Moffat Tunnel oil-train decision now at Supreme Court

PAGE 10 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALL PAGE 11 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALLApril 10, 2025April 10, 2025

Utility shut-oﬀs continue

during Idaho Springs project

FNF Construction will continue connect-

ing the main waterline and performing

tie-ins on both Virginia Canyon Road and

Virginia Street through April. This will lead

to water shut-offs that may last up to eight

hours, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The following are the scheduled dates:

Virginia Canyon Road will experience

water shut-offs through Friday, April 11.

Virginia Street will experience water

shut-oﬀs through Friday, April 11 and again

Monday, April 14, through Friday, April 18.

Shut-offs at both locations may continue

into the following week.

Virginia Street will be closed from 19th

Avenue to 22nd Avenue. Please follow the

posted detour routes outside of working

hours and proceed through the work area

with caution at all times. Homes can be

accessed from either 19th Street or 22nd

Avenue. Residents should comply with

no parking signs. FNF Construction will

continue to accommodate local traffic as

best as they can. An open trench may be

present in front of driveways where work is

happening.

General Information:

Working hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7

p.m., Monday through Friday.

Emergency vehicles will have full ac-

cess, and a traffic control supervisor will be

on-site to help guide local vehicles during

working hours.

Project schedules may change due to

weather as we approach spring storms. Ice

and cold weather can impact equipment,

closure areas, water lines and crew safety.

FNF is working with an infrastructure

that is estimated to be 100 years old.

Therefore, unforeseen circumstances could

change times/schedules.

$5 credit for AutoPay and E-billing. T axes and other fees apply. Credit approval required for

new service. Cellular service is not available in all areas and is subject to system limitations.

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Reporter/Photographer

The rejuvenated Sow-Belly Dinner was

held on a cold, snowy April night at the Idaho

Springs Elks Lodge. Idaho Springs Elks Lodge

#607 and Central City Elks Lodge #557 did a

great job of gathering a full house of real and

country.

event was held as a fundraiser for Gilpin and

Clear Creek County High School students and

the Idaho Springs Elks Lodge.

The traditional Sow Belly Dinners allowed

miners to gather, eat some great food,

maybe drink a little whiskey and generally

celebrate the coming of spring and warmer

weather before they head back into the hills

in search of riches. This dinner was no

different, but it also featured horse races

in the Lodge room upstairs and a raffle

featuring goods from many local stores and

businesses.

Sharon Bassist of Square Peg Catering

did a great job cooking up and serving the

sow belly, pulled pork, boiled and baked

beans, coffee, cornbread, flap jacks, sour-

dough pie and cake. The food was out-

standing, and no one left hungry!

The horse races in the Lodge room at-

and cheers.

owners of Rick Thomas Distillery in Black

Hawk. Central City old-timer Jesse Peterson

brought some real silver and gold, and delight-

ied the crowd with his stories.

Brian and Justine Watts, owners of the Rick Thomas Dis-

tillery in Black Hawk, with their donation to the raffle.

Sow-belly dinner returns to Idaho Springs

Jesse Peterson shared the tale of

sow belly dinners with the audience.

gold!gold!

Jesse Peterson with Dick and Mary Beach inspecting

some silver and gold that Jesse brought.

Sharon Bassist of Square Peg Catering

with her delicious offerings.

Ch/a.r/r.afterle/s.end Ramﬆe/t_t/e.r/r.after.end/uni0020

November 26, 1938 — April 5, 2025

Ramstetter of Golden

departed this world on Sat-

urday, April 5, 2025, at 86.

Charles was a Golden

Gate Canyon native resi-

dent. He was one of eight

children born in 1938 to

Bertha and Otto Ramstet-

ter. Charles and his sib-

lings were born and raised

on a dairy farm, where he

was instilled with a hard

work ethic that followed

him throughout life.

As a Vietnam Vet, he

served in the Air Force and

retired as Chief Master

Sergeant after a distin-

guished 24-year career.

His second career was as

a heavy equipment op-

erator with the Jefferson

County Road and Bridge

Department. His third

career was raising cattle

and authoring local his-

tory books, this time with

his best friend and wife

of 42 years, Mary Geneva

Ramstetter, whom he mar-

ried Feb. 6, 1983.

Charles is preceded in

death by his mother and

father, brothers Franklin

Ramstetter, Gordon ‘Tine’

Ramstetter and Kenneth

‘Tuff’ Ramstetter, and sis-

ters Rose Horn and Nora

Ramstetter.

He will be deeply missed

by his wife Mary; his

remaining siblings, sister

Arlene Betz and brother

Richard ‘Butch’ Ramstet-

ter; his children, Jeff and

Julie Ramstetter; step-

daughters Barb Bliss and

Kim Ricards; grandchil-

dren, Michael Ramstetter,

Gina, Mary and Matt Ri-

cards; great-grandchildren

Cody O’Brian and Emma

Rose Ramstetter and a

host of friends and other

family members.

