NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
CUTTING LOOSE
SNOWY EDUCATION
POSTSEASON PLAY
Valley “dolls” find fun, friendship and fulfillment with Red Hats, B5
Students take winter field trip to the top of Grand Mesa, C1
Paonia, Hotchkiss basketball teams advance to regionals, C4-6
DELTA COUNTY
SPORTS
MARCH 6, 2013 VOL. 130, NO. 10
75¢
INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
DMEA director reinstated under revised bylaws BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
DMEA director Glen Black was reinstated to his position on the DMEA Board of Directors Feb. 26 after bylaw changes were adopted that erased the specter of his being ineligible to sit on the board. A provision in the association’s bylaws that disqualifies employees of other electric energy sellers from eligibility to sit on DMEA’s board was in effect when Black ran and won election in 2011. That bylaw provision would disqualify Black from serving because of his employment by the City of Delta which sells electric energy. The DMEA board heard that point made by member/ratepayers during two meetings held in February. Rather than dealing directly with the issue of Black’s eligibility, the DMEA board on Feb. 26 adopted a series of bylaws and policy changes that in effect give the DMEA board full administrative discretion on how it wants to deal with director eligibility issues, including conflicts of interest. At a special board meeting on Feb. 13, DMEA’s attorney took responsibility for approving Black’s candidacy under the 2011 bylaws. He explained doing so because the City of Delta wasn’t actually competing with DMEA for electric service business at the time. That situation changed last August when the City bid for and won electric service busi-
ness at the new Maverik fuel stop in Delta, a location previously served by DMEA. Also at the special Feb. 13 DMEA board meeting, DMEA’s attorney characterized the Maverik deal as a watershed event which for the first time had put the city into direct competition with DMEA. But, at the Feb. 26 DMEA board meeting, that “competition” language was softened considerably by board members who noted that DMEA and the city are actually “in negotiations” over the Maverik deal. Black had excused himself from the DMEA board last December by a voluntary leave of absence until his possible conflict of interest issues could be resolved. Acting DMEA board president Nancy Hovde called a meeting with four other board members and the attorney on Feb. 18 to draft changes in the bylaws. Two of the committee members missed the meeting because of prior commitments. On Feb. 26, the committee’s draft changes affecting the bylaws and administrative policy were presented to the full board for discussion and/or action. DMEA directors Tony Prendergast, Marshall Collins and Brent Hines all voiced discomfort with adopting changes so quickly. Collins was especially strong in his opposition to the changes because, he said, the DMEA board had promised its members that no action would
be taken until the March meeting. Prendergast said the process was “somewhat hasty,” and was “being rushed along.” Hines suggested that one of the bylaw changes be held for discussion by members at the association’s annual meeting. On the opposite side, Hovde, Ed Marston and Mike Sramek were ready to act on the issues that night — issues which the board had bantered since last October. Director Bill Patterson noted that three board seats would be coming up for election this spring. The board members’ discussion of the proposed changes was awkward. Motions with amendments, and amendments to the amendments were offered and voted on. The association’s attorney was present via speaker phone offering answers to board members’ questions. There was dissent in the voting, close margins, and Hovde had to cast the tiebreaker on one question. Finally, the DMEA board adopted what Prendergast called “a philosophy change.” Board members’ conflict of interest issues will no longer be the province of bylaws. They are now the subject of discretion by the board itself to handle as matters of administrative policy. The board’s administrative moves left unanswered
Photo by Tom Gerbec
The snow’s piling up “You don’t see snow like this in Charlotte, N.C.!” commented Tom Gerbec, who traveled to Grand Mesa during a visit to western Colorado last week. Heavy snowfall in the higher elevations has been welcomed by sledders, skiers and snowmobilers — as well as those who are keeping a close eye on snowpack in the area. Delta County emergency manager Rob Fielder says the Grand Mesa snowpack has improved markedly in recent weeks, but more snow is needed to fill the reservoirs farmers and homeowners rely on for irrigation water. The Surface Creek drainage has seen more snow than the North Fork and Upper Gunnison River basins, he added.
