2025 Impact Highlight
Clear Creek County & Gilpin County, Mountain Region
Regional Resilience Team addresses community challenges through collaboration, capacity-building
Clear Creek County and Gilpin County face interconnected challenges that affect community stability and long-term growth. Housing affordability and availability limit workforce retention, while a lack of economic diversity leaves both counties dependent on only two major industries. Wildfire risk continues to threaten residents, infrastructure, and local economies.
In addition, many communities experience limited access to healthy food, increasing vulnerability among households already managing financial and geographic barriers. These collective issues require coordinated, cross-jurisdictional planning.
Colorado State University Extension, Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties, in partnership with the Denver Regional Council of Governments, convened a Regional Resilience Team to strengthen collaboration and establish shared priorities. The group met quarterly during 2024–25, holding four structured sessions that engaged county commissioners from both counties, the mayors of Idaho Springs and Central City, more than 20 local businesses, and several residents.
Through facilitated planning and guided discussion, partners identified ten strategic focus themes: mobility, childcare, food access, broadband expansion, aging services, fire mitigation, affordable housing, retail and outdoor recreation expansion, workforce development, and hotel development. Each theme was assigned to a dedicated working team.
The Regional Resilience Team engaged more than 25 partners across two counties and established 10 cross-sector working groups aligned with the ten priority themes. These groups created initial actionable goals for diversification, resilience planning, workforce development, childcare coordination, housing solutions, and broadband expansion. The quarterly sessions strengthened cross-county relationships and produced a unified framework that guides ongoing implementation as teams begin their focused work sessions.
This collaborative effort strengthens regional capacity to address housing, economic stability, wildfire preparedness, and community well-being. By convening government leaders, businesses, and residents, CSU Extension and the Denver Regional Council of Governments support a coordinated approach that benefits both counties, positions communities for future funding opportunities, and builds long-term resilience across the region.