The Fremont County Board of Commissioners dealt with a busy slate of business Tuesday as they conducted their annual reorganizational meeting at their first official meeting of the new year. Following the 9 a.m. swearing-in of elected officials the Board of Commissioners took the opportunity at their meeting which followed to honor outgoing Fremont County Coroner Carlette Brocious. The Board approved a resolution which noted that medical professionals, law enforcement officials, attorneys, and judicial officials have praised the work by Brocious and that she exhibited an exemplary measure of compassion to the families and victims she worked with.
Brocious thanked the commissioners for the opportunity to serve the community. She said "I loved every moment of it. It doesn't seem like the job that somebody wants to do, but when it's a passion, it makes a difference and you gave me that opportunity — and I will be forever grateful." Brocious was appointed by the Commissioners two years ago to fill the unexpired term of Dr. Dorothy Twellman and she had served as a deputy coroner for seven years prior to her appointment.
The Board of Commissioners present a resolution to outgoing Fremont County Coroner Carlette Brocious honoring her for nine years of service in the Coroner's Office. (photo courtesy Carie Canterbury-Daily Record)
The Commissioners reorganized officers voting to name District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden as Board Chairman for 2015 with District 2 Commissioner Debbie Bell to serve as Vice Chairman. Commissioners Norden and Bell presented a special gavel to District 1 Commissioner Tim Payne to thank him for his leadership as Chairman during the past year.
Two public hearings that had been scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting were cancelled. Chris Haight, the new owner of the Apple Shed along Highway 115 in Penrose withdrew his application for an optional premises marijuana cultivation license. It was determined that such an application was premature because Haight’s desire to operate a medical marijuana infused products manufacturing facility at the Apple Shed would first require a special review use permit from the county before any cultivation license could even be considered. Haight’s application for a special review use permit at the Apple Shed will go before the Fremont County Planning Commission at their February 3rd meeting.
The other public hearing scheduled Tuesday on a special review use permit for Royal Gorge Paintball to operate on the same property at the sightseeing helicopter operation on 8-mile hill west of Cañon City was tabled until the January 27th Commissioners’ meeting to meet publication requirements.
The Board of Commissioners conducted a public hearing on a zone change request for Bill & Claire Kerr and Tim & Peggy Ritter for their property in Lincoln Park along the north side of Elm Avenue where the street dead ends just east of the Willow Street intersection. The Commissioners approved the rezoning of the property from Ag Rural Zone to Ag Suburban Zone which would allow them to subdivide the property into two lots and build a home on each lot.
In other business Tuesday the Board of Commissioners:
- Approved a liquor license modification for TZ Liquor which will open in the former AK and Zacs at 105 Forge Road south of Cañon City. Dina Tezak said the plan now is to reopen the convenience store on site with the liquor store operating separately on one side of the building;
- Reappointed Brenda Jackson as County Attorney for 2015;
- Approved resolutions designating official county bank depositories, newspapers, and public notice posting locations;
- Approved agreements with Forest Stewardship Concepts to consult on developing Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) for the Dakota Hideout subdivision northeast of Cañon City and for the Red Rocks area in the Upper Beaver Creek area northwest of Penrose. Last summer’s Eight Mile Wildfire in Phantom Canyon came within a half mile of the Red Rocks subdivision and prompted the neighbors to pursue development of the CWPP;
- Scheduled a public hearing for February 10th at 10 a.m. on a Commercial Development Plan for a multi-use business development along Highway 50 in the Texas Creek area. The Outpost is property owned by Phillip and Teresa Poindexter just east of the junction with McCoy Gulch Road.
Commissioners Debbie Bell and Ed Norden present District 1 Commissioner Tim Payne (center) with a gavel noting his leadership as Board Chairman for 2014 (photo courtesy Carie Cantubery-Daily Record)