Sheriff Pelle Orders Outdoor Fire Ban
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tomorrow (August 31, 2012) at 12:00 p.m., Sheriff Joe Pelle will enact a fire ban for the mountain areas of unincorporated Boulder County. Colorado is currently experiencing one of the driest summers in history. The fire danger has been increasing rapidly over the course of the last several weeks, and the moisture content in large fuels, (logs and trees), has fallen to dangerous levels. The forecast continues to call for high temperatures and minimal precipitation.

The Fire Ban allows for:

Fire contained within liquid or gas fuel stoves

Campfires in USFS improved/maintained campgrounds that are currently open to the public

Charcoal grill fires on private lands

http://www.fs.usda.gov/arp

The fire ban will remain in effect until the hazardous fire conditions subside.

Detective Commander Rick Brough
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office
303-441-3631

Related Articles:
No Related Content Found

From David Brigham <death_party@nullhotmail.com>

To Be Ore Not To Be…A Melodrama in Two Acts

When:  September 9, 2012 at 4 pm, in the Beer Garden of the Gold Hill Inn

              And

              September 16, 2012 at 3 pm, in the Barn of the Colorado Mountain Ranch

JOIN THE CAST AND CREW OF “TO BE ORE NOT TO BE” FOR A COMIC FUN-FILLED AFTERNOON OF VERY MELLOW DRAMA, WHERE THE HERO GETS HIS GIRL, THE VILLIAN CACKLES BEHIND HIS CAPE, AND THE WIND WILL BLOW YOU AWAY. GOOD OL’ FASHIONED FAMILY FUN.

FREE SHOW –

DONATIONS WILL BE TAKEN FOR THE GOLD HILL AND WARD FIRE DEPARTMENTS ON SEPTEMBER 9^TH

AND FOR THE COLORADO MOUNTAIN RANCH SCHOLARSHIP FUND ON SEPTEMBER 16^TH.

 ###

Our next MMM get-together is Thursday, September 6th at Jack & Linda Laughlin’s home at 6:30 pm.  Look for the bright yellow Airstream in the driveway.  It is the private drive at the SE corner at the intersection of 4-mile, Lick Skillet, Horsfal, and Main St.  Call Laughlins if questions at 303-444-2137.

For those not familiar with MMM (Miscellaneous Mountain Misfits), we have a monthly get-together (usually the first Thursday but can change by request of the host)at the home of one of the group. The idea is two-fold: (1) is that we do some writing (for 15-20 minutes) in response to a loose stimulus provided by Gold Hill Poet Laureate, John Latham or his stand-in, followed by a non-critical read-around of what has been written. This takes about 45 minutes, followed by short break and then: (2) a read-around, led by Edie Eilender, involving all people who care to read [for about 6 minutes per person maximum] some of their already-written prose or poetry, or writing by someone else. If, instead of reading, someone offers a song or two, that is welcomed. There is no pressure on people to actively participate. Most attendees do, but some come simply to listen. The host provides some limited drink & snackies, and if attendees care to bring along a modest contribution to the drink or food, that is welcomed, too.

If questions, please call Edie 303-444-0778 or Marie at 303-444-4691.
Hope to see you there.

.

Gold Hill Gold Rush (Our annual Bake Sale/Rummage Sale/Craft Fair)

It’s that time again and this year we are having our fundraising day on Sunday, September 16^th in the Beer Garden of the Inn.  Brian has very kindly given his permission for us to use the space for our event.

We will begin the “Rush” at 8 am for setup and the event will begin at 9 am.  This year we will be ending early to accommodate, “back by popular demand”  the Melodrama that we saw earlier this summer at the Inn’s 50th Reunion Celebration, and which will begin at 3 pm at the ranch.  If you haven’t seen it, make sure you do.  It’s terrific and lots of fun and interactive.  In order to make sure that we can all get there, we’ll be ending the “Rush” at 1:30 pm.  That will allow us to completely clean up the Beer Garden and remove any remaining items and get to the ranch on time.

Additionally, we will not be having a raffle this year but we will be having lots of great crafters, brats and beverages, live music, baked goods and hot coffee, and lots of things for you to purchase.  Remember, this is our only fund raiser for the year for the Gold Hill Town Meeting.

