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Thursday, September 19, 2013 © Berthoud, Colorado

“Covering all the angles in the Garden Spot ... where good things grow” www.berthoudsurveyor.com

Volume 10, Number 38

The flood’s aftermath

Little Thompson River swells to record levels damaging roads, train tracks, homes and structures By John Gardner The Surveyor Cindy Befus and her sister, Karen Befus, did not get a lot of sleep Thursday night. Their property, just south of Berthoud on County Road 15 (CR 15), is intersected by the Little Thompson River. Cindy’s house sits up the hill to the south of the river, while Karen’s house is nestled closer to the river’s north bank. Thursday night, as the waters rose to never-before-seen levels, Cindy had an uneasy feeling. “There was a lake just waiting on the other side of the train tracks,” Cindy said. “I just had a sick feeling in my stomach.” When the sun rose Friday morning the extensive damage was apparent. The bridge that spans the river remained intact. However, huge sections of road, as large as 25 feet across and 12 feet deep, were washed out on both sides. The section of earth that held the railroad tracks and acted like a dam holding the river’s gathering water gave way overnight, the tracks hung in the air, bowed like an object in a Salvador Dalí painting. Luckily for Karen, the house sustained minimal damage, but much of her property was mud-covered and saturated with flood water. Saturday, curious people walked beyond the road-closed signs to get a closer look. Xcel Energy had a technician out checking for possible gas-line leaks. Cindy called the company because she could smell gas. A large section of CR15, 50 feet in length, was pushed from its location and rested intact on Befus’ property. “It’s just incredible,” Cindy joked, “we now have a road on our property.” The flooding of the Little Thompson River affected local residents south of Berthoud, damaging at least nine roads and close to 50 homes along its path, according to Berthoud Fire Protection District Chief Steve Charles. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that three dams in the Big Elk Meadow area failed due to the amounts of water flowing down stream Thursday night. The dams were located at Sunset Lake, Mirror Lake and Rainbow Lake, which are three lakes about eight miles west of Lyons. All were earthen dams and were reportedly “very small,” so the “impact in the area was minimal from these breaks,” the sheriff’s office reported. Sheriff’s office spokesman John Schulz said that the amount of extra water from those three lakes wasn’t enough to make a difference with the amount of water that was coming down. “It was a drop in the bucket,” Schulz said. “By the time those dams gave way,” Schulz said, “most of the damage was already done.” Many residents along the Little Thompson experienced horrific episodes similar, or worse, than the Befuses. To the east, along County Road 4E (CR 4E), Sean and Michelle Jurs could only watch as the water rose, overflowing its banks and overtaking their driveway Thursday. “What can you do?” Sean asked. “There’s nothing you can do.” Sean and Michelle have lived in their house for close to 20 years and have never before seen the river this size. Some areas in Larimer County experienced a 100-year flood and other areas experienced a 1,000-year flood, the sheriff’s office reported. “It’s been high before,” Sean said, “but never like this.” The rushing water eventually overtook CR 4E, washing out the road on either side of the bridge. Huge trees were downed and strewn along the river banks and some lay

Motorist drove into river before closures By John Gardner The Surveyor

travel far in any direction from town to see a lot of damage, and to know it was a major regional event,” said Hart. He went on to state that from the standpoint of it being a regional event Berthoud was affected. He mentioned being cut off from emergency medical services, such as the hospitals in Loveland and Longmont, as being one potentially serious emergency. “Nobody could get across the rivers, so we were on our own for a while. We were lucky nothing

At 5:30 a.m. on Friday, Berthoud resident Art Karsel and his sister, Amy Rogers, got in his car and headed south on County Road 17. They were going to Walmart to get water. It was raining and the Little Thompson River was raging larger than it had in close to 100 years. As Karsel drove down the road, another car driving north approached. “They didn’t know that the bridge was out,” Karsel said. Karsel flashed his car’s brights, attempting to notify the oncoming driver of the danger ahead – with no luck. The oncoming car simply switched off its bright headlights. During the night, the Little Thompson had grown in volume, exceeding its banks. It had grown too great to be contained within the boundaries of the narrow opening that made its way underneath CR17 and had washed out a 15-foot section on the south side of the bridge. Karsel already knew that the road was washed out, living nearby. But the road hadn’t been blocked off yet. Karsel and his sister stopped driving after the motorist passed by. They watched to see where the car was going. And then it happened. “I just saw the taillights disappear,” Karsel said. Karsel turned his car around and headed toward the river. He told his sister to call 911 and he got out to check on the condition of the vehicle and its occupants. “I could see the car floating down the river,” Karsel said. “His dome light was on and the car was just floating down the river.” Karsel watched as the car continued down the roaring Little Thompson until it went out of view. Karsel started down a driveway near the river in the direction he last saw the car when he noticed a person walking up the driveway, bleeding, wet, and cold. Karsel said he took off his sweatshirt and gave it to the man, who seemed to be in shock, and helped him to his car to warm up. About that time, Karsel noticed another vehicle coming down CR 17, this time from the north. It was a Berthoud Fire Protection District Search and Rescue vehicle. Karsel waved his arms trying to get the driver’s attention. At the last moment, the vehicle stopped, the driver’s-side front tire over the edge. “I just say it was divine intervention,” Karsel said. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” According to Berthoud Fire Protection District’s Chief Steve Charles, the person driving the emergency vehicle was a Berthoud Fire “chief officer” who was in route to the call, which Rogers had made minutes earlier. “He was unable to see due to lack of visibility and was unable to determine that the bridge was out,” Charles said. The other man, whose name was not released, was not severely injured, according to Charles. “Everyone was OK. No one was transported to the hospital or anything like that,” he said. In the days since, Charles indicated that the fire department has responded to four similar incidents. Nine county roads that are intersected by the Little Thompson River are impassable due to flooding. Most of those bridges and roads have been washed out, leaving huge gashes between the existing road and the bridge, making it impassable for motorists and making the fire department’s response times longer in areas south of the river. “We have an alternate plan in place for those response routes,” Charles said. For addresses south of the river,

