25 things to watch in 2025

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Look for a new county annex

coming weeks, which will

also house the new Gilpin

Food Pantry.

If all goes as the county

hopes, the new building

could be operational by

the end of the year.

ing the food pantry has

wiggled like Jell-o the

past few years, although county leaders are in

the process of spooning out final modifications to

the construction plans before shovels dig into the

ground.

For nearly a decade, various Gilpin residents have

discussed the need for a new food pantry to re-

place the old modular, trailer-style building at 100

Norton Drive in mid-county. However, the discus-

sion shifted in the past year when county leaders

proposed calling the forthcoming project a new

“County Annex” building – with the food pantry

included – that could serve as office space for the

Gilpin Human Services Department staff.

Three years ago, the cost of the new food pantry—

by itself—was estimated at $1.3 million in the 2023

county budget. However, with the addition of new

office space and rising construction costs escaladed,

the price soared.

Gilpin’s Board of County Commissioners allo-

cated $1.8 million in its 2025 budget for the new

County Annex. It also secured a $600,000 state

grant to assist with the project. However, estimates

averaged over $3.2 million when construction bids

were opened in late February.

On March 25, the three commissioners voted to

award the $2.46 million construction contract to A.

D. Miller Services. They noted the project would be

“value engineered” to prevent the cost from exceed-

ing the $2.46 million price tag – meaning they

would make an estimated $850,000 in cost-cutting

changes and substitutions to maintain the project’s

affordability.

The new County Annex will be built near the

existing food pantry. Originally, it was planned for

a site further east on Norton Drive, across from

the southern parking lots at the Gilpin Community

Center. The location change helped the county save

money because it eliminated the need to remove

trees from the initially proposed site and wouldn’t

require Gilpin to pay to install new underground

utilities.

The county commissioners also opted for natural-

gas heating instead of electric for the new annex

and chose to utilize existing shelving and desks

The Gilpin County Food Pantry at 101 Norton Drive (right) will be replaced

later this year as part of a County Annex building that will be located near

the current one.

Drone photo by Don Ireland

Millions will be spent for other projects in Gilpin County

It’s not unusual to hear some-

one accuse the government of

“throwing taxpayers’ money down

For the Gilpin County School

District RE-1, leaders aren’t

throwing money down the drain.

Instead, they’re building one—an

underground sewer that will save

the school district a king’s ransom

in future maintenance costs and

prevent it from falling short of

state health department regula-

tions.

The local district is spending

over $8 million to build a sewer

line that is considered crucial to

the district’s future. The sewer

project has a more eloquent –

almost poetic – title: the “Waste-

water Interconnect Project,”

although what flows through the

forthcoming line is unlikely to smell like a rose.

The ambitious project that began last summer has already resumed in

recent weeks along Highway 119, between the school complex downhill

and the City of Black Hawk. ESCO Construction, which is handling the

project, expects the work to be completed this fall. Heavy underground

rock is attributed as the reason the project is taking two seasons to com-

plete.

To ensure workers’ safety, temporary traffic

signals have been installed along the highway,

directing traffic to a single direction at a time.

This week, the south signal is positioned near

the entrance to the Hidden Treasure Trailhead

north of downtown Black Hawk. The upper

signal is located near mile point 8.5, which is

south of Hughesville Road.

When work in that section is complete,

some temporary signals will be moved further

north—to the vicinity of Apex Valley Road.

When the Gilpin School complex opened in

1990, it built an onsite wastewater treatment

facility to process sewage. Superintendent Dr.

David McKenzie has previously stated that the

aging wastewater plant has outlived its intend-

ed lifespan and no longer meets the regula-

tions set by the Colorado Department of Public

Health and Environment.

Instead of building a new on-site treat-

ment plant, school leaders determined that

constructing a sewer line to the Black Hawk-

Central City Sanitation District lines in Black

Hawk would improve the situation. Once the

permanent line is completed, the school won’t

need additional future funds for an outside contractor to maintain the

on-site plant and keep it within state regulations.

Mighty Argo work in Gilpin

The Mighty Argo Cable Car project is estimated to cost $64 million and

will involve constructing a gondola ride from the existing Argo Mine to a

new outdoor entertainment venue off Virginia Canyon Road, which over-

looks Idaho Springs in nearby Clear Creek County.

