⛰ Clear Creek Mountain Life
Hello, and thanks for checking out this week’s Clear Creek Mountain Life!
It has undoubtedly been a very busy week in our mountain communities with wind speeds reaching at least 81 miles per hour, taking out trees and, in turn, power and cable lines across Georgetown and Idaho Springs.
Xcel Power and Xfinity Cable repair trucks can be seen all over town trying to repair what the wind destroyed.
On my usual walk around town, the damage was obvious in several places and the sound of chainsaws was everywhere.
What surprised me was reaching out to the Clear Creek County government, asking what options or resources do homeowners or residents have to turn to when calamity hits hard.
A lot of people in our neighborhood can’t afford a $2,000 electrical bill to reattach a broken electrical masthead or the main electric box to the house, let alone the cost of an arborist to take down remaining tree debris.
Direct assistance from the county in these cases, we were told, does not exist.
Hurricane-force winds pummel Clear Creek County and the mountains
Strong winds toppled trees into powerlines in Idaho Springs on March 12.
National Weather Service in Boulder reports wind gusts up to 81 miles per hour during the recent wind storm
The highest recorded gust in this recent windstorm reached 81 mph at 3:58 p.m., March 12 at the Corral Creek Remote Automatic Weather Station in Grand County.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a Category 1 hurricane reaches wind speeds of between 74 and 90 miles per hour.
Large downed trees kept area firefighters busy assisting with emergency calls for powerlines, which had been taken down with the falling trees around the county.
According to Evergreen Fire/Rescue personnel – both paid staff and volunteers – responded to 78 emergencies between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
In Georgetown, a large tree in City Park blew over, damaging the park’s iconic gazebo.
In the 1000-block of Miner Street in Idaho Springs, a tree, at least four feet in diameter, was ripped from its roots and toppled, crushing a van and ripping power lines from two homes.
Clear Creek Fire Authority says this is a symptom of a much larger problem, one we must address.
Also, you think 81 miles per hour winds in our county were intense? Click through to find out when the National Weather Service in Boulder recorded a wind gust of 201 miles per hour. That’s well beyond a Category 5 hurricane wind, if you are keeping track!
Idaho Springs Police implement translator on their body cams
The AXON body camera officers wear in the field can now translate up to 50 foreign languages in real time
Upgrades to the Idaho Springs police body-worn cameras allow officers in the field to communicate with civilians in their own language, in real-time.
The translation feature has been tested in the field several times, effectively communicating in Russian, Spanish and Korean, according to Police Chief Nate Buseck.
Communication is key in the field for law enforcement officers, according to Idaho Springs Police Chief Nate Buseck. Miscommunication and language barriers with citizens can create unintended and potentially serious consequences.
Read more in-depth about this latest tool in Idaho Springs law enforcement below:
Community Conversations draws a crowd in Idaho Springs
Mighty Argo in Idaho Springs March 12
Local residents and business owners meet for updates on I-70 blasting and Mighty Argo work
Long anticipated Mighty Argo Cable Car is expected to open to the public in April.
Owner Mary Jane Loevlie breaks down what the ‘Mighty Argo Experience’ will include and why the Clear Creek High School Prom will be held at the top of the mountain in May.
According to a fact sheet supplied by Loevlie, the cable car system is 1.25 miles long, rising 1,300-vertical feet on the 10-minute ride in one of 22-gondola cabins carrying up to 10-passengers per cabin.
The ticket price for the gondola, Loevlie said, will be between $35-$40. Idaho Springs residents will be able to ride for free.
Amenities at the top of the mountain will include a scenic overlook with a food and beverage outpost, an amphitheater and interpretive nature and history trails. Plans also call for a trail network gateway and restrooms and shade areas.
The latest on the I-70 construction project on Floyd Hill
Floyd Hill Project Director Kurt Kionka told a local crowd in Idaho Springs that a substantial portion of I-70 between CR-65 and the middle of Floyd Hill is effectively complete, two years into construction.
To date, 97,000 tons of material have been removed following rock scaling and blasting work.
More than 150 blasts have removed more than 700,000 tons of material to date and another 7,000-linear feet of drainage pipe have been installed.
Read more about when the daily I-70 traffic closures for blasting are coming to an end in Idaho Springs.
EVENTS AROUND TOWN
Tuesday:
Clear Creek County Commission — 8:30 a.m. Clear Creek County Courthouse at 400 Argentine St in Georgetown. Commissioners will be discussing a wide-ranging plan to eliminate or consolidate several county positions.
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