delta county independent, oct. 7, 2015

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DELTA COUNTY 75

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INDEX Election forumsTwo candidate forums are scheduled

for school board candidates. The first takes place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Delta Center for Performing Arts and is hosted by the school districts coor-dinating council, classified council and accountability committee.

The League of Women Voters will host a second forum and will also present information on the local and state issues that appear on this years ballot. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, at Hotchkiss High School. The public is invited to either or both events.

OCTOBER 7, 2015VOL. 132, NO. 40

Burns plannedThe U.S. Forest Service plans to burn

piles in the Ward Lake and Island Lake areas on Grand Mesa. The Ward Lake piles consist of slash (branches and trees) from fuels treatment within the wildland urban interface and the Island Lake piles contain slash produced from a parking lot expansion. Fire officials anticipate condi-tions will be suitable to burn this week, with a possibility of continuing into the fall. Burning will occur only if weather, staffing and smoke dispersal conditions are compliant. Officials advise smoke may be visible during the pile burning.

Holiday closuresCity of Delta government offices will

be closed Monday, Oct. 12, in observance of Columbus Day. Bill Heddles Recreation Center and Devils Thumb Golf Club will be open regular hours. Refuse that is normally picked up on Mondays will be picked up on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Fall clean-up will take place the week of Oct. 19. City residents are asked to have items ready for pickup by 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19. Place the items next to where you normally put your trash recep-tacle. Bag leaves, separate metal and pile branches in lengths of 10 feet or less.

BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

The announcement of lay-offs at Bowie Mine #2 on Sept. 29 by its wholly-owned sub-sidiary, Bowie Resources LLC (BRP), is expected to have lasting negative impacts on Delta Countys economy.

BRP will lay off 78 full-time positions and eliminate 19 contractors as part of its efforts to scale back produc-tion of its Bowie #2 mine at Somerset as a result of idling its longwall while it develops a new longwall panel and con-tinues to evaluate the market for Bowie #2 coal, accord-ing to a press release. Devel-opment of the new longwall panel is expected to take 12 months.

The mine currently employs 181 full-time employ-ees and contractors, accord-ing to the release. Some of the affected employees will be relocated where possible to fill vacancies in other parts of the business, stated Gene E. DiClaudio, BRPs chief oper-ating officer, in the release. However, layoffs are unfortu-nately unavoidable.

According to the release, BRP owns and operates three underground coal mines in Utah and one in Colorado. With 15.8 million tons of coal sales in 2014, it is the leading western producer of bituminous coal clean-burning, low-sulfur thermal coal, primarily for use for domestic power generators

in Utah. Bowie Mine #2 has been in production since 1998. According to the BPR web-site, from 2000 through 2007 it was ranked No. 1 or No. 2 nationwide for efficient long-wall production.

Bowie Resources eliminat-ed 150 jobs last fall after los-ing a contract to sell coal to the Tennessee Valley Author-ity. The layoffs bring the num-ber of local mining jobs lost since 2012 to almost 600.

While exact figures werent available, the effects will be significant on our Delta Coun-ty families, schools and com-munity, said county adminis-trator Robbie LeValley.

Its too early to tell just how the job losses will affect Delta County School District

enrollment or future bud-gets, said school district busi-ness manager Jim Ventrello. Since this school years bud-get reflects the 2014-15 stu-dent count, the district wont feel the financial effects until the 2016-2017 school calen-

dar year. While final figures werent available, districtwide student numbers this year are down an estimated 44 stu-dents, but not nearly the 160 students the district antici-pated it would lose and that

Another round of layoffs hits mines

Photo by Pat Sunderland

A taste of ColoradoGovernor John Hickenlooper proclaimed Sept. 30 as Colorado Proud School Meal Day. This statewide event encourages schools to incorporate Colorado products into their meals, to celebrate Colorado agriculture and to educate students about healthy eating. At Garnet Mesa Elementary School, kitchen manager Sherry Gilmore and her staff served a menu consisting of biscuits and gravy, roasted potatoes, carrots, apples and milk the pota-toes from the San Luis Valley and the apples from Delta County orchards. Above, Brycen Montanez, Aiden Duty and Natalie Velasquez load their trays.

BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

After written Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) requests, the City of Delta has disclosed Robert Thomas received a $50,000 severance payment upon his retirement as police chief.

The city initially refused to disclose that information, cit-ing personnel issues, but city attorney David McConaughy agreed the payment is public information. Thomas was paid an additional $19,031.52, the remaining balance of accrued paid time off to which he was entitled under law.

Thomas was placed on paid administrative leave in late August. Because there was indication of an internal investigation, but not a crimi-nal inquiry, the Delta County Independent also requested any information in Robert Thomass personnel file relat-ed to complaints of any kind, including harassment, dis-crimination or retaliation in the last 12 months.

The city responded there are no such documents in Thomass personnel file.

A copy of Thomass formal retirement letter was also requested. In a letter dated

Sept. 21, Thomas stated, My retirement is effective Sept. 12, 2015. His decision was not announced until nearly two weeks later, in a brief press release issued by city manager Glen Black on Sept. 28. No reference was made to any investigation.

A request for any settle-ment/separation agreement was the subject of a Delta District Court hearing Tues-day afternoon.

While no agreement with Thomas was executed by any city official, the city acknowl-edges Thomas did sign a release.

This document is in the custody of city attorney David McConaughy but has been submitted to the Delta County District Court with a request for the court to deter-mine whether it should be properly disclosed, city clerk Jolene Nelson responded in a letter to the DCI. As city clerk, Nelson is the official records custodian for the City of Delta.

In a petition to the court, McConaughy noted, The release includes language that certain records concern-ing Mr. Thomas cannot be dis-closed without his permission

or without a court order of disclosure under CORA. How-ever, it is ambiguous whether the release itself can or should be disclosed. Mr. Thomas has not consented to the disclosure of the release and, through counsel, has asserted that the document should remain con-fidential because its release would not be in the public interest.

McConaughy attached as an exhibit a letter from Michael Grattan III, Thomass attorney. While recognizing the important policies behind the Colorado Open Records Act, Mr. Thomas believes that disclosure of any informa-tion (other than his payment record) relating to his depar-ture from employment by the City of Delta is inappropriate because such disclosure would

Former DPD chief received $50,000 severance payment

MINE LAYOFFS TO A3 Mine layoffswas reflected in the bud-get for this school year.

The district has a ball-park figure on the num-ber of students attached to mining families, but its impossible to accu-rately predict how many students might leave the district without knowing which students family members were affected by layoffs, said Ventrello.

The loss of students and the anticipated drop in coal production due to the shutdown will affect next years budget through loss of federal mineral lease revenues, said Ventrello. The dis-tricts share of those dol-lars for this school year was $53,168, which it has already received. Last

year the district received $82,438, meaning that revenue, while it isnt a huge percentage of the budget, is anticipated to drop again next year.

It was also announced last week that BRP is the target of a federal lawsuit. The environ-mental group WildEarth Guardians announced it would sue to overturn the approval of mineral leas-es by the U.S. Depart-ment of the Interior in New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado, includ-ing almost 1,800 acres of private, Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands in Delta County. The leases were applied for and approved in 2013.

The suit challenges

approval of four leases over failure of the Depart-ment of the Interior to provide any public notice of its decisions and to account for the climate impacts of approving expanded coal mining, according to a press release by WildEarth Guardians. BRP repre-sentatives did not return calls requesting com-ment.

FROM PAGE A1

BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

The Board of County Commissioners on Monday approved the specific devel-opment application for Kurtz Chicken Ranch on Redlands Mesa.

Approval came on a 3-0 vote.

The county planning department will now draft an official development agree-ment between the county and David Kurtz, DVM, for opera-tion of the facility. The BoCC will review and take final action on the agreement at an upcoming meeting.

The boards vote Monday came with conditions that planning staff had recom-mended be included. Those conditions are as follows:

All outside lighting shall be hooded and/or pointed towards the ground so as not to pollute the night sky and not allow any glare onto adja-cent properties.

Noxious weeds shall be controlled on the property at all times.

The projects engineer shall certify with his regis-tered professional engineer stamp that the drainage

Chicken barn OKd

CHICKEN BARN TO A3

POLICE CHIEF TO A3

On Sept. 21, Delta Coun-ty Sheriff s Office Deputies Daniel Abeyta, Kevin Ray and Travis Lackey responded to a single vehicle accident in the 2100 block of State Highway 348. The accident was reported to dispatch by Larry Proctor, who was pass-ing by and saw the vehicle in the ditch. Units with the Delta Fire Department and Delta County Ambulance also responded to assist.

The vehicle was an SUV which was upside down and halfway submerged in an irri-gation canal with the driver still trapped inside.

Upon arrival, all three dep-uties entered the canal and promptly started to assess possible entries into the sub-merged vehicle. Throughout that process, the vehicle was filling with water.

Communication was made with the driver, later iden-

tified as Ron Bonine, 80, a Delta County resident who advised them he was in a place that had air and was all right. Constant communica-tion continued with the driver and he remained calm as they worked to rescue him. After failed attempts were made to get one of the doors to open, the decision was made to break out the rear window of the SUV to try and bring Bonine out to safety through the rear hatch. Once the win-dow was broken, the deputies and fire department personnel extracted the driver from the submerged vehicle. The driver was turned over to awaiting EMS personnel and checked for injuries, which appeared to be very minor. Bonine was transported to Delta County Memorial Hospital for treat-ment.

