NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
NATURE CONNECTION
HHS grad, snow ranger to guide implementation of $1.7M grant, B1
SPORTS
THE ART OF ORIGAMI “Craniacs” gather weekly to fold colorful paper into birds, C2
DELTA COUNTY
UNBEATEN
Cedaredge girls remain undefeated on basketball court, B6 JANUARY 17, 2018 VOL. 135, NO. 3
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Water sets county employees adrift BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Employees of the Delta County Health Department are gradually moving back into their offices at 255 W. 6th Street in Delta after they were displaced by a torrent of water unleashed by a broken water heater. Sometime during the fourday Thanksgiving weekend, the hot water tank split and water gushed out. “The water just kept pouring and pouring,” said Karen O’Brien, health department director. While there are drains in the utility closet that housed the hot water heater, and in nearby bathrooms, they simply couldn’t keep up with the volume of water. O’Brien said city records show that the health department went through 82,000 gallons of water that weekend — compared to 3,000 gallons over a normal four-day period. “There was literally water coming out the door when
employees arrived at work Monday morning,” O’Brien said. Courthouse maintenance also saw flames coming out of the tank’s heating unit, but fortunately the flames did not spread. Employees grabbed mops, and frantically snatched up files and supplies sitting on the wet floor. It was clear shop vacs would not be enough to remove all the water, so ServPro was contacted. The disaster restoration placed 72 dehumidifiers/fans throughout the building to dry out floors and insulation. The noise was incredible, O’Brien said. A plan was immediately put into place to continue providing services. The two receptionists squeezed into a break room that had remained dry while department employees gathered up their equipment and moved into makeshift work spaces in the main courthouse. Even the county commissioners offered to give up their offices at one point.
“Everybody in the courthouse was so accommodating and supportive,” O’Brien said. “Once we found space, everybody got set up quickly. This disaster did not impact clients from day one.” The main entrance was not usable, but a sign directed them to a door on the west, where the receptionists could direct clients to the appropriate office. Renovation has included replacement of flooring and removal of the lower foot or two of drywall, so the wet insulation could be replaced. Stryker & Company of Montrose is wrapping up the interior remodel, and desks, file cabinets, exam tables and storage cabinets are gradually being moved back into place. Within the next week, O’Brien said she expects all employees to again be under one roof. “It’s definitely been crazy,” she said.
Photo by Pat Sunderland
The employee breakroom in the county courthouse meets the needs of the health department’s family planning unit, with a private bathroom, a sink for washing up, and a small room equipped for exams. Nurse manager Pat Sullivan (pictured) shares the office with Tamara Greninger, and when two clients have appointments at the same time, one has to borrow a second floor meeting room to protect patient confidentiality.
Attendance policy raises expectations BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
A school district policy to reduce absenteeism appears to be achieving the desired results — forming good habits in preschoolers (and their families) and establishing expectations for older students who will soon be joining the work force. The policy, adopted at the beginning of the school year, limits students to nine absences per semester. Whether the absences are excused or unexcused, any student who misses more than nine days a semester is identified as “chronically absent.” The chronically absent students and their parents are required to sit down with school administrators to develop a plan to improve attendance. The policy outlines possible consequences for students with more than nine non-exempt absences per year. According to the policy, “Frequent absences may lead to poor academic work, lack of social development and possible academic failure. Regular attendance is of utmost importance for school interest, social adjustment and scholastic achievement. No single factor may interfere with a student’s progress more quickly than frequent tardiness or absence.” The policy also outlines intermediary steps to be taken after four and six unexcused absences. Cedaredge Elementary School principal Dan Renfrow said there have been some growing pains, as school administrators get the word out to students and their parents. Not all parents attend accountability meetings or
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back-to-school nights, so procedures are slowly becoming practice. “Our view is that this policy will establish lifelong habits of punctuality, of being in the right place ready to go and to contribute,” Renfrow said. While some parents react negatively to phone calls or letters from the school, Renfrow and other school administrators try to focus on building relationships. “It’s not us vs. them,” Renfrow said. “We’re a team.” Paonia Junior-Senior High School principal Randall Palmer notes there are varying reasons for absences, ranging from serious illness to family trauma to transportation. “What we’ve encountered is that each of these students is unique and requires a unique answer in order to keep them in school and engaged,” he told school board members in a board-principal exchange in late November. Delta High School principal Derek Carlson noted attendance is no longer centered around excused or unexcused; it’s centered around attendance. “At the high school level, it’s a young adult conversation about managing attendance. A big reason it’s been successful for us, is because it’s forced kids to be more adult-like. Everybody gets days off; just know that when you get back from vacation with your parents, you can’t also take a day to go shopping at the mall.” Expectations for students mirror those for school district employees, who also get nine employee days for sick leave, personal leave, whatever. “Why wouldn’t we teach kids that lesson?” Carlson
said. “This policy gives us the ability to hold them accountable.” DHS senior Kaleigh Nethington says she’s definitely seen more of the kids who last year continually “ditched.” “I also see a lot more kids not showing up late, which is really good because then it doesn’t disrupt our learning when they come in late.”
