An effort by the Fremont County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) to address issues with overhead ranch signs installed across county roadways reached another conclusion Tuesday when the Board of Commissioners voted to formally vacate a pair of county road rights of way northwest of Cañon City that lead into private ranches. The Commissioners voted to vacate County Road 9A leading from County Road 2 onto the Taylor Ranch property and to vacate County Road F5 leading from County Road 2 onto state school land and the Stirrup Ranch. The 9A road will now become a private drive for the Taylor Ranch while the State of Colorado will be left to maintain CR F5 if any maintenance is required.
County Commission Chairman Debbie Bell said she had been asked previously why the county has been maintaining driveways leading onto private ranches. County Attorney Brenda Jackson said that 40 to 50 years ago when the county was trying to add miles to county road inventory to get state highway money reimbursement it made sense to add some ranch roads because at that time they were the only properties in the area that required access.
The issue came to the attention of FCDOT last winter when part of the Longhorn Ranch sign spanning County Road 5 off of High Park Road fell into the county right of way. District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden said it was that incident which prompted road supervisors to look at all county roads that had ranch signs erected in county road rights of way. He said that in the case of CR 9A and CR F5 the Taylor Ranch and Stirrup Ranch were given the option of removing their overhead ranch signs or the county would vacate the public right of way. Both ranches chose to keep their signs in place. Norden said that option could not be considered for CR 5 because the road accesses multiple private property parcels and not a single ranch. In that case Norden said the only option was the required removal of the overhead Longhorn Ranch sign.
In other business during their brief regular meeting the Board of Commissioners:
- Voted to accept the 2011 audit report from Paul Holscher of Holscher, Mayberry, and Company;
- Approved a special events liquor permit for the Cañon City Rodeo Association for a bull riding event at the rodeo grounds south of Cañon City on September 22nd;
- Appointed Peggy Gair of the Royal Gorge Bridge Company to fill the unexpired term of Dorothy Day on the Fremont County Tourism Council;
- Approved another 12 month extension for contingencies for Karen Colburn and Court Stevens for the Sporting Times Ranch & Red Horse Bed and Breakfast along Garden Park Road north of Cañon City.