NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
HOSPITAL TOWN HALL DCMH addresses health care, needs of the North Fork Valley, B1
SPORTS
AVOIDING CONFLICTS Cedaredge deer population addressed by wildlife officials, C1
DELTA COUNTY
UNTOUCHABLE?
Paonia baseball team tops 3A, 5A teams to remain undefeated, B5 APRIL 19, 2017 VOL. 134, NO. 16
75¢
INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
Uninsured drivers will cost taxpayers BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Two accidents involving school property are proving costly for Delta County Joint School District, district business manager Jim Ventrello reported last week. Both incidents involved uninsured drivers, forcing the school district to file claims with its insurance provider and pay deductibles of $10,000. In March, an irrigation pump house at Delta Middle School was destroyed by a driver attempting to elude law enforcement officers. Pedro Lopez, 29, of Grand Junction is facing several charges, including vehicular eluding, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and driving under revocation. The cost of replacing the pump house, controls and possibly the pump has been estimated at a little over $30,000, Ventrello said. The school district will pay the $10,000 deductible and insurance will cover the rest. Then on March 27, a school
bus was rear-ended while stopping to pick up children in North Delta. Samuel Rascon of Hobbs, N.M., struck the rear end of the bus, damaging the frame so severely that the safety of the bus was compromised. As a result, the bus was determined to be a total loss. The depreciated value of the bus has been estimated at $17,000, minus the $1,000 deductible the school district carries on vehicles. Ventrello said the bus was purchased in 2004 for $65,000; a replacement will run close to $100,000. The school district and its insurance carrier intend to seek restitution from Rascon not only for the bus, but for medical costs incurred by 15 children transported to Delta County Memorial Hospital. All were treated for minor injuries and released. The deductible on that side of the equation is $10,000, Ventrello said. “The families who were involved will not and should not be out any money,” he said.
Spring cleaning
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Cars and pickups line up to deposit electronics with volunteers from Altrusa International and the Delta Rotary Club. With the help of Alpine Bank and Double J Recycling, the two organizations recycled a total of 12,106 pounds — about 10,000 pounds less than last year. “I hope this means we are getting those garages cleaned out!” an Altrusan said.
DCED shares vision for innovation center BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
The vision for the ENGAGE Innovation Center at Delta was outlined during the “Morning Business Buzz” hosted by the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce. The April 18 networking event was held at the Delta United Methodist Fellowship Hall, where the women of the church served a light breakfast. Trish Thibodo, Delta County Economic Development director, said the chamber event presented the first opportunity to unveil plans for the old Chaco/City Market
building at 6th and Main. It was also an opportunity to begin building the community support that will be vital for securing grants for architectural design and renovation of the building. She shared how the innovation center grew out of a Better City study that identified eight potential projects. A steering committee representing numerous partners narrowed the projects to the two that seemed most feasible — the riverfront development and an innovation center. DCED and its partners initially focused on a food
Planning commission makeup to change BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
At its regular business meeting on Monday, the Board of County Commissioners adopted a change in makeup and representation of the county planning commission. The Delta County Planning Commission will be expanding from seven members to nine members. The two new members will be representatives from Commissioner Districts #1 and #2. For years, the county planning commission membership has been configured on representation from the area planning committees. It was noted earlier this year by District #2 County Commissioner Don Suppes that the APC-based regimen has resulted in Commissioner District #3 having its three APCs represented on the planning commission, but Commissioner Districts
INDEX
Accent ........................... A1 Activities ....................... A9 Back Page ................... D6 Business .......................A10 Church ........................... D4 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Health & Fitness .........C6-8 Legals ......................... D2-3 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ..................... A8 School Zone ............... A6-7 Sports ..........................B5-8 Surface Creek News ...C1-3 TV Listings ..................C4-5
#1 and #2, with only one APC each, have only one representative on the planning commission. The county’s goal is to eventually create, through a process of attrition and appointment, a planning commission that has three members from each of the three commissioner districts. Also at their Monday business session, the commissioners noted the official implementation of an ordinance that will permit and regulate the use of OHVs on county roads. OHVs used for county road travel must be properly registered, licensed, and “street legal.” Copies of the county ordinance that details all of the requirements and restrictions may be obtained from county administration or viewed in full at the county website.
