Compiled by Courant staff
From tunnel construction to elections to tragedy and flooding, 2013 brought a variety of news to Clear Creek County. Here’s a look back:
Jan. 16
Outbreak of influenza hits Clear Creek
Two Clear Creek County adults were hospitalized with the flu as 2013 began. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Colorado was one of 24 states reporting high influenza levels as of the beginning of January.
April 3
Eastbound I-70 closure goes smoothly
Proving it was no joke, the Colorado Department of Transportation on April 1 closed eastbound Interstate 70 at the Idaho Springs Twin Tunnels and opened the frontage road detour, County Road 314, to expand the tunnels’ eastbound bore.
CDOT spent $100 million to widen I-70 through the Twin Tunnels by adding the third lane to the eastbound bore. It is expected the expansion will reduce eastbound travel times on I-70 by nearly a half-hour during peak hours.
Abrahamson wins G-town mayor election
Craig Abrahamson defeated incumbent Kerry Ann McHugh to become the new mayor of Georgetown. Abrahamson garnered 200 votes, while McHugh received 97.
“I’m just looking forward to working together with the Board of Selectmen, and working together with the staff and working together with our other local governments to take advantage of opportunities and economies of scale and moving forward in a positive direction,” Abrahamson said. “It’s a team effort, and that’s really how I intend to approach this. No decision is any one person’s decision — that’s why you’ve got a board.”
During the campaign, Abrahamson said his experience and ability to draw investment are what Georgetown needs.
April 10
Officials work to bring
clinic back to county
Clear Creek County is negotiating to bring a medical clinic back to the county, and it hopes to hear in early 2014 whether the negotiations bear fruit.
County officials are talking with Centura Health, which operates 13 hospitals including St. Anthony in Lakewood. The county lost its only clinic in October 2011 when the Meadows Family Medicine Center closed its doors at 115 15th Ave. in Idaho Springs.
The clinic closed when the county felt it wasn’t offering the agreed-upon hours of service; after being given the option to address the problem, the medical center owners decided to shut down.
The county hopes that Centura Health will bring a medical clinic back here as soon as the fall.
“I’m hoping any day now I’ll hear something. Then we’ll start moving forward,” said County Administrator Tom Breslin.
April 17
Recount in Georgetown
produces same result
A recount in the Georgetown mayoral election requested by defeated incumbent Kerry Ann McHugh produced the same results as the original tally.
Georgetown election judges counted the ballots again April 11 at Town Hall. Craig Abrahamson again was declared the winner over McHugh by the same vote total: 200-97.
“I was offered the opportunity to have an individual there, representing myself, and I did not see any reason that that was necessary,” Abrahamson said. “I don’t have any basis for questioning the outcome of the election.”
April 17
New fire stations in the works
for Clear Creek
The Clear Creek Fire Authority plans to build several fire stations in the county and to bring in more volunteer firefighters from outside the community.
The fire department will start construction on a station outside Empire and one in Blue Valley south of Idaho Springs, and will expand the Georgetown station.
Fire Chief Kelly Babeon said the construction is aimed at investing in the district’s infrastructure while the county can afford it.
April 24
Five people killed
in avalanche on Loveland Pass
An event benefiting the Colorado Avalanche Information Center turned deadly when a massive snowslide along U.S. 6 near the summit of Loveland Pass killed four experienced backcountry snowboarders and a skier. One man survived.
The victims were ski veterans, guides and industry professionals, and the event’s organizer, Joseph Timlin, was among the dead. The survivor, Jeremy Boulay, partly dug his way out of the avalanche and was later rescued by other event attendees.
The slide apparently was triggered by the men as they made their way up a slope. The victims were participants in an event called the Rocky Mountain High Backcountry Gathering, which raises money to benefit the Avalanche Information Center.
The avalanche was about 650 feet wide and 1,100 feet long — equivalent to the size of approximately 13 football fields — and the fracture line was nearly 8 feet deep.
The avalanche was the deadliest in Colorado since Jan. 21, 1962, when seven people died after a snowslide buried residences at Twin Lakes near Independence Pass.
May 8
Rock blasting begins
in earnest at Twin Tunnels
The official kickoff to substantial Idaho Springs Twin Tunnels rock-blasting work started appropriately with a bang. Colorado Department of Transportation officials said that, going forward, there could be as many as six blasts a day along Interstate 70 at the tunnels.
State, federal and local officials gathered to watch the first explosion, which indicated that work inside the mountain had started.
