[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6620269,"mediaKeyId","2812797-5732d00eaf280580c5af690da6c53306","parentId",2812797,"title","BOCC weighs Colorado Energy Office sustainability-manager grant; staff recommend short-term contract over hiring FTE","audioSeconds",1977,"startMs",3789000,"endMs",5766000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2812797-5732d00eaf280580c5af690da6c53306&start=3789&end=5766","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2812797-5732d00eaf280580c5af690da6c53306/thumbnail_3789000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6620269/Lake-County/Colorado/BOCC-weighs-Colorado-Energy-Office-sustainability-manager-grant-staff-recommend-short-term-contract-over-hiring-FTE","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6620269-ba516814035a3cc6014b9d62aec628ff/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142490&Signature=f9bwem8NDqnQLO1cI7k47FEdmGXxNRK8OveZbzAs1ZcfMFnp-pZrtPoUb3yV3aoHncYN-edsjIHgskRHM7MVyo10c3ax4TNCQ5bxS0sQFiM8MPgNF0WVVXdDnbsjx-65bZO4NqAoPNaiw279dpl-WEc9Q6D8~sJt~LEK5CZt~l-X9NDID5RJR7flXsjhH-aYZhrLyeCB4gZ3zJppnVLnJZXPzS303HPzWdxBvR4tUoEJ1XZntb2ldK95qe8fFn4noaW2Y3hbtm1dWsVZX534BanlTx99AOxvJht6LEiqYYykwWb6oFFzZ9D0EzQYB6IdmoACZFFeNWeO63z4LCY-zg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lake County","date","2025-03-28T19:06:27.953Z","article","Lake County staff briefed the Board of County Commissioners on a Colorado Energy Office grant to fund a sustainability manager position and recommended contracting for services rather than hiring a full-time employee while federal funding remains uncertain.

The county is the grantee for a three-year award totaling $240,000 (about $80,000 per year). County staff reported the grant is a reimbursement program and warned that it relies on federal funding passed through the state; if the federal program pauses, the reimbursement could end. Staff told commissioners only one of nine similar grantees statewide had hired an FTE so far; several others have used contractor arrangements.

Staff recommended the county avoid hiring a permanent employee now because onboarding and potential later layoffs would be administratively costly. A county staff presenter said, “We do not feel like moving forward with hiring a full time, staff member is wise at this moment,” citing the possibility that the grant could be paused and the administrative burden of HR, IT and finance to employ someone who could later need to be let go.

Advocates and community partners urged using the grant to provide capacity. Emily Olsen of Cloud City Conservation Center said local government participation matters: she recommended either contracting or staffing to ensure the county can coordinate on electrification, building-code updates and climate-action tasks. C4 staff argued the work requires sustained engagement across departments and with utilities and builders, including technical assistance on building codes and access to utility rebates.

Commissioners asked practical questions about how a contractor or staff person would fill 40 hours per week. One commissioner, identified in the discussion as Austin, said he would prefer to use grant funds to buy higher-quality, part-time contracted expertise rather than fund a lower-paid entry-level FTE, because $80,000 a year would not cover a full experienced FTE. A public commenter, Melissa, noted that experienced contractors can charge high rates and that the county should plan a clear work plan for any contracted role.

County staff also said the climate-action plan related to the grant will be jointly managed by departments (public health, public works, planning) and that the county will need a point of contact for billing and grant management even if it hires a contractor.

Former county and utility-affiliated speakers emphasized why local capacity matters. One longtime local official, Jeff, pointed to state electrification policy and utility planning in mountain communities and said the county risks being “not at the table” for decisions about gas infrastructure upgrades, electrification incentives and resilience if it lacks dedicated capacity to engage with utilities and the state. Staff described potential tasks for the position: grant management, coordination among department heads, liaising with utilities, helping secure grant or incentive funds for county building upgrades and updating the county’s building-code technical work.

The board did not take a final vote during the session. Multiple commissioners signaled openness to contracting as a lower-risk, more flexible option; one commissioner recommended delaying a final decision until the next meeting to resolve outstanding questions.