IF YOU HAVE THINGS TO DONATE….please set aside Saturday, September 15^th as the day to do that.  This year we will be screening the items that are brought to us to make sure that they are sellable and of good enough quality to offer up.  In past years we’ve had a tremendous amount of things that you’ve offered; however, much of it didn’t sell and we’ve had to find people who will happily load up their trucks and take it to Boulder thrift shops.  We’re trying to avoid having to do too much of this and therefore are staging your items on Saturday.  Please bring what you have to the home of Debra and Max Yeager, 1225 Pine Street (last house on west Pine) on Saturday, September 15^th between noon and 6 pm.  There will be a group of us culling the donations and loading them on a trailer for delivery on Sunday morning to the Beer Garden.  WE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING DONATIONS ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16^th AT THE EVENT (except for baked goods, of course).  If you can’t make it on that Saturday, call Debra and Max at 303 449 0454, and she’ll set up a time to bring over your things for storage in their garage.

Mark your calendars.  This promises to be another great event.  We need volunteers for driving materials to Boulder on Monday, September 17^th, loading vehicles on Sunday, cleaning up, setting up, baking goods, etc.

For information on volunteering, call Debra at 303 449 0454 or on her cell at 303 881 7665.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  August 14, 2012  Contact: Dan Rowland, 303-441-3399

County offering wildfire mitigation trainings

Boulder County, Colo. – As part of its Forest Health Initiative, Boulder County has partnered with the Colorado State Forest service to offer a series of wildfire mitigation workshops for residents interested in learning more about creating defensible space around their homes.

The “Keys to Creating and Maintaining Effective Defensible Space” trainings present lessons learned from the Fourmile Canyon Fire and other recent fires and give participants concrete steps to take to prepare their homes and forests for future fires.

The trainings will be held at three locations throughout the county:

• Fourmile Canyon Area

Where: Atone Atrium at Boulder Mountain Lodge, 91 Fourmile Canyon Drive

Sponsor: Four Mile Fire Protection District

• Lyons Area

When: Tuesday Aug. 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (tentative)

Where: Lyons Fire Station # 1, 251 Broadway

Sponsors: Lyons Fire Protection District

• Lefthand Canyon Area

When: Thursday, Sept. 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Jamestown Town Hall, 118 Main St.

Sponsors: Jamestown and Left Hand fire protection districts, Town of Jamestown

Presentations will be given by Boulder County and Colorado State Forest Service staff and local firefighters will be available to answer questions.

The program focuses on the findings of Dr. Jack Cohen, who for the past two decades has been studying how structures ignite during wildfires. His research shows that landowners who take precautionary action can dramatically increase the likelihood of their homes surviving the next fire.

For more information about upcoming trainings and forest management, please visit www.bouldercounty.org/foresthealth or contact Ryan Ludlow at 720-564-2641 or pinebeetle@nullbouldercounty.org.

-BoulderCounty.org-

Next Fire Board Meeting will be Thursday, August 16, 2012, 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center.

Hi there! Can you help me spread the word to mountain artisans about an event on Sunday Aug 26th? Please forward this to people who may want to have a booth …..
On Sunday, Aug. 26, from noon to 4 PM, Historic Boulder is sponsoring a Walking Tour of Historic Gold Hill. This is a fund raising event for them.
We are planning an art/craft/artisan food sale in either the side yard of the Gold Hill Inn or across the street. If you would like to participate, please let me know. There is NO BOOTH FEE, but you will need to bring your own pop up tent, table & chairs. Participants can keep all the proceeds of their sales or can donate a portion to the Gold Hill Town Meeting.
Historic Boulder is planning for a turnout of 150-200 people.
Setup is from 10-11:30am. Event starts at noon and all are encouraged to wear old timey clothing.
Please let me know at your earliest convenience if you can participate.
Thank you!
Joanne Cole
303-443-7459
jocole420@nullgmail.com

Historic Boulder is sponsoring a Walking Tour of Historic Gold Hill on Sunday, Aug. 26, from noon to 4 PM, . This is a fund raising event for them, and a great opportunity for all bakers, artists and crafts people of Gold Hill and nearby area to display and sell their wares. Historic Boulder is planning for a turnout of 150-200 people. Participants can keep all the proceeds of their sales, or can donate a portion to the Gold Hill Town Meeting to help the community meet its needs.
Participants can set up their sales areas on the front porch of the Bluebird Lodge or in the beer garden area of the Gold Hill Inn. Setup has to be completed by 11:330 AM, and all are encouraged to wear old timey clothing.
Please respond to John Sand (303-443-2543; jocher_sand@nullhotmail.com) as soon as possible to let him know if you wish to participate so appropriate plans can be made.

