NORTH FORK TIMES
SPORTS
QUILTS ON DISPLAY
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
HEARTBREAK FOR BOYS
Artistry, craftsmanship showcased at two Hotchkiss venues, B3
Paonia girls persevere to claim state 2A basketball title, C4-5
DELTA COUNTY
ECKERT CRANE DAYS Migrating cranes anticipated at Fruitgrowers March 17-19, C1
MARCH 15, 2017 VOL. 134, NO. 11
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INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
Traffic shifts to Confluence Drive BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Traffic counts conducted by the City of Delta last fall reveal that passenger cars make up 52 percent of the traffic on Confluence Drive. Traffic was counted along the route during a one-week period. Data was collected on the north- and southbound lanes at the intersections with 5th and Palmer and at both ends of Confluence Drive. The highest use was found on southbound Confluence Drive at the intersection with 5th Street, which is roughly the midway point of the 1.6-mileroute. Average daily traffic at that spot was 4,814 vehicles. Passenger cars numbered 2,515 (52 percent), pickups, panels and vans totaled 1,268 (or 26 percent) and trucks of all types totaled 899 (19 percent). Motorcycles and buses accounted for about 1.5 percent each. The counter could pinpoint trucks as single units of two, three, four, five and six axles, and determine whether they had multiple trailers. Confluence Drive opened in December 2014 and is also known as the city’s alternate truck route. It was not only intended to move heavy truck traffic off the Main Street business corridor, it was seen as increasing safety along Main and for North Delta residents. When design studies were launched in 2006, train travel was increasing through town and Highway 50 traffic was frequently stopped. With emergency responders on the south side of the tracks, North Delta was essentially cut off
from ambulance, fire and police response as the crossing arms blocked movement several times a day. Local residents, particularly those on the west end of town, quickly embraced Confluence Drive as a quick and easy alternative. Truck traffic has been a little slower to move off of Main, in part because large transport services rely on GPS mapping to determine the quickest route through town. Trucks carrying hazardous materials can use either Main or Confluence Drive. Until it is designated an official Highway 50 bypass — a conversation that’s off the table for now — the alternate truck route “just seems like an out-of-the-way detour,” said Brad Davis, owner of Davis Clothing at the corner of 4th and Main. Impact on Main Street has not been measured since CDOT conducted traffic counts there in July 2015. Both Davis and Christi Prettyman, co-owner of Next Chapter Properties at the corner of 5th and Main, say they’re still seeing a lot of trucks travelling down Main Street. They said the synchronized timing of the traffic lights on Main Street make it easy to drive straight through town without stopping. Hartland Clubb, however, estimates truck traffic has dropped to half its previous levels. Clubb’s occupies several storefronts on both the east and west sides of Main. Clubb believes the truck route has achieved its goal, but he’s also glad vehicles can get on and off at 5th. For traffic turning east off Confluence
County considers possible revenue loss BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
Commissioners heard a report from Chair Doug Atchley during their March 6 regular meeting on a threat to county revenues from proposed state legislative action. If carried out, the legislation would affect every county in the state by cutting residential property assessment rates from 7.95 percent to as low as 6 percent. The move would be required by a state constitutional provision triggered by a boom in real estate values on the Front Range. However, for small counties and those on the Western Slope that are not experiencing booming real estate markets comparable to the I-25 corridor, the result would be to cut money flowing into the county treasury from residential property taxes. County assessor Debbie Griffith had previously given a presentation to the BoCC on the same subject. If implemented by the General Assembly, revenue loss to the county could take effect as
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A7 Back Page ................... D6 Business ........................ A5 Church ............................C3 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Health & Fitness .........B6-8 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries .................. A5-6 School Zone .................. A8 Service Directory ........ D5 Sports ..........................C4-6 Surface Creek News ...C1-3 TV Listings ..................B4-5
early as next year. The revenue loss would be in addition to revenue the county has lost from downturns in the coal and energy industries. In neither of the presentations by Atchley nor Griffith was there mention of how the revenue might be replaced. In other business at recent meetings, the county commissioners have dealt with the following matters: • There are only two vacant spots left for construction of residential airplane hangars at Blake Field, commissioners were told on March 13. Fly-in traffic at the general aviation airport has increased due to the availability of 24hour self-service aviation gasoline and jet fuel, and global positioning system (GPS) landing approach technology. • Vendors selling goods and services to the county will be interested that a countywide purchasing policy was adopted by the commissioners on March 6. Among practices adopted in the policy is one that directly affects the county COUNTY TO A3
Drive at 5th, parking is readily available on both sides of Main. “It’s convenient for our customers,” he said. Steve Glammeyer, director of utilities/public works for the City of Delta, said Confluence Drive is now showing up on Google Maps, so he anticipates GPS units will also
catch up. Several merchants observed that local truck drivers use Confluence Drive; it’s the ones who travel through Delta only occasionally that still need to be educated. GPS mapping, signage and time appear to be key elements. The other benefit of Confluence Drive has been the
ability to close Main Street for special events, including parades, Downtown DeltaFest and Small Business Saturday. “Every truck on Confluence is one less truck on Main, no matter how big the number,” Glammeyer said. “That to me is a success.”
