Black Hawk says Bye to Alderman Price

By Clara Aucoin
GCN Senior Reporter

A coffee and cake break followed presentations of a plaque and a bronze Black Hawk statute to departing alderman Al Price.  Price will be moving on up to the old Courthouse to take his seat as the Commissioner elect from Commissioner District 1 starting next month.  After the awards, Price made a short speech, working this way through it all when emotion began to get the better of him.  He talked of his 12 years as an alderman and his 24 years in Black Hawk.  He said, “It has been an honor and a joy to serve and share the visions.”

According to City attorney Corey Hoffman, Black Hawk has a choice of either appointing a replacement for Price or having an election to select a replacement.  The move would be made fairly quickly.  If the vacancy is not filled within 60 days, a special election will be scheduled.  There is no regular election scheduled until May 2006.

Ameristar Hotel:  The Aldermen approved Resolution 23, a Site Development Plan Amendment for the Ameristar Casino.  The Ameristar is the new owner of what is now the Mountain High and formerly the Black Hawk Casino by Hyatt.  The Ameristar group has grandiose plans that will alter the look of the Black Hawk skyline even more than it has been impacted so far.

The plans call for the construction of a hotel tower of 309 feet tall, containing 300 rooms.  The construction project will begin this spring, after Ameristar formally takes over the Mountain High, and is set to be completed by 2006.  With views to die for, a hotel swimming pool will be built on top of the 309 foot hotel tower.

The new construction will utilize the original and existing foot print but will add five new levels and about 2200 new parking spaces.  A sidewalk will be constructed to run alongside SH. 119 and a bus turnaround will be added, as required by Black Hawk and Colorado Department of Transportation.

Black Hawk Post Office:  The Alderman approved a Resolution to Approve the Site Development Plan for the Black Hawk Post Office and Bank property.  The Post Office is on a fast track schedule, with bids having been received from about nine contractors.  The timelines for construction of the facility are estimated to be as little as six months and as much as nine months out.  Construction is planned to begin next year.  

The Post Office will have the capability of handling mail delivery throughout Gilpin County.  It may offer the first real possibility of Gilpin County having a zip code of its own.  Currently, the county has five different zip codes and when Gilpin County residents are forced to use a Golden mailing address, many problems arise when it comes time for them to purchase auto insurance, register to vote, serve on juries, and other situations.

The Bank project will be two-story and will be located just south of the Post Office, planned to be constructed on the East side of SH. 119 below the Marchant Street rock wall.  Planning for the bank construction is not as advanced as the Post Office, but it is in the works.

According to Black Hawk Staff, the construction material for the Post Office will mirror historical attributes of the city, it will be stone.  The building will also match the residential neighborhood in design standards.

Isle, Palm Terrace, Colorado Central Station:  The alderman approved the lighting plan for the Isle of Capri, the new addition, the Palm Terrace Hotel, and the Colorado Central Station.

The aldermen voted that mill levies for Black Hawk will not change during 2005, and in a Resolution to Encourage Diversification of the City’s Local Economy and Types of Casinos Located in the Three Gaming Districts of the City, the alderman voted to forgive device fees for 50 devices in each casino each month.

After approving a price not to exceed $9,112 for carpet to be placed in the Annex, the aldermen took care of a few housekeeping issues and adjourned to executive session.

The meeting was then adjourned.