Deputies advised that if it were not for Larry Proctor,

who spotted the vehicle in the ditch, the outcome may have been quite different, consider-ing the time elements and the temperature of the water.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend Deputy Abeyta, Deputy Ray and Deputy Lackey for their quick response, courage and professionalism during this incident, along with a special thank you to the Delta Fire Department and the Delta County Ambulance for their professionalism and efforts with this incident, said Lt. William Palmer, Delta County Sheriff s Office. Also I would like to recognize Larry Proc-tor for being an alert citizen and observing the vehicle in the ditch and calling in to report it and getting help on the way.

Bonine has fully recovered from his ordeal, but says it

Deputies hailed for rescue from submerged vehicle

RESCUE TO A3

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A2 Wednesday, October 7, 2015 OPINION Delta County Independent

Check the data: Theres no such thing as global warmingDear Editor:

Concerning the let-ter, We need to heed the popes call to action, in the Sept. 30 DCI: The pope and President Obama are flat out wrong on global warming and climate change. Satellite temperature data taken since 1978, and satellite sea-level data since 1992 confirm no measure-able global warming in the past 36 years. The sea level is rising at 3.2 mm (1/8th inch) per year (http://sealevel.colorado.edu/), but if global warm-ing were really occur-ring (the earth getting hotter year by year) the rate of melting of land glaciers would increase and sea level would rise even faster than it pres-ently is, however a sec-ond order examination

of extremely precise sea level data shows the rate of sea level rise has actu-ally dropped from 3.2mm to 2.76 mm per year, which can only happen if there is a recent slight global cooling! (Sorry no records since the 13th century medieval warm period when the Vikings settled Greenland.)

For those of you who have a problem with he said-she said and know how to use Micro-soft Excel, I invite you to download the actual global satellite tempera-ture data from the Mar-shal Space Flight Center; they operate the satel-lite Microwave Sound-ing Unit (MSU) that measures global tem-peratures from space. http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/t2lt/tltglh-mam_5.6.txt

If you plot the trend

line from 1978 to 1998 when the satellites were changed out and upgraded, and from 1998 to last month (the data is upgraded month by month) you will find no change to average tem-peratures either warm-ing or cooling for either of those periods! Howev-er, the two sets of satel-lites have a 12 F degree calibration error between them. To avoid mistak-ing this error for global warming is why the two trend lines must be used, or you can just be satis-fied with 1998 to present (17 years) as being flat.

No global warming, no climate change! The author of Popes Call to Action, Michelle Ami-ott, by quoting the Quin-nipiac poll, points out just how dumbed down, how gullible, how easily bought off and how easily

led astray the world is. Leaders are not exempt, even the pope. There is a way to the truth; Im afraid it requires that you actually look at real measurements, and not he said-she said.

Its even worse; no global warming, but increased CO2 from power plants, cars and industry can actually double plant growth rate, and is presently used in most commercial green-houses, including grow-ing hot-house tomatoes! Has anyone considered the end of world hun-ger by doubling plant growth via increased CO2? Using the EPA to wreck the economy, actu-ally harming the world and humanity, is flat out stupid, or if not stupid, evil.

Mike MasonCedaredge

From the Delta Police Department:

Sept. 28:A warrant was issued

for the arrest of Harlin D. Watkins, 23, of Delta for alleged menacing. He was later arrested in Montrose.

Jason W. Kuykendall, 44, of Pampa, Texas, was issued a ticket for alleged unreasonable noise.Sept. 30:

Donna L. Sorensen, 75, of Hotchkiss was issued a ticket for alleged unsafe backing after being involved in a two-vehicle crash in the 500 block of Palmer. No inju-ries were reported. Both vehicles were driven from the scene.Oct. 2:

Kaimi S. Weatherford, 31, of Delta was arrested and jailed on a warrant with a $1,500 bond.Oct. 3:

Albert Romero, 26, of Delta was issued a ticket for alleged care-less driving and follow-ing too closely after being involved in a three-vehi-cle crash on Main Street at 5th Street. No inju-ries were reported. One vehicle was towed from the scene.

Jose A. Esparza, 23, of

Delta was arrested and jailed for alleged speed-ing, DUI and DUI per se.Oct. 4:

Shawn L. Wilshire, 40, of Delta was arrest-ed and jailed for alleged violation of a protection order.Oct. 4:

Damien Baily Reiss, 19, of Delta was arrested and jailed on a warrant with a $500 bond.

Citations: 16 tickets for traffic violations were issued this week, 11 for speeding.

Please remember: All criminal charges are merely an accusation and the defendant is pre-sumed innocent until or unless proven guilty.

From the Delta County Sheriffs Office (partial list):

Sept. 28:An Eckert woman

reported the theft of her German shepherd. Investigation revealed the dogs owner had left the dog in her care but always intended to pick it up. The woman was advised the issue is civil, not criminal.

Marijuana grow opera-tions in the Crawford and Hotchkiss areas were reported. Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee said dispatch receives two to three similar reports every week; an investiga-tor has been assigned to verify and educate own-ers about the allowable number of plants.Sept. 29:

A landlord reported threats from a former renter. The landlord had refused to refund the renters deposit because she did not give the required 30-day notice.

Sheriff s deputies responded to a home on Ward Creek Road where the reporting party had locked herself in her car to get away from her hus-band.

A Crawford woman asked deputies to check out a camp trailer that had been left on her prop-

erty.Oct. 1:

A minor accident involving an onion truck and a pickup was report-ed on California Mesa.Oct. 2:

Geoffrey Hieb Sr. of Eckert was involved in a one-vehicle accident on Highway 65 near Eck-ert at about 10 a.m. His vehicle left the highway, continued onto a grassy embankment and struck several road signs and a telephone connection box. He was transported to Delta County Memorial Hospital. The Colorado State Patrol handled the investigation.

At about 7:30 p.m., a house fire was reported on A Street in Crawford. The home was report-edly being remodeled by James and Joy Piburn and was not occupied at the time. Firefight-ers from Hotchkiss and Crawford arrived but were unable to save the home from signifi-cant damage. The sher-iff s office has asked an investigative team from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations to assist in determining the cause.Oct. 3:

At about 3 a.m., a lot of noise, music and voices were reported near Cedaredge. Deputies could find no evidence of a suspected underage drinking party.

Law enforcement blotter

Stay Close to Home & Family,

We Are Here for Y our Health

LETTERS

DELTA COUNTY

INDEPENDENTDELTA COUNTY INDEPENDENT (UPS 152-700) is published weekly on Wednesdays at 401 Meeker St., Delta, CO 81416. Second class postage paid at DELTA, CO. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: DEL-TA COUNTY INDEPENDENT, PO BOX 809, DELTA, CO 81416

401 Meeker St.Delta, CO 81416(970) 874-4421

News:[email protected]:[email protected]

Email ads to: [email protected]

Delta County Independent LOCAL NEWS Wednesday, October 7, 2015 A3

A place where you can bee yourself

Follow us on

Deputies Daniel Abeyta, Travis Lackey and Kevin Ray

CorrectionIt was erroneously

reported that Susan Meyer, who created the artwork featured on AppleFest posters, taught art. That information is inaccurate.

Delta Elkshost freesenior lunch

The Delta Elks Lodge will host a free meal at the Delta Senior Center Thursday, Oct. 8. Come enjoy a harvest feast at noon.

GW King

Ofce (970) 874-9300Cell (970) 260-8781

Focusing on retirement plan rollovers ( 401K, 403B, prot sharing, etc.) Annuities Life Insurance Long Term Care Insurance Stocks* Bonds* Mutual Funds*

Rescuewas definitely nip and tuck for a bit. If that water had been another inch higher, I would have drowned, he said in a follow-up phone call.

I want to thank not only the sheriff s office, but also the firemen. One of the firemen, Robert Davis, actually stopped on the way to the fire department and got in the Jeep with me.

At that point, it was pitch black, Bonine had been upside down for about 30 minutes, and the water was rising around

him. Davis helped Bonine get the seat laid down so he could come out the back with the deputies assistance.

I want to say thank you to all of those people, because I was very close to waking up dead.

FROM PAGE A1

Mine layoffswas reflected in the bud-get for this school year.

The district has a ball-park figure on the num-ber of students attached to mining families, but its impossible to accu-rately predict how many students might leave the district without knowing which students family members were affected by layoffs, said Ventrello.

The loss of students and the anticipated drop in coal production due to the shutdown will affect next years budget through loss of federal mineral lease revenues, said Ventrello. The dis-tricts share of those dol-lars for this school year was $53,168, which it has already received. Last year the district received

$82,438, meaning that revenue, while it isnt a huge percentage of the budget, is anticipated to drop again next year.

It was also announced last week that BRP is the target of a federal lawsuit. The environ-mental group WildEarth Guardians announced it would sue to overturn the approval of mineral leas-es by the U.S. Depart-ment of the Interior in New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado, includ-ing almost 1,800 acres of private, Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands in Delta County. The leases were applied for and approved in 2013.

The suit challenges approval of four leases over failure of the Depart-ment of the Interior to provide any public notice of its decisions and to account for the climate impacts of approving expanded coal mining, according to a press release by WildEarth Guardians. BRP repre-sentatives did not return calls requesting com-ment.

