NORTH FORK TIMES GLAD YOU ASKED!
Survey responses help determine the direction of Hotchkiss, B1
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Cedaredge celebrates community, the arts and bountiful harvest, Inside
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Community support wows GOCO visitors About 120 community members turned out to support The Nature Connection’s application for a GOCO Inspire grant. “I have never seen such a large group of people, from such a large area, come together for such a long time toward a common goal — the welfare of our kids,” said coalition member Neal Schweiterman of Paonia. The goal of the grant is to implement a plan to connect youth and families to the outdoors within their communities. As part of the application review process, GOCO conducted a site visit in Delta County that began at The Nature Connection’s headquarters in Hotchkiss. As GOCO board members toured a couple of other sites, they gained appreciation for the scope of a project that touches all the communities in Delta County as well as Olathe. “It is tough to convey the incredible scope of our two years of detailed planning
for this important grant. Two counties, two school districts, six communities, and many adult and youth partners spent countless hours detailing the best plan to get youth connected to the outdoors. It has been a gift to share the positive energy of so many good people,” said Anita Evans of The Nature Connection. “We shared on-the-ground plans for Hotchkiss and Delta, and offered a drone video tour of the communities of Crawford, Hotchkiss, Paonia, and Olathe because there was not enough time for GOCO Inspire grant reviewers to visit our whole geographic area.” The Nature Connection was awarded GOCO funding for phase 1 of the “Inspire” initiative, which launched a planning process that involved youth, community members and representatives of local, state and federal agencies. Through interviews, and surveys at summer events, the Delta Inspire Team gathered feedback from children, and adults about what they
like to do outside, what outdoor activities they would like to try and what barriers prevented them and their fami-
lies from trying new outdoor endeavors. While responses varied from community to commu-
nity, some commonalities became evident. Kids and adults all expressed an interest NATURE CONNECTION TO A3
Photo by Pat Sunderland
About 90 people, including youth from Hotchkiss, Paonia and Cedaredge, turned out in support of The Nature Connection GOCO Inspire grant during a grant site visit in Delta County last week. Thirty more folks showed up at Fort Uncompahgre, where the visit concluded with the fort’s vision of an outdoor classroom.
DHS grad sues school district, staff BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
The school district is preparing to defend teachers, guidance counselors, administrators and itself against accusations of retaliation by a Delta High School graduate. The lawsuit alleges that school officials retaliated against Cidney Fisk, Class of 2016, when she spoke out against religious activities during school hours on school property. Cidney Fisk, Class of 2016, filed suit in U.S. District Court through her counsel, Jeffrey Springer
and Andrew Reid of Springer & Steinberg. Fisk claims that when she exercised her right to speech and religious beliefs, school officials and teachers retaliated by reducing her grades, depriving her of honors she believed she’d earned, undermining her scholarship and university applications, and creating an unwelcome and hostile environment. As a result, Fisk maintains she suffered extreme emotional and mental harm requiring hospitalization. In support of a statement
that Fisk was an “outstanding student, leader and member of the community,” the suit lists her academic and extracurricular activities at DHS. It notes that as student body treasurer, Fisk became outspoken about the school’s and district’s spending priorities. She was also openly critical about abstinence-only speakers invited to address students, stating such presenttions were based on Christian religious beliefs. She also targeted the distribution of Gideon Bibles at Delta Middle School. When interviewed by
Urban renewal plan gains preliminary approval BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
By unanimous vote, the Delta Urban Renewal Authority has approved the plan that outlines how the city will reduce, eliminate and prevent blight in an effort to attract and stimulate economic development. While a hotel is the primary means by which the plan is intended to be implemented, it is not the only option on the table, said DURA attorney Carolynne White. The plan requires additional review and approval by the Delta Planning Commission and Delta City Council before implementation can take place. The Delta City Council will host a public hearing on the matter at its Nov. 21 meeting. The plan was prepared to satisfy the requirements of state statutes that cover
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Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A9 Agriculture ................... C7 Back Page ................... D6 Business .......................A10 Church ............................C6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ..................... A8 School Zone ............... A5-7 Sports ..........................B5-8 Surface Creek News ...C1-3 TV Listings ..................C4-5
urban renewal authorities. Those statutes require that a minimum of four conditions of blight be identified before DURA can exercise its powers. Additionally, DURA must find that those conditions of blight “substantially impair or arrest the sound growth of the municipality or constitutes an economic or social liability, and is a menace to the public health, safety, morals or welfare.” A study conducted by city staff revealed that 10 of 11 blight conditions outlined in the state statute can be found in the plan area. The boundaries of the plan area are also identified, with Delta County agreeing to contribute sales tax only within the subarea designated for a hotel development. Adoption of the plan authorizes the use of tax incentive financing as one means of
facilitating investment. However, the plan notes, in addition to TIF, DURA shall be authorized to finance implementation of the plan by any method allowed by state statute, leaving the door open for “a variety of strategies and mechanisms which are financial, physical, market and organizational in nature.” The outcome of mediation with Delta County Mosquito Control District #1 and Delta County Fire District #1 will not affect plan adoption. DURA has retained its right to exercise eminent domain — described by White as an important negotiating tool, even though the county has put DURA on notice its intergovernmental agreement will be voided if that step is taken. The complete plan can be found on the city website at www.cityofdelta.net.
