Commissioners thank Public Works Director Thompson for years of great service to Gilpin County

COVID-19 testing starts for Gilpin Residents By Randy Beaudette On Tuesday, June 2, 2020 Gilpin Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) held a regular online meeting that featured topics such as Gilpin County Employee Handbook changes and Furnishings for the new Human Services/ Public Health building. Board-Chair Gail Watson opened up the meeting at 9:00 am along with Commissioners Ron Engels and Linda Isenhart. Also online were County Manager Abel Montoya, County Attorney Brad Benning, Deputy Clerk Sharon Cate, and members from the Senior Leadership Team who joined in as needed. Retirement Recognition Gilpin County Commissioners recognize the retirement of Gilpin County Public Works Director Gordon Thompson. County Manager Abel Montoya commented briefly that Gordon has been a longtime employee of Public Works who held several positions. Mr. Thompson has earned the respect of the staff and employees of the County along with residents that reside in Gilpin. He is kind, intelligent, and possesses strong leadership skills and is always willing to go that extra mile to resolve any issues that arise. Thanks go out to Gordon for all of his hard work and dedication throughout the years. COVID-19 Update Public Health Coordinator Bonnie Albright provided an update on the COVID-19 testing opportunity coming up this Saturday. Symptomatic testing will be available to Gilpin County residents on Saturday, June 6 th 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, and Tuesday, June 9 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Testing will be administered at the Public Health Building located at 101 Norton Drive. The test will be the drive-up nasal swab method by appointment. For more information refer to the Gilpin County website at www.co.gilpin.co.us. Results will be available usually 48 hours later. Gilpin County Coronavirus cases jumped to four with one being added during the CDPHE June 1 update. Social distancing and the wearing of masks is still encouraged while out and about. Gilpin County Emergency Manager Nate Whittington informed the folks online that the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is supporting the COVID testing site with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and N-95 masks. EOC has received several donations from various organizations to include N-95 masks from Elbert County and hand sanitizer from Tito’s Vodka. The Mountain Mask Project has distributed 4,032 cloth masks to various organizations including the Gilpin County EOC. County Attorney Brad Benning added that churches and houses of worship can open up after June 4, 2020 adhering to the Safer at Home guidelines of social distancing. Gathering size has increased from 10 to 50 healthy folks which will allow most houses of worship to open up at least in a limited capacity. Gilpin Employee Handbook Policy Changes (Resolution #20-08) Gilpin County Commissioners approved Gilpin County Employee Handbook changes (Resolution 20-08) with some exclusions as presented by Gilpin County Human Resources Director Lori Schrayer. Part-time employees classified as partially benefited employees that were employed on or before May 5, 2020 will be re-classified as fully benefited employees and grandfathered in to receive previously offered benefit plans. Gilpin County employees serving on jury duty who are released early must return to work or use personal leave or vacation time to cover the remaining work day hours. Employees on a 4/10 schedules will receive 10 hours of pay if their regular scheduled workday falls on a holiday. Previously if a 4/10 employees workday fell on a holiday, they were only paid eight hours shorting the employee two hours for that work week. Employees will be allowed 30 hours of personal leave per year up from 24 hours previously allowed. Employees that take advantage of Telehealth online doctor visit/ consultations will pay nothing for those visits. Copays will be paid by the County until September 28, 2020. 401k participation changes (Resolution #20-09) Previously, in order to participate in the 401K plan, an employee must work a minimum 24 hours per week. Because some employees vary in the amount of hours they work a week, the 24-hour minimum has been removed and “benefited employee” has been added. Gilpin County Commissioners approved Resolution 20-09 unanimously. Vehicle Take Home List As a result of Gilpin County Public Works Director Gordon Thompson’s retirement, the Commissioners approved a revision to the County Vehicle Take Home list to exclude Mr. Thompson’s vehicle. Public Health/ Human Services Furnishings Gilpin County Business Analyst Jamie Tirado presented the Request for Proposal (RFP) to acquire furnishings for the newly remodeled Human Services/ Public Health Building located in mid-county. The proposal from several vendors included desks, tables, and chairs of ergonomic design that will be needed to conduct business in the various areas. KI-1 is the vendor of choice selected by the RFP recommendation committee with a bid of $65,029 with all components carrying a lifetime warrantee. Gilpin County Commissioner’s approved the proposal unanimously. Legal Proceedings Gilpin County Attorney Brad Benning informed the online audience that the Attorney’s office is currently working with the Assessor’s office and Teller County to draw up a proposal to assess real property associated with sports betting. A complaint regarding excessive vehicles stored on a mid-county property was filed two weeks ago against the owner of 28 Hornblend Road. The response deadline is Friday June 6, 2020. As of yet the Attorney’s office has not been contacted by the property owners. If the property owners fail to respond, the Attorney’s office is prepared to proceed with the case for a default judgement if appropriate. County Manager’s Report County Manager Abel Montoya reported that a meeting with City Managers from Black Hawk and Central City was held to discuss the distribution of funds associated with the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) act. $536, 000 is available to Gilpin County and CARES money can only be used on COVID -19 related components and not to be used to backfill losses due to losses in revenue. Additional meetings are scheduled to determine any COVID related expenses the two municipalities may have incurred. An Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) is needed to properly distribute the CARES act funds equally and fairly. Mr. Montoya also reported that building/ home improvement permits are up and jail population and arrests are down. Commissioner’s Report Gilpin County Commissioners agreed to continue membership in the National Association of Counties at the tune of $450 per year. NAC lobbies for small counties at the state and federal level. Meeting Minutes Gilpin County Commissioners approved meeting minutes from May 19, May 21, and May 26, 2020 meeting with no corrections or amendments. For More Information To stay informed in this very dynamic environment, please visit the County website at www.co.gilpin.co.us.

Commissioners thank Public Works Director Thompson for years of great service to Gilpin County

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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Commissioners thank Public Works Director Thompson for years of great service to Gilpin County

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