FROM PAGE A1

Police chiefhave a chilling effect on resolution of employee and employment mat-ters. It is Mr. Thomass position that the public interest is best served by quick and confidental resolution of such mat-ters.

McConaughy conclud-ede his petition to the court: The city requests that the court review the tendered release in camera (in private) and determine whether or not it can, in its entirety or with redactions, be dis-closed in accordance with the CORA or whether disclosure of the release would do substantial injury to the public inter-est and thus disclosure should be prohibited.

In court, he and Judge Steven Schultz privately discussed a particular section which McCo-naughy believes was the focus of Grattans letter.

At the conclusion of the short hearing, Judge

Schultz said he would take the matter under advisement and issue a decision by Wednesday. Any updates will be post-ed to the DCIs Facebook page.

FROM PAGE A1

Chicken barnstructures were con-structed as specified in the drainage plan and that they will function as planned upon completion of the construction drain-age system.

There shall be no egg washing conducted at the facility.

Any changes or alterations to the devel-opment shall be submit-ted to the Delta County Planning Department for approval. If the impacts for any changes or altera-tions are significant, a new application shall be submitted and full review with approval from the Delta County Board of County Commission-ers and a new develop-ment agreement will be required prior to any con-struction or expansion of the operation.

A revised drainage plan document for the facility had been submit-ted prior to the BoCC meeting. Kurtzs attorney, Ben Wegener of Grand Junction, said that the term conceptual had been removed from the drainage plan document.

In acting on the chick-en ranch application, commissioners noted that the specific development application had gone through a public hearing process beginning with the Leroux Creek APC on Sept. 15 and the County Planning Commission on Sept. 23. Both advisory bodies had recommended approval of the applica-tion.

Commissioner Doug Atchley made a motion for approval of the appli-cation based on the infor-mation I have in front of me.

Commission chair Mark Roeber noted that the board had received and reviewed all of the public comments that had been submitted during the public process. I feel the questions have been answered. Its time to get on with it, Roeber said before calling for the vote.

Kurtz has constructed a barn to house 20,000

hens to lay organic eggs in a cage-free environ-ment. Construction of the barn, as an agricul-tural building, required no government reviews or approvals. However, putting the barn to use housing chickens in a confined animal feeding operation requires coun-ty specific development application, public pro-cess, and BoCC approval.

Kurtz told the commis-sioners that the opera-tion will be a franchise of Fairfield Specialty Eggs. The company will pur-chase and market the eggs produced. Kurtz said that his two sons will be principal opera-tions of the chicken barn and egg operation.

FROM PAGE A1

Delta Hardwarewould like to thank everyone

for your continual supportand helping us celebrate our

100th year Anniversary.

Audra Penasa

Want to advertise in the DCI?Contact one of our ad reps at 874-4421.

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A4 Wednesday, October 7, 2015 ACCENT Delta County Independent

Medicare counselors from Region 10 will be presenting information and answering questions at two sessions in Delta on Monday, Oct. 12. This information comes just before the start of Medi-cares annual open enroll-ment period on Oct. 15.

The first presenta-tion will be at the noon lunch at the Delta Senior Center, 247 Meeker Street. That will be fol-lowed by a program at the Delta Diabetes Sup-port Group, at 2:30 p.m., in the Crag Crest Room of

the Delta County Memo-rial Hospitals Oncology and Education building, located just north of the main hospital building on E. 3rd Street and Staf-ford Lane.

Both presentations will be free of charge; however, there will be a lunch fee for those want-ing to eat at the senior center.

Medicare info sessions planned

MOPSholdsmorning,eveningmeetings

Delta MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers) now has both evening and morn-ing meetings: 9 to 11:15 a.m. or 6 to 8:15 p.m. All mothers of little ones ages 0-6 are invited to some mommy time, while their kiddos have fun social-izing with other kiddos! Coffee, snacks and child care are provided. Octo-ber meetings are Oct. 8 and 22 at 1250 Pioneer Road. Please call Aman-da at 778-5272 for more information.

The BossHas Gone

Hunting Sale!Debbie and Candis are ready to make some

AMAZING deals on in-stock inventory!Blowout prices on all clearance items and

deeper discounts for all cash & carry sales.Here are just a few of the huge deals

we have going on.

HOT OVER-THE-RANGE MICROWAVES

SLEEK BUILT-IN WALL OVENS

CLASSY GLASS ELECTRIC RANGES

EXTRA COOL REFRIGERATORS

SPARKLING CLEAN DISHWASHERS

TOO MANY TO LIST! COME IN AND SEE!

BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Nine-year-old Jeremi-ah Hitzfelder was recent-ly granted a dream trip to visit the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando,

Fla.Jeremiahs trip was

granted by the Sun-shine Foundation, which answers the dreams of children living with life-long chronic illnesses,

physical challenges, or the trauma of abuse.

Jeremiahs mother, Sarah, explains Jeremiah has cerebral palsy and a rare chromosome deletion on his 16th chromosome. He is homeschooled and every week attends five therapies outside of the house.

Jeremiahs experience was shared by his mom, Sarah, his dad, David, a little brother, Josiah, and an adoptive aunt, uncle and cousin, Jen, Mark and Sancia.

Jeremiah said his favorite park was Animal Kingdom and he really loved the two live shows he saw, Lion King and Finding Nemo. He tried many new rides and became friends with many characters. But best of all was sharing the experi-ence with his family and friends, because theyre

so important to his heart.His mother adds, My

favorite moment during the trip was watching all the characters wave at Jeremiah, tell him happy birthday, and shake his hand during one of the parades. He is not usu-ally that open with cos-tumed characters, so they must have really made a home in his heart.

We would all like to thank Sunshine Founda-tion for giving Jeremiah

and our family this wish trip, for without their love and generosity, we could never have gone and fulfilled Jers wish to see Animal Kingdom and its sister parks.

The Sunshine Foun-dation is able to provide dream trips through support and donations, allowing families who are already strapped with medical bills and care costs to enjoy a brief respite without the addi-

tional financial burden a vacation can cause. It can make a huge differ-ence for the children and their families. Since 1976, Sunshine Foundation has answered the dreams of more than 37,000 chil-dren in the United States, and it remains one of the nations top-rated wish-granting charities serv-ing the terminally ill or chronically ill. For more information, please visit www.sunshinefounda-tion.org.

Wish granted for Delta 9-year-old and his family

Photo submittedJeremiah, brother Josiah and his adoptive cousin Sancia pose for a photo in front of the Cinderella castle at Walt Disney World.

Jeremiah and SusanHitzfelder

of

Taste of Home

Sponsored by:

~Shop & Eat! ~

Fabulousarrayofjewelryandcraftsmadefrombeautifulnaturalstonesandwoodsfromafrica.

Del-RoseChoruspreparesannual show

The fall colors are in full swing so is the Del-Rose Chorus for its annu-al show. New songs are in the works and some good old favorites have made their way back to the show line up. As always the Black Canyon Chorus will join the fun, as well as a guest quartet called DeJaVu that uses com-edy and great singing to entertain the audience.

So put 3 p.m. Nov. 21 on your calendar, since you do not want to miss this show. If you cant get enough of barbershop singing, then youll want to purchase a ticket for the afterglow for more singing and fun. The afterglow is in a more relaxed setting after the show, and will feature more quartets, more from the guest quartet and food. Tickets for the show and afterglow will go on sale the end of October, so stay tuned for more information and posters that will announce ticket outlets and prices. Tick-ets can also be purchased from chorus members.

Dance thenight awayOct. 17

Come dance the night away at the next com-munity evening dance Saturday, Oct. 17, at Bill Heddles Recreation Cen-ter. Chuck Gregory will provide the music for this fun event, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Bring a friend and a snack to share. Coffee and lemon-ade will be provided. The cost is $5 at the door. For more information, call 874-0923.

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Delta County Independent SCHOOL Wednesday, October 7, 2015 A5

FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY,OCTOBER 16, 17 & 18

Cake Paddles Snack Bar Chinese Auction

~ CHILDRENS CARNIVAL ~Friday & Saturday - 6-8 p.m.

~ FAMILY BINGO ~Friday & Saturday - 7 p.m. Sunday - 2 p.m.

St. Michaels

BAZAAR

RAFFLE TICKETS$1 EACH

Buy your tickets atDelta Hardware

Modern ApplianceHellman Motors

St. Michaels Office628 Meeker St.

Tickets will be sold up to the time of the drawings.

~ RAFFLE DRAWINGS ~held Sunday, November 1 at 11:45 a.m.1st Prize: $1000 Homestead Meats Gift Certificate

(Donated by Pat Mangum and Delta Hardware in memory of Ralph Mangum)

2nd Prize: $500 Visa Gift Card(Donated by Hellman Motor Company)

3rd Prize: $300 Modern Appliance Gift Certificate(Donated by Jim Sukle)

4th Prize: $300 cash(Donated by Larry and Diane Dicamillo)

GREAT FOOD &

FUN FOR THE

WHOLEFAMILY!

