Federal grant hastens Brush Creek intersection project
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
This month, Gunnison County received a multi-million dollar federal infrastructure grant for road improvements. The money will circulate throughout the Gunnison Valley, bolstering town and city budgets for projects that will improve road safety along the Hwy. 135 corridor.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) doled out $15.2 million to the county as a part of
its “Safe Streets and Roads for All” (SS4A) program. The DOT awarded over 350 grants this year, amounting to $1 billion in federal aid for the country’s aging road system. Gunnison County’s award was by far the largest in Colorado, according to the SS4A database.
The county applied for the grant with the City of Gunnison and Town of Crested Butte, as the approved application ropes in each municipalities’ street safety plans. The award will be used toward the valley’s traffic safety improvement project, the “Gunnison Valley CO-135 Safety Action Plan.” The project is expected to cost $19 million, and the county is responsible for the local match to bolster federal funds.
The grant also guarantees that the county can begin construction on the Brush Creek Roads A7
GVH to acquire Gunnison Valley Family Physicians
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Gunnison Valley Health is in the process of purchasing Gunnison Valley Family Physicians (GVFP), the city’s last traditional, independent primary care provider. While the acquisition had been previously considered for 2025, mounting pressures on the clinic forced an accelerated timeline that will conclude in the coming weeks, once negotiations are complete. GVFP, a primary care provider located on Virginia Physicians A6
Housing Authority reimagines its future role
Updated needs assessment complete
Bella Biondini Times Editor
With the guidance of a new strategic plan and incoming data from an updated housing needs assessment, Executive Director Melissa LaMonica’s goal is to get the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority back on course during a time of great need in the community.
In recent years, many have questioned the identity of the Housing Authority, which for a time has blended into the
background with a number of housing-oriented organizations and nonprofits such as the Valley Housing Fund and the Gunnison Valley Housing Task Force. After working through five leadership changes in two years (three executive directors and two interim directors), the Housing Authority has struggled to define its role within the community. At the same time, the valley’s need for stable leadership in the housing sector has only become more dire.
LaMonica stepped into the director role in May 2024 following the resignation of Andy Kadlec the previous winter. Using her background in real estate and finance, LaMonica hopes to increase the Housing Housing A2
The Western Colorado University cheerleading squad rolled through town in style during the music cruise on Sept. 3. For more, see A12. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
QUOTE of the week
“You’ll do a surgery, then go into an appointment for a kitten, then you’ll go see a horse, a guinea pig — you never get bored.”
— Kristen Barrett, Mountain Legacy
See story on B5
BRIEFS
Xeriscaping on Ohio Avenue
The City of Gunnison is rethinking its landscaping plans for the medians of the Ohio Avenue multimodal project based on the amount of longterm maintenance required, the cost of installation and water demand.
During a regular meeting on Sept. 10, city council decided to pursue a xeriscape design, saving the city approximately $80,000 on the project and thousands of dollars in future water use. The original landscaping cost totaled nearly $130,000. Because they would need an irrigation system, even the use of Colorado native grasses and perennials would require between 2,500-3,500 gallons a month per median. Xeriscaping the medians with crushed granite, drought-resistant species such as Mexicali penstemons and little Trudy catmint, small boulders and flowerpots (similar to those found downtown, but smaller) was the preferred option. The flower pots would be hand watered by the city’s seasonal gardeners. Each median is estimated to require less than 300 gallons of water per month. Landscaping is scheduled for the spring of 2025.
Times
candidate forum
The Times is seeking community-composed questions for its upcoming county commissioners candidate forum, scheduled for Monday, Oct. 14 at the Gunnison Arts Center Black Box Theater from 7-8:30 p.m. Please submit questions to editor@ gunnisontimes.com with the subject line “Candidate forum 2024.” The deadline for submissions is Oct. 9.
Correction
The story titled “Park Service to manage grazing at Curecanti, Black Canyon,” in the Sept. 5 edition of the Times contained the wrong link to submit public comments. The correct web address is parkplanning.nps. gov/BLCACUREGRAZING. The comment window closes on Sept. 20.
Authority’s capacity to keep up with the growing inventory of deed-restricted homes and rentals, as well as the needs of the municipalities it serves.
This summer the organization released a new strategic plan, with a clear outline of how the Housing Authority plans to become the “regional leader and resource on affordable housing.” The document is meant to guide the Housing Authority at least through 2026. For the first time since 2016, the organization will also have access to data from a new regional housing needs assessment — a report that will further steer its direction.
In the past, saying “yes” to too much has had unintended consequences, said board president Laura Puckett Daniels. For example, in the case of the Frontier Land mobile home park, a purchase agreement fell through. With the adoption of the plan, the organization wants its decisionmaking to be more deliberate, she said.
“Because we've been through so much transition in the last few years, it means that some balls have been dropped, and in an effort to help, we haven't been able to carry everything we've said yes to … we do often play multiple different roles, but we have to ask ourselves, what role are we ready for right now?”
Puckett Daniels said.
The Housing Authority board of directors began writing the new plan before LaMonica was hired with the intent of reducing the transition period, and outlining the skills they wanted in a new director. The board met with the Housing Authority team, the municipalities it serves — Gunnison County, the City of Gunnison, the Town of Crested Butte and the Town of Mt. Crested Butte — and its other partners to get a clearer understanding of the needs it wasn’t filling.
The Housing Authority is funded through intergovernmental agreements with the towns,
city and county, which generate roughly $400,000 each year. This is supplemented with property management fees and grants. Its 2024 budget hovered at just under $1 million.
In a time of increasing expectations, the board found that many of its partners believed the Housing Authority was falling short. During this process, those interviewed cited a lack of timely responses to inquiries from residents seeking affordable rentals, families stuck on waitlists and first-time buyers in need of assistance. The group expressed a desire for “higher level” of service and new programming. That covers everything from property management to its ownership program, which manages the valley’s deed restrictions.
Addressing all of these issues will come with rebuilding trust with the community, LaMonica said.
“[It’s] improving that relationship and the public perception of who we are and what we do,” she said.
Up until this point, the Housing Authority has mostly served as a property manager for affordable housing units across the valley. This includes Sawtooth and Mountain View in Gunnison,
and Anthracite Place and the Elk Valley Townhomes, among others, in Crested Butte. It also runs an “ownership” program that manages the entire life cycle of deed-restricted units, from build to resale, in addition to GV-HEAT, a program that helps Gunnison County households reduce their energy costs.
But the demands on each program have continued to rise. Since 2016, the number of rental properties the Housing Authority manages has more than doubled, with more currently on the way. The same is true for deed-restricted homes. A deed restriction is a legal agreement that dictates who can purchase a property and how they are resold. The restrictions are usually income-based. Over the same time period, with the addition of properties like Lazy K, the number of deed restrictions the Housing Authority manages has increased to more than 500 valleywide.
Even with rising workload, the number of people managing the Housing Authority’s properties and programs has stayed mostly stagnant — the work split between a team of four including the executive director. But this is starting to change. Over the summer, the organization hired a
new property administrator and has plans to add an accounting role next. The Housing Authority has plans to increase its ability to have Spanish interpretation services in-house to better support the valley’s Hispanic community. Since she started, LaMonica found that a lack of clarity in its finances has possibly hindered the Housing Authority’s growth. While the property management program pays for itself, to make more money, the Housing Authority often has to ask for it. The amount given each year through the intergovernmental agreements has increased by almost $140,000 since 2020. But up until this point, the board has been operating in a “scarcity mindset” where it has been hesitant to add new employees, LaMonica said. This has stretched existing staff thin. “Our financials have been unnecessarily complex … Our board was never able to see that clear picture of performance and need,” LaMonica said. “If you don't have that, then you can't tell the story [or] ask for more funding to get the resources that you need to build.”
continued on A3
Sawtooth phase two is currently under construction on the south side of Gunnison. The projected move-in date is January 2025. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
the resources that you need to build.”
Needs assessment coming soon
The Housing Authority’s valleywide needs assessment is set for release by early October. The report, which will help town planners to take a closer look at the disparities between the price to rent or own a home compared to what residents can afford, will allow the organization to add another layer of detail to its long-range plan.
The results of the assessment
will direct which new programs the Housing Authority offers in the future. LaMonica and her team are interested in possibly reintroducing a downpayment and renter’s assistance programs, and educational home buying, deed-restriction and homeownership classes. A variety of other housing programs in Colorado resort towns have also caught her attention. She said she is interested in exploring Eagle County’s “Lease to Locals” program, which offers property owners one-time cash incentives to convert their vacant or vacation rentals into long-term hous -
ing. Another program helps the owners of older and manufactured homes pay for renovations to make the properties more liveable.
“Once we get the results, we can assess what is the greatest need and the greatest impact that we can make … We have our own ideas, but really want to be based in the data,” LaMonica said.
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.)
A new space for local art
The Gunnison Arts Center unveiled its newly-renovated Cy Baird Gallery during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 6. The late Cy Baird, a longtime Gunnison Valley resident, was a staunch supporter of local artists. After perusing the new gallery space, revelers took a stroll down Main Street to visit other First Friday Art Walk vendors.
Production Manager Issa Forrest issa@gunnisontimes.com
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To find common ground with common sense
Lisa Henry Special to the Times
To my voters and community, I am Lisa Henry and your county commissioner candidate for District 1.
Thirty-nine years ago and living in Germany at the time, I heard about this little college in a small Colorado mountain town and thought, ‘This is exactly what I need to find some roots
and settle down.’ Western instantly got my attention and I fell in love and made this my home. It’s the community where I met Marvin Henry, born and raised in Gunnison and now my husband of 34 years. Gunnison became our community where we raised our three amazing children.
Finding a community to become a part of was my childhood dream. You see, at the age of 13 my world was overturned and uprooted, so to speak. I lost both my parents, 21 days apart. Two years later I moved with my aunt and uncle to Stuttgart, Germany to attend high school. I had become a part of a military family once again.
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity and privilege to travel the world and experience
things most don’t get to. During high school to pay for my travel and expenses I bagged groceries in the commissary, processed classified documents in the military mail room and assisted in the office of the 4 Star General of the United States-European Command. This is where I was shown what hard work could do for your future.
I am a small business owner and an assistant manager at the Ol’ Miner Steakhouse in Gunnison. My family and I have seen many changes, faced challenges and chose to stay and be committed to our community. Over the last couple of years I have become more committed to understanding the challenges facing our Gunnison Valley. We have friends and neighbors, sell-
These issues matter to
Liz Smith Special to the Times
2024
LETTERS POLICY
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Two of the most common questions I’ve been asked in my first term as Gunnison County Commissioner for District 1 include, “What does a county commissioner even do?” and “Why in the world would you want to do this?”
The answer to the first question is more than I can detail in 800 words, though I’ll try to cover a few bases in what follows. But I also want to share a little about what drives me to do this work.
The short answer is I’ve always been more motivated by a sense of purpose than pursuing a particular job or career, and the services counties provide are connected to some of my most formative childhood experiences.
My parents divorced when I was young. I visited food banks with my mom and still remember the shame I felt when we paid with food stamps at the grocery store. I was fortunate to have the stability of my childhood home part of the week with my dad. But in the immediate fallout of the divorce, “home” with my mom included a rotation of staying with friends or relatives.
ing homes, businesses and moving out of our beautiful valley. It has made me sad listening to their stories of why. This is one of the many reasons why I want to become part of the county commissioner team, to find common ground with common sense to build a stronger, united community. To have the opportunity to share my values with you of family, faith and hard work. Together we can create lasting solutions for a brighter small town future. I am here with a listening ear. What can our county do to help our community strive?
(Lisa Henry is a candidate for Gunnison County commissioner in District 1.)
me because they are personal
For a time, it also included an abandoned house on my uncle’s property. It had plumbing and electricity, but my mom had to maneuver the kitchen on joists because the floor was falling in. I remember watching the stars from the car window when we’d make the 90-minute drive to my school.
Experiences like these have influenced what I’ve prioritized in my first term as a commissioner. As a mom, I know the struggle of accessing quality and affordable early childhood education in our community. Workforce housing remains one of our most pressing issues — not just here, but across the state. And as enhanced public benefits from the pandemic have tapered off, more people than ever rely on resources like the Gunnison Country Food Pantry. These issues matter to me because they’re personal.
Housing remains one of the biggest challenges in our community, and I couldn’t be more proud of the work we’ve done in this space. Local governments used pandemic American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding in very different ways, but our Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) directed every dollar of the $8.1 million we received to the Sawtooth workforce housing development by Fred Field Center. After voters approved our ballot question in 2022 to support expanded allowable uses for Local Marketing District revenues, we allocated another $1 million to the project.
These capital investments allowed us to keep rent lower for
all 50 units, which serve people in the 80-120% area median income (AMI) range. When the debt service is paid off, it will generate more than $500,000 per year that the county can reinvest into issues like workforce housing. I’m not aware of any other community that has leveraged ARPA funding to create this kind of sustainable revenue for future needs.
The county has also made progress toward our proposed 250+ unit Whetstone housing development just south of Crested Butte. When the state issued $28 million in the first round of its Transformational Affordable Housing grant program in 2023, the county received $10 million. That’s more than one-third of what was awarded across the entire state.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded us a $15.2 million Safe Streets for All grant that will fund safety improvements along Hwy. 135, including a roundabout with safe pedestrian access for Whetstone. This has been a critical infrastructure piece for the project to move forward with the support of the Town of Crested Butte and utility extension.
These projects are in addition to the 76 Paintbrush apartment units — 67 of which are deedrestricted — we’ve facilitated in Gunnison. We continue to work with community partners to preserve workforce housing in vulnerable developments like Country Meadows mobile home park. And, we recently acquired a 15-acre parcel just north of Gunnison to plan for future
housing needs.
We also need systematic, statewide improvements to better serve our children. In my capacity serving on the state’s Child Fatality Review Team, I see some of the most devastating things that happen to kids in Colorado. In addition to making policy recommendations, I bring this context to my work on the state’s Child Welfare Allocation Committee, which is responsible for determining the formula that distributes child welfare resources to counties across the state.
When I realized the formula disadvantages counties like ours that do more prevention work, I started a workgroup to evaluate how the values that have historically informed our allocation model need to change.
These are just a few of the issues I’ve worked on that impact how people in our community experience day to day life. I would invite people to visit my website to learn more about other work I’ve done on the opioid crisis, early childhood education, plans for short-term rental licensing and regulation, cheatgrass and habitat restoration and advocacy for protections on the Crystal River (to name a few).
It’s been an honor serving Gunnison County these past four years, and I hope to earn the support of our community to continue doing so.
(Liz Smith is the incumbent Gunnison County commissioner for District 1.)
Independent oversight board needed for Whetstone
Editor:
Gunnison County is the landowner and developer of the proposed Whetstone Housing Project, estimated to cost around $140 million. Are our residents aware that the county has already spent $8 million on purchasing the land and on consultants?
