Delta County Independent, March 13, 2019 by Delta County Independent

NORTH FORK TIMES

SURFACE CREEK NEWS

CONSERVATION URGED Boil order lifted, water is flowing to all taps in Paonia, B1

SPORTS

SIGNS OF SPRING

SEASON ENDS TOO SOON

Sandhill cranes expected to return to Fruitgrowers March 15-17, C1

Delta Panthers: More than one and done for boys, girls, B5

DELTA COUNTY

MARCH 13, 2019 VOL. 136, NO. 11

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INDEPENDENT

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Search continues for escaped inmate BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Soggy morning

Photo by Pat Sunderland

Wet weather is expected to give way to warming temperatures as a storm front moves through Colorado this week. But winter won’t be leaving quietly — high winds and heavy snow are forecast for the I-70 corridor and points east through Wednesday and Thursday. Due to avalanche mitigation, travel on I-70 has resulted in unanticipated delays for many motorists traveling to and from the Denver area.

The search continues for an inmate who escaped from the Delta Correctional Facility on Saturday, March 9. He was found missing during the 10 p.m. count. The escapee is Adam Loehr, described as a 44-yearold white male, 5’7” tall and weighing 134 pounds, with green eyes, blond hair and a slight beard. He was wearing olive green clothing and black boots. The Colorado Department of Corrections, the lead agency on the search, has received reports of possible sightings in the Grand Junction area. Delta County Sheriff Mark Taylor said his office is not involved in looking for the escapee, but he does advise residents to keep their homes and cars locked. A CodeRed notification was issued to area residents, advising them to call 911 immediately if they

spot Loehr. Do not approach or try to apprehend, the Colorado Department of Corrections advises. Loehr was convicted on charges of attempting to influence a public officer, criminal impersonation, substance abuse and menacing — all out of El Paso County.

Adam Loehr

Commissioners consider sanctuary declaration

Sheriff, Soper object to ‘Red Flag’ bill BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Delta County Sheriff Mark Taylor last week sent a letter to Colorado Senator Kerry

Donovan, making clear his opposition to HB19-1177 as it moves from the House to the Senate in the Colorado State Legislature.

Additionally, he shared his concerns with the county commissioners and constituents during a work session on Tuesday, March 12. At

Council to consider lifting medical marijuana moratorium BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

The Delta City Council will consider lifting the moratorium on medical marijuana establishments at its March 19 meeting. In November, city voters approved the establishment of retail medical marijuana centers, cultivation facilities, testing facilities, and other types of businesses related to manufacture and development of medical marijuanainfused products. City council then established a moratorium on those businesses while it addressed zoning and licensing requirements. At the council’s March 5 meeting, Delta city manager David Torgler provided an update. He said the licensing regulations adopted by city council take effect 30 days after publication in the Delta County Independent, or on March 15. That means council can consider lifting the moratorium at its March 19 meeting. The 30-day period after final publication provides an opportunity for citizens to petition the council to reconsider. While an individual did express interest in circulating a petition, she was seeking to

INDEX

Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A7 Agriculture ................... C6 Back Page ................... D6 Business ........................ A8 Church ........................... D4 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D2-3 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ..................... A6 School Zone ............... A5-6 Sports ..........................B5-6 Surface Creek News ...C1-5 TV Listings ..................C3-4

overturn voter approval, not council action to implement licensing regulations, Torgler advised council. “We haven’t heard back and no petition has been presented,” Torgler said. In the meantime, city staff has been preparing an application for the multiple classes of medical marijuana establishments. If the moratorium is lifted on March 19, the city clerk will publish a public notice to that effect, online and in the DCI. The first available date of publication in the DCI is March 27. After posting, applicants have five days in which to turn in completed applications. The applications will be reviewed by city clerk Jolene Nelson and, if needed, applicants will have one opportunity to rectify any problems. The city has placed a cap of two on each type of medical marijuana establishment. After determining which applications are complete, the city clerk will randomly select the number of completed applications equal to the number of licenses available for further processing. City council will consider the application after a public hearing to be conducted no

earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days after the submission of the completed application. Depending on zoning regulations, which vary with the type of medical marijuana establishment, a public hearing may also be required by the planning commission.

that meeting, which occurred after the DCI’s weekly deadline, the commissioners were expected to discuss the possibility of declaring Delta County a sanctuary county, exempt from the proposal should it become law. Several other counties in Colorado have already taken that step to protect the Second Amendment rights of their citizens. Prior to the work session, Rep. Matt Soper (HD54) wrote a letter voicing “forceful support” for sanctuary status in Delta County. He said the bill, as proposed by “extreme, outof-control politicians,” violates the constitutional rights of the state’s citizens and erodes due process of law.

