Posted on: March 12th, 2011

GOLD HILL TOWN MEETING NEWSLETTER

Minutes of the February 7, 2011 Town Meeting

Next Town Meeting is April 11, 2011, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center

Chair Amy Hardy called the meeting to order.  Twenty people attended: Edie Eilender, Adwoa and Kai Lemieux, Christine McCaul, Mary Ryan, Amy Hardy, Michael Albes, Susan Fernalld, David Wilson, John and Cherry Sand, Debra Yeager, Jim Smith, Martha Knapp, Val Crist, Deborah and Nathan Steinmann, Gretchen Diefenderfer, Teresa Robertson, and Adriana Galue.

Minutes – of the last Town Meeting were approved.

Treasurer’s Report – Amy gave the report, as Adriana would be late.  We have a total of $22,298.46 in the town fund

Fire Fund                        15,732.36                                    Cemetery Fund            3,562.21

General Fund                          2,277.45                                    Planning                             82.00

Forest Management                   75.22                                    Wildfire Mitigation               526.70

Historical Zoning                   11.23                                    Trails                                         31.29

We will be writing a check for $500.00 to the Gold Hill School for the t-shirt, etc., sales.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Community Planning/Trails – no report.

Historical Zoning – no report.

Forest Management/CWPP – Val reports that they are looking into sources for mitigation funds.  Kris Gibson is attending the Fire Academy.  Individuals are encouraged to continue work on their own mitigation projects.  We may get chipping grants again – more later.

Fire Department – Val encourages everyone to keep on volunteering and coming to trainings, which are the 2nd Saturday and 4th Thursdays of the month.  Amy added that there is an extra meeting this Thursday at the Sunshine Station to fill in the fire departments on flood and debris flow problems possible with spring rainfalls.

Val reported on the Auxiliary groups and thanked all the volunteers.   Lisa McConnell is heading the Barn Boss group and plans to show up on fire calls and see what goes on to figure out what is needed.  Let Lisa know if you want to help with this job.

Steffi Wilson can’t work on the present FD website – It requires someone with HTML editing and formatting skills – please contact her if you can do this.  If the FD wanted to convert to WordPress, which is what the Town uses, we could get help creating the site and then easily take care of the content ourselves.

Joan Few is doing a great job with food for the trainings.

Deb reported on Neighborlink.  The purpose is to get people in groups connected enough to support each other in future emergencies – especially for those who are absent – contact information, things needed from home, water sources, etc., and set up phone trees.  Yesterday (Feb 6) was the 5 month anniversary of the fire – what can we do to help people who lost their homes in the fire?  She contacted Lynn Walker and asked her to create a wish list we could help with.  We’re hoping to get ahold of others through this Neighborlink process for their wish lists as well as to make sure they are connected and getting town information.  People in pods can also facilitate communication for those without email, etc.  If you want to create a pod, contact one of the area leaders:

Subdivision: Contact:  Lisa McConnell  – Phone 303 444 3732,  Email:                                                              McConnEnt@nullaol.com

West of the ranch:  Dina Elder – Phone 303 517 0010, Email:  dina.elder@nullgmail.com

Old town:

Area 1:  College St. Hill St., Main St. Gold Run

Teresa Robertson – Phone 303 447 8687, Email: tann@nullindra.com

Area 2:  Pine St., Lickskillet Rd., Prospect Alley, North of Pine Street

Debra Yeager – Phone 303 449 0454, Email: deb@nullmountainvisions.net

Area 3:  East Street, East side of Gold Run/Boulder Street, Sunshine Canyon East

Gretchen Diefenderfer – Phone 303 442 3847, Email: gretchend@nullmac.com

Historical Gold Hill – Edie reports that the Museum is closed due to the cold.  We’ll be working on the 2012 Calendar soon.

Mining – Jim Smith reports that they have finished the fire mitigation work and slash burns (several tons), done contour logging along the lower mine road, and reclaimed some of the fire line work done during the fire.  They are continuing with the permitting process.  Things are quiet right now.

School – Chrissy reports that 2 students, Kai Lemieux and Nathan Steinmann, are here to observe how government works and how bills are passed.

The school kids have been skiing at Eldora on Fridays.  The area donated lift tickets, etc.   Next they move on to State testing and March 17 they will have a play.

OLD BUSINESS

Post Fire Rehab and Revegetation – Susan reported that the County sign shop will make us 6, 12” x 18” signs at cost, saying “Caution – Unstable Trees”.  We will put them on posts up slope from the sledding hill around the town’s burned trees

Volunteers will walk through the town’s burned trees annually to identify hazard trees and leaners will be pushed down or felled. Downed trees will be offered as firewood to the volunteers.  Branches will be chipped for mulch to be applied to the burned meadow.  The town wlll rent a chipper if we cannot find a loaner.

To benefit wildlife, it is recommended that we leave standing dead trees not in imminent danger of falling. .  It’s estimated to be 4-6-10 years before they start to fall on their own.