DMEA TO A3
Sports, marching band may Federal entitlements no longer fill P.E. requirement hit record levels BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
Participation in federal entitlement programs is at record levels in Delta County. And the amounts of money coming into the county to fund the programs are being termed “eye-popping” and “amazing” by experienced local program administrators. In January 2012, the federal food stamp (food assistance) program issued benefits of $501,008 in Delta County. Last month’s total was $533,230, an “eye-popping number” says a county departmental report on the program. The federally-funded food stamp program continues running at record case load levels. As of Jan. 13, there were 1,862 active cases. That number compares with 1,775 cases the previous month, and with 1,709 cases one year earlier in January 2012. Even with more than a half-million dollars in spending per month, the food stamp program comes up a piker compared with the ballooning payments from the federal
BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Medicaid program in Delta County. Last month, Medicaid payments reached $1.6 million for the first time, Health and Human Services Director Chuck Lemoine reported to the county commissioners on Feb. 19. The previous high was $1.2 million. The average through last year has been running about $1 million per month. Lemoine said these “amazing” amounts of money are in the form of payments to nursing homes, physicians, pharmacies, home health care agencies, the hospital and other providers. At a session on Feb. 21, Jason Cleckler, chief executive officer for Delta County Memorial Hospital, told the county commissioners that the hospital derives 13 percent of its reimbursement income from the federal Medicaid program. That percentage is expected to increase to 25 percent or higher, he added. DCMH depends on the Medicare program for 51 percent of care reimbursements.
State standards are being expanded beyond the three Rs to include electives such as art, music and physical education. In Delta County, P.E. teachers have begun working together to develop a curriculum for students of all ages. As part of that process they were able to obtain a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation to purchase curriculum and buy equipment that’s badly needed throughout the school district. Kari Kuta, the P.E. teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, was hired as grant administrator. She is teaching halftime while coordinating the effort to develop a standardsbased P.E. curriculum for Delta County. There are 29 full- and part-time physical education instructors in the school district. Many have master’s degrees; all understand the strong correlation between physical education and academic performance. Recently, a committee of eight teachers examined every P.E. unit in place to determine if it was aligned with
state standards. That process revealed a big gap at the high school level, Kuta explained at the Feb. 21 school board meeting. According to the Colorado Department of Education, the goal of high school level P.E. is to instill personal responsibility for one’s health and fitness through an active, healthy lifestyle that includes a lifelong commitment to wellness. That goal is not being addressed, Kuta said, through team sports, weight training or participation in marching band or ROTC, activities for which students can receive P.E. waivers. The P.E. teachers are asking that policy be changed to require students to take a one-semester prerequisite that focuses on health-related fitness, a class that will create well-rounded students who know how to apply the knowledge they’ve gained to stay fit and eat healthy throughout their lives. They could then take an elective of their choosing to complete the one credit of P.E. required for graduation. There is some concern the requirement could negatively
impact band and other electives. Kuta says she doesn’t want to hurt other programs; she just wants to help kids stay fit. ROTC, band and team sports are all great, but they don’t teach fitness for a lifetime, she said. “It’s not just skills,” Kuta said. “It’s explaining training principles, developing a personal fitness plan, evaluating assessments.” “Getting up and moving sure got complicated,” said school board member Kathy Svenson. She applauded the effort, having seen students earn P.E. credit for standing on the sideline. Later in the meeting, school board member Jan Tuin — who retired after teaching music as an elective — said he was reassured by discussions with high school administrators in Paonia and Hotchkiss. He believes students will still be able to pursue their interests in music and art while fulfilling the graduation requirement for P.E. The policy review committee will begin crafting a policy for the school board’s consideration.
INDEX
Open forum
Town hall meeting
DPD officers placed on leave
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A8 Agriculture ...................A10 Back Page ................... D8 Business ........................ A5 Church ........................... D6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-5 North Fork Times ........B1-6 Obituaries ..................... A8 School Zone ............... A6-7 Service Directory ........ D7 Sports ..........................C4-6 Surface Creek News ...C1-3 TV Listings ..................B3-4
On Tuesday, March 12, the Delta County Commissioners will hold a constituent forum in Room 234 of the Delta County Courthouse at the corner of 5th and Palmer. Anyone with questions or concerns about county operations may stop in to visit with the commissioners between 6 and 8 p.m.
Rep. Millie Hamner (D-Dillon) will hold a town hall meeting Saturday, March 9, from 10 to 11 a.m. Please join Rep. Millie Hamner for a town hall focusing on education issues and the legislative session. This is an opportunity for constituents to openly share their ideas, questions and comments with their local citizen legislator in a dynamic discussion about education issues in Colorado and the upcoming legislative session. The town hall meeting will be held at Paonia Town Hall, 214 Grand Avenue.
Three officers of the Delta Police Department have been placed on administrative leave, with pay, after a physical altercation that resulted in a citizen being hospitalized. The officers were not harmed. The incident took place in the Walmart parking lot at about 12:50 a.m. Feb. 27. Chief Robert Thomas says the officers were responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle occupied by two people in the parking lot. Chief Thomas declined to comment further, saying the matter is being investigated by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. After the criminal investigation is wrapped up, Chief Thomas said an administrative investigation will be conducted to determine whether any of the department’s policies or procedures were violated. He plans to ask an outside agency to conduct that investigation.