Gilpin County is looking to examine the technical and financial feasibility of expanded public infrastructure in Rollinsville, Colorado. Rollinsville is an unincorporated community in Gilpin County that is approximately 4 miles south of the Town of Nederland and 1 mile south of the Gilpin & Boulder County line. The county was recently awarded a $125,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs’ (DOLA) Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Fund
(EIAF) to study expanded infrastructure for this area. The county will be contributing a 50% local match of the awarded grant dollars, for a total project cost not to exceed $250,000.
The only publicly maintained infrastructure in the area is State Highway 119 and county-maintained dirt roads. The area contains a mix of residential, commercial and industrial structures with a relatively high level of lot coverage for lots directly along Main Street and Tolland Road. The existing built environment combined with the lack of public water infrastructure pose a challenge for present-day fire protection needs and a barrier to redevelopment of existing structures for higher intensity uses. The lack of access to adequate water supplies for fire suppression will prevent property owners from conducting substantial improvements on existing structures until a viable solution can be identified. The county is looking for detailed analysis of all potential public water/wastewater solutions from lowest cost/lowest complexity to highest cost/highest complexity. The county has only had informal discussions with the Town of Nederland about a potential water/wastewater connection but no firm commitments of any kind have been made.
The county has been an active participant in the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Mountain Rail Program which seeks to establish a new passenger rail service between the City of Craig in Routt County and Denver. Rollinsville has been identified as a potential stop along this line. The county would like to identify potential passenger rail station locations along with estimates of potential costs. Project budget permitting, the county would also like to examine potential ridership and opportunities for cooperation with the Town of Nederland, Boulder County, and the Eldora Mountain Resort to support station viability. Project budget permitting, the county would like to identify other public infrastructure deficits as part of this project such as: lack of clearly surveyed & delineated public ROW, poor roadway surface conditions, lack of stormwater systems, lack of pedestrian & bike infrastructure, and lack of parking.
The county intends to take the findings of this project and incorporate them into an Area Specific Plan for Rollinsville that could be adopted as an amendment to the Gilpin County Comprehensive Plan. Any final documents prepared through this study shall be delivered in a digital format that complies with the Accessibility Law for Colorado State and Local Governments.