~ DINNERS ~Friday (4-7 p.m.) Knights of Columbus Barbecue

(Adults $7, Children 12 & Under $3)Saturday (2-7 p.m.) Mexican Dinner

(Adults $7, Children 12 & Under $3)Sunday (11 a.m.- 2 p.m.) Roast Beef Dinner

(Adults $8, Children 12 & Under $4)Buy a weekend meal pass and SAVE$$

Adults $20, Children 12 & Under $8 for all 3 meals!

Viernes, Sbado, y Domingo16, 17, y 18 de octubre

RIFA de PASTELES DULCES SUBASTA CHINA~ CARNAVAL PARA NIOS ~Viernes & Sbado - 6-8 p.m.

~ BINGO FAMILIAR ~Viernes & Sbado - 7 p.m. Domingo - 2 p.m.

BAZARDE LA IGLESIA DE SAN MIGUEL

$1/BOLETOCompre sus boletosen Delta Hardware,Modern Appliance,Hellman Motors,

o en la oficina de la iglesia de San Miguel

628 Meeker St.Los boletos se vendern

hasta el Domingo,1ro de noviembre.

~ La rifa se llevar ~ a cabo el domingo, 1 ro de noviembre

1er Premio: Certificado de regalo de $1000 de Homestead Meats Donado por Pat Mangum y Delta Hardware en memoria de Ralph Mangum

2do Premio: Tarjeta Visa de $500Donado por Hellman Motor Company

3er Premio: Certifcado de regalo de $300 de Modern ApplianceDonado por Jim Sukle

4to Premio: $300 en efectivoDonado por Larry y Diane Dicamillo)

~ COMIDA ~Viernes (4-7 p.m.) Comida proporcionada por los

Caballeros de Colon(Adultos $7, Nios 12 aos o menores $3)

Sbado (2-7 p.m.) Comida Mexicana(Adultos $7, Nios 12 aos o menores $3)

Domingo (11 a.m.- 2 p.m.) Cena de Roast Beef(Adultos $8, Nios 12 aos o menores $4)

Compre un pase de comida y ahorre dinero:Adultos $20, Nios 12 aos o menores $8 por los tres platillos

SABROSA

COMIDA Y

DIVERSIN

PARA TODA

LA FAMILA!

!

Fifteen students at Delta High School have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achieve-ment on AP exams.

The College Boards Advanced Placement Program (AP) provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP exams. About 22 percent of the 2.2 mil-lion students worldwide who took AP exams per-formed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students performance on AP exams.

At Delta High School, four students qualified for the AP Scholar with Dis-tinction Award by earn-ing an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These stu-dents are Braden Atchley, Jason Husmann, Jesus Mendoza and Paula Strickland.

Two students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earn-ing an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

These students are Victo-ria Gallegos and Abbigail Nicholson.

Fifteen students quali-fied for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP exams with scores of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Eian Baier, Easton Byers, Tyler Dill, Cidney Fisk, Tyler Fredlund, Cade Gafford, Ryan Geddes, Nectaria Hanning, Sara Jurca, Mykayla Music, and Gabe Rodriguez, Kaisa Simon, Elizabeth Ward, Brandon Ware and Clay Wollert.

Of this years award recipients at Delta High School, 11 were sopho-mores or juniors: Cidney Fisk, Nectaria Hanning, Sara Jurca, Mykayla Music, Gabriel Rodri-guez, Kaisa Simon, Eliz-abeth Ward, Brandon Ware, Victoria Gallegos, Abbigail Nicholson and Braden Atchley. These students have at least one more year in which to complete college-level work and possibly earn a higher-level AP Scholar Award.

Through 34 different college-level courses and exams, AP provides will-ing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit or advanced placement and stand out in the college admission process. Each exam is developed by a commit-tee of college and univer-sity faculty and AP teach-ers, ensuring that AP

exams are aligned with the same high standards expected by college facul-ty at some of the nations leading liberal arts and research institutions. More than 3600 colleges and universities annual-ly receive AP scores. Most four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying exam scores. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP exams (based on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the high-est) typically experience greater academic suc-cess in college and have higher college graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP.

The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to col-lege success and opportu-nity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was cre-ated to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership associa-tion is made up of over 6,000 of the worlds lead-ing educational institu-tions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through pro-grams and services in col-lege readiness and college success including the SAT and the Advanced Placement Program. The organization also serves the education commu-nity through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools.

DHS students recognized for achievement on AP exams

Photo by Pat SunderlandThird grader Skylar Wil-son wasnt a bit nervous about his dental exam hes already a patient at Community Den-tal. A dental assistant updated his record via the Internet as Dr. Stacy Laiminger did a compre-hensive exam.

Dr. Stacy Laiminger and skilled staff members from The Clinic at Com-munity Dental offered full dental checkups at Lincoln and Garnet Mesa elementary schools. The service was optional and open to all students.

The in-school program is called KIDZ GRINS. Community Dental brought an array of porta-ble equipment, including a digital X-ray machine, to the schools to facili-tate complete oral check-ups. After X-rays and an exam by Dr. Laiminger, a dental hygienist cleaned the kids teeth and the kids were educated about healthy oral practices. They were given a goody bag that will make it easy for them to make brush-ing and flossing a regular habit.

Fluoride treatments were given and sealants were applied to perma-nent molars, if the kids didnt have any cavities. A letter was sent to each childs home with the dentists findings and a treatment plan. Parents can seek follow-up care from their family dentist or at Community Den-tal, which is based in Montrose.

If they have their own dentist, well pass along the X-rays and treatment plan, said one of Com-munity Dentals provid-ers. If they dont have a dentist, we would love to be their dental home.

In-school dental clinics provided

MOVING? CHANGINGYOUR ADDRESS?

Please give the Delta County Independent 10 days notice:

PO Box 809, Delta CO 81416

970-874-4421

THIS PAGE IS COLOR

A6 Wednesday, October 7, 2015 OBITUARIES Delta County Independent

Glenda BassGlenda Evelyn Reed

Sheldon Bass died of pancreatic cancer Sept. 26, 2015, at HopeWest Hospice Center in Grand Junction. She was 68.

She was born Jan. 31, 1947, to Dean and Beulah Reed in Akron. She moved to Hotchkiss with her family when she was four years old. Glenda attend-ed Hotchkiss schools and celebrated her 50-year reunion this summer.

She married James Sheldon and they had two children.

Mrs. Bass is survived by her children, Dolores (Less) Morris and Jayson Sheldon; two grandchil-dren, Ernest and Sarah Morris; three brothers, Clarence (Anita) Reed of Craig, Keith (Debbie) Reed of Dalton, Mass., and Glen (JoAnn) Reed, of Missoula, Mont.; and three sisters, Doris (Lee) Miller of Loma, Mary (Ben) McFarlin of Grand Junction and Lola (Leroy) Wold, Spokane, Wash.

She worked with elders in the nursing care field.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dean and Beulah Reed; husbands James Sheldon and Don Bass; three half-brothers; and one half- sister.

A celebration of life was held Friday, Oct. 2, at Taylor Funeral Service Chapel in Hotchkiss, with James Gall officiating.

Memorial contributions may be sent to HopeWest Hospice, P.O. Box 24, Delta, CO 81416.

Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory handled the arrangements.

View the online obitu-ary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

Evea AshurstLifetime Colorado resi-

dent Evea Ashurst died Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, at her home in Cedaredge. She was 75.

A memorial service was held Oct. 3 at New Hope Evangelical Free Church in Cedaredge with Pastor Bill Williamson officiat-ing.

Mrs. Ashurst was born in Montrose Dec. 12, 1939, to Rascoe and Bonnie (Garrett) Hunt. She was raised in Gunnison and attended Gunnison High

School. She enjoyed fishing,

hunting, gardening, sew-ing, camping, reading, cooking and bingo.

Mrs. Ashurst is sur-vived by two sons Larry Lowell of Cedaredge and Harvey Lowell of Meeker; two daughters, Ramona Clymo of Cedaredge and Teresa Anderson of Eagle; two sisters, Bonnie Gill of Las Vegas and Carolynn Barton of Cedaredge; 20 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Ashurst; a son, Eldon Lowell; and three sisters, Shannon Brown, Donna Richardson and Roxie Ranfelt.



Donald ClayDonald Don Clay,

died Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, at Horizons Care Center in Eckert. He was 94.

No memorial services are planned.

He was born July 13, 1921, to Samuel and Ger-trude Clay, in Colorado Springs, where he was raised.

He served in the U.S. Navy from 1941-1945 as a radioman first class. He was wounded in the inva-sion of Sicily in 1943 and was awarded the Purple Heart.

He married Barbara Ann Austin in 1945. They raised two children in Denver. Mr. Clay retired from the phone company after 32 years and they moved to Hotchkiss in 1976. Barbara Ann died in 2000.

He married Dorothy Dot Wilkinson in 2002. She is 98 and living at Horizons in the room they shared.

Mr. Clay was a skilled fisherman and hunter, He enjoyed the game of football, Colorado and his Hotchkiss home. He was a member of the Elks Lodge and the Methodist Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Barbara; a son, Bradley, in 2007; and a brother, Elmer.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; son, Roger

of Tucson, Ariz.; a brother, Richard of Victoria, Texas; a sister, Marjorie Sulli-van of Colorado Springs; a grandson, Aaron of Tuc-son; a granddaughter, Lauren (Tom) Satterlee of Phoenix; and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Hotchkiss Methodist Church Food Bank, or visit Dot at 11411 Highway 65, Eckert.