A substantial portion of the cable-car project is adjacent to the Argo

Mill. However, another key aspect of the effort is occurring on a

privately owned lot in unincorporated Gilpin County, next to the

Central City Parkway.

Currently, custom-crafted sections of the gondola cars and tow-

ers, which will hold cables along the ride, have been arriving in the

lot across from Exit 7 (Lake Gulch Road) of the parkway. Workers

will assemble the various gondola cars, some of which will have

glass bottoms or be designed to transport mountain bikers to the

Trek Trails at the Virginia Canyon Road mountain-biking trail

system.

If the Mighty Argo Cable Car Company’s plans continue as ex-

pected, the project could be completed in early 2026. Passengers

can board a cable car near the Argo Mine and be transported 1.2

miles up the adjoining hillside to Miners Park off Virginia Canyon

Road. The top terminal will lead riders to an outdoor complex fea-

turing food vendors, an entertainment venue, and decks that pro-

vide a scenic view of the mountains surrounding Idaho Springs.

The various gondola-assembling tasks are expected to be com-

pleted by early July. Military-sized helicopters are anticipated to

pick up and transport the different sections from the Central City

Parkway site, located about 1.2 miles south, over the Russell Gulch

area, to the upper terminal of the Might Argo Cable Car project.

The upper terminal station is being constructed at the upcom-

ing venue. It will be one of 16 towers used to transport gondolas

from Idaho Springs 1.2 miles up the hill to Miners Park.

An outpost building, a retaining wall, and a foundation are currently under con-

struction. Food and beverages will be available when the upper outpost building

is completed, near the forthcoming amphitheater.

Temporary orange-colored traffic signals have been installed at two loca-

tions along Highway 119, between Black Hawk and Apex Valley Road. The

southern signals are adjacent to Black Hawk’s Hidden Treasure Trailhead,

the entrance to the city’s Maryland Mountain – Quartz Valley hiking and

mountain-biking trail system.

Drone photo by Don Ireland

The two circular structures (foreground) being built near the top of the

Mighty Argo Cable Car project will serve as potable water storage and a

reclaimed water tank. A wastewater treatment plant (back) will convert sew-

age into greywater, which will be used for irrigation and cleaning sidewalks

at the entertainment venue at the upper station of the cable car project.

Central City projects will oﬀer additional lodging options

a busy day.

of Pythias building renovation, and the expansion for the

Denver West-Central City KOA Holiday Campground – will

provide sleeping options for those coming to “The Richest

Square Mile on Earth.”

Gallup Construction is converting the Knights of Pythias

building into 18 studio apartments at an undisclosed price.

The project began almost two years ago and involved ad-

dressing the long-collapsed roof of the historic structure.

Stephen Latham, manager of Gallup Development, stated

that the ongoing construction is nearing completion. “We are

moving forward, that is for sure. We have floors, cabinets and

trim going in on the third and fourth floors. The [new] eleva-

tor is in with the lift and platform, but will require another

couple of weeks of testing and then state inspection before we

The building formerly occupied by the fraternal organiza-

tion at the corner of Gregory and Spring Streets, adjacent to

the Central City U.S. Post Office, has been renovated to add

extra upper floors.

If all goes well, Latham said he hopes to hold a soft opening

for brokers sometime this month. “We hope to have tenants

in the building in July,” he commented.

Tenants in the new apartment building will have desig-

nated vehicle parking spaces in the Century Casino parking

structure across the street.

When the Denver West-Central City KOA Holiday Camp-

ground won the national KOA’s “2023 Campground of the

Year” award, some people thought owners Chuck and Leza

Spencer might have been content with maintaining the status

quo.

They were wrong.

Two summers ago, the

Spencers purchased the

unused LZ parking lot for

$300,000 from Central City.

They began developing plans

to offer more people a chance

to visit Gilpin County, Black

Hawk, Central, and other sur-

rounding areas.

