NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
CLINIC CLOSURE
North Fork Medical Clinic shuts down after 70 years, B1
SPORTS
ROLLING INTO TOWN
International Serenity Run comes to Cedaredge this weekend, C1
DELTA COUNTY
BEST OF THE BEST
Delta Barracudas compete in championship swim meet, C6 JULY 27, 2016 VOL. 133, NO. 30
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INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
Blueprint supports economic diversity BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Delta County “really hit it out of the park,” Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne said at a press conference in Delta last week. The lieutenant governor and representatives from the Colorado Office of Economic
Development and International Trade (OEDIT) chose Delta to announce recipients of the first round of the Colorado Blueprint 2.0 initiatives. The reason became apparent when Delta County was awarded all three of the initiatives local officials had applied for. Over the past year, OEDIT
hosted 13 strategy sessions throughout the rural regions of Colorado to develop 10 different initiatives for Blueprint 2.0. Under the leadership of Delta County Economic Development (DCED), Delta County elected to pursue three of the 10 initiatives: Strengthen Local Business Brand, Adaptive Reuse Workshop and Tourism Promotion. The 49 applicants for the 10 initiatives were narrowed down to those which showed the greatest promise and the greatest community engagement, Lt. Gov. Lynne said. “Blueprint 2.0 is a great example of how Colorado is going above and beyond existing resources to support the needs of our rural regions,” Lt. Gov. Lynne said in a press release following the announcement. “We congrat-
ulate today’s recipients and look forward to seeing how these regions leverage the new services and resources to help strengthen their economies and communities.” The initiatives do not come with funding, but instead include recognition, technical assistance and services not previously provided by the state. “A lot of it is about the recognition, quite frankly,” said Lt. Gov. Lynne. “For me, the value is bringing in experts to really help us hone in on our issues, accelerate the process and get us to the end point quicker,” said Trish Thibido, DCED’s executive director. Thibido said she hopes Delta County will be in a stronger position to seek funding down the road, but for now the value is “strong focus, of bringing us together.”
Thibido expanded on each of the three initiatives awarded to Delta County: Strengthen Local Business Brand. The idea of a unified business brand for the county has been discussed over many years. A countywide collaboration to market, promote and distinguish the county is seen as a necessary step for future economic development. Adaptive Reuse Workshop. The goal of the Adaptive Reuse Workshop is to explore how to repurpose an old site or building, in this case the Paonia campus of Delta-Montrose Technical College. The initial exploration of reuse indicates that a multi-use facility would allow for the greatest chances for success and benefit to the community. The vision for BLUEPRINT 2.0 TO A3
Tri-State appeals FERC ruling on renewables Photo by Pat Sunderland
During a press conference held in Confluence Park, Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne announced the recipients of the first round of the Colorado Blueprint 2.0 initiatives. Delta County was named recipient of three initiatives.
Search intensifies for missing woman BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
The search for a missing 82-year-old Delta County woman with dementia is centered in a remote area of the Uncompahgre National Forest. Mary Finnegan was last seen July 15 at about noon, when she left a bowling alley in Montrose. She was driving a silver 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis. On Sunday, her car was located several miles down a remote, four-wheel drive trail on the Uncompahgre Plateau. Her niece posted on Facebook, “She was obviously very lost. She drove until her car became high centered on a rock, then in true Aunt Mary fashion, she set out on foot. “Her vehicle was found with her keys, purse and a large amount of cash still inside (which was the best news possible).” On Tuesday afternoon, the main search focused on a five- to six-mile radius where her car was found on Sunday. According to the Mesa County Sheriff ’s Office, ATV teams have gone out about 20 miles. According to a post on the Mesa County Sheriff ’s Facebook page: Crews are working to
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A7 Agriculture .....................B5 Back Page ................... D8 Business ........................ A8 Church ........................... D4 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ............................ D3 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries .................. A5-6 Service Directory ........ D7 Sports .............................C6 Surface Creek News ...C1-5 TV Listings ..................C3-4
