Delta County Independent, June 27, 2018

Page 1

NORTH FORK TIMES

SURFACE CREEK NEWS

FABULOUS FOURTH Paonia celebrates 72 years of Cherry Days fun, B1-7

SPORTS

WATER WISELY

HITTING HER STRIDE

‘Financial incentives’ encourage water conservation, C1

DHS grad competes against pro runners in national finals, B8

DELTA COUNTY

JUNE 27, 2018 VOL. 135, NO. 26

75¢

INDEPENDENT

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Visitation at Fort Uncompahgre soars BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Visitation at Fort Uncompahgre has quadrupled since the U.S. Forest Service information office was moved there earlier this summer. The opening of the fort’s expanded visitor center was celebrated Saturday, June 23, with dignitaries from the city, county and Interpretive Association of Western Colorado, which operates the city-owned fort. Chris Miller, IAWC executive director, said IAWC is in the fourth of a five-year agreement intended to add value to an existing asset. The fort, a replica of the trading post established by Antoine Robidoux, was erected 29 years ago. During the first three years under IAWC, the fort was operated entirely by volunteers. This year, the fort gained an employee when the USFS information center was moved out of the forest headquarters on the south end of Delta, due to extensive remodeling. IAWC has always been committed to maintaining the

living history museum, but Miller said that wasn’t enough to pay the bills. One day she realized how many travelers were stopping at the free RV dump station just west of the fort, and she decided to create an information hub for all of the surrounding public lands, including the three national conservation areas on BLM land. There’s always been great access to the fort, and visibility increased with the completion of the alternate truck route. Miller has relentlessly pursued additional signage to direct visitors to the fort. A partnership with the Nature Connection further enhances the value of the fort. Some programming is already taking place with the goal of getting more kids outdoors in their own backyard. Soon, the fort will be the site of a gear hub with fishing and camping gear for local youth to check out. Five tipis will be set up among the cottonwood trees, creating another opportunity for outdoor education. FORT TO A3

Photo by Pat Sunderland

Cool down

Jerome, a bicyclist from Castle Rock, stretches in the shade of Confluence Park following a 87-mile ride from Carbondale. The Bicycle Tour of Colorado took several hundred cyclists up and over McClure Pass Monday. Their arrival in Delta was marked by temperatures in the upper 90s. Jerome said his first stop was Safeway, to cool down in the air conditioned store. After camping out in the park and in the gym at Bill Heddles Recreation Center, the riders were back in the saddle for another day of climbing, this time to the top of Grand Mesa and on to Palisade for an overnight stop. They’ll enjoy a day off in Glenwood Springs after a 75-mile ride on Wednesday. The ride ends in Leadville.

New museum curator honors tradition BY KAYLEE DUNHAM Contributing Writer

Laurie Elendu has been named the curator of the Delta Museum. She replaces longtime museum director Jim Wetzel, who continues to serve the Delta County Historical Society as a board member and volunteer. From the time she was born until the sixth grade, Laurie Elendu grew up in Delta. She moved to Durango with her family until the eighth grade,

when her family moved once again, this time to Holyoke. Laurie finished out her high school years in Holyoke. She began pursuing a degree in engineering from Fort Lewis College, however, but she decided engineering was not for her and she transferred to Colorado State University, where she studied studio arts. Laurie transferred to Michigan State University where she minored in history of art, student taught, and

School district office to move in early July BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Classrooms may be quiet during the summer months, but business is humming at the administrative offices of Delta County Joint School District #50. The district office is poised to move into its new downtown Delta location, staff vacancies are being filled and summer maintenance projects are proceeding at full throttle. Two principal positions in Hotchkiss have been filled. Marty Rover, former assistant principal at Delta Middle School, is taking the leadership role at Hotchkiss High School. Bryan Hollembeak is moving back to Delta County to serve as principal of Hotchkiss K-8. Barring last-minute resignations, personnel director Jim Farmer said all teaching positions have been filled for the 2018-19 school year. Remodel of the Bank of

INDEX

Accent ........................... A4 Activities ......................A11 Back Page ................... D6 Business .......................A12 Church ............................C6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-7 Obituaries ....................A10 School Zone .................. A7 Service Directory ........ D5 Sports .............................B8 Surface Creek News ...C1-5 TV Listings ..................C3-4

