLife events at 303-258-0799 or Meetup.com/Mountain-MidLife-Social-Group or by replying to this email.

New Opportunity!  Create Our Events

Our new board is reconfiguring some of the ways our organization can operate most effectively. We invite all of the folks who have enjoyed an event or outing in the past few years—or would like to in the future—to help us sustain our vibrant activity levels. Your input about what specific outings you would like our organization to plan and a small amount of your energy to help make them happen for everyone is needed. We are reducing hours for our tiny overburdened staff and need YOU, our friends we love to get together with, to help keep our group lively. If we don’t step up to make them happen, our wonderful array of activities and outings could become a distant memory. Let’s get together regularly to plan all the fun times we can share! Please call us at 303-258-0799to volunteer with our fun programs and activities planning group.

Open Enrollment Insurance Help

For our MidLife Friends under age 65 not yet eligible for Medicare and needing to sign up for health insurance, open enrollment began November 1. Assistance in navigating the Connect for Health Colorado financially assisted Marketplace is available free at the Nederland Community Center from 9am to 3pm on Tuesday, January 9. No need for an appointment – just drop by. To obtain a list of materials to bring if applying for financial assistance (tax credits) or for more general information: whymebouldercounty.org,whyme@nullbouldercounty.org, or 303-441-1000.

Luncheon Program – AirMedCare Network

Helicopter flights for life threatening emergencies are not covered by many insurance companies and can cost over $40,000. Learn about a program to reduce costs from Amy Scott of the AirMedCare Network at lunch THIS Wednesday, January 10.

 Book Group

The Book Group will meet at a private home on second Thursdays; the next meeting is THIS Thursday, January 11, 6:30pm, and the format is pot luck. Call us at 303-258-0799 for the location or other info. January’s book is The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande.

Featured Event!  Social Saturday Breakfast & Hike

Come join us for breakfast and optional hike following at the Nederland Community Center on Saturday, January 13. Doors open at 8:30am, with the meal served at 9:00am. Menu is at end of email. All ages of adults are welcome. Cost is only $8 under age 60 and $5 requested contribution from those over age 60. Please RSVP to 303-258-0799 or reply to this email or www.Meetup.com/Mountain-MidLife-Social-Group. (Please note that the newly designed site is not showing us the “+1” on signups, so we need to hear from you on email or voicemail for such registrations…) An optional hike follows at 10:15am.

Please VOLUNTEER to help at these events. If you enjoy cooking and would like to assist our friendly new chef Cher Rainbolt the evening prior or early in the morning, please let us know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. If you can help at the door with greeting/check-in and welcoming/orienting our newest guests, we really appreciate it. We need 2-3 people to handle this each time and need to know several days in advance that we have these positions covered.

New Date! Annie at BDT Stage (Boulder’s Dinner Theater)

Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has become a worldwide phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The beloved book and score features some of the most well-known musical theatre hits, including Tomorrow.

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. After escaping, Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations and befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She finds a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

Join us for an evening of dinner and show on Thursday, February 15, 6:15pm. NOTE: We have moved this date due to a schedule conflict with the Art at the Center Opening Reception, discovered after our print newsletter’s press time.Ticket price is $45 for angle seats if we have a group of 12 or more. We need to lock in the tickets immediately, so please call as soon as you read this to let us know if you are planning to attend. We need to receive payments by NEXT Monday, January 15.

New Snowshoe and X-C Ski Interest Groups

The BIGfoot Snowshoe hike tradition resumes with our volunteer leader Gunda Starkey. These hikes meet on third Fridays at 10:00am at the lower east entrance of the Nederland Community Center to carpool to a nearby trailhead. Our first snowshoe hike of the season will be on Friday, January 19. Please sign up at 303-258-0799. If you have no snowshoes but would like to learn and participate, let us know.

Join us for classic cross-country skiing on the groomed trails at Eldora Mountain Resort. We will meet inside the Nordic center, just left of the downhill beginners’ slope, on Sunday, January 28, at Noon. Single day trail passes on weekends are $32, or $22 over age 65, and equipment rentals are $27, or $22 over age 65. Our volunteer leader (not a certified ski instructor) can help beginners; otherwise please consider scheduling a lesson in advance with a professional instructor ($80) from Eldora Nordic Center prior to our outing. Plan to arrive early if requiring rental equipment.