GOLD HILL TOWN MEETING NEWSLETTER

Minutes of the June 11th, 2012, Town Meeting

Next Town Meeting is Monday, August 13th, 2012, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center.   ELECTIONS!

Chair Amy Hardy called the meeting to order.  Nineteen people were there: Carlos Boveres and Pamela Maston (summer visitors), Kris Gibson, Pam Sherman, Steffi Wilson, Kelley Kohl, Karen Simmons, Bobby Vrba, Debra Yeager, Adriana Galue, Susan Fernalld, Bear Carlson, Michael Albes, Bret Gibson, Edie Eilender, Amy Hardy, Gretchen Diefenderfer, Mark Jordahl and Kristin Cannon attended.

Minutes– Minutes of the April 19^th meeting were amended.  The Forest Mgmt. discussion was corrected to say that the Fire Ban signage at the Firebarn was not very noticeable (not the Fire Danger Rating sign).  The minutes were than approved.

Treasurer’s Report – Adriana reports that our current balance is $20,085.90.  A full accounting is available in the Town of Gold Hill website (https://goldhilltown.com/)

Fire Fund                        13,331.10                        Cemetery Fund            3,595.20

General Fund                          2,433.30                        Community Planning                 82.00

Forest Mgmt                               75.20                        Weed Mgmt                           526.70

Historic Zoning                   11.20                        Trails                                         31.30

Expenses from the General Fund included $154.40 for Web hosting/domain and $30.00 for the Safety deposit box.  Income into the Cemetery Fund included $33.00 from Luzie Mason.  There were no changes in the other funds since the last report.

Guest Speakers – Our normal agenda was changed to allow 2 guest speakers – Kristin Cannon from the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Bret Gibson, Chief of the Fourmile Department – to make presentations before our regular committee reports commenced.

Kristin Cannon, Colo. Div. of Wildlife, came mainly to talk about dealing with bears and to answer any questions.  It could be a bad year for bear activity.  It’s been dry and their food sources are diminished, so we could see more conflicts.  A shed might not be adequate protection for garbage, for instance.  She recommends we all be extra cautious.

If a bear is coming close repeatedly or has gotten into buildings or a house, we need to take action.  Please contact her: Phone 303-291-7117, cell 303-877-6094, or email kristin.cannon@nullstate.co.us.  They have rubber buckshot as well as an electric mat or a mat with nails (an un-welcome mat).  They can supply a fact sheet on how to build these and have some to lend.  We need to create a negative association for the bear.  In answer to Kris Gibson’s question, she said that,“Yes, if nothing bad happens, bear activity can escalate.”  Bears do tend to be afraid of dogs, but will attack if cornered.  We could consider electric fencing also.  They apparently don’t like the smell of ammonia – soaked rags may work to repel them.  Bears are what Pepper Spray was designed for, but it’s for a very close bear.  Deb Yeager has heard that red pepper flakes can be added to bird food – the birds don’t mind, but bears do.

Kris asked where do they draw the line on putting a bear down.  If a person is injured, probably, or if a bear breaks into a house they will want to trap them.  Relocation in our area is not practical.  If you really don’t want a bear trapped, do all you can to not attract one.  This includes garbage, birdfeeders, hummingbird feeders, or food left out for dogs, etc.

Regarding fox, they do get habituated to people.  They are probably healthy if they are alert and active.  If one has distemper, it will be drunk looking.  Don’t feed them!  It’s not specifically illegal, but it is not legal to put out food and could attract coyotes and bears as well.

Rabies?  Bats transmit rabies from bat to bat, and they have seen skunks in Larimer and Weld Counties with rabies, but not in Boulder County.  She has not heard of any others except bats.

Bret Gibson. Fourmile Fire Chief, came to talk about SafeSite, our community evacuation plan, and to express support from Fourmile.  Gold Hill has been awarded a Tuffshed® to store emergency equipment in.  Mike Chard of OEM wrote a grant for us because we are in a position for possibly cold, wet, muddy, upset people to evacuate to Gold Hill from lower areas, i.e., Fourmile, which could have a lot of people needing a place to go in case of flooding/debris flows, or some other emergency. The barn is now wired with a powerful antenna for our local ham radio organizations (BCARES = Boulder County Amateur Radio Emergency System, as well as MERN = Mountain Emergency Radio Network) to help with communication – a great secondary system.  Bret stressed that the Fourmile Fire Department can handle 99% of incidents and initial attacks.  In an evacuation, however, it takes a day to set up the Red Cross, so the idea was developed to have a place uphill – SafeSite – for people to go, be safe and warm, and to get information. “So, your SafeSite rocks!”