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Signs of spring
Pops of color, longer days and warmer temperatures are all signs spring has arrived a week ahead of March 20 — the official first day of spring.
City to spend $500,000 on road maintenance in 2017 BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
The City of Delta is getting a lot of bang for the buck as it embarks on three street maintenance projects in the City of Delta. The city budgeted a total of $500,000 for street improvements in 2017; the three projects will cost a total of $393,536 but will extend the life of about 11 percent of the city’s street network. Delta City Council members accepted three separate bids at their March 7 meeting: • GMCO was awarded a $107,998 bid to chip seal and fog seal 2.4 miles of Crawford Avenue and H Road to the city limit. Chip seal consists of surface treatment of asphalt, followed by an aggregate cover that’s left in place for 24 hours. Fog seal is a surface treatment of diluted asphalt emulsion. • Intermountain Slurry was awarded a contract for $66,998 to treat sections of 5th Street, 7th Street and Riley Lane (a total of 1.4 miles) with a micro-surfacing asphalt preventative maintenance treatment. Micro-surfacing involves laying a mixture of dense-graded aggregate, asphalt emulsion, water, polymer addition and mineral fillers. • Andale Construction was awarded a bid of $221,038 for road maintenance in Emerald Hills, Valley Garden, Orchard Estates, Pioneer Place, Fox Hollow and Cottonwood Lane
Call before burning
If you are planning to conduct any open burning, you must first contact the Delta County Dispatch (399-2955) on the day you plan to conduct the burn. If a red flag day has been declared, callers will be notified to delay burning. “Red flag” days are days when the danger of forest or grass fires is found to be high as determined by the National Weather Service. The burning of household trash and other dense smoke-producing materials is prohibited in Delta County. Penalties and fines have been established for failure to notify dispatch of the intent to burn, initiation of a fire on a “red flag” day and the burning of trash.
— a total of 3.4 miles. A high density mineral bond application will be used. This product is described as a unique emulsified proprietary blend of fine aggregates that helps protect the asphalt surface from breakdown by UV exposure. The treatment can extend the life of a road by 10-12 years. City staff based project priorities on a 2016 road survey that analyzed the condition of all city streets. In addition to the condition of the road, staff considered traffic load, age, road usage, drainage and types of defects when determining the appropriate method of treatment. “It’s important to complete the right repair on the right road at the right time,” city engineer Ellen Michelson told council members. Prior to the regular council meeting, Michelson and Steve Glammeyer, public works/utilities director for the City of Delta, outlined various pavement applications at an hourlong work session. Instead of tackling the worst road surfaces, the city is adopting a maintenance strategy that first addresses the roads on the verge of requiring more advanced treatment, to extend a road’s life cycle at a lower cost. The gamut of road maintenance runs from crack sealing and other routine maintenance, to complete reconstruction, the costliest option. Pavement typically lasts about 20 years, Michelson and
Glammeyer said; with proper maintenance, road life can be extended to 40 years. They also discussed the street survey completed by two high school interns last summer. The interns looked at rutting, raveling, heaving, weed growth, cracks, patches, potholes, drainage and ride quality. The scoring system they employed is one used across the nation. Based on scores ranging from 0-100, overall pavement condition in Delta averaged 76. Most of the streets in Delta fall into the “satisfactory” category; none have completely failed. The city has never used either the micro-surfacing or the high density mineral bond application, but staff members have seen and reviewed both products. With micro-surfacing, roads can be opened to travel in one to four hours. The high density mineral bond application will require a 24-hour road closure for curing, which is one reason it was selected for residential subdivisions and not highly traveled arterials. Caleb Fiske, a representative of Andale, said public meetings will be held and flyers will be distributed to apprise subdivision residents of the accommodations that will be made for them during the 24-hour road closure. No time frame has been set for the project, but city staff anticipates the treatment will be applied after school has been dismissed for the summer.
Park visits up
Library to be closed
Both Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area increased in visitation during the centennial year of the National Park Service. Black Canyon received 238,018 visitors and Curecanti counted 982,498 visits. This represents an increase over 2015 of 14 percent at Black Canyon and 4 percent at Curecanti. Though neither of these are record numbers, they are the highest visitation since 1993 for Black Canyon and 2008 for Curecanti.
The Hotchkiss Library will be closed Friday, March 17, through Sunday, April 9, for the installation of new carpet, a fresh coat of paint and new shelves for the children’s area. For the next two days, library patrons with a valid library card can visit the Hotchkiss Library and fill a box (or two!) with items for check out that will not be due back until the week of April 10. The Hotchkiss Friends Bookstore in the library entryway will remain open during the closure. Please call the Hotchkiss Library for more information at 399-7781. Funding for the project is provided by the Hotchkiss Library Fund, Inc.