Long construction process pays off for Central City

By Penny Parker

The streets of former mining town Central City have finally emerged from the cone zones that were set up for the past six months while Main Street underwent much-needed beauty treatments and infrastructure repairs.

Mayor Ron Engels said the $1 million project took much longer than anticipated, but the results were worth the wait.

The streetscape included the sanitation district replacing sewer lines, new water mains under the street, paver stones and new lighting above.

“It took six months, but we finished on budget,” Engels said. “It was a long, slow summer and fall for Main Street businesses, and a mess for everyone to have to deal with. But we’re very pleased with the end result. Main Street looks better than ever. The new streetscape and lighting set off the architectural treasures of downtown Central like never before.”

The character of Central City’s Main Street hasn’t changed much for 150 years with the street lined by historic buildings with gift shops and pubs including the Great American Beer Festival award-winning Dostal Alley Brewhouse.

The street plays host to the annual Lou Bunch Day in the summer, which pays homage to Central City’s famous madam.

Engels anticipated setting the date for a formal ribbon cutting ceremony at the Dec. 20 council meeting, which was after deadline for this column.

I will let you know the official date in my next column.

Helping hands. Ameristar Casinos Inc. employee contributions, along with matching donations, totaled more than $1.2 million for the company’s 2011 Ameristar Cares two-week Workplace Giving Campaign.

Across the company, employee participation averaged 64 percent, far and above the average participation rate of 35 percent nationally for employee workplace charitable campaigns.

Black Hawk Ameristar employees blew away the national figure with 54 percent participating in this year’s campaign, with pledged and matching contributions totaling roughly $180,000.

Charities and community organizations to which employees could direct contributions were: United Way, Community Health Charities, Craig Hospital, National Sports Center for the Disabled, and the internal Ameristar Cares Sunshine Fund, helping employees deal with personal hardships.

“Ameristar’s late founder, chairman and CEO Craig H. Neilsen established a culture of giving at Ameristar,” said Gordon R. Kanofsky, the company’s CEO. “He believed in giving back to the communities in which we live and work both financially and through volunteerism.”

The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation provides an additional dollar-for-dollar match to contributions directed to designated spinal cord injury rehabilitation centers. In addition, all donations made during this year’s workplace giving campaign are being matched 25 cents on the dollar by Ameristar Casinos Inc.

- Penny Parker is a columnist for The Denver Post. She’s always on the prowl for tidbits and tips from Colorado’s gaming communities. Call her at 303-619-5209 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.