The Incident Action Plan predicts possible flooding for 5 to 10 years in the burn area.  He is making a donation to our SafeSite effort of $200.00.  Our efforts at a community level to preplan for floods after a fire are a novel idea and getting attention at a national level.  There were 3 recipients of the Tuffsheds: Gold Hill, Ward, and Sunshine at Fire Station 2.  He said, however, it’s not the building, but the people who are willing to show up.  They are working on activation protocols – how we’re called and how we’ll need to respond.  Lots of others have volunteered to provide food and houses to stay in also.  People could need a place for more than 6 hours.  Another Safesite meeting will be called when the supplies arrive and the protocols are set up.

Pam Sherman expressed thanks to Amy and Deb for their efforts as well as BCARES and Fourmile.

Bret added that there are 25 people trained as ham radio operators and there will be another training here if more people are interested.  The ham radio network lost Federal support in 1990 because it was thought that cellular communication would take its place.  Than 9/11 happened and all the cell calls collapsed the system.  The ham world has had an amazing rebirth.  Chris Finn donated all the old fire radios to the effort.  And we also have a high-powered generator to power the Firebarn and the ham radio antenna.

Bret then gave us a rundown on the High Park Fire.

SafeSite – Amy reported that the Mountain Mayors Meeting (Gold Hill, Nederland, Ward, Jamestown, etc.) meets monthly to continue emergency preparedness planning and it’s been going well.

She added that she would like to structure SafeSite under the Town Meeting, appoint a committee, and use the Community Center.  We will probably need a bank of lights stored in the shed and there may be a few more costs.  The donation from Fourmile would be kept in a separate fund in the town account.  We will need a toilet we can use.  We are not allowed to use the bathroom in the Firebarn downstairs because of liability issues.  Her goal is to go to a Fire Board meeting and present a number of solutions – perhaps a portable toilet in the interim – an outhouse on top of the cistern has been suggested as well as an entrance to the bathroom from the back of the Firebarn.  Gretchen moved that we put SafeSite under the Gold Hill Town Meeting as a standing committee and keep all funds in a separate fund.  Bear seconded and it passed unanimously.

Community Planning & Trails – no report.

Historical Zoning – Bear reports that there is no activity.  The Brookharts are still in limbo.

Forest Management/CWPP – Kris reports that she is reaching out to Boulder County for map support to update our CWPP and there has been some progress.  The next USFS fuels reduction project is out at the Switzerland trail and County 52 around the Fen.  There will be another date set up to meet with US Forest Service Forester Kevin Zimlinghaus,  and to meet the new District Ranger, Sylvia Clark.

Fire Department – Gretchen will have her notes out soon. Adriana reports that she has created a new website for the FD, because the old one collapsed, as well as Twitter and Facebook accounts and a new mailing list.  She also added links from other FDs that should be helpful.  It’s in a WordPress format under goldhillfire.org. The new board is working to get organized.  They have changed the meeting time to 7:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month.  She wants to bring up an initiative to have their minutes posted on their website.  She encouraged people to show up at FB meetings.  She supports the use of this space, the Community Center, as an important asset to this town.

It is still unclear how public input will be handled, but the fireboard is a governmental entity there to serve the people.  Board members can put any item on the agenda.

Bear added that he has been helping Kris with grant writing.  They are re-writing the grant for SCBA.  They got some good help from Ted Young, a representative of FEMA and are pretty optimistic.

Weed Management – Susan reports that the money in the weed fund is from selling wildflower seeds (cheers).  Steffi reports that Dan Gretz has received word from Ryan Ludlow, BoCo Forestry Education and Outreach Coordinator, that we have received a chipping grant of $3000.00 toward 40% of chipping costs.

Deb inquired about weeding the town garden in front of the Firebarn.  Susan answered that 3 of us “old ladies” had been doing it and had turned it over to the FD.  Chris has found someone, John Merims, to do it this year and Chris will wet the area down so it can be weeded.  She added that there are lots of weeds in the fire area, but also lots of native plants have recovered.  For weed questions call Susan: 447-0634.

Historic Gold Hill – Gretchen reports that we’re aiming for 4^th of July for the GH calendar.

