At Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, County Manager Kate McIntire recognized twenty employees for lengths’ of service ranging from one year to twenty nine. Employees that reach an increment of five years are awarded a certificate. Wayne Schafer with the Sheriff’s Office is celebrating five years, Kristi Moyer in Human Resources is recognized for ten years, and Erich Barber with EMS and Royce Reynolds with Road & Bridge both marked fifteen years with the county.

Coin of Excellence

Brene Belew-LaDue and Abbie Baker nominated Public Health staff members Jennifer Gelbhaus and Diane Hugely for dedicated service beyond their job descriptions, ensuring smooth operations within the department.

The Legend Behind the Coin

The Grand County Coin of Excellence  recognizes individuals for their hard work and dedication to the citizens of Grand County beyond what is normally expected.

The idea was introduced to Grand County by Colonel Lee Staab, former Grand County Manager (2016-2019).

The coin, known in military circles as an RMO (Round Metal Object), has its own number and displays the Grand County logo.

Tradition states: if someone presents their coin in an establishment, and you don’t have yours on you, you are obligated to buy that person a beverage of their choice. If you happen to have yours and present it in return, the challenger must buy the drinks.

Finance

Finance Director Curtis Lange presented the weekly check register to the commissioners for their approval. Commissioner Chair Kris Manguso stated she had some questions regarding Sheriff’s Office expenses for the K9 program, but would follow up with the department with her questions. The register, totalling $160,358.86 was approved for payment unanimously.

Departmental Activity

County Clerk Sara Rosene presented the Clerk & Recorder’s Report for December 2019. Commissioner Merrit Linke asked Rosene if she had noticed any trends. “No,” said Rosene, adding, “motor vehicles tend to slow down this time of year, but Recording is staying higher than last year.”

The Liquor License renewal for Colorado Adventure Park was approved unanimously.

Tara Gourdin, with the Office of Emergency Management, presented the final wrap up of the office’s 2019 Work Plan and deliverables. The commissioners unanimously approved the document which will be submitted to the Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

Alex Taft, with Community Development, presented the commissioners with Resolution Nos. 2020-1-12 and 2020-1-13, reflecting the name change/transfers from Granby Sand & Gravel and ATH Specialties & Sales to Esco Construction Co and Esco Sand & Gravel LLC. The resolutions were approved unanimously.

Treasurer Christina Whitmer presented the Treasurer’s Reports. At the commissioners request, Whitmer looked into the amounts paid to school districts as “payment in lieu” fees collected from new development. Whitmer found reports dating back to 1995, and, in that time, a little over $6K had been paid to West Grand Schools and $2,796,065 had been paid to East Grand Schools.

Code Enforcement

With the recent departure of Deputy Rick Liberalli, the Sheriff’s Office will no longer be providing assistance with county code enforcement. Previously, complaint-driven code investigations had been conducted by Community Development. County Manager Kate McIntire told the commissioners that staff would look into how to address complaints going forward and make recommendations at a future meeting.

Business and Correspondence

The commissioners approved the draft of a letter to be sent to Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennett and Representative Joe Neguse thanking them for their support in reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act for FY 2019 (paid in 2020).

Fraser Assistant Town Manager, Michael Brack, was appointed as the “town rep” for the Grand County Emergency Telephone Service Authority. Brack replaces Granby Town Manager, Aaron Blair, who left his position in October 2019.

The commissioners approved the Kremmling Chamber’s request to apply for a Liquor License for upcoming events to be held on county property.

Representatives from the county’s Benefit Consulting firm, HUB International, and UMR, the new health plan administrator, will be available to address questions and concerns with the county’s new plan on Monday, January 27 from 2 – 4 pm in the Commissioners meeting room.

Letter of Opposition: Wolf Introduction

The commissioners unanimously approved Resolution 2020-1-15, opposing efforts to introduce wolves into Colorado. “In the end, the Board of County Commissioners is making its position known. The voters have the opportunity to make their voices known in the 2020 election,” said Commissioner Rich Cimino.

Maintaining Scenic Byway status

Lindsey Morrow, with Grand County Tourism, brought concerns with the county’s Corridor Management Plan (CMP) to the commissioners. The concerns arose from a discussion on the upcoming CDOT resurfacing project on US 34. 

Because the highway is designated as a Scenic Byway, they have to follow the CMP, which had last been updated in 2011 by a group of stakeholders including the Parks Service, USFS, BLM, US Fish & Wildlife, County Tourism, Museums and Historical Association. Morrow explained she had found the reporting requirements had not been kept up to date and there was a possibility of losing the designation.

Commissioner Chair Kris Manguso asked whether they could utilize the Three Lakes regulations to give guidance on the improvements, including guard rail colors.

Morrow did not know whether that would work in the interim, until the CMP could be updated. 

The commissioners requested that a local consultant who had worked on the Byways project in the past be contacted to see if she would be willing to facilitate a meeting in February to get the designation back on track.

County meetings are held the first four Tuesdays of each month and are open to the public. To learn more, visit co.grand.co.us.