• Serving the Grand Valley since 2008 •
Providing a voice for community-based organizations and individuals that enrich the life of the Grand Valley Volume 4 Number 8
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Mid-May / Mid-June 2012
INSIDE
A preventative move… Burn permits in the Grand Valley to be suspended May 28-Sept. 3 See page 16 Welcome home Vinnie page 3
Trail clean up page 6
Class of 2012 pages 17-21
Teachers of the year page 22
Geology Rocks page 24
Lynn Shore took this photo of spring flowers in the 1987 fire area above Battlement Mesa, looking down the Colorado River Valley. Lynn won reelection on the Battlement Mesa Metro District board on May 8.
Page 2, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
LETTERS TO THE ECHO Send us a letter. Got something on your mind? We’ve expanded our word-count limit to 500 words or less for Letters to the Echo to give you plenty of space to express yourselves. The Echo welcomes your input, opinions, thanks and whatever else you’d like to share with our readers, provided it’s written in a respectful, civil way. (Please, no unsubstantiated attacks, etc.) The Echo reserves the right to edit and proofread letters. Send your words to The Grand Valley Echo, gve@crystalvalleyecho.com, or 274 Redstone Blvd., Redstone, CO 81623. Please be sure to include your name, title if necessary, and where you live. Thanks.
Thanks, Jimmy
Dear Echo: A BIG thank you to Jimmy, the young man who shared his drawing of the "Funny Head" in the latest issue of the Echo for all of us to enjoy! He brought a big laugh into our home as he knew he would! Thanks to Jimmy for brightening our day! Sincerely, Elaine and Bob Tellschow Battlement Mesa
Credibility grows for local group
Dear Echo: Editor’s note: This letter, as all letters to the editor in the Echo, is the opinion of the author; facts have not been verified by newspaper staff. Citizens of Western Colorado who have concerns about their proximity to drilling operations are finding support building. More and more agencies including the Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission are looking for answers to these questions: How close to drilling is safe and how hazardous is chemical exposure? Newer reports from the Marcellus shale area in the northeast are showing a sharp increase in breast cancer. In some areas of New York, the level of radium in water sources is as much as 267 times the safety limits. Rural counties in Texas with heavy drilling are reporting higher cancer rates than those without drilling. Battlement Mesa Concerned Citizens (BCC) was formed to promote health and safety issues within our community. BCC takes no political stance whatsoever – the bottom line is simply health protection. BCC does indeed recognize the need for job creation in this part of Colorado. We just want drilling operations to be done as safely as possible for the benefit of all. Meetings, open to the public, are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 1:30 p.m. at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center. Another community forum is being planned for late in June. Carol Abbott Parachute
Obituary Alvin Roger (Ace) Winter April 10, 1925 – April 21, 2012 Alvin Roger (Ace) Winter of Battlement Mesa died on April 21. He was 87. Ace was born April 10, 1925 in rural Buffalo Center, Iowa to Jake and Mary (Betels) Winter. He grew up on the farm, attended school in Buffalo Center and graduated in 1944. He served our country in the US Army during World War II in the Philippines and Japan. On June 27, 1948 he was united in marriage to Gladys Ann Skaare in Rake, Iowa. Alvin was baptized and confirmed on May 1, 1949 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Buffalo Center where he served as president of the congregation. He served on the church council, and was superintendent of the Sunday School. Alvin was a gifted mechanic. He worked at Jensvold's John Deere Implement Store. He later worked at the Buffalo Center Creamery, Winter Furniture Store, a hardware store, as a carpenter, and the Buffalo Center Post Office. He became postmaster at the Scarville, Iowa Post Office and retired from there in 1988. He always enjoyed every job he did. In 1990 the couple moved to Battlement Mesa. Alvin enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, fishing, gardening, planting and tending trees as well as bowling, traveling, music, and spending time with family and friends. He found humor in everything he did and especially enjoyed performing with a group of musicians at nursing homes. He was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church. He was also a member of the American Legion and the VFW. Alvin is survived by Gladys, his wife of 63 years; daughter MaryAnn and husband, David; step grandchildren Jeff and Geri; great-grandchildren, Justin, Lyndsey, Jared, Alisha, Erica, Tony and Tyler; and five great-great grandchildren; siblings Ann Patterson and Jake (Arlene) Winter; sisters-in-Iaw and brothers-in-law, Bob and Inez Liverca, Lois and Wayne Hayes; Jerry and Sharyon Skaare, Carol Gossman, Marion Winter, and Lloyd Gray; and 28 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jake and Mary Winter; mother and father-in-law John and Celia Skaare; brothers John R. Winter and Richard Winter; sister, Sharon Gray; three brothers-in-law Lyle Patterson, James Skaare and Ronald Skaare; sister-in-law Gloria Winter; niece Cheryl Liverca; and nephews Craig Winter, Keith Winter, and Dennis Winter. Funeral services were April 27 at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Rifle. Interment followed at Battlement Mesa Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at riflefuneralhome.com
Thank you to this month’s contributors: All copy submitted to The Grand Valley Echo will be edited and reviewed by our staff for style, grammar and content. The Grand Valley Echo reserves the right to refuse publication of any submitted material that does not meet the publisher’s standard for a positive, informative, educational community newspaper.
MISSION STATEMENT To provide a voice for local schools, nonprofit groups and civic organizations; to bring attention to the individuals and local businesses that are the fabric of the Grand Valley region; to contribute to the vitality of our small town life. The Grand Valley Echo is published monthly, and is distributed throughout Battlement Mesa and Parachute. Subscriptions are available for a $35 annual fee.
PUBLISHER/DESIGNER ALYSSA OHNMACHT EDITOR CARRIE CLICK ADVERTISING SALES BARBARA PAVLIN
285-7634 DISTRIBUTION/CIRCULATION STEVE PAVLIN Dawn Distribution • 963-0874
274 REDSTONE BLVD., REDSTONE, COLORADO 81623 970-963-2373 • gve@crystalvalleyecho.com
Renelle Lott, Annick Pruett, Dave Devanney, Anne Huber, Keith Lammey, Connie Berglund, Joline Gnatek, M.E. Denomy, Mary Anderson, Eugene Pickett, Karen Klink, Lori Mueller, Denice Brown, Carrie Godes, Joy Kemper, Charlie Hornick, Cary Parmenter, Barbara Barker, Kathy Germano, Rob Ferguson, Beret Brenckman, Anne White, Shelly Hoffman, Ken Haptonstall, Jeanne Miles, Veronica Duran, Betsy Leonard, Lynn Shore
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 3
B U S I N E S S
Clark’s Market manager is back home in Parachute
11 years. With his children grown, he finally saw an opportunity to move back home to Parachute where local Howie Orona lives. The two are lifelong friends – “he’s really more like a brother,” said Vinnie – so he decided last October to return for good. Howie’s wife Sarah Orona works at Clark’s Market, so she encouraged Vinnie to take a part-time job there. “I didn’t know much about grocery store managing,” Vinnie said, “but I do know about managing people and managing processes. I am learning the technical stuff.”
Vinnie Tomasulo is creating a hometown market to be proud of By Carrie Click, Echo editor If Parachute and Battlement Mesa residents have the impression that Clark’s Market is run by people who come from far away and don’t understand the local communities, they need to meet the grocery store’s new manager. Vinnie Tomasulo, 46, took the store manager’s job at Clark’s in April. But the Grand Valley area is hardly new to him. He moved to Parachute with his family in 1975 and grew up here. A history here “Back then, Parachute was a sleepy little community with maybe 400 or 500 people, and Battlement Mesa was nothing but a bunch of pretty ranches with lots of deer running through,” he said. Vinnie’s stepdad moved to the area to work for Occidental Petroleum, and Vinnie remembers Black Sunday in 1982, when Exxon pulled out of the Colony Oil Shale Project virtually overnight. He was a junior in high school. “That year, Black Sunday was the theme of the yearbook,” he said. “Kids who’d come here with their families [for energy industry work] from Alabama and South Carolina left in droves. We were just getting used to each other, and
Vinnie Tomasulo
they were gone.” Vinnie graduated from Grand Valley High School in 1983. He attended the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, then transferred to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he majored in economics and minored in business. Married right out of college, Vinnie went to New York and worked at Chase Manhattan Mortgage. Work took him to Tampa, and then back to Albuquerque. During that time, the Tomasulos had two children. He switched gears, moving from the mortgage business to operating his own real estate brokerage firm for
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The goal: Becoming everyone’s hometown market As Vinnie continued working part time at the store under previous management, he could tell the market had room for improvement. “The main thing was a lack of understanding of our local culture,” he said. “The advantage I have is that I know these particular communities. I understand this place is a unique area. I understand how the locals live and work.” So, when yet another opportunity availed itself to Vinnie, he went in with both feet. Since accepting the manager’s job, he said he’s been putting in 80-hour weeks. “I have to shorten my learning curve,” he said. “I have to get up to speed.” Part of that means applying his business background to the business of being a local grocer. “The Clarks are terrific people,” he said of the store’s owners, who are headquartered in Aspen and own a small chain of markets in Colorado and Utah. “But I could see it was difficult for them to understand this store from Aspen. There is a difference between Clark’s in Aspen and Clark’s in Battlement. We have a completely different clientele, and different needs.”
Bringing the customers back For Vinnie, managing Clark’s is his way of giving back to his hometown. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “It’s taken me 28 years to get back here and I’m here to stay. This is the community where I learned my values and my sense of right and wrong. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it’s true. This village raised me. “Now I understand some locals don’t shop here because they never felt this market was a part of their community,” Vinnie continued. “I want to bring them back. At this market, we are a part of these communities – Parachute and Battlement Mesa together.” Vinnie said it is going to take time to make all the positive changes he wants to make. “The price of gas is outrageous so that affects our prices,” he said. “It affects everybody, and we can’t do anything about that. But if you want to shop at a country store rather than a big box, Clark’s is your market. If you want to be known on a first-name basis, and you want your meat ground fresh, and your steaks cut custom, it’s Clark’s. We still have some work to do in our produce section, but it will happen.” Moreover, Vinnie is excited to make the market a centrally important place for Parachute and Battlement. “I’m excited about this job more than any other job I’ve had,” he said. “And that’s because I’m helping my community. Parachute and Battlement need this store. We’re getting a new health clinic [through Grand River Hospital District], which is another key service, and this grocery store is another. We have a terrific staff that’s going to help us be proud of our store.” And the one change that Vinnie wants to make as soon as he can? The Clark’s Market sign out in front of the grocery store. “It says, ‘Serving the Battlement Mesa community,’” Vinnie said. “We need to add ‘Parachute’ to that sign. We’re one big community.”
Page 4, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
GO GRAND VALLEY
Your calendar for goings on in and around Parachute and Battlement Mesa Help our calendar grow; let us know. Send public event items to gve@crystalvalleyecho.com. Be sure to include the five Ws (who, what, when, why and where), contact info, cost and anything else readers need to know. • May 15: 10 a.m. Tips and Talks on Tuesday at the senior center has its last meeting before the group disbands for the summer. This last meeting includes making greeting cards and a potluck lunch. Bring scissors and tape. Parachute Valley Senior Center, 540 N. Parachute Ave., Parachute, 285-7934. • May 15: 12-2 p.m. Ladies Who Do Lunch talk about Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s “Language of Flowers” at the Parachute Branch Library. 2859870.
• May 22: 1 p.m. Village Artists meet at the Parachute Library. This meeting features Jan Dembinsky and Navajo weaving. 285-9870.