He is gone but will never

be forgotten.

A Celebration of Life

ceremony is planned for

Saturday, April 26, 2025,

at 2 p.m. at the Grange

Hall at 25201 Golden Gate

Canyon Rd.

Weekly Register-Call

It’s easier to /f_ind a needle (or

person) in a haystack today

in a haystack” is becom-

ing outdated, thanks to

modern technology.

In addition to offering

traditional photo lenses,

many higher-end drones

include built-in thermal-

infrared units. These

heat-seeking lenses feature

technologies that can help

the drone operator deter-

mine whether what they are viewing is a fire or

a living creature – be it animal or human, as

these are warm-blooded species that generate

their own body heat.

The difference between life and death in

many situations is why infrared-equipped

drones are vital. Here are a couple of recent

situations that serve as genuine real-life expla-

Most Gilpinites are aware of the history

Hawley Merchandise Warehouse fire that

broke out on Spring Street in Central City on

Sunday, March 16.

Black Hawk Police and Fire quickly re-

sponded to the initial alarm call to help Central

extinguish the blaze of undetermined origin.

One of the BHPD members who went to the

fire scene was Officer Brandon Davis, who took

along the department’s DJI Mavic 3T drone.

Davis, an FAA Part 107-certified drone pilot,

device confirmed that no humans were inside

the warehouse, as it did not detect any heat

signatures. It also indicated (see photo) the

fire hotspots spreading throughout the wooden

structure, which ultimately led to the roof col-

lapsing.

Fire departments and other first responders

across the country are using drones equipped

with thermal/infrared technology to alert them

when they arrive at a fire scene. Several have

quickly located indi-

viduals inside a burn-

ing building, helping

rescuers pinpoint their

precise locations.

the Hawley Warehouse

fire, another infrared-

equipped drone helped

locate and reach two lost

teen boys at Roxborough

State Park in Douglas

County. The story of the

unique rescue reached

international news outlets.

After parents discovered their two boys had

gone missing in the park, they called Colorado

Parks & Wildlife, who dispatched officers as-

sisted by K-9 teams.

The law enforcement bureau also requested

assistance from the non-profit Douglas County

Search & Rescue team, which utilizes drones as

part of its operations. The S&R team launched

the drone, using information about the teens’

general direction to help it reach the area

quickly. The infrared technology was able to

quickly pinpoint the lost boys’ location in the

mountainous park.

Because the drone was equipped with a

small loudspeaker, the drone pilot had one of

the boys’ fathers speak into a microphone at-

tached to the drone controller he was holding.

The comforting message assured their sons

they would be okay and instructed them to

youngsters.

launched.

Team used its drone to locate a lost 10-year-

old in just two minutes. The boy had wandered

away from his parents to ride an ATV in a snowy

part of the Rampart Range when he got lost.

Darren Keralla, a drone pilot with DCSAR,

told reporters that the drone serves as a valu-

able tool in specific situations. The child had

been missing for hours when the Search & Res-

cue team was alerted, aiding in swiftly resolv-

ing the situation.

The infrared technology on the drone provides information

on flame hotspots in the Hawley building. Fortunately,

nobody was inside the building at the time of the fire. Had

there been, the drone’s thermal imaging could have helped

locate the body-heat signature of any humans.

They’re just starting the

process of assessing the situ-

ation and their options. The

engineer was just up there.

It’s in the early stages. I

think what they’ll do with the

building will depend on their

engineer’s assessment.”

While the building has been

secured, a fence has been

installed in the back, and

no-trespassing notices have

been posted, it may take some

time before any decisions are

made, according to the city

manager. The engineers will

assess what can potentially be

done to salvage the structure,

which suffered a collapsed

roof and interior damage dur-

ing the fire. An investigation

into the cause of the fire is

ongoing.

Miera stated that traffic

control and safety measures

will be implemented when

the damaged sections of the

roof and interior walls are

removed. “I don’t have a

timeline for any work. I just

know they’ve begun the pro-

cess to assess the condition of

the structure and to start the

clean-up. We don’t have an

exact schedule of what date

that will start. However, I

expect it will start sometime

soon. I would imagine we will

start to see some of that activ-

ity in the coming weeks – as

For now, Miera mentioned

that he understands some

people will complain the build-

ing is somewhat of an eyesore

for those traveling along

Nevada Street and the Central

City Parkway. “No matter what

the structure is, we want to do

our best to preserve history

and improve the aesthetics.

However, first and foremost,

it’s about safety. That’s why

our process requires the as-

sessment of the property, just

like we did with the Belvidere

[Theater] before we got started

with any improvements there.

We had an analysis of that

structure and learned what

was needed. Then, we orga-

nized funding and got started.

It’s not something that hap-

pens overnight, but we work

on it every day. We’re still try-

ing to make progress – that’s

the best we can do.”

Hawley’s fate unknown

Moffat Tunnel oil-train decision now at Supreme Court

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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