Ned adds to Eldora debt, Gilpin eyes TABOR and more

This week we've got just the headlines.

We've got tons of news coming your way, from Gilpin's preliminary discussions of a "de-Brucing" ballot measure that would remove the county's TABOR restricted budget cap, to Nederland's $325,000 contract with a brokerage firm assisting with the Eldora acquisition. Listen in to hear this week's top stories from the Peak to Peak.

Also

• Nederland lands $1 million grant for ADU, downtown accessibility
• Remembering artist and former Gilpin resident Ramblin' Roy Smith
• Fado music: Sounds of Lisbon

Read senior reporter Mindy Leary's obituary for Roy Smith here: themtnear.com/stories/story-of-roy-smith-racism-gilpin-county,77519?

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Welcome to the Mountaineer Podcast. I'm Tyler Hickeman. If you haven't noticed, it's been a bit since we've had the headlines on the show. It's not an accident. While the podcast has been chugging along, I've been out of office. So most of what you've been listening to was recorded back in June. We are back in the studio this week, though, and ready to catch you up. So today, we're doing just the news, and we've got a lot to cover. Before we dive in, we've got a quick word from one of our sponsors, Central City Opera. Since 1932, Central City Opera has been one of Colorado's favorite arts traditions, bringing world-class talent to a 19th-century opera house in historic Central City. This summer, CCO is celebrating the 70th anniversary of our world premiere of the Ballad of Baby Doe. The show tells the scandalous historical love story of silver baron Horace Tabor, who left his wife Augusta for Baby Doe, a performance which rocked Denver society and today remains a staple of Colorado history. You can also catch the marriage of Figaro, Masterclass, and CCO in concert this season, with a cast featuring talent from the Met, San Francisco Opera, and beyond. Tickets start at $32, and seats are going fast, so don't miss out. The festival runs through August 2nd. Visit centralcityopera.org to learn more. Let's get to this week's top stories. During Gilpin's Board of Commissioners meeting, County Manager Ray Rears announced the staff could ask Gilpin residents to vote on a debruising measure this fall for what most voters know as TABER. The outdated state law requires all tax increases to be approved by voters and notably puts a cap on government spending. Debruising is the practice of eliminating that cap instead of returning excess revenue to citizens in the form of tax refunds. Fifty-three of Colorado's 64 counties are already debruced. Eliminating this cap could help pay for wildfire mitigation, public safety, roads, and other county services without raising taxes. No proposal is on the table yet. But if the county moves forward, the decision will ultimately be left to voters. During the town's first downtown development authority meeting since May, town manager Jonathan Kane aired the possibility the weekly concert series could be pushed to Gershio Park, located on the western edge of Barker Reservoir. Due to ongoing drought conditions, the outdoor concerts pose a threat to Chipetta Park's grass. While the current location size and access to parking is ideal, Kane said he must, quote, make sure that the facilities and infrastructure stay the way they should. The town has already spent a quarter of a million dollars growing grass at Gershio Field, Kane said. And the town must also factor in the cost of damage to Chippetta Park if conditions worsen. The DDA plans to draft paperwork regarding a potential relocation. The town of Netherland inked a six-figure agreement with a brokerage firm to manage municipal services pertaining to the finances of the town's purchase of Eldora. The $325,000 contract with St. Louis-based Stiffle, Nicholas, and Company brings the total cost of the acquisition process to over $1 million. While the contract extends through June 2027, town manager Jonathan Cain said it's possible Netherland will need assistance post-acquisition. This would require an entirely new agreement. The contract comes during a drawn-out acquisition process that was supposed to close two months ago. Neither the board nor town staff provided updates on its progress towards finishing the deal. The funding provided through the state's local implementation, mitigation, and policy action, or local impact accelerator program, aids local governments in adopting building, land use, transportation, and waste policy focused on reducing emissions. The money will roll out over three years. The town plans to use it to pursue accessory dwelling unit friendly policies, as well as design a more accessible and walkable downtown.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

And finally, Hi I'm early. You are early if yes, you know. I'm Mindy. I'm Adrian. Nice to meet you.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

Last week, reporter Mindy Leary hit the road for Sawatch, Colorado, to visit an exhibition for the late artist and former Central City resident, Ramblin Roysmith. While living in Gilpin in the 1990s, the nomadic artist became the plaintiff in a landmark federal civil rights lawsuit after the County Sheriff's Office repeatedly ignored his reports of violent, racially motivated attacks. Today, Smith is remembered for his eclectic art style, which found beauty in what most of us might consider rubbish.

unknown 6:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Assemblage. Uh patina, which he really enjoyed. If things weren't cooked enough, it didn't look right to him.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Smith passed away in Sawatch back in January. You can find the link to Mindy's incredible obituary of the artist in the show notes. The exhibition titled Ramblin' Roy Smith, Feeling Like a Tumbleweed, is on display through September 13th at the Range in Sawwatch, and it is well worth the trip. Those are this week's top headlines. As always, you can read these stories and so much more in this week's print edition or at the MTNEAR.com. You can also subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts to get the news straight to your ears the moment we hit the airwaves. Before we close out the show, we're gonna take a trip outside Colorado's borders. My time off was actually for my slightly delayed honeymoon. It ended up being sort of a one-year anniversary trip. We spent the end of it in Lisbon, and the whole time we kept hearing people talk about fado music. If you're unfamiliar, we certainly were. Fado is basically the national sound of Portugal. The 200-year-old folk genre is powerful, rustic, and delicate. When you hear the trickle of mandolin and raw, unfettered vocals, it transports you to the cobblestone alleyways where this music was born. On our very last night, we went to a photo show. Typically it's paired with dinner. You sit for hours in a small room, and in between each course, you're pummeled by emotional love songs. So loud there's no need for mics. It's a full-body experience for you and the musicians. You're truly a part of the performance with them. So to close out today's show, I want to share a bit of that with you and bring a sliver of this beautiful community to ours. This is Luisa Rocha singing with her husband, Guillerme, picking his mandolin. Hope you enjoy.