With varying skill levels in our group and snow/trail conditions being fickle, we will need to communicate prior to the event. Please call Gunda at 303-459-0412 with questions/reservations and indicate what type of cross country skiing you have done and your skill level so we can plan groups. This event presents inherent risk of injury and all participants must sign a liability waiver.

Swing Dance to Live Big Band Music

Swing Dance to a live dance band at the Avalon Ballroom at 63^rd and Arapahoe in Boulder on Saturday, January 20. Dance lesson 7pm-8pm included with the price of admission. Dancing 8-11pm. DJ dance music during intermissions. Light snacks provided. All ages welcome. No partner or dance experience required. Please wear non-marking shoes. Dress to express yourself. Casual is fine. Admission: $15 per person general; $10 students; $5 children accompanied by adult; volunteers free. Cash or check.

Foot Care

 Local Registered Nurse Debbie Neal serves mountain older adults with toenail and skin care, review of foot concerns – Monday, January 22. By appointment, downtown Nederland, $30, sign up at 303-258-0799.

Open Stage with Danny Shafer

The new Boulder Oskar Blues on Pearl Street near 9th proudly hosts Danny Shafer’s Open Mic, which is one of the longest-running in Boulder. Recently featured in the Daily Camera, this jam session features an eclectic mix of some of Boulder’s most talented locals. Come jam with Danny Shafer and friends from 7:30-9:30pm—or enjoy listening while we snack, drink, and visit on Tuesday, January 23. No admission charge. Call our office at 303-258-0799 if attending so we can be sure someone brings the Mountain MidLife table tent sign and everyone can find each other.

Featured Event!  Mountain MidLife Dinner & Games

In all the fun of our Holiday Singalong, we missed our Games Night last month, so we have added it to the next Mountain MidLife Dinner on Friday, January 26 – 5:00pm doors open for social, 5:30pm meal served. Please reserve as far in advance as possible at Meetup.com/Mountain-MidLife-Social-Group, by replying to this email, or by phone at 303-258-0799.  If you have special dietary needs not already registered with us, please inform us several days in advance. $10 Adults under age 60 or $5 requested contribution over age 60.

Please VOLUNTEER to help at these events. If you enjoy cooking and would like to assist our friendly new chef Cher Rainbolt in the afternoon, please let us know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. If you can help at the door with greeting/check-in and welcoming/orienting our newest guests, we really appreciate it. We need 3-4 people to handle this each time and need to know several days in advance that we have these positions covered.

Art at the Center Opening Reception

Art at the Center hosts a wonderful wine-and-appetizers event at the Nederland Community Center to launch its new art show of local talent on Thursday, February 1, 5:00pm–7:00pm. Live music by talented young guitarist Desmond Blake. The requested donation of $5 provides two free beverage tickets.

Wine/Beverage Tasters!

This evening is more about the social than any formal tasting. Just bring a bottle of something you’d enjoy sharing and an appetizer. Held in a private home Saturday, February 3, 6:30pm. Call, email, or sign up on Meetup for reservations and we will email the location.

Luncheon Program – TRU PACE

TRU PACE is a unique program of multiple levels of services available to help mountain seniors who need nursing-home-level care so they may age in place at home while benefiting from these services in Lafayette. They even come pick us up at home to take us to their center for everything from PT and medical to counseling, social, meals, and more. Learn about the variety of services offered from Leslie Mader at lunch Wednesday, February 7.

Open-Caption Films at Monday Matinees

Our friendly Backdoor Theatre crew at the Nederland Community Center has added a special matinee showing every Monday at 1:30pm of the prior weekend’s film. Please help spread the word to friends whose jobs or busy schedules prevents them from attending movies on Friday and Saturday evenings. The matinee includes “open captioning”, which shows the words at the bottom of the screen. This is most helpful to those of us who stopped attending movies because we have trouble understanding what the actors are saying. Enjoy this new, enhanced feature and show your support to the BDT so they can continue to offer this new service!

Other Events of Interest

Plan an outing or interest group and we can post it at Meetup. Email details to Serene at serenekarplus (at) gmail.com. Adults of all ages are welcome at all events.