Gene SalazarJose Eugenio Gene

Ruben Salazar of Grand Junction died Sept. 29, 2015, while visiting fam-ily in New Mexico.

He was born May 22, 1949, in Coyote, N.M., to Lydia (Ortega) and Jose Salazar. He lived in New Mexico until the fam-ily moved to Colorado in 1956. He attended schools in Delta and joined the Army in 1969.

He married Lynne San-doval of Delta. They lived in Delta for many years until moving to Grand Junction where he lived until his death.

He was a career painter and electrician.

He enjoyed watching his grandchildren play sports, the outdoors, fish-ing, hunting, camping and spending time with family and friends.

Mr. Salazar is survived by his wife, Lynne of Grand Junction; his children, Jason Salazar of Colorado Springs, Natisha Sexton and Joleen (Philip Keko) Espinoza, all of Grand Junction, and Jose (Lati-cia) of Delta; 10 grandchil-dren; great-grandchildren, RaeLea, Ronlee, Wednes-dae, Kaylie and Jayden; three step-grandchildren; two step-great-grandchil-dren; eight siblings, Ray-mond Salazar, Rose (John) Lovato of Grand Junction, Lucy Martinez, Fito Vigil, Fay (Victor) Moralez, The-resa (Alfred) Garcia, Mary (Nick) Moralez, and sister-in-law Ruth, all of Delta, Walter (Juanita) Salazar of Farmington, N.M.; and extended family.

He was preceded in death by two granddaugh-ters, Aubrey Cockroft and Jada Espinoza; a sister, Mela and her husband Norman; a brother, Benny; two brothers-in-law, Frank and Orlando; and a sister-in-law, Corine.

A memorial service will be held Friday, Oct. 9, at 11 a.m. at Jubilee Family Church, 483 30 Road in Grand Junction followed by a committal service at 1 p.m. at the Veterans Cemetery in Grand Junc-tion.

Geraldine ViningLongtime Delta resi-

dent Geraldine Vining died Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, at the HopeWest Hospice Center in Grand Junction.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Taylor Funeral Service Chapel in Delta. Burial followed in Mesa View Cemetery in Delta.

Geraldine M. Harris was born in Topeka, Kan., Feb. 7, 1925, to Charles and Alice (Anweiler) Har-ris. She grew up in Topeka and graduated from High-land Park High School in 1943.

She was a charter mem-ber of the Gunnison Valley Church of the Nazarene. She started teaching Sun-day school when she was 15. Mrs. Vining enjoyed making dresses for girls who lived in the Appala-chian Mountains, reading her Bible and had been a foster parent to 35 babies.

She married Charles B. Vining Sept. 8, 1956, in Topeka, Kan. They moved from Topeka to Delta in 1961. They shared 40 years together before his death on June 13, 1996.

She is survived by her sons, David Boronda of Delta, Adrian Boronda of San Diego, Calif., and Charles Vining of Plano, Texas; her daughters, Jeri (Andy) Karsten of River-side, Calif., Deniece Boron-da and Beth Fletcher both of Delta, and Jean Rog-ers of Topeka, Kan.; her brother, Charles Harris of Castle Rock; 20 grandchil-dren, eight great-grand-children and two great-great-grandchildren.

Geraldine was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Vining; a brother, Millard Harris; and a son, Tom Vining.

Memorial contributions may be sent to HopeWest

Hospice, P.O. Box 24, Delta, CO 81416.


View the Internet obit-uary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

Barbara DickinsonBarbara Marie Barbie

Dickinson of Crawford died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, at St. Marys Hos-pital in Grand Junction. She was 57.

She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, June 21, 1958, to Betty and Ben Lunis.

She is survived by her husband, Bobby Dick-inson; her son, Shawn Dickinson; two daugh-ters, Michele Hodapp and Kimberly Dickinson-Thorngate (Sean Thorn-gate); two grandchildren, Michael Hardy and Sam-uel Thorngate; her sis-ter, Sharon Smith; and extended family.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

A celebration of life will be held at the Hotchkiss Elks Lodge at noon Sun-day, Oct. 11. Please bring a dish to share.

Browns Cremation and Funeral Service handled the arrangements.

Richard VallesCrawford resident

Richard Homer Valles died Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, at his sons home in Crawford. He was 87.

A private family ser-vice will be held at a later date.

Mr. Valles was born in Tucson, Ariz., Aug. 22, 1928, to Fred and Rosa (Hickman) Valles. He spent his childhood and attended school in Ari-zona.

In December 1970 he married Dorothy Elaine Leonard in Fountain Val-

ley, Calif.Mr. Valles was a pho-

tographer at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles, then began a 30-year horse racing career. He was the racing secretary at Los Alamitos Race Course in Southern California for many years before his retirement in 1988.

He was a member of Paonia Friends Church and the photography club in Paonia. He enjoyed going to church, fishing and spending time with his family.

He is survived by two sons, Robert Fletcher and Scott Fletcher; a daugh-ter, Elizabeth Valles; two brothers, Fred Valles and Robert Valles; a sis-ter, Sandra Valles; nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

He was preceded by his wife of 42 years, Dorothy.



Peggy NiemandPeggy Ann Niemand

died Sept. 26, 2015. She was 72.

She was born in Paonia Sept. 25, 1943, to Tom and Ann Sandifer. She had lived in Las Vegas since 1977.

A memorial service is planned Oct. 10 at the home of Kirk and Sharon Niemand in Las Vegas.

Memorial contributions may be made to Compre-hensive Cancer Centers of Nevada, www.orion cancerfoundation.org.

Jake AccolaA celebration of life for

Colonel Jacob P. Jake Accola will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Cedaredge United Methodist Church with Rev. Christy Tullis offici-ating. Inurnment and mil-itary rites by the Grand Mesa VFW Post #9221 will follow at the Cedaredge Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the WSCU Foun-dation.

Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory is han-dling the arrangements.

Betty Jean Koppes, 83, of Greeley, formerly of Delta, passed away on Sept. 28, 2015, in Gree-ley.

Betty Jean Radcliff was born in Oklahoma City, Okla., to Margaret (Brown) and Clarence C. Radcliff, Sr. on Jan. 10, 1932, the second of nine children. She went to school in Oklahoma City until she was 15 when the family moved to a ranch near Genoa, Colo. She finished high school in a class of eight in Genoa in 1950. She married Virgil Koppes in 1950 in Hugo, Colo. Together they had six children. They were later divorced in 1977.

Betty worked as a homemaker and ran the family farm and helped her father with his ranch until her father sold the ranch and everyone related to him moved to Delta in 1959. In Delta, she joined the community and attend-ed every event her chil-dren participated in and at the same time, she ran a small truck gar-den where her children learned many valuable lessons. Many of her childrens cousins and friends found their way to the family home where she made them feel like part of the family. Like many others in Delta, in addition to her full-time job as a homemaker, she worked at the canning factory during season, then at the Skyland packing plant and the Last Chance bar. When the opportunity arose to go back to school, she moved to Greeley in 1988. She graduated from Aims Community College as a certified

drug and alcohol coun-selor. Betty then worked at the Greeley Housing Authority for several years before she retired from paid employment. Betty always volun-teered and served her community as a party official in the Demo-cratic Party before she switched to the Repub-lican Party. She was an election judge from the time of LBJ to George W. Bush. She trained all her children and grand-children as to how the political system worked. Betty also volunteered as a 4-H leader for over 15 years after having been a 10-year member herself. She ran the big-gest fundraiser for the Delta County clubs that served over 1,500 people at a one-day dinner for many years. Betty also took under her wing a number of young peo-ple who happened to show up at her house or in her view. She was awarded the Volunteer of the Year by the City of Delta for her work with youth. After moving to Greeley, Betty also vol-unteered for RSVP and United Way. She clipped coupons, embroidered baby gear for the new Weld County babies, and just about anything she was asked right up until the time of her death. Betty loved volunteering and for 15 years worked with the Greeley Stam-

pede with the group that provided security for the shows and rodeos where she worked tirelessly.

Betty is survived by all her children, Rebecca Koppes Conway (Sean Conway), John Koppes (Bobbi), Joseph Koppes (Connie), Diann Suttle (Ken), Don Koppes, Jerry Koppes (Jan); and grandchildren, Kel-ley Gutierrez Crochet (Chad), Kathrine Guti-errez Hinds, Sara Men-denhall (Cim), Bryan Koppes (Jennifer), Amy Lawson (Adrian), Carly Koppes, Ben Koppes, Hayley Koppes, Tressa Nichols-Smalley (Matt), Evan Koppes and Drew Koppes; as well as 11 great-grandchildren and 24 nieces and nephews. Betty is survived by her sisters, Jody, Barbara and Roberta; and her brother, Clarence, Jr.

Betty is preceded in death by her mother and father; and her sis-ters, Cleta, Patricia and Arlene; and her brother, Earl.

Viewing was held Monday, Oct. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Adamson Funeral Home, Greeley. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m. at the Adamson Chapel, Greeley with Pastor Gary Meade, Bonell Chaplain officiat-ing. Burial followed at Sunset Memorial Gar-dens, Greeley.

Memorial gifts may be given to United Way of Weld County, Bright Beginnings in care of Adamson Funeral Home, 2000 47th Ave., Gree-ley, CO 80634. Friends may send condolences at www.adamsonchapels.com.

