WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2025
VOLUME 53 | ISSUE 35
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Harris reflects on Sheriff job one year in BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Members of Denver media tour the Mighty Argo Mill in Idaho Springs Jan. 22.
PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL
Idaho Springs promotion board spotlights past and future in pitch to make city a tourist destination BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Members of Denver media, broadcast, radio and print toured the Mighty Argo Gold Mill and Tunnel for a look into the past where local historians say gold was first discovered in Idaho Springs in 1859. The local mines no longer produce gold but members of the Idaho Springs Business and Community Promotions Board
and its director Sadie Schultz believe there is still money to be made in the mountains from tourists, attractions, local merchants and the sales tax generated. “Most of our revenue comes off sales tax and most of that sales tax is paid by visitors so it helps maintain our quality of life and certainly drives up property values but we’ve seen that anywhere in the mountain communities,” Idaho Springs
City Administrator Andy Marsh said. Bundled in coats and hats, executives and sales associates from media outlets including iHeart media, Denver 7, Fox 31, Paramount and Comcast dawned hard hats and started the tour of the Mighty Argo on a very chilly morning Jan. 22. Argo owner Mary Jane Loevlie and Schultz were there to answer questions from the media and tout what is planned for the
future of Idaho Springs and a 1.2 mile gondola under construction at the Argo site. The Mighty Argo Cable Car is set to open to the public in late 2025 or early 2026, according to promotional material. Loevlie said the gondola is planned to take visitors on a 10-minute ride, gaining 1,300 feet in elevation to the top of the mountain where visitors find a
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Clear Creek County Sheriff Matt Harris tells the Courant after a year on the job, significant advances have been made in the department, but budget constraints stall forward motion. In a letter sent to every resident in Clear Creek County with a postal box or address, Harris reiterates the new policy of the sheriff ’s department to put “public service first and public safety always.” However, Harris said current county budget constrictions leave him “trying to do the job with one hand tied behind his back.” One of the biggest differences from taking office, Harris said, is the department approaching full staffing for patrol and detention deputies in the jail, eliminating the need for overtime which he said taxes personnel and budgets. “That means a lot of money in overtime and a lot of people working ridiculous hours which isn’t safe, you can’t have people
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