manufacturing facility with a Paonia location, but when a grant application failed, the discussion shifted to an innovation center in Delta. Then Delta County Joint School District #50 stepped forward to purchase the Chaco building for Delta-Montrose Technical College classes, and the innovation center gained “legs.” “There have been a lot of players in this project, all helping to craft this idea,” Thibodo said, as she expanded on the vision for the 23,000square-foot building. In addition to classroom space for DMTC, the building will accommodate a commercial kitchen, a tasting room showcasing Delta County products, DCED and Small Business Resource Center offices, business support and training,
and specialized resources for ag and energy. Those two sectors, along with high-speed broadband, have been identified as Delta County’s greatest assets. The word ENGAGE embodies those assets — EN for energy, G for growth, AG for agriculture and E for entrepreneurship. “The innovation center will be focused on industries that have existing connections (ag/ energy) or ties to Delta County with the overall goal of diversifying the local economy and providing new employment opportunities to grow the local workforce,” Thibodo said. The focus will be on the “grow-your-own model” to support expansion of creation of businesses. At the same time, DCED and its partners want
to get Delta on the radar, with the goal of bringing in new investment. “The Chaco building is more than an innovation center,” Thibodo said. “It can be a huge part of downtown revitalization. We’re talking about bringing students downtown, we’re talking about visibility, we’re talking about fixing up this facility.” Delta will be the “hub,” but the spokes will reach throughout the county, Thibodo stressed. She talked about grant applications that have been or will be submitted, as well as the need for matching funds. DCED, the City of Delta, Delta County, the school district and private parties have already committed cash or inkind contributions, but more ENGAGE TO A3
County adds community economic director post
Delta County has announced that Elyse Ackerman-Casselberry has accepted the position of community and economic development director. She will take up her duties here on May 1. Ackerman-Casselberry leaves a post as Northwest Region director for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to begin her job with Delta County. The county administration reports that AckermanCasselberry’s post is not considered a new one in the county even though the title has never been used before. The county has a part-time
contract planner and Ackerman-Caselberry’s job will be a three-quarter-time post entailing assigned duties in the planning department along with grant writing, county administrator Robbie LeValley told the DCI. Ackerman-Casselberry has worked with local governments for 16 years in varying roles with a background in economic development, longrange planning, grant writing, public administration and finance, public policy, community engagement and strategic planning. A Western Slope native, she grew up in Montrose and
Durango, and has lived in Delta County for seven years with her husband and four boys. She has understanding of the challenges and tremendous opportunities ahead of Delta County, and is excited to bring her experience and background from her work across western Colorado to the place she calls home. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, and a graduate of Prescott College with a master’s degree in ecology and resource management. She is an adjunct professor with Adams State University.
Drug Take Back Day is April 29
Community Shred Days support 4-H
The Delta Police Department will be participating in the 13th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Delta Police Department, 215 W. 5th Street. This is the only time dropoffs will be accepted. There are a few items that will not be accepted, such as needles and sharps, mercury (thermometers), oxygen containers, chemotherapy/radioactive substances, any kind of pressurized canisters and illicit drugs. All other prescription and non-prescription medications are acceptable. Make sure the lid is tightly secured on all liquid substances. This is an anonymous program so remove personal information from any labels. Go to www.dea.gov for additional information or to find other dropoff locations across the nation.
Are you overwhelmed with papers you would like to get rid of? Do you have old tax documents, bank statements, credit card solicitations, medical records, and other personal documents needing to be destroyed? Then, join Alpine Bank and Colorado Document Security for the annual free Community Shred Days at our Alpine Bank locations in Montrose, Ridgway and Delta: Montrose — Saturday, April 29, 2770 Alpine Drive and 1400 East Main, 8 to 11 a.m. Donations welcome for Montrose 4-H Council. Delta — Saturday, May 6, 1660 Highway 92, 8 to 11 a.m. Donations welcome for Delta County 4-H’ers. All documents will be shredded onsite by Colorado Document Security; the number of boxes is limited to four per person or business. No need to remove papers from file folders, take out staples or remove paper clips as they can run through the shredder.