On Oct. 8, Gunnison County will appear before its own Planning Commission, whom the county commissioners appointed to their positions, for final approval of the project. At the same meeting, our county commissioners will vote on the final approval for the project. Does anyone see a problem here?
To my knowledge, the county has put in place no ethical guidelines or framework to address the separation of its multiple roles concerning the project. Other Colorado counties have undertaken similar projects facing potential conflicts of interests, and complicated governance issues. In many situations, a board of citizens has been established as a check on the integrity of the county's decision-making process. Our county should adopt this approach to convey to its citizens that it is acting in accordance with the highest standards of integrity and governmental conduct.
Why hasn’t an independent oversight board been constituted to review Whetstone and the procedural maneuvers the county is using on its own behalf to quickly advance it with minimal public scrutiny?
Recently, Commissioner Laura Puckett Daniels, a vocal advocate for Whetstone, and who also sits on the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation (RTA) board, declined to recuse herself from discussions concerning an important safety issue at Whetstone. Commissioner Smith and Planning Commissioner Schwartz, both of whom also sit on the RTA Board, felt it was appropriate to recuse themselves.
An independent oversight board could consider various questions including:
• How can we be assured that this project really meets our affordable housing needs?
The county’s own consultant, Western Spaces, has recently provided data to the county that calls this into serious question.
• How do we know that the county’s requests for design concessions (building height increases, among others) are necessary, appropriate and in the public interest?
• Is the Planning Commission the appropriate body to examine all these topics?
I encourage all residents to join me in asking for an independent oversight board to ensure that decisions are fair, transparent and free from undue influence from the county’s multiple roles in the proposed Whetstone project. The board’s efforts should include
an independent legal review by qualified outside counsel of whether the county’s actions and roles to date have been consistent with Colorado ethical and legal requirements.
If our elected leaders decline to appoint an independent citizen’s oversight board, I ask that they publicly set forth the reasons they believe it is unnecessary, and how they will address the serious issues raised in this letter in their multiple roles at Whetstone.
Please write to our county commissioners at: bocc@gunnisoncounty.org. And please come to the public meeting on Oct. 8.
Marcus Martin Crested Butte
Risky business
Editor:
Last week’s Crested Butte News contained an excellent letter from Jim Day that included the following comment: “Now the town has taken a bite from the bait-and-switch county apple, again ignoring the legitimate concerns of legal and financial advice of trusted professional citizens regarding true costs to town and citizens.”
What are those legitimate concerns that have been ignored?
• Whetstone’s targeted occupants, with incomes of high 5 and low 6 figure incomes, are not the essential workers who have the most difficulty finding housing (and who keep the Crested Butte tourist-based economy humming).
• Whetstone is not affordable, with rents starting at $2,000 per month for one room efficiency units, for example.
• Why have our mayor, council members and town manager proceeded despite Gunnison County’s serial failures: to honor its promise to pay all Whetstone costs without town subsidy; to provide robust engineering analysis; and to provide detailed construction cost and feasibility data, to mention just a few of the county’s derelictions.
• Why has our town council not pushed back against Gunnison County’s relentless pressure for premature decisions?
• Why is there no financial support from Vail Resorts, the Town of Mt. Crested Butte, Gunnison Valley Hospital, Gunnison Watershed School District, Crested Butte Fire Protection District and other major employers? If Whetstone is “essential,” why have those players not signed up to help, leaving Crested Butte’s citizens to shoulder all the risk of serving Whetstone with water and sewer service?
• Why have Mayor Ian Billick and our town council members avoided a thorough, honest public conversation about these and other citizen concerns regarding Whetstone?
Although Billick has often thanked us for our input, the manner in which he conducts
public meetings is dismissive of citizen comments. One three-minute comment per person, without any town council engagement, conversation or back-and-forth with constituents regarding their input or concerns is pretend outreach, not true transparency.
Doing workforce housing right is important and is supported by everyone in Gunnison County. It’s too important to rush into this complicated and risky endeavor without proper analysis. It’s not too late for our mayor and council members to pause until Gunnison County provides the important data that should inform this important town council decision.
David Leinsdorf Crested Butte
Whetstone misses the mark
Editor:
Our community is facing an urgent gap between our housing needs, availability and affordability. While we've had a sense for the problem, we now have a clear definition of our needs.
As the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority’s 2024 housing study illustrates, the valley’s most dominant and urgent needs are at the level we would expect: those earning less, and in most cases substantially less, than our area’s average income ($72,100).
The housing study confirms that the overwhelming majority (almost 80%) of our valley-wide needs are for those who earn less than $72,000 — over 600 affordable rentals are needed for this core group of our community.
We need solutions tailored to these pressing issues grounded in reality, not politics. We have limited resources, time, land and energy. Our housing problems are exhausting us and dominating every aspect of our lives. There are projects on the horizon and some, like Crested Butte’s Mineral Point (34 units), are targeted toward the biggest problems we are facing right now. But the county’s much larger proposed Whetstone project (252 units, 476 bedrooms, housing over 600 people) misses the mark given the most recent study.
Whetstone, as currently designed, is not going to resolve even a sliver of our problems, which could mean empty units and a lingering financial responsibility for every county resident. The vast majority (over 150) of those 252 units will be priced at levels that most people can’t afford, with rents attainable only for individuals earning more than $86,500 and up from there.
There are no apartments at Whetstone that will have rents affordable for those making less than $58,000 as an individual, which is where our massive need — at least 530 apartments
Avenue, has offered comprehensive medical services to thousands of valley residents for more than eight decades. This includes sports medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics, immunizations, newborn care and more. The office contains six providers, five who are partners with equal ownership stakes in the business, and one nurse practitioner.
The practice has shouldered years of compounded costs from delayed insurance reimbursements, new electronic health record software and the loss of several physicians assistants and doctors to retirement. Facing the possibility of closure, the practice started negotiations with GVH, said Practice Manager Marsha Thorson.
“It touched a lot of generations, delivered generations of patients here in the valley,” Thorson said. “So there's definitely mixed emotions with everything that is happening, because we've been independent for 82 years. It's not been easy.”
The deal should be finalized by the end of the month, said hospital CEO Jason Amrich. GVFP will continue operating as a private practice through Sept. 30, and reopen under the GVH banner in the first week of October. GVFP’s phone numbers will remain live to avoid confusion. All existing patient medical records will transfer over to GVH.
Patients can continue to receive care and see their existing providers at GVFP’s current location, 130 E. Virginia Ave. GVH is purchasing the business and leasing the building. The GVH board is planning to build a medical services building in north Gunnison, which could house primary care offices.
Currently, GVFP is equally owned by the five physicians and member-partners: Jay McMurren, Lauretta Garren, Eric Thorson, Laura Villanueva and Megan Tucker. GVH had the practice valued by a third party and is in negotiations over a final price for the business. Through an asset purchase agreement, the partners will sell their stake in the business and become GVH employees.
The practice will be integrated into the GVH Family Medicine Department, its primary care system. According to Amrich, the purchase ensures that GVFP physicians have the option to keep practicing in the Gunnison Valley, sustain a local network of primary care providers and offer quicker continuity for referrals, labs and other testing.
“We feel pretty lucky to bring in an organization like GVFP with eight decades of experience and longstanding in the community, into GVH,” Amrich said. “We recognize just how hard it is to operate health care, and so if we can provide that landing spot and continue that access for the community, that's basically a win-win for everybody.”
A litany of hardships
GVFP opened in 1942, in the era of the American country doctor. These doctors traveled around the valley to deliver babies, conduct routine checkups and even respond to emergency calls. Over the years, the practice grew to serve the valley’s expanding population, adjusting to the advent of public health care (Medicare and Medicaid) in the 60s and decades later, private health care.
In time, distinctions between private and public insurance have been obscured or fallen away completely. Commercial insurers entered the public health care sector with programs like Medicare Advantage. The industry-wide cross pollination has made dealing with insurance increasingly complex, Thorson said. Then, the advent of the Affordable Care Act in 2014 further obfuscated the picture.
GVFP outsourced its billing in 2021, in part due to the growing convolution in the insurance landscape — a significant expense added to the books.
“Our hands are tied, and we're trying to participate in that American health care system, working with the different insurance [companies] and we can't control what their insurance does,” she said. “That's very challenging.”
Payments from insurers are unpredictable, Thorson said.
Contracts between insurers and providers, called fee schedules, determine how much the insurer pays for each medical service. These contracts are rife with uncertainty and make it hard for providers to know how much or when they’ll be paid. Reimbursements vary based on insurer, policy and specific plan details (deductible, co-pay, etc).
Some of GVFP’s insurer fee schedules are 10-15 years old. The task of reworking these contracts requires precious time the few clinic staff don’t have, she said. And, small rural clinics reworking a fee schedule with major insurers like United HealthCare, Aetna or Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is not a negotiation.
“That's the term that's used,
with the practice that's really not how it works,” Thorson said.
“We've never been able to say, ‘Oh no, we need this’ and it’s a back and forth. They tell us what they're going to do, if anything … We have no leverage.”
And, the lag time between a patient visit and insurance companies’ payments to the clinic could be months, or even years, Thorson said. The practice was also penalized by insurance companies for not meeting their reporting metrics, due to GVFP’s old electronic health care software which limited staff’s ability to pull data. The result? Financial penalties.
The practice dealt for years with an antiquated electronic health record (EHR) system, software that contains digital records of a patient’s medical history. Before 2022, the practice’s system was over 20 years old. That year, the federal government decided that the program no longer met security standards, and mandated an update. The new EHR, with new layers of security and data reporting, and hardware updates cost the practice $100,000, Thorson said.
The hard knocks continued with the pandemic, which not only permanently inflated the clinic’s supply costs, but hiked up the cost of living for all Gunnison Valley workers as second homeowners purchased up valley real estate. Then, in February of 2022, the practice’s former office manager Barbara Helen Rider was indicted by a grand jury for embezzling just under $900,000 from the GVFP over the near-15 years of her employment
In August of that year, she pled guilty to felony theft and felony tax evasion and was sentenced to six years of supervised probation. She was ordered to pay $886,000 in restitution, but has only paid $150,000 back so far. The practice never recovered.
“It's incomprehensible. You can't really convey the level of damage it does to a business. Five years later, we are still dealing with [and] recovering from that incident,” Thorson said.
Community-focused deal
The two health care provid -
ers have been collaborators for years, from GVFP physician Jay McMurren taking shifts in GVH’s emergency department to the clinic’s physicians referring patients to the hospital’s imaging, blood testing and specialists.
The providers’ leaders previously considered whether joining together would make the valley’s health care landscape more resilient by devising more unified primary care, Amrich said. They planned a possible acquisition for sometime in the fall of 2025, occurring after GVH onboarded its new electronic health record system, Epic.
But the outcome of this yearslong, small-town cooperation hit home when GVFP lost two PAs, one doctor left on maternity leave and several other staff and physicians retired between 2022-2024. With fewer doctors to bring in paying patients, the financial picture dimmed. The shortage, on top of accruing expenses, proved to be one burden too many for the clinic. Facing the prospect of shutting down, and further constraining the valley’s tenuous primary care landscape, the clinic started negotiations with GVH.
“We are thrilled that we don't have to just close our doors and leave and leave our patients without care,” Thorson said.
Now, under the banner of the larger hospital, the GVFP team can focus on providing care while the increasingly complicated task of managing insurance reimbursements, billing and facility upkeep is absorbed, Amrich said. GVH, as an isolated rural hospital, faces the same slew of financial pressures — inflating materials costs, recruiting challenges and poor reimbursement from commercial or federal insurers. But its infrastructure is larger, so, for now, it can shoulder these burdens.
This is not the first time GVH has stepped in to help private businesses with imperiled finances sustain these services in the Gunnison Valley. In February of this year, GVH brought in a nonprofit provider to take over Gunnison’s child
care center, Wonderland Nature School, after it weathered years of financial hardship.
“I think about access to health care beyond even GVHnative walls, and I really wanted to make sure that the patients for GVFP had a place to go for the long term, for stability. We wanted to make sure the providers had that sense of stability,” Amrich said. “So we felt almost duty-bound to ensure that there was adequate access to primary care going forward.”
The acquisition means that all traditional, full-scale primary care in Gunnison (outside of a few non-Western medicine providers) now exists under one organization. The consolidation of care across the valley under GVH — it acquired a Vail-Summit Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery clinic earlier this year — means that most residents, when selecting care, are faced with fewer choices.
Outside county borders, behemoth corporations like Walmart, Amazon, CVS and private equity firms are snatching up large health care companies, only to divest parts of the businesses years later at the behest of profit-focused shareholders. But GVH, a nonprofit, county-owned hospital whose CEO answers to a seven-person board, has no shareholders. The amount it can raise rates (to both commercial and government payers) is capped. That’s on top of having no control over how insurance companies determine patient’s premiums, copays and deductibles.
“It's actually a luxury on their [private equity firms and corporations] end that they can say, ‘Hey, we're going to solve health care's problems,’ and then they realize how hard it is and they divest,” Amrich said. “We, as a county owned community hospital, don't have that luxury. We have to exist for now and then decades into the future. Our commitment to serving the community is as real as it gets.”
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
The clinic’s current location on Virginia Avenue will remain open, soon under GVH ownership. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
Road renovations as early as 2025, when planners hope to break ground on Whetstone, said Assistant County Manager for Operations and Sustainability John Cattles. Whetstone is the county’s planned incomerestricted housing development south of Crested Butte. The renovated intersection will serve as the primary entrance to Whetstone, adding a roundabout and pedestrian underpass that permits future residents to cross Hwy. 135 safely and connect with public transit.
During Whetstone negotiations this summer, the county could not guarantee breaking ground on Brush Creek before 2027 due to funding shortages. The grant, along with a local match, provides $8 million towards the renovation, allowing the county to speed up the timelines and break ground as early as next year.
The county will work with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) on all the safety projects, as the agency maintains the two-lane highway. The road bears the brunt of daily commuters and tourists coming in from the Front Range and elsewhere on the Western Slope, and serves as the main travel corridor for public transit throughout Gunnison Valley.
“Hwy. 135 is the arterial connection between our two largest communities,” said Assistant County Manager for Public Works Martin Schmidt. “It has the largest impact on the citizens in the community.”
The county received a $160,000
planning grant earlier this year to examine the corridor between its intersection with Hwy. 50 in Gunnison and Elk Avenue in Crested Butte. That action plan, drafted by consultant Fehr Peers, identified the areas of highest risk and compiled publicly available crash data from CDOT and Colorado State Patrol. Since 2018, there have been five fatalities from traffic-related crashes along Hwy. 135, according to Fehr Peers’ report.
The safety issues in that corridor are serious, and include speeding vehicles, narrow road shoulders, poor driver lines of sight and lack of safe crossing infrastructure. The proposed improvements include adding rumble strips, extending guardrails, changing speed limits, adding sidewalks and even $870,000 for installing a radio tower for emergency responders in a “dead zone.” The grant does not include money for the Crested Butte to Crested Butte South multimodal trail.