  WEEKLY CALENDAR

Lunch at Nederland Community Center — RSVP 2 days ahead

   Every Monday & Wednesday, Noon

Mtn MidLife Breakfast/Brunch, Nederland Community Center —RSVP one week ahead if possible

   Second Sat Odd # Mos, 8:30am/9:00am

   Second Sun Even # Months, 11:00am/11:30am

Mtn MidLife Dinner at Nederland Community Center —RSVP one week ahead if possible

   Fourth Fridays, 5:00pm/5:30pm

Exercise at St. Rita’s Catholic Church; free

   Every Monday & Wednesday, 10:30am

Pickleball at Nederland Community Center; Ned CC fees

   Every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, 10:00am

Writing Skills at Ned Community Library; free

   Every 1st and 3rd Monday, 1:00pm

Writing Life Stories at Ned Community Library; free

   Every 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 1:00pm

NedKnits at Ned Community Library; free

   Second Thursdays, 1:00-3:00pm, Ned Comm Library

BIGfoot Memorial Hike Meet at Nederland Community Center; free

   Every 3rd Friday, 9:00am, Call NAS to Confirm

 January Menu

Please RSVP two days ahead for lunches, a week ahead for breakfasts and dinners to 303-258-0799.

M     1  HOLIDAY—No Lunch

W    3  Ham and Bean Soup, Cornbread, Greek Salad, Orange/Pineapple/Grape

M    8   Herb Baked Tilapia, Quinoa, Spring Mix Salad w Chickpeas, Berries         

W  10  Chicken Pot Pie w Carrot/Peas/Potatoes, Spinach Salad w Egg/Onion/Mushroom, Pear

Sa  13  Vegetable Frittata, Turkey Sausage, Berry Oatmeal, WW Toast, Melon

M  15  Vegetarian Chili, Cornbread, Spinach Salad w Feta, Apple

W  17  Roast Pork, Broccoli/Carrot, Baked Potato, Mixed Berries

M  22  Chef’s Salad, Vegetable Soup, WW Bread. Pear

W  24  Fish Taco, Roasted Vegetables, Pinto Beans/Rice, Lettuce/Salsa, Peach

Fr  26   Beef Pot Roast w Carrot/Celery/Potato, WW Roll, Caesar Salad, Banana

M  29   Chicken Salad Sandwich on Croissant, Italian Salad, Pear

W  31   Grilled Cheese Baguette, Cauliflower Dill Soup, Spring Mix Salad, Strawberries

​We look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

Serene Karplus

serenekarplus@nullgmail.com
303-

​258-0799

GOLD HILL TOWN MEETING NEWSLETTER

Minutes of the December 11, 2017 Town Meeting

 The next regular Town Meeting is Monday, February 12, 2018, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center.   However, a Special Town Meeting has been called for Monday, January 8, 2018, 7:00 p.m. See Agenda attached

 The December meeting was called to order by Chair Tony Vrba. Ten people attended: Tony, Debra Yeager, Member at Large Dan Maedke, Vice Chair Jojo Morrison, Bobby Vrba, Mark and Dina Elder, Secretary Gretchen Diefenderfer, Michael Albes, and Rick Sinner.

Minutes of the October 9 meeting were approved.

Treasurer’s Report was submitted by email as Treasurer Martha Knapp could not attend:

At the previous regular Town Meeting in OCTOBER our bank balance was $13,703.75. Our current total cash assets are $15,361.75.

Revenue since the October meeting includes donations to the cemetery fund, pint glass sales and the Gold Rush fundraiser. Expenses include advertising for the Gold Rush event.

Earmarked fund totals are as follows:
General Fund $1779.09; Cemetery $6,507.78; Community Relief $3,326.95; Forest Management 0

(zero); Safe Link (funds for SafeSite, AirLink, NeighborLink projects) $3,785.25; Community Planning $232.68.

Notes: As seen in the spreadsheet below, the Forest Management beginning negative balance reflects the Town Meeting share of the Chipping Project expenses after reimbursements. $552.75 was transferred to Forest Management from the General Fund to balance it out.

Respectfully submitted, Martha Knapp, Treasurer Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. 12/11/17

 COMMITTEE REPORTS – Tony reported that since some committees do not report regularly, she would just request anyone with a report to speak.

IMA- Tony reported that the IMA has been working on communication plans for all the communities to prepare in case of emergencies. Dina added that, speaking of communications, AirLink has almost finished the work from their grant and have installed most of the equipment in Jamestown to link them up to us – hopefully it will be complete by the end of the week. They also have another $1800 in the Community Communication grant to spend. Jamestown bought and distributed Walkie-Talkies, but she isn’t sure this is the best use of the money for Gold Hill. They are also looking at a back up generator as well as possible replacing an old radio in Jamestown. Deb added that she has met some people on the Peak to Peak who have 3 ham radio towers they are not using and would give them away. Dina will follow up.