TOWN cont. on page 5

FLOOD cont. on page 2

(Above) A Berthoud Fire Protection District vehicle rests precariously at a washout on County Road 17.

Photo by Mark McGee

(Below) A piece of asphalt from County Road 15 rests in Karen Befus’ pasture, Saturday, after the flooding Little Thompson River washed sections of the road out overnight. See related photo on page 10.

Photo by John Gardner

across the road Monday morning. Across the river to the west on CR 4E, Wanda Skeen and her family were beginning the long clean-up process Monday morning. Skeen pumped muddy water and cleared out mud from the basement of her mother’s house, which sits on the same piece of property about 30 feet from her house. Skeen’s beautiful lawn, once a picture-perfect river-front property, was now a meadow of muddy mess that stretched from CR4E surrounding both houses and continuing past into what is now a new path of the river. “This was a beautiful lawn,” Skeen said pointing to a riverbed literally feet from her house. “This is what’s left.” As of Monday, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office reported 13 National Guard helicopters and three civilian helicopters continued evacuating stranded people, aided with surveillance, and brought in emergency personnel to affected areas. The damage area consists of approximately 1,120 square miles with the severe damage occurring in the Big Thompson

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Classified ................................... 9 Crossword .................................. 7 Sports ........................................ 6 Legal notices .............................. 9 Opinion ...................................... 4 Then & Now ............................... 5 Weather ..................................... 2

Canyon and Buckhorn Canyon. Close to 1,000 Larimer County residents were stranded in remote locations; 398 persons were unaccounted for; two reports confirmed of people missing or presumed dead; however, there were no confirmed fatalities within Larimer County directly related to flooding. Initial estimates show approximately 1,500 residences in Larimer County were destroyed, with an estimated 4,500 damaged, according to the sheriff’s office. Denver’s 9News reported that 11,700 people were evacuated statewide and more than 18,000 structures were damaged or destroyed due to flooding. Surprisingly, Skeen’s house received minor water damage and the flooding was contained to the crawlspace. But the landscaping was destroyed and will need to be completely rebuilt. She also lost an old horse barn that was near the river. Her mother’s house received most of the damage. “There’s still about three feet of water in the basement,” Skeen said.

According to a sheriff’s office report, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) contributed two 80-person searchand-rescue teams Sunday to assist with operations. A Type II management team arrived Saturday with 50 additional people to help with planning, coordination, and resource allocation for all areas of Larimer County. In all, FEMA announced Sunday that 15 counties along Colorado’s Front Range were declared emergency disaster areas due to flooding. The counties included the hardest hit of Boulder, Larimer and El Paso counties, but also included Adams, Araphahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Fremont, Jefferson, Morgan, Logan, Pueblo, Washington and Weld Counties. Skeen has lived on the property since 1960. Her mother’s house is the house she grew up in. She said that she’s seen the river flood before, during high runoff years when the state has abundant snowpack, but this was as big as she’s ever seen it. “Nothing like this,” Skeen said.

Flood impact minimal in town By Rudy Hemmann The Surveyor The Berthoud Board of Trustees held a special meeting Tuesday evening which began with reports from members of town staff regarding the flooding that had occurred in the rural areas and communities around Berthoud due to the heavy rains of the past week. The first to report was Town Administrator Mike Hart. “The town was pretty lucky in that Berthoud proper really didn’t see much as far as storm damage or flooding events … but you didn’t have to

Page 2 Weekly Surveyor September 19, 2013

Berthoud and Larimer County flood 2013 information: What flood victims need to know Surveyor staff report Larimer County

Larimer County remains in the flood response and recovery mode, however short and long term recovery efforts are being quickly organized. Larimer County flood survivors, residents and media are encouraged to check the Larimer County Flood 2013 Relief and Recovery website at www. larimer.org for frequent updates. The Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) will provide a full one-stop service center for flood survivors in Larimer County. Full services have been available since Wednesday, Sept. 18. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is planned to be open for at least four weeks and is located at 815 14th St. SW, Building B in Loveland. Weekend hours may vary. Larimer County Recovery Manager Suzanne Bassinger said the City of Loveland has been instrumental in the fast start-up and obtained use of the former Hewlett-Packard building quickly. The building’s electrical, Internet and phone capacities were upgraded and more than 20 work stations installed in the last 48 hours. Services and organizations that will be available to all flood survivors at the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) include: Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Way, many Larimer County departments, insurance representatives and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) registration. A play area will be available for children. Shuttle service from the Fort Collins evacuation shelters is being organized. A donation receiving and distribution center is set up and operational at the same location, but in Building D. The center, managed by the Seventh Day Adventists, is receiving donations from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Distribution hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Survivors are asked to check in at the DAC before proceeding to the distribution center. Available items will include all household and personal items, as well as food. A second distribution center is also operating out of Timberline Church in Fort Collins. The county worked closely with the FEMA to clear some bureaucratic hurdles with unusual speed. Before FEMA can even collect information from people who might be eligible for federal financial disaster aid, the president must sign a formal declara-

