BLACK HAWK — The Ballard House on Gregory Street is one step closer to becoming a full-service restaurant after Black Hawk City Council approved more than $1.1 million in renovation work Wednesday, August 12.

Council unanimously approved a contract with Roche Constructors for up to $1,104,900. The company submitted the lowest of seven bids for the project.

The work will add a commercial kitchen and hood inside the Ballard House at 450 Gregory Street. A larger front deck will provide more outdoor seating, and a new breezeway will connect the building to the neighboring Stevenson House. 

The location is in the HARD District (History Appreciation and Recreation District) of Black Hawk, a pedestrian-oriented shopping and dining area. 

That connection solves a practical problem. The Stevenson House already has ADA-compliant restrooms, so restaurant customers will be able to use those instead of the small bathroom currently inside the Ballard House. Removing that bathroom will make room for more tables.

The project also includes a small storage shed behind the nearby barn, an expanded patio, and a new trash enclosure. The barn is being prepared for use as an event space. Work is expected to wrap up by mid-May 2027.

Black Hawk keeps working toward more water

Council also approved an agreement with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as the City continues its long-running effort to build a new reservoir.

The proposed reservoir is part of a much larger effort by Black Hawk to secure additional water supplies. 

Colorado municipalities may own and develop water rights outside their city boundaries, although those projects remain subject to state water law, permitting, and environmental review.

The agreement allows Black Hawk to reimburse the state for costs related to reviewing environmental and water-quality studies. The reservoir would store water on North Clear Creek and would include pump stations, pipelines, and other infrastructure.

City documents say Black Hawk has been working toward the reservoir for more than 20 years. The goal is to give the city another water source if something happens to the Hidden Valley side of its system.

Alderman Benito Torres summed up the vote simply: "We can never have enough water."

Fill the Bus 

The meeting also included a thank-you for the people behind the “Fill the Bus” school-supply drive for Gilpin County School students.

Black Hawk and the Silver Dollar Metropolitan District each donated $2,000 to the effort. Organizers said the bus ended up packed with backpacks, headphones, and other school supplies.

The Fill the Bus drive was organized by Horseshoe Casino employees Matthew Lindberg, director of gaming, and Tyler Figge, slot operations manager and HERO chair. Figge was credited during the meeting with doing much of the legwork for the campaign.

Students and families were able to walk through the bus and take whatever they needed. 

“The Back-to-School night was magical,” said Lindberg. “It was joyful and remarkable.”

Lindberg shared that a call to the Bergen Park Walmart resulted in a $1,000 store credit, which went a long way toward filling two SUVs with more supplies.

New faces

Council also welcomed four City employees: Police Officer Ross Downs, Executive Administrative Assistant Tara Sergo, and Facilities Maintenance Technicians Alex Ponton and Zach Zeckser.

What’s next

A planned vote on the sale of about 21 acres of vacant mining claims was pushed to the next council meeting.

City Manager Lance Hillis also said Black Hawk has started a traffic study tied to Central City's proposed G3 Gaming development. Black Hawk has reached out to Central City and the developer for information as it studies how construction traffic, including concrete and dump trucks, could affect city roads.

The Black Hawk City Council will meet again at 3 p.m. Wednesday, August 26, at City Council Chambers, 211 Church Street.