Sheriff Taylor says he shares Soper’s concerns. When he first saw the proposed legislation, known as the “Red Flag” bill, the sheriff said he believed it could help law enforcement officers save lives by removing firearms from people who pose an immediate threat to our community. “However, after further research, I believe this bill is overreaching without any checks and balances that would keep it from being abused by not only citizens but law enforcement as well,” he wrote to Senator Donovan. “My second thought was this is just another attempt for RED FLAG BILL TO A3

Commissioners move forward on Gunnison Energy seismic operations BY ANNETTE BRAND Staff Writer

Delta County Commissioners Don Suppes, Mark Roeber and Mike Lane held a special regular meeting Monday, March 11, to hear applications from Gunnison Energy, LLC to conduct seismic operations in two areas in northeast Delta County. Elyse Casselberry, county community and economic development director, went through the details of the two projects with the commissioners and others present. The Trail Gulch 3D project will cover approximately 3.55 square miles across public and private lands in Delta County and approximately 26.75 square miles in Gunnison County. Approximately

0.21 square miles is located on private land in Delta County. The Iron Point 3D project will cover approximately 38 square miles across public and private lands in Delta County and approximately 13 square miles in Gunnison County. Approximately 10.14 square miles is located on private land in Delta County. The county’s Specific Development Regulations allow any activity that is temporary in nature to proceed administratively. Both Iron Point 3D and Trail Gulch 3D are temporary in nature. Commission chair Suppes invited comments from the public. Natasha Leger said the maps submitted by Gunnison Energy are inadequate and don’t show

Traveling Vietnam Wall is coming to Delta

In June, the largest of the Vietnam travelling walls is scheduled to be on display in Delta, compliments of the local veterans organizations, Elks, and local businesses. Members of Lee Marts Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3571, Harry A. White American Legion Post 65 and their auxiliaries are working with the Elks regional veterans coordinator, the City of Delta, and local businesses to “make it happen.” “The Wall” will be set up and ready for visitors on June 6, the 75th anniversary of Operation Overlord, the D-day invasion of Normandy by the United States and her allies. The wall will be open to the public until Sunday, June 9. The main fundraiser to bring the wall to Delta will be a pig roast to be held at the Delta Elks Lodge from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 29. For only $8 per person, or $25 for a family of four, enjoy a supper of pulled pork, coleslaw, beans and a roll. A whole hog, donated by Taylor Livestock Producers, will be cooked by local veteran Swede Carlson on site. For additional information, contact Mat Gallegos, the chair of the wall committee, at 589-6909, or Sandy Baker at 314-0964. Tickets are available from members of the veterans organizations and their auxiliaries.

what lands will be avoided. She would like to see regulated gaps for protection of ground water. Leger is concerned that metal in undetonated explosives will affect ground water. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission does not authorize the use of metal in water wells. No consideration of the impact on ground water is addressed in the applications. Ross Allen, a rancher, said he is affected by the Iron Point application. “I have dealt with Gunnison Energy; it is a good company. They are more than considerate of the impact on the property they are working on. I speak in favor of this project.” Allen said seismic operation is a reasonable method GUNNISON ENERGY TO A3

Land use update continues

Delta County is hosting the second of a series of community land use forums Wednesday, March 13, 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Mesa Arts Center in Cedaredge. This forum provides an opportunity to ask questions and learn about how land use works in other communities. What are Montrose and Mesa counties experiencing today as more people begin moving into those communities, and how do they approach the same issues that we face in Delta County? A podcast that covers the county’s land use regulation process, including topics covered in the first forum, can be found on most podcast platforms. Simply search “Delta County” on your favorite platform.