Larimer Humane Society Free, temporary boarding is available for dogs, cats, small mammals, exotic animals and barnyard fowl at the Larimer Humane Society shelter at 6317 Kyle Ave., Fort Collins. Large animals including horses and livestock are being housed at The Ranch at 5280 Arena Cir., Loveland. Larimer Humane Society volunteers at the evacuation shelters in Loveland and Fort Collins can provide a list of facilities who have offered free or reduced-cost housing to flood evacuees. Organizations may or may not have an existing relationship with Larimer Humane Society; owners assume all risk asPhoto by Mark French sociated with housing The Little Thompson River wasn’t so little on Sept. 13 when it overran its banks and spread animals with them. across County Road 23. Veterinary care and/ tion. Usually the declaration is not private wells and septic systems, or boarding facilities interested in made until fairly detailed damage food safety, tetanus, environmental being added to the list of free boardassessments are complete - homes contaminants, home cleanup, mold, ing for evacuees can contact info@ checked, car damage inventoried general health and safety among oth- larimerhumane.org. and other time-consuming work. The ers. Crates are available to evacuees at extent of the damage from flooding A link to the information is availthe evacuation shelters at Thompson in Larimer County is so obvious that able on the Larimer County Virtual School District Administrative Offices the declaration was made sooner. Courthouse, http://www.larimer.org, at 800 S. Taft Ave., Loveland and The federal Declaration of Individual or at http://www.larimer.org/health/ Timberline Church at 2908 S. TimAssistance was finalized on Sunday emergency berline Rd., Fort Collins, for tempoat 4 p.m., as was a partial Public AsThe Health Department reminds rary housing, but owners are encoursistance declaration. The latter frees people to avoid contact with flood aged to utilize the Larimer Humane up some money for initial clean-up water if possible since it will likely Society shelter, local veterinary and and debris removal, and emergency contain harmful bacteria, chemicals boarding facilities, as well as personprotective measures. or other contaminants. Many contam- al contacts for housing animals. FEMA is available to register flood inants such as raw sewage, as well as If you need assistance with evacusurvivors for limited grant and loan potential releases of chemicals from ating your animals or your animals programs. FEMA’s programs are homes, businesses and industry, may are lost, please call 970-226-3647 ext. complex therefore survivors are urged be contained in floodwaters. If people 7 to provide the description and locato visit FEMA representatives at the must be in contact with floodwaters, tion of your animals. Larimer HuDAC to determine available benefits, they should wash frequently with mane Society is working closely with including possibilities such as paywarm water and soap. emergency services and will respond ment for semi-permanent lodging. No Also, keep watch for local drinkto calls on a priority basis when roads FEMA money or services are availing water advisories which, in most become passable. able until the registration process is cases, are announced by local municiCommunity members interested complete. See related story below. palities. People who get their drinkin helping can visit www.larimerhuThe Larimer County Department ing water from small water systems mane.org to fill out a form to let us of Health and Environment has postor private wells should boil their know how you can help. You will be ed information related to flooding and drinking water if there is a suspicion contacted if your help is needed. health on its website. Topics include that the water systems were impactPet supplies can be donated besafe drinking water, sewage issues, ed by the flood. Boil water for three tween 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Northminutes before cooling and using, or ern Colorado Disaster Assistance use bottled water. Center at the Agilent Technologies – Hewlett Packard campus located at Burlington Northern Santa Fe 815 SW 14th St., Loveland. Larimer Railroad Humane Society is not accepting Andy Williams, public information physical donations due to a lack of office for Burlington Northern Santa storage space. Monetary donations Fe railroad reports that the line can be made online at www.larimerfrom Denver to Cheyenne that goes storms may register online at disasterashumane.org. sistance.gov, or type in m.fema.govon through Berthoud is not operating at

Flood victims may qualify for FEMA aid By Surveyor staff Fifteen counties along Colorado’s Front Range from Larimer County to Pueblo County have been designated an emergency disaster area due to the extensive flood damage. Homeowners, renters and business owners in Larimer County who’ve sustained damage as a result of the severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides that began on Sept. 11, may apply for state and federal disaster assistance. Individual assistance was extended after ongoing damage assessments by officials from the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were conducted. Disaster assistance grants for qualified applicants may include: temporary rental housing, home repairs not covered by insurance, other serious disaster related needs not covered by insurance such as medical, dental and funeral expenses, moving and storage fees, and personal property replacement. Any debris removal, fence or property damage, agricultural or crop damage, agricultural irrigation system damage, or riverbank destabilization could also qualify. Flood victims in four designated counties, Larimer, Adams, Boulder and Weld, who sustained losses or damage from the

Words of Wisdom “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.”

their smartphone. To apply for disaster assistance by phone call FEMA at 800-621-3362. Survivors who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services may call 800-621-3362 to register. The toll-free numbers remain open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Victims should register with FEMA even if they have insurance as FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled. Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid even if the person has registered with another disaster relief organization, such as the American Red Cross. Applicants will be asked to provide: • Social Security number • Address of the damaged home or apartment • Description of the damage • Information about insurance coverage • A current contact telephone number • An address where you can get mail • Bank account and routing numbers if you want direct deposit of any financial assistance. For more information on the Colorado disaster operation, visit fema.gov/disaster/4145.

this time because of washouts. Damage assessments will be made after the water recedes and then repairs will begin. Normally, only six to eight trains a day use the route. At this time they are being rerouted.

