Delta County Independent, Dec. 6, 2017

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Readers’ choices for “The Best of Delta County” spotlighted, Inside

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BRAGGING RIGHTS

LIGHTING UP THE TOWN

WINTER PREVIEW

Cedaredge Parade of Lights: Everything but the snow, B11

DELTA COUNTY

Competition heats up for wrestling, basketball, swimming, C1-8 DECEMBER 6, 2017 VOL. 134, NO. 49

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INDEPENDENT

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Commissioners deny Bowie land use change application BY ANNETTE BRAND Staff Writer

Bureau of Land Management photo

Improved access

The Eagle Rock Shelter archaeological site between Delta and Hotchkiss can now be accessed by two-wheel-drive vehicles. Access to the road is from Hwy 92 about 100 feet east of mile marker 13. Look for the “Eagle Rock Shelter Access” sign (above) at the beginning of the road. The gravel road initially leads up through a small, inactive gravel pit, then follows the rim of the canyon, offering spectacular views of the Gunnison River. The trailhead is 3.7 miles from the Highway 92 turnoff.

On Dec. 4 Delta County Commissioners Doug Atchley, Mark Roeber and Don Suppes denied the application of Paonia Holdings, LLC for a change of land use for the property at 41322 Highway 133, with an adjacent residence at 41402 Highway 133 and an ancillary property at 16180 Stevens Gulch Road. The property is owned by Bowie Resources, LLC, and was formerly used as a coal load-out site. Applicant Mark Levin, Paonia Holdings, LLC submitted the request under the Delta County Specific Development Regulations. He asked for a change to commercial, light industrial and agricultural uses for the property. On Nov. 20 the commissioners heard three hours of presentation by Levin, his attorney Aaron Clay, and response from citizens who filled the hearing room, with some standing. Levin made presentations at several other meetings which were widely attended. At the end of the Nov. 20 hearing, the commissioners noted that response to the application has been contentious and the request isn’t a matter to be taken lightly. All three expressed the need to review the Nov. 20 testi-

mony and earlier communication from the Delta County Planning Commission, which voted 6-1 to recommend denial of the application. At the Dec. 4 commissioners’ meeting chairman Doug Atchley asked staff members Kelly Yeager, contract planner, Elyse Casselberry, community and economic development director, and John Baier, county attorney, if they had anything to add regarding the application of Paonia Holdings, LLC. All three said they did not. Baier said public comments were received in the open hearing. It was now time for the BOCC to discuss and decide the issue of Paonia Holdings, LLC. “The application was full of many opinions, an interesting one to go through,” said Roeber. “There were questions in a lot of the testimony we have read and heard, things that concerned me from both sides. “We need business, we need revenue, but we need to consider where the business is placed,” he said. Suppes said, “I have equal concern from both sides. We heard ‘move the business to Delta.’ As a county we can’t have different regulations for different parts of the county. My greatest concern is Farmers Ditch.”

Atchley noted, “In hearing the testimony, we heard evidence for and against the application. The Board of County Commissioners represents the three branches of government. In this instant the BoCC is acting as the judicial review board. To make a land use decision is fully within the BoCC’s realm. “The county planning commission voted to not approve the application. The staff has no further comments. We have had a lot of information pro and con. It’s time to get through this.” Roeber said there would be adverse impact on neighboring property and proposed screening for Farmers Ditch was not adequate. Farmers Ditch provides water to many North Fork Valley properties. He also noted potential impact to views. Suppes agreed that the Farmers Ditch is too important to the North Fork to allow it to be put at risk, although the business model and site plan were sound. Roeber added the uncertainty of the reclamation efforts needs to be nailed down more soundly. Atchley said the Colorado Department of Reclamation, Mining and Safety states the property has not been fully reclaimed. The vote to deny the application was unanimous.

County adopts $34.4 million budget BY ANNETTE BRAND Staff Writer

The Delta County 2018 budget in the amount of $34,427,504 was adopted Monday by county commissioners Doug Atchley, Mark Roeber and Don Suppes. The budget was submitted by county administrator Robbie LeValley, who noted it was prepared by a countywide interdepartmental budget team under the supervision and guidance of the Board of County Commissioners. The

budget team was composed of department heads and county elected officials. Also on Monday, the county attorney refuted complaints about the county budget process filed by the Delta County Citizen Report. In early November, JoAnn Kalenak, president of Delta County Citizen Report, presented the commissioners with 2.5 pages of formal complaint of how the Delta County budget is prepared. There are multiple funds

making up the budget and each fund is a separate and legal fiscal entity. The combination of the various funds creates the total county budget. The Capital Improvements Fund is budgeted at $2,961,603. This amount is disbursed as follows: The General Fund will receive a transfer of $508,498 to cover all capital outlay expenses for departments within the General Fund. Road and Bridge Fund will

Director selected to move Engage Center forward BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

A $680,000 grant to fund start-up operations of the Engage Center has resulted in the hiring of Shawn Gardner as operations director. The old City Market building in downtown Delta is the “hub” of the Engage Center, but its “spokes” will be located across the county. An additional grant is being sought to assist with renovation of the “hub,” but in the meantime, programming at the “spokes” will be rolled out under Gardner’s direction.

