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DELTA COUNTY
WINTER PREVIEW
Competition heats up for wrestling, basketball, swimming, C1-9 DECEMBER 9, 2015 VOL. 132, NO. 49
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INDEPENDENT
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City manager search ends with Torgler BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
After three rounds of applications and interviews, consuming much of 2015, the City of Delta has hired David Torgler as city manager. For the past five years, Torgler has served as city manager of Hayden, a town of just 1,800 residents on Highway 40 between Craig and Steamboat Springs. His 30-year career in public administration has taken him from coast to coast, from South Carolina to Washington state. At a community reception held for the four finalists, he explained he and his wife Carmen made a deliberate decision to return to Colorado because this is where they want to live. He said they like Delta because it’s a larger community similar to the types of communities in which they’ve lived, with strong roots in mining, agriculture and ranching. Carmen works from home. They have two grown daughters, both with husbands in the military. One lives on the Atlantic Coast and the other
in Hawaii. In his letter of application, Torgler explained, “Delta has challenges similar to those in other cities where I have served including Hayden and Burlington, Wis. Those cities also faced the challenges of an aging infrastructure, decline in some of the major local industries, tax limitations, uncertain future revenues, a declining agricultural business environment, and the challenges of developing a government that is responsive to the business community. I believe that in partnership with Delta’s elected officials, staff and business community, my experiences in these other communities will be beneficial to the city.” He described himself as an “innovative, results-oriented leader that strongly encourages teamwork, individual performance and a collaborative environment to achieve organizational objectives and promote community prosperity.” At the community reception TORGLER TO A3
Photo by Pat Sunderland
A magical time of year
Oscar Campos, 4, was at the head of a line waiting to visit with Santa Claus following Delta’s Parade of Lights last Friday. Santa makes a return visit to Delta this Saturday for “Breakfast with Santa” at Bill Heddles Recreation Center.
Shelter offers a safe, warm refuge BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
An open house at the Abraham Connection homeless shelter was a festive celebration befitting the holiday season. Live music from Beth Williams filled the air, while shelter volunteers and community members enjoyed appetizers and mingled in the common area. No one could have guessed that a temporary certificate of occupancy had been issued just hours prior to the celebration. Cheryl Oeltjenbruns provided welcoming comments for Abraham Connection’s board of directors. “As we have said over and over, this is a shelter built for the community, by the community. As a board we know we could not do this without the support of everybody in this room, as well as everyone in the community. We just want to give you a great big hand of thanks for that.” She pointed to a large marker board headed, “What is home?” The marker board is used during volunteer training to identify what home means to every individual. “What is it that makes you feel comfortable in your home?” Oeltjenbruns asked. “Watching the Broncos, a warm bath ... those things you take for granted every day but make you feel safe and secure. That is the environment we’re trying to provide for the guests who come into our shelter. What we want to do here is create a home.” Before ambassadors from the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce joined board members for the ribbon-cutting
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A5 Agriculture ...................C10 Back Page ................... D8 Bruin Tracks ................B5-8 Church ........................ D5-6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ....................B12 School Zone .................. A8 Service Directory ........ D7 Sports ..........................C1-9 Surface Creek News .B9-11 TV Listings ..................C5-6
ceremony, Oeltjenbruns recognized board member Dick Kirkpatrick, who served as general contractor for the building. Volunteers gathered at the building again Saturday to
help finish the move from the basement of the Delta United Methodist Church. Within hours, the shelter was ready for its first guests — and word had apparently quickly spread, as the shelter opened
its doors to 18 guests. The facility serves men, women and children of all ages, from all walks of life. The new building is located at 480 Silver Street. More volunteers are always
needed in a variety of capacities. The next volunteer training session is Thursday, Dec. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church of Delta. More information is available by calling 773-8290.
Pearl Harbor Day remembered BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day was observed in Delta on Monday, Dec. 7. Members of Lee Marts VFW Post and Ladies Auxiliary #3571 conducted ceremonies at the Confluence Park river access ramp. Representatives of the Delta County Sheriff ’s Office and the Delta Police Department also participated in the observance. Delta Mayor Ed Sisson, himself a Navy veteran, attended, representing the City of Delta, and also delivered some short remarks. He told the guests that he had visited Pearl Harbor many times during his Navy career and that he had also visited the USS Arizona memorial. More than 1,100 sailors lost their lives when the Arizona was sunk during the Pearl Harbor attacks. VFW Post #3571 Commander Dave Rowland explained that young generations of Americans need to learn from the lessons of Pearl Harbor and to heed the warnings it conveys about maintaining eternal vigilance. Among the attendees was another Navy veteran who
Breakfast with Santa Kids are invited to “Breakfast with Santa” Saturday, Dec. 12, at Bill Heddles Recreation Center. This event is sponsored annually by the Kiwanis Club of Delta and the Delta High School Key Club. Pancakes will be served from 9 to 10 a.m. Don’t forget your camera for photos of the kids with Santa Claus. From 10 a.m. to noon, parents may sign in their children for activities with Key Club members while they do their holiday shopping in town.
said he served on the USS Pasadena, a light cruiser, in the South Pacific during the war. He told the gathering that he hopes to be able to honor the memory of those lost at Pearl Harbor by thinking of them every day. Following the remarks, seven of the guests carried seven memorial wreaths to the edge of the Gunnison
River and cast them into the water as a tribute to the lives lost in the attacks. A color guard of three post members stood by bearing the American flag, the Colorado flag, and the POW/MIA flag. Four other post members conducted a three-round military salute from their World War II vintage M1 Garands. Chris Weldon performed
Taps with the clear notes of his solo trumpet tribute piercing the chilly December air. The day following the Pearl Harbor attacks, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt said the date Dec. 7, 1941, would “live in infamy.” Last Monday, the date was observed in Delta, living on in remembrance, honor and tribute to bravery and sacrifice.
Photo by Hank Lohmeyer
Participants in the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in Delta on Monday, Dec. 7, prepare to cast seven memorial wreaths into the passing waters of the Gunnison River as a tribute to those lost in the surprise attack 74 years ago.
Nobody should go hungry
The goal of the Delta Food Pantry is that “Nobody should be hungry!” Five days each week, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., volunteers distribute grocery bags filled with canned goods, frozen meat, staples and fresh produce for emergency assistance from the back of St. Michael’s Catholic Church. The Food Pantry is a community effort supported by individuals’ donations, churches, service groups and local businesses as well as Food Bank of the Rockies. Interest in volunteering and financial contributions may be sent to The Delta Food Pantry, 1140 Howard Street, Delta, CO 81416. Donations of canned goods may be dropped off at the Delta Food Pantry during open hours.
Pedestrian hit
A 24-year-old pregnant woman was struck by a car while crossing Main Street with her boyfriend Monday morning. The accident occurred at the intersection of 5th and Main at about 10:15 a.m. The woman suffered only minor injuries but was transported to Delta County Memorial Hospital as a precaution. She was released the same day. According to the Delta Police Department, Donald D. Rickerby, 83, of Cedaredge was issued a ticket for failure to yield right-of-way to a pedestrian in the crosswalk. The vehicle involved was driven from the scene.