Floods

cont. from pg. 1

where direct routes from Berthoud have been cut off, Charles indicated that the department has in place a mutual-aid agreement with Mountain View Fire District in Mead and with Longmont Fire Department. If the resources are available from one of the other departments, they will respond to calls from local residents first. Berthoud will also respond, but may be delayed, Charles said. Roads where bridges have been washed away or compromised in Larimer County near Berthoud include County Road 15, County Road 17, County Road 21, County Road 23, and County Road 23E. Weld County roads compromised or bridges that have been washed away

Xcel Energy

There are still areas that are not accessible to Xcel crews to enter and inspect equipment and natural gas lines prior to repair and replacement work. However, they were able include County Road 7, County Road 5, County Road 3, and County Road 1. “Those roads are closed for a reason. Those who are out driving around, just take it easy and take notice.” Charles said. A long section of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad trestle was “significantly damaged” south of town on County Road 15, Charles said. “The trestle is damaged to the point that it’s going to need significant repairs, or be replaced,” he said. The fire department also performed three water rescues since Thursday afternoon. The most serious incident involved rescuing a man from the roof of a structure that was surrounded by fastmoving waters. The man was treated for hypothermia at the scene and released,

to deploy crews to areas to shore up sagging natural gas lines — where soil erosion has left lines with little or no support — to maintain service to customers. Xcel Energy personnel have been in close contact with staff from the Colorado Department of Transportation and representatives from Larimer and Boulder counties to ensure they are aware of road openings and that any road construction does not damage or move natural gas lines. This coordination becomes increasingly critical moving from an emergency response mode to the reconstruction and restoration phase. For people in an area that may be flooded or may be evacuated from a home, please do not attempt to disconnect your natural gas or electricity service. Xcel crews have the training and skills to do that safely. Please remember that if a sulfur or “rotten egg” smell is detected inside the home, it could be the odorant put in natural gas to help detect leaks. If that smell is noticed, leave your home immediately. Do not turn any electrical devices on or off and never use any phone until you are outside and safely away from the area. Then call 911 or call Xcel Energy at 1-800-8952999. Stay away from downed power lines and assume they are energized. Call 911 or call Xcel Energy at 1-800895-1999 to report downed or damaged power lines. Updates can be found throughout the day at Facebook at www.facebook.com/XcelEnergyCO. Internal Revenue Service

Paul Mueller at Mueller & Associates reports that the IRS has announced relief measures for Colorado taxpayers impacted by the floods, landslides and mudslides that began on Sept. 11. This is in wake of the president’s declaration of Adams, Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties as federal disaster areas. For taxpayers who reside and/or operate a business in these four counties, the IRS has extended all filing deadlines falling on or after Sept. 11, to Dec. 2. This includes The Sept. 15 deadline for filing calendar year corporate, partnership and fiduciary income tax returns that had previously been extended, as well as the quarterly estimated tax payments that would otherwise have been due today from both individual and business taxpayers. Payroll tax deposits due on or after Sept. 11 have been delayed to Sept. 26 without penalty. Individual taxpayers who had previously extended the filing deadline for their personal income tax return to Oct. 15, now have until Dec. 2 to file their tax return. Taxpayers in a federally declared disaster area have the option of claiming disaster-related losses on their 2012 income tax returns, which can result in expedited income tax refunds and badly needed capital. Charles said. As far as impact, Charles said, local property owners adjacent to the river have sustained damage, however, in respect to others areas of the county, Berthoud residents faired pretty well. “We did not see that significant of damage compared to Estes Park, Lyons and parts of Weld County,” Charles said. Other than the three water rescues fire crews performed, Charles said that there have been no injuries or deaths reported tied to the flooding. That being said, Charles advised people to mind road closures, because they remain unsafe. “Often times the water takes the ground underneath the road out and leaves an overhang that can be unsafe,” Charles said.