INDEX

Accent ........................... A4 Activities ......................A11 Back Page ................... D8 Bruin Tracks ............. B5-8 Church ..........................B12 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries .................. A8-9 School Zone ............... A6-7 Service Directory ........ D7 Sports ..........................C1-8 Surface Creek News .B9-11 TV Listings ................. D5-6

The Engage Innovation Center is intended to provide entrepreneurial support to help launch new businesses in Delta County with a special focus on value-added food manufacturing, energy and ag-related businesses. The Technical College of the Rockies is leading the effort to provide resources and support to entrepreneuers looking to start or grow their businesses. It’s a path familiar to Gardner, who spent 10 years working with a Christian mission in Mozambique. He witnessed the globalization of

Africa, and gradually came to believe in the localization of an economy, especially when it comes to food and energy. While there were some benefits to globalization, the resulting extraction of vital resources left many parts of Africa impoverished. As Gardner studied the situation he was driven to pursue his MBA in international development. He began working with an entrepreneurial chicken farmer who raised 30,000 breeding chickens. Grain and supplies were purchased locally; on the ENGAGE DIRECTOR TO A3

receive $1,447,560 which will cover costs for a road chip and seal program to extend the life of major roadways which have been prioritized on a countywide basis, rightof-way acquisition and engineering costs associated with future road expansion, and capital equipment/facility improvements for Road and Bridge districts. The Capital Projects Fund is funded at $745,545, with $50,000 allocated to the Delta County Library District for capital improvements and $100,000 to cover additional broadband expenses in cooperation with Region 10 and county municipalities. Also, $3,415,000 will be set aside in a reserve account for the anticipated improvement to the courthouse campus, including jail and court facilities. The Capital Projects Fund includes funding of the Delta County Master Plan and Trails Plan, and matching federal and state aviation funds for complete runway construction at Blake Field. Personnel. Health care insurance premiums will increase by 8.5 percent, an additional $63 per month per employee. The county will cover the increase. In 2018 Delta County employees will receive a 2 percent cost of liv-

ing increase. Highway User Tax Fund (HUTF). HUTF revenues are deposited into the County Road and Bridge Fund. In 2018 HUTF revenues will be expended solely for the purpose of reconstructing and maintaining county roads, road rights-of-way, and bridges, and the operation and maintenance of county road district properties. Enterprise Funds. The county has two enterprise funds wherein the costs of goods and services are financed or recovered through user fees. The landfill fund accounts for revenues received to maintain the Adobe Buttes Landfill and the North Fork Transfer station.The E-911 Fund is funded with a surcharge that appears on monthly landlines and cell phone bills and covers the costs associated with providing E-911 services throughout Delta County. 2018 Mill Levy. Property tax revenues for 2018 in the amount of $5,255,343 are estimated on a mill levy of 17.787. The difference between the county’s base mill levy of 18.057, which was established in 1992, and the current mill levy is .27 mils. The .27 mil difference will be reflected as a tax credit on property owners’ 2018 tax bills.

Pearl Harbor remembered

Visit with Santa

Recovered

At 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, members of Lee Marts Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its Auxiliary and American Legion Post 65 Auxiliary and Legion members will remember the 76th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, sailors, marines, and their families will be remembered during this brief ceremony, which will take place at the boat ramp on the bank of the Gunnison River in Confluence Park. All members of the community, especially World War II veterans, are invited to attend this ceremony to commemorate the bombing attack that suddenly plunged the United States into World War II. For details, contact Corky Ware, post commander, at 8723327 or Della Ware, auxiliary president, 312-5758.

Breakfast with Santa is coming to Bill Heddles Recreation Center Saturday, Dec. 9, from 8 to 10:30 a.m. This event is sponsored annually by the Delta Kiwanis and Key Club students. All children eat free; adult meals are $3 each. Santa will be on hand to hear each child’s Christmas list. Bring a camera for pictures and enjoy a breakfast with decorated pancakes, juice and milk. Crafts will also be provided.

On Nov. 22 and 27, the Delta Police Department, with the assistance of Delta County Sheriff’s Office and Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at an Affordable Storage unit at 2170 Southgate Lane. Stolen property from Delta County and Montrose County burglaries were found inside the storage unit. No charges have yet been filed in this ongoing investigation.


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Delta County Independent, Dec. 6, 2017 by Delta County Independent - Issuu