NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
2017 LOOKS PROMISING Real estate market is booming in the North Fork Valley, B1
SPORTS
HOLIDAY HEARTWARMER Community steps up for Christmas tradition, C1
DELTA COUNTY
HHS HAS GOT SPIRIT
Cheer squad wins regionals, places third at state trials, B6 JANUARY 4, 2017 VOL. 134, NO. 1
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INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
Broadband project is on the fast track BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
The effort to bring high speed broadband to Delta County is moving much faster than anyone anticipated. Working with Region 10 and contractor TCS Communications, the City of Delta has seen installation of fiber optic cables throughout the city. Multiple work crews were on the ground this fall working on both aerial and underground construction. With construction complete, Michelle Haynes, executive director of Region 10 League for Economic Assistance and Planning, and project director Chris Kennedy talked about what’s next at a recent city council work session. Their presentation included a map illustrating how the system ties into the “broadband highway” via partnerships with DMEA, Tri-State and other entities which already had infrastructure in place. Kennedy explained the system has been designed to deliver redundancy and diversity, to deliver traffic in multiple ways to multiple users. Region 10 is not a retail provider of internet services, Haynes and Kennedy emphasized, but will deliver services to government and nonprofit entities within the community. For the city, it will be possible to connect with other communities and possibly share services. “Hopefully in the long run the city will save money operationally,” Kennedy said. Within the city, there are numerous points where private providers can access one gigabit or 10 gigabit service to build last mile service at much more affordable rates than otherwise would have been possible. The next step, Kennedy said, is a series of requests for bids for equipment related
to transport, while Region 10 develops service agreements with potential “last mile” service providers. “We’re starting to see private enterprise interest in the project because they know they can reduce some of their network costs,” Kennedy said. “I am optimistic that at the end of the day we’re going to be encouraged about the level of competition we’re going to be able to bring into the city,” Haynes said. Competition will keep service at a high level and pricing levels low. We’ve already seen a lot of progress with DMEA being able to leverage this partnership into last-mile project. Other providers will be doing the same in the City of Delta. Obviously we can’t talk a lot about that until we have agreements in place, but I think you will all be pleased.” Once the equipment is ordered, tuned up and tested, Region 10 will seek bids for operation and maintenance of the infrastructure. Haynes and Kennedy said Region 10 will outsource that function to an enterprise that provides that service for many areas. With network construction in the cities of Delta and Montrose well under way — and about 50 percent of the population in Region 10 prepared to be served in the first year — Phase Two can begin. During 2017, construction will continue throughout the Region 10 member counties of Delta, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel, Gunnison and Hinsdale. “Our plan is to have the entire construction process done next year,” Kennedy said. “Region 10 will have a world class network when it’s all said and done,” he added. “We hope this will become a model that can be replicated.” “It’s really overwhelming
Kolb charged with child sex assault BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
A grand jury has returned an indictment against Dustin Kolb, 38, of Delta, charging him with sexual assault on a child by a person in trust, with the victim being under the age of 15, as part of a pattern of abuse. The charge is a third degree felony. Kolb was arrested Dec. 6 and jailed on a $60,000 bond. The indictment was filed directly from grand jury proceedings. The district attorney’s office explains that a grand jury is convened in each judicial district in Colorado annually. The grand jury system is used to present more complex cases through a panel of citizens (the grand jury) to deter-
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mine whether or not probable cause exists for charges to be filed. After listening to testimony and reviewing the evidence presented by the district attorney’s office, the grand jury returned a “true bill,” referring to the charges filed against the suspect. Jurors normally serve for a period of one year. The grand jury is not convened on a regular basis, but only when the DA’s office believes a case should be presented through the grand jury process. The process is confidential — the identity of grand jurors and the cases being presented to the grand jury are not revealed. Only after a true bill is returned does the case become public.
to me when I think about how much we have accomplished in the last few months,” Haynes said. “A lot of it speaks to that early planning we’d been
doing all along.” She spoke of an aggressive timeline that began with a planning grant, then memorandums of understanding
among the participating entities, including the City of Delta and Delta County. “We’ve been hearing about BROADBAND TO A3
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Dizzying work
Laborers with Red Roofing of Grand Junction clearly aren’t afraid of heights as they installed shingles near the peak of the roof over the Presbyterian Church of Delta. One worker even paused to ham it up for the camera. A co-worker watching from the ground estimated the slope at the roof at just over 45°, enough of a challenge without the gusty winds that buffeted the men on Monday.
Blood draw, health fair registration opens Jan. 9 SPECIAL TO THE DCI
Delta County residents can mark their 2017 calendars for early blood draws and health fairs in Paonia, Cedaredge and Delta, according to Patti Kalahar, manager of education/marketing for Delta County Memorial Hospital. Lions Club members in Delta, Cedaredge and Paonia and DCMH volunteers will be partnering in the annual community health fair events again this year. Online registration opens Jan. 9 for both the early blood draws and health fairs. Visit the hospital website at delta hospital.org for details. Just click on the health fair heart artwork on the home page to be immediately connected to an online registration process that is very user friendly. Residents may select a location in Paonia, Cedaredge or Delta and a date for early blood draw events during early February or health fairs scheduled for mid-March. Appointments can also be made by telephone. Call-in appointments will take place two days only, Jan. 19 and 20, on a dedicated toll free number, 888-592-6255 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. daily. Early blood draws will take place in Paonia Feb. 8, 6:30
to 9:30 a.m., at the DeltaMontrose Technical College campus; in Cedaredge Feb. 9, 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., at the Civic Center; and in Delta Feb. 10 and 11, 6:30 to 10 a.m., at the DCMH Oncology Building. The health fairs are scheduled March 15, 16 and 17 — in Paonia March 15, 6:30 to 10 a.m. at the DMTC campus; in Delta March 16, 6:30 to 11 a.m. at Bill Heddles Recreation Center; and in
Cedaredge March 17, 6:30 to 10 a.m. at the Civic Center. Appointments are recommended for the health fairs to diminish long wait lines for blood work. In addition to blood draws, the March health fairs will offer free blood pressure screenings. The March 16 health fair at Bill Heddles Recreation Center in Delta will include exhibitors with health-related products and services.
Photo submitted
Delta Lions Club members help expedite registration during the early blood draws in 2016.
Hospital opts out
Dems meet
Register for ag strategy forum
The board of directors of Delta County Memorial Hospital has elected to opt out of Proposition 106, approved by the state’s voters in November 2016. The proposition allows physicians to prescribe medical aid-in-dying medication to terminally ill individuals under certain conditions. Participation is voluntary — physicians and pharmacists are not obligated to prescribe or dispense the medication. The hospital board has decided to opt out at this time but will revisit the topic in six months, Jason Cleckler, hospital CEO, said.
The Delta County Democratic Central Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at Memorial Hall, 175 First Street, Hotchkiss, to recommend candidates for party officer positions for the upcoming term. All registered Delta County Democrats are invited. Visit deltadems.org for more information.
Farmers and ranchers know their costs of producing crops and livestock continue to be high while market prices are going down. As profits decrease or there are losses, producers may have difficulty securing operating loans or have to take money from the savings they accumulated over the past few years of good prices. What are they to do? Learn about the outlook for commodity prices, production costs for each area, current Farm Service Agency programs and strategies for profitability when prices are low at an outlook and strategy forum hosted by Colorado State University Extension. The forum will take place at Friendship Hall in Montrose Wednesday, Jan. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. To register, go to https:// 2017agoutlook.eventbrite.com or call 970-522-7207.