Golden Gate Canyon Neighborhood

GGFPD Board of Directors Seeks New Members

Feb 07, 2000

The Golden Gate Fire Protection District (GGFPD) is seeking nominations of people from our community to serve on the District's Board of Directors. The 5-member board will have three vacancies in May 2000 when the terms of board members elected in 1996 expire. Board President Bill Brown and board members Tonie Mattox and John Cady plan to leave office, with Treasurer Bob Unger and Secretary Rick Saltus remaining to fulfill their terms through May 2002. GGFPD bylaws provide for four-year terms for board members, with vacancies filled by election or appointment. Colorado State Law requires board members to be property owners in the District. Gale Saltus (303-384-9862) has forms for nominating candidates or for self-nomination, and the deadline for applications is February 25, 2000. If more than three candidates apply for the three vacancies, the District will hold an election on May 2, 2000.

The Board of Directors meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 7:00 P.M. in the upstairs meeting room of Fire Station No. 1, 32360 Robinson Hill Road. The board members represent the community with oversight on policy and finances for fire and emergency services in the GGFPD. The GGFPD is a special district, with the privileges and responsibilities of a governmental entity of Jefferson County, and receives its funding through property taxes levied in the district. Board members donate their time and services, and receive no salary or other tangible compensation.

Work on the board exposes members to the broad variety of activities occurring throughout the 50-square-mile District in the foothills west of Golden. The District extends from U.S. Highway 6 on the south to Golden Gate and White Ranch Parks on the north, and State Highway 93 on the east to the Gilpin-Jefferson County line on the west. Approximately 1200 people live in the District, with concentrations of housing in Golden Gate Canyon and Crawford Gulch. The District is also responsible for Jefferson County Open-Space lands and Colorado State Parks within and adjacent to its boundaries.


The District is currently on sound financial footing, with a budget surplus that has steadily increased over the past 6 years. We have seen tax revenues increase with our increasing population, and we have developed a consistent program of obtaining grant money to supplement tax income. The bulk of the current surplus is intended to finance construction of a new satellite fire station in Crawford Gulch.

Current board activities include building the new fire station in Crawford Gulch, developing plans for a new main station in lower Golden Gate Canyon, purchasing vehicles and other equipment for the Fire Department, applying for grants to supplement tax revenues, approving plans for new construction, developing elements of fire protection that lead to an overall reduction of fire insurance premiums, creating a fire-resistant community, and training volunteers to provide professional emergency services of all types for our residents. The work is engaging and fulfilling, with abundant opportunities to make meaningful contributions to the future of our community.

For additional information, please call Bill Brown (303-279-9208), Rick Saltus (303-384-9862), John Cady (303-277-1843), Tonie Mattox (303-279-5028) or Bob Unger (303-271-1033). We welcome interested candidates as well as members of the public to attend our upcoming board meetings on February 15, March 21 and April 18 to participate with us and ask questions about the GGFPD.