May 8
Suits against 3 companies
in Cabin Creek fire dismissed
The lawsuits against three companies tied to the Cabin Creek Hydroelectric Plant fire near Georgetown, which killed five workers in 2007, were dismissed by the Colorado Court of Appeals.
The lawsuits were filed against the companies by family members and surviving victims.
The court said it found no evidence that Graco Inc., Structural Integrity Associates Inc. and KTA-Tator Inc. were negligent or failed to provide warnings of fire hazard.
Structural Integrity Associates Inc. and KTA-Tator Inc. had been hired by Xcel Energy to perform certain tasks associated with relining the penstock where the fire occurred. Graco Inc. manufactured an electric sprayer used to apply an epoxy coating to the penstock walls.
The five RPI Coating Inc. employees who died were Donald DeJaynes, 43; Dupree Holt, 37; James St. Peters, 52; Gary Foster, 48; and Anthony Aguirre, 19. All were from California.
The men were working inside a large drained water pipe at the Cabin Creek plant, which is operated by Xcel Energy and Public Service, when the fire broke out on Oct. 2, 2007. The fire occurred when the workers were using a highly flammable chemical, methyl ethyl ketone, to clean the electric sprayer, and vapors ignited.
The fire blocked their escape down the pipe, and they were unable to climb the steep shaft to escape above. They died from asphyxiation due to inhalation of carbon monoxide. Nine people were in the pipe, and four who were below the fire escaped.
May 22
Fire-suppression system for Eisenhower Tunnel gets funding
The Colorado Department of Transportation will get $5 million in seed money from the state for a fire-suppression system at the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel on Interstate 70.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed House Bill 1252, which provided the seed money. CDOT still needs to find additional funding for the $25 million system.
Later in the year, the tunnel also received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help pay for the system, bringing the state more than halfway to the amount it needs for the project. The Department of Transportation needs to raise another $10 million.
CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford said the agency would look for a grant from CDOT’s Responsible Acceleration of Maintenance and Partnerships, or RAMP, program. The suppression system is not expected to completely extinguish tunnel fires, but it can be used to buy time for first responders. No one has ever died in a fire at the tunnel.
May 29
Another plan surfaces
to ease I-70 traffic snarls
Yet another plan to help ease Interstate 70 congestion by turning the eastbound shoulder from Empire Junction to the Idaho Springs Twin Tunnels into a toll lane could be in place by 2015.
The project, if approved, would cost $25 million to construct. While it’s too early to tell what the toll lane would cost users, it is estimated it could be between $2 and $15.
June 19
SWAT team deployed as
music crowd turns rowdy
Police investigated the death of a 35-year-old Boulder man whose body was found in a tent during the four-day Sonic Bloom music festival at Shadow’s Ranch in Georgetown.
The body of Nolan Farrell of Boulder was found in a tent during the music event, and toxicology results later released by the Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office showed the man died of a heroin overdose.
During the event, police also responded to a man with a suspected drug overdose, and subdued and used a stun gun on a naked man.
The combined Clear Creek/Gilpin SWAT team was assembled to deal with a “rowdy” crowd that was feared to be on the verge of rioting. A Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office investigation later found no wrongdoing on the part of deputies involved in using the stun gun.
Event organizers said the event ran smoothly until Sunday. An event spokeswoman said much of what occurred on the last day of the festival was due in large part to emotions running high.
The 8-year-old music festival has been held at Shadow’s Ranch for the past three years, and this year it drew between 3,500 and 4,000 people.
Aug. 14
New school year
brings new policies
With the 2013-14 school year, the district implemented a host of changes, including an alignment of curriculum across all grades, a more strict absence policy and a change that made sporting events free for all students.
Sept. 4
Commissioners’ decision against open-space buy proves prickly
The Clear Creek commissioners’ decision to direct the Open Space Commission not to pursue purchasing the 18-acre Snow Mountain property on Floyd Hill raised the ire of nearby residents and an environmental group.
The commercially zoned land is on the south side of Interstate 70 near the high school/middle school and is part of the larger 50-acre Elmgreen Meadow. Some consider the land to be the gateway to Clear Creek County and want it to be free of commercial or residential development.
Members of the countywide organization SOLVE, which stands for Save Open Lands, Vistas and the Environment, were disappointed with the 2-1 decision because they had strongly urged the county to consider buying the meadow property. Commissioner Tim Mauck cast the lone vote in favor of the purchase.