A2 Wednesday, March 13, 2019

OPINION

LETTERS Gunnison Energy’s plans raise alarms Dear Editor: The alarming article in the March 3, Grand Junction Sentinel, “Revised Gunnison [Energy] plan uses vast amount of water,” should be a wakeup call to all who have watched Paonia and the surrounding area grow in the wake of closing down coal mining in the area. Paonia residents have seen the interest in farming and careful use of water and natural resources contribute to tourism and a growing economy. Number one alarm is the increased use of truck traffic on Highway 133 — a narrow two-lane highway with many curves, many stretches that have

no shoulder but have steep embankments, plus a large population of deer. Forty-two round trips a day to haul water and 47 round trips a day to haul sand will put a tremendous strain on this highway and on the people who use it daily to get to work and go about their daily lives. The number of fatal highway accidents in Delta County has gone down since 2013 when the mines closed. Number two alarm is “the total water requirement for each well would rise to more than 522,000 barrels, when accounting for other purposes including drilling the well and dust abatement.” Those who are familiar with the

Frequent fliers should thank oil/gas Dear Editor: Every time I attend a rally against fracking and/or climate change, I am astounded by the number of people at these events who are talking either about a trip they just got back from, or one they are planning on making in the near future. They seem not to realize that jet exhaust, plus the millions of acres of land paved over for runways and airport traffic, have anything to do with climate change. However, in a recent article in the

Denver Post, the head of Greenpeace of Norway was quoted as saying that the growth of aviation in Norway, and worldwide, is one of the biggest drivers of climate change, “out of control.” If people are frequent fliers, it makes sense for them to forget worrying about climate change and instead thank the gas and oil industry for providing the petroleum products necessary for their many trips. Shari Dangremond Paonia

current water situation in Paonia, where residents need to go to town hall to get the five-gallon bucket of water to flush their toilets, must be wondering where this tremendous amount of water is coming from. Number three alarm — TOURISM — all that has been done to promote tourism in Delta County will go down the drain along with our fracked water. Who wants to drive scenic Highway 133 when water and sand trucks obstruct the view. Paonia obtained Colorado support for our creative district, but how creative is being in a traffic jam? Number four alarm is the larger question. What is the consequence of fracking to our underground water system? What happens to our infrastructure when earthquakes are caused by the fracking? I have read that this would employ an estimated 122 workers. Does anyone really believe any of these people will be from Delta County. Our elected county officials are enabling Gunnison County to go forward on a project that based on my knowledge from other similar projects that have gone forward in the chase of greed could totally compromise our water supply. Margaret Engel Paonia

Delta Panther sets the record straight Dear Editor: First and above all, congratulations to both the Delta High School boys and girls basketball teams on earning berths in the state tournament. By the time this makes it to the public we will hopefully have two state championship teams to celebrate. Now down to less

pleasant, but necessary business. The first paragraph of the story about the boys earning a trip to state contains a couple of inaccuracies. The first is that the last trip to a state basketball tournament for the boys was in the late 1970s. My 11 teammates who played with me in the 1984 state tournament (several of whom still also

Proud to be a Panther Dear Editor: To be a Delta High School Panther has always been something to be proud of, but recent accomplishments of the sports teams make it even more pronounced. The football program has been doing so amazing in the last few years, and now both basketball programs add to the excitement. I am sure the community and alumni have enjoyed watching and reading about the recent success. I wanted to recognize the coaching staffs and their families for all the hard work and dedication that goes into this recent success. It takes special people and a good program to produce what we get to watch on the field or on the hardwood. It is a source of tre-

mendous pride for all of us ex-players to see the programs achieve such high goals and accomplishments. I can only speak for myself, but watching the basketball teams cut down the nets for the first time in school history made me feel like I was doing it right there with them. I looked around the gym and saw many familiar faces that had to be feeling the same abundant pride that I felt. To be a Panther, whether an athlete or not, is a big responsibility. We should all hold our heads a little higher and be proud of where we come from, because it is the star of the golden west. GO BIG GREEN. Ryan Crick Delta

live in the Delta area) and I would respectfully disagree. It was my junior year at DHS. At that time every team was guaranteed three games in the tournament. We lost to Florence, beat Centauri, and lost to Fountain/Fort Carson to place sixth. All of our games were played at the old Auditorium Arena in downtown Denver, which was torn down a few years later to make way for the Colorado Convention Center. The second inaccuracy is that no DHS teams have made it to the Elite 8 since the 1940s. If I am not mistaken, both the 1978 and 1979 DHS boys teams played in the Elite 8, although at that time it was simply referred to as the state tournament. And again, my team in 1984 played in the Elite 8 — this I know for a fact because I was there. Not exactly of earth-shaking importance, I suppose, but I just wanted to set the record straight. One final note, a little family history. My brother Gregg played on the 1978 and 1979 teams. I played on the 1984 team. His daughter and my niece, Erika, plays on the 2019 girls team. Go Erika and GO BIG GREEN! David Kuta Delta

Delta is a community of winners Dear Editor: To be part of a winning team is something I have always wanted, and this last week, Delta High School got to celebrate having two: both the boys’ and girls’ bas-