Paid obituary

Betty Jean KoppesJan. 10, 1932 ~ Sept. 28, 2015

Custom Designed...

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Delta County Independent ACTIVITIES Wednesday, October 7, 2015 A7

A short discussion on wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills will be presented by local attorneys at a make-a-will seminar Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6:30 p.m. Then, for $15 per document, participants will be able to make their own will, power of attorney, or liv-ing will. Forms will be provided. Proof of iden-

tity (drivers license, etc.) will be required, as all documents will require notarization. The semi-nar will take place at Westminster Hall, 135 East 4th Street, Delta.

Registration is sug-gested but not required by calling Leah Lewis, senior coordinator, Delta County Senior Resource Council at 712-2295.

Make-a-will seminar planned

BY LEAH MORRIS Delta County Libraries

Librarians talk about books all day, recom-mending new authors to patrons, discussing materials to add to collec-tions, even investigating unpopular titles destined for the discard pile. So it would seem that at the end of the day a typical librarian would have had enough of book talking and would prefer to sit down and watch a movie or something instead.

However, this proves to be completely untrue when talking to Delta County Libraries collec-tion development coordi-nator Myrna Westerman, who also used to man-age the Paonia Library. I read an average of two or three books a week, says Westerman. In addition to all that reading, she faith-fully attends an evening book club every month at the Paonia Library. This particular book club has been going on for about 15 years. I think only two of us have been in it the whole time, but it basi-cally has just kept going.

Titles are suggested by the book club members who put together a list for the year and meet to talk about a different title each month.

Literacy manager Gail Srebnik also attends the book club regularly. It forces me to read more than I normally would, and different things. It can really take you out of your comfort zone. She laughs as she adds, There have been occa-sions when Ive wanted to revolt. Put Srebnik and Westerman in the same room and they cant stop talking about books. The two regularly ban-ter back and forth about authors while working together downstairs in the Hotchkiss Library.

The Paonia Library Evening Book Club is cer-tainly not the only oppor-tunity in the county to discuss books. Book clubs abound, meeting in librar-ies and in peoples homes, and cover all sorts of sub-jects, from fiction to poet-ry to food to themes like books about siblings. The Crawford Library started

a monthly cookbook club, where attendees share recipes and meals instead of opinions about char-acters. Hotchkiss High School has a lunchtime book club for teenagers. The Cedaredge Mens Lit-erary Society, a mens book club, has been so popular attendance has been lim-ited to 12 members.

Delta County Libraries is not affiliated with all the book clubs around the county. However, library staff members are always eager to help with provid-ing reading suggestions, as well as copies of the books themselves. Inter-library loan librarian Jan Ryan, who works at the Crawford Library, often orders multiple copies of books from other libraries around the state for North Fork area book clubs. The libraries require a bit of notice for this process, and Ryan encourages par-ticipants to select books that are not brand new, because were not able to get books newer than six months on ILL. Then they have to buy their own copies.

Book enthusiasts look-ing for an opportunity to join a book club might start by visiting their local libraries. Library staff can direct patrons toward groups where new members are welcome. And librarians like Wes-terman will enthusiasti-cally encourage participa-tion.

I always get more out of a book if I discuss it with somebody, Wester-man concludes. I think it helps to have somebody elses point of view.

Library book clubs provideopportunities for discussion

Photo submittedGail Srebnik [left] laughs with Myrna Westerman as they look at their next read.

Chilicook-offbenefits4-Hers

A chili cook-off is planned Saturday, Oct. 25, as a fundraiser for the Delta County 4-H program. Come sam-ple chili at Bill Hed-dles Recreation Center from noon to 2 p.m. Youll enjoy the best chili competing 4-H families have to offer. Prizes will be awarded for the best tasting, most unique, All Fired Up, most original and the peoples choice.

The cost is $5 for samples of chili, plus hot dogs and bever-ages.

Come enjoy the first annual 4-H on Fire Chili Cook-off.

Artists toexperiment with Yupo

Delta Fine Arts meets Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 2:15 p.m. in the Orchard City Town Hall community room on 2300 Road. After a short business meet-ing, Sheryl Williams will be presenting a program on using Yupo paper. She asks that everyone bring their own media to the meeting and she will provide the Yupo paper on which everyone can experiment. The public is invited; the event is free. Contact Laurae Welch at [email protected] with questions.

Friends of the Delta Library are having a book sale Thursday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sale will be held on the lawn of the library. There will be a huge selection of books, so this is a great time to get some reading mate-rial for the long winter ahead!

The Friends sup-port the library through financial assistance and the sale of materials in their book sales and the book store downstairs in the library.

The Friends are very happy to announce the appointment of a new manager of the book store. His name is Simon Driver and he is a teen-ager interested in mak-

ing the book store a great resource for our com-munity. Simon recently moved from Gunnison where he did volunteer work at a local book store there.

Simon, whose favor-ite author is George R.R. Martin and favorite book by that author is A Game of Thrones, loves books and strives to infect oth-ers with that love. Simon volunteers weekly, orga-nizing and restocking the shelves of the book store.

Simon invites every-one to come in and see the cleaning and rear-ranging he has done in the Friends book store. The book store is located in the basement of the library just beyond the childrens section.

Friends plan book sale this Thursday

Registration is in full swing for the seventh annual US Bank Rim Rock Marathon on Satur-day, Nov. 7, at 8 a.m.

The marathon route has twice been voted Most Scenic Marathon by Colorado Runner and is highlighted by the beau-ty and magnitude of the Colorado National Mon-uments monoliths, can-yons and plateaus. Run-ners will start at Grand Junction Gem and Min-eral Club, 2328 Monu-ment Road, wind up and over the monument and descend to the finish line at its new location Cir-cle Park in downtown Fruita.

Along with the new finish location, the Rim Rock Marathon is pair-ing up with Fruita Parks and Recreation to hold the Fruita 0.038 Mara-thon, a one-mile run for the community. Proceeds from Fruitas 0.038 Mar-athon benefit Girls on

the Run of Western Colo-rado and Cavalcade. The inaugural one-mile run kicks off at 9 a.m. with the first of five catego-ries and the last category starts at 10:20 a.m.

Participants for both events can enjoy live entertainment, vendors and a beer garden in Cir-cle Park.

This year, Colorado Mesa University and the Greater Grand Junc-tion Sports Commission are organizing the Rim Rock Marathon. Proceeds go toward scholarships for student-athletes in CMUs cross country and track and field programs.

Runners may register to participate in either the full-length 26.2-mile marathon or as two-per-son relay teams with each team member run-ning approximately a half-marathon. Register for the marathon and the one-mile run at www.rim rockmarathon.com.

Register for Rim Rock Marathon

THIS PAGE IS COLOR

A8 Wednesday, October 7, 2015 LOCAL NEWS Delta County Independent

Delta County Econom-ic Development (DCED) and Region 10 are part-nering to create a new business center and com-munity hub for Delta. To kick off this collabora-tion, these two organi-zations moved into the former Bank of Colorado building located at 145 W. 4th Street. The goal is to create a unique space that provides an array of services from small busi-ness services to health care counseling.

Hoping to tap into the entrepreneurial spirit of Delta, the building will offer small business sup-port and economic devel-opment activities. What we want to do is have more activities, educa-tion and resources for small businesses, entre-preneurs and startups, stated Trish Thibodo, executive director of

Delta County Economic Development.

Region 10s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will host business-oriented pro-gramming in the new space. Free business con-sultation is available for small business owners who are seeking assis-tance with their market-ing, finances or other business-related issues. In addition to consulta-tion, classes and semi-nars will be readily avail-able. For October, classes regarding social media marketing and business law are already sched-uled. Information about the classes is available at www.region10.net/small-business.

DCED will continue its work on countywide projects designed to create and retain jobs. The most pressing issue

championed by the orga-nization is broadband development. Working closely with Region 10, which recently received a $5.2 million grant for broadband, DCED has been actively engag-ing with the county and municipal governments on planning and imple-mentation of the recent-ly released Broadband Blueprint (available to review at www.region10.net/broadband).

In addition to busi-ness and economic devel-opment, the new space will also provide services that benefit the elderly and disabled. Two promi-nent Region 10 programs the Aging and Dis-ability Resources of Colo-rado (ADRC) and State Health Insurance Assis-tance Program (SHIP) will be available in the new space.

ADRC specializes in providing information and access to the ser-vices that aging and dis-abled community mem-bers need to be self-suf-ficient. ADRC Options counselor Jan Waggoner, whose diverse profession-al background includes a significant amount of time in the health care industry, will be the resi-dent counselor.

Waggoner covers all of Delta County so she spends a significant amount of time out in the field, making house visits.

Our county is aging, and more and more peo-ple have unique needs, Waggoner said. Id like to help people remain happy and independent in their home, because there is no place like home.

Waggoner is available

to meet Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Appointments can be made by calling the Region 10 office at 249-2436.

Sharing office space with ADRC, SHIP pro-vides free counseling and support for Medicare recipients. With ques-tions that cover a wide range of complexities from Part D prescription drug coverage to claims appeals Medicare counseling often neces-sitates the need for indi-vidual attention. SHIP counselor Anne Britton will be available on the second and fourth Mon-day of each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appoint-ments can be made by calling 970-765-3132.