Ending: The BOCC deferred a final decision and asked staff to return with more detail on contracting scope, expected deliverables and financial risk to the county before committing to an FTE or contractor.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lake County CO 03.26.2025 BOCC Work Session - 1:30PM + 2PM","oneSentenceSummary","Lake County staff briefed the Board of County Commissioners on a Colorado Energy Office grant to fund a sustainability manager position and recommended contracting for services rather than hiring a full-time employee while federal funding remains uncertain.","taxTitle","Lake County, Colorado","taxId",27576,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6620274,"Cloud City Conservation Center reviews 2024 deferred-maintenance spending, outlines programs and saves community solar garden",3717,39000,3756000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2812797-5732d00eaf280580c5af690da6c53306&start=39&end=3756","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2812797-5732d00eaf280580c5af690da6c53306/thumbnail_39000.jpg","/articles/6620274/Lake-County/Colorado/Cloud-City-Conservation-Center-reviews-2024-deferred-maintenance-spending-outlines-programs-and-saves-community-solar-garden","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6620274-ae7da86fa914ec2b3a11e51fee181b2d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142490&Signature=AQuU8qlxXgMmwARt4NW7Z1esMNQg6LpKHgNyi3ulqvTLtQMu2lJwo1NFQlltOOMUCPaegLf6Mnvko-gkhI6kAL9hR9N-uZGQMAdOhOw~7J~T3gP4v3WCJeVHhk40pdOdPsujI84ObgMaePbRmucyzG9mwrL82Sk5CL4Tje91-rJYjLE-PBbYwKVYBUcQqy-hW02IioY8BLKV0l5Xr~5tVVgJPtvnUVTXW10h6WHqer7-TV8L54-SozzEkTsM5LSG25jc9hjwpTl7FyKKVqUpEjr5bmtJ1RasJQLJCseLxkbf4s6MSZyiwSSCS9PCpwEt5ZXshuPZwVEuiwGwcp9SQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cloud City Conservation Center (C4) Executive Director Emily Olsen presented the nonprofit's work to the Lake County Board of County Commissioners during a work session, and described how C4 used county and external funds in 2024 to address deferred maintenance and community energy needs.

C4 framed its work around a mission “that C4 fosters pathways to a healthier planet and community through initiatives that inspire the conservation of our natural environment,” and said its programs focus on energy efficiency, environmental education, waste diversion and sustainable food. The presentation summarized program activity, spending and near-term needs for recycling and community energy infrastructure.

The nut of the presentation was what C4 and staff described as targeted, locally focused investments rather than broad new programs. Christian Nalayel, C4’s community resource navigator, reviewed a 2024 energy-assistance pilot funded in part with ARPA dollars the BOCC granted C4. The program served 88 Lake County households (about 180 residents), providing repairs and direct assistance for emergency home needs; Christian said “everyone basically that came into my door qualified for the program.” Nalayel and Olsen said C4 helped leverage other state and federal programs to supplement smaller awards, and that C4 has invested more than $1,000,000 in local housing improvements since 2020, about three-quarters from outside funding sources.

C4 also reported on its waste-diversion and recycling work. The organization runs zero-waste services for large local events (Leadville Race Series, Boom Days) and operates community composting at Cloud City Farm. Olsen told commissioners the county landfill’s long-term capacity is uncertain and that recycling is limited by contamination and a lack of sorting infrastructure: she said a materials recovery facility (MRF) typically costs “around a million dollars.” C4 said the county and C4 recently applied for an EPA infrastructure grant for recycling and composting in the $4 million–$5 million range and that the county and C4 were accepted into the EPA Sustainable Communities Accelerator Network to develop a community waste-management plan.

Cloud City Farm, C4’s produce operation, typically grows about 3,000 pounds of food on-site and brings another roughly 3,000 pounds from other local farms; the farm runs a donation-based market and participates in SNAP incentive programs that can reimburse up to $60 per month for healthy food for program participants.

C4 described a major action taken in 2024 to preserve community solar. C4 said it purchased the Lake County Solar Garden from its prior owner for $1 after the owner entered bankruptcy and that the BOCC had contributed about $15,000 for legal expenses and roughly $113,000 toward repairs. Olsen said the garden originally cost about $2,000,000 to build across all subscribers; an inverter replacement was the principal remaining repair and had an estimated cost on the order of $250,000. She said the inverter is scheduled to come back online in May and that Cloud City Solar is expected to generate between $60,000 and $75,000 per year to support C4 operations once restored.

Commissioners and staff asked operational questions about oversight and financial controls for C4’s repair and assistance work. Olsen said C4 either pays contractors directly or reimburses participants only when they provide receipts; she said C4 did not use county grant funds to cover organizational overhead for the ARPA-funded energy-assistance pilot and that C4 funded the staff position separately. Christian said C4 requested multiple contractor quotes for major repairs and required financial proof of completed work before reimbursements.