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ketball teams advanced to the state tournament. It is an achievement worthy of pride for sure. But the winning team that I would like to celebrate as I write today is not the group I was blessed enough to coach. The team I want to thank is this community: the parents who have raised such wonderful young men, the student body and people from all over who packed our gym for the regional championship games, the band who played their hearts out, the student section who have never been more rowdy or important for our home contests, the administration who supported us, the volunteer fire department who escorted us out of town, Mrs. Magner from LES and Mr. Mock from

GMES and all the elementary kids who made us signs and sent us off, the businesses who generously donated, supported and supplied us along the way, a bus driver who could navigate through any avalanche or downtown traffic jam, and all the others I have surely forgotten to mention here. You all are the team I am grateful for. Winning basketball games — or any game for that matter — is easy when you are surrounded by such fantastic winners in this community. Thank you to everyone who came out and watched, screamed, donated or pulled for the Delta Panthers basketball teams this year. It was a bunch of fun. GO BIG GREEN. Rob Ames Delta

Delta County Independent

The doors remain open to all at Cedaredge Methodist Dear Editor: For almost 20 years, we have had a sign in our sanctuary at Community United Methodist Church in Cedaredge that says, “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” This is an expression of our commitment to welcome all people. The recent national media coverage of the 2019 United Methodist General Conference reports that the global United Methodist Church has chosen to close itself to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) people. The General Conference passed legislation

that would restrict full involvement by LGBTQ people in the United Methodist Church. In late April, this excluding legislation will be considered by the Judicial Council of the denomination, which will decide if it is constitutional or not under the denomination’s constitution. We totally disagree with the action of the United Methodist General Conference, and we hope and pray it will be found unconstitutional. Whatever is officially decided, we agree with Bev Gardner, the chairperson of our local church’s Administrative

‘Qualifying tag’ should be dropped Dear Editor: My thanks goes to Rick Bohl for his letter concerning the requirement to purchase a “qualifying tag” before Colorado Parks and Wildlife will process our special draw applications. I’m 80 years old and my wife is 76 and we both look forward to the fall when we can go to our camp and hope to harvest an elk or deer, if we are lucky enough to draw a tag. Neither of us hunt tur-

key or small game so for Colorado Parks and Wildlife to require us to purchase this additional tag is insane. As seniors on fixed incomes we would like Colorado Parks and Wildlife to reconsider these requirements before the next hunting season. The outcome may determine whether we hunt or buy our meat at the supermarket. Don Schmidt Hotchkiss

Council who says: “We are an open congregation. We always have been and always will be. We welcome everyone. No General Conference will ever be able to close our hearts, minds or doors.” For the harm done to LGBTQ people of our congregation, our community, our county, our country and our world, and their families, friends and allies, we offer our apologies for the action of our General Conference. We believe all people are created in the image of God, and we welcome all people to fully participate in the life of our congregation. The benediction we say every Sunday comes from the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. It says, “Do no harm, do good and stay in love with God.” We try to do all three of these. In the name of Jesus the Christ, the person for others, Beverly Gardner Chairperson Administrative Council Steve Countryman Lay Leader Marlene Paison Lay Leader Al Stohler Lay Leader Joe Agne, Pastor

