Commissioner Perry Will was absent for the regular Monday Garfield Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, which left only two commissioners present.
First up, the BOCC approved a permit for the grand opening event of a new coffee roasting facility in West Glenwood Springs. Charlie Chacos, owner of Bonfire Coffee in Carbondale, accepted the permit with a June 6 date. But, he added that the date may change, which would bring the permit back to the BOCC next week.
Chacos told The Sopris Sun in February that the new location will offer a retail shop, espresso training and coffee tastings. “It will house a new, best-in-class coffee roaster and double the size of our current production facility, ” he said.
Commissioners then approved the consent agenda, which included ratification of a letter to the state Senate from April 20, opposing the confirmation of Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission appointees John Emerick and Chris Sichko.
The BOCC awarded grants from the county discretionary fund to nonprofits that requested funding last week. Nine out of 10 organizations requested $5,000. West Elk Trails requested $3,500 for a sum of $48,500.
Only $30,000 was available for the second quarter grants. But each organization got some of what they wanted for a total of $34,500, still more than what was available. Rifle Rendezvous, Grand Valley Historical Society and the Middle Colorado Watershed Council each received $5,000. Colorado Mountain College received $2,500 for scholarships. Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, Aspen Public Radio, the Roaring Fork Valley Orchestra, Three Rivers Little League, West Elk Trails and the Roaring Fork Conservancy all received $3,000.
Last week, the BOCC decided to lease 385 acre-feet of water from the county’s 400 acre-feet reserve in Ruedi Reservoir to the West Divide Water Conservancy District (WDWCD) and the Silt Water Conservancy District (SWCD), but the parties were unable to agree on a price. That was to be decided Monday, but the decision was postponed another week. Jankovsky, who sits on the WDWCD board, is unable to vote on the issue, which left less than a quorum on Monday.
County Manager Fred Jarman added that the SWCD pulled out of the conversation.
“They are going to withdraw their request based on funding that they don’t have for the $84.95 an acre-foot the county is asking for,” he explained.
In other news, the BOCC approved letters of support for grant funding to complete irrigation infrastructure modernization projects on seven ditches in the Divide Creek drainage.
Jan Shute, assistant county attorney, brought up Section 30-15-401.4 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, which regulates massage businesses. She explained that the state legislature wants municipal and county governments to do background checks on these places to crack down on human trafficking. She said local governments can opt out of the background checks if local facilities have no regulatory or law enforcement problems.
She said she found only three massage facilities in unincorporated Garfield County, each operated by a single massage therapist.
“Each of those massage therapists are separately licensed by the state,” she said. “They have no violations on file so they’re in good standing with the state.”
Since there are no massage businesses that meet statutory requirements, Shute suggested that the board make a statement that they will take no action. The regulation goes into effect July 1.
Commissioners approved a $180,000 contract with Alan Kokish DBA Aspen Chef to provide meals for the Older Adult Meal Program in Eastern Garfield County.
They also heard a presentation by CorrHealth about the Garfield County Jail inmate medical services. The big news is that there were no lawsuits in 2025 and no inmate deaths. The biggest problem is a staffing shortage.
“In this region of the state, it’s extremely difficult finding the right people and having them willing to come in and work in the jail,” explained Todd Murphy, CorrHealth founder and CEO. “And also finding people that are able to pass a background check.”
He added that due to the local cost of living, CorrHealth depends on agency nurses and that the jail is short two nurses for the night shift.
The BOCC then adjourned for an executive session to discuss an ongoing Garfield County court case, a case currently in Colorado Federal District Court and a potential conflict of interest matter with outside counsel at Kaplan Kirsch.