The plan lays out three roundabouts: Brush Creek Road, Cement Creek Road and Red Lady Avenue, slowing inbound Crested Butte traffic. Roundabouts slow traffic and allow for safer entrance into each community.
In Gunnison, at the intersection of Hwy. 50 and Hwy. 135, the plan proposes to extend the curbs farther into the roadway, add flashing yellow lights for left turns and even add “leading pedestrian intervals” — a 3-7 second head start for pedestrians crossing the street before cars are given the green light. The intersection is notorious for “near misses” especially as motorists turn east or west onto Hwy. 50, in
direct sunlight.
The Gunnison Watershed School District will also benefit from the grant, as part of it will pay for the construction of a roundabout at the Red Lady Avenue intersection in Crested Butte, or the entrance to town. This intersection is adjacent to Crested Butte Community School, currently under construction for the district’s renovation project.
“We had budgeted for our share of the Red Lady [Avenue] roundabout, and now this grant will be picking up a good portion of what we had budgeted,” Superintendent Leslie Nichols said in Sept. 9 school board meeting. “It's just tremendous.”
The county needs to provide a 20% match for all SS4A Those matching funds will come, in part, from the county’s already-slim Road and Bridge Department fund over the next several years, Schmidt said. The match requirement may force Public Works to forgo other projects in coming years. The county anticipates bringing on contractors to start work within a year.
“The reality is, there's no way for us to build a roundabout, do major intersection improvements or spend $400,000 on rumble strip improvements for lane departures without grant funds,” Schmidt said. “We don't have the ability to spend that, we have to leverage the little bit we have towards larger projects, and that's what this does.”
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
— is currently. This raises the obvious questions:
• Why isn't the county addressing the largest and most urgent segments of our housing gaps at Whetstone?
• Shouldn't there be a correlation between the range of rents at Whetstone and our actual needs?
• What’s the county's plan to house the massive constituency who won't be able to live at Whetstone, but who need housing?
The county says it can house over 600 people at Whetstone. Let's ask them to use our resources to answer the community’s most pressing call and create units across the income levels. Yes, we need rentals for the "missing middle," but not 252 apartments. The housing study indicates we need about 100 units across the valley for that segment. Whetstone — the largest housing initiative our valley has seen — represents a promising opportunity to address our housing crisis, but
only if it’s designed to accommodate the full range of our needs.
It's not too late for the county to adjust its plans for Whetstone so it aligns with where we now clearly know our needs lie. But time is running out, so please make your voice heard today so the county knows how we want it to use our resources to answer our housing crisis.
Please write to our county commissioners at bocc@gunnisoncounty.org or attend or Zoom their public meeting on Oct. 8.
Paula Martin Crested Butte
To my Republican friends and relatives
Editor:
This 2024 election, I will vote for freedom, democracy and the U.S. Constitution.
• A separation of church and state.
• Voting rights for all citizens
• Co-equal branches of gov-
A home for the hens
ernment: Executive, Legislative and Judicial.
• All citizens are equal under the law, the president included.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• “Gender equality.”
• Social security, Medicare and Medicaid.
• Unions.
• A living minimum wage, pegged to inflation.
• A fair, graduated tax system.
• Freedom of fear from the repeated mass shootings of school children and the general populace by banning assault weapons and instituting sane gun laws.
• The abortion issue: I will believe as I chose, but I will not try to force my beliefs on others.
• A level playing field for all, free education for those who cannot afford an education after high school, through the age 21. Think what the GI bill did.
• The southern border: Those of Spanish American history, Saint Augustine, 1565; San Juan on the Rio Grande, 1598; Sante Fe, 1697; Texas, 16911821; Louisiana Territory, 1762-
1800; Mexican Cession of 1848 (all of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico west of the Rio Grande. So who do I see, doing most of the physical work in the U.S.? All construction, our food supply, garden, orchard and animal to the table, the service and hospitality industry and on and on. I wonder how well we would get along without these family-oriented, hardworking folks?
Folks, read the Republican agenda for our country, Project 2025. Google it. My hope is to leave this world and the country I love, the world’s beacon for freedom and democracy, intact — sincerely your 89-year-old, second generation Gunnison native.
Bill Smith Gunnison
In awe of the camaraderie
Editor:
I write to express my deepest gratitude to the GunnisonCrested Butte Association
of Realtors (and in particular, my outstanding realtor, Alex Richland) for their generous contributions to the local homebuyer assistance fund. Being a first-time homebuyer, gathering the cash needed to put an offer on a house felt like nothing short of a momentous feat. This grant has allowed me to reallocate funds for immediate repair needs in my new home and has been a considerable help in relieving some of the financial stressors in this process. As always, I am in constant awe of the camaraderie and care this community continues to show for one another. My dog, Tigre, would also like to extend her eternal appreciation for now having a yard of her own.
The Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) spent Labor Day weekend working to improve Gunnison sage-grouse habitat. Volunteers arranged rocks into structures that help wet meadows retain water. This reduces erosion and promotes the growth of native vegetation. The project was a collaboration between WRV, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District.
(Courtesy Morgan Crowley/Wildlands Restoration Volunteers)
Amy and Tigre Cirbo Gunnison
Western revamps campus security app
Parking passes now required for students and visitors
Bella Biondini Times Editor
Following the rise of violence on school campuses around the country, Western Colorado University has taken extra steps to keep students and faculty safe.
Campus Security Services recently released a revamped version of the “Western Safe” app, an all-in-one resource students can easily access on their phones. This has been paired with an update to Western’s campus emergency plan, a process that wrapped up before the start of the fall semester.
“You have it all right there in your hand on your phone, and it can help you do a lot of things to keep yourself safe,” said Dean of Students Gary Pierson.
Many large universities have a series of “blue light” emergency phones, which immediately connect the caller with emergency services, whether it's the local police department or campus security. The phone poles usually have a glowing blue light on the top, making it easy to locate.
When Dashown Wilson started as the director of Campus Security Services roughly a year ago, he learned Western did not have a blue light system. The university had just piloted Western Safe, but few students used the app.
Wilson decided to turn the platform into a complete guide to campus safety and wellness resources — all readily available on a cell phone. This is the first semester the new version has been shared at freshmen and new faculty orientations.
“I know that students get a lot of emails and paperwork … I basically took all of the important information that they needed and condensed it all into an app,” Wilson said.
Through the app’s mobile blue light system, Western students and faculty can click a button to speak directly with law enforcement officers. If they feel like someone is following them, students can request an escort back to their dorms. The app also includes direct lines to campus security, the Gunnison Regional 911 Center, the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office and non-emergency dispatch. Since the redesign, the number of Western Safe downloads went from less than 20 to almost 500.
In addition to the blue light program, the app offers a multitude of resources to students including links to Western’s
Department of Student Health and Wellness, its Title IX department, disability services and academic counseling. It also has campus maps.
Earlier this year, Western updated its emergency operations plan, an internal document that provides guidance on how faculty should respond in the case of events like an active shooter, a chemical spill or severe weather. The plan was updated with input from the university’s senior cabinet, the Gunnison Police Department, City Manager Amanda Wilson and Gunnison County Emergency Manager Scott Morrill.
The university produced an “emergency guide,” or a condensed version of the larger plan, to distribute to students. In addition to safety trainings, Western is also leading a suicide prevention and awareness program called safeTALK. This halfday, in-person training teaches participants how to connect people having suicidal thoughts with a support network.
“The safeTALK piece is something that we really advocated for a year ago because it helps give us a bigger footprint for campus safety,” Pierson said.
As of this month, there have been roughly 45 school shootings in the United States this year, 13 of which have occurred on college campuses. In Gunnison, following a string of threats from an individual toward university administrators, Western Colorado University was granted an extreme risk protection order in January.
The protection order, issued by the Gunnison County Court, removed the individual’s ability to possess, control, purchase or receive a firearm for a period of a year. The Times chose to withhold further details to avoid escalating the situation. A hearing to review the protection order, which is still in place, is scheduled for November.
Even with the uptick in violence in schools elsewhere, Pierson said he believes that most students still feel safe at Western.
“Gunnison is a safe community, and that's good and bad.
Sometimes people don't take the appropriate precautions they need to: lock your car, keep track of your backpack, lock your bike up … But we're a microcosm of the bigger world around us. And we want to make sure that we're always trying to keep people safe and not take that for granted.”
Parking passes begin this semester Western is requiring parking passes for students and faculty for the first time this school year. While the passes are free, the system is meant to help the university keep better track of who’s coming onto campus, Wilson said. Without a system, students and visitors were competing for the limited number of parking spaces on campus. The university had also received numerous complaints about the lack of structure. People broke into cars, many of which were left unlocked, while visitors parked on campus overnight and took up spots intended for students.
Moving forward, Western will issue each student a parking pass that is linked to their university ID card. Campus security will then be able to more easily contact students if they’re parked illegally, if they need to move their vehicle or if any type of damage is done to their car. In the case visitors need to park their car on campus overnight, they must obtain a 48-hour visitor pass. Starting in October, Western will begin towing cars parked overnight without a permit. Visitors are still allowed to park for events and to use the Mountaineer Field House during the daytime.
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.)
This is the first year Western Colorado University is issuing student, faculty and visitor parking passes. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
This brand-new, 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom property is a testament to modern design and quality craftsmanship. As you step inside, you’re greeted by an open and inviting kitchen-dining area, adorned with cherry cabinets and equipped with state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances. The tiled shower and bathtub add a touch of luxury to the bathrooms, while the master bedroom boasts its own oasis with a reading nook or small office space. The 2-car detached garage features 8-foot doors and 10-foot ceilings inside, providing ample space for your vehicles and storage needs. The extra space above the garage, accessible via exterior stairs, presents exciting opportunities. Whether you need additional storage or dream of an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit), the potential is yours to explore with City of Gunnison approval. Don’t miss the chance to make this new construction your forever home. Contact us now to schedule a viewing and witness the epitome of contemporary living!
114 Camino Del Rio #26 MLS# 817094 $549,000 PRICE REDUCED Do you love to fish and golf right from your front door? Then this property is a perfect home for you! Spacious 3 bedroom/2.5 bath with a large loft area and storage closet with
A night with the GOP
The Gunnison County Republicans hosted their annual fundraising event at the Three Rivers pavilion on Sept. 7. The Lincoln Day Dinner brought Republicans together for an evening of food, live music and a silent auction. Senate District 5 candidate Marc Catlin (below), Colorado House District 58 candidate Larry Don Suckla, and county commissioner candidates Steve Bathje and Lisa Henry delivered speeches before meeting with attendees.
TBD W Denver Ave. MLS# 816647 $610,000 Spectacular 2.5 acre level lot located in Gunnison’s new subdivision Elk Ranch. This parcel is located just outside
hook into the City water and sewer main that will be extended north by City this fall. There is a shared road/driveway into the subdivision and it will be completed by this fall as well. Lot has been surveyed and a building envelope has been established for a single family residence but other dwellings such as barns/sheds etc. will be allowed. Come enjoy some country living with incredible views of mountains up Ohio Valley and the Palisades while being so close to town.
16 Irwin St. MLS# 817525 $625,000 6 bedroom/3 bath updated brick home located in Palisades subdivision. This home has 2 kitchens and separate living spaces and the downstairs has its own entrance from the back of house. The breezeway from the house to the 2 car oversized garage is fully enclosed and is great space for entertaining or storage. Close to schools and new Gunnison Library. This is great starter home that can produce supplemental income!
Meet the candidates
2 Ridge Lane MLS# 817530 $330,000
2 bedroom/2 bath home with 1 car attached garage located in Antelope Hills. Cozy home with all appliances included, huge fenced yard and great views from the top floor! Good value in our market!
Gunnison County residents packed into Double Shot Cyclery to talk with Sen. Michael Bennet and local Democratic candidates during a meet and greet on Sept. 4. Bennet answered questions from the crowd about his perspective on the Electoral College, Supreme Court term limits and social media as an inadequate news source.
(Photo by Mariel Wiley)
(Courtesy Cori Dobson/Gunnison County Republicans)
(Photos by Mariel Wiley)
A FESTIVAL FOR EVERYONE, BUT NOT JUST ANYONE
And
It
A summer of spokes
Please
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Gunnison Valley Health Hospital Main Entrance
In recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we will light luminaries to honor loved ones and families affected by cancer.
Please join us for appetizers and music followed by a short ceremony.
All are invited to add the name of loved ones to the luminaries.
Luminary bags are available to pick up at GVH locations, allowing time to decorate your luminary at home. We invite you to bring your decorated bag for the lighting ceremony.
(Photos by Mariel Wiley)
Legacy
Mental Health in Colorado's Modern Day Agriculture
Tuesday, September 24
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Western Colorado University University Center
Gunnison County CSU Extension and Gunnison Valley Health invite you to join your neighbors for a free evening of food, camaraderie, and a discussion about mental health in our community.
5:30 p.m. - Dinner
6:00 p.m. - Welcome
6:15 p.m. - Legacy Film
Present & Schedule of Events
7:00 p.m. - Panel discussion featuring Kirsten Wulfsberg, CSU Extension, Colorado AgrAbility Project; Bryan Dillon, GVH Mobile Crisis Service; Eric McPhail, CSU Extension; Andy Spann, Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association; and Lucy Waldo, Gunnison Valley Cattlewomen
Sponsored by
Nichols honored with health leadership award
This year, Gunnison Watershed School District
Superintendent Leslie Nichols was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Cairn Guidance team’s School Health Leadership Award. Cairn is a national community and school health consultant. This award honors education leaders across the nation who prioritize the health and well-being of students to help them reach their full potential. Cairn recognized Nichols’ collaborative work and support for the district’s Comprehensive Health Education Policy, approved by the board in April of this year.
“Leslie's passion, guidance and leadership in health education and support of the whole child have been evident in our work with the district over the past two years,” Cairn wrote in a recent email newsletter.
Mammogram? ABUS? MRI?
Breast screening can be a maze, but you don’t have to navigate it alone — we’re here to help!
Check Your Chest: Navigating your screening quest
Tuesday, September 17
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Gunnison Valley Health Hospital Main Lobby
Topics include:
• Available Screenings at GVH
• Screening Types: Key Differences
• Why Specific Screenings Are Recommended
• Screening vs. Diagnostic: What’s the Difference?
• Breast Density’s Impact on Screening
Q&A With Experts Insurance Q&A
Community Resource Information Free Food Door Prizes
Yard of the Week
The Top O’ the World Garden Club awarded Jesse and Holly Rickert with Yard of the Week. Their home is located at 44 County Road 51, the site of former Rocky’s Gym. The Rickerts’ goal for the location was to keep it simple and low maintenance, while also conserving water. The property, which formerly housed a gym, pool and racquetball center, was abandoned with a yard containing overgrown weeds. The Rickerts have since created a wildflower bed in the entryway, a xeriscape garden by the front door and added stone walls and parking dividers. The pair established a lawn in the backyard where the old pool had been located, as well as a natural shrub and flower area around the lawn. The remaining backyard area has been left untouched to encourage native fieldgrass and sage. (This is a correction.