Gold Hill School – Jojo reported that the Fall Fiesta was a great success. They made around $17,000. Thanks to all who participated and contributed. There is still honey available – just stop by the school.   Also t-shirts and hats can be ordered online at the school website (goldhillschool.com).

Mining – Gretchen reports that it’s gone very quiet at the Mill – no cars and the Porta-pottie is gone. Deb asked if we know about progress on the permitting process, but no one did.

ADDENDUM: A small sign on a tree down on Lefthand has been posted stating:

            This site is the location of a proposed mining operation. The Colorado Milling Company, LLC, whose address and phone number is 50 West 100 South, Moab, Utah 80342, (303) 588-1119, has applied for an Amendment to Reclamation Permit No. M-1994-117 with the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board. Anyone wishing to comment on the application may view the application at the Boulder Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 1750 33^rd Street, Boulder Colorado 80301, and should send comments prior to the end of the public comment period to the Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety, 1313 Sherman Street,Room 215, Denver, Colorado 80203.

Certification

I, Mark A. Steen, hereby certify that I posted a sign containing the above notice for the proposed permit area known as the Gold Hill Mill on December 19, 2017.

Apparently it involves pumping water up from Lefthand Creek to the Mill. Several people are looking into this as it affects our community, and it will be added to the agenda for the Special Town Meeting on January 8.

Historic Gold Hill – Deb reports that there are very few Gold Hill calendars left – contact Marie Brookhart. Next year the museum’s community outreach program will be on the Switzerland Trail in June. They will have some Forrest Crossen books from the Elks Club for sale.

Fire Department – Bobby reports that they’ve had some great trainings – burned a car and practiced putting it out. There have been a couple of medical calls.   The Forest Service has been cleaning up an abandoned campsite on FS 453.

Community Planning –no update on Rancho Fazoo

OLD BUSINESS

GHFPD Cisterns in the Town Meadow- Tony has signed a letter for the Fire Department stating that the GHTM supports this project to improve water supply for fire fighting in Gold Hill.

Support for survey on paving part of Sunshine? – Tony asked George Gerstle from the County about projected costs or plans, and there is apparently no plan at present for paving another 1.6miles of Sunshine. Gretchen said that in the past it seemed that paving costs are so huge up front and the potential impact on Gold Hill so great, that the CCs haven’t supported paving. Jojo added that we should look into the best technology taking into account safety as well as preserving the historic character of the area – maybe some third approach rather than just dirt vs. pavement. The feeling seemed to be to let sleeping dogs lie, at this point. Rick added that when our roads deteriorate, calling Ted Plank of the Road District seems to get a response pretty quickly.

GH Hazard Mitigation Plan – Tony reported that Peter Swift had filled out the original report a few years ago and Mike Chard of the Office of Emergency Management requested an update. All Peter had really requested was support for a Community Center and Safe Site in emergencies. Tony got some input from the Fire Board, as well as Dina’s communication plans and Virginia Schultz’s forestry ideas to include.

NEW BUSINESS

 Volunteer Appreciation, possible Bylaw ammendments, Strategic vision for 2018/19 – Tony reports that Council members have been talking about these issues, and decided to have a Special Town Meeting to look at ideas. It was decided to schedule it for Monday, January 8, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. here at the Community Center. And, as the Colorado Milling Company and their Amendment to Reclamation Permit No. M-1994-117 has also come up, that will be added to the agenda as well.

Guidelines for posting on the town website – Tony asked about the guidelines. Gretchen reported that Jennie Rice put some together when she set up the town website, and she will send them to the council. This will be added to the agenda for Special Town Meeting agenda, also.

Town Noise – Rick wanted to express disappointment in the letter attached to the last minutes from Joanne Cole. It’s not accurate to say that there is only music at the Inn on Friday and Sunday – many times it’s also Saturday. Also, the advice at the end seemed mean spirited – to live and let live no matter the increasing noise and crowds, most of the impact coming from people heading outside during breaks between sets to smoke and drink, etc..   Realistically, no one is going to approach a group of 30-40 people on the front porch who have been drinking and partying and ask them to please take it off Main Street.