Law enforcement blotter From the Delta Police Delta was arrested and jailed Department (edited for for alleged unlawful possession of a Schedule 2 conlength): trolled substance. Jesse Allen McAfee, 36, March 1: Officers responded to Sal- of Delta was arrested and vation Army (parking lot) on a jailed on a warrant with a report of two people causing $300 bond. Jesse Allan McAfee, 36, of a verbal disturbance. Emalyn Kathryn Murphy, 28, of Delta was arrested and jailed Montrose was arrested and for alleged unlawful possesjailed on two warrants with a sion of a Schedule 2 controlled substance. total of $25,600 in bonds. Officers responded March 5: Officers responded to an to Maverik on a report of a disturbance. Tyler Antho- alarm at Uptown Wines, 436 ny Saenz, 37, of Delta was Main Street. They found a arrested and jailed for alleged cracked store front window. Lea Marie Trickel, 29, of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and unlawful posses- Delta was issued a ticket for sion of a Schedule 2 con- alleged false reporting to authorities. trolled substance. Emalyn Kathryn Murphy, March 6: Officers responded to the 28, of Montrose was arrested and jailed for alleged crimi- 900 block of Vine Street on nal impersonation after she a report of a house fire. The allegedly provided false infor- residence was evacuated. mation to officers during a No injuries were reported or observed. report of a disturbance. Code enforcement March 2: Brandi Rae Pascoe, 31, of responded to the area of W. Delta was arrested and jailed 4th Street and Palmer Street on a warrant with a $500 on a report of dog running loose. Francisco Abeyta, 35, bond. Officers responded to a of Delta was issued a ticket residence in the 700 block of for alleged running at large Dutton Street on a report of a prohibited. March 7: window being “shot” out. A theft was reported from Ernesto Marcus Maldonado, 23, of Montrose was a residence in the 1200 block arrested and jailed on a war- of Howard. An officer conducted rant with a $1,500 bond. Joselyn Jo Kop, 30, of a traffic stop on a vehicle Montrose was arrested and for expired license plates. jailed on four warrants with a Adam J Tucker, 35, of Craig was arrested and jailed for total of $11,500 in bonds. Officers responded to a alleged drove motor vehicle disturbance in the 1300 block with expired plate, uninsured of Maple Way. Jesus Octa- motor vehicle, driving while vio Morales, 43, of Delta license expired one year or was arrested and jailed for less, violation of restricted alleged harassment as an act license – interlock device, obstruction of vision, possesof domestic violence. sion of drug paraphernalia March 3: Officers placed 72-hour and two counts of unlawful notice to remove tags on possession of a Schedule 2 numerous vehicles parked on controlled substance. March 8: city streets. Code enforcement Officers and K9 Raico responded to a vacant resi- responded to the 600 block dence in the 1000 block of of Dodge Street on a report E. 3rd Street for a possible of a dog running loose. Frantrespass. Two adult women cisco Abeyta, 35, of Delta was were located and advised not issued a ticket for alleged running at large, rabies vacto return to the property. cination required, city animal March 4: An officer responded to license required and dog creColorado Lime Company, ating a nuisance. Code enforcement 1468 Highway 50, for a tresresponded to the 700 block pass. Bank of the West reported of Dodge on a report of a dog receipt of a counterfeit $20 running loose. Guadalupe Marie Verdeja Perez, 45, of bill. An officer responded to Delta was issued a ticket for Delta High School on a report alleged running at large (secof two juvenile females in a ond offense), rabies vaccination required and city animal physical altercation. Officers responded to Lin- license required. coln Elementary School on a March 9: An officer responded to report of ATVs driving on the grass area of the playground. Western Convenience, 1502 Marc Gonzalez, 19, of Delta S. Main Street, to assist Colowas issued a ticket for alleged rado State Patrol with a DUI investigation. careless driving. Criminal mischief was An officer responded to CB’s Tavern on a report of reported at a residence in the 2100 block of Pioneer Road. suspicious activity. A hit-and-run accident An officer took a report of possible credit card “skim- was reported at Main and 5th Street. No injuries were ming.” Christian Ivan Valle Bur- reported. A 16-year-old male gos, 35, of Montrose was driver of Montrose was issued arrested and jailed on a war- a ticket for alleged following too closely, duty to report an rant with a $300 bond. Officers responded to the accident with damages and area of E. 10th Street and duty to remain on the scene Bluff Street on a report of of an accident. Both vehicles a possible trespass. Chris- were driven from the scene. Officers responded to a tian Ivan Valle Burgos, 35, of Montrose was arrested and residence in the 1500 block jailed for alleged possession of I Road on a report of an of a Schedule 2 controlled adult male having a medical emergency. Alan Scott substance. Officers responded to a Hawk Jr., 35, of Cedaredge residence in the 1100 block was arrested and jailed for of Palmer Street on a report alleged unlawful possession of a disturbance. Pamela of a Schedule 2 controlled Jean Sanchez, 57, of Delta substance. Elise Francis Johnson, 33, was arrested and jailed for alleged violation of a restrain- of Delta was arrested and jailed on a warrant with a ing order. Officers responded to a $10,000 bond. Christopher James Romo, disturbance in Columbine Circle. Shirley Ann Reed, 51, of 30, of Grand Junction was

