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January 24th Commissioners Meeting

January 24th Commissioners Meeting

The Fremont County Commissioners Tuesday officially lifted the ban on open burning which had been in effect only twelve days. The fire ban was lifted at the request of Sheriff Jim Beicker and Cañon City District Fire Chief Bill Guindon following the January 13th snow storm that left from six to 12 inches of snow across Fremont County. Officials warn that another warm and windy dry spell could once again increase the fire danger.

Cañon City High School Design and Drafting instructor Mike Geesaman and student Gillian Cheek presented awards to Bill Giordano and Marshall Butler of the Planning and Zoning Department for their cooperation in the student intern program over the last several years. Regretfully, that program will be disrupted due to a lack of funding in the 2006 P & Z budget.

The Board voted to deny a request by Northwest Fremont County E.M.S. to waive and refund a $400 fee for a variance from the Board of Zoning Adjustment. The variance will permit Northwest E.M.S. to create a smaller out-lot from a 40-acre tract of property along County Road ‘2’ in the Tallahassee area where they plan to build an ambulance garage. In the final analysis, the Commissioners chose to follow precedence by denying the $400 waiver, noting that such waivers for variances before the Board of Zoning Adjustment have never been granted in the past.

In other action at Tuesday’s meeting the Commissioners:

  • approved a new set of subdivision and zoning fees for the Planning and Zoning Department (details offered in a separate story on this page).
  • received a 2005 report of code enforcement activities by officer Robert Sapp. Sapp reported that 105 code violations were closed out or came into compliance last year with nine going into litigation. Sapp says as a result of code compliance citizens should start to see a tremendous change in appearance as motorists drive down Highway 115 through Penrose.
  • approved a two lot minor subdivision for Tim Gaffney on the northeast corner of Cedar and Locust in Lincoln Park.
  • approved transfer of a Special Review Use permit for the Broken Spoke Events Center at Penrose from Glenn Miller to Boyd Canterbury.
  • adopted an updated Noxious Weed Management Plan prepared by director J.R. Phillips and the Weed Advisory Board.