Mining – Gretchen reports that she ran into Mark Steen at the Mill and asked him what’s happening up there now, but he’s not talking.

GH School – no report.

OLD BUSINESS

Town Clean-up – Gretchen reports that it’s scheduled for Sunday, June 24^th.  Amy, Steffi and Susan volunteered to help.

Welcome Bucket – Deb reports that she’s put together lots of information, coupons, an ornament from Nancy Mason, a sesquicentennial travel mug, mints from Deb St.Clair, and hot sauce from Leland and Caroline.  The Gold Hill Club has donated $100 toward the effort.  She asked how far back she should go to identify new people for the buckets and it was decided that anyone who came here in 2011 and 2012 should receive one.  Deb thanked Caroline for the artwork, and we all thank Deb for her initiative and hard work.

Cemetery – Karen brought up the need to repair the fence and the sign.  Kris said she will contact Bob Walter, Chair of the Cemetery Committee, and let him know this will come up at the next GHTM.

NEW BUSINESS

SafeSite – Amy is researching the liability limits of our current policy for the Community Center.  She will be bring SafeSite and other uses of the Community Center, as well as options for public facilities, to the Fireboard.  The Town Meeting has expressed willingness to contribute to upkeep and costs for the Community Center, and she will bring this up again, too.  Our information is that the SafeSite project cannot happen in the School because of liability issues.  Her goal is an amiable working relationship between the board and the town.  Another suggested potential town contribution to the FD included a recycling system.  It was suggested that the entrance to the CC is dangerous and slippery in the winter and if the exit were changed to the South vs. the North, it would melt out better.

Chainsaw Class – Kris announced that there would be a chainsaw class here in Gold Hill on Aug. 4.  Contact Kris for information.

Community Center Floor – Michael brought up that last summer he recommended the floor be repainted.  It was decided to do this with volunteers, which has not happened, so he would propose that we hire professionals to get it done.  This is another issue that needs to be brought to the Fireboard.

Respectfully submitted, Gretchen Diefenderfer, Secretary

Notes on the Gold Hill Fire Protection District Board Meeting, June 21, 2012

By Gretchen Diefenderfer

Next board meeting is Thursday, July 19, 2012

Present were President Donal Maloney, Treasurer Gary Siemer, Rick Geesaman, Adriana Galue, and Chief Chris Finn as well as visitors, Debra Yeager, John Sand, and Gretchen Diefenderfer.

Donal called roll and Gary agreed to take minutes in Dave Sturtz’s absence.

Donal said that the focus of this first meeting as a new board is organizational.  The Fire conditions are critical – some of the worst this early in the year.  The board’s job is to facilitate the effective and safe response to this in conjunction with the chief.

Last month, the department, in conjunction with Sunshine and AMR, saved a life – the first one in his 10 years -.   He is very proud that past boards have instilled the ability to respond to an emergency of this kind.

Regarding the cistern easement issue, it’s really close to being finalized, per Chris.  Donal hasn’t been able to get in touch with Sue and Paul, but he will.

Minutes of the last meeting were passed around and approved.

OLD BUSINESS

Donal reported that all the legal notices, etc., that Dave Steinmann reported were necessary at the last meeting are up to date for the transition to the new board.  The transparency notice has been filed with the state and is up on the website.  It was suggested that it have its own menu tab and Adriana will do that.  Official notices have been submitted to the County Clerk’s office.

Website Update – Adriana reported that she completely redid the website and added links that she got from different rural departments that would be useful to us, posted the transparency notice, contact links, will put up some pictures that Chris will send to her, and re-did the mailing system (the announce list).  She changed the hosting, as the one we had used previously was not secure.  It is easy to move things around on the site.   Chris will be put as the contact for joining the department.  Adriana said that having a website can be very handy, especially in case of a disaster as well as establishing relationships with other departments, etc.

Donal reported that we have to be careful about how we make decisions – there are conditions concerning paying board members.  We need a detailed invoice and should have gotten bids.  Adriana will submit a detailed invoice for 24 hours of work at $35.00 an hour (she also donated more hours of research).  She suggested that they could get a quote from Angela Bowman who set up the Town website and from Boulder Digital Arts for due diligence.  Another cost was for Blue Host to host the site – they are one of the best and cheapest.  She paid for 3 years.

NEW BUSINESS

Regarding meeting procedures, Donal suggested that they should be better organized and gave out a 2-page version of Robert’s Rules of Order for consideration.  He asked the board members to look them over and maybe vote on adopting them at the next meeting as well as posting them on the website.  The goal is to effectively and courteously conduct meetings so they don’t fall apart.

