Casino revenues fell in Black Hawk, Central in November

PAGE 11 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALLApril 24, 2025

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COMBA works to create,

maintain local biking trails

The arrival of spring means residents may be

spotting members of the Colorado Mountain

Biking Association (COMBA) near their homes

and parks.

COMBA, a non-profit organization, has been

working to develop approximately 1,200 miles

of trails in the region. “We collaborate with 12

different land managers to deliver on our mis-

sion: creating more and better trails for every-

one,” according to an organization spokesman.

In recent years, COMBA has focused on

significant trail projects, such as the Floyd Hill

Open Space (2019), Black Hawk’s Maryland

Mountain (2021), and

the Trek Trails current-

ly under development

Idaho Springs (2024).

The group stated that

the trails were made

possible through the

organization’s advo-

cacy, fundraising, and

construction efforts.

has conducted regular

volunteer trail work-

Canyon, and the Gold-

en Bike Park. Volun-

teers are not required

tools, or equipment to

participate.

stated that they also

mountain trails during

spring due to calving season,

when mother elk, moose, and

deer give birth and need time

and extra space to care for their

newborn offspring.

“We invite riders to support our

work by joining, volunteering for

trail work, or both! Memberships

start at just $39 a year, with any

new members joining in the month

of April entered to win some amaz-

ing prizes—including the grand

prize, a Trek Top Fuel mountain

bike,” the spokesman said.

For additional information, visit

COMBA.org.

counties.

CC Business Improve-

There are two four-year

terms available for election

on the Central City Business

Improvement District board of

directors. In addition to Spen-

cer, incumbent Dana Laratta

and newcomer Austin Boulter

are running.

Laratta, 53, has worked for

Century Casino for 12 years

and has been on the BID board

since 2022. “My dedication and

commitment to the success of

Central City is extensive, yet I

have my feet in both the worlds of

the business owners and the resi-

dents,” Laratta said. My mother

Judy Laratta is a Central City resi-

dent and served for two terms as a

city alderman on Council. I have

been involved with the CCBID—

consulting and contributing labor

on marketing initiatives—dating

back to the last round of I-70

construction that strangled our

market. I have been a regular

attendee at Council sessions and

work sessions, contributing my

marketing and business develop-

ment knowledge of the regional

casino industry to discussions. Yet

I am directly and keenly aware

of the impact the city’s decisions

have on its residents.

“Despite challenges from these

unavoidable factors—and the

avoidable challenges the city

sometimes presents itself—I see

the Central City of the future as

a vibrant, thriving community,

well-planned and funded largely

by a strategically supported Gam-

ing industry. This future City of

Central is proud of and owns its

unique identity, and uses its com-

mitment to economic advantage to

fund services that help its citi-

zens handle the unique challenges

of mountain town residency,”

Laratta added.

Boulter, 25, is the son of

Steve Boulter, who chose not

to seek re-election to the BID

board. Despite his young age,

Austin Boulter stated that his

lifelong experience of being

raised in Central City and his

work as a manager at Ameris-

tar Casino Resort Spa in Black

Hawk are the reasons he feels

qualified to serve on the BID.

My professional journey

has been uniquely influenced

by our local landscape. Grow-

ing up within a family-owned

and operated casino in Cen-

tral City provided me with

an invaluable education in

the difficulties of local busi-

nesses. I believe I can use this

background to provide a deep

understanding of the challeng-

es and opportunities unique to

our community. This experi-

ence instilled in me the values

of community, hard work, and

the importance of local busi-

nesses. My casino experience

and local influence was further

complimented by my time at

Ameristar Casino Black Hawk,

where I managed one of the

largest slot operations in the

state. I am now in the exciting

process of establishing my own

business on Main St, that I

hope can be beneficial to both

locals looking for more variety

and guests searching for more

family-oriented activities. I be-

lieve the blend of local under-

standing and broader industry

knowledge gives me a unique

perspective on the economics

and potential that our town

has. My commitment to Cen-

tral City expands beyond my

professional career. I am in the

process of buying a house in

town, deepening my long-term

investment in Central City. I

believe it is important to drive

business to town, but to do so

in a thoughtful and sustain-

able way that supports the

historical values and traditions

of locals and guests. Central

City holds immense potential,

and my business background

drives me to pursue respon-

sible avenues for growth, said

Austin Boulter.

BH-CC Sanitation Dis-

Black Hawk residents Paul

Bennett and Jim Johnson are

running to retain their seats on

the sanitation board, having

represented residents in both

communities for decades.

Bennett is a U.S. Marine vet-

eran who has served as a Black

Hawk alderman for 20 years,

making him the longest-serving

sitting council member. John-

son has been on the city council

for 16 years and also served as

president of the Gilpin Ambu-

lance Authority.

Johnson and Bennett are

being challenged for their

BHCCSD seats by two Central

City aldermen lacking experi-

ence.

The other candidate in the

race is Zane Plsek of Central

City, who was appointed to fill

an unexpired term last sum-

mer. He is running to complete

the remaining two years for the

sanitation district seat and has

no challengers.

The five-member BHCCSD

board consists of representa-

tives from both communities,

including Black Hawk’s mayor,

Spellman, and aldermen Jim

Johnson and Paul Bennett.

Central City’s representatives

are Buddy Schmalz, business-

man and former mayor, and

resident Zane Plsek, who will

become a city alderman in

January. He replaced Council-

man Jeff Aiken, who stepped

down after nearly 20 years

because he successfully ran for

a term on the Gilpin Board of

County Commissioners.

Casino revenues fell in Black Hawk, Central in November

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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