On recycling infrastructure, C4 and county staff told commissioners that drop-site contamination, limited local MRF capacity and space constraints at the landfill constrain potential expansion. C4 said multiple earlier grants (state RREO and other opportunities) had funded equipment and trucks and that, historically, contaminated loads that were hauled to Denver were sometimes rejected — a problem C4 said it and the county have worked to reduce.

The presentation was informational; no formal county vote was recorded during the session. Commissioners asked for follow-up information about program outcomes and grant timelines and indicated interest in continuing coordination on landfill planning, the EPA Accelerator work and the community solar project.

Ending: C4 asked the BOCC to continue collaboration on waste infrastructure, energy-efficiency programming and the solar garden repair timeline; commissioners requested additional program detail and said staff would follow up on grant and procurement timelines.","Cloud City Conservation Center (C4) presented an overview of its programs, reported outcomes from a 2024 deferred-maintenance fund, described an energy-assistance pilot funded with ARPA dollars and detailed its purchase and repair of the Lake County community solar garden.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6620264,"Sen. Michael Bennet's office offers federal support to Lake County; staff raise wildfire and Medicaid concerns",0,6022000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2812797-5732d00eaf280580c5af690da6c53306&start=6022&end=6022","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2812797-5732d00eaf280580c5af690da6c53306/thumbnail_6022000.jpg","/articles/6620264/Lake-County/Colorado/Sen-Michael-Bennets-office-offers-federal-support-to-Lake-County-staff-raise-wildfire-and-Medicaid-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6620264-a2868cf1af77662f980aaa9a0932dba1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142490&Signature=UWQhMuOTlR9oTLOmHRO7slP4kOqqDg-cd41Opkiwe6n27gm~-OyHEpUMzIiSf2hDTTU3qdDYDV0G1auhFMkaHkW2yVB6F-rGCbhqBCKLlDyMSmF621h1tU~HkuMi~PhYgahXqGQyX2FoyyXB8WbVZzo~2hhiOpU8pEzWNA6A047dr-K86Qg0FpvtZo-yUMaPl7jz1T3ENj1ImmxIG8IXiTLL13fLkr7GjTgq3Ofi~BMwqO9Ih~Z~gEk92M3O2Umjgjk6ehsBDiHOE4PPGa-c5QijaLfmF5eJwU6NJajGV5OzUPHJTlig4NXKuTiI3vV4eGkM0N8zvxf-0hcZvqyN9Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Hillary Henry, Western Slope director for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet's office, introduced herself to the Lake County Board of County Commissioners and offered the senator’s office as a resource for constituent casework, federal funding coordination and outreach on federal land and wildfire issues.

Henry said the senator’s office can provide letters of support for federal funding requests, connect county officials with federal agencies, and help follow up on congressional directed spending (CDS) projects. She asked commissioners to keep her office informed of local needs and offered staff assistance when constituents encounter federal agencies.

Commissioners raised two recurring concerns. First, wildfire season and Forest Service staffing: Henry said the senator had engaged on forestry and wildfire issues in Congress and that local reports about changes to agency staffing and temporary-employee terminations are important to share. She encouraged the county to forward local observations (trailhead closures, project delays and staffing changes) so the senator’s office can escalate issues and pursue oversight or legislative remedies.

Second, commissioners discussed Medicaid and possible federal policy changes. Henry and commissioners said proposed work requirements or federal budget reductions could strain county-level service delivery and rural hospitals; Henry said the senator’s office was monitoring budget and policy developments and would follow up on concerns relevant to Lake County, including the county’s use of congressional directed spending for local projects.

Henry also outlined how the senator’s office supports county applicants for federal funds and said staff can help trace delays on congressional directed spending draws. Commissioners asked for follow-up on specific requests, including sanitation and wildfire preparedness projects.

Ending: Henry invited continued contact and asked the commissioners to send project details and on-the-ground reports; the senator’s office said it would follow up on specific CDS and wildfire staffing questions raised by the board.","Hillary Henry, Western Slope director for Sen. Michael Bennet, introduced the senator's office to Lake County commissioners, offered constituent casework and federal funding support, and reported staff concern about Forest Service workforce changes and proposed Medicaid rule changes that could affect rural counties.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

BOCC weighs Colorado Energy Office sustainability-manager grant; staff recommend short-term contract over hiring FTE

Cloud City Conservation Center reviews 2024 deferred-maintenance spending, outlines programs and saves community solar garden

Sen. Michael Bennet's office offers federal support to Lake County; staff raise wildfire and Medicaid concerns