As far as provisions for public input, the opinion from the lawyer to Dave Steinmann last fall is that public participation at the board’s business meeting is at the board’s discretion.  It’s the republican form of government where elected officials make the decisions,.  Donal suggested that quarterly at least ½ of the meeting be dedicated to public input.  He suggested that the first one be at the August meeting.  For now he wants to emphasize getting organized.

If people want an issue put on the agenda of a regular board meeting, they should submit it 2-4 weeks before the meeting, and it will be decided if it needs to be put on the agenda.  It wasn’t clear if they would allow the person to talk. The point of contact would be any board member who would then submit it to Donal.  The agenda is not set in stone, but Donal would like to send out the possible agenda to the rest of the board 2 weeks before the meeting, get input from the other board members and then post the agenda the required 24 hours before the meeting.    The Sunshine law says that they cannot have a meeting online – that only 2 people can talk so he suggest they should not reply all.

Rick suggested making the agenda process simpler – Donal can make the decision to put whatever on the agenda.

Donal said again that public participation is not automatically allowed.  He then suggested putting a separate tab on the website for the agenda and any board member can add to it.  Than he will post it 24 hours ahead.  This issue will be Old Business for the next meeting when Dave Sturtz is back.

Board Planning Horizons – One question is which board members have 2 year terms and which have 4 year terms.  No one was sure.  However, Donal said that since they are all going to work together for at least 2 years, he would like to see them put together 2, 4, and 10 year plans & outlooks – to develop strategic plans,

Adriana added that they should look at what can be realistically done to improve the department within the next year.  It has already been suggested that new SCBA and Red Cards for qualified firefighters are needed.

Budget matters – Donal asked how would they be paying for the website as far as the approved budget goes.  For instance, as of May $547 has been spent on legal fees and the budget for the year is $1000.  Chris said that last year the board ok’d the Board President to call the lawyer whenever needed.  Chris reported that the budget was approved by the board in October of 2011, but basically things can be moved around and there is always money in the emergency fund.    Donal said that this a learning curve for all – watching what they spend and how they spend it.  Chris will send out the budget for 2012 to all the board members.  The budget is developed yearly by Chris.  He submits it to the board and after it is ok’d it is submitted to the CPA for the legal accounting that he does.

Donal stated that to formally delineate Board vs. Chief responsibilities, the Chief is responsible for operations. The Board makes the decisions on funding and the Chief carries this out tactically.  Donal wants to clear up the issues around the training room of the fire station and Community Center – the scheduling and use of the building, and who approves the use.  The original agreement approved by the lawyer says specific uses are approved by the board.  Donal would like to change this to the Chief.  According to a 2010 letter from the dept. lawyer, the FPD is liable for the use of the building and should notify the insurance company and check on the general liability insurance.

It was decided that the building is part of operations and the daily scheduling of the building should revert to the Chief. He will get liability waivers signed and post meetings on the calendar in the Community Center.  It was suggested that the calendar could be put on the website, but Chris stated he was not going to go online to post the schedule because of the extra time it would take.  He wanted to emphasize that the GHFPD has precedence over any use of the building.  For the next meeting they will work out the wording of the use agreement, submit it to the lawyer and vote on it at the next meeting.

The last thing Donal wanted to bring up is the Healthy Forest Initiative Memorandum of Understanding.  He wonders if there is a fiscal commitment.  He will ask the lawyer’s opinion.  Kris Gibson would like to be on the agenda to talk about this.  Donal would like a written presentation.  Chris pointed out that this department doesn’t put out money for mitigation work.

Chief’s Report – Chris reported that the third bay concrete apron is erupting and needs to be fixed.  He has calls into several people for bids.  He got a bid from Arturo for $1800 for a 10” thick apron.  He said the board had also been discussing paving the parking lot.  Estimates are that it would cost $8000 for road base recycled asphalt, $21,000 for asphalt, and $27,000 for concrete.  It is required by law that 20% of the budget has to be allocated to the emergency fund.

There is a total Fire Ban – no shooting, no fires.  He requested that if anyone is calling in a smoke report, it would help if they would figure out the direction.  Always call 9-1-1, if there is any question that it might be fire.  The Sheriff has written $500 tickets for illegal fires and the Fire Department puts them out.

