Fremont County Commissioners view the excavation area of the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine on a previous tour of the mine operation.
Fremont County residents who hold jobs at the Cripple Creek and Victor (CC & V) Gold Mine bring home $10.2 million annually in salary and benefits. Those were among the highlights of the annual CC & V report shared with the Fremont County Board of Commissioners at their February 25th meeting. CC & V Manager of Community Affairs Jane Mannon told the Commissioners that 116 Fremont County residents are currently employed at the gold mine. That accounts for 23 percent of the gold mine’s total workforce of 522 employees. Mannon said CC & V employees enjoy average annual salary and benefits totaling $67,000 with an average hourly wage of $32. Mannon said the gold mine is planning to have 630 employees on the job by early 2015.
Mannon reported that the mine produced 230,794 ounces of gold in 2013 along with 102,747 ounces of silver. The mine moved 67.9 million tons of material with the gold and silver production amounting to 0.0219 ounces for every ton of ore. Mannon said the realignment of Highway 67 between Cripple Creek and Victor was completed in September of last year.
Mannon said the Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mine was proud last year to have donated 75 ounces of 24 karat gold to the State of Colorado for refurbishment of the State Capitol Dome in Denver. She said 60 ounces of gold leaf was used to cover 5,689 square feet of the Capitol Dome.
Mannon said tours of the gold mine remain very popular and will be starting up again this summer. She said the Lowell Thomas Museum in Victor now handles scheduling of the CC & V tours. She said for tour information you can call the museum at 719-689-4211.
In other routine business at the February 25th meeting the Board of Commissioners:
- Approved a transfer of ownership of the hotel and restaurant liquor license at the Shadow Hills Gold Club to Robert Portice who is now leasing the restaurant and bar from Bill Holt;
- Approved a request to vacate a 99 foot section of public right of way extending north from Pisgah Drive. The right of way sits between two pieces and private property and goes nowhere except over a steep bluff;
- Approved a 12-month extension for submittal of contingency items for the rezoning of a parcel west of Orchard and High Streets where a storage yard will be built;
- Approved a 12-month extension for contingencies for the Arkansas Valley Ambulance Special Review Use permit on property west of Texas Creek;
- Approved an amendment to extend the term for a Conditional Use Permit for the Dawson Gold Project exploration southwest of Cañon City for another 12 months.