cover as much ground as possible, but also as thoroughly as possible. The vegetation in the area is very dense and difficult to see through and in some cases see over. Some overgrowth is 3 feet to 12 feet tall, and that doesn’t include trees in the area. Monday about 50 to 60 people searched for more than 10 hours. Similar resources were deployed Tuesday. Mesa County Sheriff ’s Office, Mesa County Search and Rescue, Mesa County Sheriff ’s Posse, Montrose County Sheriff ’s Office, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and local ranchers familiar with the area are now involved in the search. Mesa County Search and Rescue has members of its ground team, ATV, tracking, and dog teams also working on the search effort. “We are taking the search one day at a time. It has been very taxing not only for family members, but for search crews as well,” said Sheriff Matt Lewis. Finnegan’s car was found 4-5 miles off Divide Road near the Mesa County and Montrose County line. The FINNEGAN TO A3
DMEA “disappointed” by new attempt to prevent purchases from local renewable generation The dispute between DMEA and its wholesale power supplier entered a new phase last week with the filing of an appeal before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, D.C. In that appeal, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association asked FERC to reconsider a June 2016 order striking down a Tri-State penalty imposed when DMEA buys from renewable resources. Tri-State had sought to impose the penalty, called a “lost revenue recovery fee,” on wind, solar, hydro, and other renewable purchases — notwithstanding the fact that federal law requires those purchases. “DMEA is disappointed by Tri-State’s decision to appeal last month’s ruling,” said Bill Patterson, DMEA board president in a press release issued by DMEA last week. “FERC has now said twice that DMEA is obligated by federal law to purchase from local renewable generators. We had hoped that Tri-State would commit itself to partnering with DMEA in complying with the law instead of resisting it.” With this appeal, called a “request for rehearing,” Tri-State will try for a third time to persuade FERC that DMEA is incorrectly interpreting the requirements of a 1978 federal law called the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). In a 2015 FERC ruling, the Commission declared that DMEA must buy from renewable genera-
tion projects at negotiated rates under PURPA — regardless of whether the purchases are allowed under Tri-State customers’ wholesale electric contracts. That 2015 ruling was followed by last month’s ruling that Tri-State’s retaliatory measures to penalize DMEA for those purchases were an attempt (in the words of FERC) “to undermine the Commission’s prior order” by
“imposing financing burdens” on DMEA that would inhibit DMEA’s required renewable purchases. “We are confident in our legal position and in our belief that federal law does not allow Tri-State to penalize us for following PURPA,” said Patterson. “We owe it to the DMEA membership and the communities we serve to keep pressing this issue,” he said.
Fair is in sight
Photo by Hank Lohmeyer
The 4-H fashion revue and shooting sports competition herald the beginning of fair activities in Delta County. Above, an archery contestant readies himself to send an arrow down range during the county fair shoot on July 19. The schedule of events this weekend includes the junior rodeo at 10 a.m. Saturday and the Delta County Fair and Rodeo queen contest at 10 a.m. Sunday. Details can be found in the ad on page B3.
BLM expands comment period for Uncompahgre RMP In response to public requests, the Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Field Office is extending the comment period for Uncompahgre Field Office Draft Resource Management Plan for 60 days. The comment period, originally scheduled to close on Sept. 1 will be extended through Nov. 1. “Public input is critical as we work through refining this plan. Hopefully this extension will facilitate that public input,” said Dana Wilson, BLM acting Uncompahgre field manager. The BLM identified a wide range of alternatives in the Draft RMP that analyze impacts to important wildlife, vegetation and cultural resources while balancing the need for resource uses such as grazing, minerals and recreation on about 675,800 acres of BLMadministered surface lands and 971,220 acres of federal mineral estate in Delta, Gunnison, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel
counties. Written comments will be most effective if they are specific to the proposal or analysis and should be submitted by email to uformp@blm.gov or by mail to the BLM, Uncompahgre Field Office, 2465 S. Townsend Ave., Montrose, CO 81401. Before including your address, phone number, email address or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment — including your personal identifying information — may be made publicly available at any time. The plan and associated environmental documents are available at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo/uncompahgre_rmp.html (or www.uformp.com). For more information, contact Gina Jones, National Environmental Policy Act coordinator, at gmjones@blm.gov or 240-5300.