Delta County Independent, Nov. 11, 2015

Page 1

NORTH FORK TIMES

SURFACE CREEK NEWS

RATE HIKES PROPOSED

SPORTS

MARGINALLY MODEST

Water line breaks highlight need for repairs to aging system, B1

POSTSEASON PLAY

Cedaredge High School play offers family-friendly entertainment, C3

Volleyball teams head to state, football teams continue quest, C7-8

DELTA COUNTY

NOVEMBER 11, 2015 VOL. 132, NO. 45

75¢

INDEPENDENT

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Math curriculum proves challenging BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

The school district’s new math curriculum is experiencing some “growing pains,” assistant superintendent Kurt Clay says, but he believes the long-term results will help the district meet its goals for student achievement. The new curriculum more closely matches state standards, which are aligned with Common Core standards, and will hopefully address gaps in student learning that have shown up on state assessments, particularly for Delta County’s middle school students. “There’s a buzz out there that we’re force feeding kids a new Common Core math,” Clay said, but as a math major and former math teacher, he sees the value behind teaching concepts, versus simply memorizing math facts. “Does there still need to be memorization? Absolutely. Kids need to know their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts, but we

or to challenge their math knowledge with more complex problems. Students who forgot to

feel if they know the concept behind those facts, they can retain the information at a much higher rate than they have in the past.” K-8 students are using the GO Math! program, which was chosen after months of research and month-long pilots at different grade levels across the district. High school algebra and geometry texts are from Glencoe. At advanced math levels, students use college and AP texts. The GO Math! program consists of a workbook for each chapter of study, plus online resources for both parents and teachers. Each school’s website contains a GO Math! link for use at home. Parents and students can go online any time and get a follow-up lesson if the student did not grasp the concept in the classroom. Individual instruction is built in with a personal math trainer, which makes it easy for students to go back a step or two to master the concept with easier problems,

Library director placed on leave BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

In a special meeting of the board of trustees for the Delta County Public Library District on Nov. 4, the trustees voted to place district director Annette Choszczyk on administrative leave, effective immediately. Board president Laura Earley declined to provide any details, saying she and fellow board members are committed to protecting employee privacy. Lea Hart, one of two regional managers for the library district, has been named interim director. The next board meeting

is Wednesday, Nov. 18, in Paonia, and it is open to the public, Earley said. At that time, the minutes of the Nov. 4 meeting are expected to be approved. They will then be posted on the library website at http://www.deltalibraries. org/board/. Earley also confirmed that John Gavan, the library’s IT director, resigned after the board’s Nov. 4 action. Earley said the library board is comprised of hardworking individuals who are passionate about the libraries. Their top priority is to protect and improve the libraries, which Earley called the “treasures of our communities.”

Four city manager finalists announced BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

The Delta City Council has announced four candidates for the city manager vacancy, selected from 46 applicants for the position. The finalists are Don Gaeddert of Larned, Kan., Dan Hamsmith of Parker, George Korthauer of Petoskey, Mich., and David Torgler of Hayden. A fifth candidate withdrew his name Monday night. An Internet research reveals that Don Gaeddert retired after serving as Larned city manager for 18 years. Dan Hamsmith has a background in economic development.

INDEX

Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A7 Agriculture .....................C5 Back Page ................... D8 Business .........................B7 Church ............................C4 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ..................... A6 School Zone .................. A5 Service Directory ........ D7 Sports ..........................C7-8 Surface Creek News ...1-3C TV Listings ................. D5-6

George Korthauer retired after a 25-year stint as city manager of Petoskey. Since leaving Petoskey, he has worked as an interim city manager and economic development consultant. David Torgler is the town manager in Hayden. Interviews will be conducted Monday, Nov. 23, and Tuesday, Nov. 24. The candidates will be assessed by interview panels including city council members and city department heads. Community members will have an opportunity to meet the candidates at a reception Monday, Nov. 23, at Bill Heddles Recreation Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Hunters, take care

take their workbooks home can pull up the lesson on their cell phone or home computer. Kids do their homework with

paper and pencil, Clay said; the online resources simply enhance the lesson. MATH CURRICULUM TO A3

Photo by Pat Sunderland

Although she finds the new GO! Math program very challenging, Regann Alsdorf says math is her favorite school subject. She takes her workbook home every night to complete the problems assigned in class. If she hits a roadblock, she turns back a few pages to see how she solved a similar problem in class. Online homework help is also available through GO! Math links on every Delta County school website.

