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NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
SHINING EXAMPLE
Emery Townsend honored for 60 years of mail delivery, B1
SPORTS
OPTIONS STUDIED
COMPETITION HEATS UP
Cedaredge drops plans for Region 10 broadband anchors, C1
Track and field athletes aim for the top 18 slots in the state, B6
DELTA COUNTY
APRIL 26, 2017 VOL. 134, NO. 17
75¢
INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
City seeks buy-in for urban renewal projects BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
The Delta Urban Renewal Authority has officially been expanded to include representatives from the taxing agencies that are being asked to buy in to the city’s vision for economic revitalization. The Delta Urban Renewal Authority, or DURA, has been in existence since 1985 but was inactive until recent economic revitalization efforts underscored the need to secure funding for future projects. Since DURA was established, tax increment financing, or TIF, has been adopted as one of the tools an urban renewal authority can use to finance bonds. The funds can then be used for rehabilitation and infrastructure improvements that will hopefully
draw private investment. This type of financing requires buy-in from taxing entities that agree to give up property tax or sales tax generated by the new development. The “increment” is pooled to fund rehabilitation. Because those taxing entities have a stake in the new development, state statute requires they be represented on the urban renewal authority board. Joining the five Delta City Council members on the DURA board are Jill Jurca, representing Delta County Joint School District #50; Don Suppes, representing Delta County; Bill Crank, representing the smaller taxing districts; and Tom Huerkamp, appointed by the mayor to meet state requirements for an odd number of DURA com-
missioners. After the commissioners were sworn into office last week, attorney Carolynne White, special counsel to DURA, outlined the next steps. While White was in town, she and city manager David
Torgler met with the majority of the taxing districts that are being asked to approve the TIF financing. DURA will enter into intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) with each taxing body. That process can take up to 120 days, White said. If discussions come to a
standstill, both parties enter into mediation. White said she is optimistic an agreement with all parties will be reached well within 120 days. After those agreements are in place, a project plan can be presented, White explained. URBAN RENEWAL TO A3
High speed internet is becoming a reality BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
High speed internet has long been a top priority for Delta County Economic Development, which has partnered with the Economic Development Administration, Region 10, DMEA, Delta County and municipalities to bring what is widely recognized as an “essential service” to western Colorado. A pivotal moment in the effort came in November 2014, when DCED made a strong showing at a DMEA board meeting. That grassroots effort helped energize the DMEA board and staff, and it’s that type of grassroots support that will keep Elevate Fiber moving forward to cover DMEA’s entire service territory, according to Jason Bronec, CEO of Delta-Montrose Electric Association. Elevate Fiber is the subsidiary behind DMEA’s fiber network, but Bronec said it’s taken every one of DMEA’s 100 employees to launch the fiber network.
Bronec provided a project update during DCED’s annual meeting April 20 in Orchard City. Last fall, a portion of Paonia became the first area to receive service from Elevate. Installations in Orchard City are underway. By early summer, gigabit service will be available for customers in Hotchkiss. The announcement that Elevate Fiber currently has 650 customers was greeted with enthusiastic applause by those attending the DCED meeting. In the crowd were several Elevate customers who said the service is delivering “as advertised.” Total buildout will take four to five years, Bronec said, who urged DMEA customers to preregister on the DMEA website. “That’s what drives where we’re headed into the future,” he said. “There’s no question broad band is an essential service,” he added, “but we’re not only bringing internet service to BROADBAND TO A3
Schedule revised for master plan meetings A revised schedule for public meetings on the Delta County master plan rewrite has been released. The dates, times and locations of the upcoming round of sessions is as follows: • The planning commission will hold a session on the master plan Tuesday, May 2, at 6 p.m. in Room 234 at the county courthouse. The meeting is open to the public. “Visioning” sessions, all open to the general public specifically for gathering input, will be held at the following times and locations during May:
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A9 Back Page ................... D6 Business .......................A10 Church ............................C6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-3 Obituaries ..................... A8 School Zone .................. A5 Service Directory ........ D5 Sports ..........................B4-6 Surface Creek News ...C1-5 TV Listings ..................C3-4
• Monday, May 15, 6-8 p.m. at Paonia Town Hall. • Wednesday, May 17, 68 p.m. at Cedaredge Civic Center. • Thursday, May 18, 6-8 p.m. at Crawford Town Hall. • Monday, May 22, 6-8 p.m. at Memorial Hall in Hotchkiss. • Tuesday, May 23, 6-8 p.m. at Bill Heddles Recreation Center in Delta. Another planning commission meeting, also open to the public, to review the draft “Vision and Goals” report is scheduled Wednesday, June 14, at 5:30 p.m. in Room 234 of the county courthouse.
