Bringing a strip club to downtown Central City would increase police calls by nearly 200 per year at a cost of $135,430, according to a study commissioned by Gilpin County commissioners.

County leaders asked Paradigm Public Affairs LLC to examine the effect of strip clubs in rural communities. The study cost the county $50,000.

Central City had the state’s second-oldest police department until it was forced to disband in 2016 to save money. Today, Central City has a contract with the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office, which shares two deputies for law enforcement.

Among the types of crimes a strip club could bring to the town include property crimes, assaults, criminal mischief, vandalism and medical calls for service, according to Tanya Settles of Paradigm Public Affairs.

However, Gilpin County Sheriff Kevin Armstrong appeared most concerned about the prospect of human trafficking popping up in the quaint mountain gambling town, which he said is tough for law enforcement to identify.

Already, the casino city of Blackhawk has problems with human trafficking for which law enforcement trains, he said. Armstrong told commissioners that his deputies often have to rely on the people who work at the casinos for reliable information.

“It’s going to be that person who’s cleaning a room, it’s going to be a valet,” he said.

RCI Hospitality Holdings President and CEO Eric Langan plans to open a sexually-oriented business at 130 Main St. in February or March, a plan which residents either seem to love or hate.

Langan did not put much stock in the Gilpin County survey results.

“They are all dreaming. Rick’s in Denver hasn’t had any (police) calls,” he told The Denver Gazette in a text.

RCI already owns five adult entertainment clubs in Denver, including Rick’s Cabaret and Diamond Cabaret. 

In her presentation, Settles told Gilpin County leaders that while she was doing her research, she found very few communities to compare to the situation in Central City.

“There’s no place like Gilpin County. There’s no place like Central City anywhere,” Settles said. 

However, she did compare Nitro Club, a strip club on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall that is similar to the proposed Rick’s in Central City because it’s not located in an industrial zone.

“It’s right smack in the middle of a tourist spot,” Settles said. “Everybody at the university knows about it. You can’t see in. It doesn’t look any different from any other of the businesses on Pearl Street.”

Settles also compared Langan’s plan for Rick’s Cabaret to a similar club in San Antonio, where performers dance wearing a latex film that reveals skin but isn’t technically nude. 

The issue has been front and center for Central City’s more than 750 full-time residents since RCI bought the property. 

In August, the Central City Council voted unanimously to keep strip clubs out of its historic downtown. The vote was 4-0 to move sexually-oriented businesses to the industrial zone outside of the city.

A lawsuit, which hit the courts within 24 hours of that denial, alleged that Central City violated RCI’s civil rights when it sold the large building at 130 Main St. in historic downtown “for a specific stated economic purpose and then abandoning the process of reforming its regulatory regime to accommodate that stated purpose.”

RCI bought the property for $2.4 million in December 2022, but withdrew its gambling license with the Colorado gaming division this past May, opting instead to bring adult entertainment to town. 

The company had banked on the idea that the town would amend the municipal code that requires a 1,000 foot buffer around sexually-oriented businesses in the historic downtown from residences or gathering places, such as churches. Councilmembers declined to amend that zoning to 150 feet, which would have allowed RCI to operate legally.

It’s unclear whether the Central City Council will give any weight to the survey. Only one town leader — Mayor Jeremy Fey — attended Thursday’s presentation.

“I’m sure we will receive a copy at some point and review,” he said. 

Paradigm’s study knocked down several rumors that have circulated among Central City town folk.

One of them was that Langan had his sights on bringing a two-hour motel to downtown.

Langan, who owns eight properties besides the one at 130 Main St., scoffed at the idea.

“Comparing Ricks to a two-hour motel is like comparing a pharmacy to a dispensary,” Langan said.