Last week’s caption included the wrong address.)
(Courtesy Top O’ the World Garden Club)
(Courtesy Robby Lloyd/Crested Butte News)
Family and friends met at Garlic Mike’s to celebrate Judit Hausdoerffer’s bat mitzvah. A bat or bar mitzvah is a traditional Jewish coming of age celebration held when girls and boys turn 12 or 13. During the ceremony, the celebrant accepts the rights and obligations of being a Jewish adult, including the commandments of the holy book, the Torah. Hausdoerffer joined Rabbi Mark Kula to read from the Torah and guide the group through gratitude practices. The party continued throughout the evening with dinner and the Hora, a traditional Jewish dance that involves lifting the guest of honor and their family up in their chairs.
(Photos by Mariel Wiley)
Bus driver shortages spur PTA after school ‘walking bus’ to rec center
Two new drivers to restart Gunnison routes
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
A procession of elementary school students shuffled across Hwy. 135 at the intersection of Spencer Avenue, shepherded by Gunnison Elementary School principal and temporary crossing guard Robin Wilkinson. Wilkinson kept a watchful eye north and south, making sure the road stayed clear of cars. Some students made their way home, and others headed to the Gunnison Rec Center for after-school activities. They made the trek on foot, the result of a bus driver shortage in the Gunnison Watershed School District removing the “Mustang” bus. Since the start of school, the district has hired two more drivers who will restart many Gunnison-area routes next week, including the Mustang bus.
Despite the resolution, the district could still use help moving kids safely around Gunnison as demand for that route is high, said Transportation Services Director Paul Morgan. To safely ferry kids from Gunnison Community School to afternoon gymnastics, swim or soccer practices, the Gunnison Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is now organizing a “walking bus.” PTA President Donita Bishop is coordinating a series of volunteers to walk students across town after school, in addition to stationing a crossing guard at the intersection.
The Gunnison PTA is not a part of the school district, but works year-round with district staff and parents to advocate for students and support teachers. This includes events such as the annual Color Run, Gingerbread Walk of Lights, and a monthly coffee cart that travels around the school to serve teachers. The organization is funded primarily by Kroger Community Rewards, a program that funnels donations to local organizations based on spending at
continued on A17
Faith Directory
Bethany Church
909 N Wisconsin St. (behind Powerstop) • 970-641-2144
Two services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. FREE lunch for college students following the 10:30 a.m. service gunnisonbethany.com
9 a.m.: Family Service with nursery & children’s church
Check out our website for updates! Or download our app on the App Store by searching, Gunnison Bethany.
B'nai Butte Congregation
PO Box 2537 Crested Butte, CO 81224 305-803-3648 bnaibutte@gmail.com
Serving the Jewish communities of Crested Butte, Gunnison and the East River Valley in Colorado.
Spiritual Leader: Rabbi Mark Kula is available for you at RabbiMarkKula@gmail.com bnaibutte.org
New Song Christian Fellowship
77 Ute Lane • 970-641-5034
A Christ Centered Gospel Sharing Community where we want to be part of a community who encourage and support one another in our spiritual journey.
For more info: ccgunnison.com or email info@ccgunnison.com
Join us in-person, listen to our broadcast on 98.3 FM, or view online stream on YouTube
Transforming Lives • Building Community
First Baptist Church
120 N. Pine St. • 970-641-2240
Pastor Jonathan Jones
SUNDAY
Sunday School at 10 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship at 11 a.m.
Sunday Evening Service at 6 p.m. (during school year)
WEDNESDAY (during school year)
Truth Trackers Kids Club at 6:30 p.m.
Youth Group for Teens at 7:30 p.m. firstbaptistgunnison.org.
Gunnison
Congregational Church
United Church of Christ
317 N. Main St. • 970-641-3203
Open and Affirming
Whole Earth · Just Peace
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Casual, Relaxed, “Come As You Are” Worship gunnisonucc.org
Trinity Baptist Church
523 N. Pine St. • 970-641-1813
Senior Pastor - Joe Ricks Sunday Service 9:30 a.m. Adult Bible Study 8 a.m. trinitybaptistsgunnison.com
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church
711 N. Main • 970-641-1860
Senior Pastor Robert Carabotta Assoc. Pastor Jacob With Childrens Sunday School – Sunday 9 a.m. Adult Sunday School – Sunday 9 a.m. Divine Service of the Word – Sunday 10 a.m.
The Good Samaritan Episcopal Church
307 W. Virginia Ave. • 970-641-0429
Rev. Laura Osborne, Vicar First Sunday of each month –11 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II Alternating at Good Samaritan and All Saints in the Mountains
Check our websites for location Second Sunday-Fifth Sunday –9 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II Children’s Sunday school –2nd and 4th Sundays, monthly Office hours: M-TH 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Visit our partnership church: All Saints in the Mountains, Crested Butte Meeting Second-Fifth Sundays at 5 p.m., Holy Eucharist, Rite II
403 Maroon Ave, Crested Butte
Visit our website for location of 11 a.m.
Holy Eucharist, First Sunday of each month allsaintsinthemountains.org
Church in the Barn 8007 County Road 887 Waunita Hot Springs Ranch • 970-641-8741 Sundays, 10:30 a.m. Non Denominational Come as you are.
St. Peter’s Catholic Church 300 N. Wisconsin • 970-641-0808 Fr. Andres Ayala-Santiago gunnisoncatholic.org crestedbuttecatholic.org or call the Parish Office. St. Peter’s - Gunnison Sat 6:30 p.m. & Sun 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m. (Spanish) Mass First Sunday of every month bilingual Mass 11 a.m.
Queen of All Saints - Crested Butte, 401 Sopris Sun 8:30 a.m. Mass St. Rose of Lima - Lake City Mass Service, Sat. at 4 p.m.
Church of Christ 600 E. Virginia • 970-641-1588
Gunnison Community School students cross the intersection of Spencer Avenue and Hwy. 135 on Sept. 10.
(Photo by Mariel Wiley)
grocery stores. It also accepts membership donations and has a fundraiser during the school year.
“Kudos to the Gunnison PTA and Donita for working so hard to get a walking bus going with supervision between the community school and the rec center after school,” Superintendent Leslie Nichols said in a Sept. 9 school board meeting. “She's really put a lot of energy into trying to make that happen.”
Bishop’s goal is to recruit 10 volunteers: two per day, one to lead the line of kids and one to bring up the rear. She’s looking for reliable volunteers to commit to the walking bus one afternoon a week until bus service resumes. If she can’t populate a full walking bus schedule, her goal is to have a crossing guard at the intersection of Spencer Avenue.
When Bishop and a fellow parent realized their children would have to cross Hwy. 135 to get home, she knew something had to be done. Like many Gunnison residents with near-miss stories on Hwy. 50 and Hwy. 135, she recalled narrowly avoiding being hit when crossing the road with her son. Although Hwy. 135 and Spencer isn’t the only “scary” intersection in town, it’s one that parents could have peace of mind about with the Mustang bus.
“It’s a really big burden. People put their kids in afterschool programs, in these things at the rec center, but now they're having to figure out how to pick them up, drop them off, and then in an hour and a half, go get them again,” Bishop said. “We relied on those buses.”
Since school started, the district has replaced the two bus drivers it lost last year due to retirement, with a third in the driving test phase. Starting next week, these drivers will allow the district to restart service to Gold Basin, Hartman Rocks and Dos Rios, bolstering the current service to Powderhorn, Doyleville and Ohio Creek. The district hopes to restart service to Almont, Cranor Hill and Antelope Hills families in coming weeks.
The incoming drivers are former Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) drivers. They all have kids either in the district currently, or did at one point, Morgan said.
“That's a huge achievement early in the year, [after] starting the year tough,” Nichols said in the meeting. “But all three of these folks come to us with big experience that's making a difference, and we're really just training them up on the school bus part of the job. And it's remarkable that we're able to do that in-house.”
The district will restart the Mustang bus to Tenderfoot child care center, Jorgensen Park and the rec center on Monday, Sept. 16. Even then, the bus might not have space for the sometimes 40 or more kids who need to get to the rec center, prolonging the need for a walking bus.
Bishop has recruited several volunteers so far, all of whom will be required to complete background checks through the district. She is still short several volunteers. Those interested can visit gunnisonvalleypta.com/.
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
Stellar showmanship
Gunnison 4-H member Hadyn Perkins won the Grand Champion Master Showman award at the Colorado State Fair on Sept. 7. To win the award, Perkins had to perform her showmanship skills with swine, cattle, goat and sheep. She also took a comprehensive written exam about management and health of each species. The Grand Champion award signifies Perkins’ status as best in the state across all age groups.
BRIDGES BUTTE of the Townie Tour
PRESENTING SPONSOR SRSI
MICHAEL BLUNCK
PRESENTING SPONSOR BMO
COURSE SPONSOR
Cimarron Wealth Management
NUMBER PLATE SPONSOR
LIV Sotheby’s International Realty – Crested Butte
CYCLE SPONSORS
Alpine Lumber
Anthracite Spirits Co.
Crested Butte Bank
Crested Butte Dental
Crested Butte Sports
Electronic Solutions
GCEA & Tri-State
HVM Security
KBUT
Link2Speech Therapy & Behavior Clinic
Meg & Michael Smith
Mountain Mobile Bike Repair
OffCenter Designs
Safeway Foundation
Tin Cup Ice Cream & Desserts
CLASSIC CRUSIER
SPONSORS
Crested Butte Ace Hardware
Resource
Whiteout Snow Removal
CRESTED BUTTIAN SPONSOR
Treasury Liquors
SPECIAL THANKS
William Bates
Lisa & Michael Blunck
Nolan Blunck Center for the Arts
Crested Butte Nordic Center
Crested Butte Farmers Market
Crested Butte South POA
Irwin Brewing
Sign Guys and Gal
Anna Stouffer
TJ Taylor Town of Crested Butte
Trailhead Children’s Museum
Tully’s
Emmalee Walker
Zuni Street Brewing
IN-KIND DONORS
Acclimate
Linda & Bob Colvey
Crested Butte Clay Studio
Crested Butte Film Festival
The Dilly Deli
Erin & John Kiltz
Gene Taylors
Gregory Mountain Products
Hustle Bike Labs
Jackson’s Honest
Kate’s Real Food
Majestic Theatre
Mark Trautman
McGill’s
Montanya Distillers
Mountain Tails
Paradise Cafe
Paradox
Pfisters Handworks
Rumors Coffee & Tea
House & Townie Books
Meg & Michael Smith
T-Bar Tea
Laura Brodie
Lacy Kaufmann
Megan Reamer
Dayna Regan
EMPLOYMENT
CITY OF GUNNISON EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Chief of Police
Full-Time: $131,700-$162,367/yr. Seeking a dynamic and experienced leader to serve as its next Chief of Police. This pivotal role requires an individual with a strong commitment to community safety, a proven track record in law enforcement, and a passion for fostering positive relationships within the community.
Equipment Operator
Full-Time: $59,500-$69,900/yr. Operates a variety of City-owned heavy equipment, vehicles and tools in the construction and maintenance of City streets and alleys, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, traffic/street signage and other City infrastructure and services. Drives garbage and recycling trucks with hydraulic lifts on a rotational basis with other team members along designated routes.
Electric Lineman
Full-Time: $77,300-$90,800/yr. Performs technical and manual work in the installation, maintenance, and repair of electrical distribution systems for the City.
Construction Project Manager
Full-time: $149,100/yr. Up to $71.86/hr. This is a temporary, full-time position that is anticipated to be renewed annually for technical oversight for a 5 to 7 year-long, $50 million multi-phased design and construction program for the city’s water system improvements project.
Part-Time Openings: Ice Rink Concessions Manager -up to $32.21/hr. Zamboni Drivers -up to $24.63/hr. Ice Rink Concessions Workers -up to $24.23/hr Rec Center Front Desk Workers -up to $22.53/hr. Climbing Wall Attendants
The City of Gunnison offers a competitive benefit package, including 75% of medical, dental and vision premiums paid for the employee and their dependents, 5% of gross wages in a retirement plan, 3 weeks of vacation (increasing based on the years of service), 13 paid holidays and 12 days of sick leave per year.
For more information, including complete job descriptions, benefit packages, required job qualifications and application instructions, please visit GunnisonCO.gov/HR.
THE TOWN OF CRESTED BUTTE is hiring a Deputy Marshal. This role involves a full range of law enforcement duties, including ensuring public safety, protecting life and property, and enforcing laws and ordinances while upholding integrity, exemplary service, and professionalism in partnership with the community. Minimum requirements include a high school diploma or equivalent, successful completion of Police Academy training, and one year of experience in law enforcement or security. A valid Colorado Driver’s License is required within 30 days of employment. Compensation is $60,000$65,000 without POST certification, with
GUNNISON COUNTY EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Public Health Nurse II –Substance Abuse Prevention HHS: 20 hours/week, hourly pay range from $33.79 to $41.08 plus partial benefits.
Patrol Deputy Sheriff: Full-Time, 40 hours/week, the annual salary range is from $70,288 to $99,422 plus full benefits.
Heavy Equipment Operator
Public Works: Full-Time, 40 hours/ week, hourly range from $22.91 to $30.77 plus full benefits.
Building & Environmental Health Inspector and/or Building & Environmental Health Inspector/Plans Examiner Community Development: Full-Time, 40 hours/week, the annual salary range is from $63,162 to $99,422, depending on experience, plus full benefits.
Juvenile Services Facilitator I & II Juvenile Services: Full-Time, 40 hours/week, hourly pay range is $27.03 - $30.36, plus full benefits. Bilingual - English and Spanish Speaking (Required)
Family Support Manager
Juvenile Services: Full-Time, 40 hours/week, monthly pay rate is $6,581.00 plus full benefits.
Recycle Technician
Public Works: Full-Time, 40 hours/ week, hourly pay range is from $22.91 to $26.08, depending on experience, plus full benefits.
Family Support Partner
Juvenile Services: Part-Time, 20 hours/week, starting hourly pay rate is $21.82 plus partial benefits.
Planner Technician & Planner I Community Development: Full-Time, 40 hours/week, the annual salary range is from $56,215 to $76,786 plus full benefits.
Permit & Right of Way Manager
Public Works: Full-Time, 40 hours/week, the monthly salary range from $5,857.00 to $7,120.00, depending on experience, plus full benefits.
For more information, including complete job descriptions, required qualifications and application instructions, please visit GunnisonCounty.org/jobs.
negotiable rates for POST-certified officers. We offer 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision benefits for employees and dependents. For the full job description, benefits, and application, visit our website at www.townofcrestedbutte.com. To apply, email your application to jobs@crestedbutteco.gov. The Town of Crested Butte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
EXPERIENCED LEAD CARPENTERS NEEDED in Crested Butte. Local Crested Butte-born, residential construction company, growing regional, excellent pay. Text/call 512-947-7797.