• June 3: 4-6 p.m. The Take Steps Walk Steps Walk for Crohn’s & Colitis is at Centennial Park in Rifle. Sponsored by Alpine Bank. Mary Lee Mohrlang, 216-5058 or Mary Moore, 3098589.
• Every Tuesday, a group plays pinochle at 1:30 p.m. at the Parachute Valley Senior Center. Call Cheryl at 285-9755 for information or to arrange a needed ride. The senior center is located at 540 N. Parachute Ave., Parachute.
• June 7: 5:30 p.m. The Energy Advisory Board starts with a light meal; meeting starts at 6 p.m. and is for the public, oil and gas industry, landowners and local government to engage in positive and proactive communication. At the Rifle Branch Library, 207 East Ave., Rifle. RSVP to Denice for meal-planning purposes at 6255915.
• The second Tuesday of every month at 3:30 p.m. the Battlement Mesa Service Association’s Oil and Gas Committee meets at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center.
• June 11: Summer reading begins at the Parachute Branch Library. 285-9870.
• Grand Mesa Chorus rehearses every Tuesday from 6:30-9:30 p.m., at the Redlands United Methodist Church, 527 Village Way, Grand Junction. All women age 16 and older are welcome to audition. Call Shirley at 255-9419, grandmesachorus.org.
• May 23: Last day of school. Hello summer.
• May 23: Today’s the last day to purchase tickets for the Memorial Day Senior Center Pot Luck Bar B Q starting at 12 p.m. on May 28 at the Parachute Valley Senior Center, 540 N. Parachute Ave. At the Bar B Q, the senior center is providing hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, and side dishes. $5/member and $10/non-member. Purchase tickets at the senior center’s weekly lunches on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. or from Jeanette, 285-9512.
• May 26: 10 a.m. Grand Valley High School graduation of the Class of 2012.
• June 14: 10 a.m. Out of the Mud Puppet Theater is at the Parachute Branch Library. 2859870.
be purchased by May 23 – either at the senior center’s weekly lunches on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. or from Jeanette, 285-9512.
• May 28: All six branches of the Garfield County Library District, including the Parachute Branch Library, are closed today in observance of Memorial Day. The libraries will reopen on May 29. 285-9870.
• May 28: This is the last day burn permits will be issued from the Grand Valley Fire Protection District. Burn permits will not be issued again until Labor Day, Sept. 3. 285-9119, gvfpdops@sopris.net.
• June 2: 8:30 a.m. The fifth annual 5K Walk/Run for Their Lives fundraiser will take place at the Stoney Ridge Ball Field in Silt. Race benefits the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation for the operation of the Western Colorado Wildlife Rehabilitation Center southwest of Silt. Tour of the wildlife center follows the race starting around 10:30 a.m. $20/person if purchased ahead of time and $25/person at the race. Participants in the race get in free to the open house at the wildlife center, and nonparticipants pay $10. Sandy, 987-3593.
• Every Thursday at 10 a.m. (except the first Thursday of the month), the Prayer Shawl Ministry meets at the Grand Valley United Methodist Church, 132 N. Parachute, Parachute. Call Sharon, 285-2318, or the church, 285-9892, to join in. • Every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. through Sept. 27, the Battlement Mesa Couples Golf League season plays at the Battlement Mesa Golf Course, followed by an after-golf get-together at the Fairway Grill. Golf entry fee is $4. Contact John Constine, jscons@msn.com.
ONGOING • The Parachute Branch Library hosts Story Times, including Toddler Story Time, Ready to Read Story Time and Bilingual Story Time on a regular basis each week. Lots of other reading clubs and events for all ages meet throughout the month at the library as well. 285-9870. • The Battlement Mesa Activity Center has a variety of exercise classes for preschoolers to seniors. Call Anne, 285-9480.
• May 28: Memorial Day.
• May 28: 12 p.m. The Memorial Day Senior Center Pot Luck Bar B Q is at the Parachute Valley Senior Center, 540 N. Parachute Ave. The senior center will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, and side dishes. $5/member and $10/non-member. Tickets must
• Neighborhood Watch meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Parachute Town Hall, 222 Grand Valley Way, Parachute. 285-7630.
• Common Ground meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 3:30 p.m. at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center. The group is comprised of citizens from Parachute and Battlement Mesa who are committed to working together for a better community. All residents interested in contributing their time and energy for the betterment of Battlement and Parachute are encouraged to attend.
• Every Monday from 12:45-4 p.m., Party Bridge is held at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center. All levels welcome. • Every Monday from 12-1 p.m. the Grand Valley United Methodist Church serves a free soup lunch at the church at 132 Parachute Ave. • The fourth Monday of every month, the Grand Valley Sew and Sew Quilters meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Battlement Mesa Schoolhouse. Call Roxie Jones at 285-9791 and Patsy Noel at 285-2472 for more info. • The last Monday of the month, an Alzheimer’s caregiver support group meets from 10-11 a.m. at the Grand Valley United Methodist Church, 132 N. Parachute Ave., 800-272-3900, 9873184. • The first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m., the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance meets at the Rifle Branch Library community room. Leslie, 618-0890.
• Every Tuesday at 7 a.m., the Kiwanis Club of Grand Valley/Parachute meets at the Community Room of the Parachute Branch Library, 244 Grand Valley Way, in Parachute. Coffee is at 7 a.m., program begins at 7:30 a.m.
• The Glenwood Springs Chapter of HEARTBEAT – Support for Survivors After Suicide – is open to anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one through suicide – no matter how long ago. This peer group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Glenwood Springs. Use the Bethel Chapel entrance of the church, 824 Cooper Street. Call Pam Szedelyi, 945-1398, email pamsz@sopris.net. • The second Tuesday or Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m., the Parachute/Battlement Mesa Park and Recreation District board of directors meets at the recreation district office, 259 Cardinal Way, Parachute, 285-0388, parachutebattlementparkandrecreation.org. • The third Tuesday of every month at 9 a.m., the Battlement Mesa Service Association meets at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center. • Every Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., the Parachute Valley Senior Center hosts a luncheon prepared by the Rifle Senior Center. $2.50 for those over 60. Reservations taken Mondays from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.; call 285-7216. • The first and third Wednesday of every month at 3 p.m., the Battlement Mesa Architectural Committee meets at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center. Open to the public. 285-9432. • Every last Wednesday of the month from 5-6 p.m., an Alzheimer’s caregiver support group meets at Alpine Hospice, 1517 Blake Ave., Suite 100B in Glenwood. Andrea, 303-704-6377. • Battlement Concerned Citizens meet the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month at 1:30 p.m. at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center to discuss issues of concern to the Battlement Mesa community. Open to the public. Dave, 285-2263 or Paul, 285-7791.
• The first Thursday of every month from 5:308:30 p.m., the Energy Advisory Board meets to encourage positive communication and responsible energy development at the Rifle Branch Library, 207 East Ave., Rifle. For topics, more, go to garfield-county.com/oil-gas/energy-advisoryboard.aspx, or contact Denice Brown at 6255915. • Seniors age 60 and older and disabled of any age may ride The Traveler, a wheelchair-accessible van with door-to-door service from Parachute to Glenwood Springs and to various towns and locations in between in Garfield County. Suggested donation is $8 round trip. The Traveler also travels from Parachute to Grand Junction the second Thursday of the month. Donation is $20 round trip. Call 48 hours in advance for reservations and information at 625-1366. • Every Friday from 9-9:30 a.m. “Community Connections” hosts interviews with community members on KSUN 103.9 FM. • The first and third Saturdays of the month at 7 p.m., the Parachute Valley Senior Center hosts Bingo Night with cash prizes. Players bring a snack to share; come and bring a friend. The senior center is at 540 N. Parachute Ave., at the intersection of County Road 215 and North Parachute Avenue, 285-6492.
UPCOMING • July 21: 9 a.m. Grand Valley Fire Protection District Open House. Extrication demo, ladder rescue demo, residential sprinkler demo, plus food, drinks, and lots of other stuff to hand out, too. 285-9119.
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 5
G O V E R N M E T
Jason Fletcher, Lynn Shore elected to BMMD board The Colorado Heritage Group YOU HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK! This well built ranch located on a culde-sac street features a spacious family room that opens to a great patio. Battlement Mesa - $248,000
CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH STYLE Perfect area for computer/office, vaulted ceilings, gorgeous townhome, walk to shopping/rec center. Battlement Mesa - $169,900
ROOM FOR YOUR POOL TABLE Covered patio overlooks the golf course, pristine ranch with a designer kitchen, custom library. Battlement Mesa - $415,000 CONVIENT YET COUNTRY Upgrades throughout, textured drywall, fireplace, walk-in closets in every bedroom, great master suite. Rifle - $154,900 GREAT PRICE AND CONDITION MF home with covered patio, two car garage and a fenced yard. Eat-in kitchen has built in hutch. Battlement Mesa - $99,900
A LITTLE BIT OF COUNTRY Family oriented home with almost an acre for the kids, pets and toys. Covered deck with wide open views. Rifle - $249,900
BEGIN YOUR DREAM HERE Large level building site in covenant protected subdivision. Fantastic panoramic views, owner financing. Battlement Mesa - $39,900 SPACIOUS THREE CAR GARAGE This home has wow factors- rock fireplace, granite, tile, jetted tub, upgraded appliances and views. Battlement Mesa - $310,000 FASHIONABLE TOWNHOME Spaciousness and soaring ceilings, lavish master, eat-in kitchen, living/dining/master up, family room down. Battlement Mesa - $199,900 DO YOU LOVE VIEWS & SPACE Cul-de-sac lot with private back yard, lovely landscaping, kitchen nook plus dining room, great MF home. Battlement Mesa - $120,000 THE SIZE WILL SURPRISE YOU Walk-out basement ready to finish, expanded trex deck, great scenery, beautiful laminate flooring . Battlement Mesa - $297,500 GREAT FAMILY FLOORPLAN Spacious MF home with 1620 sq. ft., expanded deck, nice shade trees, three bedrooms plus office and den. Battlement Mesa - $135,000 WORRY FREE TOWNHOME Island kitchen with lots of cabinet space, open kitchen/ dining/ living, split bedroom plan, private deck, quiet subdivision. Battlement Mesa $115,000
SELLER WILL CONTRIBUTE TO CLOSING COSTS Newly remodeled MF Home, great garage with extra power and A/C. Sprinklers in front and back, fully fenced with dog run and shed. Battlement Mesa - $117,000 PLUS TEN PERFECTION Charming ranch totally updated. Open views from the patio, cul-de-sac lot, quiet neighborhood. Battlement Mesa - $169,900 SERENITY, SECURITY, SPLENDOR An island kitchen, quaint eat-in nook, formal dining room, sun-lit loft, hardwood doors and floors . Battlement Mesa - $390,000
By Carrie Click, Echo editor
Voters elected Jason Fletcher and reelected Lynn Shore to the Battlement Mesa Metro District (BMMD) board of directors as a result of the May 8 mail-in ballot election. The BMMD has a five-person board that includes Michelle Foster, Sara McCurdy, and Bruce Richards. Two seats were up for election. Lynn Shore and Fred Inman’s terms expired in May. Lynn ran for reelection, and board member Fred Inman was term limited so could not run again. Vote tallies added up as follows: Jason Fletcher, 234; Lynn Shore, 191; Bob Arrington, 179; Bill Nelson, 160; Bill Wilde, 139; and Lee Smith, 87. A Battlement Mesa resident for eight years, Jason is married and has a 16-year-old stepdaughter and a 5-year-old son. He has worked for Alpine Bank for 12 years. He has sat on many local boards and committees. Lynn Shore became vice president of the Battlement Mesa Company in 1993 and retired in 2008. He is a certified property manager and a professional community association manager. Lynn is active as a volunteer, and is president of the Grand Valley Fire Protection District. The board terms are four years each. The Battlement Mesa Metro District provides water and sewer services to Battlement Mesa residents, owns and operates the Battlement Mesa Activity Center, and contracts with the Battlement Mesa Service Association to provide management services. For more information about the Battlement Mesa Metro District, contact Steve Rippy at 285-9050.