Connecting with nature
Photo by Pat Sunderland
A Youth Outdoor Network field trip brought high schoolers from Cedaredge, Paonia, Delta, Hotchkiss and Olathe to Sweitzer Lake for a day of fun and outdoor education April 21. In the morning, students rotated through three stations where they built bat houses, fabricated “seed bombs” to help spread native grasses and practiced survival techniques. Above, Gina Savo and Nine Suphathira paint their bat boxes with earth-friendly colors. In the afternoon, the high schoolers tried canoeing, paddleboarding and archery. The Youth Outdoor Network is a coalition of high school students supported by The Nature Connection, U.S. Forest Service and the Western Slope Conservation Center. The students have also been rafting and cross-country skiing.
DCSD reworking pay schedules to meet minimum wage requirement BY PAT SUNDERLAND AND TAMIE MECK When Colorado voters approved a new minimum wage law in 2016, they probably didn’t consider how that could affect the state’s school districts. After two work sessions, the Delta County Board of Education continues to grapple with how best to adjust employee pay schedules to meet the $12 per hour minimum wage requirement by January 2020. Action on pay schedules for both certified and classified staff was removed from the April 19 board meeting agenda. “We do not feel that we are ready to make a decision on our salary schedules at this time,” said district superintendent Caryn Gibson ahead of the board meeting. In looking at the pay schedule for aides, to get to $12 they would have to jump several steps resulting in “pretty substantial increases” of up to 12 percent, said district financial officer Jim Ventrello. “That’s a heck of an increase,” said board treasurer Pete Blair. “What would
taxpayers think about that?” The minimum wage will be bumped up incrementally on the path to $12/hour. While the change immediately impacts only the district’s lowest paid employees, salaries for other classified staff, from bus drivers to maintenance personnel, will be increased to maintain the separation that acknowledges the skill, knowledge and responsibility of each position. One thing board members and administration agreed on is that there currently is no real rhyme or reason to existing pay schedules for classified employees, teachers or administrators. A move across the salary schedule can result in increases ranging from 1.21 to 3.79 percent. To clean up the discrepancies it was recommended the school board look at making a departure from the traditional “step system.” Changes would still take into account an employee’s education, experience and years of service, said Gibson. Because salaries and benefits account for about 75 percent of the district spending, any changes made this year
will have a profound impact on the 2017-2018 budget, said Gibson. The good news is that the increases are not anticipated to affect the cost of employee health insurance. Since premiums will not increase for the 2017-18 school year, this is a great year to work on pay schedules, she said. “Usually we give an increase, then take it away with insurance premium increases.” Without the increase, employees will likely feel the benefits of a pay increase. Just in listening to the conversation, we’re just not ready to vote on the changes, said board president Tammy Smith. The district plans to continue meeting with representatives from the certified and classified councils on the issue. A special work session is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 26, and another work session will take place at 3:30 p.m. ahead of the May 11 board meeting. Certified salaries must be finalized by the May 11 meeting, when contracts are scheduled to be approved for returning teachers.
Vision Charter contract renewed
Planning appointments
Vision Charter Academy will operate for another four years after the Delta County School District board approved a new contract. Delaine Hudson, district liaison, said a lot of negotiation and work with attorneys went into the contract, although it is substantively the same as the prior contract. There were some changes, the most notable being the addition of language regarding a three-year academic plan; the need to have desegregated data on the three learning pathways over the next three years to ensure they are equally successful; and goals increasing state and local assessments. The lease and maintenance of the three district-owned facilities to VCA remains the same, said Hudson. The Paonia facility is leased on a year-to-year basis, whereas Delta and Surface Creek facilities are under a four-year lease. The reason, said Hudson, is that the future of the Paonia campus is uncertain. Director Willyn Webb said the contract will enable Vision Charter Academy to continue to provide choice for families who want individualized, blended learning options with parental involvement and teacher support.
Jay Stooksberry and Mary Cooper were recently appointed to the Delta Planning Commission. Cooper was appointed to the planning commission after serving out the remainder of Gerald Roberts’ term after he was elected to the Delta City Council. A second vacancy was filled after council interviewed two applicants and voted unanimously to appoint Stooksberry. The other planning commission members are Lynn Williams, chairman; Mark Lee, vice chairman; and commissioners Carl Jahn, Richard Simmons and Virginia Alexander. The seven-member commission meets on the first Monday of every month, unless there is no business to conduct.