THE ICELAB is hiring a Program Manager. This role will work closely with the ICELab Director to further the mission of the ICELab in creating more high paying jobs in Gunnison Valley. They will work hands-on to improve the co-working space and provide a high level of customer support and service. They will take ownership of organizing small and large events to promote economic development both locally and at regional industry events. All details can be found at unnisoncrestedbutte.com/industry/careers/.
THE MT CRESTED BUTTE WATER AND SANITATION DISTRICT is accepting applications for a full-time Wastewater Operator to be part of a team environment focused on the operations of the wastewater plant and collection system for Mt. Crested Butte. Qualifications for the position include construction experience, the ability to work outdoors, prepare and analyze lab responsibilities, and experience with electrical, mechanical and maintenance repairs. A State of Colorado Collections and/or Wastewater license or the ability to obtain such within one (1) year is mandatory (training for certifications provided). Operators will be required to take on-call responsibility including select weekends and holidays. A valid Colorado driver’s license is required, and a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is preferred at hiring or the ability to obtain such within one (1) year is required. Starting salary is $53,100 to $59,500 for entry level. $58,000 to $75,000 salary available for operators/electricians with experience and appropriate state licenses. Excellent benefits package including 100% employer paid premium family health, dental, and life insurance, 12 paid holiday days, two weeks paid vacation, paid sick leave, paid personal leave, employer contribution to retirement plan (5% automatic mandatory employer matching with 1-3% optional additional matching), employer provided uniforms, and a wellness benefit/ski pass. Full job description is available at www.mcbwsd. com. Please submit cover letter and resume to Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District, PO Box 5740, Mt. Crested Butte, CO 81225, or email info@mcbwsd.com. Position is open until filled. MCBWSD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
GUNNISON WATERSHED SCHOOL DISTRICT
See GWSD website for details gunnisonschools.net
Gunnison Watershed School District believes that students thrive when they are connected to something bigger than themselves. That’s why we create learning experiences that spark curiosity, helping students discover who they are and how to make a difference in the world around them. As they excel in academics, athletics and the arts, students find the confidence to pursue any opportunity in life. Our team is “Driven to be the Difference!”
POLICE OFFICER: Town of Mt. Crested Butte Police Dept. Full-time $69,876$90,828/yr. - Performs general law enforcement duties to protect the lives and property of the residents and visitors of the Town of Mt. Crested Butte by enforcing laws and ordinances, preventing, solving and detecting crimes, assisting with emergency services and maintaining peace and order. POST Certification preferred but not required. Opportunity for financial aid for housing. Employer paid health, vision and dental for employee and dependents. For more info go to www.mtcb.colorado.gov/ employement or call 970-349-6516
CRESTED BUTTE CENTER FOR THE ARTS is searching for a contracted artist to design its 2025 winter season poster creative and related brand templates. For more information please email caressa@ crestedbuttearts.org.
GUNNISON VALLEY VETERINARY CLINIC is looking for customer care representatives. Full or Part time hours are available. They must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with clients, handle multiple phone lines, be able to multi-task. We require a professional, mature individual, with excellent computer skills. Please send a resume to info@gunnisonveterinary.com or contact the office at 970-641-1555.
THE TOWN OF MT CRESTED BUTTE is looking for a full time year around maintenance worker. Typical job duties will vary from season to season and will include but are not limited to: snow shoveling, plowing of the Mt. Crested Butte roads and various parking lots, maintaining town equipment and vehicles, emptying trash cans, repairing fence lines, building maintenance, road maintenance including sweeping, flagging, filling potholes, maintaining the town’s ditches and culverts. Schedule is 4 – 10 hour days with one weekend day in the winter being required. Overtime is expected during snow cycles. Minimum qualifications include the ability to obtain a class B commercial driver’s license, clean seven year driving record, ability to obtain their flagger certification, safely lift 80 pounds, good customer service, communication and team work skills, ability to walk on uneven surfaces, ability to work outdoors for an extended period in the summer and winter, basic knowledge of heavy equipment and snow plowing experience. Preferred qualifications include having a class B commercial driver’s license, flagger certification knowledge of heavy equipment operations, loader, backhoe and snowplow experience, knowledge of vehicle and heavy equipment maintenance (mechanic) welding experience and building maintenance and upkeep experience.
Starting pay range is $47,599 to $60,951 depending on experience. The Town offers an amazing benefit package with
paid health, vision and dental insurance for you and your family, 401(1) or pension plan, 12 paid holidays, generous vacation and sick time, wellness program and more. Please visit mtcb.colorado.gov for the full job description. Contact Bobby Block at bblock@mtcb.colorado.gov with any questions. To apply email your resume, cover letter and three references to Tiffany O’Connell at toconnell@mtcb.colorado.gov Applications received prior to September 27, 2024 will receive priority.
IRWIN BACKCOUNTRY GUIDES is seeking an experienced Winter Guide to provide consistent high-quality guiding and hospitality to guests while managing all associated risks. This role is responsible for winter guiding, snow safety, and Lead Guide duties, and will work closely with Experience Managers to coordinate weekly and daily logistics with guests and the Irwin Guides office. This position will also work closely with the Guide Operations Manager with sales and marketing ideas, product development, training preparation, market research, snow and avalanche research, and other projects as needed. This position requires Pro1 Avalanche certification or equivalent, and CPR & first aid certification (WFR, OEC, or EMT). The ideal candidate will have a Type 1 blaster in charge explosives permit, and Pro 2 avalanche certification, as well as AMGA certifications. This part time, seasonal position starts at $180 - $300/day, depending on experience and qualifications. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience.com/careers/. MOUNTAIN
WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY
is seeking applicants for the following fully-benefitted position.
Western’s benefit package includes Colorado PERA retirement, low-cost insurance plans (with generous employer contributions to medical/ dental/vision), employee and dependent tuition benefits, paid vacation, paid sick leave and 11 paid holidays per year. Employees receive basic life insurance and disability insurance at no cost. Employee wellness programs and professional development trainings are available for FREE.
Administrative Assistant II – Art and Music: Full-time (40 hours/ week). Starting pay rate $18.78/ hour.
DO YOU ENJOY SOCIAL MEDIA AND GENERAL MARKETING? Locally owned and operated Gunnison real estate office is seeking a dynamic Office Admin to join our team. We’re looking for someone who can manage our social media presence, assist with basic marketing initiatives, and handle general office admin tasks. The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented, organized, reliable, and a natural people person. Previous office and marketing experience is a plus. This is a part-time position with a flexible schedule that we’ll finalize together based on our business needs and your availability. Interested? We’d love to hear from you! Please send a cover letter introducing yourself, along with your resume to: gunnisonforsale@gmail.com.
EXPERIENCED CARPENTERS NEEDED in Crested Butte. Local Crested Butte-born, residential construction company, growing regional, excellent pay. Text/call 970-5961131.
Crested Butte, CO 81225 or email info@ mcbwsd.com. Position is open until filled. MCBWSD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
NOTICE
BAND INSTRUMENTS WANTED: School is starting up and beginning band students will be looking for band instruments. So, if you have a used instrument that you would like to sell, please contact Mr. Koepsel at 970-6415904. Let him know the type of instrument, the brand name, playing condition and your asking price.
LANDOWNER DOE TAG WANTED: Unit 54,55,66,67,76. Any season. Please offer email: markkaichen@msn.com.
REAL ESTATE
safe transport and friendly assistance of passengers on our bus route. Please contact Leah Petito at lpetito@mtnexp.org to apply and for a complete Job Description visit mtnexp.org. EOE
THE ADAPTIVE SPORTS CENTER is seeking a Program Manager to help the organization continue to grow and thrive. Work for a local non-profit that provides therapeutic adventure-based programming for people with disabilities, their friends and family members. Join a fast-paced, professional team in a state-of-the-art facility in the Crested Butte Mountain Resort base area. ASC has been rated Outside Magazine’s 50 Best Places to Work many years in a row.
The Program Manager is responsible for consistently facilitating high quality daily operations, managing volunteers and seasonal staff, scheduling, participant record keeping and other key aspects of program management for the Adaptive Sports Center.
The Program Manager provides and sets the stage for outstanding customer service for clients and oversees many critical aspects of programming oriented public engagement for the organization. With support from the Program Director and Assistant Program Director, the Program Manager serves as the lead program operations and instructor supervisor in their absence.
This position is year round and exempt.
Salary range is $54,400 - $62,500 plus a competitive benefits package including 401(k), Paid Time Off and Holidays, Health Insurance Reimbursement, Season Pass, Ski/Equipment Locker, Professional Licenses/Certification Reimbursement. Estimated annual benefit value starting at an addition of $13,200. Currently accepting applications. Desired start date Nov. 1 or until the position is filled. To apply, submit a letter of interest, resume, and references to Elizabeth Philbin, Assistant Program Director, elizabeth@ adaptivesports.org and Chris Read, Program Director, cread@adaptivesports. org. Subject Line: “Program Manager”. The Adaptive Sports Center is an inclusive organization and an Equal Opportunity Employer. For full job description and more information visit adaptivesports.org/about-us/careers.
LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE IN CB
ELEVEN EXPERIENCE is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Snowcat Driver to drive guests to and from town as well as around our cat ski terrain in our various snowcats. This role is responsible for safely operating our fleet of snowcats and various on/off road vehicles to support the company’s backcountry cat ski operation while providing a high level of hospitality to our guests. The Snowcat Driver will work closely with all Eleven Experience and Irwin Guides departments to ensure smooth daily operations as well as an amazing guest experience. This position requires Salomon binding certification, CPR/1st Aid, limo driver certificate and clean MVR. The ideal candidate will have Snowcat operating experience and snowmobile experience preferred. This position starts at $240 per day plus tips, depending on experience and qualifications. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience.com/ careers/ or call 970-397-5418.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY is hiring in CB. Potential for housing and ski pass reimbursement. Seeking a conscientious, responsible, motivated person. Year round position of 15-25 flexible hours weekly. Duties include landscaping, snow removal, handy man type projects, property inspections, etc. Excellent pay. Please call or text 970-5969333.
ELEVEN is seeking a motivated and capable Mechanic to assist with the overall maintenance of the vast fleet of various vehicles and equipment. This role is responsible for maintaining, repairing, and performing routine services on company equipment. The mechanic will work closely with Scarp Ridge Lodge, Taylor River Lodge, Irwin Brewing and Irwin Guides to ensure the proper and safe operation of all related equipment. This position requires a minimum of 3+ years industry experience, high school diploma or GED equivalent and a clean Motor Vehicle Report (MVR). The ideal candidate will have an industry related degree or vocational/ trade school certificate. This is a full time year round salaried position starting at $60,000 - $80,000 per year plus potential for annual merit bonus, depending on experience and qualifications. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience.com/ careers/ or call 970-497-6063.
SOUTH is hiring a full time infant/toddler teacher to start at the beginning of the school year! This is a great opportunity for a full time year round stable job with great pay and benefits! It is rewarding and fun, and there is a lot of potential for growth in this career. Please submit resume to Jessica at lilredschoolhouse1@gmail.com
Security I: Full-time (40 hours/ week). Starting pay rate $17.04/ hour. This position is scheduled for night shifts (8 p.m. – 6 a.m.) and is paid an additional 14% ($19.42/hour) for weeknights and 20% ($20.45/hour) for weekends.
Annual Giving Coordinator: Full-time, salaried ($55,000$60,000 per year). Leads annual fundraising, Fall Appeals, and Mountaineer Gives Day to support WCU initiatives.
Director of Development: Full-time, salaried ($65,000$72,000 per year). Secures major gifts along Colorado’s Front Range, supporting Athletics and the Mountaineer Gala, a premier WCU event.
To view the full job announcement and apply, visit western.edu/jobs and click on “View Careers” (AA/EOE).
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: Living
PINNACLE ORTHOPEDICS is hiring a Medical Receptionist for our Crested Butte and Gunnison locations! We are looking for a kind and organized person to provide a great first impression to our patients. Full or part-time options may be available. $25+/ hr commensurate with experience. Send resume to office@pinnacleorthocolorado. com.
IRWIN GUIDES IS SEEKING OFFICE/ SALES ASSOCIATES: Seasonal, Part Time. The position will be responsible for assisting the Irwin Guides Administrator with day-today operations included but not limited to data entry, completing and filing paperwork, interacting with guests face-to-face or via phone/email, booking trips, and assisting with walk-in traffic and retail inquires/purchases. A strong candidate will have knowledge of the outdoor industry and local activities, strong administrative skills, effective communication, both oral and written, is detail-oriented, responsive to delegation, and comfortable working independently and in a fast paced team environment. During the operational seasons this position will be required to work some early mornings and late afternoons, at least one weekend day per week, and some holidays as necessary. This is a seasonal position starting at $20$23 per hour depending on experience and qualifications. The Summer season runs May through October. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience.com/ careers/.
CAPITAL PROJECTS SUPERVISOR JOB
FOR RENT: Available Nov 1st. Taking applications for a 2 bedroom/1 bath close to campus and town. Nonsmoking, no parties, and no pets. $1,700 per month. Call 970-7657786. Good references required. TWO HOME BUILDING SITES:405 Sequoia Drive. Each over one acre, stupendous views. Electric, sewer/water available. $112,500 each. Call/text Mindy Costanzo, Bluebird Real Estate, 970-209-2300. Mindy-Land.com.
Journeys, a local non-profit that provides community cancer support is hiring a fulltime Development Director to assist with the organization’s rapid growth. This position will help set the organization’s strategic fundraising agenda to achieve revenue goals. If you are passionate about helping people in our community, have experience running projects to success, and leading a dynamic team, we want to hear from you. Bring your expertise to our thriving organization where your skills will make a difference. This position offers a competitive salary and more. To learn more, go to livingjourneys.org. To apply, please email your resume, cover letter and three references to info@livingjourneys. org by September 30, 2024.
THE CLUB AT CRESTED BUTTE is hiring an Executive Chef. This is a full-time yearround position with medical, retirement, vacation benefits and a competitive salary. For more information or to apply please visit theclubatcrestedbutte.com.
POSTING: The Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District is accepting applications for a capital projects supervisor. Under the general direction of the district manager, this full-time position is responsible for professional level oversight on all phases of capital expenditure construction projects for the district. Desired skills and experience include a successful record of delivering projects on schedule and within budget, strong project management skills, effective communication skills, both written and verbal, and a passion for water and wastewater construction projects. Important qualifications include a combination of experience and education with a desired Bachelor of Science degree in construction management, a PMP certification and/or a PE license in the state of Colorado. A valid Colorado driver’s license is required. Starting salary is $90,000-$130,000 DOQ. Excellent benefits package, including 100% employer-paid premium family health, dental, vision and life insurance, 12 paid holiday days, paid sick leave, paid personal leave, two weeks paid vacation, employer contribution to retirement plan (5% automatic mandatory employer matching with 1-3% optional additional matching), employer provided uniforms and a wellness benefit/ ski pass. Full job description is available at mcbwsd.com. Please submit cover letter and resume to Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District, P.O. Box 5740, Mt.
NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE
PETITIONER:
Daisy Yamilleth Perez Nevarez
RESPONDENT:
Jose Edwin Pacheco Garcia
CASE NO: 2024DR29
NATURE OF ACTION:
Dissolution of Marriage
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that in the above proceeding filed in this Court, subsequent to those names in any previously published consolidated notice, under the Uniform Dissolution of Marriage Act, the above court has found that due diligence has been used to obtain personal service of process within the State of Colorado, and that the efforts to obtain same would be to no avail and has ordered one publication of a consolidated notice of said proceedings.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that a copy of the Petition and Summons may be obtained from the Clerk of Court during regular business hors and that default judgment may be entered against that party upon whom service is made by this notice if he or she failed to appear or file a written resoponse within thirty-five (35) days after the date of this publication.
Dated: September 9, 2024
CIRENDA FRY CLERK OF COURT
GUNNISON COMBINED COURT
200 E. VIRGINIA AVE.
GUNNISON CO, 81230
BY: Dana Petri, clerk
Gunnison Country Times
Gunnison, Colorado
Publication date of September 12, 2024 14841
NOTICE OF HEARING
NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO § 15-10-401, C.R.S.
District Court, Gunnison County, Colorado Court Address: 200 W. Virginia Avenue
In the Interest of:
Andre Swanson
Attorney or Party Without Attorney: Tabitha Rich Joshua Hoppstadter
508 S. 12th St. Ste. A. Gunnison, CO 81230 706-455-4000 tabithat2014@gmail.com
Case Number: 23PR9
To: Cheree Swanson Last Known Address, if any: Unknown
A hearing on guardianship of a minor, full and permanant guardianship of Andre Swanson, will be held at the following time and location or at a later date to which the hearing may be continued:
Time: Sept. 18, 2024 Time: 4:30 p.m.
Courtroom or Division: B
Address: 200 W. Virginia Ave., Gunnison, CO 81230
The hearing will take approximately 30 minutes.
Gunnison Country Times
Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of August 29 and September 5, 12, 2024 14665
NOTICE OF INTENT TO DISPOSE
NOTICE OF INTENT TO DISPOSE:
To the following parties that have their personal property stored at Plotts Mini Storage, LLC, 312 W. Hwy 50, Gunnison, CO, 81230:
All property will be sold or disposed of, unless claimed and/or all rent and fees paid prior to SEPTEMBER 30, 2024.
Unit 342 – Tracey Becker Unit 114 – Matthew Dietman Lot L-2 - Terrance Schmidt
Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of September 12 and 19, 2024 14797
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of EARL ELLIS PARTCH aka EARL E. PARTCH, aka EARL PARTCH
Deceased Case Number 2024PR30024
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Gunnison County, Colorado on or before December 31, 2024 or the claims may be forever barred.
Francis Partch, Personal Representative c/o Hoskin, Farina & Kampf, P.C. Post Office Box 40 Grand Junction , CO 81502
Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of August 29 and September 5, 12, 2024
14607
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Candi Kay Borah a/k/a Candi K. Borah, Deceased Case Number 2024PR30027
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Gunnison, County, Colorado on or before December 30, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Julie Head as personal representative of the Estate of Candi Kay Borah a/k/a Candi K. Borah
12650 S.W. 119th St. Mustang, Oklahoma, 73064
Please contact through counsel: Jacob A. With, Atty. #:40546 Law of the Rockies 525 N. Main Street Gunnison, CO 81230 970-641-1903 ex. 2
Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of August 29 and September 5, 12, 2024 14678
PUBLIC HEARING
The Saguache County Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing at the Saguache County Road and Bridge meeting Room located at 305 – 3rd Street, Saguache, Colorado, on the following date:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2024, at 6 PM
to consider proposed changes to the Saguache County Land Development Code.
To view the proposed changes, you may contact the Saguache County Land Use Department – PO Box 326, Saguache, CO 81149 or atorrez@saguachecounty-co.gov or by calling 719-655-2321 or you may also view the changes on our website at www. saguachecounty.colorado.gov .
Written comments will be accepted until Friday, September 27, 2024, at 3pm, and may be sent to Saguache County Land Use Department at PO Box 326, Saguache, CO 81149 or email to atorrez@saguachecounty-
co.gov . Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of September 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2024 14758
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE OF INTENT CITY OF GUNNISON GUNNISON, COLORADO FIRE STATION FACILITY
The City of Gunnison, Colorado plans to upgrade and replace its existing fire station facility by using a progressive design/build (one-contract) project delivery method. The new facility is anticipated to be approximately 25,000 square feet with an estimated cost in the range of $15-25 million. Construction is expected to be completed on or before November 2028, subject to appropriations.
A progressive design/build approach has been selected to allow an integrated design/build team to effectively collaborate with the City to develop and implement an optimum new facility in a phased manner. Specifically, the first phase is Validation Services, scheduled to be complete by April of 2025. Subsequent phases are anticipated to include design and preconstruction, final design, construction, and commissioning and may be subject to federal and state funding terms.
The purpose of this Notice of Intent and the associated Request for Letters of Interest is to (a) provide advanced notice to the design and construction industries of this project opportunity and (b) request feedback from the industry to inform the City’s future solicitation of the project. Letters of Interest are informational only and will not be evaluated and/or used to influence future selection.
Details regarding submission of a Letter of Interest are available at City’s Website www.gunnisonco.gov/ BidsandProposals or RMEPS portal www.bidnetdirect.com/ colorado. Submittals must be received at the provided email address no later than 2:00 pm on September 26, 2024 for full consideration.
Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of September 12 and 19, 2024 14844
MEETING NOTICE
Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District Board of Directors Meeting
Monday, September 23, 2024, 5:30 PM
The Board of Directors of the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District (UGRWCD) will conduct a regular board meeting on Monday, September 23, 2024 at 5:30 PM at the UGRWCD Offices, 210 W. Spencer Ave., Suite A, Gunnison, CO 81230 and via Zoom video/teleconferencing. If you have questions or would like the Zoom login information, please contact the District at (970)641-6065. A meeting agenda will be posted at the District Office prior to the meeting.
Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication date of September 12, 2024 14800
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
RFP – Town of Mt. Crested Butte –
(Courtesy Jill Peterson/Gunnison Community Schools)
Lights & Sirens
CITY OF GUNNISON POLICE REPORT
SEPTEMBER 3
ANIMAL - RUNNING AT LARGEMUNICIPAL — 309 N. 11TH ST.
ACCIDENT — 200 E. SPENCER AVE.
THEFT: INTENDS TO PERMANENTLY DEPRIVE — 200 E. SPENCER AVE.
THEFT: INTENDS TO PERMANENTLY DEPRIVE — 201 E. TOMICHI AVE.
CIVIL PROBLEM — 881 N. MAIN ST.
HARASSMENT: STRIKE SHOVE, KICK — S. WISCONSIN ST.
SEPTEMBER 4
PROPERTY - FOUND — 711 W. RIO GRANDE AVE.
ACCIDENT — 136 W. TOMICHI AVE.
SEPTEMBER 5
THEFT: TWO OR MORE THEFTS IN 6 MONTHS — 900 N. MAIN ST. ANIMAL - RUNNING AT LARGE - MUNICIPAL — 1011 W. RIO GRANDE AVE.
SEPTEMBER 6
HARASSMENT: STRIKE SHOVE, KICK — 1500 W. TOMICHI AVE.
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE: POSSESSION MARIJUANA PARAPHERNALIA UNDER 21 — 800 W. OHIO AVE.
ABANDONED VEHICLE — 100 S. TELLER ST.
ACCIDENT — N. MAIN ST.
DISORDERLY CONDUCT - COARSE OR OFFENSIVE — 501 E. TOMICHI AVE.
JUVENILE PROBLEM — S. TAYLOR ST.
SEPTEMBER 7
ASSAULT: THIRD DEGREE - BODILY INJURY — 226 N. MAIN ST. ANIMAL - NUISANCE ABATEMENT - MUNICIPAL — 421 TINCUP DR.
ASSAULT: THIRD DEGREE - BODILY INJURY — 701 W. HWY. 50 DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE - ALCOHOL — W. TOMICHI AVE. ACCIDENT - HIT & RUN — 110 S. MAIN ST.
JUVENILE PROBLEM — E. TOMICHI AVE.
ADMIN - UNASSIGNED INCIDENT — W. TOMICHI AVE.
THEFT: TWO OR MORE THEFTS IN 6 MONTHS — 900 N. MAIN ST. WARRANT SERVICE - OTHER JURISDICTION — 901 W. DENVER AVE.
SEPTEMBER 8
JUVENILE PROBLEM — N. MAIN
ST. CIVIL PROBLEM — 400 ESCALANTE DR. AGENCY ASSIST — 2388 HWY. 135
GUNNISON COUNTY SHERIFF’S REPORT
SEPTEMBER 3
- Lost wallet reported in Almont
- Unattended death at Minnesota Creek
- Information report- parking complaint
- Criminal mischief at Arrowhead
- Agency assist to the Colorado State Patrol with a turned over semi-truck blocking the road
- Welfare check in Somerset
- Information report- Somerset
- Agency assist to the Forest Service with a car that had rolled into Pothole Reservoir
- Search and rescue for an injured archery hunter near Swampy Pass Trail
SEPTEMBER 4
- Found wallet at Wilson’s Landingintact with cash and cards- owner located
- Agency assist to the Colorado State Patrol with a motorcycle crash at mile marker 193 with serious injuries
- Agency assist to the Colorado State Patrol with a one vehicle rollover accident
SEPTEMBER 5
- Deputies arrested one person with 2 out of county warrants
- Lost wallet reported
- Assault reported
- Fraud report
- Theft and harassment reported under investigation
- In-county warrant arrest
SEPTEMBER 6
- Agency assist to the Gunnison Police Department
- Harassment report
- Lost luggage reported
- Suspicious vehicle reported
SEPTEMBER 7
- Agency assist to the Gunnison Police Department involving an assault
- Agency assist to the Gunnison Police Department with a domestic incident
- Criminal mischief reported – the horn of a cow was cut off
- Agency assist to the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office with an ATV accident
- Agency assist to the National Park service with a possible driving under the influence
- Lost firearm reported
SEPTEMBER 8
- Driving under the influence arrest
- Unattended death near Illinois creek
-CSecond degree assault of a detention officer
- Dog bite report taken
-Traffic complaint taken
-Two lost or stollen horses reported in Somerset
- Domestic violence arrest
- Search and rescue near Gunnison Lake for a person possibly having a heart attack
- Possible domestic violence reported
- Unattended death
2024 Flu Clinics
Protect yourself and those around you!
PLEASE BRING A HARD COPY OF INSURANCE CARDS WITH ID’S TO CONFIRM INFORMATION We
DO NOT accept Kaiser Permanente insurance
$25 for the vaccine if you are uninsured
Cash, checks, & credit cards are accepted
Persons 6 months and older can be vaccinated
2024 Clinicas de Gripe/Flu
¡Protégete a ti mismo y a los que te rodean!
Crested Butte Gunnison
9 de octubre 3-6pm
Parish Hall de Queen of all Saints 401 Sopris Ave
Fecha y lugar por determinar
Vacunas contra la gripe de dosis normal y alta disponibles POR FAVOR, TRAIGA UNA COPIA LA TARJETA DE SU SEGURO MEDICO Y SU IDENTIFICACIÓN PARA CONFIRMAR SU INFORMACIÓN. NO aceptamos el seguro medico Kaiser Permanente.
$25 por la vacuna si no tiene seguro médico
Se aceptan efectivo, cheques y tarjetas de crédito
Las personas a partir de 6 meses pueden vacunarse
Don’t miss out on the third annual Welcoming Week all around Gunnison!
“We’re All In”!
Full event calendar, updates, and event photos posted during the week at facebook.com/WelcominginGunnison
¡No te pierdas la tercera Semana de Bienvenida anual en todo Gunnison! «¡Estamos todos juntos!»
Calendario completo de eventos, actualizaciones y fotos de eventos publicados durante la semana en facebook.com/WelcominginGunnison
The ‘Bon-Ton’ booms again
Reopened hotel sparks Pitkin revival
Alex McCrindle
Times Sports Editor
A rumor once swirled from the banks of Quartz Creek, spreading west into Gunnison and north to Crested Butte: Pitkin was becoming a ghost town. Left with only a few seasonal businesses, the mining town 22 miles northeast of Gunnison was riding into the sunset. But on the evening of Sept. 6, the once-famous Pitkin hotel reopened to a lively crowd. For the first time in over 100 years, the historic mining hotel was completely restored.
Hotel owners Bob and Pam Taylor welcomed visitors back
on Friday with a communitywide celebration. Gunnison Valley historian Duane Vandenbusche commemorated the occasion with a history lecture and photo slideshow. But for longtime locals, the celebration wasn’t just about reopening another business. The restored hotel revived a piece of Pitkin history.
“Just a couple years ago we had three out-of-business restaurants and a slew of houses on the market,” said Jesse James Garetson. He has lived in Pitkin for half a century. “Now we have three wonderful eateries, and we’re so thankful to the Taylors for restoring the hotel.”
The Pitkin Hotel's dining room was packed to the brim for the reopening. Patrons from all corners of the Gunnison Valley gathered under the warm, chandelier lights and enjoyed homemade pasta
and peach cobbler. It was like a scene from “Gunsmoke,” or Western films of old. Guests moseyed around the vintage bar, admiring the wallpaper and turquoise ceiling tiles. Then, Vandenbusch’s booming voice broke through the chatter:
“From 1807 to 1842, the fur trade boomed in the American West and in this area,” he said.
“After the Lewis and Clark and Zebulon Pike explorations, every Tom, Dick and Harry lined up to trap the pelts of the beaver, which was called black gold …”
Vandenbusch enchanted the room with his tales of the western Colorado fur trappers and pan miners. He concluded with the story of the Pitkin Hotel, formerly called the Bon-Ton.
Founded in 1880, the BonTon Hotel was a crude 16-by 24-foot tent. Its floors were Pitkin Hotel B2
Restaurant guests gather around the screen on Sept. 6, as local historian Duane Vandenbushe displays a photograph of the Alpine Tunnel. (Photos by Alex McCrindle)
The Pitkin Hotel facing southeast.
Pitkin Hotel from
coated in sawdust, and the hotel rented straw beds with blankets for 50 cents a night. At the time, Pitkin thrived with over 30 gold and silver mines roaring in the hills. By the end of 1882, the Denver-South Park Railroad wound its way into town through the Alpine Tunnel, and Pitkin bulged to almost 2,000 residents.
The present hotel, built in 1904, was constructed from stone, as Pitkin had already burned down three times in the late 1880s. The Bon-Ton was a gem. At the time, it was considered the most modern mountain hotel in Colorado.
