The Fremont County Commissioners have once again tabled a request by Arkansas Valley Ambulance (AVA) to upgrade their operating license to Advanced Life Support (ALS). When the Commissioners considered ambulance license renewals last April they tabled a request by AVA for 90 days to upgrade from Basic Life Support to ALS status. The county’s ambulance inspector, Tom Anderson, said at the time that another inspection would be necessary because the ambulance was not properly equipped. At the Board’s July 23rd meeting Anderson asked the Commissioners to table the matter again saying he needed the additional time to investigate a complaint against AVA. The Commissioners tabled the ALS request until the August 27th meeting.
The Commissioners also voted to reaffirm the ambulance license issued in April for the Deer Mountain Fire Protection District. Anderson said Deer Mountain had dropped their request to seek ALS status for their license on the recommendation of their medical director and would remain at a level of Basic Life Support. The Commissioners were told that after Deer Mountain began ambulance operations they responded to 25 calls for service since May 1st with 19 of those calls involving transports to hospitals in either Cañon City or Salida.
District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden said because of some of the controversy surrounding this summer’s ambulance licensing the Board felt it was time to ask Anderson to step aside as the county’s ambulance inspector because he is also employed by American Medical Response (AMR) Ambulance Company. Norden said that has raised concerns about a conflict of interest. He praised Anderson for his years of work for the county and said there was never a question about his integrity while performing the job. Fremont County Emergency Management Director Steve Morrisey will be taking over the ambulance inspection duties.
At the July 23rd meeting the Board of Commissioners also formally lifted the county wide fire ban at the request of Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker. Beicker said other local and federal agencies had lifted fire bans due to recent rain storms and he agreed that conditions had improved that would allow the ban to be lifted. The Sheriff cautioned however that people should still be extremely careful with any burning and open sparks or flames.
The Commissioners approved a request to sponsor an application for a Colorado Energy and Mineral Impact Grant for a regional road project. Coal Creek Mayor Connie Higgs explained this project will go in several phases. The request is for $608,866 with an In-kind match of $807,321. The total cost for Phase D is $1,416,187. Austin Exploration and Javernick Oil will be providing cash for fuel. Fremont County will provide equipment and labor. The smaller jurisdictions will also provide labor and equipment for the project as it covers multiple jurisdictions. If the grant is awarded, work on the project would begin in the spring of 2014. County roads as well as streets in Coal Creek have sustained extensive damage the last couple of years due to heavy truck traffic connected to oil exploration.
In other business at the July 23rd meeting, the Board of Commissioners:
- Approved an amendment to the County Zoning Resolution dealing with language on Travel Trailer Parks and Campgrounds. The amendment adds uses in that zone district and changes the size of structures and spaces in campgrounds. No one spoke at a public hearing on the amendment;
- Approved a three lot minor subdivision for Nancie Wright on 39 acres on the northwest corner of ‘N’ and 3rd Streets in the Beaver Park area of Penrose;
- Reappointed Byron Alsup to a three year term on the Fremont County Planning Commission;
- Reappointed Brian Rupp to another three year term on the County Board of Building Code Appeals;
- Heard a report from District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden that engraving of the memorial bricks at the Airport War Memorial Park has been delayed throughout the spring and summer because of the need for calm and dry conditions to engrave 153 additional names on the memorial wall. Norden said he regrets the delay and hopes the engraving is completed soon so a dedication ceremony can be scheduled.