BLACK HAWK — The Black Hawk City Council moved forward with several major tourism and infrastructure projects on Wednesday, May 13, while also voting unanimously to prohibit all marijuana businesses within city limits.

Mayor David Spellman opened the meeting by congratulating City Attorney Corey Hoffmann after learning he had been named “Lawyer of the Year” in municipal law by the Denver Business Journal.

Spellman also praised the City’s Public Works crews for recently installing red, blue, and tea-stained bunting and patriotic decorations on Gregory Street along the fenceline. 

The main east-west thoroughfare of Black Hawk is now dubbed “Liberty Street” to celebrate the upcoming sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the City of Black Hawk and the nation’s semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary.

“We’re starting to look pretty festive,” Spellman said.

Marijuana businesses prohibited

The council approved Council Bill 9, which repeals prior sections of the City code that allowed medical marijuana, recreational marijuana, dual-use licenses, and marijuana lounges in Black Hawk.

Hoffmann explained that while the City previously chose to allow marijuana businesses under Colorado law, no licensed facilities currently operate in Black Hawk, and no applications are pending.

“The only license that existed has now been surrendered,” Hoffmann told the council. “There are certainly a number of marijuana businesses in the neighborhood, just not in Black Hawk.”

The ordinance formally prohibits all marijuana businesses, cultivation facilities, testing facilities, hospitality establishments, and retail stores within city limits.

No public comments were made before the ordinance passed unanimously.

Bobtail Mine project grows again

One of the largest items of the afternoon was approval of a $949,307 change order for Phase 2 of the Bobtail Mine Improvements project, bringing the total contract cost to more than $7.3 million.

The Bobtail Mine attraction is being built as a new tourism destination for Black Hawk. Visitors will be able to explore authentic underground gold mine workings through a passenger train tour.

Public Works Director Tom Isbester and City Engineer Matt Reed explained that the original underground rehabilitation contract had been structured as a time-and-materials project because crews did not know what conditions they would encounter inside the historic mine.

Reed said crews encountered collapsed areas, blocked passages, and difficult underground conditions that required redesigning parts of the tour route. The updated work will complete both a train tour loop and a walking tour loop and create an exhibit space near Bobtail Shaft No. 5.

“The interior, the tour itself inside the mine, isn't going to be a Disney tour,” Spellman said during discussion. “It is going to be an authentic tour going through an 1860s, 1870s gold mine.”

Construction is now expected to be completed by September 1.

Bates Hill Trailhead contract awarded

The City Council also approved a $3.05 million contract with Roche Constructors for the construction of the Bates Hill Trailhead project.

The project includes the expansion of the Briggs parking lot to accommodate 100 vehicles, the installation of a pedestrian bridge over the Gregory Diggings rock cut, a steel staircase connecting the bridge to the parking lot, decorative retaining walls, lighting, and the construction of the Liberty Gazebo overlooking the city.

Seven bids were submitted for the project, with Roche Constructors coming in as the lowest bidder at $3,050,000.

Reed said the City has successfully worked with Roche on past projects, including the Gregory Street Plaza.

Faster approval process for City projects

Council also unanimously approved Council Bill 10, which establishes a process that allows the City to waive certain land-use and development requirements for municipal capital projects.

Community Planning and Development Director Brook Svoboda said the change was prompted by the upcoming Bates Hill Trailhead project.

Svoboda explained that without the ordinance, City-owned projects could still require public hearings and formal development reviews even when the council had already approved the overall work.

“For something that is relatively small and not impactful, we wanted to create the flexibility for Council to consider granting waivers for such types of projects,” Svoboda said.

Hoffmann added that Colorado law allows local governments to grant such waivers only if the authority is specifically written into the municipal code first.

Special event permit approved

Acting as the Local Liquor Licensing Authority, Council also approved a special event liquor permit for Shift Events during the upcoming Session Series mountain bike event at the Hidden Treasure Trailhead parking lot on June 3.

The permit allows beer sales and consumption during the event from 4 to 8 p.m. No objections were filed ahead of the hearing deadline.

The group later entered executive session to receive legal advice and discuss negotiations involving City-owned properties, including the city well site, Gregory Hill land, and other real estate matters.

The next regular meeting of the Black Hawk City Council is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 3 p.m. at City Hall, 211 Church Street in Black Hawk.