Deb reported that she has spoken with Brian Finn and she feels like they are aware of the impact on the community. The standard big night is Friday and seems to be becoming more and more popular. There maybe something to be done that would be good for all. Jojo stated that there needs to be mutual respect on both sides. She thinks that it seems to be getting a little much and they may be looking at solutions, too. There needs to be some brainstorming . Deb added it is about starting a conversation, everyone agrees that we want the Inn to be successful.   Is this a one on one issue? Rick is not going to say anything against the Inn, but he does think there is a problem and he is not the only one. He did want to clarify that he is the one who said at the August meeting that, yes, he knew he was buying a house near an airport, but didn’t expect jumbo jets to start landing here. Tony thinks that Rick should talk to the Finns. Gretchen added that there is an old norm that individuals should approach neighbors first to see what they can work out.

Respectfully submitted, Gretchen Diefenderfer, Secretary

SPECIAL GH TOWN MEETING SET FOR JANUARY 8, 2018 at 7:00p.m., Community Center

Agenda

1. Amend Bylaws discussion – GHTM Schedule change, Length of office, Map, etc.,
2. Strategic Vision for 2018/9 
3. Guidelines for website postings
4. Committee Spending Policy/Volunteer appreciation
5. Colorado Milling application for an Amendment to Reclamation Permit No. M-1994-117 with the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board to pipe water up from Lefthand to the Mill.

For the bylaws, go to the town website (goldhilltown.com), on the left side select Gold Hill Town Meeting and then go down to “What is the Gold Hill Town Meeting”

SPECIAL GH TOWN MEETING SET FOR JANUARY 8, 2018, 7:00 p.m., at the Community Center

Agenda

1. Amend Bylaws discussion – GHTM Schedule change, Length of office, Map, etc.,
2. Strategic Vision for 2018/9 
3. Guidelines for website postings
4. Committee Spending Policy/Volunteer appreciation
5. Colorado Milling application for an Amendment to Reclamation Permit No. M-1994-117 with the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board to pipe water up from Lefthand to the Mill.

For the bylaws, go to the town website (goldhilltown.com), on the left side select Gold Hill Town Meeting and then go down to “What is the Gold Hill Town Meeting”

I have reserved the community room for Jan 8th at 7pm for the special GHTMeeting to discuss:

1. Amend Bylaws discussion – GHTM Schedule change, Length of office, etc.
2. Strategic Vision for 2018/9 
3. Guidelines for website postings
4. Committee Spending Policy/Volunteer appreciation
5. Colorado Milling application for an Amendment to Reclamation Permit No. M-1994-117 with the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board to pipe water up from Lefthand to the Mill. 

Tony Vrba, Chair, GHTM

tonyvrba@nullgmail.com

Approval of previous Minutes

Treasurer’s Report

1. Partner with GHFPD on installation of Cisterns in meadow. 
2. Support a survey for paving of Sunshine
3.  GH Communication Plan
4.  GH Hazard Mitigation Plan

1. Volunteer Appreciation 
2. Amend By Laws discussion -GHTM Schedule change, Length of office, etc.
3. Strategic Vision for 2018/9 
4. Guideline for website postings
5. Town noise

Jamestown Holiday Fair, locally-made crafts and bake sale.

GOLD HILL TOWN MEETING NEWSLETTER

Minutes of the October 9, 2017 Town Meeting

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

 The meeting was preceded by a social gathering at 7:00 with Erik Wardle, Research Associate, CSU Water Quality Program. (erik.wardle@nullcolostate.edu)

The meeting was called to order by Chair Tony Vrba. Twelve people attended: Bear Carlson, John Sand, Mark and Dina Elder, Chrissy and Member at Large Dan Maedke, Bobby and Chair Tony Vrba, Treasurer Martha Knapp, Secretary Gretchen Diefenderfer, Vice Chair Jojo Morrison, and Erik Wardle of CSU.

Erik was moved to the beginning of the agenda and gave us a great deal of information on water wells and septic systems. He advises people to test their water yearly, and to get a full suite if it’s been awhile, including heavy metals. If you test frequently, you can test for only those contaminants that have shown up unless something has changed. Boulder County Health Department no longer tests well water, but they do have a list of testing labs. He is an agronomist with CSU and works a lot with farmers on how to keep fertilizers out of water supplies. He can also direct people to information and resources – he can be contacted at 970-491-0447, erik.wardle@nullcolostate.edu. He gave us lots of handouts, which I will put at the Gold Hill Store. You can find most of them at www.csuwater.info.

Minutes of the August Town Meeting were approved as published.

Treasurer’s Report – Martha reports GHTM Treasurer’s Report October 9, 2017      

                                 At the previous regular Town Meeting in AUGUST our bank balance was $12,062.64.

Our current total cash assets are $13,703.75.Revenue since the August meeting includes donations to the cemetery fund and chipping grant co-pays. Expenses include web hosting and ads for the Gold Rush fundraiser.