This week, they are opening

22 new deluxe patio RV sites

on the former LZ lot, which

encompasses 4.3 acres. It was

a two-year project aimed at

further expanding the KOA,

which now features 107 RV

sites, eight cabins, and six

tents. The KOA also includes

a small convenience-liquor

store and gift shop at the

campground’s entrance, ac-

cessible from the Central City

Parkway’s Lake Gulch Road

exit, which overlooks down-

town Central City.

Chuck Spencer, who be-

came a Central City council-

man in January, said his

family looks forward to their

annual season opening on

Mother’s Day, May 11. He

noted that this weekend will also mark the kickoff for the

KOA’s annual “Care Camps” fundraising events for children

with cancer. The local KOA has raised tens of thousands of

dollars for the national charity in recent years.

The former Knights of Pythias building, which will include 18 studio apartments, is expected to

open this summer. Gallup Development of Arvada purchased the dilapidated building two sum-

mers ago and began remodeling it. The company has added several upper floors to the historic

structure.

Drone photos by Don Ireland

to the right.

Black Hawk.

Lady Eagles kick their way

In the playoffs—The 13th-ranked Gilpin

County Eagles are scheduled to host a first-

round game in the Class 2A girls’ soccer

playoffs scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday,

May 8 (tonight). The game was delayed

from its original May 7 due to snow at the

high school.

Gilpin’s playoff opponent, Fountain Val-

ley (8-5), is a private prep school from Colo-

rado Springs and a member of the Class 2A

Black Forest League.

The Eagles-Danes winner is scheduled

to play at Crested Butte against the host

fourth-ranked Titans (8-4-3) from the Class

2A Intermountain South Conference on

Saturday afternoon, May 9.

Gilpin (10-3-2), which closed out the

regular season with a 4-0 shutout at Twin

Peaks Classical Academy, finished second in

the Class 2A Mile High League behind No.

8-ranked Flatirons Academy.

Friday, May 9—High school track at West

Grand Joe Shields Meet in Kremmling.

begin at 9 a.m., fol-

lowed by running events at

10:30 a.m.

Saturday, May 10—Second round of the

high school regional soccer tournament.

Teams, times and locations will be an-

nounced next week. Middle school track at

Fitzsimmons Husky Meet, 8 a.m.

Wednesday, May 14—High school state

soccer quarterfinals, TBA.

Thursday, May 15—Band and choir con-

cert, 6:30 p.m. The state high school track

championships will be held on Thursday

and Friday, May 15 and 16, at an unan-

nounced site and location.

Friday, May 16—Middle and high school

wrestling banquet in the school atrium.

Time TBA.

Saturday, May 17—The high school band

and choir will perform at the Elitch Gar-

den’s Festival. Time TBA.

ednesday, May 21—Se-

nior scholarship banquet

and capping ceremony.

Time TBA.

Saturday, May 24—Se-

nior graduation, 11 a.m. at

the football stadium.

Thursday, May 29—Up-

per Elementary music

concert, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 31—Elite

All-State 8-Man football

game, 2 p.m. Gilpin foot-

ball stadium.

Gilpin school activities

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A Mother’s Day Pancake

Breakfast will be held from 7

a.m. until 11 a.m. on Sat-

urday, May 11, at the Coal

Creek Canyon Improvement

District building on Highway

72.

Pancakes, eggs, sausage,

coffee, juice and some gluten-

free options will be featured

at the breakfast, which will

benefit CCCIA’s scholar-

ship fund. Admission is $11

for members, $13 for non-

members and $6 for kids. In

addition, massages for mom

will be available from Shelley

Peters-Schaller.

For additional information,

visit CoalCreekCanyon.com.

The swimming pool at

Gilpin Community Center

is closed for critical repairs

through May 11, according to

Gilpin Parks & Recreation.

It is tentatively scheduled to

reopen on Monday, May 12.

The Gilpin History Mu-

seum will open for the season

on Saturday, May 24 (Me-

morial Day weekend). The

museum, which opened in

1971 in a former school build-

ing, is at 228 E. First High St.

in Central City. The displays

include the Mountain Sub-

marine and various rooms

depicting historical scenes in

Gilpin’s past. For informa-

tion, visit: gilpinhistory.org.