To prevent erosion on town property, in March/April volunteers will mulch the burned slope above the meadow with weed-free straw obtained from an NRCS grant.   Rocky Mountain Research Station has tested different methods to prevent erosion and promote the return of native vegetation after mountain fires.  Contour log-felling is one of the least effective.  The most effective is using dry mulch such as straw or wood chips.  The NRCS plans to distribute weed-free straw bales to fire stations in the burn areas approx. March-April for the use of everyone.  We will have to share what they give us.  Susan will let us know when they are coming.

Regarding the Town’s burned trees next to private properties on Hill Street, some of those landowners want to cut the trees near their properties.  After some discussion, Val moved that we allow Hill Street landowners to cut down standing dead trees in the Town Meadow within 50 feet of their property lines if they will chip the wood and apply it to the town slopes.  Logs too large to chip can be used for firewood, but must be removed.   Dave seconded the motion and it passed with none opposed.

Noxious weeds: Regarding another community planting in the big CWPP patch cut south of Hugh Moore’s house and other burned Town property, we are advised to focus on erosion control and flood prevention now and wait 3-4 years to seed – if at all, since by then native plants will be coming back.  What we do need to do, starting this spring, is fight weed incursions.  We will encourage ongoing volunteer weed education and control using Integrated Pest Management methods at Town owned areas using town funds as appropriate.

We will support educational efforts at the Gold Hill School and agencies such at the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Boulder County Parks and Open Space to monitor post-fire re-vegetation.   For the first couple of years we need to focus on flooding, etc., and not re-seeding and planting.

Ride Board update – Amy reports that Rebecca Gretz is researching internet options like Ridepool.com – there are many options.  We will need someone to handle this once we figure out what will work for us.

NEW BUSINESS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Available Land in Gold Hill – Martha reports that, when a landowner doesn’t pay their property taxes, the County auctions a tax lien meaning that they invite others to pay the taxes owed — if, within three years, the property owner pays the taxes owed, there is interest earned (varies year to year).  If the property owner does not pay taxes for three years in a row, then the county may assign the title to the party who has paid the taxes three years in a row.

She has found a piece of land in Gold Hill – lots 1 and 2, Block 2, on Pine Street, adjacent to the Lickskillet and behind Jamshid and Kathleen’s on the slope.  She has talked to the County and the Gold Hill Town Meeting can assume the lien for approx. $50.00 plus $11.00 in filing fees and pay the taxes (approx. $25.00 per year) for three years – maybe $150.00 in total and we would end up owning the land.   The County has not been able to locate an owner of record, but, if an owner came forward, we would get our money back with interest.  The land is 6,527 square feet, .15 acre, a triangular area of two lots, which has been used as a cut through from Pine to Lickskillet.  The depression from the original road can still be seen.  If we did acquire the land, we would not have to pay further taxes, since we are a tax-exempt organization  (contact me, gretchend@nullmac.com or 303-442-3847 if you would like a map).

Teresa spoke up to thank Martha for researching this and bringing it to the Town Meeting.

After some discussion, John moved that we allocate up to $200 (which was amended to “the necessary funds”) from the General Fund to pursue the process of acquiring the tax lien with the intention to acquire this property.  The motion carried unanimously.

Upcoming Community Meeting – Amy reports that there will be a meeting in early March to cover flood/debris flow possibilities with spring rainfall and preparedness.  The County, the Office of Emergency Management, and other agencies will be there.  We will be looking for weather spotters from the Gold Hill area as well as possibly emergency shelter for the people downhill from us who would be most affected by a possible event.

Fire Board Meeting, January 20, 2011 – Present were President Dave Steinmann, Leslie Finn, Darrell McConnell, Chief Chris Finn and Gretchen Diefenderfer.  Gretchen reports that they are looking at bids for exhaust systems for the truck exhaust.  They are expecting a big grant to help with new SCBA needed, plus they have approximately $77,000 from the Community Foundation Boulder Mountain Fire Relief Fund.

They are planning to go ahead with walling off part of the Community Center for a locker room in order to protect the firefighting gear and to enclose the office, because it is the cheapest, easiest, and quickest solution.   It will come out around 8’ from the east end.  Dave suggested that the door have a window in it to let in light from the east windows.  They are also planning to replace the falling apart windows.

I reported that I have spoken with Roger Bresnik, the original architect who used to live up here, and he is willing to help us come up with plans for a better solution for the gear downstairs.  Chris will get me the survey and previous plans to get to Roger in order to work on this.

I also brought up the need for an agreement that the FD lawyer recommended the Fire Board have with the Town Meeting for use of the Community Center.  I stated that I think we need to work on this sooner rather than later.

Cisterns on private land that can be used by the FD in emergencies need to have signs identifying them as well as the proper fittings.  Contact Chris Finn for information about this.

Fire Board Meetings are the 3rd Thursday of the month at 8:00 p.m. at the Community Center.

Hatch Benefit – Gretchen reports that she has heard from Janine Santana that the Hatch Foundation’s 5th Annual Mean Green Chili cook-off and Sizzlin’ Jazz fundraiser did not raise much money after expenses, but she will be getting a check to Adriana this week.  She wants it to go to people affected by the fire.  They plan to do this again next year and hope to raise more money with more advance planning and promotion.

Respectfully submitted,  Gretchen Diefenderfer, Secretary