Suspension of the Fremont County fire ban and award of a bid for road stabilization work on Phantom Canyon Road highlighted a busy agenda for the Fremont County Commissioners Tuesday.
At the request of Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker the Board of Commissioners suspended the fire ban due to the recent rain and snow storms. Commissioner Larry Lasha said the Board of Commissioners had been getting several calls in recent weeks to lift the fire ban so area farmers and ranchers could complete their agricultural burning. He said if fire danger conditions worsen in the coming weeks the board would reconsider imposing the fire ban. Commissioner Ed Norden noted that the Sheriff has the authority to determine what stage of fire restrictions are to be put in place but only the Board of Commissioners is authorized to activate or suspend the fire ban.
The Commissioners voted to award a bid to Patch Construction in the amount of $15,427 for a road stabilization project on Phantom Canyon Road nine miles north of Highway 50. The area targeted for the work is about a mile north of the historic railroad trestle bridge. In recent years storm water has washed away the edge of Phantom Canyon Road in three ravines at the top of a steep cliff. County Engineer Don Moore designed a bank stabilization project in which gabion rock baskets would be buried under the road surface and extended outward where water typically washes away the edge of the roadway. Patch Construction was the low bidder among six bids received on the project. Money for the work comes primarily from a Colorado Gaming Impact grant for which $50,000 was budgeted. It is expected some costs may have to be modified once excavation work begins along the edge of the cliff.
The Commissioners Tuesday also voted to approve a Temporary Use Permit for the 18th annual Temple Canyon Hill Climb on May 9th and 10th on Temple Canyon Road south of Canon City. In doing so the board addressed the concerns of the neighboring Dawson Ranch Homeowners Association who spoke about wildfire dangers from hill climb activities. The Commissioners directed the Colorado Hill Climb Association to distribute information to the weekend competitors that campfires would be prohibited in the area and that the group must contact the Canon City Fire Protection District prior to the weekend's events to find out if any other fire restrictions might be imposed.
The Commissioners approved a resolution and adopted final conditions for GCC Rio Grande's operation of an open pit gypsum mine along Colorado Highway 115 about two miles south of the Fremont-El Paso County. Initial approval had been granted at the March 24th board meeting. Included in the conditions finalized in Tuesday's action were limits on gypsum stockpiles to 25 feet high and to be shielded by natural terrain or vegetation, truck haul trips would be limited to 132 per week and that daily haul trips be limited to no more than 30. GCC would also be required to comply with any restrictions of the Florence-Penrose Fire District and all haul trucks would have to haul south to Highway 50 avoiding travel on any county roads.
Also on Tuesday the Commissioners:
At the request of Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker the Board of Commissioners suspended the fire ban due to the recent rain and snow storms. Commissioner Larry Lasha said the Board of Commissioners had been getting several calls in recent weeks to lift the fire ban so area farmers and ranchers could complete their agricultural burning. He said if fire danger conditions worsen in the coming weeks the board would reconsider imposing the fire ban. Commissioner Ed Norden noted that the Sheriff has the authority to determine what stage of fire restrictions are to be put in place but only the Board of Commissioners is authorized to activate or suspend the fire ban.
The Commissioners voted to award a bid to Patch Construction in the amount of $15,427 for a road stabilization project on Phantom Canyon Road nine miles north of Highway 50. The area targeted for the work is about a mile north of the historic railroad trestle bridge. In recent years storm water has washed away the edge of Phantom Canyon Road in three ravines at the top of a steep cliff. County Engineer Don Moore designed a bank stabilization project in which gabion rock baskets would be buried under the road surface and extended outward where water typically washes away the edge of the roadway. Patch Construction was the low bidder among six bids received on the project. Money for the work comes primarily from a Colorado Gaming Impact grant for which $50,000 was budgeted. It is expected some costs may have to be modified once excavation work begins along the edge of the cliff.
The Commissioners Tuesday also voted to approve a Temporary Use Permit for the 18th annual Temple Canyon Hill Climb on May 9th and 10th on Temple Canyon Road south of Canon City. In doing so the board addressed the concerns of the neighboring Dawson Ranch Homeowners Association who spoke about wildfire dangers from hill climb activities. The Commissioners directed the Colorado Hill Climb Association to distribute information to the weekend competitors that campfires would be prohibited in the area and that the group must contact the Canon City Fire Protection District prior to the weekend's events to find out if any other fire restrictions might be imposed.
The Commissioners approved a resolution and adopted final conditions for GCC Rio Grande's operation of an open pit gypsum mine along Colorado Highway 115 about two miles south of the Fremont-El Paso County. Initial approval had been granted at the March 24th board meeting. Included in the conditions finalized in Tuesday's action were limits on gypsum stockpiles to 25 feet high and to be shielded by natural terrain or vegetation, truck haul trips would be limited to 132 per week and that daily haul trips be limited to no more than 30. GCC would also be required to comply with any restrictions of the Florence-Penrose Fire District and all haul trucks would have to haul south to Highway 50 avoiding travel on any county roads.
Also on Tuesday the Commissioners:
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Approved a Temporary Use Permit for the Canon City Music and Blossom Festival carnival to operate at Oak Creek Grade and Elm Avenue April 28th through May 4th;
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Approved a Special Events beer permit for the Canon City Rodeo Association's annual Blossom Festival Rodeo on May 1st and 2nd;
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Ratified a previous consensus by the board to authorize the Chairman's signature on a Energy Impact grant application for new snow plow trucks for the Road and Bridge Department;
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and extended for another twelve months the deadline for a boundary line adjustment on property owned by Erik Johnson on the south side of Highway 50 on Eight-Mile Hill.