The Fremont County Board of Commissioners approved a Special Review Use Permit at their May 14th regular board meeting to allow the Tallahassee Volunteer Fire Department to construct a new main fire station along Colorado Highway 9 northwest of Cañon City. The fire department had a donation of five acres on the Dale Rideout Ranch to build the fire station 2 ¼ miles north of the junction with Highway 50. The Special Review Use Permit was needed because the fire station was being constructed in the Ag-Forestry Zone District.
Five neighbors spoke in support of the fire station. Among them was Paul Vertrees who said the fire station carries no obligations to taxpayers because all funds are donated by residents of the area. Don Wiltse, who lives across the road from the proposed fire station, complained that the county’s planning department had actually aided the fire department in seeking waivers for landscaping, surfacing, and lighting. Wiltse also complained that the fire station would create noise, dust, and be harmful to wildlife. Other neighbors said they would be glad to have a fire station nearby if a fire broke out.
In approving the permit the Board of Commissioners also found that the applicant did provide adequate public notice of the hearing and that there were no irregularities by the Planning Department in its’ review of the application.
The Commissioners voted to approve a bid from CML RW Security to replace metal guard railing in the Fremont County Jail. The guard railing that needs to be replaced is located in both of the newest jail pods which house up to 48 inmates each. Sheriff Jim Beicker and Undersheriff Ty Martin approached the Commissioners a couple of months ago with concerns that a dangerous situation was developing because higher security inmates are being housed in the jail. The Sheriff said state corrections parolees were starting to destroy the existing guard railing and possibly turning some of the metal into shanks. CML RW Security will install the new railing in the two jail pods at a cost of $59,878. The Commissioners said that money will have to come from the county’s General Fund reserves because it was not budgeted for and because it’s an emergency security issue that must be addressed.
The Commissioners also approved a transfer of $8,000 from the county’s General Fund to the newly created Fremont County Fair Livestock Sale Fund. District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden noted that when the Commissioners recently appointed the new committee to oversee the annual 4-H livestock auction at the county fair the committee had no start up funds. Norden said a request had been made to the non-profit Fairs and Shows Association to transfer some of their funds collected annually in commissions from the sale of 4-H youths’ livestock, but the association voted not to transfer any of their funds. Norden said the resolution that transfers the $8,000 includes language that as new commissions are collected from the livestock auction over the next several years there is an expectation that the $8,000 will eventually be paid back to the General Fund. Commission Chair Debbie Bell reiterated the fact that the Commissioners previously made the decision to create a new sales committee for the county fair auction because as a non-profit organization, the Fairs and Shows Association has no fiscal accountability to either the Fair Board or the Board of Commissioners.
In other business at the May 14th board meeting the Commissioners:
- Awarded a bid of $27,611 to Innovative Structures of Penrose for construction of a storage building on county property at Pathfinder Regional Park;
- Awarded a bid of $54,250 to Colorado Crushing for the purchase of 15,500 tons of crushed road base from the county’s Canterbury Pit at Howard;
- Approved a Temporary Use Permit for Big Sky Cooperative to operate a Farmers Market every Friday from June 14th through October 11th at the Cotopaxi Community Church parking lot;
- Approved a Temporary Use Permit for the Deer Mountain Community Organization to allow various fundraising events on 22 different dates from May through September on property along Copper Gulch Road in the Deer Mountain area;
- Approved a modification of premises for the liquor license at Gateway Liquor in the Country Green Shopette at the east edge of Cañon City to allow the store to expand into the retail space next door;
- Adopted a new set of County Ambulance Licensing Regulations to bring them into line with state regulations and medical protocols;
- Set a public hearing date of 10 a.m. on June 11th for a major modification to the Special Review Use Permit for Captain Zipline Adventure Tours. Gene Holmes wants to expand his zipline operation in the Wellsville area of western Fremont County to include two new challenge courses, new parking, and a visitors’ center.