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Berthoud Weekly Surveyor September 19, 2013 Page 3

The Little Thompson Flood 2013 in photos

Clockwise from top left: The railroad tracks along County Road 15 south of Berthoud bow as the ground beneath the tracks was washed away from the raging Little Thompson River. Photo by John Gardner Before: This photo taken Sept. 12 shows the Little Thompson River flooding County Road 15. Photo by Mark French After: This shot taken Sept. 14 shows the damage at County Road 15 bridge

south of Berthoud after flood waters washed out the railroad trestle to the right, and sections of the road beside the bridge. Photo by John Gardner South County Line Road to the north of East County Road 6C is another of the several bridges washed out by flooding. Photo by Jan Dowker The Little Thompson River overtakes East County Road 6C Saturday morning. Photo by Jan Dowker

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Thursday, September 26, 2013 © Berthoud, Colorado

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The long cleanup begins, community lends a hand By John Gardner The Surveyor

Eric and Jennie Koolstra continued the cleanup Tuesday morning, more than a week and a half after the flooding Little Thompson River surrounded their home and filled their basement with mud and water. Driving down the driveway to her house, which she typically accesses from County Road 7 east of Berthoud, Jennie spots a couch lodged in a row of bushes that line the driveway. Bales of hay, a small trailer, and tree trunks bigger than vehicles were strewn about their property. But the debris was only part of the issue. The raging water cut out a 50foot section of the driveway, cutting off access to the house from County Road 7. Luckily, the Koolstras have another access road, which had to be rebuilt as well, that cuts through farm land from State Highway 56. On Sept. 12, when the river started overflowing its banks, water completely surrounded their house, leaving the Koolstras and their two young children stranded. The river had grown so high that it spread out across their property and almost completely submerged their alfalfa crop with more than four feet of water. “It was insane how high the river was,” Jennie said. She said that besides the basement window that broke behind the force, tons of mud in their yard, a driveway to rebuild, and months of cleaning up debris, she considered her family lucky. The cleanup began on Sept. 14, after the river level receded. And then people started coming over to lend a hand. Jennie said that a local group, the Bums of Berthoud, brought lunches out to her house for her family, and a group from the Berthoud Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also showed up and offered to lend a hand. “It was just so nice of them to do that,” Jennie said. Several groups from Berthoud have pitched in to help those affected by the flood. Churches have helped gather food and supplies, neighbors have helped clean up mud and debris, and businesses have helped other businesses get by.

Caroline Creager, owner of Berthoud Athletic Club, wasn’t directly affected by the flood, but she has opened her club to some athletic trainers who have been displaced because of the damage to their usual gym in Loveland. “It’s difficult for trainers to walk into someone else’s club and train,” Creager said. Jamie and Doug Stewart have trained at the Loveland Athletic Club for a couple of years. Unfortunately, the club was right in the middle of the Big Thompson’s flood path on Highway 287 in Loveland. “We were up a creek,” Jamie said. “We depend on training for our income.” She said that she and her husband didn’t know where they were going to train their clients until Creager invited them to use her facility. “I had never even met her prior to this,” Jamie said. “And she just said ‘you are welcome to come here and train.’” As of Wednesday morning, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office reported that all but one of the people listed as missing have been accounted for. However, the flood’s first confirmed death came late last week as authorities found the body of Evelyn M. Starner, 79, of Cedar Cove, at approximately 4 p.m. on Sept. 21. Starner’s body was found on the bank of the Big Thompson River near Sylvan Dale Ranch in Loveland. Some 44 roads remain closed or open only to residents in Larimer County. Near Berthoud, at least eight roads remain closed, according to Larimer County. Road closures near town include County Road (CR)4, CR 4E, CR 6, CR 6C, CR 15, CR 17 and CR 21, as well as County Line Road 1. The Type 3 management team has control of the incident and the Emergency Operation Center is up and running at the sheriff’s office. Activities continue to focus more on the long-term recovery and less on search and rescue at this point, the sheriff’s office reported. As for local folks like the Koolstras, the cleanup will continue for the weeks, and possibly months, ahead.

FUN DAY AT BERTHOUD EL

Photo by John Gardner

Eric Koolstra fills in a void with crushed concrete and dirt where the driveway to his house used to be. The Koolstra’s driveway, located off of County Road 7 east of Berthoud, was washed out by the flooding Little Thompson River on Sept. 12.

A flood of activity for fire personnel

By Bob McDonnell The Surveyor Since the morning of Sept. 13, members of the Berthoud Fire Protection District (BFPD) have been actively involved in many activities surrounding the floods in Northern Colorado. Even though most of the flood waters passed by Berthoud, BFPD Chief Steve Charles says his firefighters have played an important role in support efforts. Charles says that not all homes within the fire district’s boundaries were spared. At least 50 homes within the jurisdiction were damaged to some extent. Some were destroyed and some have minimal damage, the chief said. Local firefighters were involved in one water rescue. Members of the BFPD swift water team had to rescue a person who drove into the river. The team did three other rescues that day. Chief Charles says the department has been a resource to neighboring communities as needed. This includes Boulder, Johnstown and Milliken. Additionally, one member of the BFPD went to Estes Park as part of an incident management team. Due to inaccessibility to some areas south of Berthoud, there were potential delayed response times. This meant that BFPD asked for assistance from

Trustees updated on flood damage to roads By Rudy Hemmann The Surveyor

Photo by Becky Justice-Hemmann

Kids always love the parachute and this year was no different. Berthoud Elementary held their Field Day on Wednesday, Sept . 25, blue skies and sunshine abounded.

Look who’s in the news!

