Black Hawk city council begins business of 2006

Lynn Volkens

1/19/2006 - The Black Hawk City Council held their first meeting of 2006 on January 11^th, with all Council members present.

Rohling Inn Renovation Continues

  Jay Purcell and Joe Collins, representing Fitzgerald’s Casino, addressed the Aldermen regarding renovation of the Rohling Inn building. They informed Council that there were some concerns with the lead paint that had been used in the building, but they were now working to deal with the toxic paint safely.

No False Emergency Reports Allowed

  Public hearings began with Council Bill 1-2006. This ordinance repeals Section 10-223 of the City’s Municipal Code concerning false reporting, and readopts the section adding “ambulance service providers” to the text. The code makes it unlawful for anyone to report a fire or other emergency (including medical emergencies) to the Police or Fire Departments, an ambulance service provider or any other agency empowered to deal with such emergencies when the reporting person knows the report to be false. The Council voted to adopt the revised version of the code.

Equipment For Post Office Acquired

  The Aldermen also voted to adopt Council Bill 2-2006, approving the lease-purchase agreement with Court Square Leasing Corporation to acquire postal equipment. The contract calls for the City to lease an automatic mailing system and scale for 48 months at $225.30 per month. Black Hawk will have the option to purchase the equipment at the end of the contract for fair market value at that time.

Meetings Posted At City Hall

  Resolution 1-2006 was passed, establishing the designated public place for the posting of meeting notices to be at Black Hawk City Hall.

Take Note – Election Time In April

  Resolution 2-2006 declares the City’s intent to conduct a regular election on April 4, 2006, via mail ballot. The Council passed the resolution.

Special Reviews Approved

  Jesse Quintana requested and received approval for temporary placement of a storage shed on property at 241 High Street. The applicant wanted to place a 10’ x 18’ metal box on the side of the property to store household contents while the interior rehabilitation of the structure is completed. If the box is needed longer than the anticipated four months, Quintana was directed to reapply for another special review by Council.

  Special review for another temporary storage shed, this one at 410 Chase Street, also received the Aldermens’ okay. Applicant Terrence Ballowe requested placement of an 8' x 40’ box, also for household storage during interior rehabilitation work. Staff amended the request, reducing the length of the box to 20 feet, as the larger structure would encroach into the public right-of-way. Staff also recommended a six-month limit for placement of the shed, after which Ballowe would need to reapply for special review. The Council stipulated both conditions prior to approving the shed.

Contractor Agreements Renewed

  Law requires the City to renew contracts every year. The Council voted to renew on-call contracts with the following companies: CCS Consultants (surveyor-$40,000), C-West (code consultant-$20,000), ICON (drainage-$30,000), Leonard Rice (water rights-$200,000), Loris and Associates (highway-$30,000), Boyle Engineering Corporation (water treatment-$25,000), PEH Architects (architect-$30,000), PSI (geotechnical-$25,000), Smith Environmental, Incorporated (wetlands-$10,000), Weecycle (mold/lead/asbestos-$20,000), Wireless Systems (SCADA hardware/software support-$45,000), WL Contractors (traffic signals-$30,000), and W.L. Simons (structural-$30,000). These contracts are used when additional services are needed that were not anticipated when the budget was prepared. By taking this action, the Council provides for funding (in this case, $535,000) to be set aside for escrow billing towards development review of private projects. Staff noted the funds are rarely exhausted.

Water Projects Given Go-Ahead

  Covarrubias Construction Services, Incorporated won a contract with the City to construct four projects. A water truck fill station, constructed on North Clear Creek, will reduce water demand surges through automatically controlled start-up/shut-down rates and will transfer the surges to a remote portion of the water system. Tank truck use, plus elimination of the need for issuing hydrant meters and water truck use of fire hydrants are added benefits of the contract. The remaining three projects all involve construction at the Hidden Valley Water Plant. An intake piping and meter vault system installed there will enable use and measurement of the surface water from Clear Creek by gravity diversion. Use of the measured water during free river conditions will make the Hidden Valley Surface Water Diversion Right absolute. Screening and diversion of water beneath the creek surface will be enabled by construction of an intake structure bypass pipe. The screening will eliminate most of the floating debris and reduce ingestion of sands and silts. The piping is submerged at about one to two feet above the channel floor and will be protected from freeze-up during winter conditions. Finally, automatic flushing of the intake structure to remove any sands and silts plugging the drain, will be provided by construction of an underdrain pump station and sump pump system. The sump pump system will be used to dewater the existing nearby meter vault and underdrain pump station. Although seven contractors picked up plans for the advertised projects, only Covarrubias submitted a bid. (Other contractors were polled as to why they didn’t bid. They indicated they were too busy, there were several public entities bidding projects on the same bid date, or that dewatering under winter conditions might be risky.) Funding allotted to the four projects is $202,587 plus $10,000 for construction related engineering services and a 15% contingency of $30,388 for a grand total of $242,975.

Modified City Seal

  The Aldermen authorized modification of the City Seal to provide a better graphic representation of its detail. The verbal description of the City Seal is: “On the right - an Indian with a spear, war shield and club, with a tiger crouched behind. On the left - an eagle grasping the American shield and the sprig of laurel. In the center - a stream of water with a quartz mill on the left bank and mountains in the background, the whole surrounded by the inscription, ‘City of Black Hawk, Colorado.’”

Other Business

  In additional business, Antoinette Clark was appointed to represent the City on the Gilpin County Parks and Recreation Board. Phil Shelton, Director of the Black Hawk Transportation Department, will travel to Washington D.C. for a conference on transportation and the Council scheduled a combined work session with the City’s Historic and Architectural Review Commission for February 8^th at 4 p.m. in Council chambers.

Executive Session

  An executive session to consult with City Attorney Corey Hoffmann regarding potential litigation, pending legislation and to receive legal advice regarding policy issues and the Hidden Valley Water Plant, followed the Council’s public session. The meeting adjourned at 7:57 p.m.