Teachers are more consistent about taking attendance every class period, she said, tallying up both absences and tardies. Four tardies equal one absence, she added. On the other hand, Taylor Bess said the attendance policy is frustrating. In the first semester the DHS senior went on vacation with her parents, then attended a
funeral, which put her in danger of losing class credit if she missed any more school days. “It’s frustrating because even if I’m doing really well in my classes, I could still potentially lose credit. “I think for a lot of other kids, it’s a good incentive to keep them coming to school. It just doesn’t work for everyone.”
Ambulance tax increase funds raises, equipment replacement BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
In November, voters approved a mill levy increase for Delta County Ambulance District that more than doubled property tax revenues for the special district. The 2018 budget jumped from $537,000 to $1.1 million, and has given the board of directors the flexibility to restore funding for personnel, equipment and maintenance, and to begin rebuilding reserve funds that were depleted during the lean years. One of the top priorities was increasing compensation for DCAD’s highly trained and dedicated providers. DCAD manager Kirby Clock said every employee received a raise of 7.5 percent, to make up for a lack of pay increases over the past three or four years. In addition, paramedics and EMTs will receive pay increases based on responsibilities and capabilities. For example, DCAD plans to offer a class that will bring most paramedics up to critical care certification. In addition, some organizational changes will be made at the administrative level
that could lead to increased responsibilities. Clock explains that at one point, the ambulance district had a manager, an assistant manager and several captains. “The budget got so tight, those folks were never replaced when they left,” Clock said. Now the ambulance district has just a manager — Clock. To ensure continuity and provide advancement opportunities for employees, the board is looking at a new administrative structure. Clock said a committee is being formed, comprised primarily of employees, to determine how the new administrative structure will look. By increasing critical care capabilities for DCAD’s paramedics, fewer patients will require air transport to larger medical facilities. Some patients are flown to Grand Junction because of the time factor; some people fly because of the care factor, Clock observed. “If we can provide the same level of care, it’s much less expensive to be transported by ambulance than by helicopter or fixed wing,” Clock said. “It’s our goal to be able
House arrest for driver who hit school bus Samuel Rascon, the driver who rear-ended a school bus in North Delta last March, was in Delta County Court on Wednesday, Jan. 10. While the school bus driver and students escaped serious injury, Rascon is in a wheelchair. His Jan. 10 appearance to enter a plea was the first he’s made in person. Previously, the judge allowed him to communicate with the court by phone because of his injuries. Fifteen Delta students were seen by medical staff at Delta County Memorial Hospital following the accident. All were treated for various minor injuries and released.
Represented by the public defender, Rascon pleaded guilty to an amended charge of careless driving (no injuries) and driving under revocation as a habitual traffic offender. The plea bargain stipulates 60 days of house arrest, due to Rascon’s ongoing medical issues. He will also pay court costs and restitution. Rascon, 49, is a resident of New Mexico. Sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 14 to allow the court time to determine if electronic monitoring is available for the house arrest. Judge Jin Ho Pack has allowed Rascon to appear by phone for sentencing.
to provide that service.” About two-thirds of the increased revenue will be allocated for salaries and benefits; the remaining portion will help bring other budgeted items up to what Clock describes as “pre-cut” levels. A new ambulance and a new heart monitor are both included in the 2018 budget, contingent upon DCAD securing grants to cover half the cost of both. A new ambulance runs $240,000; a heart monitor is $38,000. A leading candidate for replacement is a 2003 ambulance with 350,000 miles that’s used for interfacility transfers. It has, by far, the highest miles in DCAD’s fleet, but has been extremely reliable, Clock said, so the ambulance district might also be looking at other models. “We have high mileage on quite a few ambulances, so that might force our hand,” he said. Ideally, DCAD will be able to replace an ambulance every other year. Catching up with payroll costs is another priority for the ambulance district. DCAD’s payroll is handled AMBULANCE TO A3
Nominations sought The Delta Area Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for Business of the Year, Nonprofit of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and — new this year, Educator of the Year. Nominees will be recognized at the chamber’s annual banquet Friday, Feb. 9, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. For a nomination form, visit the chamber website at deltacolorado.org.