Commissioner Tom Hayden’s about-face on the issue since his election campaign in the spring also raised hackles. Both Hayden and Commissioner Phil Buckland said before the vote they wanted the Open Space Commission to focus on current projects such as completing the greenway project.
On Oct. 1, SOLVE submitted a petition to the commissioners with more than 200 names of registered voters interested in seeing the property and an adjoining parcel purchased. Members vowed to bring in additional petitions with even more names.
Sept. 18
Storms, flooding batter county
For county residents and motorists, Friday the 13th certainly lived up to its reputation.
After a week of incessant rains, houses were flooded along Soda Creek Road south of Idaho Springs, and roads were impassable near Upper Bear Creek, stranding numerous residents.
Clear Creek County schools were closed, and motorists were stuck for hours at various times in traffic that snarled for miles. Only one flooding-related casualty was reported, after a man fell into Clear Creek when the bank collapsed under his feet. His body was recovered downstream.
Gov. John Hickenlooper later toured parts of Beaver Brook Canyon Road with Clear Creek County Commissioners Tom Hayden and Phil Buckland to view progress in repairing flood-damaged areas.
Buckland told the governor the county hoped to have everything back to normal by winter, and while roads would not be perfect, the county would make more permanent fixes in 2014.
Oct. 23
Springs’ east end in line
for major face-lift
The east end of Idaho Springs will get a $21.9 million face-lift thanks to funding from the Colorado Department of Transportation.
City officials believe construction will take up to two years. The city will contribute $1 million to replace aging water and sewer infrastructure.
The project includes adding new curbs, streetlights, storm-water drainage and other improvements along Colorado Boulevard to help link the two sides of town.
The project was pushed to 2015 to allow CDOT to complete work on the westbound Twin Tunnels, without further compounding traffic congestion for locals and visitors.
Oct. 23
Boulder politician replaces Claire Levy
Boulder City Councilwoman KC Becker was chosen by a Democratic vacancy committee to replace state Rep. Claire Levy in House District 13.
Becker, 43, received the majority of the committee vote, beating Tad Kline, a Boulder resident and Levy-endorsed candidate. The third candidate, Clear Creek resident George Clark, was eliminated during the first of two voting rounds.
“I truly didn’t expect this, and I feel very honored to be able to represent you,” said Becker, who will hold Levy’s seat until the November 2014 election, when she can choose whether to run for the seat in the general election. Levy resigned to become executive director of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy.
Oct. 30
CDOT weighs expansion
of westbound Twin Tunnels
The Twin Tunnels — now not-so-twin-like, with two lanes westbound and three running east — may even out again.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is considering adding a third westbound lane to the tunnels on Interstate 70 east of Idaho Springs.
“We are in the process of considering that as an option,” said CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford. “We will need to have continued conversations with city and county officials about that.”
Ford said CDOT is looking at the project to take advantage of the infrastructure, equipment and detours already in place as it finishes construction on the third eastbound bore.
Nov. 13
Hillman wins mayor’s race
in Idaho Springs
Idaho Springs businessman Michael Hillman soundly defeated incumbent Jack Morgan and challenger Phyllis Adams in the Nov. 5 election to become the next mayor of Idaho Springs.
Hillman garnered 47 percent of the vote to Morgan’s 25 percent and Adams’ 25 percent. Candidate LeeAnn Lindsay, who had dropped from the race but was still on the ballot, earned 3 percent.
“I’m very excited about all this; it has been a long campaign, and I’m really ready to jump in and start moving forward in a positive direction,” Hillman said upon learning the election results.
Nov. 13
Rec district’s voters endorse tax increase
Voters in the Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District narrowly approved a temporary property-tax increase to fund a $7 million expansion of the rec center in Idaho Springs.
The measure received 52 percent of the vote from more than 3,000 district residents who cast ballots in the Nov. 5 election. The district covers the majority of the county, except for a portion of Evergreen and the St. Mary’s subdivision.
The 2.681-mill increase will bring the total that homeowners pay the rec district in property tax to 4.685 mills. The owner of a $100,000 home formerly paid 2.005 mills, or about $15.96 annually, to the district. That homeowner will now pay around $37.29 annually.
The plans for the facility’s upgrade include new aquatics features such as a two-story tube slide and a lazy river, more meeting spaces, a day-care center, playrooms, climbing walls, a café and a ballroom.