Rick has been thinking about our water supply and generic ideas for improving it.  He suggested that the ranch swimming pool, although damaged, could be fixed and also, there was formerly a pond on Gold Run across from Gail’s that he thinks could be an incredibly cheap fix with flexible, thick plastic sheeting.  He also wondered about Chinaman’s ditch, but others thought that it’s allocated by water rights and is also discontinuous.

It was moved to adjourn and the motion passed.

For those who are following the oil & gas fracking issue:

BOULDER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

REVISED AGENDA

July 18, 2012 Afternoon Session – 3:00 p.m. start

Commissioners Hearing Room, Third Floor, Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street

5.  Estimated start time of 3:30 p.m.

Docket BCCP-12-0001:

Amendments to Oil and Gas Policies

Review of draft oil and gas policy amendments for inclusion into the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan per direction provided by the Board of County Commissioners in Resolutions 2012-16 and 2012-46 and as authorized by Planning Commission on May 16, 2012.

Action Requested: Approval/Adoption

Public testimony will be taken (Staff Planner: Peter Fogg)

Docket Webpage: http://www.bouldercounty.org/dept/landuse/pages/oilgas.aspx

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  June 25, 2012  Contact: Brad Turner, 303-413-7766

Tuesday is Primary Election Day

Boulder County, Colo. – Tuesday, June 26 is Primary Election Day in Boulder County.

All ballots must be in the hands of the Boulder County Clerk & Recorder’s Office by 7 p.m. Tuesday. It is too late to return a ballot by mail. Voters who need to drop off their ballots can visit one of three Boulder County election service centers in Boulder, Longmont or Lafayette, or one of several ballot drop-off sites. See below for a complete list.

The Clerk & Recorder’s Office sent ballots to Democratic, Republican and American Constitution Party voters for the Tuesday, June 26, primary election. Unaffiliated voters can still affiliate with a major party and vote in the primary by visiting a service center by 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The election service centers will be open today and Tuesday for voters who need to request a replacement ballot or drop off a voted ballot. The centers are also available to help county residents update their voter information or vote in person on an ADA-accessible voting machine or paper ballot.

Voters who have not received a ballot or who have questions about their ballot can call 303-413-7740 or visit an election service center for more information. Voters who have filled out and returned their ballots can check www.BoulderCountyVotes.org to make sure their voted ballot has been received by the Boulder County Elections Division. They can also visit the website to find more information about the election.

Find election results at www.BoulderCountyVotes.org after 7 p.m. on Tuesday, and follow us on Twitter to be notified when updated results are posted throughout the night.

Election Service Centers (open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday):

• Boulder: Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 1750 33rd St.
• Longmont: Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 529 Coffman St.
• Lafayette: Centaurus High School, Room 144, 10300 South Boulder Road

Ballot Drop-off Locations (open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday unless otherwise noted):

• Boulder: Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 1750 33rd St.*
• Boulder: Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St. (closes at 4:30 p.m. Monday, open 7 to 7 Tuesday)
• Lafayette: Centaurus High School, Room 144, 10300 South Boulder Road
• Longmont: Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 529 Coffman St.
• Longmont: Drive-up Ballot Collection, 534 Terry St.*
• Louisville: Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 722 Main St. (closes at 4:30 p.m. Monday, open 7 to 7 Tuesday)
• Louisville: Steinbaugh Pavilion, 824 Front St.*

*Drive-by drop-off available

-BoulderCountyVotes.org-

Calling all poets, writers, and/or musicians of Gold Hill and the surrounds:

MMM, Miscellaneous Mountain Misfits, will meet at 6:30 on Thursday, July 5th at home of Brandt Parker, located on the right side as you head down Sawmill.  Call Brandt if you need directions, 303-459-0514.  

Timing is the usual with John Latham, poet-in-residence, providing us with a stimulus and then we will write for a few minutes followed by a read-around of what we have written.   This is about 45 minutes and after will be a short break (host provides some limited drink & snackies, and if attendees care to bring along a modest contribution to the drink or food, that is welcomed, too).  Then we will have another read-around of whatever poems, prose, or songs that attendees bring to share.

Please call Marie at 303-444-4691 if questions.   Hope to see you all there!   It would also be appreciated, but not necessary, if you respond so we know who and how many are coming.

All are welcome

The Gold Hill Fire Protection District Board Meeting is the third Thursday of each month.  So, it’s coming up on Thursday, June 21.  The time has now changed to 7:00.

