Gilpin County commissioners approve several contracts and grant applications; pilot burn program authorized

Gilpin County commissioners on Wednesday approved a slate of contract awards, grant submittals and a pilot program. The actions were taken during the regular meeting after separate public hearings and staff presentations.

Votes at a glance

- Rollinsville infrastructure feasibility study and area plan (JVA Engineering): Approved. The board authorized execution of an engineering services agreement for the Rollinsville infrastructure feasibility study and area plan; the consultant award, as budgeted, was supported by a DOLA EIAF 50/50 grant structure (board vote 3–0).

- Peak-to-Peak multi-jurisdictional housing authority consulting agreement (Core Planning Group LLC): Approved. The county joined a multijurisdictional housing authority initiative and authorized contracting with Core Planning Group for consulting services (board vote 3–0). Town partners contributed $5,000 each toward the project.

- Pilot air‑curtain burner on county slash site (Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control): Approved. Commissioners authorized an agreement and license to allow the state Division of Fire Prevention and Control to operate an air‑curtain burner at the county slash transfer site on a pilot basis. The division will operate under its air-quality permit and is to coordinate staffing and ash handling with county public works and local fire resources (board vote 3–0).

- Court Security Cash Fund grant submittal (Colorado Judicial Branch): Authorized. Commissioners authorized submission of the FY25–26 Court Security Cash Fund grant application to help offset courthouse and court-security costs (board vote 3–0). The program requires no local match.

- Gateway to the Rockies Opioid Council (GROC) grant application: Authorized. The county’s parks and recreation director was authorized to submit an application to support youth substance-use prevention and transportation/capacity improvements (board vote 3–0).

Other items: The board also approved the formation steps for a Peak-to-Peak housing authority (multi-jurisdictional), and authorized staff to execute associated consulting agreements. Several housekeeping resolutions and the county manager employment agreement were also adopted later in the meeting.

Why it matters: Collectively, these approvals fund planning (Rollinsville feasibility), regional housing coordination, public-safety and fire-reduction pilot activities, and continued pursuit of federal and state grant dollars that would offset local cost. The air‑curtain pilot may provide the county with a lower-cost option for slash disposal if state permits and local conditions prove acceptable.

Practical details and conditions: For the air‑curtain pilot, the Division of Fire Prevention and Control will provide equipment and staff; county public works will assist with loader operations and ash disposal. The operation will be scheduled when wind and other air‑quality conditions meet permit requirements. For the Rollinsville study, the award to JVA was a not-to-exceed amount described in the contract documents and will be cost-shared with DOLA under an EIAF grant arrangement. The housing authority contract was funded in part by $5,000 contributions that Gilpin received from each participating town.

Ending: Commissioners instructed staff to return with updates on the studies and pilots and to continue to pursue grant funding and equipment reuse that could reduce county costs.