LAND: OWNER FINANCING Buy now- Build your dream home. Open serene and scenic settings, walking trails, perimeter fences. Battlement Mesa - $71,500-98,000 TIS THE BUILDING SEASON Golf course lot, water, sewer and impact fees paid, level lot with views of the Battlements. Battlement Mesa - $68,000 JUST ADD A HOME Enjoy the amenities of Battlement Mesa, versatile building site, walking trails and open space, site specific soils test. Battlement Mesa - $59,900 LIVE YOUR RANCH STYLE DREAM Hard to find ranch subdivision. 8.39 acres with 1500 sq ft shop, borders BLM, 360º views. Battlement Mesa - $235,000 AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE Overlooks DeBeque, agricultural, partially fenced, very private, borders some BLM,160 unimproved acres. De Beque - $215,000 IMAGINE THIS... Building your dream home this summer on this great corner lot in Eagles Point Subdivision. Battlement Mesa - $45,000
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Page 6, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
H E A LT H
Medicaid programs Grand River to build new medical available but few facilities in Battlement Mesa eligible locals are By Annick Pruett, GRHD applying The Grand River Hospital District (GRHD) Board of Directors recently approved plans to build a new medical By Renelle Lott, Garfield County
Two new Medicaid programs are available to Garfield County residents through the county’s Department of Human Services, but mild early interest indicates word may not have reached those who need to access the programs. The Adults without Dependent Children (AwDC) expansion presents the chance for a limited number of previously unqualified individuals to benefit from Medicaid. The other new program, Medicaid Buy-in Program for Working Adults with Disabilities, offers assistance for disabled wage earners to buy into Medicaid. Only a very small number of people have applied for the new Medicaid coverage locally since the programs were announced by the State of Colorado this spring. “We have three on the waiting list for the AwDC program, and we have received six applications for the Medicaid Buy-in,” said Tricia Murray, eligibility manager for Garfield County Department of Human Services. “I think as more people become aware, we will see more applications coming in. Those are really small numbers when you look at our family Medicaid caseload of 2,447 cases.” The Adults without Dependent Children program is limited to only 1,700 people in western Colorado (one of seven regions statewide) due to budgetary constraints. Timing is critical for people to apply for this program, because applications that were made before May 15 have been placed into an upcoming lottery for the 1,700 positions. Then, any AwDC eligible client cases that are processed after May 15 will be on the wait list. The AwDC program is designed for adults aged 19-64 who are not eligible for other Medicaid programs or Medicare. The program is capped at 10,000 clients statewide, whose income is approximately 10 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which is about $90 per month for a single adult. That means people cannot make more than approximately $180 a month, but assets are not a factor; the limit is purely income-related. A Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing press release states that the Medicaid Buy-in allows eligible adults with disabilities to work, or increase their hours, and still access Medicaid benefits by paying a monthly premium based on their incomes. The Adult Buy-In is a federally authorized program that has been adopted in 44 other states. The program is funded by a hospital provider fee and federal matching funds and uses no Colorado general funds. The Medicaid Buy-in program is purely based on income levels, not assets. “The income level for this program is higher than other Medicaid programs,” said Murray. “It allows 450 percent of the FPL. In the past in our area, earnings were higher than other areas of the state, so people here didn’t qualify for Medicaid programs. But this program may be a real benefit to some of our residents.” Garfield County’s website features information on these programs with links to the State of Colorado website and state press releases: garfieldcounty.com/human-services/adult-medicaid.aspx.
facility in Battlement Mesa later this year. Currently GRHD leases space and operates two facilities in Battlement Mesa: the Battlement Mesa Clinic, and the Occupational Health and Safety Center. The new facility will be built on land bought by the district back in 2008 and will be located on the corner of Sipprelle Avenue and Spencer Street. The building will be 35,000 square feet to accommodate for future growth and service, and the cost is estimated to be approximately $16 million. The new facility will house both the Battlement Mesa Clinic, the Occupational Health and Safety Center plus radiology and lab facilities. “We are very pleased to make this announcement,” said Grand River Hospital District CEO Jim Coombs. “Our decision to move forward at this time comes from a series of community meetings held earlier this year. Parachute and Battlement Mesa residents were very vocal about their desire to see a new medical facility for their community. We have been planning to build this facility for years and are thrilled to see it happening.” Lois Kame, administrative director of Grand River’s clinical services said, “This has been part of our strategic plan for over five years and we are very excited that the vision is finally becoming a reality. We are looking forward to providing a modern facility with better access to basic medical care to the communities of Parachute and Battlement Mesa. This will also be an additional benefit to recruit and retain top notch physicians and providers to the area.” GRHD serves western Garfield County by working to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities. Grand River operates Grand River Hospital and Medical Center and E. Dene Moore Care Center in Rifle, and Battlement Mesa Medical Clinic, Grand River Student Health Center, and Grand River Health and Safety Center in Parachute. For more information, visit grhd.org.
Volunteers who participated in the annual pedestrian trail cleanup included members of Boy Scout Troop #255 and Battlement Mesa Bicycle Group members. Photo courtesy of Dave Devanney
Cleanup readies trail for summer The annual spring cleanup of the pedestrian trail at the Colorado River Bridge took place on May 5. Volunteers from Boy Scout Troop #255 were there as well as a few members of the Battlement Mesa Bicycle Group. The day was bright and sunny and a slight breeze dispersed the dust that was flying off of the brooms and shovels. With last season’s mild winter weather, there was not the usual level of dirt and gravel, however. This year there was a little more work due to the completion of the lower segment of the library trail. That trail, funded by Garfield County and the Battlement Mesa Service Association, with the generous donation of an easement from the John Lyons family, is expected to be completed sometime this summer. The final phase will be the Battlement Parkway crossover, connecting the existing trail at the golf course to the new trail by the Baptist Church. – Dave Devanney, Battlement Mesa Bicycle Group
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 7
S P O R T S Parachute/Battlement Mesa Park and Recreation District - “Where The Fun Begins”
By Parachute/Battlement Mesa Park and Recreation District Executive Director Mary Anderson
Youth Wrestling and Youth Soccer: Both youth wrestling and youth soccer wrapped up. Both sports programs went very well. Thank you to the coaches and the sponsors. British Soccer Camp: There will be a British Soccer Camp held in Parachute May 28-June l. Pamphlets for the camp are available at the park and rec office. You still have time to register online. Each participant will receive a soccer ball and T-shirt to keep plus professional instruction. At press time there are almost 60 participants already signed up for this camp. There will be one British coach per 10 participants. Thank you to the families that worked on the fundraisers and to Tamerrel Construction and Alpine Bank for being generous sponsors for this camp. Thank you to the families that are hosting a British soccer coach. This will be a wonderful learning experience for the youngsters. Youth Softball and Baseball: Teams are set for the season. Age divisions are 8-10 years old; 11-12 years old and 13-15 years old. Games will be held in and out of town. Practices are held at the Callahan Ball Field Complex. Practices begin the week of May 21 at the Callahan Ball Field Complex. Tee Ball: Tee ball is for the 5 to 7 year olds. This program began on May 1 and is being held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Callahan Ball Field Complex in Parachute. Forty-plus youngsters are participating. Thank you to the coaches and volunteers who help. Adult Coed Softball: Teams should be signed up by the end of May for games to begin in June. Games will be held at Callahan Ball Field Complex in Parachute. Players must be 16 years old to play. Parachute/Battlement Mesa Parks and Recreation is at 259 Cardinal Way, Parachute, 285-0388, parachutebattlementparkandrecreation.org. Check out the website; it’s updated frequently.
Sponsored by
R E C
Run for Their Lives fundraiser on June 2
British Soccer Camp starts May 28 Park and rec’s board of directors hold meetings on the second Tuesday or Wednesday of each month at the recreation district office at 259 Cardinal Way at 7 p.m. The board members are elected biannually by the members of the community. There was not a board election on May 8 since there were only enough nominees to fill the open positions. Board members are Jason Fletcher, Denise Gallegos, Ron Palmer, Michael Richards and Marilyn Bulger.
&
By Eugene Pickett, Echo contributor
The fifth annual 5K Walk/Run for Their Lives fundraiser will take place June 2 starting at 8:30 a.m. The race will be held again at the Stoney Ridge Ball Field in Silt. All funds received from the run and walk Run for Their Lives raises money for the Western are going to the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Colorado Wildlife Rehabilitation Center southwest Foundation for the operation of the Western of Silt. Photo courtesy of Eugene Pickett Colorado Wildlife Rehabilitation Center southwest of Silt. Following the race, an open house and a yard sale will be held at the wildlife center. The open house will begin around 10:30 a.m. The entrance fee for the race is $20 per person if purchased ahead of time and $25 per person at the race. Participants in the race get in free to the open house at the wildlife center, and non-participants will pay $10. Call Sandy at 987-3593 to register for the race, and for more information.
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Take Steps Walk is on June 3 By Karen Klink, Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
Get your walking shoes laced up and come on out to Centennial Park in Rifle on June 3, from 4-6 p.m., to join us in the Rocky Mountain Chapter for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (CCF) Take Steps Walk. This annual walk, picnic and festival is sponsored by Alpine Bank and is for a very worthy cause. More than 1.4 million Americans suffer from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This is conservatively one out of every 219 Americans. Funds raised from the Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis walk support the research, patient education, advocacy and public awareness of the CCF. We invite all teams and sponsors to participate in this walk to raise crucial money for the CCF so they can continue to strive for finding cures for digestive diseases. Bring your children, bring your neighbors, bring your friends and join us for a fun afternoon filled with music, food, kids’ entertainment, educational materials, festivities, and great companionship. Registration is at 4 p.m., and the walk starts at 5 p.m. For more information, contact Mary Lee Mohrlang at 970-216-5058 or Mary Moore at 970-309-8589.
Parachute/Battlement Mesa Park & Recreation District 285-0388 • Where the Fun Begins"
y’s Restau m m r 285-9711 an o h t S Inside Phillip’s 66 in Parachute
Proud to sponsor the STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Izaac Garcia Izaac is a dedicated, enthusiastic, learner. He comes excited to class everyday ready to learn. This enthusiasm for learning is one of his greatest assets. When he doesn't finish his work in class he takes it home and gets it done. Izaac has made tremendous improvements in just one year and it is due to his determination to get better. Technically, he has become an excellent student. Mr. Krueger and GVMS Staff
Page 8, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
From left, chamber board members Sandy Kent, Mary Lee Mohrlang, Mary Anderson, Jonathan Lay, Bruce Hoggan, Nancy Jay, and Michelle Foster. Not pictured: Paul Schultz, Sue McKinstry and Stephen Cyphers.
Chamber News Encana’s Sandy Kent joins Parachute/ Battlement Mesa chamber board By Anne Huber, Parachute/Battlement Mesa Chamber of Commerce Sandy Kent recently joined the Parachute/Battlement Mesa Chamber of Commerce as a board member. She is the community relations coordinator for Encana Oil & Gas (USA). She is a graduate of Mesa State University with a degree in mass communication/public relations. “I joined the chamber because the company I work for, Encana, has its center of operations in Parachute and I am grateful for the support we receive from the community,” Sandy said. “I wanted to be involved in the community where I work and look for opportunities to enhance Parachute and Battlement Mesa; serving on the chamber board is one of the best ways I can think of to accomplish that goal.“ Sandy and her husband, Larry, have nine children and 12 grandchildren. Sandy’s experience in communication and public relations are important assets to bring to the chamber.