The buzz about co-working spaces like The Hive in Paonia and the Proximity Space in

Montrose initially inspired the partnership. Though the new part-nership is not currently structured like a tradi-tional co-working space, Thibodo is optimistic that this model will develop in the future as the partnership evolves and grows.

We are not going to be like The Hive, Thibo-do continued. But if we start to be a spot where people are sharing ideas and expertise, we can be an important community asset regardless.

As both groups grow into the new location, Thibodo encourages com-munity members to stop by, visit and share their ideas for how the space can be best utilized. Walk-ins are welcomed or interested parties can contact Thibodo at [email protected].

DCED, Region 10 partner to create community hub

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Thursday, October 8 Throwback Thursday Volleyball at home vs. Palisade - 4:30, 5:30 & 6:30 p.m. Soccer at home vs Glenwood Springs, 4:00 & 6:00 p.m. AP/Academic Celebration, 6:00 p.m. Bonre after volleyball game

Friday, October 9 Panther Pride Day - wear your Panther Colors! Cross Country at Conuence Park, 10 a.m. Homecoming Festivities - 1:00-3:00 p.m. Softball at home vs Eagle Valley, 2:00 & 4:00 p.m. Tailgate Barbecue, 5:00 p.m. Football vs. Summit County - 6:00 p.m. with crowning of royalty during halftime

Saturday, October 10 Cross Country at Riverbend Park, Palisade, 10 a.m. JV Softball Tournament at Rie Homecoming Dance - 9:00 p.m.-Midnight

GO PANTHERS!

DELTA HIGH SCHOOLHOMECOMING 2015

We are proud to support theDelta Panthers!

THIS PAGE IS COLOR


Today is the day Hotchkiss freshmen will whitewash H as part of traditional Home-coming festivities. At 9 a.m., prior to painting, a group of volunteers and Hotchkiss alumni will begin efforts to reconstruct the hillside let-ter, which measures rough-ly 25 feet in width and 100 feet in length. Over the years the emblem of Bulldog pride has undergone a patchwork of repairs, but time, weather and dynamiting have left it in rather sad shape.

Carl Clay, a 1961 HHS graduate, recently formed a task force to rebuild the H. He and others met with some of the projects stake-

holders, including the Town of Hotchkiss, the Hotchkiss-Crawford Historical Society and the Hotchkiss Booster Club. All of the partners are very supportive of the efforts, said Clay.

According to a website on mountain monograms, the Big C constructed at the University of California, Berkley, in 1905 was the first mountain monogram. Seen as a symbol of school pride, col-leges began vying for the big-gest monogram, and annual whitewashings have become a tradition. Monograms are now found throughout the country.

A history of the H was pub-lished in a 2014 DCI article by Kathy Browning. Clay

recalled that the mountain monogram or hillside let-ter, started in 1951 as a trench dug in the steep hill-side of what has been dubbed H Hill as an initiation of freshmen Johnny Hotchkiss, Ed Ramey and Dan MacKen-drick into the lettermens club, the H Club. In 1954, white rocks from Raymond White orchards on Rogers Mesa were hauled chain-gang style and placed into the trenches.

In 1959 an effort by H Club members to pour concrete into the trenches was unsuccess-ful, as the concrete oozed downhill. In 1960 a more structured effort involved pouring cement from trucks parked atop the hill and all means possible were used to

keep it in place.In 1962 the lower portion

of the north leg was dyna-mited by two students from rival Paonia. To this day that section is crooked. For a num-ber of years the H was white-washed by students each spring on Red and White Day. That tradition now belongs to incoming fresh-men and is performed during Homecoming week festivities. Clay said that the earliest whitewashings of the H were done with alkali pigment, which is considered caustic. These days they use paint.

Fixing the structure will involve more than just a good paint job. Clay said the con-crete has slowly disintegrated over the years, held together by a few patch jobs and roof bolts.

Clay said the task force is considering fundraising for a full-on restoration project, While they dont yet have a plan in place or cost esti-mates, one idea under con-

sideration is construction of a frame which can be filled with crushed rock. A more immediate project to preserve the structure and prepare for a more permanent project involves directing water away from the concrete to control erosion.

The group meeting today will shore up some of the concrete pieces and replace soil where it has eroded from under concrete. When thats done, freshmen will do the honor of putting on a coat of whitewash.

Carl, who is chair of the Hotchkiss School Alumni Fund, said the group wel-comes volunteers. Bring shov-els, pry bars and good work gloves. In the event of rain the project will be moved to Thursday morning

Clay said he wants the H to remain a source of school and community pride well into the future. But, he said, If were going to have it there, wed better display it properly.

Effort underway to renovate the H

www.deltacountyindependent.comTIMESNORTHF O R K

October 7, 2015

BSection


The Town of Paonia may not be headed for bankruptcy, but it is experiencing dwin-dling cash reserves and a cash crunch that needs to be addressed.

Thats according to town manager Jane Berry, mayor pro tem Charles Stewart and trustee Ross King. King and Stewart serve on the towns finance committee and have been following the towns financial situation closely.

A lot of cash went out the door in the last seven years, including $647,000 traced to theft by the towns former finance officer. Of that money, the town was reimbursed $149,000 through insurance. The town also owed tax pen-alties due to errors in filing taxes, paid double overtime to employees who were exempt from receiving overtime, paid cash bonuses, and is making pension payments to one for-mer employee.

The town is paying for what Stewart referred to as ... a lack of financial con-trol. For years, beginning in about 2007, the town spent money at an alarming rate, said Stewart.

The town does have $1.2 million in cash, plus its oper-ating funds, explained Stew-art, an attorney with expe-rience in finances. But the cash, for the most part, is restricted or allocated a percentage of sales tax must go to capital improvements, money must be set aside for capital improvements to the North Fork Airport, in which the town has 75 percent own-ership, and there is money from grants and low-interest loans to pay for projects, most notably the $6 million, state-mandated water treatment upgrade project currently underway.

In short, the cash the town does have isnt readily avail-able.

And while grants are pay-

ing for the majority of water upgrades, they are reim-bursement grants, said Stew-art. The town must come up with cash to cover project costs up front before receiv-ing reimbursements, which can take 30-90 days. Those bills have run as high as $250,000.

The town was also over-staffed after adding about seven positions over the last few years. Unfortunately, said Berry, the financial numbers didnt justify their hiring.

Many of the towns finan-cial problems came to public light recently with the release of the 2014 audit, along with Town Auditor Viewpoints submitted by the towns audit-ing firm, RubinBrown. While audits are always available to the public, the decision to release the viewpoints was made by the board of trustees to provide transparency as they work their way through the process of correcting years of what King described as benign neglect.

Previous boards never released this type of informa-tion before, said King.

Last fall, prior to Berrys hiring, the towns 2015 draft budget reflected $410,000 in over-expenses. Revenues were over-inflated, too, said Berry, who was hired to help guide the town out of its financial troubles. Berrys salary is paid in part by a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.

In order to balance the bud-get, as required by law, three full-time positions were elimi-nated, and more layoffs may be imminent, said Berry.

Fortunately, said Stewart, the town does have sufficient income flow to cover costs of operation.

Should citizens and tax-payers be concerned that the town will go bankrupt? No, said Stewart. The only reason thee town should be concerned is if this were not being addressed.

Paonia faces cash crunch

Photo by Tamie MeckThe H, as seen from Highway 133. A task force has been formed to rebuild the hillside letter, which dates back to 1951.

Photo by Tamie MeckPaonia-based pilot Ethel Leslie greets Don Geddes, who ew in from Crawford Airport Sat-urday during a y-in/pancake breakfast hosted by the North Fork Valley Airport near Paonia. The Town of Paonia owns 75 percent of the Paonia airport, which is among assets being con-sidered for liquidation. Airport supporters see it as a valuable asset to the town that should not be sold.


As the Town of Paonia grapples with cash shortages caused by years of overspend-ing and theft of more than a half million dollars in cash, the board of trustees is con-sidering ways to raise capital. Under consideration is liqui-dation of assets, including the towns 75 percent ownership in the North Fork Valley Air-port.

During a Sept. 8 public dis-cussion on the 2014 audit, the airport was described as a big asset that produces no revenue, is subsidized by tax-payers, and is used by only a few citizens.

It is hard to understand why we would have such a significant asset that does not produce decent income, said mayor pro tem Charles Stew-art, who called it a pretty unique asset of the town.

A dollar figure has yet to be determined, but the value of the airport isnt seen just in dollars by its proponents.

I believe the airport is a

valuable asset to the com-munity, said Paonia resident Neil Schwieterman, a pilot, plane owner and member of the Colorado Pilots Associa-tion. Schwieterman is also the mayor of Paonia. I have a vested interest in the airport, said Schwieterman. I cant vote, but I can be part of the discussion.

Schwieterman called his interest in flying a lifestyle choice and that like himself, many of the airports users arent wealthy. They simply choose to spend their dis-posable income on aviation-related activities rather than on other toys or expensive vehicles. He said his plane, which he co-owns, cost less than most new cars.

He also maintains that the airport benefits the local econ-omy. The Colorado Depart-ment of Transportations Divi-sion of Aeronautics estimates its annual economic impact to the local economy at about $54,000; when the multiplier effect which posits that injections of extra income

into communities leads to increased spending is fac-tored in, that impact comes closer to $239,000.