Earmarked fund totals are as follows:                                    

General Fund¹ $603.84; Cemetery $6,307.78; Community Relief $3,326.95; Forest Management² ($552.75); Safe Link (funds for SafeSite, AirLink, NeighborLink projects) $3,785.25; Community Planning $232.68.

      1. General Fund balance does not include funds raised during the Gold Rush event as they have not been received or deposited.

      2.Forest Management negative balance reflects the Town Meeting share of the Chipping Project expenses after reimbursements.

 Gretchen asked Dina about the funds in the SafeLink account for AirLink and she thinks they will need some in the future, but that grants have mostly supported their needs.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Gold Hill School – Chrissy reports that everything is going great. It’s great to have three employees. Environmental studies are a big focus. They have 3 gallons of honey and it is available at the School – drop by. Some of the hives in Boulder didn’t do well and they will be refurbishing them. Archery and greenhouse projects are going well. They have visited several agricultural sites in the County. Jojo added that they have received an Audubon Pollinator award and there will be an article published in the CU Newspaper soon. Amy Hardy led the team to put up the Teepee in Kirby Field and it survived the wind! Last week they got a 7 ft. buffalo rug with donation.    

            The Fourmile Fire Department is coming for a presentation for October Fire Prevention Month.

            The Fall Fiesta will be Wednesday evening, November 15^th at the Gold Hill Inn.

Jojo has been doing online fundraising – preselling tickets, etc. They will have new school t-shirts for sale, too, and on the school website – goldhillschool.com

            Chrissy then brought up that she thinks there is a PR issue with the Town Meeting – that so few attend – and wonders what can be done. This generated a discussion and many different opinions.   Dina replied that she has heard that some people didn’t come because the meetings can go late, although we have been ending pretty reliably around 9, and sometimes people argue. Tony reported that she has been scheduling different speakers to address issues that will be interesting to people. John said that, in his experience, people show up when there is an issue that affects them, and otherwise just rely on the newsletter. Jojo added that the bigger issue is how is the community is working. Martha said that she disagrees that there is a TM problem, and that the meeting is a vehicle for town communication. People come if they are interested, or they can read the newsletter later. Jojo interjected that she thinks Chrissy is concerned about community engagement. Gretchen added that people have their own issues and show up for them. Tony thinks we should continue to address issues like our goals for the future regarding housing, open space, etc. and what is our vision, what do we want to improve.

            Back to the school, John asked Chrissy what are the financial goals for the Fall Festival.  She said the goal in the past has been $9-15,000, and they’re shooting for 20,000 this year. This is what they run the school on. The School District pays the salaries, utilities and maintenance, about half of the computers, and some discretionary funds. We pay for library books, the other half of the computers and all the extra projects. They have been successful at getting grants – Impact on Education comes through every year, and the grants help with the garden, butterfly pavilion, hunting club, Native American studies, and fly-fishing. They are trying to build some padding for the future years. 2018 will be the 145^th anniversary.

Community Planning – Dan reports that for the Gold Rush (fall bake/rummage/crafts sale), they did some things differently this year and he has more ideas for next year. They cut costs in some areas, but paid the band this year (which raised some eyebrows). They cleared $1,698 this year (and he then handed the money to Martha), so it was a very good year. The food sold out, so we probably want to increase that. Again, a big THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED.

Community Spaces – no report

Historic Zoning – Bear reports that Joyce Robinson plans a small house at 360 Boulder Street (between Petrillo’s and Laughlin’s). HZ has approved it and she will proceed with the County. John Sand added that there is another historical group – Historical Preservation Advisory Board – and he has attended some interesting meetings.

Forest Management – Tony reports that the chipping grant is all finished and several people benefited.

Fire Department – Bobby reports that the recent powerful winds resulted in wires sparking some fires. In the last weeks, the campers have used 10 containers of water that the Fire Department leaves out by the camping areas out west. He added that about half the FD has been subpoenaed to appear at the trial for the fatal accident in July 2016 out west. (Addendum – the case was settled out of court so no trial was held). There will be a medical training on the 14^th, volunteers are needed. We’re staging an accident out west of town.

Weed Management – no report. Tony asked if anyone is willing to head up this committee, but no one volunteered. Gretchen said that Susan Fernalld still sends along information periodically and she will send out emails.