Movies Under the Stars The chamber will sponsor one of the Movies Under the Stars this summer. The movies will be shown on the lawn of Battlement Mesa Activity Center on Friday nights: June 8, June 29, July 20 and Aug. 10. Other sponsors are Alpine Bank, Battlement Mesa Service Association and Dr. Bruce Hoggan, HDentistry. Visitors Cabin The Parachute/Battlement Mesa Chamber is responsible for recruiting and scheduling volunteer hosts for the Visitors Cabin located at the Parachute Rest Area. Volunteers are especially needed for weekend afternoons and some weekdays. Leave a message for Alberta, Visitors Cabin coordinator, by calling 970-216-5058.
Businesses benefit from joining the Parachute/Battlement Mesa Chamber: • Free website directory listing and information about your business at parachutechamber.org plus a link to your website • Quarterly membership meetings with guest speakers and the opportunity to network with other area business owners and community leaders • Six free underwriting announcements for your business on KSUN Community Radio, 103.9 FM • Advertising display space at the Parachute Rest Stop Visitors Cabin • Opportunity to apply for a Shell Corporation Fleet credit card and earn discounts at the Parachute Shell Service Station.
Shop locally and support your local chamber businesses! PARACHUTE RADIO SHACK 316 E 1st street next to Napa Auto Parts M-F 9 am – 6 pm and Sat 9am -4 pm
970-285-2111
MARY LEE MOHRLANG Cell (970) 216-5058 MaryLee@KW.com The Colorado Heritage Group 73 Sipprelle Drive Suite J-1 Battlement Mesa ,CO 81635
BRANDY SWANSON Cell (970) 319-3574 BrandySwanson@KW.com
The Parachute/Battlement Mesa Chamber of Commerce website is currently being updated at parachutecolorado.com
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 9
GRAND VALLEY ENERGY A monthly column by M.E. Denomy, CPA
EI-EI-A? The Energy Information Administration In 1977 the Department of Energy established the Energy Information Administration or the EIA as the primary federal authority on energy statistics and analysis. The EIA researches oil, natural gas, electricity, coal, renewables and nuclear energy sources, costs, prices, uses and reserves. Their website is at eia.gov. At the beginning of this month, the EIA shows that the oil prices are at about $102 a barrel, which is actually down by about $6 from last year. But you can’t tell that by looking at the pump prices though. Natural gas was selling for $2.34, which is about $2.20 less than last year. Now, you know why things have quieted down a little here. Those prices are down so much that the oil and gas industry would have a hard time making any money after they deduct their costs of drilling, transporting and processing their natural gas. The EIA also shows that there is 84 billion cubic feet more in storage this year than at this time last year, so there is an abundant amount of gas available to sell. As much as we appreciate a mild winter, this does effect the use of natural gas and has helped cause prices to go down. Even the crude oil available to sell is up from last year at this time. You can find a great deal of information on the EIA website, such as wholesale prices, consumer prices, locations where natural gas can be sold, and also an analysis of the energy outlook for the future. The EIA does not believe that prices are going to be rising soon, so we may have a lull in the oil and gas activity for quite sometime into the future. The EIA also publishes a map that shows the market hubs for natural gas across the country. These are locations that buyers are willing to take ownership of the gas. It is like a flea market, where all the companies that are producing the gas in the region put their gas into a pipeline and transport it to one location. The nearest market hub for our gas is called the White River Hub, which was formed in 2008. The next closest market hubs can be found in Wyoming and New Mexico, so it is pretty costly for folks to get the gas to an area where a buyer is willing to bid on it. I suggest that you wander around on the EIA website to help you get a view of what the minerals are worth in our backyard. Mary Ellen Denomy, CPA, is a Battlement Mesa resident and an accredited petroleum accountant She has been nationally recognized as an expert in oil and gas issues. Mary Ellen is the immediate past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the National Association of Royalty Owners. If you have questions, contact her at the naro-us.org website or through the Echo.
Arts & Entertainment Village Artists
Navajo weaving featured at next Village Artists’ meeting By Joline Gnatek On April 24, the Village Artists met at the Parachute Branch Library. Our presenter was Nancy Stranger, a graphic design professor who recently retired from Colorado Mountain College. Her presentation was most interesting and many questions were asked and discussed. A five-page booklet was handed out containing information about websites, copyright laws, books, and more. At our next meeting at 1 p.m. on May 22 at the Parachute Branch Library, we will look forward to meeting Jan Dembinsky who will introduce us to Navajo weaving. In June we will be choosing one picture from our group of artists to use on cards for advertising our big show in October at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center. You may view Village Artists’ work now at the activity center for the next two months. The artwork is located opposite the pool.
Page 10, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
Water safety for children By Connie Berglund, Family Nurse Practitioner, Grand River Student Health Center As summer approaches, it is a great time to review safety tips that allow children to both enjoy the outdoors and minimize their risk of injury and death. The leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 is unintentional drowning. It is also the second leading cause of death for children ages 1-14. Home swimming pools are the most common place for drowning to occur in children less than 5 years of age. Children less than 5 years old who have drowned were last seen at their home, had been out of sight for less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or more parents at the time of the accident. Diligent direct supervision when children are around any body of water, including hot tubs and drainage or irrigation ditches is vital. The most important factor in protecting young children in the water is direct supervision. Have a specific individual assigned and clear communication on any changes in assignment of the adult in charge of supervision. Barriers also help keep children safe whenever they are not supposed to be in the water. Four-sided pool isolation fencing with secure self-latching gates reduces the risk of childhood drowning by 83 percent when compared to three-sided property-line fencing. Anti-entrapment devices placed on pool drains decrease the risk of death and accidents in children. In addition, participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children 1-4 years of age. You can call your local recreation department to sign up your children for swimming lessons. However, lessons do not replace the need for constant, direct supervision when your child is near or in the water. Do not allow young children to use air-filled or foam toys, such as water wings, noodles, or inner tubes in place of life jackets. These floatation devices give the child and parent a false sense of security and can actually cause individuals to flip over into the water. Life jackets are the recommendation, but make certain they are US Coast Guardapproved. Remember it is the law to have all children in life jackets while using any watercraft. It's not enough for children to have them available in the boat as it only takes a few seconds for an accident to occur. In addition, it is wise to clean up floatation devices and other toys immediately after use when swimming so children are not tempted to re-enter the pool area unsupervised. The percentage of natural water (lakes, rivers, or oceans) drowning increases with age, with 65 percent of them occurring in children 15 years and older. More than 90 percent of victims who died drowning during boating related accidents, were not wearing life jackets. In addition, 50 percent of adolescent and adult deaths that occurred in water recreation were associated with alcohol use. Alcohol influences balance, coordination, and judgment and its effects are enhanced by sun exposure and heat. Please remember to keep you and your family safe when near or in the water this summer. Take the extra time and effort to use life jackets for everyone when planning your water activities.
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GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 11
S P E C I A L S
G O V E R N M E N T
Chef’s Choice Daily Specials
Weekday specials under $10!
Monday – Steak Nite $ 3 off freshly cut steaks
The Battlement Mesa Service Association
Friday - Catfish Day
Battlement Mesa: An Emerging New Community, Part Three
Saturday/Sunday from 1:30 Fresh Baked Prime Rib Dinner
By Keith Lammey, president, Battlement Mesa Service Association
CONGRATULATIONS High School Graduates... May GOD Bless your dreams and aspirations for the future! Open 5:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. M-F • 6:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 315 E First Street • Parachute, Co. 81635 970-285-1917 • catering 970-285-7091
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NEW THIS YEAR… Annuals, Vegetables, Hanging Baskets and Much More! Come on in and check out all the specials!
Mountain View Tree Farm & Nursery Wholesale • Retail • Trees • Shrubs • Sod
(970) 625-6168 Visit Us at 1100 County Road 294 (top of East 7th) Rifle, CO Monday - Saturday 9:00am - 5:30pm Open Sundays 10:00am-3:00pm thru July 1st
May 2 was the 30th anniversary of what has become known locally as Black Sunday – the beginning of Battlement Mesa’s “dark period.” Longtime Battlement Mesa residents know that May 2, 1982 was the day when Exxon’s board of directors suddenly and without warning announced that they would immediately abandon their Colony Project. The date became known as Black Sunday due to the catastrophic impact it had on Battlement Mesa and the nearby communities. The period leading up to Black Sunday was full of excitement and overflowing with optimism. Exxon officials had prepared a white paper that described their $5 billion vision that was expected to produce 8 million barrels of oil per day from the Colony Project 15 miles north of Parachute. The plan was grandiose but believable given Exxon’s involvement and its financial resources. Further, the country needed oil and the long lines at gas stations that followed the 1974 oil embargo were still fresh in our minds. The reserves were here, Exxon was bankrolling the project and work at the Colony site and in the new community of Battlement Mesa was progressing at a feverish pace. Of course we believed that the project was unstoppable, but we were wrong. Between 1979 and 1982, Parachute’s population grew four-fold from 300 to 1,200. Exxon’s white paper projected that Parachute would ultimately grow to about 15,000 and that Battlement Mesa would grow to 25,000. The new residents came in droves to take advantage of the area’s good jobs and high wages. Although the minimum wage was $3.10 in 1980, carpenters who might have been unemployed or working at minimum wage in other parts of the country earned $16 per hour and heavy equipment operators earned at least $20 per hour. Life was good before the bust came. On Black Sunday 2,100 people, who worked on the Colony Project were suddenly unemployed. Exxon even locked them out preventing them from retrieving their personal belongings from the work site. When Exxon left, other energy companies quickly followed. Garfield and Mesa County’s populations fell by nearly 24,000 between 1983 and 1985. Battlement Mesa’s future was gloomy and many must have wondered if it would survive. Despite the doom and gloom, Battlement Mesa survived its dark period and in the 30 years since, Battlement Mesa continues to emerge as a new community. The community’s future is no longer tied to Exxon and oil shale. The boom period that ended 30 years ago was followed by several years of uncertainty then eventually transitioned into a period of reasonably stable growth. Like much of Western Colorado, Battlement Mesa still has ties to the energy industry but it isn’t the company town that it started out to be. The 3,200-acre community that’s nestled on the mesa south of the Colorado River has been transformed into a beautiful planned community that is unique on Colorado’s Western Slope. Today, new Battlement Mesa residents are attracted here due to the wonderful climate, active life style, outdoor activities, affordable housing, low taxes, excellent schools, and the wonderful amenities that Battlement Mesa offers. Thanks, in part, to Exxon’s massive investment in the community’s infrastructure, Battlement Mesa has a water and sewer district that is positioned for growth, a 53,000-square foot activity center, a new $8 million fire station, and a beautiful award-winning golf course, all without any public debt. Furthermore, Battlement Mesa is one of the few areas in Garfield County that already has the infrastructure, available land, with county approved zoning, and a governmental body in place in order to accommodate sustained growth. Battlement Mesa is Garfield County’s Emerging New Community.
Page 12, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
N O N P R O F I T S
Mt. Callahan Community Fund Being ‘well used’ at YouthZone By Lori Mueller, YouthZone In this column, the Mt. Callahan Community Fund (MCCF) invites representatives of local nonprofits that MCCF has funded to write about their organizations so you can get to know these remarkable groups and how they benefit Parachute and Battlement Mesa.