Gold Hill Town Clean Up

Sunday, June 24^th, 2012, at the Bluebird Lodge Parking Lot.

 Four Dumpsters arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. 2 for junk/trash, one for metal, and one for wood.  Please don’t come with stuff earlier than that. 

 METAL Containers

          No liquids – No fridges* – No tires on rims (just rims are ok!) – No batteries – No paint cans with paint still in them

 Wire fencing and barbed wire are ok

 *For the day of spring cleanup only, freezers, air conditioners, or refrigerators will be accepted free at the County’s Waste Transfer Stations at Allenspark or Nederland.  (Doors must be removed.)

WOOD Containers

No chemically treated wood including stains and paint – No nails in the wood (although a few seem to be ok, just not an excessive amount) – No particle board – No plywood

We will accept electronics, and small appliances for a fee (since they will be charging us).  See http://www.ecocycle.org/charm  for what’s acceptable.   And we will need some volunteers with trucks to take this stuff down to CHARM.

And, as always, we need volunteers!  To volunteer, please contact Gretchen at gretchend@nullmac.com or call me at 442-3847.

Isn’t it amazing how stuff piles up!  This is your chance to clear it out!

Gold Hill Town Meeting 

Monday, June 11th, 7:30 p.m. Community Center 

Agenda

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of Minutes of last meeting

3. Treasurer’s Report

4.  Guest Speakers

-Kristen Cannon, Division Wildlife Manager, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, will speak for 20 minutes regarding habituating wildlife including bears and fox and reasons and techniques to haze.  There will be time for Q/A.

-Bret Gibson, Four Mile Fire Chief, will speak on the importance of the Safe Site initiative and express support from Four Mile Fire.

5. Committee Reports

a. Community Planning/Trails

b. Historical Zoning

c. Forest Mgmt/CWPP

d. Fire Department

e. Weed Mgmt

f. Historic Gold Hill

g. Mining

h. Gold Hill School

5. Old Business

-Town Clean Up

-Welcome Bucket

6. New Business/Announcements

-Safe Site Structure (Insurance, funding, volunteers)

-Discuss making the Safe Site a Committee of the Town of Gold Hill and it’s structure (financial and representation).

-Discuss liability insurance issues and the use of the Community Center

-classes held to date

-need for public facilities (toilet)

-discuss options

-willingness to contribute to upkeep and cost of facilities

-Upcoming Saws Class-Kris Gibson

Denim and Dirt Party (no diamonds this time)

Dance to local band, Blue Mountain Jam!!!!

When: Friday May 11^th, 6-9pm

Where: The Barn at the Colorado Mountain Ranch

Why and who:  Because we are so happy to be rolling into another season of campers at the Ranch and want to show our appreciation for our local friends who live in Gold Hill and Ward.  Strengthening community ties means a lot to us.  Please come to celebrate each other and the beautiful place where we all live.

What: Please bring a dish to share and any beverage of your choice.  We will provide beer and wine.

Call 303.442.4557 for questions or directions.

From: “Gibson, Kris” <GibsonKr@nullbouldercolorado.gov>

Date: May 9, 2012 9:33:22 AM MDT

To: ‘Gretchen’ <gretchend@nullmac.com>

Cc: Amy Hardy <ahardy105@nullyahoo.com>

Subject: Sawyer class FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Gretchen,

Can you send this out. Call me with any questions.. it is this Sat…. so not much notice….

Dear Mountain Community Residents,

If you  who are interested in learning and or refreshing your  knowledge and skills on safe chain saw use this class if for you. Coal Creek is holding such a class. Contact Cesar Gellido at 303-818-7897 or email at cgellido@nullgmail.com

If you can’t make this class-(space is limited)  but would be interested in attending IF a similar class were to be offered in the Gold Hill area, please email Kris Gibson kgkeewee@nullnetzero.net  If there is enough interest Kris will work to set one up.

Kris Gibson

You are invited to hear two Gold Hill School alumni perform!
WEIGHTED GRADE RECITAL
Rhiannon ArneySchultz (flute) and Trace Hybertson (violin)
Friday, May 11, 2012, 6:00 p.m.
Boulder High School Orchestra Room

<virginia.schultz@nullcolorado.edu>

A fun fundraiser evening in Boulder for the Mountain Summers Scholarship Program at Gold Hill’s own Colorado Mountain Ranch!

—
Jojo Morrison
W: 303.442.4557
C: 303.717.3596
www.anightofdenimanddiamonds.com