the Daily Sentinel, she came out publicly in an ensuing article as an atheist. The lawsuit alleges that article spurred death threats on Facebook message boards. When Fisk’s parents reported the death threats to the school administration and the police, no action was taken. Fisk continued to express her views through articles in the school newspaper and magazine, and by wearing T-shirts and costumes that proclaimed her opinions on religion, abortion and sex education. Fisk says teachers and counselors critized her for her “attitude,” allegedly finding it “not suitable as a student leader.” She was accused of “stirring the pot.”
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are Delta County Joint School District #50, the school board, superintendent Caryn Gibson, principal Derek Carlson, counselors Shawna Magtutu and Holly TeylerCrowder, and John Miller, a DHS teacher. Fisk, a student at the University of Denver, is seeking “compensatory and consequential damages, including damages for economic losses, emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, and other pain and suffering on all claims allowed by law in an amount to be determined at trial.” Punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs are also requested, along with a demand for a jury trial.
School district earns ‘accredited’ rating BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Despite a decline in overall scores, Delta County Joint School District #50 earned an “accredited” rating on district performance frameworks established by the Colorado Department of Education. The frameworks are provided to school districts annually at the start of the school year. District performance frameworks and school performance frameworks are intended to hold districts and schools statewide accountable for performance on the same, single set of indicators and measures. The frameworks measure four key performance indicators identified in Education
Accountability Act of 2009 (SB 09-163) as the measures of educational success: academic achievement, academic longitudinal growth, academic gaps and postsecondary and workforce readiness. “We are working on math growth as a major focus this year, as that is where we saw the biggest decline in growth,” said Connie Vincent, data and grants coordinator for the school district. The school district recently adopted a new concept-based curriculum called Go Math! To help teachers transition to the new curriculum, two retired teachers — Tammy Shelton and Rhonda Pinckard — have been hired as instructional ACCREDITED TO A3
Ambulance hosts informational sessions
Meet and greet
Delta County Ambulance District (DCAD) is hosting a series of community meetings to discuss the mill levy question on the November ballot. DCAD is seeking a mill levy increase of 3.50 mills, for a total of 5.750 mills. The increase will be used to maintain emergency medical services and offset recent budget shortfalls. Each community meeting will include a short presentation, followed by time for questions and answers. The schedule is: Thursday, Oct. 5 — Bill Heddles Recreation Center, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 — Orchard City Town Hall, 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12 — Cedaredge Community Center, 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16 — Tour of Station 1 at 60 Heinz, Delta from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16 — Delta United Methodist Fellowship Hall, 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 — Tour of Station 2 at 14126 Highway 65, Eckert from 2 to 4 p.m. Ballots will be mailed the week of Oct. 16, and will go only to voters in Crawford (also seeking a mill levy increase) and to electors in the area served by the Delta County Ambulance District.
The City of Delta announces a meet and greet event to introduce the candidates for public works/utilities director. Once the candidates accept the invitation to continue to the next step of the interview process, they will be announced. Community members will then have the opportunity to meet the candidates at a reception to be held at the Technical College of the Rockies (formerly Delta Montrose Technical College) on Monday, Oct. 16, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.