YouthZone was incorporated in 1976 as a private nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. A group of parents in Rifle who were concerned about drug use among high school students started the agency. YouthZone’s original focus was to provide recreational activities along with drug information and education to youth. In its first years of operation, YouthZone assisted approximately 400 youth between 14 and17 years of age. Today, YouthZone serves all communities in Colorado’s Roaring Fork and upper Colorado River valleys from Aspen to Parachute, and assists approximately 1,500 youth per year. We have many programs to offer young people and families. Our Pals Mentoring program is one of our most successful prevention programs. Below is a personal look at a mentoring relationship from a Pal mentor in Parachute. This mentor has been in our Pals program in Parachute for four years. People don’t often consider the benefits to themselves of taking on a youngster to mentor. Honestly, when I first considered YouthZone’s Pals Mentoring program I asked myself if I wanted this responsibility. I’m kind of busy already, I thought. But four years ago I partnered up with a 12-year-old boy. It took time for our relationship to develop, as many relationships do. Meeting once a week at our mutual convenience though became a comfortable routine while we both were assuming responsibility. The fun we had soon overcame any sense of burden for me. An opportunity to make a difference for the better in a young life is a great thing in itself. I am a stepdad who had little opportunity to raise a son, something I had missed out on. In addition, my young friend has kept me young! We have done things like go swimming, hiking, golfing, and bowling. We’ve gone to plays, concerts and the symphony. We play chess, and have gone to the Dinosaur Museum and attended football games, as well as participated in the events YouthZone regularly puts on for all the Pals. But our satisfaction doesn’t come from activities alone. Our excursions are the exception, and often our time together is spent just walking or talking over a soda. The time you spend with a youngster from YouthZone is much more important than what you do for amusement together. The biggest gift of mentoring is unconditional caring and being there for your Pal. The reward is the unbeatable feeling of being well used. The time I’ve spent has been unfailingly appreciated, at times all out of proportion to the value I would put on it. My young friend and I are still meeting about once a week, but I am sure that our friendship will continue beyond the program. I thank Youth Zone for the opportunity to know and work with a young man who is blossoming into adulthood and of whom I am very proud. If you would like more information on being involved with our Pals Mentoring program or would like more information on how YouthZone can support your family, please call 625-3141.
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Car Wash / Dominos / Shommy’s Restaurant Shommy’s Restaurant Now Open – Asian/American Cuisine
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GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 13
Echo Briefs Energy Advisory Board meeting set for June 7
Building A Better Community One Child At A Time
The public is invited to participate in the Garfield County Energy Advisory Board meeting on June 7 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Rifle Branch Library, 207 East Ave. in Rifle. The Energy Advisory Board is a monthly forum for the public, oil and gas industry, landowners and local government to engage in positive and proactive communication and actions that encourage responsible and balanced development of energy resources. Meetings include an educational presentation related to oil and gas industry topics. Beginning at 5:30 pm, a light meal and social time is provided for meeting attendees. The meeting will begin promptly at 6 p.m. For meal-planning purposes, RSVPs are suggested. Please call Denice Brown, Garfield County Oil and Gas assistant, at 625-5915. – Denice Brown
Memorial Day Senior Center Pot Luck Bar B Q tickets need to be purchased early The Memorial Day Senior Center Pot Luck Bar B Q is at the Parachute Valley Senior Center, 540 N. Parachute Ave on Memorial Day Monday, May 28. Tickets to the event must be purchased by May 23, which are $5/senior center member and $10/non-member. The senior center will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, and side dishes at the barbecue. Purchase tickets to the barbecue at the senior center’s weekly lunches on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. or from Jeanette. Call 285-9512 for more information and to purchase tickets. Tickets must be purchased by May 23 – either at the senior center’s weekly lunches on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. or from Jeanette, 285-9512.
Keep your eye on the AQI (Air Quality Index)
103.9 FM
TUNE IN! BROADCASTING 24/7! Syndicated Radio Programs • Local Programming YOUR SOURCE FOR EMERGENCY WEATHER AND AMBER ALERTS Let KSUN announce your upcoming project, meeting dates, programs, fundraiser, or presentations on our Community Calendar. This free announcement will be read as a courtesy of KSUN Radio.
Please contact the radio station with your information. We would love to get the word out for you!
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KSUN COMMUNITY RADIO 398 Arroyo Drive, Battlement Mesa • 285-2246
www.ksunradio.org
Air Quality Awareness Week took place the first week of May, which is a cooperative effort among the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Weather Service, and Garfield County Environmental Health, to remind the public to protect their health by paying attention to local air quality. One way to stay informed about the day-to-day quality of local air is to check the AQI or Air Quality Index. Garfield County Environmental Health posts real-time air quality conditions on its website at garfieldcountyaq.net. Through this site, viewers will find health advisories, air pollutant levels, and information on visual conditions. It allows people to quickly see how clean or polluted the air is, and if there are any health effects associated with the day’s air. The site monitors five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act; ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. The EPA has established national air quality standards on each of these pollutants to protect public health. In the US, ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest health concerns. By following recommendations on the site, people can take simple steps to reduce the amount of pollution they breathe in. In addition to air quality information, the site also contains resources on county air quality projects, reports, and outreach efforts from the past several years. For more information about this campaign or air quality efforts in Garfield County, contact Garfield County Public Health at 625-5200 ext. 8312. – Carrie Godes, Garfield County Public Health
BMAC Tennis Club offering tennis lessons in June The Battlement Mesa Activity Center (BMAC) Tennis Club is offering beginning to intermediate tennis lessons during the month of June. The club is giving lessons to people 12 and up. We welcome adults as well as teens. Dave Anthony, the instructor, would like to keep class size to eight people to give specialized instruction. Lessons are given each Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and the cost is $35. Payment is made to the BMAC and Dave Anthony, who can be reached at 620-1877. Bring a racquet if you have one, though there will be some available. – Joy Kemper, BMAC Tennis Club
Kiwanis National Day of Prayer Observance held May 3 More than 50 people gathered by the flag pole in front of Parachute Town Hall on the National Day of Prayer on May 3 to pray for the country. The local event was sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Grand Valley/Parachute as 10 area pastors led in prayer for the major centers of influence. The youth of the Rodz4God drama team of Grace Bible Church performed “Stand Up.” Dick Smith led the singing. Lunch was served afterward at the Parachute Library Community Room. The food was provided by Charlotte Adams from Daylight Donuts and the ladies of Grace Bible Church. – Charlie Hornick
Rodz4God Team wins Gold Award The Rodz4God drama team from Grace Bible Church competed at the Creative Ministries Conference at the First Church of the Nazarene in Denver on April 28 and won the Gold Award. The team performed to the song, “Stand Up.” It is the third gold award a team from Grace Bible has won in the past nine years. Members of the Rodz4God team are Alden Rasic, Beth Rasic, Jonathan Smith, Benjamin Smith, Desiree Smith, Michaela Puga, Steven Puga, and Triston Lamon. They are directed by Alice Smith, Janelle Noble, and Leslie Rasic. – Charlie Hornick
Parachute police clean up I-70 pedestrian bridge Along with the efforts of local volunteers who recently participated in an annual trail cleanup, Parachute Police Department and Law Enforcement Explorer Post #250 spent the day of April 22 cleaning up trash and debris on and around the Parachute pedestrian bridge that spans Interstate 70. When they were finished they had removed two large smashed televisions sets, and five trash bags of trash. The Parachute Police Department and its Explorer Post #250 volunteer several times throughout the year to clean up areas of town. Last summer, the Explorer Post cleaned up Cottonwood Park, the Parachute ponds, the pedestrian bridge, and trash along First Street. They also removed and painted over graffiti that had been done to the pedestrian bridge. – Parachute Police Chief Cary Parmenter
Page 14, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
Take a Hint Household How-to Hints by Barbara Barker Wear a sheet of Bounce Classic while gardening • To reduce strong cooking odors associated with vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels’ sprouts, etc., add a couple of slices of red pepper to the pot while they cook. • Before replacing the vacuum bag, add a drop or two of cinnamon oil (or your favorite scent) in the new bag. The heat from the motor will release the scent and the more you vacuum, the better the room will smell. • To get rid of corn silk after husking the corn, brush straight down the cob with a paper towel and all the silk will come off. • Pit olives easily by placing an olive on a cutting board and, with the heel of your hand, push straight down on it and the pit will slip right out. • Ripen green tomatoes by placing them in a brown paper bag with an apple or a banana and in a day or two, the tomatoes will be ripe. Apples and bananas give off ethylene gas, a chemical that encourages ripening. This is handy when you don’t want to leave any tomatoes on the vine before the frost takes them. • To remove skin from chicken breasts, grab the skin with a paper towel for a better grip on the slippery, slimy skin. • Add flavor without adding fats, cook rice in broth instead of water and butter. • If your eyes are tired after you have been knitting for awhile, change the color of your knitting needles. Sometimes the color combination of the yarn and needles can cause eye strain. • To keep your pet free of fleas and ticks, add one teaspoon of vinegar to each quart of water your pet drinks. • Washing your dog too often will dry out the animal’s skin. Dry clean your dog by sprinkling baking soda on the fur and work the soda into the fur with your fingers.
www.bmac-co.org 970-285-9480 Personal Trainers at BMAC - call for information Tiffany Chapman - 970 234 6867, Tom Moher - 970 319 1851 Annual Community Yard Sale Day - Saturday June 9, 2012 Free to sign up - Deadline Friday 6/1/12 Swim lessons start Monday, June 11, 2012 Sign up and pay in advance Tennis Lessons - Beginner to Intermediate Instructor Dave Anthony 970 620 1877 June 6, 13, 20 & 27 First "Movie under the Stars" at BMAC Friday, June 8 at dusk Check the website: www.bmac-co.org for current class information Call for more information on these events and fitness classes at BMAC
Check out BATTLEMENT MESA METROPOLITAN DISTRICT'S website for valuable information about water & wastewater operations, district management, documents, employment & association management.
www.bmmetrodistrict.com 970-285-9050 Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm
• To prevent bathtub rings, use glycerin soap. • Use a DustBuster to vacuum dandelion seed heads to keep them from blowing all over the yard. • Wasps do not like the fragrance of oleander, so wear a sheet of Bounce Classic while working in the garden. • A package of seeds can remain viable for years if properly stored. Seeds stored in the refrigerator will remain viable twice as long as seeds stored at room temperature. • Stake up small plants with the handle of old toothbrushes. • Handy planting – squeeze a long line of Elmer’s Glue along a one-inch wide strip of paper towel. Place seeds on the glue (spaced appropriately), let dry, and plant in the garden. • To sow tiny seeds, fill a small bowl with the seeds, wet the tip of a toothpick, touch it to a seed, and then touch the seed to moist soil, which will magnetically grab the seed.
Treating Adults & Children Specialist in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics
NOW SERVING PARACHUTE & BATTLEMENT MESA Brian J. Burton DMD,MS
Barbara Barker of Battlement Mesa has lots more of these hints, which she’ll reveal in future issues of the Echo.
FOR RENT Battlement School House owned by Grand Valley Historical Society. We are offering the building for single event rent.