But once the Alpine Tunnel closed in 1910, the mining boom squealed to a stop and Pitkin’s population declined rapidly. The once vibrant BonTon was stripped during the Great Depression. By 1980, when the hotel was purchased again, most of the windows were boarded up, and the ceiling drooped 5 feet, the owners wrote.
For 40 years, the Bon-Ton floated between owners. It was renamed the Pitkin Hotel, and reopened seasonally as a hostel and restaurant. But then, the Mississippi-based Taylors pulled into Pitkin and fell in love with the hotel and its turbulent history.
When the Taylors moved to Pitkin, they thought it was to retire from the restaurant business. The couple founded the Half Shell Oyster House seafood chain across the southeast, and dreamed of a mountain escape. They landed in Pitkin, as Bob recalled his father’s stories of camping near Quartz Creek in the 1980s. The small town charmed the couple at first glance.
“I was sold when we drove into town,” Pam said. “I fell in
love with Pitkin. It was the little kids playing in the ditches, like the small community where I grew up.”
When the pair arrived, Bob and Lynn Pope, the former owners of the hotel, only kept the doors open during the summer. But after listing it for sale, the Taylor’s couldn’t resist.
“Starting a restaurant in Pitkin was never on the books for us, but the hotel practically fell right into our hands,” Pam said.
At the time of purchase, the Pitkin Hotel had been slowly deteriorating for more than a century. The Taylors began its first complete renovation in 2022. The couple gutted every wall, updating the electric and plumbing. Inspired by the building’s history, the Taylors began extensive research with Vandenbusch to replicate the hotel’s original design. They referenced photographs and writings, matching wallpaper, lighting fixtures and interior art to the early 1900s. In just under two years, the Pitkin Hotel was restored to its original elegance.
The hotel, and the newly named “Bon-Ton Bistro” restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner all year long, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and rent upstairs rooms. Vandenbushe will host another lecture at the hotel this month, this time to be recorded for the Pitkin Historical Association. Dates have not been announced.
“A letter written by a former owner means the absolute world to me,” Pam said. “He wrote, ‘Bon-Ton means fashionable, vogue, all the rage. Our dream is to someday restore the hotel to its former elegance and perhaps coming to Pitkin and staying in this hotel will be ALL THE RAGE.’”
(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@ gunnisontimes.com.)
Pam and Bob Taylor.
Gravel and grit
Bikers gathered at Jorgensen Park for the kickoff of the 2024 Gunni Grinder race series on Sept. 7. Racers competing in the 30, 60 and 120-mile segments launched into motion to start their journey across Gunnison’s sagebrush hills. After crossing the finish line in town, bikers celebrated with friends and family.
(Photos by Mariel Wiley)
MEETING NOTICE-RTA
The next meeting of the Gunnison Valley Transportation Authority (RTA) will be September 20, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. at the Commissioners’ Room in the Gunnison County Courthouse – 200 E. Virginia Ave., Gunnison, CO. For copies of the Board of Directors meeting packet, please go to www.gunnisonvalleyrta.com/meetings or call Scott Truex at 970-275-0111. Two or more County Commissioners may attend these meetings.
STAND OUT IN A MOUNTAIN CROWD!
Signs • Vehicle Decals & Wraps
Store front signs and lettering
Screenprinting • Embroidery
Promotional Products • Stickers
Statewide election forums
The League of Women Voters of Colorado will host a virtual candidate forum for House District 58 on Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 6-7 p.m. The link is available at lwvgunnison.org.
Food Pantry solar
Volunteers are needed for Sept. 18, 19, 23 and 24 to build a solar array on the Gunnison County Food Pantry. No experience? No problem. There will be a free intro to solar installation workshop on Sept. 14. Please email ESS@ Coldharbourinstitute.org to volunteer or to sign up for our free solar installation workshop.
Fairview cleanup and potluck
gmail.com for more information and to register.
Western heritage at the Pioneer Museum
Many artifacts depicting our intriguing western heritage can be found on display at the Pioneer Museum. Open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through September, with admission $15 for ages 13+, $5 for those 6-12, and free for 5 and under.
Energy roundtable
Walking bus
Due to the school bus shortage and to help kids get to after-school programs at the Gunnison Rec Center, the Gunnison PTA is looking for volunteers to organize a “Walking Bus.” Please contact Donita at gunnisonvalleypta@ gmail.com or go online for the sign up link which can be found on the “Gunnison PTA” Facebook page.
Mental health film screening
GHA SEEKING GRANT APPLICANTS
During 2024, the Gunnison Home Association has contributed $52,345 in grant money to:
• the Gunnison Senior Center Meal Program
• The Gunnison Valley Heat Program
• The Gunnison Country Food Pantry
• The Gunnison Valley Animal Welfare League
• The Willows Assisted Living Facility
• Six Points
• Mountain Roots
• GVH Hospice
• the Crested Butte Senior Center Pilot Meal and Activity Program
The Board of Directors of the Gunnison Home Association hopes these grants help primarily non-profit organizations that have given to the Community this year.
The Gunnison Home Association (GHA) is a group of volunteer Board members with a heart for Seniors in the Gunnison Valley. The GHA was established in 1973, and accepted 17.3 acres of land in West Gunnison donated by Ben Jorgensen to be reserved for Seniors. The GHA, with the help of hundreds of citizens, contractors and banks, built the Senior Health Care Center in 1975, the Willows Assisted Living facility in 2000 and the Palisades Senior RV Park in 2007. Current Board Directors of the GHA are: Don Crosby, Linda Rees, Rogene McKiernan, Sharon Mills, Polly Oberosler and Debbie McVey.
The mission of the GHA is to assist in the provision of basic needs and amenities to Seniors in the Gunnison Valley. Those services may include housing, food assistance, transportation, medical needs, or social and cultural enrichment opportunities. The goal of the GHA is to enhance the lives of Seniors in the Gunnison area, whether full-time residents or summer residents. Each year, the GHA accepts grant requests for funding from non-profit organizations that contribute to the lives of Seniors in the Gunnison community.
The GHA will be accepting grant applications for 2025 in September.
Grant applications and guidelines are available by contacting Debbie McVey at gha4seniors@yahoo.com or calling 970-641-8912. Grant applications are due Sept. 30, 2024.
The Fairview Community Association will host a cleanup day and potluck on Sept. 29 from 1-5 p.m. The event is aimed at revitalizing the 1906 Fairview schoolhouse at 4440 CR 730 (3 miles up Ohio Creek Road). Donations can be mailed to Fairview Schoolhouse, Gunnison Savings and Loan, 303 N. Main St., Gunnison, 81230. For more information, email dg@townhouseexperts. com.
Free coats and more
The Gunnison Rotary Club sponsors a free coat closet on the west side of the Gunnison County Food Pantry building at 114 S. 14th St. Feel free to take a coat or leave a gently used coat of all sizes.
GriefShare
Are you grieving the loss of a family member or friend? Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Gunnison will host a 13-week, scripture-based support group on a schedule that will accommodate all participants. Email Rod Morrill at rodmorrill2@
Are you struggling staying warm in the winter? Are your energy bills too high? GV-HEAT can help income-qualified homes with free energy upgrade programs. Join us for a roundtable conversation on Sept. 18 from 6-8 p.m. at the Gunnison County Library as part of Welcoming Week and learn how to get help by speaking with past participants. The address is 1 Quartz St., Gunnison, 81230. Food and beverages will be provided.
¿Le cuesta mantener el calor en invierno? ¿Sus facturas de energía son demasiado elevadas? GV-HEAT puede ayudar a los hogares de ingresos calificados con programas gratuitos de mejoras de energía. Acompáñanos para una mesa redonda de conversación el miércoles, 18 de septiembre entre 6-8 pm en la biblioteca pública del Condado de Gunnison como parte de la Semana de Bienvenida para aprender cómo obtener ayuda al hablar con los participantes anteriores. La dirección es 1 Quartz St., Gunnison, 81230. Comida y bebidas son proporcionados.
Fly fishing lessons
Harmels on the Taylor will offer free fly fishing lessons on select dates throughout the summer. Visit harmels.com or call 708.710.4427 for more information.
CB CENTER FOR THE ARTS BRIEFS
Lauren + Richard Eisen reception
As the leaves in Crested Butte decay around us, Lauren and Richard Eisen bring the natural forces of nature to the walls of the KPG on Sept. 12 from 5-7 p.m. Richard, a photographer, uses a photographic image construction that represents the rebirth from decay. Lauren, a graphite and pencil artist, focuses on memory and place, exploring the relationships between landscape, architecture, agriculture, horticulture and other aspects of industry that affect native plant and animal life.
Colorado West Performing Arts Company
Join Colorado West Performing Arts Company (CWPAC) on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. for a mixed repertoire performance. Showcasing the versatility of our dancers, this
performance celebrates excerpts from classic and romantic ballets as well as displaying original contemporary works. The cost is $35+.
Crested Butte Film Festival
Crested Butte Film Festival is an international film festival in beautiful Crested Butte, Colorado showcasing the greatest, boldest and most exciting works that cinema has to offer. It runs from Sept. 18-22 and the cost is $35-$100.
Rocky Mountain Burlesque Festival
The Inaugural Rocky Mountain Burlesque Festival is a three-day experience on Sept. 28 starting at 7 p.m that features performances and classes from some of burlesque’s brightest and best performers in the Southwest. The crown jewel
Gunnison Valley Health and Gunnison County Extension office will host a screening of “Legacy: Mental Health in Colorado’s Modern-Day Agriculture.” This free community event will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Western Colorado University movie theater. Attendees are invited to join their neighbors to enjoy dinner, camaraderie and a meaningful discussion about mental health in our community.
Dance workshop
The Crested Butte School of Dance will host a contemporary dance workshop Sept. 13, 4:15-5:30 p.m. in the Pump Room Studio, 306 Maroon Ave. in Crested Butte. The workshop will be taught by two professional dancers from the visiting Colorado West Performing Arts Company and is open to participants from middle school through adult. Please register in advance at dancecrestedbutte.org (click on the "2024 Fall Workshops" button).
of the festival is a performance at the Center for the Arts. The cost is $35-$100.
Calm Beneath Castles
Calm Beneath Castles is an awe-inspiring ski movie that delves into the heart, soul and mind of skiers driven by an insatiable thirst for adventure and discovery. This epic film, showing Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., explores the essence of finding solace in nature and being one with the mountains. Calm Beneath Castles inspires viewers with its portrayal of the skiers’ relentless pursuit of their goals and their harmonious relationship with the mountains. General admission is $20 and VIP admission is $40.
BIZ CENTS Creature comforts
New vet joins Mountain Legacy clinic
Mariel Wiley Times Photo Editor
In rural towns, animal health practitioners must be prepared to do it all. With the nearest specialty doctors hours away from Gunnison, the veterinarians at the Mountain Legacy Veterinary Center never know who — or what — might walk through their door needing help.
“You’ll do a surgery, then go into an appointment for a kitten, then you’ll go see a horse, a guinea pig — you never get bored,” said new team member Kristen Barrett. “You’re always on your toes … it’s one of the things that made me truly fall in love with this place.”
After graduating from Colorado State University’s veterinary school this spring, Barrett moved from Fort Collins to Gunnison to start work as a veterinarian at Mountain Legacy. She’d had her sights set on Mountain Legacy since she completed an internship at the practice. The passion with which the staff discussed each animal’s case sealed the deal for her, she said.
During her time in Fort Collins, Barrett had the opportunity to work at specialty animal hospitals. At these clinics, doctors perform the same intense surgeries day after day, which can sometimes lead to burnout, Barrett said. For general prac-
titioners like the veterinarians at Mountain Legacy, every day brings something new.
“I saw Dr. Erickson and Dr. Seth, who have been here for a long time, talking about cases like it was the first time they’d ever seen it,” Barrett said. “That joy that they still have after years of practicing is super special.”
Barrett herself is eager to work with all kinds of animals, but is especially drawn to caring for the critters that can have a bad reputation for their unpredictable behavior in an exam room, she said. This includes horses, cats and sometimes dogs who associate vet visits with fear.
Barrett’s compassion for these hesitant animals grew from her experience with her own dog, Tito. She’d adopted him shortly after he was born, after helping perform an emergency C-section on the canine’s mother. He ended up developing a fear around clinic visits. This inspired Barrett to learn more about how animals perceive what’s happening during exams and how doctors can better provide a sense of safety in a “fearfree” vet visit, she said.
During clinic visits, this looks like adapting to the specific reason for the visit: an animal who came in for treatment of a small cut doesn’t need to endure the stress of a full exam. For general wellness checkups that do require more intensive investigation, the animal’s trusted handler or owner can help soothe and hold them as long as it is safe to do so, Barrett said.
“We’re moving in a different direction in veterinary medicine
… to let the patients have autonomy about what and how we do things,” Barrett said.
One step in making this teamwork possible is to offer training workshops to members of the public. Barrett hopes to collaborate with the fire department to teach pet owners how to handle emergency situations, and work with the 4-H youth program to teach members how to attend to their animals’ injuries in the field. The goal is to equip animal owners with the skills to offer immediate, and sometimes lifesaving, treatments before making their way to the clinic for further care.
Although Barrett is new to the valley, she said she is looking forward to a long career with the Mountain Legacy team and to further cement her place in the Gunnison community. She hopes to become someone that animal owners feel comfortable approaching to ask questions, whether that’s in the aisle of the grocery store or out on a dog walk. Last week, she was up in the early hours of the morning helping her nextdoor neighbor retrieve and care for an escaped cow.
“There are so many things that this hospital does that are cutting edge for rural medicine, like blood transfusions, which most general practices would never do,” Barrett said. “Every day I see [our team] working in the direction of, ‘What could be better?’”
(Mariel Wiley can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or mariel@gunnisontimes.com.)
SATURDAY SEPT 21, 2024
Kristen Barrett with Nina the horse behind the Mountain Legacy Veterinary Center on Sept. 5. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
MOUNTAIN BIKING: Cowboys win Haymaker Classic, B7
GOLF: GHS competes at home, B8
GUNNISON COUNTRY TIMES • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
Mountaineers shine under the lights
Nash leads Western to electric opening win
Alex McCrindle Times Sports Editor
It was a dream start for the Mountaineer football team at the newly renovated Rady Family Sports Complex on Sept. 7. Armed with a record-breaking attendance of roughly 2,600 rowdy fans, Western feasted on the home support to defeat Midwestern State 38-33.
Redshirt junior Drew Nash was the standout leader on offense. The dual-threat quarterback opened the 2024 campaign with 252 passing yards and a 68-yard touchdown run to lead the Crimson and Slate to a 1-0 start.
As the first under-the-lights home game in school history, and the first game at the completed Mountaineer Bowl, the Gunnison community rallied in Western B9
Drew Nash dishes the ball off to Isaiah Jones.