Historic Gold Hill – John reports that they had their last board meeting of the year. It was a successful year – lots of visitors and income exceeded expenses. There will be new exhibits next year. They have scheduled another town social event – this one on the Switzerland Trail – and Michael O’Neil and others will make presentations. Norm Skarstad was welcomed as a new member of the board.

Mining – Gretchen reports that she emailed the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety to inquire about the status of the permits for the Mill and the Cash and Who Do mines and heard back from Amy Eschberger, Environmental Protection Specialist. “The Gold Hill Mill operates under permit no. M-1994-117, and is currently in temporary cessation (meaning the mill is not active at this time). However, the operator is currently working to get the mill online, and is working with the BLM to revise their plan of operations. The Gold Hill Mill permit area is 8.4 acres, and includes a mill, a tailings impoundment, and an ore stockpile.

We actually just had an enforcement hearing for this permit yesterday based on my inspection of the site on August 1st. The Mined Land Reclamation Board found the operator to be in violation for offsite damage, related to the collapsed mine adit adjacent to Sunshine Canyon Drive, just west of the mill site. This was considered offsite damage as the subsidence occurred while the operator was attempting to rehabilitate this historic mine in order to install a water pipeline to the mill. The operator will be required to work closely with the county over the next few months to properly repair and stabilize the subsidence area. The operator will also be required to submit an application to us within 60 days of the Board Order to incorporate all aspects of the water conveyance plan (including the historic mine near Sunshine Canyon Drive) into the mine permit. The Board Order for yesterday’s hearing may not be available for another few weeks or so.

The Cash and Who Do Mines operate under permit no. M-1983-141. This site is located south and downhill from the Gold Hill Mill, and includes three areas totaling 9.83 acres. These are underground gold/silver mines, and only the surface disturbance is included in the permit area. These mines feed the Gold Hill Mill. This site is also in temporary cessation at this time, meaning no extracting, processing, or hauling off from stockpiles is occurring. The operator may however have personnel on site and conduct maintenance and/or monitoring activities.

All permit files can be accessed from our website at: http://mining.state.co.us via our imaged document system called Laserfiche. I’m attaching a pdf document that provides instructions on how to access and use Laserfiche. Helpful hint: whenever you enter the permit number into the search field, type it without dashes like this “M1994117”. I must warn you these are old permits and therefore, their permit files are fairly extensive. You might find it easier to sort the files by Doc Date with most recent files listed at the top. If you do this, you should find my recent inspection report for Gold Hill Mill, and related enforcement action documents.

Thanks,

Amy Eschberger

Environmental Protection Specialist

 P 303.866.3567 x8129 | F 303.832.8106 | C 303.945.9014

1313 Sherman Street, Room 215, Denver, CO 80203

Amy.Eschberger@nullstate.co.us  | http://www.mining.state.co.us

SafeLink and AirLink – no report, but Tony encouraged everyone to revisit their NeighborLink Pods and make sure everyone is linked up. It’s important to connect with our neighbors and have emergency plans.

IMA (InterMountain Alliance) and NAS/MML (Nederland Area Seniors/Mountain Midlife group) – no report on the IMA. Gretchen sends out emails on the NAS/MML news and gatherings. Jojo has met with Rebrecca Lawrence about community needs. Rebecca has been appointed by the County Commissioners to conduct outreach and find out how to support our mountain communities around the issues of housing, health, education, and other community issues

OLD BUSINESS

Book exchange mailbox – no report

 Rancho Fazoo Update – Jojo asks, “What are we going to do?” Open Space is giving us the go ahead to clean up and create a usable space. They seem to be open to almost anything. Bear asked for how the Adopt a Trail would work. Jojo said that they are open to our ideas and it seems like we can create our own project. She thinks the best approach is a small committee, Friends of Rancho Fazoo, partnering with the GHTM, thinks they can work with the County and make reports to the TM. She thinks it’s best to separate the Cemetery from the RF project.

            Martha reports that she has talked to Bob Walter about the Cemetery and he wants to give the County the $1,000 as the simplest way to get the deed to the piece of the Cemetery on Open Space land, since we have the money in the Cemetery Committee Fund, without having to try to figure out how many hours we’ve put in on it.

            Someone asked about the defined area for Rancho Fazoo and it is the old home site.   Bear made a motion that the Town Meeting form a standing committee, Friends of Rancho Fazoo with Jojo as the designated Chair, to work with the county, move forward to adopt Rancho Fazoo, and report to the GHTM.   John seconded the motion. This generated much discussion about the autonomy of the committee as Jojo was concerned that every decision would need to come to the Town Meeting.   It was pointed out that TM committees have a lot of autonomy, like the Cemetery Committee and Airlink, and since the Rancho Fazoo committee has been formed for the benefit of the community, it should all work out.

