Courier View Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak 4/10/13
Teller County, Colorado • Volume 52, Issue 15
April 10, 2013
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourtellercountynews.com
Anaconda blacksmith building moved Special to the Courier
Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Co.
Tranquil as the Green Mountain Falls setting is, board members had serious questions for Mayor Lorrie Worthey about paperwork regarding the loan from El Paso County at the recent meeting. Photos by Rob Carrigan
A tumultuous reign for Mayor Worthey By Pat Hill
phill@ourcoloradonews.com Pent-up anger that erupted in rage, trustees in Green Mountain Falls let loose April 2 on Mayor Lorrie Worthey. At issue is the missing paperwork for what turned out to be a $14,046 loan from El Paso County to cover emergency expenses during the Waldo Canyon Fire. “Anything with regard to money you need to write down,” said the town attorney Lisa Tormoen Hickey. Trustee Howard Price started the tirade over the lack of communication from the mayor, about the loan. “We were told it was a gift; now we find out it’s not a gift and we have to pay it back,” he said. “I can get no history on this.” Why was there no intergovernmental agreement with El Paso County over the loan, Price said. “I did not vote on a loan so I’d like to know how a gift became an indenture to the town,” he said, raising his voice a notch. “What are you doing behind closed doors and where is the transparency in this? I want to know.” Reticent for the most part, Worthey did say the issue of the funds had been discussed among the trustees, particularly during executive sessions. Trustee Ralph LoCascio didn’t buy it. “You’re not giving us answers, Lorrie, which makes us very uncomfortable and not trustworthy. How did we end up this way?” he said. “If you don’t give us answers, I can only conclude that you are doing this in a malicious manner. Explain to us how it is not.” While Worthey didn’t react, trustee Mac Pitrone was revved up, raising his voice with each sentence. “If there had been some communication this would all be done; but it never happened,” he said. “We are now finding ourselves with $14,000 of our contingency fund at risk. Because if we write POSTAL ADDRESS
Some trees in Green Mountain Fall’s iconic park lean toward the shore. Several trustees from the usually tranquil town, critical of Mayor Lorrie Worthey’s actions related to a loan, did a bit of leaning of their own at a recent meeting.
The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Co. is continuing construction of its new Valley Leach Field in Squaw Gulch between Cripple Creek and Victor. That means people are starting to see some changes and might have questions. Jane Mannon, the mine’s community affairs manager, is all set to answer questions, listen to comments and dispel or confirm rumors. She recently received this question about the disappearance of the old blacksmith building and trees in Squaw Gulch Yikes! What has happened to the blacksmith shop in Squaw Gulch? And all the trees? She answers: The blacksmith shop was prominently located north of the horseshoe bend in Highway 67, in Squaw Gulch, at the end of the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks. It was built to support mining activities at the Anaconda Mine, and appears to have been active form the mid1890s through 1904. The blacksmith shop survived the 1904 fire that burned the town of Anaconda. It is likely that the surface plant at the Anaconda did not operate after 1904, when ownership transferred to the Mary McKinney (Mine). This area has been approved for construction of a valley leach field for extension of the mining life and relocation of Colo. 67. In 2010, Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Co. purchased a portion of the railroad’s right-of-way, an area that included the blacksmith shop, for the leach field construction. With the hard work of local contractors Klaus Hoehne and Conley Construction, CC&V successfully moved the historic structure to the Maryland Claim, north of the Ma Beard reclamation site. The building is visible from C0lo. 67 and the narrow gauge railroad tracks. Trees in Squaw Gulch have also been removed in preparation for the leach field construction. The trees have been stockpiled and as soon as access to the stockpile is open, our contractor will begin moving the trees to designated cutting locations in Victor and Cripple Creek. The trees are delivered as the contractor has available time, and offered to the public on a first come, first served basis. It is not possible for the mine to give advance notice of deliveries, nor to save wood for individuals. She adds, “To have your question, comment, or rumor answered contact Jane Mannon 689-4044 or JMannon@AngloGoldAshantiNA.com.”
this grant and it’s refused and the county wants its money back, that’s where it’s going to come from.” With an eye on setting precedents, Pitrone continued. “If we let this slide, there’s no telling where it will go,” Pitrone said. The grant refers to a pending application to FEMA to cover the loan from the county. According to mayor pro tem Jane Newberry, if the application is successful, FEMA would grant 75 percent of the total while the state would pick up the remainder. “The state
has funding for situations like ours,” she writes in an email. With the funding issue still brewing, the trustees moved on to the subject of a grievance with the board filed recently by public works director Rob McArthur. “We are not going talk about details; this is not on the agenda,” Hickey said. In fact, Hickey was at the meeting to go over procedures, including the role of the mayor as well as the board. But with the grievance brewing that evening, and the trustees, LoCascio in particular, seeking a solution to the issue, the board adjourned in executive session after the meeting. According to Worthey, the session lasted Printed on recycled until nearly 11 p.m. “At the board’s request, I am considering newsprint. Please recycle this copy. drafting a comprehensive memo,” Worthey said the next day. Worthey declined to comment on the subject of the grievance or the memo but did emphasize the word “considering.” The next meeting of the board is April 16.
The blacksmith shop in Squaw Gulch is the only building remaining in Anaconda, one of the Cripple Creek Gold Mining District’s many small mining towns, after a fire destroyed the town in 1904. The building, seen here as it stood in January, has now been moved to a new location to preserve it from destruction as the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Co. constructs a new leach field as part of its Mine Life Extension II project. Photo by Norma Engelberg