The building consists of two rooms, parking, a complete kitchen and rest room plus 10 tables and 150 chairs. Complete serving of china, silverware, glass ware available for nice parties. Great dance floor, too. Capacity 75 For organization meetings & meals, holiday/birthday/anniversary parties, neighborhood gatherings and family reunions. For more information contact: Judith at 285-9696 or Michelle at 285-7828
Affordable monthly plans available Most Insurance and credit cards accepted
• Complimentary initial exam • Clear or metal traditional braces • Surgical cases • Invisalign • Temporary Orthodontic Implants • Damon Orthodontist system 970-243-6455 225 Callahan Avenue • Parachute, Colorado
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 15
Volunteer at Mesa Vista and lend a hand By Mesa Vista Assisted Living Residence Activity Director Kathy Germano Greetings from Mesa Vista Assisted Living Residence. We had a wonderful volunteer appreciation luncheon, a wonderful Easter and are in the midst of a busy May. We attended the Community BBQ on May 6. The residents enjoyed visiting the Battlement Mesa Schoolhouse and the log cabin. It brings back many memories and interesting stories. The courtyard is in the process of an overhaul, complimented with new plants and flowers. A group from Keller Williams Colorado Heritage Group visited on May 8 to till the garden and plant flowers. The residents have started vegetable seeds and are anxious to plant them. On May 11 we enjoyed the rodeo at the Rifle Rendezvous. On May 12 we hosted a Mother’s Day Tea, in honor of all our Mesa Vista mothers. It was a vintage hat affair with all the trimmings. On May 17 Lou and Marilyn Church have invited us to their lovely ranch in DeBeque for a barbecue. May 28 is Memorial Day and the residents have dedicated a portion of their monthly resident board to honor our fallen veterans. May 30 is National Senior Health Fitness Day. The motto this year is “get moving start improving.” The residents will be participating in a contest to choose next year’s slogan. We have one May birthday celebration on May 23 for Ruth Graves. Happy birthday Ruth! We are happily anticipating the warmer weather. In June we will be picnicking at Rifle Falls and taking a trip to Fruita to tour the Dinosaur Journey Museum. We are always in need of volunteers and would like to encourage anyone who has the time to come in and see how you can lend a hand. It’s fun and rewarding for all involved. Mesa Vista Assisted Living Residence in Parachute/Battlement Mesa is part of the Senior Housing Options network of residences and apartments providing housing for older adults in Colorado.
Welcome Vinnie Tomasulo
* When Clark’s Market buys a whole pallet of the same product, we are able to offer these products at great savings to our customers. We will have a large variety of items available in the “Drop Zone”
Clark's Market would like to introduce our new General Manager, Vinnie Tomasulo. Vinnie grew up in the Parachute / Battlement Mesa area and graduated from Grand Valley High School. He has returned home to serve the community that he loves. He brings a wealth of management experience to Clark's Market and looks forward to serving the needs of this community Please stop by and welcome him home.
Page 16, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
Grand Valley Fire Protection District
Beret's Book Bag
Burn permits issued only until May 28
May’s choices include children’s books
By Grand Valley Deputy Fire Chief Rob Ferguson Grand Valley Fire Protection District covers a wide area of residential, commercial and some very remote areas with fire suppression, emergency medical services, fire prevention, public education and training in cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The district covers roughly 321 square miles. This is I-70 from mile marker 66.4 to mile marker 82.5, then all the way north to Rio Blanco County and south to Mesa County, including three-quarters of a square mile of Mesa County. If you should have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact Deputy Fire Chief Rob Ferguson at 285-9119 or by e-mail at gvfpdops@sopris.net. For the month of April 2012, the fire district responded to 53 calls for service (April 2011 was 42 calls): 8 fire incidents 2 structure fires 0 fire alarms 6 brush fires/fire outside/ trash/rubbish 31 emergency medical calls 4 vehicle crashes 4 public assists 4 gas leaks/haz mat assignments 2 dispatched and cancelled enroute
If you should have an emergency, please call 911 as soon as possible!
From Jan. 1-April 30, 2011, call volume was at 151 calls for service. From Jan. 1-April 30, 2012 call volume has increased to 210 calls for service. This is approximately a 28 percent increase in calls for the fire district from last year. In addition, six commercial quick reference/company safety inspections were conducted during the month of April 2012. Training hours per crew: Green Crew: 19.5 hours Black crew: 14.5 hours Red Crew: 27 hours If weather permits, you can get burn permits until May 28. After that point, we will not issue burn permits until Labor Day 2012. Mark your calendars: On July 21 starting at 9 a.m., the fire district will have an open house event celebrating the fire district’s 50 years of service to the Grand Valley area. We will have an extrication demo with the Jaws of Life, a ladder rescue demo, and residential sprinkler demo. We will have something for everyone to do and see! We will also have food and drinks and stuff to hand out. Come and celebrate with us on your fire district’s historical time! The fire district would like to thank Grand Valley Middle School art teacher Anna Mannino for painting a firefighter representing the firefighter brothers and sisters we lost in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. It is a great addition to our fitness room.
The books here are available for checkout at Garfield County Public Library District libraries.
“The Witness” by Nora Roberts You'd think I'd get sick of an author after reading 200 of his or her books. But I didn't. “The Witness” is Nora Roberts' 200th book and she is finally back writing the way I love to read her. This is non-gruesome romantic suspense at its best. I've been disappointed in the last 10 or so stand-alone titles by this author so this was a delightful surprise. The main female character witnesses the murder of an acquaintance and a new friend by the hands of the Russian mob in Illinois. After being shot at and practically blown up, Liz decides to head out on her own and avoid the US Marshall Service who cannot seem to keep her safe. She ends up in a small Arkansas town and meets the sheriff. A great, fast, easy read. I recommend it.“
“Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam” by Cynthia Kadohata I know. It's a children's book. But I cried throughout the whole thing. It is wonderful and touching and heartfelt. If you enjoyed “The Art of Racing in the Rain” you will find quite a lot to like about this book as well. The story is told in the point of view of the dog Cracker and her owner or handler. When her boy owner and his family lose their jobs and income and must move into a small apartment in downtown Chicago, they must give up their beloved pet. Tears. They cannot find anyone to take her and refuse to turn her over to the pound (they are pretty sure she will be put to sleep.) They decide to answer an ad in the newspaper for dogs to go to Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Cynthia Kadohata won the 2004 Newberry Award for her book “Kira-Kira.” This was equally touching, timely, and beautifully written.
“Changing the Game” by Jaci Burton Sometimes you just want a good sports story, right? Well, here you go. Baseball, sports agents, a family of sporting overachievers. It was a little bit of a tearjerker for those who love complicated relationships and extreme adult content. I've read the previous book in this series about this family and it wasn't nearly as good. I recommend this. Beret is an avid reader, book owner and bibliophile. If it has to do with books or reading she's on it! She's the librarian for Bea Underwood Elementary and St John Elementary schools and a former assistant branch manager at the Parachute Branch Library. Beret's been reading and recommending books for years...even if she has to sneak up next to you at the bookstore and gush. Go to Beret at https://sites.google.com/site/beretsbooks/ for more recommendations.
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 17
C L A S S
O F
2 0 1 2
Congratulations Class of 2012 These Class of 2012 pages are sponsored by the G.V.H.S. journalism class.
To the senior class of 2012: Whatever transformation you have made, you have made it together. Though your paths may lead in different directions, you will forever hold and cherish the memories made, and experiences gained as a class. As each of you creates your own path for your future, may you find success and happiness in your future endeavors. As you approach the final moments as the class of 2012, remember: “You’re gonna miss this. You’re gonna want this back. You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast. These are some good times, so take a good look around. You may not know it now, but you’re gonna miss this!”
MIGUEL ANTILLON
ARTEMIO BALTAZAR
OFELIA BARRAGAN
JESSE BEASLEY
NATEESHA BERGER
SOCORRO BERNABE
COLE BIRDSEY
LINDSEY CHARTIER
KARLA CORDOVA
EMMA CRUZ
Page 18, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
C L A S S
O F
2 0 1 2
REYNA ESTRADA
SHANDICE FERRIS
SERGIO FRANCO
CEARA FRIEL
LIZBET GONZALEZ
KEITH GUNTER
JESSE HAMMETT
KYLE HART
DANIEL KAMANAWA
KATILYNN KEELING
“A friend ows is one that knare you as you ds n and understa been, ve where you hayou have accepts what d still become an s gently allow you to grow.” espeare k a h S m a i l l i W
ing d l o h f ay o e, the w a s i lov ry “Memohe thing you things you onto t ou are, the se.” y lo things ver want to ne
“Nobody gets to live life backwards, look ahead, that is where your future lies .”
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 19
C L A S S
O F
2 0 1 2
CHRISSY KRETSCHMAN
ELISEBETH LEFEVRE
TYLER LEWIS
DUSTY LOSSASO
MIGUEL MANCINAS
EMILY MARBAS
KRYSTLE MARTINEZ
ASHLIE MAXFIELD
SASHA MCCREDIE
JAZMIN MCFARLAND
are “Be who you u feel t yo and say wha who mind because those atter don't m tter a m o h w e s o h and t don't mind.” Dr. Seuss
“You don 't have to be outc lassed or outwor ked. You don't have to be outp layed. We leave holding our heads up high, no matter what the score is.”
Page 20, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
C L A S S
O F
CHRIS MCGRUDER
2 0 1 2
HUNTER METCALF
Class Flower:
DOUGLAS MIKESELL
Class song:
Stargazer Lily
“You’re gonna miss this” by Trace Adkins
KRISTEN SCHUBERT
SONJA SELBY
JASON SHAVER
EDDIE PENA
HARLEY ROCCO
Class motto:
“A bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you fail to make the turn.”
MELEA SHERIDAN
SARA SIROTEK
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 21
C L A S S
O F
2 0 1 2
GARRETT SMITH
HUNTER SNYDER
JORDAN STEINKE
MADISYN STOPANI
BRITTANY SWALLOW
JESSICA VALENZUELA
DUSTIN WEIST
DAVID WITT
KENDAL WITT
JENNY WILLIAMS
NOT PICTURED: Abraham Chavez • Victoria Ferrell • Tony Franco Seth Klinder • Jacob Long • Kirsten Mower Michael Olsen • Tyler Parrott • Stasha Rice Matt Roark • J.C. Scott • Jacob Smith • Trever Smith Melissa Trent • Alfredo Vicencio
GOOD LUCK SENIORS!