The second floor would be expanded to include group fitness rooms, a sectioned-off gym area with free weights and exercise machines, a basketball half-court, and an indoor walking/running track.
The district hopes construction can begin in early April. The rec center also plans to temporarily move from its current facility to the former middle school on Highway 103.
Nov. 13
G-town voters reject boost in sales tax
Georgetown voters turned down a 1.5 percent sales-tax increase with 53 percent of the vote in the Nov. 5 election. The sales-tax hike would have generated an additional $205,000 in revenue annually. In return, homeowners would have seen a 2-mill reduction in their property tax from the current 9.098 mills paid to the town.
The additional revenue would have been used for street improvements such as paving, drainage improvements and dust treatment for unpaved roads, according to the town’s Board of Selectmen. The money also would have been used for improving parks and buying land for new parks and open space.
Nov. 27
Idaho Springs officer facing third-degree assault count
An Idaho Springs police officer who is a candidate for Clear Creek sheriff is facing a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from an incident in late September.
The Clear Creek district attorney has charged police Sgt. James “Jim” Vogt with third-degree assault, a class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a possible sentence of a fine up to $5,000. Vogt was off duty at the time of the alleged incident.
Vogt, who filed for the Democratic primary for sheriff, is on paid administrative leave from the police department.
Court records indicate a 41-year-old Idaho Springs woman reported being the victim of an assault on Sept. 27 in Idaho Springs.
The allegation led to an investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in early October. The DA’s office filed the charge against Vogt on Nov. 15.
Dec. 4
Commissioners want
answers on I-70 plans
Clear Creek County commissioners say they support a proposal to add a third lane to the westbound bore of the Twin Tunnels on Interstate 70, but they want answers from the Colorado Department of Transportation about its long-term plans for the highway.
“As CDOT is considering the westbound bore, we’re kind of saying, ‘Hey, we think that’s a good idea. We think there’s some benefits, (but) we also need to lay out, essentially, some type of concept that we all approve of for the rest of (the work along the interstate),’ ” board chairman Tim Mauck said. “The westbound travel is becoming just as arduous as the eastbound travel, so let’s try to do things in sync rather than sort of a lopsided approach.”
Dec. 4
G-town looking to modify
historic charter
Georgetown officials are considering a controversial proposal to amend the town’s territorial charter, the last of its kind in Colorado, to bring the town’s governing document into the 21st century.
Georgetown is the last municipality in the state governed by a territorial charter. The town received its charter in 1868, and any changes must be approved by the state legislature.
Proposed changes include limiting the powers of the mayor (police judge), eliminating some of the charter’s more colorful historic provisions, and letting the board appoint replacements for selectmen who step down rather than hold an election.
The changes also include rolling the document’s amendments into the charter to make a more streamlined governing document.
The discussion was tabled to allow for additional time to debate the proposed changes.
Dec. 12
Governor, officials attend
Twin Tunnels ceremony
Gov. John Hickenlooper and state, county and city officials commemorated the completion of the expansion of the eastbound bore of the Idaho Springs Twin Tunnels on Dec. 7.
The tunnel opened to public traffic on Dec. 13, two weeks ahead of schedule. Construction began in April, and crews also widened Interstate 70 to three lanes for 3 miles from the tunnels east to mile marker 241. Officials were transported by school bus to tour the expanded tunnel and take part in a ceremonial plugging-in of the tunnel’s lights.
Don Hunt, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s executive director, said the project remained a high priority for the agency despite the need to repair roads and bridges damaged in September’s flooding.
“Even though we’re pretty busy with the floods, we haven’t backed off some of the other projects that we’ve been working on. This is certainly one of the most important,” Hunt said.
Dec. 25
County eyes building new fairgrounds
The county plans to discuss relocating the county fairgrounds in 2014.
The current space near Dumont is used only to host the Oh My Gawd Rodeo; it is on the south side of Interstate 70 and is in a prime location in a county where developable land is a rare commodity. The county has argued for years that the space should be used for more than several days a year.
Commissioner Tim Mauck said the county might be interested in moving the rodeo grounds closer to a municipality in Clear Creek and in creating fairgrounds that would be more versatile.
“We are interested in building an actual county fairgrounds in Clear Creek County,” Mauck said. “That would include the rodeo grounds, but also a more comprehensive land use for public-private partnerships and opportunities.”
Officials hope that by expanding and making the grounds easier to access, it would be a bigger draw for residents and visitors.