Chamber launches search for new executive director BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

After just a year on the job, Leslie Workman, executive director of the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce, is moving on. She has accepted a position with Delta County Memorial Hospital, as materials manager in the purchasing department, where she’ll be putting her financial/inventory experience to work. A graduate of Delta High School, Workman obtained an accounting degree from Colorado Mesa University and moved to the Front Range to work for Lockheed-Martin. She quit that position to move back to Delta so she could raise her two young children closer to their aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. “I really enjoyed getting to serve the community in such a large capacity,” Workman said. “I was grateful to be part of Deltarado Days, bringing back the rodeo, and helping small businesses. “This is a tough job, but it’s worth it,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed a great deal of support.” Workman’s last day on the job is Nov. 27. Josh Applegate, president of the chamber’s board of directors, said the board will be looking for someone much like Workman — positive, organized and self-motivated.

Small game season for several rabbits and hares, fox, pine squirrel and beavers is underway. These animals can carry tularemia, a bacterial infection that can be fatal in humans and animals. Although it can affect all mammals, the disease is commonly found in rabbits and rodents. Hunters should avoid sick or dead animals. Do not allow your pets to consume animal carcasses — they could contract tularemia and pass it on to you. Wear rubber gloves when handling animal tissues, recommended even if the animal doesn’t appear to be sick. Visit cpw.state.co.us for more precautions.

“Over the past year, Leslie’s jumped in with both feet,” Applegate said. “One of the things I really admire about her is her passion. She has taken a vested interest in her hometown.” She took on the task of bringing back the Deltarado Days rodeo and did her best to make the street fair bigger and better. Applegate said every event she organized came in under budget. “It comes back to her preparation and planning,” Applegate said. She also helped the chamber board clean up the budget.

“With a degree in accounting, I knew that would be one of her strengths and she’s done a fantastic job.” Applegate said it’s imperative the new director be a local resident with a desire to help area businesses thrive. The director must also be able to balance the interests of 12 board members, 290 members and the community at large. The position will remain open until filled. “Our ultimate goal is to fill the job with a qualified candidate as soon as possible,” Applegate said.

County faults BLM sage grouse study BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

The commissioners have recently issued 17 specific comments critical of the BLM’s work on Gunnison sage grouse. In addition to the 17 specific points addressed in the BoCC’s Sept. 24 comment letter, the county commissioners have expressed their strong disappointment with the agency’s procedures in creating its Gunnison sage grouse Rangewide Resource Manage-

ment Plan Amendment/Environmental Impact Statement. In creating the EIS document, the BoCC says that BLM has shunned knowledgeable input that it should have sought out. In its comment letter to Lori Armstrong, Gunnison sage grouse project manager, the board of commissioners stated, “It was very disconcerting to the Delta BoCC that the BLM has agreed to the five-mile lek [i.e. sage grouse SAGE GROUSE TO A3

Leave the leaves

Jurca wins race

The City of Delta has wrapped up fall cleanup, but Steve Glammeyer, public works director, says city crews will continue to pick up bags of leaves that are left where you would normally place your trash receptacle. The annual fall cleanup netted 75.73 tons of junk, requiring 70 trips to the landfill. The city’s cost was $821.50 with offsetting credits from the county. Last year, the city picked up 71.39 tons of trash and made 66 trips to the Adobe Buttes Landfill. City staff and council agree the service should be continued in 2016.

Jill Jurca and Pete Blair will be sworn in as school board members at the board’s Nov. 19 meeting. In the Nov. 3 election, Jurca earned 62 percent of the votes in a contest with Genevieve Novinger. Blair was unopposed. The broadband issue passed in Delta County and in the communities of Delta, Paonia, Hotchkiss, Crawford and Cedaredge. Cedaredge voters rejected a sales tax increase, and a TABOR question from the North Fork Water Conservancy District was approved by 74 percent of the district’s voters.


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