Page 22, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
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Four teachers receive Teacher of the Year Awards By Anne White, Grand Valley Educational Foundation
Ryan Frink introduced each school’s finalists. Students from district schools provided entertainment under the direction of music teachers Van Merritt, Nathan Wubbena, Jenna Barbara Hemphill, Carroll, and drama teacher Marc Gregory. The program included the Grand Valley School Middle Instrumental Ensemble, St John Elementary School Soaring Raptor Choir, and Grand Valley High School music students, who presented songs from the musical “The Music Man.” Garfield No. 16 Superintendent Ken Haptonstall, also an ex officio board member of the Grand Valley Educational Foundation, was master of ceremonies at the awards dinner. B. J. Lindauer, Ph.D., vice president of the foundation, assisted
The Grand Valley Educational Foundation (GVEF) held its fifth annual Teacher of the Year Awards Ceremony on April 13 at Grand Valley Middle School in Parachute. The four teachers from Garfield County School District No. 16 honored were Jablonsky, Jennifer Elaine Callister, Valerie Medina, and Robert Martin. Each received a Golden Apple Trophy, a certificate, a bouquet of flowers, $1,000, and the title Teacher of the Year. The award recipients were chosen from twelve finalists selected by a committee at each of the district’s schools. An additional $6,000 was presented to No. 16 Superintendent Ken Valerie Medina, Robert Martin, Jennifer Jablonsky, and Elaine Callister, recipients of this year’s Teacher of the Year awards. Photo by Shelly Hoffman Haptonstall, Ph.D. to be distributed equally to each winner’s school. The principal and the recipient of the award will allocate him. the funds for special programs. Garfield No. 16 Board of Education attendees Sarah Orona, Michelle Bargas, The primary level (preschool to second grade) included both Bea Underwood and Megan Alstatt were recognized. Other attendees from administration Elementary School and Grand Valley Center for Family Learning. The finalists in included Rose Belden, Sherrie Hoffman, and Scott Carpenter. this category were Jennifer Jablonsky, Robin McMillan, and Shelly Schuckers. The Grand Valley Educational Foundation organized and sponsored the Jennifer Jablonsky, preschool teacher at the Center for Family Learning, was cho- evening. GVEF board members include Ann Arrington, B.J. Lindauer, Linda Levine, sen as Teacher of the Year. Nancy Jay, Cheri Witt-Brown, Anne White, Roy McClung and Dasa Bryan. The Intermediate level (third to fifth grades) included finalists from Bea Creekbend Bistro and Catering of Rifle, and Cakes by Cake Cottage providUnderwood Elementary and St John Elementary. The finalists in this category ed food. Rhonda Dillon provided the flower arrangements. Shelly Hoffman was were Elaine Callister, Dana Speakman, and Kay Stark. Elaine Callister, fifth photographer. teacher at St John Elementary, was chosen as Teacher of the Year. The mission of the GVEF is “to improve the quality of education by enhancThe middle school (sixth to eighth grades) finalists were Valerie Medina, ing the learning opportunities for students and teachers within Garfield County Maggie Romance, and Rebecca Schroeder. Valerie Medina, special education School District No. 16 through increased community awareness and support.” teacher at Grand Valley Middle School, was chosen as Teacher of the Year. Recognition and a special thank you were given to the donors and other individThe Grand Valley High School (ninth to 12th grades) finalists were Julie Lana, uals who had assisted in implementing the goals of the foundation during the Robert Martin, and Jaime Mayfield. Robert Martin, business and technology past year. Valerie Carlin representing the Patricia C. Moore Advised Fund at teacher, was chosen as Teacher of the Year. Aspen Community Foundation was introduced and spoke briefly regarding their Principals Rebecca Ruland, Brian Berg, Kathy Keeling, Jory Sorensen, and continued support of the Grand Valley Educational Foundation.
Enjoy your summer! THIS PAGE SPONSORED BY:
GARFIELD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 16 www.garcoschools.org
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 23
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Terrific Kids for April From District No. 16 District moving to four-day school week
The Parachute/Battlement Mesa Kiwanis Club sponsors Bea Underwood and St John elementary schools’ Terrific Kids. The program promotes character development and self-esteem. “TERRIFIC” is an acronym meaning Thoughtful, Enthusiastic, Respectful, Inclusive, Friendly, Inquisitive and Capable.
By Garfield School District 16 Superintendent Ken Haptonstall, Ph.D. As we approach the end of another school year, work is well underway preparing for the next one. The Garfield 16 Board of Education, at the April board meeting, voted to change the school week and change the usage of one school within the district. The district will move to a four-day school week, with Mondays off for students. Every other Monday will be used to provide planning and professional development time for teachers. The school day will be lengthened 40 minutes on average for each school. Early release, which has been held every Wednesday, will be cut from the schedule, resulting in more contact time with students than we have had in the past. L.W. St John Elementary School will be closing as a school and will be used in several capacities. The district received a 21st Century Learning Grant from the Colorado Department of Education. This funding will support activities on Mondays at L.W. St John, as well as after-school programs at Bea Underwood Elementary. The grant also will be used to provide six weeks of school during the summer. This grant will continue for the next five years. The district is beginning to work with Parachute Parks and Recreation Department and Access Roaring Fork, to provide programming at L.W. St. John on Mondays, as well as other days during the week. As planning for activities evolve, information will be provided to the community. These changes will result in savings to our district, optimum utilization of existing facilities, give the district the ability to maintain staffing, and provide more time with students. The board of education and district certainly understand the inconveniences of having a four-day week, but with current budget conditions brought on by severe state cuts, the district needed to make changes to be able to maintain the current teaching staff and eliminate cuts to instructional supplies for the classrooms. The new calendar will also result in school weeks that are consistent, with every week being four days, with the exception of the very last week of school, when school ends on Thursday. The board appreciates the 279 responses on the survey that community members participated in during the month of March. Those responses helped to narrow the potential cuts down to the re-tasking of L.W. St. John Elementary and the four-day week. Hopefully, the situation at the state level will get better and provide some relief to educational systems across the state that have had to make many drastic cuts to the most integral part of our economic system, an educated workforce.
Bea Underwood Elementary School April’s Terrific Kids from Bea Underwood are, from left, first row, Nick Hatcher, Kiara Walker, Gracie Shope, Teagan Jacobs, Mickie Davis, and Grace Allen; second row, Colby Scott, Dillon Hurst, Hannah Frink, Miguel Ruelas, Angela Espinoza, Jatziry Chairez Meza, and Derrick Medina; third row, Opal Morgenthaler (Kiwanis representative), Hailie Trujillo, Ethan Dooling, Kylee Walker, Emilio Garcia, Torrey Metcalf, Sierra Kitson, and Bill Coelho (Kiwanis representative). Not pictured: Mia Leonard, Bailey Hoyt, Diego Rivera
St John Elementary School April’s Terrific Kids from St John are, from left, first row, Carlos Flores, AJ Woodhams, Angel Rueles, Christina Reza, Aurora Mayfield, Leslie Monterroso; second row, Opal Morgenthaler, Efrain Alvarado, Natalia Chavez, Isaac Davis, Stone Zhang, and Kathy Keeling
Congratulations to all of April’s Terrific Kids!
THIS PAGE SPONSORED BY:
GARFIELD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 16 www.garcoschools.org
Page 24, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
Nature at Home and Afield By Betsy Leonard
Geology rocks!
From Parachute and Battlement Mesa and west to Grand Junction, we live in a geologically fascinating area. Here are some snapshots of our local environment. For years there were stories from the Indians that there were rocks that burned in the Parachute area. In 1882, Mike Callahan learned the hard way that what he had heard from the Utes was true. Mike had built his log cabin using the beautiful blue-gray rocks to construct his fireplace. Eager to show off his new place, Mike invited his friends, both white and Indian, to a housewarming. Much to his surprise, his fireplace ignited as the oil shale rock burned, and eventually burned his new cabin and all its contents to the ground. According to local historian Erlene Durrant Murray in her book “Lest We Forget,” in 1916 the US Geological Survey Department classified oil shale as “a mineral chiefly valuable as a source of petroleum and nitrogen, carrying no oil as free oil, but only the materials from which oil can be produced.” It is within the Green River formation that some of thickest and richest oil shale beds are found. Oil-bearing beds of the Green River shale thicken to the north, so most oil shale prospects are in the remote areas of the gray Tertiary Roan Plateau. Despite years of research, the key to processing oil shale economically and in an environmentally friendly way has yet to be discovered. Technically Battlement Mesa lies in the Grand Valley, a broad, open area between the Uncompahgre uplift and the Book Cliffs. Most of the Grand Valley is eroded from gently tilted Mancos Shale. The Mancos is a clay-filled mudstone that was deposited in a shallow marine environment, the remains of a seaway that covered all of Colorado and most of the adjacent states during the late Cretaceous time. During this period, climate was variable and oscillated between warm and cold temperatures with high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. It was a time when birds and flowering plants evolved and modern insect groups diversified. The Mancos clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry and loose. This eroding soil does not support much vegetation. Salt and selenium are often left behind as the shale erodes. When not protected by the harder Mesaverde caprock, the Mancos Shale erodes into humpbacked gray and yellow badlands. Grand Junction lies in the valley at the confluence of the Colorado (once known as the Grand) and Gunnison rivers. In this region, Mancos Shale is accentuated with terrace deposits that formed in stages as the Colorado River stabilized for a time and widened its floodplain before beginning another cycle of down cutting. Because of the shale’s fine texture and high clay content, the valley has no useable shallow groundwater. Most household water comes from reservoirs high on the Grand Mesa, while farmers divert irrigation water from the rivers. The Roan Cliffs north of Interstate 70, as well as the cliffs of Battlement Mesa and the Grand Mesa to the south, expose flat-lying Paleocene and Eocene sandstone and limey shale of the Wasatch and Green River formations from the Cenozoic time period, a little more recent deposition than the Mancos Shale. Before the Mancos seaway invaded the area, the field consisted of a broad, continental environment, with meandering streams, ponds, and relatively dry surrounding terrain. The Morrison Formation, with all of its dinosaur fossils, represents a system of streams and wide shallow basins frequently blanketed by dust from erupting volcanoes further to the west. As the seaway advanced over the land, waves smashed the rocks of the shore into sandy beaches, seen now as the Dakota Sandstone. Rainfall cannot erode the soft shale under the protective caprock, and a pedestal rock can develop, known as a “hoodoo.” These are commonly seen along the base of the Book Cliffs and along the highway of the DeBeque cutoff. Knowing a bit about our region’s geology enhances our appreciation of our unique environment.
Betsy Leonard is an environmental education specialist who lives in Parachute.
This is the second in a series of informational display ads that will appear once a month throughout the growing season in the Grand Valley Echo. These articles are intended to promote public awareness on Garfield County and State of Colorado listed noxious weeds. Landowners, both public and private, are obligated by state law to manage noxious weeds on their property. Garfield County, in cooperation with the local Conservation Districts, offers cost-share programs that provide financial assistance for the management of listed noxious weeds. The knapweeds are members of the Asteraceae Family and are among the most aggressive, invasive weed species to plague the western United States.
DIFFUSE KNAPWEED may be an annual or biennial. It is a problem along Colorado’s Front Range, in many areas in and around Douglas County, it is the dominant forb. It is found around the Town of Parachute, on Parachute Creek, up Rifle Creek, and along the Interstate 70 corridor.
MEADOW KNAPWEED is a perennial. It has become a problem in Routt and Ouray counties. It is known to be in the Dry Hollow area south of Silt.
RUSSIAN KNAPWEED is a deep rooted perennial. It found its way into Garfield County about 50 years ago and is now the most invasive, prolific weed in the county. This plant can be toxic to horses, when consumed over time. Once poisoning occurs horses are unable to chew or advance food to the back of their mouths; swallowing and drinking are severely impaired. Poisoning is irreversible and death by starvation will occur.
SPOTTED KNAPWEED may be a biennial or short-lived perennial. In 1920, spotted knapweed was limited to the San Juan Islands in Washington State. Now it is found in every county in the western United States. Montana is infested with over 5 million acres of spotted knapweed. In Garfield County it is found along the Interstate 70 corridor and up Battlement Creek. With your help, diffuse, meadow, and spotted knapweeds can be eliminated in our county.
For information about knapweed identification and management, contact the Garfield County noxious weed program.
Garfield County, in cooperation with the local Conservation Districts, offers financial assistance to landowners for noxious weed management. For additional information:
Garfield County: 625-8601 x 4305 or santhony@garfield-county.com Bookcliff, South Side, Mount Sopris Conservation Districts: 945-5494
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 25
FA I T H
As I See It
• The Echo Worship Directory • To be listed in The Echo Worship Directory, please contact gve@crystalvalleyecho.com to set up an account, there is a small monthly fee of $10.
