GILPIN COUNTY — US Senator John Hickenlooper visited Timberline Fire Protection District Station 3 on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

Hickenlooper helped secure around $900,000 in federal funding for Station 3. He came to meet with local leaders from Gilpin and Clear Creek counties for a roundtable discussion.

Housing quickly became one of the main topics. It tied into workforce shortages, transportation, and economic growth.

Lindsey Valdez, director of the Clear Creek Economic Development Corporation, led the discussion. Others included Timberline Fire Chief Paul Ondr, Idaho Springs Mayor Chuck Harmon, Central City Mayor Jeremy Fey, Georgetown Police Judge Georgia Kofoed, and Lynn Caligiuri, executive director of Mountain Area Land Trust.

Also present were Erica Dube, executive director of the Clear Creek Regional Housing Authority, and Kat Douglas, who runs Workforce Colorado for Jefferson, Clear Creek, and Gilpin counties. Douglas also oversees housing and homeless solutions programs for Jefferson County.

US Senator John Hickenlooper speaks during a roundtable discussion at Timberline Fire Station 3.

Photo by Mindy Leary

Local leaders told Hickenlooper that mountain geography makes housing difficult. There is little developable land. Water and sewer infrastructure can also be expensive.

Dube said federal housing formulas create another problem. Clear Creek County is grouped with the Denver metro area when area median income is calculated. That can make the region look wealthier on paper than many local workers actually are. She said many tourism and hospitality jobs pay around $20 an hour.

Harmon said Idaho Springs and other mountain communities are boxed in by steep terrain and federally owned land. That leaves little space for housing, municipal facilities, or business development. Hickenlooper said he supports looking for ways to make some federal land transfers easier when communities can show a clear need.

Fey said Central City is willing to take on more housing. He said that need could become more urgent if proposed development brings hundreds of additional workers to the area. He also called for more regional cooperation on housing.

The conversation also turned to public lands and wildfire protection. Caligiuri spoke about protecting both public and private lands. Ondr raised concerns about the strain on local fire districts when they respond to fires on federal land. He said federal funding intended to support that response does not always reach the departments doing the work.

From left, Senator John Hickenlooper, Timberline Administrative Chief Jennifer Hinderman, and Fire Chief Paul Ondr outside Station 3.

Photo by Mindy Leary

“We often hear that there’s going to be some reform in that funding, and maybe some requirements for some of that funding to go to the local fire districts, or whoever is providing that response," said the Chief.

Hickenlooper said many of the problems facing mountain communities can be solved through better cooperation between federal, state, and local governments.

The senator stressed that both local communities and the federal government will be needed to tackle housing, wildfire, and workforce challenges across Colorado.

The meeting ended with a group photo outside Station 3 before Hickenlooper continued on to Georgetown.