The Custer County Board of Health voted to pursue a contractor-led cleanup of a nuisance property at 3635 Gibbs Drive and place a mechanic’s lien against it to recover costs, after a cease-and-desist order served April 20 went unheeded, at its May 27, 2026, regular meeting in Westcliffe. The board also approved a correction to the county’s on-site wastewater treatment regulations, granted a vault system variance, and received a public health update covering measles, hantavirus, Ebola, and new recovery services. The board approved minutes from its February 25, March 11, and March 31 special meetings without amendment.
The Gibbs Drive property has been a nuisance since at least 2015. The two residents who occupied it were arrested and bonded out but left without cleaning up. A trashed RV and extensive debris remain on the property, with trash blowing onto neighboring parcels. A neighbor told the board she and her husband clean trash off their land on every visit and urged the board to act. Chair Lucas Epp said he would call a special Board of Health meeting and bring the matter before the Board of County Commissioners to authorize spending. County Attorney Dan Slater will advise on legal options.
Planning and Zoning Director Delenna Crofford told the board she had omitted a contractor licensing requirement from the on-site wastewater treatment regulations approved at a prior meeting. The missing provision bars anyone without a valid septic contractor license from installing or repairing a system. Because the state had not yet approved the earlier version, the county remained covered under previous regulations. The board voted unanimously to approve the corrected version for resubmission to the state. Landowners who wish to install their own systems may do so by passing a 100-question licensing exam at the county office.
The board unanimously approved a vault system variance for the Harvey property, where lot size, topography, and utility lines make a conventional soil treatment area impossible.
Public Health Director Sara Bertelsen told the board measles has reached Lake County — the closest case to Custer County outside Pueblo — and remains under monitoring. The CDC had confirmed 1,952 cases across 48 jurisdictions as of May 21. Hantavirus drew particular attention: 30 percent of local deer mice carry the virus, which carries a 35 percent mortality rate and has caused two deaths in Colorado this year. Bertelsen urged residents to spray rodent droppings with a bleach-water mixture before disturbing them and said free PPE is available at the county public health agency. An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has produced more than 900 suspected cases; no U.S. cases have been confirmed. Tick and mosquito populations are forecast to run high this season due to above-average winter temperatures.
Bertelsen reported new recovery programming in the county. The public health agency is partnering with Amelioration Health on a holistic recovery program offering nutrition support, yoga, and tai chi. Serenity Recovery Connection began offering one-on-one recovery coaching at the agency on Fridays and will launch three community programs — for friends and family, youth, and professionals — on June 12 at 6 p.m. at the library. Bertelsen also reported that free birth and breastfeeding classes are scheduled for the coming weekend, taught by Bertelsen and Brittany Burke, a breastfeeding and yoga instructor. The Mom Baby Cafe has restarted and meets the first Thursday of each month at the library and every Friday at the park from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The agency is awaiting a federal behavioral health grant of up to $85,000 for pregnant and postpartum mothers. Bertelsen requested board authorization to hire a part-time emergency preparedness and environmental coordinator to replace a departing staff member and to spend a $2,403.61 healthcare funding balance on flu and COVID test kits for the October senior fair. No formal vote was taken on either item.
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