Failure: An entrance exam
Grace Bible Church
By Pastor Charlie Hornick, Grace Bible Church Failure is not even mentioned at most graduation addresses. It is the last thing we want to talk about, yet learning from failure is essential for anyone to succeed. Erwin Lutzer calls failure “the back door to success.” I would even go so far as to call it the entrance exam to the best life has to offer. When I graduated from high school I felt I pretty much knew everything I needed to know. Interestingly enough, when I stopped being a “know it all,” I learned what mattered most. Maturity began to develop as I attended the graduate school of hard knocks. I realized that I failed in many ways and that learning from my mistakes was crucial. Proverbs says that even a righteous man falls seven times and gets back up again. God did something according to Deuteronomy Chapter 8 that most of us find strange. He led the children of Israel into the wilderness knowing they would fail there. It even says “he led them through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water.” But he had good reason for putting them through such a test. Earlier in the chapter he told them to remember his purpose for leading them into the wilderness for some 40 years. First, he did it to expose them of their own pride and self-sufficiency. In their arrogance they were prone to believe that it was their own ingenuity that had brought them their successes and tokens of prosperity. They tended to forget God’s goodness and grace. Instead of being humbly grateful, they were grumbly hateful. Next, he did it to empty them of their own blinded self-sufficiency. He humbled them, even allowing them to be hungry for a time. Then he gave them manna, his own miraculous provision. The end result was that he was able to educate them that “man does not live by bread alone, but from every one of God’s words.” After getting their attention they were able to learn the true and lasting values and virtues of life. Truths that would bring them true success finally penetrated their hearts as well as their heads. God had brought them as a nation to where they were finally willing to fight for what mattered. God had humbled and tested them in order to do them good in the end, taking them farther than they had ever been willing to go. The only route that would have worked was the one paved with failures. J.R. Riggs reminds us that the New Testament makes it very clear that the entrance into God’s kingdom starts with admitting our failures. When we deny, minimize, and excuse our faults and failures we turn our backs on the grace that heals, restores, and makes new again. When we turn to that grace we can quickly discover that our failures are not final, our flaws are not irreversible, and our sins are not unforgiveable. One of my favorite poets is Martha Snell Nicholson – a woman who spent thirty-five years of her life battling with four incurable diseases. Her words say it best. One by one He took them from me all the things I valued most, until I was empty handed; every glittering toy was lost. And I walked earth's highway grieving in my rags and poverty, till I heard his voice inviting, “Lift your empty hands to me.” So I held my hands toward heaven and He filled them with a store of His own transcendent riches till they could contain no more. And at last I comprehended with my simple mind and dull, that God could not pour His riches into hands already full!
755 Spencer Parkway P.O. Box 6248 Battlement Mesa 285-9862 Charlie Hornick, Pastor Jed Johnston, Family Life Pastor Chastity McGillivray, GBC Child Care Missionary Intern, Amy Hamilton Sunday Blessing Up for Church Broadcast 8 a.m. - 103.9 FM Sunday School: 9:30-10:15 a.m. Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m. Evening Service: 5:30 p.m.
All Saints' Episcopal Church 150 Sipprelle Dr. Battlement Mesa 285-7908 Pastor's mobile: 985-5797 The Reverend Edmond-Joseph Rivet, Priest-in-charge Website: allsaintsepiscopal.info Church e-mail: office@allsaintsepiscopal.info Pastor e-mail: frej@allsaintsepiscopal.info Sunday Sunday Eucharist: 10:30 a.m. Choir: 9:30 a.m. Children's Godly Play: 10 a.m. WOW: Worship On Wednesday Contemplative Eucharist: 6 p.m. Soup Social: 6:30 p.m. Episcopal Theology: 7 p.m. •••
Crown Peak Baptist Church 101 W. Battlement Parkway Parachute 285-7946 crownpeakbaptist.com Rick Van Vleet, Senior Pastor Dan LaRue, Associate Pastor Matt Loftin, Youth Pastor Brian Jarrett, Minister of Music Sunday Morning Worship – 8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m. Sunday Morning Bible Study for all ages – 9:45 a.m. (Children's Church offered during 11 a.m. service) Wed. Night Dinner 5:30 p.m. Wed. Night Programs 6:30 p.m. (Adult, Children & Youth Groups) Small groups meet throughout the week ... Visit our website for more information. Come -- Experience God's Power for life & living Know -- Christ through a loving family for fellowship Grow -- In Christ through a foundation of discipleship Go -- With Christ in a ministry of service with a focus for evangelism
•••
Faith Baptist Church 235 N. Railroad Ave. Parachute John Yadloski, Pastor 285-7424 Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship: 11 a.m. Children’s Church: 11:15 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study: 7 p.m.
Youth / Children’s Activities Grace Bible Church Child Care: Mon – Fri. Boy Scouts – Call for days/times Awana: Tuesdays 6:30pm (Sept. – April) High School Youth: Sun. 5:00-7:00 p.m. Middle School Youth: Wed. 7:00-8:30 p.m. *Bible Studies, Special Activities (Call for times and places) Website: grace-bible-church.com 24-Hour Prayer Line: 256-4693 •••
Grand Valley Christian Church Second Street & Parachute Avenue Parachute Richard Counts, Pastor 285-7597, 260-1080 e-mail: office@mygvcc.info Church Office 285-7597 Sunday worship 10:00 a.m. •••
The Lighthouse (Assembly of God) 1833 S. Battlement Parkway Battlement Mesa 285-7236 or 379-5947 (Pastor's cell) Pastor: Dr. Robert C. McNew Services Sunday school: Sunday, 9:30 a.m. Worship service: Sunday, 10:30 a.m. (Children's Church & Nursery) Ladies’ Bible study and luncheon: Tuesday, 12-2 p.m.
•••
Shepherd of the Mesa (WELS) Website: shepherdofthemesa.org Bill Cornelius, Pastor 987-3093 Youth Directors: Kristy and Rory Roder, Brandon Downing Worship: Sunday at 10 a.m. Bible Information Class: Monday at 7 p.m. Family Bible Study: Wednesday at 7 p.m. Location: Historic Battlement Mesa Schoolhouse on County Road 300 Lutheran Catechism: Wednesday at 3 p.m. Women’s Bible Study Group: Monday at 9:30 a.m. Location: 12 Rosewood Way In Home Bible Study throughout the week. Call for times and locations in your area.
Grand Valley United Methodist Church 132 N. Parachute Ave. Parachute, Co. 81635 970-285-9892 grandvalleyumc.qwestnet.com We are a Christ-centered congregation committed to biblical and theological openness and inclusiveness. SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE Adult Sunday School: 8:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Worship Service at 10:00 a.m. Fellowship Time with refreshments at 11:00 a.m. We have a Communion Service on the First Sunday of every month Our “Awakening Chorus” Choir practices on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.
•••
Wellspring of Life Church at Grand Valley Middle School 0364 Sipprelle Drive Parachute Pastor David Bartlett Sunday Service Time: 10 a.m. Youth and Children’s Sunday School 210-5795 210-5849 •••
We Invite you to Attend our Special Services on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Tenebrae Service, Easter Sunrise Service and Breakfast. We offer many volunteer opportunities to support community agencies. We host a free luncheon every Monday open to all. We offer a community garden that is free to all. Meditation and Spiritual Growth Group twice a month at 7:00 p.m. Our church has been active in serving the area for 122 years! Come Join Us This Sunday!
Page 26, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
Where’s Redstone?
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Where’s Redstone – and why should you care? The Grand Valley Echo’s nine-year old sister, The Crystal Valley Echo, is based in Redstone and is the monthly newspaper for the Crystal Valley. Besides, Redstone is a perfect, quick getaway for Grand Valleyites. Get to know your sister: Come visit.
Low water, high scenic value By Carrie Click, Echo editor
As of press time, the Crystal River is running, but hardly with the fevered pitch it ran last year. Yes, we’re in an historically low-snowpack year, and though the flora has greened up in the Crystal Valley, the water is running at such an uncharacteristically low level that typical outdoor activities such as rafting and kayaking are being put on hold. Now’s the time for a trip to Redstone. Before the busy summer tourist season starts, walk Redstone Boulevard, visit the shops and restaurants that line the main drag, relax along the river at Redstone Park, and take a little hike into the nearby mountain valleys. If you’ve always wanted to take a tour of the Redstone Castle, now may be the time to go. Tours run daily at 1:30 p.m. and are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and children, and free for kids under 5 years. Redstone is located on Highway 133, 18 miles south of Carbondale. Take I70 to Glenwood Springs and Highway 82 to the junction of Highway 133 at Carbondale. Hope to see you in Redstone!
One hour to full day
Trail Rides
CALL NOW FOR YOUR SUMMER ADVENTURE! Enjoy a
Carriage Ride or a
Wagon Ride
Book your summer adventure by calling 963-1144 or 963-2526
redstonecolorado.com
We offer fully guided or drop camp hunts for elk, bear, mule deer, mountain goat or bighorn sheep
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THE HEART OF REDSTONE WITH A UNIQUE SELECTION OF CENTERPIECES FOR YOUR HOME! REDSTONE CASTLE TOUR TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE! OPEN YEAR ROUND • OPEN DAILY
970-963-1769 225 Redstone Blvd. • Redstone
REDSTONE CASTLE TOURS Tours Daily • 1:30 p.m. Tickets: $15 adults, $10 seniors, children 5-18 Children under 5: FREE (FOR GROUP TOURS CALL 970-963-9656) Tickets available at Tiffany of Redstone, and the Redstone General Store CASH OR CHECK ONLY
www.redstonecastle.us
GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012, Page 27
The Echo Classifieds
THE GRAND VALLEY ECHO CLASSIFIED ADS
FOR RENT: FOR RENT: BATTLEMENT MESA – 3 BD/2 BA condo, washer/dryer, AC, 1 car garage, lots of storage; activity center dues included. First month rent ($1,200) and security ($1,200) due upon signing. NS, pets considered. Call 704-0373. FOR SALE: FOR SALE: LAPTOPS FOR LESS, used, mostly Dell. Great programs already loaded. Ready to go immediately. Give us your needs, get our lowest quote. Great for work or school! E-mail, banking, catch up on the daily news. Call Dick at 250-5154. SERVICES: SERVICES: Mike's Home Maintenance Service – Providing home service for the Battlement area. Lawns mowed from $15-35. Leaf removal/gutters cleaned. General home maintenance. Minor plumbing. House painting. Tree trimming and clean-up, $45-70/tree. (Note: Globe willows shed multiple limbs and excess leaves - this can be controlled with correct trimming.) Call Mike 285-9330.
Only $10 for up to 40 words! (25¢/word after that).
Classified ads MUST be prepaid. Mail your check to: 274 Redstone Blvd., Redstone, CO 81623 and E-MAIL YOUR AD COPY TO: gve@crystalvalleyecho.com
SERVICE DIRECTORY For all your professional plumbing needs Service Work • Boilers • Water Heaters Furnaces • Coolers • Remodels • Leaks Gas • Controls • Radiant Heat
• Basic and Full Service Oil Changes • Automatic Transmission Flushes • Tire Sales • ASE Certified Mechanic on duty full-time
285-9217 Parachute, Rifle and Silt
120 S. Columbine Ct. • Parachute
Logos • Brochures Advertising Book layout & design
#1 IN A #2 BUSINESS 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE! DEBEQUE TO ASPEN
Alyssa Ohnmacht
• 963-2373
RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • MUNICIPAL • Electronic locate • Rooter work • Unclog lines and drains • RootX Treatments • Hydro-jet of lines/grease traps • Septic tank inspections • Camera/Video inspection of lines 2” to 36” CALL RICK or SCOTT
970-930-0124 P.O. BOX 1349 • RIFLE, CO 81650
TO RUN YOUR AD IN THE GRAND VALLEY ECHO SERVICE DIRECTORY CALL 285-7634 TODAY!
Page 28, GRAND VALLEY ECHO • Mid-May/Mid-June 2012
FEBRUARY 2008
Page 28