Funding requests granted – or not

Lynn Volkens

1/20/2005 - Notices for Black Hawk City Council meetings are required by the Colorado Open Meetings Law to be posted no later than 24 hours prior to holding the meeting at a public place designated by the Council. Resolution 01-2005 officially designates that posting place to be Black Hawk City Hall.

Giving Away the Money

   Black Hawk City Aldermen voted on several requests for funding at their January 12^th meeting. The first came from Lucie Crawley of Gilpin County School. She asked for a donation of $500.00 to be used in prize money for the school’s annual Spelling Bee. This was the same amount as Black Hawk donated last year and Aldermen were again generous, granting the request unanimously.

   Brittany Schmidli, an eighth grade student, submitted a request for a contribution toward her participation in a student ambassador program sponsored by the People to People organization. Included in the program is a trip to Europe. Schmidli did not ask for a specific amount, noting on her application that, “Any pledge would be greatly appreciated.” Schmidli noted that she has worked over 300 hours babysitting, helped make a quilt to raffle, pet-sits, and helped stack 20 cords of firewood as well as loading wood into customer vehicles, in order to raise money for her trip. Aldermen agreed to contribute $300.00.

   Sophomore Kelly Artz also requested funding for her participation in the People to People program. Artz noted that she has been selling homemade chocolates and, unsuccessfully, soliciting casinos to raise money for her European trip. She asked Aldermen to make a matching donation of $1,500.00. Aldermen considered granting funding of up to $150.00 but decided in a 3-2 vote to deny this request.

   Also denied, unanimously, was a funding request of $6,000.00 for Triumph High School.

   The City of Black Hawk will send a $10,000.00 donation to Red Cross for aid to flood-stricken and other weather-damaged areas of Utah, California, Arizona and Colorado.

Restoration, Rehabilitation, Renovation

   Aldermen will draw $5,100.00 from the Community Restoration and Preservation Fund to reimburse Jon Ponder for furnace work done at his property at 341 High Street. The residence was built in 1890 and qualifies for funding from the Emergency Preservation Component of the City’s Restoration and Preservation Fund.

   Also approved – a rehabilitation grant to do extensive interior and exterior work on a house at 111 Marchant Street. The house, owned by Donald and Kathleen Doles was built between 1870 and 1880. Work on the house is estimated to cost $203,500.00. Engineers who inspected the property have recommended that a cribbing wall located above the house be rebuilt.

   Construction costs estimated at $242,948.00, for a home at 321 High Street will be funded by a rehabilitation grant also approved by the Council. The home is owned by Gerhard Schopen and Mary Kay Dalsaso. It was built in 1907 and now needs repairs to the foundation, floors, walls, windows, roof, plumbing, heating, and siding. Their request also asks that an exterior stairway, leading to a parking area, be relocated and rebuilt.

Real Estate Purchased

   Black Hawk is purchasing property (Lot 7, Block 5) previously owned by John Starkey, and quit-claimed to the Central City Opera House Association by Starkey. Aldermen voted to ratify the Purchase and Sale Agreement for the property at a cost of $25,000.00.

Consulting Contracts Renewed

   As part of routine annual business, the Council approved the on-call contracts for 13 different contractors. The contracts are intended to cover projects that were not anticipated at budget time. Services provided by the contractors include surveying, drainage, water rights, highway, water treatment, architectural, geo-technical, environmental, computer, structural, traffic signal and code consultants. Aldermen voted to designate $535,000.00 for escrow billing towards development review of private projects.

   The City renewed its Agreement for Professional Services with Chuck Ford and Sons to provide press releases and video news releases. The City currently has a credit with Chuck Ford and Sons of $29, 505.69 for services not yet rendered.

    The accounting firm of Gordon, Hughes and Banks was awarded the auditing contract to complete the City’s audits for 2004, 2005 and 2006 at a cost of $49,000.00 per year.

Settling the Lawsuits

   Following an executive session, Aldermen voted to approve a settlement of $20,000.00 in a lawsuit involving former Central City Mayor Don Mattivi and the Central City Council.

   The City of Black Hawk, as Plaintiff in a civil action (Number 04CV12) against Velocity Constructors, Inc., is proposing to accept a settlement of $95,000.00 for damage to a home at 201 Horn Street, now owned by the City. The civil suit alleges that a water main was damaged by Velocity’s workmen, resulting in subsequent water damage to the home. Mary Klemp owned the house at the time that it was damaged. Klemp has since sold the property to Black Hawk, assigning all rights arising from the water main leak to the City. Velocity, though not admitting any liability, now wants to settle the Civil Action. Aldermen were agreeable to the settlement.

Post Office Makes Progress

   Progress continues on acquiring a new Post Office facility. For the sum of $84,084.00 or $22.00 per square foot per year, the City of Black Hawk has agreed to lease the property located at 145 Clear Creek Street to the United States Postal Service.

BID Directors Appointed

   Per Ordinance CB-2-05, Aldermen approved the appointment of Robert Fiore and Pete Savage as Directors to the Board of the Black Hawk Business Improvement District. By appointing Fiore and Savage, the two vacancies on the BID have been filled.