Hally Berg Nicole Maheu Scott Strevey Gillian Morgan Kenner Malinowski Kina Palmer Emma Kiah Leonard Lundgreen Section A: Classified ................................... 9 Crossword .................................. 7 Sports ........................................ 6 Legal notices .............................. 9 Opinion ...................................... 4 Then & Now ............................... 5 Weather ..................................... 2 Section B: Senior Wise

The Berthoud Board of Trustees held a regular meeting Tuesday evening, with the greater portion of the session taken up by study session-like items. The trustees received a briefing from Town Engineer Stephanie Brothers concerning the flood recovery efforts in the rural areas around town. She informed the board the state had authorized the town to engage in debris removal from road rights-of-way and from around bridges. She went on to state the town had some difficulty finding equipment to do the work, but the town road crew had found a local contractor willing to rent equipment to the town. Brothers said the bridge on Weld County Road (WCR) 44 (Highway 56 extended) located just east of Interstate 25 is still closed to traffic and is awaiting a more thorough inspection by state engineers. She remained hopeful the bridge on WCR 1 had not received major damage and that work could soon begin to repair the road. State inspectors had toured the wastewater treatment facility and

Charles says his department continboth Longmont and Mountain View ues to check with constituents to see if Fire Departments. they can do anything The Berthoud fire to help as he feels the station on Mountain fire department is a Avenue was mostly “conduit to our comempty a few days after munity.” the flood. Firefighters In addition to the and equipment were out activities already listit the community. ed, Charles says he is Chief Charles says also periodically meetthat the first task was ing with Berthoud’s to check the status of police department and residents along the Town Administrator Little Thompson. Mike Hart. Other efforts inPaperwork is also cluded verifying the Photo by Bob McDonnell required, even in an welfare of residents in Chief Steve Charles spends emergency situation. homes west of Carter a moment in his BFPD office In this case BFPD fills Lake. The chief says his reflecting on the flood. out forms for Larimer department was able to text some of these residents but person- County and the incident management team along with Weld County and nel had to hike in to some locations. Boulder County Emergency Operations The other task was to ensure that Centers. bridges in the district were stable. The fire department is also working Chief Charles says, “Damage assesswith Grace Place Church, and Pastor ment is time consuming.” Kim Land, to find local families who All off-duty BFPD workers were will open their homes temporarily to called in at the start of the flood. This those who have been displaced. Most meant that many worked four straight of these requests are from the Milliken 24-hour shifts. area. In most of their activities, BFPD is Overall, Chief Charles said that at a working closely with other fire agentime, “We had our hands full.” cies, FEMA, the Red Cross and evacuation centers. there was hope the town would be reimbursed for some of the flood damage sustained at the facility. Following the report by Brothers, the trustees acted quickly to dispatch three agenda items which required their attention. The board heard a request from Jim and Lynne Roper, who reside at 540 Sixth St., for a waiver to portions of the development code concerning street right-of-way easements. An information sheet prepared by planning staff states, “The request is to waive setback and encroachment requirements for permanent features allowed within setbacks … and to allow a private improvement within the public right-of-way.” According to the document, the Ropers wished to add a “three-season porch” to their residence and the porch would encroach on the right-of-way approximately four feet. In his report on the matter Town Planner Tim Katers stated he had discussed three options with the Ropers. Option one was for the town to vacate a portion of the right-of-way; option two was a variance to portions of the development code; option three was to grant a waiver to portions of the code. After discussing the issues involved, planning staff and the applicants agreed asking the board to grant a waiver was the direction of least resistance. Following Katers’ presentation Mayor Gregg asked the town attorney to weigh in on the legality of using a

waiver in this instance. Attorney Bell stated under the circumstances the use of a waiver was appropriate. A motion was made approving a waiver to the appropriate sections of the code to allow a permanent feature at 540 Sixth St. to be located within the setback and right-of-way of Massachusetts Avenue. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously. The board unanimously approved, without comment, a resolution declaring a disaster emergency and authorizing the town manager to sign any and all documents for the purpose of defining and communicating the existence of the disaster emergency. Mayor Gregg opened a public hearing regarding the annexation of the Haworth property west of town, and then immediately asked for a motion to continue the matter to Oct. 22. The reason for the continuance is the planning commission members had not yet heard the case at their own public hearing. According to the development code, annexation requests are first to be heard by the planning commission and are then passed on to the town board with a recommendation to accept, accept with conditions, or deny the request. The trustees heard a lengthy report, given by Jordan Dimick of Leonard Rice Engineers, Inc., regarding a water resources master plan for the town. Town Accountant Faith Smith presented water fund budget numbers to the board.

GET OUT YOUR LEDERHOSEN AND DIRNDL’S - ITS ALMOST oKTOBERFEST TIME! Oct. 5 — 11 A.M. - 6 P.M. IN fICKEL pARK • PRETZEL EATING CONTEST • BIKE RAFFLE • BRATS & PRETZELS AND MUCH MORE!

• LIVE mUSIC • DANCING • SCARECROW CONTEST • DIRNDL LEDERHOSEN/ CONTEST

Call for artists

Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12 The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and its mascot Sparky the Fire Dog® are calling on ﬁre departments, parents and teachers to Read for Fire Safety during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12, and throughout the year to raise awareness among children about the importance of ﬁre safety. The NFPA recently launched a new free e-book and a storybook app that offer fun and interactive learning experiences for readers and audiences alike. Visit www.sparky.org/parents

Area artists may submit entries to the library that can be wall-mountedandmustcorrespondwiththetheme:thepower of stories. A contest will be held on the evening of Nov. 8 to coincide with the library’s event: Histor[y]ie Manifesti, which begins at 6:30 p.m. The evening celebrates the library’s newly remodeled spacewithentertainment,demonstrations,refreshmentsandstory-telling. Wall size: 2.5’ by 6’; the library is accepting either single or multiple entries to fit the space. Entries must be to the library by Nov. 2, 2013.