There are a lot of peo-ple who would not be here if it werent for the airport, said Larry Garrett, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, com-mercial pilot, flight instruc-tor, mechanic and aircraft inspector who found Paonia after landing at the airport five years ago and spending a day in town. A year later he bought a home in Paonia. His wife, Ethel Leslie, is also a pilot. This is a sanctuary for a lot of people, said Garrett.

The airport averages about 77 flights a week, half of which are generated locally, according to the website Air-Nav. In 2012 the airport was designated as the outstand-ing general aviation airport in the state by the Colorado Pilots Association. The Air-craft Owners and Pilots Asso-ciation estimates that 65 per-cent of general aviation flights involve business and public

Airport lands in middle of Paonia budget talks


The North Fork area has a rich history of coal min-ing. Unfortunately, mining is a boom-and-bust industry that includes a long history of layoffs.

James Roberts knows what its like to lose a good-pay-ing mining job. Roberts, who serves on the Hotchkiss Board of Trustees, worked for Hawks Nest Mine when it and other mines closed during the early 1980s.

I wasnt fond of the mines, but the money was great, said Roberts, who is now retired.

Roberts, who was also a farmer, was one of about 300 mine workers to be laid off from Hawks Nest. It was devastating to us, he said. It cost me a fortune.

Fortunately, a friend and former co-worker told him jobs were plentiful in Califor-nia, and assured him he could

find a job within 24 hours. It was right after Christmas, recalled Roberts. He headed for California and the Los Angeles area and immediately hired on with a Home Depot-style company, where he was known as the old farm boy.

He didnt particularly care for the work, and soon picked up a job driving a cement truck. I had to learn how to drive, said Roberts, but I really enjoyed it.

His wife, Barbara, and their two children followed him to California. On their way out of town, he said, they handed the keys to the fam-ily house in Hotchkiss to the finance company.

Things got rough in Cali-fornia in the early 1990s due to the Rodney King beating and subsequent Los Angeles riots, said Roberts. The fam-ily returned to Colorado and never looked back. We decid-ed were going home, said

Roberts. He decided to contin-ue driving trucks rather than go back to the mines because, I kind of like to watch the sun come up.

Roberts said he feels for the 78 Bowie Mine #2 employ-ees and 19 contractors who received notice of layoffs last week and are facing the loss of all they have worked so hard to gain. He also wor-ries about the community as it faces the loss of more jobs and the declining tax base, and the possible loss of students from the already shrinking school district. Lay-offs over the last three years, now reaching close to 600, also resulted in the closure of businesses, including Farmer Franks, a clothing and shoe retailer that had been in busi-ness more than 50 years.

It affects more than just the miners, said Roberts. Its going to affect Hotchkiss big-time.

Hotchkiss trustee recalls mine layoff for the 1980s

AIRPORT TO B3

THIS PAGE IS COLOR


Hotchkiss High School is a flurry of activities this week as the Bulldogs celebrate Homecoming week. This years theme is Super Heroes.

Each day of the week students dress for a new theme. On Monday, the school went tropi-cal for Hawaiian Days. Tuesdays theme was the Decades, where stu-dents dressed in attire reflecting their favorite decade.

Todays (Wednes-days) dress-up theme is the Tacky Tourist. Beginning at 9 a.m., freshmen and a group

of dedicated volunteers and alumni will spruce up the H (see related story on page B1)

Thursday, Oct. 8, is designated Super Heroes day. Each class will reflect a different super hero: freshmen have the Thing, sophomores will bulk up for the Hulk, the junior class will fly with the Superman theme, and seniors will mask as Batman.

Thursday the girls take to the gridiron at 6 p.m. for powder puff football. During the games parents and stu-dents will have the grill going for the annual stu-dent/parent barbecue, and after the games,

everyone will gather for the bonfire.

Friday is Red and White Day in honor of school colors. Class-es will decorate their respective floats throughout the morning for the annual Home-coming parade, which begins at 1 p.m. at Bridge and First streets and ends at the K-8 School.

Kickoff for the Home-coming football game against Lake County (Leadville) is at 7 p.m. Homecoming royalty will be crowned at half-time. The Hotchkiss Dance Team will per-form following the crowning.

Hotchkiss Homecoming pays homage to Super Heroes with week of fun

B2 Wednesday, October 7, 2015 NORTH FORK TIMES Delta County Independent

Photo by Tamie MeckHotchkiss High School students dressed up for Hawaiian Day Monday as part of Homecoming week festivities. Each day offers a different theme, with the overall theme being Super Heroes.


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Welcome to

HOTCHKISS HOMECOMING 2015SUPERHEROES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 Tacky Tourist Day Freshmen Paint the H, Sophomores & Juniors Paint Paws, Seniors Paint Bricks Float Building, 1-3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 Superheroes Day: Freshmen-The Thing, Sophomores-The Hunk, Juniors -Superman, Seniors-Batman Student/ Parent Barbecue, 6:00 p.m. Powderpuff Football, 7:00 p.m. Bonre, 8:00 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 Red & White Day Cross Country at Delta, 9:00 a.m. Pep Rally, 12:30 p.m. Homecoming Parade, 1:30 p.m. Volleyball at home vs. Rangely, 3:00, 4:00 & 5:00 p.m. Football at home vs. Lake County, 7 p.m. Dance, 9 p.m. GO BU

LLDOGS!

THIS PAGE IS COLOR Airport

FROM PAGE B1service matters that cant be accommodated by com-mercial flight.

The facility offers 24-hour fuel, hangars and tie downs, flight instruction, annual aircraft inspec-tion, mechanical services, glider and banner tow services and more. Visi-tors flying in can drive the courtesy car to town for meals, and purchase cases of wine or boxes of locally-grown produce. The courtesy car is a real magnet for pilots, said Garrett.

Delta County owns the remaining 25 percent of the airport. In the 1980s, said Schwieterman, the town owned and operated the airport and offered a share to local towns and the county. The county was the only one to accept the offer, and now over-sees management of the facility and pays for main-tenance and insurance.

The facility is also uti-lized by Flight for Life and West Elk Mountain Rescue, and as a stag-ing ground for fighting fires. The mines and local

ranchers lease hangars and use the airport to help support their busi-nesses.

Some of its lesser-known uses include seis-mic monitoring, oil and gas exploration, and LiDAR surveys.

The airport was estab-lished in May 1947, on the roughly 160-acre mesa with 360-degree views of Grand Mesa, the Gunni-son River canyons and the West Elks. Its a price-less asset for the commu-nity, said manager Mike Clawson, whose parents managed the airport for 30 years before him. He compares it to having a big fire truck. If it never moves, thats great, but if we need it, we have it.

Because it lacks water, the mesa cant support agriculture, but its north-south orientation and other factors make it ideal for an airport, say pilots, who compare landing on the narrow mesa to land-ing on an aircraft carrier, especially at night when only runway lights are visible.

About 20 planes, one

helicopter and two Ultra-light planes are currently based at the facility. The county owns one of the 13 existing hangars. The rest are leased and generat-ing property taxes, said Clawson. The few remain-ing vacant hangar lots are already spoken for.

Under a 2009 agree-ment, the town and the county are obligated to pay their respective cost share of capital improve-ments remaining after grants, which the coun-ty oversees, and other funding contributions. A $400,000 state grant and $44,000 matching funds from the county paid for recent paving of the 4,500-foot-long, 60-foot-wide runway and associ-ated lighting project that allows pilots flying after dark to activate the lights on approach.

The county and the town share $10,000 annu-al revenue from the lease

of a private cell tower. The town has on reserve $33,000 from that income set aside for its share of a repaving project for the taxiway and parking area, scheduled for 2016. The $500,000 project will be mostly funded by a state aeronautics grant, said Clawson.

The town has stated that a decision isnt likely to be made in the near future and that any pub-lic discussion will likely be lengthy.

Garrett, who also chairs the Delta County Airport Advisory Board that keeps county com-missioners informed of its status, said some of the trustees have never been to the airport, and some of the towns residents dont even know it exists. They need to come out for a visit, said Garrett. If they dont know whats here, they dont under-stand the value.

Delta County Independent NORTH FORK TIMES Wednesday, October 7, 2015 B3

Proclamation

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At a work session on Sept. 29 Hotchkiss trust-ees were informed that the town is being asked to commit money toward building middle-mile broadband infrastruc-ture. The Delta-Montrose Electric Association, which is partnering with Region 10 on a grant to build that infrastructure, originally asked the town for a letter of support. DMEA has not made a final decision to be an Internet service provid-er.

This represents a big jump in DMEAs position from its original request of a letter of support, said trustee Tom Wills.

Initial estimates put the towns share at $171,000, but that would likely go down, said trust-ee Dustyn Foster, who represented Hotchkiss at an informational meeting hosted by Delta County on Sept. 24 and attended by municipality repre-sentatives and partners in the project.

The money would allow fiber to be connect-ed to carrier-neutral loca-tions (CNL) designated by the town, which must commit to those anchor

locations by Oct. 9. The estimated cost to

the town to install fiber is $11 per foot for cable plus $5,500 equipment cost for each anchor point, which is estimated to cost $27,000

delta county independent, oct. 7, 2015

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