Central City plans to hold

its community-wide Clean-

up Day on Thursday, May

29. Information on how

volunteers can participate

in the annual activity, which

concludes with a lunch, will

be in upcoming editions.

Black Hawk plans to hold

its annual clean-up event on

Thursday, June 12.

Gilpin Arts Society’s 78

Juried Arts Show will begin

on Saturday, June 7, and run

through Aug. 8. An opening

reception is planned for 5 to

7 p.m. on June 7 at Washing-

ton Hall in Central City. For

details or to join the GAA,

visit GilpinArts.org.

Timberline Fire Protection

District is offering residents

complimentary Home Igni-

tion Zone (HIZ) assessments

to help them identify and

mitigate wildfire assessment

risks. The assessments will

inform a homeowner by

evaluating their property,

providing actionable recom-

mendations, and offering

affordable services.

For information, visit

TPFD’s website or contact

Andrew Steffe by calling

303-582-5768 (ext. 708) or

emailing asteffe@Timber-

linefire.com.

Paws for Pushovers during

I have a photo on my cellphone of a small

dog in the arms of a woman I don’t know. I

met them a few years ago at a campground,

and I asked the woman if I could take a picture

of her dog because it reminded me of one my

family had when I was growing up.

Bernie was part chihuahua and part who

knows what, and if I close my eyes, I can still

see her, her whole backside wagging when she

greeted me. I do have photos of Bernie, but

they’re tucked away in albums. So yes, I keep

a picture of someone else’s dog on my phone.

But I’m only admitting it so that you’ll believe

me when I say I truly love dogs.

Knowing this, you may wonder why my

husband and I never got one for our son when

he was growing up. He wonders too. But just

because he never had a dog doesn’t mean he

never had pets. Boy, did he have pets. Turns

out I’m a pushover for critters.

May is National Pet Month, a time to cel-

ebrate pets and chumps like me who can’t say

no to them. So, I’d like to introduce you to the

ones my son talked me into.

His first three pets were accidental. We’d

gone to a school carnival where some well-

meaning folks who, because of their love for

children and disregard for parents, were giving

away goldfish. He won pets number one and

two by tossing a ring on a bottle or some other

equally impressive feat. But I suspect he could

have had them by saying, “Me! Me!” at the

close of the carnival when organizers were beg-

ging people to take the leftover fish.

Despite our best efforts, the fish only sur-

vived three days. You might think I’d learned

my lesson. I’d think so too. But a year later, we

got goldfish number three in much the same

way. Alas, it didn’t last any longer than the first

two had.

I was reluctant to bring pet number four into

our home, but I was glad I gave in. I was very

fond of Monsieur Hamstie—probably fonder

than most people are of

rodents. Hamstie was, as

you might have guessed,

a hamster. And when he

went to that Great Ham-

ster Wheel in the Sky, we

replaced him with pet

number five, an equally

adorable hamster named

Bobo.

Mr. Tweeters, and if

you guessed he was a

bird, you’re right again.

Despite my initial reluctance to adopt him, I

fell for him too. He never perched on my finger

like canaries on YouTube do, but he did sing

to me while I worked. Or at least I liked to

think he was singing to me. More likely, he was

singing to attract a girlfriend. I suppose he had

reason to be hopeful, considering how easily

I’d been persuaded to take in three fish and

two hamsters.

My husband assumed that once we were

empty nesters, there would be no more pets for

me to bond with. But our son hadn’t been out

of the house long when he rescued pet number

seven, a kitten named Bastian. He kept it at his

apartment until he moved, and then Bastian

moved too—in with us. I changed his name to

Sebastian. I figured that was my prerogative

since I was now responsible for feeding him

and paying the vet bills.

There was a pattern in the acquisition of

all of these pets: I was reluctant. I caved. And

then I fell for them—except for the goldfish.

They didn’t live long enough for me to bond

with them, and I’m not sure I would have

anyway. The point is, I’m a sucker for critters,

which is exactly what you’d expect from some-

one who keeps a photo of another woman’s

dog on her phone.

issue!!!!

25 things to watch in 2025

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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25 things to watch in 2025

PAGE 8 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALL PAGE 9 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALLMay 8, 2025May 8, 2025

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Look for a new county annex

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