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Homecoming Royalty: Jenna Hepp and Kyle Cavey were chosen as Homecoming king and queen at the Homecoming football game under the Friday night lights.

Town board apprised of water plan

WATER cont. on pg. 2

Volume 10, Number 40

Donnelly updates residents on flood impacts By Rudy Hemmann The Surveyor Larimer County District 3 Commissioner Tom Donnelly hosted a citizen information meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Donnelly’s guest speaker for the meeting was Larimer County Community Development Director Robert “Terry” Gilbert, however he was not able to give much of his presentation before the discussion focused on flood damage. Donnelly stated county staff members were in the process of accompanying Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials in inspections of bridges in the county that were affected by the recent flooding. He stated many of the bridges were undermined and that many of the bridges also had approaches

washed out. He noted that the situation along the Little Thompson River valley was bad, but it was more of an inconvenience when compared to the devastation that took place in the Big Thompson and Buckhorn Canyons. He reported the county was actively involved in trying to ﬁnd ways to get people who were evacuated from their homes back into areas they have been unable to access due to washed out roadways so they can assess the damage to their property. “We have done a lot of preliminary work trying to get folks to at least get in so they can winterize their homes … by making use of forest service roads. Even if they can only get in by using all terrain vehicles — at least they can get in to shut off water.

Cardboard challenge met

By Rudy Hemmann The Surveyor A large portion of the town board meeting held Sept. 24 was devoted to a final draft report offered by the consulting firm Leonard Rice Engineers, Inc. (LRE) concerning a water resource master plan for Berthoud. The report was given by Jordan Dimick, senior project engineer for the study. In a brief introduction of the topic, Town Administrator Mike Hart noted the town has never had a water resource master plan, and for that reason the town retained LRE approximately six months ago to review the current state of the town’s water resources, make projections of future growth, and provide recommendations regarding the long-term future potable and non-potable water needs of the town. Dimick began by reporting the key findings of the study. These were: • The town’s current water rights yields are sufficient for today’s demands. • The current water rights are not sufficient for the build-out demands of the town. • Current water supply surplus should be preserved for the town’s future storage safety factor and annual (Heron Lakes) golf course demand. • Current water supply surplus can be used as an interim supply for growth. • An expansion of the town’s non-potable system will help reduce potable water demands and treatment costs. Further findings of the study were: the town owns very senior municipal and irrigation rights which historically produce reliable yields even under drought conditions; current water supply exceeds the town’s water demands; and Berthoud has an operational water conservation plan, helping to reduce per-capita water demands into the future and to help protect the town during periods of drought. Following a brief look at the town’s “water resources model” and the “firm yield of current water rights” Dimick addressed the future water supply needs of the town. Points brought to the attention of the board included: • Current water supplies will not be sufficient to meet the future water demands of the town. • Future supplies may not yield as well during drought as the town’s senior

Photo by Jean Bonnette Baranowski

Eduardo Solis, a third grader in Ms. Bonnette’s third grade class at Ivy stockwell Elementary School shoots a paper football through the target. Students in every grade kindergarten through ﬁfth grade built similar games out of cardboard at the Ivy Stockwell Cardboard Challenge on Sept. 26.

That’s been a big challenge,” said Donnelly. He went on to describe damage to road infrastructure in Buckhorn Canyon and stated the bridge at Masonville is still closed “due to some serious questions regarding its structural integrity.” Donnelly stated nearly 1,200 people were rescued, mainly through air rescue. He praised construction crews and the speed with which they mobilized to clear debris and began work on Highways 34 and 36. “Their goal is to have primitive roads in place by Dec. 1,” said Donnelly, “If they are able to do that it will be a major feat.” In response to a question regarding the use of only “county or state approved” contractors Donnelly stated “Between the emergency and the recovery there needs to be an intermediate step, where we will need to have temporary bridges and graveled stretches of roads for a while, especially with winter coming on. He also noted there were some mountain subdivisions that had taken it upon themselves to build temporary bridges where the original bridge had been washed away. He also stated county staff would review the list of building contractors licensed within the county to do residential reconstruction. He estimated the cost to repair damage to county roads and bridges would be in the neighborhood of $50 million. Regarding prioritizing which roads or bridges are reconstructed Donnelly stated reconstructing the roadways which would give people access to their homes, even if only over primitive roads, would be of major importance now. Once that is completed county engineers would begin a list of priorities. He related that a sewer district in the Estes Park area lost approximately 35,000 feet of main sewer line due to the ﬂood. Cost estimates to replace the lost sewer main raged to $14 million. Donnelly typically holds citizen information meetings the fourth Wednesday of each month beginning at 8:30 a.m. The meeting location is the conference room of the Lighthouse Café at 250 Mountain Ave., in Berthoud.

