BOCC Meeting, August 26, 2026
Main Subject
The primary focus of the August 26, 2026 meeting of the Custer County Board of County Commissioners was courthouse sidewalk construction awards, post–Aspen Acres Fire recovery and a federal disaster-declaration support letter, sheriff fee updates, a Forest Service law-enforcement agreement, a Welcome to Westcliffe tourism sign, and first-reading notice for a Model Traffic Code ordinance.
Summary
The August 26, 2026 BOCC meeting, chaired by Bill Canda, ran about 53 minutes (9:00–9:53 a.m.) and mixed routine fiscal business with several post-fire and infrastructure decisions. Commissioners approved accounts payable of $148,144.74; accepted the low bid from Langston Concrete ($167,619) for the Custer County sidewalk project, contingent on CDOT concurrence; and approved a time-and-materials construction-management agreement with Baseline Engineering (estimate $78,946). They also approved a letter of support for a presidential major-disaster declaration for the Aspen Acres Fire, renewed a $10,000 U.S. Forest Service cooperative law-enforcement agreement, authorized a Welcome to Westcliffe tourism sign on county airport property near Highway 69, adopted Resolution 2640 updating sheriff fees, and set a September 23 public hearing for Ordinance 2601 (Model Traffic Code). Commissioner reports covered DuraBlend road-stabilizer testing, sandbags and a September 30 PBLO South ash-deposit deadline, airport lighting work, and a mountain-district commissioners meeting in Leadville.
Key Points
Commissioner Reports & Community Outreach
- Lucas Epp reported sidewalk-project status (Langston Concrete low bidder; CDOT concurrence still required), work with LJA Aviation on airfield lights, and other ongoing projects.
- Paul Vogelsong reported continued sandbag support for Aspen Acres and reminded the board of the September 30 deadline for ash deposit at PBLO South landfill.
- Bill Canda reported on a mountain-district commissioners meeting in Leadville covering legislative actions, unfunded mandates, and possible changes with a new administration.
- Canda described a DuraBlend (EnviroTech) polymer road-binder test on Citation Drive and airport roads, applied by Florence trucks rather than traditional mag chloride. Cost cited at about $45,000 for two miles; it needs 48 hours to set with no heavy equipment during that window, has held more than 60 days so far, and may splash until cured. Goal is fewer grading cycles and lower long-term road cost.
- Update that Jim Chaplan’s health is improving and he may return at a future meeting.
- Attorney items: ARPA / COVID relief closeout is complete; Conservation Trust Fund requests due the following Monday.
Fiscal & Administrative Approvals
- Accounts payable for August 26 totaled $148,144.74 and was approved. Larger items discussed included buildings and grounds unemployment insurance ($7,879.45), CenturyLink ($5,616.31), district attorney budget ($12,684.09), county patrol fuel and maintenance ($7,468.38), Road & Bridge repairs to Four Rivers Equipment ($31,328.65), corporate billing ($5,868.69), and Custer County Kids Council ($7,500).
- Board discussed moving phone service toward VoIP and handling CenturyLink’s overseas support carefully so existing numbers are not lost.
New Business
- Tourism / “Welcome to Westcliffe” sign: Approved a 4×6-foot sign on steel posts on county-owned airport property near Highway 69 to direct traffic to town services 10–11 miles away, after fire and smoke hit sales tax.
- U.S. Forest Service cooperative law-enforcement agreement: Renewed. $10,000 to the Sheriff’s Office for patrols along forest boundaries.
- Ordinance 2601 — Model Traffic Code: Introduced on first reading. Public hearing set for September 23, 2026, with newspaper notice.
- Resolution 2640 — Sheriff’s Office fee increase: Adopted to match state-law changes, including VIN inspections to $54 and gun-purchase eligibility cards at $20 for residents / $100 for non-residents. Board discussed the non-resident rate as a way to avoid shifting cost onto local buyers.
- Aspen Acres major-disaster-declaration letter of support: Approved. Commissioners will sign a form letter to the President requesting federal relief to help cover the local 25% share of post-fire costs.
- Sidewalk project bid: Accepted Langston Concrete low bid of $167,619, contingent on CDOT approval of the concurrence package. Competing bid from Avalanche Excavating was $237,299. Target start after Labor Day if CDOT clears it.
- Construction management: Approved time-and-materials agreement with Baseline Engineering, estimated $78,946 from the CDOT MOF grant, not to exceed the estimate without an amendment. Arbitration venue in Denver was flagged as possibly negotiable.
Public Comment
- Brief public comment from Denise Matthew; no major contested issues raised.
- No unfinished business. Most items passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 9:53 a.m.
Summarized Transcription
Meeting opened at 9:00 a.m. with a request to silence phones, the Pledge, and an invocation that thanked recent rain and asked for wisdom on recovery decisions. Roll call confirmed Commissioners Bill Canda, Lucas Epp, and Paul Vogelsong, plus BOCC admin and clerk; the county attorney was present. Online audience members were acknowledged.
Agenda was amended to correct sidewalk language from a “request for proposal” to a “construction management service agreement.” Minutes of the August 19 meeting were approved.
Commissioner reports covered the sidewalk bid path and CDOT concurrence, airport lighting with LJA Aviation, Aspen Acres sandbags, the September 30 PBLO South ash deadline, the Leadville mountain-district meeting on unfunded mandates, the DuraBlend test sections, and a staff health update.
Attorney reported ARPA closeout complete and Conservation Trust Fund requests due the next Monday. Accounts payable of $148,144.74 were reviewed and approved, including discussion of CenturyLink / VoIP transition risk.
New business then moved quickly: Welcome to Westcliffe sign approved; Forest Service $10,000 patrol agreement renewed; Ordinance 2601 set for September 23 public hearing; Resolution 2640 sheriff-fee update adopted; disaster-declaration support letter approved; Langston Concrete sidewalk bid accepted contingent on CDOT; Baseline Engineering CM agreement approved at an estimated $78,946 T&M cap.
Public comment was short. No major split votes. Board adjourned at 9:53 a.m. after a shorter-than-usual session that still locked in several post-fire and infrastructure decisions.