Caden Measner celebrates in the end zone. (Photos by Alex McCrindle)
Cowboy racers win Haymaker Classic
Mountain bike team takes second consecutive victory
Marlo Frazier Special to the Times
The GHS mountain bike team delivered another outstanding performance at the Haymaker Classic in Eagle on Sept. 8. Contending with hot and dusty conditions, the Cowboy riders rallied to secure their second consecutive first-place finish in the Crystal Region Division 2 category — once again showcasing both the riders' talent and the team's collective strength.
To start race day, senior varsity rider Norah Lee stunned the crowd with a beautiful national anthem. Another standout performance came from freshman Laney Olmstead, who dominated the freshman girls category. Olmstead not only finished in first place, but did so with an extraordinary lead — crossing the finish line 2 minutes and 31 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. This marks yet another strong race for Olmstead, positioning her as a formidable contender in the freshman category this season.
Varsity rider Olivia Neyman also made a statement. She
earned the Toyota Slingshot Award for her impressive improvement from 14th place at the Cloud City Challenge to seventh place at the Haymaker Classic.
Several Cowboy riders delivered top-10 performances.
Sophomore Owen Frazier continued his season with another third-place finish in the JV boys category, while senior and team co-captain Porter Houck placed seventh. Caleb Woodward, following an impressive performance at the Cloud City Challenge, took seventh in the sophomore boys race.
Norah Lee, Zeke New, Aya Hausdoerffer, Emily Cattles, Colin Bloomer, Kyle Mason, Emmitt Apsey and Carbon Kruthaupt all had strong rides, each contributing significantly to the team's overall success.
So far this season, the magic of the team is a culture where every rider matters, adds value and embraces accountability.
Coach Tim Neyman praised the team's growth.
"I was particularly impressed with the high level of performance across all race categories,” he said. “Our riders are all racing really well for this early in the season."
With back-to-back victories, the Cowboys are riding high and ready to carry their momentum into the Lazy B Ranch Rally on Sept. 21.
(Marlo Frazier is a GHS Mountain Bike team parent.)
GHS volleyball wins D'Evelyn Premier
The Cowboy volleyball team remained undefeated after a 600-mile, five-game weekend in the Front Range. The girls played 12 sets over three days, and lost only one. The winning streak led to a championship run at the D'Evelyn Premier Tournament in Denver where the Cowboys defeated Bennett 2-1 on Sept. 7 to lift the midseason trophy.
The Cowboys celebrate with the championship plaque. (Courtesy Lindsay Hart/Gunnison High School)
Freshman Laney Olmstead celebrates on the podium. (Courtesy Marlo Frazier)
Home course advantage
The GHS golf team competed at its only home tournament of the season at the Dos Rios Golf Club on Sept. 9. The Cowboys used the home course to their advantage, and finished in third place with a team score of 242. Preston Pike led the way for the varsity squad, shooting a team-high 78. Seniors Carson Zummach and Mason Weitman each shot 82. On the Cowboys second team, junior Paden Davis put together an astounding round to shoot 79, just one stroke off Pike’s leading varsity score. The Cowboys returned to the links at Keystone Ranch on Sept. 12. Scores were not available by press time.
After
Preston Pike reads the green. (Photos by Alex McCrindle)
Carson Zummach tees off on hole 16.
Pike spins a wedge shot.
the stands. The student section rocked the bleachers all game long, decked out in white. They were rewarded with an electric start to the first half.
The Mountaineers scored on the team’s opening three drives, sending the student section into raptures. Nash scrambled out of the pocket on the second drive, and broke away for a 68-yard touchdown run to take a 14-3 advantage.
The Western quarterback responded with an 11-play, 5-minute onslaught in the third drive. Nash capped it off with a 9-yard touchdown pass to
senior running back Braeden Hogan to extend the lead 21-10.
The Mustangs returned with a frenzy in the second quarter, returning a kickoff 98 yards. Midwestern took the lead, 24-21 headed into halftime.
An inspired Mountaineer team returned to the bowl in the third quarter. Nash led the offense on a nine-play drive, culminating in a short touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore Caden Measner. On the first play of the following Midwestern drive, Mountaineer linebacker Kendall Lightfoot snagged the Mustang pass and stormed 20 yards for the picksix. The defensive leader celebrated with the home fans, draped in an elk pelt as red
strobe lights flashed across the bowl.
The Mountaineer offense slowed in the fourth quarter, but the defense stunted a final Mustangs drive with less than 2 minutes on the clock. It finished 38-33 for the Crimson and Slate. Western will return to action against West Texas A&M University away on Sept. 14. The Mountaineers will celebrate homecoming against rival Adams State on Sept. 21 in its first conference game of the season.
(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@ gunnisontimes.com.)
THIS WEEK AT THE MUSEUM
“1964
- Celebrating Sixty Years”
Submitted by Larry McDonald
It was in the fall of 1964 when the Pioneer Museum opened its doors for the first time in what we now call the “Old Main” building, which displays many of the same relics depicting our early history today as it did so many years ago. 1964 was a memorable year in our valley and today we’ll take a look back at what was going on “in our neck of the woods” sixty years ago.
The new Crested Butte ski area was beginning to receive increasing attention, and locals could purchase season passes at our Gorsuch Ski & Sport store, with those for Western students selling for $60, adults $75, families, first member $75 and $25 for each additional, with a maximum of $150. And after serving our community for 82 years, the historic 1st National Bank was razed and replaced with a more modern version that now carries the name of BMO (Bank of Montreal) on the exterior.
taken Theta Chi fraternity as long as it takes a woman to have a baby, but the train east of town has been completed. The fraternity did a fine job.” It didn’t take long for the Old Main building to have company, as Cinder Ella was soon moved across Tomichi Avenue from Legion Park to the museum grounds, and members of the Lion’s Club relocated the ruins of the 1876 log cabin Post Office from Dos Rios Ranch to our campus and restored it. The beautiful Paragon School would soon follow, and today there are more than 40 structures displaying the lasting legacy of our Western heritage on our 15-acre campus.
West of town, construction of Blue Mesa Reservoir and the Middle and Lake Fork bridges was ongoing and soon the small communities of Iola, Cebolla and Sapinero would be submerged under the rising waters.
Up on the campus of Western State College the new Savage Library addition was dedicated with Governor Love giving the address and students also enjoying the success of their winning skiing, wrestling and football teams, which put the school in the national spotlight.
And Western’s Top of the World newspaper carried a nice photo of our beloved “Cinder Ella” train engine following recent restoration efforts with this caption, “Well it might have
1964 also saw the publishing of Betty Wallace’s “History with the Hide Off”, a must-read book for those who enjoy tales from our past, along with portions of the movies, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and “Cheyenne Autumn”, being filmed in the Black Canyon. Local business ads offered “Eye Catcher Stockings by Berkshire”, 3 pairs for $2.45 at The Toggery, and weekend breakfast and “folk singing” at the Snow Drift Coffee House for $1.10, “It’s relaxing, and open late.” The A&W Restaurant located at the curve on the west side of town offered burgers for .35 cents, while locals could find “Food, Dance and Things” at the Mine Shaft in Crested Butte, “A Better than Average Joint”. The Oasis Café hosted $1.00 spaghetti dinners on Saturday nights, and you could purchase 4 new Atlas tires during a sale at the OK Tire Shop on Tomichi for $38.50. A $1.00 in 1964 is equivalent to approximately $10.00 today.
With our seasonal closing date rapidly approaching at the end of September, we encourage you to make plans to visit the museum soon and “take a journey back in time”!
MUSEUM OPEN DAILY 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. FROM MAY 15 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30. Admission $15 ages 13+, $5 for ages 6-12, Free for 5 and under. Follow us on Facebook for current information and amazing local history!
Jones accelerates into the Mustang line.
Mountaineer fans pack into the bleachers.
VETERANS’ VOICE
Remembering ‘extraordinarily ordinary’
Jim Woytek Special to the Times
(Editor’s note: This is a reprint of a speech given by Woytek at a Memorial Day celebration this year.)
When my wife and I married two decades ago, Fr. Mick McCarthy, brother of longtime Gunnison High School teacher John McCarthy, gave a homily at our wedding in which he stated how odd it was to give remarks on marriage, when he, a celibate Catholic priest, had never experienced marriage. I feel that same sort of uneasiness this morning, addressing veterans on Memorial Day, when I have never worn a uniform in service to my country. It is with great humility that I express my deep and profound gratitude for your service to our nation.
If you type in “Memorial Day” in Google, the results, in order, show “Memorial Day, 2024,” “Memorial Day meaning” and then “Memorial Day Deals.” If you watch television, or scroll through social media, you might discern that this weekend celebrates the start of summer, with featured stories on long lines of traffic to shore towns or mountain retreats. Some might look forward to today in anticipation of hot grills and cold beer. Or, one may see a social media post featuring a faceless silhouette of a soldier, kneeling before a grave, with a heading that says something about “heroes” and at least ascertain that today has something to do with veterans.
But we have a day for Veterans in November. We put our patriotism on full display in July. Today is a day for solemn reflection — for honoring the memory of those who fought and died in service of our country. This is to take nothing away from our veterans or to disparage fireworks and cookouts in the name of patriotism. It is, though, a reminder that the freedom we
enjoy today came at a cost that cannot be measured in nickels and dimes of a federal budget. It is freedom purchased with the blood of human life.
And who were these men and women we remember today? Again, a Facebook post might tell you that the fallen were superheroes, men and women that were built differently by the Creator than you or me. But that is not who we honor today. We do not honor superheroes or superhumans.
Today, we honor farmers and ranchers, bakers, doctors, welders, lawyers, teachers and students. I am not suggesting that
the fallen are not heroes — they are. What I am suggesting is that they were men and women just like any of us gathered today. They were ordinary Americans, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights — just like us — but who heeded a call to service and never made it home.
I would imagine that, by the end of this day, I will have seen something online or on television about Corporal Pat Tillman, the former National Football League Star who forfeited millions of dollars to join the United States Army, and who gave his life in the mountains of
Afghanistan in 2004. There might be remembrance of him on the nightly news, or an op-ed reflection on his service and heroism 20 years ago. But what of those who will never have a documentary made in his or her memory? Today honors every fallen soldier and strikes at the heart of every family member who still mourns their loss.
Those we honor today are not faceless superheroes. They are fathers and mothers, like Jonathan Harrington, who was killed by a British musket ball on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775. Legend has it that militiaman Harrington crawled from
the green to his very own doorstep, only to die at his wife’s feet. Apocryphal though the story may be, it highlights that the solemn memorial of this day honors real people, whose loss affected families and neighbors and communities across our nation, for generations. When I mentioned earlier that, today, we honor students, I think of a faded picture that hangs in the Gunnison High School wrestling room, of a 95-pound state champion, posing for the camera. That GHS student, John Sievers, walked the same halls in the late 1960s that
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Jim Woytek delivers a speech on Memorial Day, 2024, at the Gunnison Cemetery. (Photo by Bella Biondini)
Veterans’ Voice B11
I walked in my days as a student and now again as an educator. That student — that alumnus of GHS — is one of the fallen we honor today.
He was a man who took my own mother to prom, whose nephew is GHS graduate Lt. Colonel Josh Moores of the U.S. Air Force, who was just like any other Gunnison kid who cruised down Tomichi Avenue, or caused mischief at Legion Park, or wore the red and black of a Gunnison Cowboy. He was like any other American kid, except for the fact that he was killed in the service of his country in the jungles of the Quang Nam province in Vietnam.
In an online Vietnam memorial, a man named Roch Thornton, who served with Lance Corporal Sievers, wrote, “I served with John in CAP 2-7-4 for a week or so in June, 1970. His combined action platoon had suffered several casualties and I was sent there temporarily to fill their ranks.
We discovered we both loved skiing and the outdoors and that I had visited his hometown and we had both skied at Crested Butte. We used to stand night watches together planning all the skiing, fishing and hunting trips we were going to do together after the war. We talked about girls and school and possible careers and quickly became friends. I was transferred back to my CAP, then shocked and sorrowful when I heard of his death a month later. I have never forgotten.”
John Sievers was not a grisly, square-jawed superhero. He was a baby-faced kid not far out of high school, who gave his life in wartime service of the United States. Years ago, had I been given the privilege to share some thoughts at a Memorial Day service, I might have tried to find words that did justice to valor and bravery, patriotism and duty; I may have spoken of selfsacrifice for the love of country and the superheroism of those who rose to the high ideals that can feel so unreachable.
Today, rather that share abstractions about the 1.3 million Americans who have given their lives since the first rounds of the American Revolution were fired 249 years ago, I would want us to think about the individual who fell in the grass of Lexington Green, or in the forest around Gettysburg, on the shores of Tripoli, or on the banks of the Somme, the Beach of Normandy, cliffs of Iwo Jima, on snowy ground in Korea, the jungle of Quang Nam Province in Vietnam, or the desert hills of Afghanistan. They were volunteers and draftees, fathers and daughters, tradesmen and professionals. They were our family, our friends, and our neighbors.
The American hero is not an abstraction. In fact, the American hero is among us today. For those of you who are veterans, or currently serving,
please stand or raise your hand if unable to stand. Take a look around. I urge you to shake the hands of these men and women, to look them in the eye and say, “Thank you.” Say thank you to those veterans among us so that we might honor the memory of their fallen comrades, our fallen family members and our fallen neighbors.
I would like to reiterate that these are the musings of a civilian, of a man who has enjoyed the freedom and comfort of American life without ever holding a rifle. What an honor and a privilege it is to stand here before you, at the behest of American Legion Post 54. What an honor and a privilege it is to be an alumnus of the American Legion Boys’ State, which taught me more in a week about the blessings of my country than I could have ever imagined.
What an honor and a privi lege that I am able to serve in education with Mr. Mark High, a Marine whose quiet, stead fast leadership has inspired local high school students to pull up and clean veterans’ gravestones and to write and publish their stories so that our community might not forget the lives of those who served; lives of men like William Clark, who escaped the abomination of slavery in Missouri, only to serve in the Union Army and move to Gunnison to work as a cobbler and raise a family here.
Mr. High’s GHS Legion Club, with the help of Mr. John Vader recently reset his stone, which had sunk deep into the earth over time. What an honor and a privilege to share this beautiful morning with you all, in honor of the fallen.
I would like to close with one, final reflection. In the Gospel of St. John Chapter 15, verse 13, it says, “No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” Think about that. That verse does not read that the greatest love is to lay down one’s life for one’s country, for freedom, for democracy or for patriotism. Again, it says, “No one has a greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”
Today we honor the service, the patriotism and the heroism of those who laid down their lives for our country. But also, we must recognize that these men and women undoubtedly showed the greatest love — the love given in sacrifice to one’s friend. We do not honor a group of faceless superheroes, readymade for a social media post, rather the extraordinarily ordinary men and women who lived lives much like our own, but who sacrificed those lives so that their families and their friends, and their neighbors might not have to do the same. Thank you.
(Jim Woytek is a Gunnison native and principal of Gunnison High School.)
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