We still need to know what our liability will be. Rancho Fazoo is County Open Space land and part of the adoption agreement that Jojo will be moving forward on involves signing a liability waiver for any of the proposed work we do. The TM does have liability insurance and we need to know if we will be liable, and if so whether our present liability coverage is sufficient.

The motion was unanimously approved.

It was also the sense of the meeting to back Bob Walter’s suggestion and support Jojo relaying the information to Open Space that we will write a check to them for $1,000 for the piece of the Cemetery on their land in exchange for the title.

Road Conditions –Regarding the collapse up Horsfal, Mike Thomas from the County as well as the Mined Land Reclamation Board (cited above) have indicated it is all being remedied.

Town Noise – Joanne Cole emailed her opinions that there is really not a problem with noise from music at the Inn and asked that they be included in the newsletter:

            My name is Joanne Cole and I have lived in Gold Hill since 1998. I live on Hill St above the Inn and the music and voices rise directly to my front door and inside my windows. I also travel back from town on Friday nights and traverse the many cars lining Main St.

I welcome the activity of the Gold Hill Inn as it nurtures our community and is the center of what makes living in Gold Hill great. I too echo the sentiments voiced at last months meeting of how important the Inn and the Finn family have been to Gold Hill for over HALF a century. I hold the Finn family very dear to my heart and respect them immensely.

I would like to point out that when I first moved to Gold Hill, the Inn hosted live music on BOTH Friday and Saturday nights. Now, it is only one night a week.

I FIRMLY believe that the music and activity has NOT become greater over the years, but exactly the OPPOSITE- contained and managed properly and with concern for the residents of Gold Hill.

If there is a problem with noise and activity AFTER the Inn has closed, I suggest those agitated by the noise speak to whoever is making the noise and ask them to keep it quiet or to move it away from Main St. I would also ask those “un-named” folks who have issue with noise to take these simple remedies:

Remember you were once young

Close your windows and go to bed early

Have a drink, smoke a joint or take a sleeping pill if you have trouble sleeping

Live and let live!!

Respectfully submitted, Joanne Cole

October 2017

NEW BUSINESS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Paving Sunshine –Tony reports that she had a Sunshine person and a Gold Hill person bring this to her attention – then she went about gathering info from the county.  From what she has heard from several GH folks there are a wide variety of ideas on what should happen.  Jojo said that we need to “consider the best technology” – if dirt works best, leave it dirt, or if not we should look at that. Tony, from her research, is not sure there is any data that clearly supports either side. Labor costs are continuously increasing and will make an impact on any future plans/decisions for the road.   Here is the information she gathered:

            PAVING NOTES regarding the paving of 1.6 miles along Sunshine Canyon

Our most recent counts from 2015 for Sunshine Canyon are: 

            Just east of Poorman: 1100 annual average daily traffic

            End of Pavement: 620 annual average daily traffic

The past 5 years, between $40,000 and $60,000 spent annually on gravel-road maintenance activities (grading, dust control, spot resurfacing) on this section of Sunshine, with an additional $180,000 spent on gravel resurfacing in 2012 (gravel resurfacing occurs as required, generally every 8 to 12 years) – new technique this year – do not have these costs

Cost of maintaining the gravel road is often similar to or less than the cost of paving when calculated over the life of the pavement

Funding for such paving is not currently available

Targeted groups: Local commuters, those who drive trucks, deliveries, school buses, emergency vehicles, road maintenance vehicles.

1.6 miles only through the switchbacks or Shelf Road Only – or everything through GH?

 In support:

Continual maintenance (and costs) required for dust, mud and washboards

Dust affects air, trees, humans and animals

Traffic from mountain communities

In emergency situations, SCD is the main thoroughfare between Boulder and mountain communities. (ie. 2013 Flood)

The unpaved portion of Sunshine Canyon Drive is not a housing development; it is part of a highly-traveled county road.

In opposition:

Concern over slippery, icy conditions on switchbacks

Concern that the paving will extend into Gold Hill

Increased traffic

Other:

Shared values – mountain community interests & issues

Support for preservation of Gold Hill as a historic landmark

Is there support for a survey? 

No action was taken.

Respectfully submitted, Gretchen Diefenderfer, Secretary