The Fremont County Board of Commissioners Tuesday adopted a new set of precinct maps in preparation for the 2012 primary and general elections. The maps reflect changes brought about by redistricting in which House District 21 (Representative Bob Gardner) will be eliminated from Fremont County. That will leave the county split between House Districts 47 & 60. District 47 will primarily encompass the Florence and Penrose areas. The redistricting thus forced changes to eleven Fremont County voting precincts. They include precincts 1, 4, 5, 7, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, & 30. Voters can view maps of the precincts in the Fremont County Clerk’s Office, in the front lobby of the County Administration Building, and the maps will soon be available for review on the county’s web site.
The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday also approved a request from County Clerk Katie Barr for Fremont County to conduct an exclusive mail ballot election for the June 26th primary election. Barr said the majority of Colorado counties plan to use mail ballots for the primary election. District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden asked how voters registered as ‘Unaffiliated’ would be able to declare a Republican or Democrat party affiliation to be able to vote in the primary using a mail ballot. Barr said ‘Unaffiliated’ voters will need to stop at the Clerk’s Office and declare a party affiliation to receive a mail ballot. She said while that can be done through Election Day June 26th, if ‘Unaffiliated’ voters intend to make a party declaration in order to vote in a party primary it would be smart to do that soon so they can receive their ballot in the mail in advance of the June 26th election.
The commissioners on Tuesday also voted to approve a Conditional Use Permit for Rocky Mountain Landscape Materials to mine dolomite in an existing quarry owned by Castle Concrete west of Cañon City. The site is a little less than one mile north of Tunnel Drive and the 481 acre site includes the large rock wall scar visible to the west of Highway 50. Ken Klco, speaking for the applicant, said the dolomite quarry will actually be northwest of the large rock wall. He said the excavation and crushing operation should not be visible to motorists on Highway 50 and will not leave another scar on the mountain. He said the only thing visible from Highway 50 may be stacks of the rock that are piled up during crushing operations. Ed Tezak plans to sell the pinkish colored rock for landscaping use from his Rocky Mountain Materials retail locations on Tunnel Drive in Cañon City and in Pueblo West.
In other business the Board of Commissioners:
- Approved a new five year cooperative agreement between Fremont County and eight other regional counties for noxious weed control efforts in the Upper Arkansas Cooperative Weed Management Area;
- Approved a resolution for a grant agreement with the Colorado Aeronautics Division to spend at $166,500 matching grant at the Fremont County Airport. Airport Manager Richard Baker said $45,000 will be spent on updating the AWOC’s automated weather monitoring system at the airport and $121,500 on security fencing at the airport. Fremont County will spend $18,500 on the projects under the 90%-State, 10%-Local matching grant;
- Heard the annual Fremont County Tourism Council report from Doug Shane;
- Approved a payment of $3,750 to Gerald Mullins to purchase a small piece of property next to the Fremont County Road and Bridge Shop at Cotopaxi to resolve a boundary problem;
- Heard an annual report from Code Enforcement Officer Ron Zenisky on Code Enforcement Activities in Fremont County in 2011.