Churches pitch in to help local flood victims By John Gardner The Surveyor Grace Place pastor and outreach coordinator Kim Land and the congregation of Grace Place Church in Berthoud began collecting food as soon as the Little Thompson River breached its banks on Sept. 12. The next couple of days Land said that the church e-mailed the congregation to alert people who wanted to help. “We got a good response,” Land said. “About 90 community members responded, wanting to get involved.” The next question was how to help. “We wanted to get food in to place so people could get to it as quickly as possible,” Land said. People, not only from the congregation but from the community, started dropping

Look who’s in the news! Armahni Castillo Kyle Cavey Jenna Hepp

Kylla Justice Emma Fate Ashley Lozinski

Section A: Classiﬁed ................................... 9 Crossword .................................. 7 Sports ........................................ 6 Legal notices .............................. 9 Opinion ...................................... 4 Then & Now ............................... 5 Weather ..................................... 2 Section B: Senior Wise

off food items at the Grace Place Food Pantry early the following week, and the church also started a flood fund to help locals affected by the flood. This past Saturday, Sept. 28, folks from that church and other volunteers distributed food baskets to 50 homes that sustained some flood damage, according to Land, and there were still more homes that needed assistance. “We just wanted to show them that the community really cares about them,” Land said. “It was a great day for stories of people being touched by the community here in Berthoud.” Stories of generosity abound in the past few weeks; stories of people raising money to help those affected, local groups collecting food, and others pitching in to help clean up the muddy mess. Pastor Emily Hagan at the United Methodist Church in Berthoud sprang into action when the floods hit. Immediately following the initial flooding on Sept. 12, the United Methodist Committee on Relief sent 900 flood buckets to be distributed by the Red Cross, according to Hagan. The buckets include cleaning and other supplies such as laundry detergent, household cleaners, dish soap, insect repellant, clothespins and clothesline, trash bags and dust masks. While the relief committee sent a number of buckets to be used in Larimer County and beyond, Hagan and the congregation decided to make buckets on their own to distribute locally. “We decided to make some of our own so we could get them out quicker and people didn’t have to deal with the red tape,” Hagan said. “People could just come to the church and get a flood bucket if they need it.”

Photo by Jason Smith

One load down: This truck load of flood damaged materials and furniture were taken to the dump by Berthoud United Methodist Church volunteers. And they still can. The United Methodist Church has flood buckets available at the church, and they also have volunteers ready to assist people in cleaning up their residence. So far, volunteers through the church have helped with a handful of projects locally, but also in Johnstown and in Lyons, Hagan said. The church also helped find temporary housing for a person who had commuting issues due to road damage. And they look forward to doing more because, Hagan said, the recovery will take a long time and the church has a lot of volunteers looking to help. “We definitely need projects,” Hagan said. “I know people sometimes think

that, ‘Oh, my project’s not that big, so I don’t need help with it,’ but we can help with whatever they need.” Community efforts like this will become more signiﬁcant in the coming weeks and months. The Red Cross closed the shelter at the Thompson School District building in Loveland on Sept. 30, according to a news release from the Red Cross on Sept. 26. While the shelter is closed, Red Cross volunteers continue delivering services at various emergency aid stations, distribution sites and disaster assistance centers throughout the affected

COMMUNITY cont. on page 3

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor October 3, 2013 Page A3

COMMUNITY

cont. from pg. 1

area. Residents can still meet with Red Cross caseworkers for one-on-one discussions to assess their needs and help them connect with resources to meet them. The Red Cross continues to accept ﬁnancial donations that will go to help those affected, however, other donations like food, clothing, and other items should be donated to local organizations. “While the American Red Cross is unable to accept or solicit small quantities of individual donations of items for emergency relief purposes, other local com-

munity agencies that do have the capacity to process those types of donations can be found on helpcoloradonow.org,” said Steven Sano, Red Cross Chief of Community Partner Services. HelpColoradoNow.org is a partnership between the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. Locally, Grace Place continues to collect food items for all those in need, not just those affected by ﬂoods. Land said that the church is still in need of food and toiletry items. The pantry is located at

250 Mountain Ave. and is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. for those wishing to donate or to pick up items. Hagan said that the United Methodist Church has set up a volunteer organization to assist flood victims, too. The church has a volunteer coordinator, Hawley Vinning, who connects people with projects. Those wanting to volunteer or to donate items for flood buckets can visit the flood relief page at berthoudumc.org, or e-mail volunteer@berthoudumc.org for more information. “People can let us know if they have

a project and if they want to volunteer,” Hagan said. Hagan also reminds affected residents to register for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), “No matter what the damage is, so that it will be on record as part of the whole aspect of the disaster.” FEMA may also provide assistance that the church cannot. “We can’t replace the whole house,” Hagan said, “but we can help with the labor it takes to clean the house out.” Grace Place requests non-parishable foods to be dropped at the food pantry

— canned goods, cereals, peanut butter, toiletries, etc. Contact Volunteer Coordinator Nancy Frink at 970-227-0610 to volunteer or for more information, or e-mail info@graceplace.org. Volunteers and people affected by the flood who need a flood bucket or help with a project can contact Hawley Vinning at Berthoud United Methodist Church by email: volunteer@berthoudumc.org. Volunteers can also sign up for a project at berthoudumc.org’s flood relief page. As well, people who have projects can also list them here.

Fall Festival To advertise your fall event please contact Diane Wells at 970.532.2252.

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