Colorado building at 145 W. 4th Street is nearly complete. School administrators anticipate closing the district office in Read July 4, 5 and 6 to move telephone and internet connections. Staff will make the move Monday, July 9. A school board retreat on July 16 and the monthly school board meeting on July 19 are both scheduled at the new location. The major construction project at Delta Middle School is in the demolition phase, highlighted by asbestos abatement in the sixth grade wing, removal of a number of large cottonwood trees from the construction site, and digging up the damaged asphalt pull-through in front of the Delta Family Center. The second story of the Delta Family Center is being renovated to accommodate sixth grade classes during the 2018-19 school year.

earned a master’s degree in art history, integrative studies and interior design for historic preservation. One of her hobbies is sculpting. She is very passionate about art, stories and volunteering. She believes it’s critical that she engages herself in the community. As the new curator for the Delta Museum, Elendu wants to bring more visitors into the museum by providing value. She says that sometimes when a story is told people do not listen because they are not a part of it. “People want to see them-

selves in the story,” she said. “When people see themselves in the story they are going to come. In a story, you must reflect what is inherently valuable to the people who live here.” Her long history of working with and for museums makes her knowledgeable about what will draw people to exhibits. When she was young Laurie and her family traveled. They visited museums and old cemeteries, finding tombstones that were “works of art.” As a little girl, Laurie wondered about the person buried there and what kinds of stories they had. This helped to start her fascination with history. Later, her fascination grew when her grandfather, the first Sioux Indian to serve in the House of Representatives,

took Laurie and her two sisters to live with him in Washington, D.C., for a month. History came alive. But, Elendu got her real introduction into preserving history when she worked in the archives as a student and later worked with Dr. Julie Avery, assistant curator of history at Michigan State University. One of her first projects was putting together four large panels for the state fair. Cohesively, the panels were meant to tell the history of the fair. Marsha McDowell, curator of folk art at Michigan State University, came to Laurie after hearing of her success with the state fair exhibit. McDowell knew about MUSEUM CURATOR TO A10

Pedestrians struck by suspected drunk driver STAFF REPORT

Photo submitted

Laurie Elendu brings extensive experience to the Delta Museum.

A family of five walking eastbound on E. 5th Street was struck from behind by a 26-year-old Delta resident suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. The Delta Police Department responded to the accident in the area of E. 5th and B Street Friday, June 22, at about 6:45 p.m. An adult male and his 2year-old son were transported to Delta County Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The adult male was later transferred to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction.

The DPD reports that the family was walking eastbound on E. 5th Street when Ramiro Ortega-Pena came around the corner and struck two of them from behind. Ortega-Pena who initially left the scene, was arrested and booked into the Delta County Jail on charges of vehicular assault, driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to remain at the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, driving a motor vehicle while license cancelled/denied and reckless endangerment. The case is still under investigation by the Delta Police Department.

Fireworks show is a go

DeltaFest

Primary election

The Delta Volunteer Fire Department will present its annual 4th of July fireworks display at Confluence Lake. The show — the only public fireworks display in Delta County — begins as soon as the sky is dark. The fireworks show is funded entirely by donations, so please be generous when firefighters pass the boot the night of the show. Firefighters will also be collecting donations at Ace Hardware this Saturday, June 30. Donations are also accepted at deltafire.org/donate or by mail at 285 E. 5th St., Delta, CO 81416. The City of Delta reminds citizens that the use, sale, exchange or trade of fireworks in city limits is prohibited at this time. The use of fireworks is also prohibited in unincorporated areas of Delta County.

Several blocks of Main Street will be closed this Thursday for the first Downtown DeltaFest sponsored by the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce this summer. The streets will be lined with vendors, live music and kids’ activities from 5:30 p.m. until dusk Thursday, June 28. The second and final Downtown DeltaFest is scheduled Thursday, Aug. 30. For more information, call 874-8616.

On Tuesday, the final day to vote in Colorado’s primary election, the secretary of state reports that 3,161 Republican and 1,272 Democratic ballots had been returned in Delta County. This year, with the passage of Proposition 108 in 2016, active unaffiliated voters received ballots for both the Democratic and Republican parties in the mail. Just 19 ballots were rejected because the voter returned more than one ballot. Unaffiliated voters had returned 576 Republican ballots and 341 Democrat ballots, as of early Tuesday. See www.deltacountyindependent. com or the DCI’s Facebook page for results.


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Delta County Independent, June 27, 2018 by Delta County Independent - Issuu