arrested and jailed on a warrant with a $250 bond. Reminder: The charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. From the Delta County Sheriff’s Office (partial list): March 6: Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance on Stingley Gulch Road near Hotchkiss. Charles Ware was arrested and charged with harassment, domestic violence, obstruction of telephone service, child abuse, assault in the second degree, and two counts of felony menacing, one for allegedly holding a gun to the victim’s head and the second for allegedly threatening her with a knife. A disturbance was reported at a residence on Vista Grande Drive, Austin. A domestic violence incident involving a man with a knife reportedly occurred at a residence on Highway 92 in Crawford. As deputies approached the residence, the suspect reportedly ran from the scene, past North Fork Montessori@Crawford School, and up C Hill behind the school. Deputies pursued the suspect until they lost sight of him. During the pursuit, a CodeRed notification went out to the school and to area residents, advising them to shelter in place. The next day, the suspect, Dustin Key, 41, was spotted walking down Crawford Road. He was picked up by deputies and transported to Delta County Memorial Hospital where he was treated for exposure. Charges are pending. March 7: Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at an address on Highway 65 in Orchard City. Dante Slim was charged with third degree assault and domestic violence. A burglary was reported at a residence on Highway 92 near Hotchkiss. A motor home was broken into, but nothing appeared to be missing. An air compressor and sawzall were reported stolen from a garage on the same address. March 8: Deputies conducted a welfare check on a Cedaredge area male who was making suicidal statements. Deputies assisted the Hotchkiss Marshal’s Office with a possible restraining order violation. Deputies conducted a welfare check on a juvenile in the Hotchkiss area. The juvenile was found to be in good health. March 9: Deputies assisted the Colorado State Patrol with a single vehicle accident near the intersection of I Street and Highway 92 in Crawford. At about 11:20 p.m., the sheriff’s office received a missing persons report for individuals who had gone for an outing in either Escalante or Dominguez Canyon. The missing persons were found to be in good health by the Mesa County Search and Rescue team. March 10: Deputies responded to an address on F Road, Delta, on a report of a protection order violation and welfare check. Elliot Hanson was charged with two counts of violating a protection order after he reportedly sent text messages to the protected person. Deputies received a report of possible gunfire at an address on Pumpkin Hollow Road near Paonia.

LOCAL NEWS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Gunnison Energy FROM PAGE A1 to understand what is underground, that this is the future for oil and gas. Charlie Raley said he is from Grand Junction but owns property, with a water well, building and improvements in the Iron Point area that need to be protected. Lisa Nierman, a farmer in the North Fork Valley, said that Gunnison Energy, its CEO, shareholders and operators are not from here, not from Colorado, and don’t contribute to our economy. She said people not from around here come in and exploit our resources, their industry removes millions of gallons of our water, and they leave us with a mess to clean up. She urged the county commissioners to deny the application. Nierman said to the commissioners, “Don’t sacrifice our water and our rural way of life by

selling out to a corporation for small, temporary revenues.” Dan Sullivan, a rancher who runs cattle, said he has done seismic surveys throughout the world, including this area. He said the knowledge gained from seismic surveys impacts and is beneficial to the whole area. “This is a perfect survey project for our area and I hope you support it 100 percent,” he said to the commissioners. Roger Day of Rifle spoke in favor of the seismic operations, noting his experiences with mining in the Upper Muddy area mining. The drilling in Garfield County brought financial prosperity for the area, he said. Matters of health and safety and ground water are best addressed by the state, Day said. Commissioner Suppes closed the public hearing and invited comments

from Gunnison Energy representatives. Salar Nabarian, representing Gunnison Energy, said all his team lives in Colorado, not Texas, and some live in Delta County. “There are some fine people who live in Delta County and we all believe that over time the work we are doing here will be of importance to Delta County,” Nabarian said. “The byproduct is methane CO2. It occurs naturally in the earth. There will be no significant impact from surveys of the shot holes regarding water. There is nothing to design or engineer. We will work with the land owners in protecting their resources.” Robert Velman, natural resources consultant to the project, said buffers are in place for landowners, and protection for all wildlife species will be addressed. Casselberry reminded

Hartland Ditch asks to be removed from city’s trails plan BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

At the request of the Hartland Ditch Company, trail extensions that required use of the ditch right-of-way have been removed from the city’s Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Master Plan. Having granted a similar request to the North Delta Irrigation Company, council members agreed they had no alternative but to extend the same concession to the Hartland Ditch Company. In a letter to council members, Hartland Ditch representatives said, “The historical and current use of the Hartland right-ofway is to deliver water to its users. By allowing other uses it could destroy the protection granted to ditch companies by statute. Trespass will occur on the underlying private properties when the right-of-way is used for anything other than intended purposes.

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“Other concerns are liability, public safety and the potential for limiting maintenance on the Hartland right-of-way.” The Hartland Ditch carries water from the Gunnison River to farms, gardens and yards in North Delta. Shirley Morgan, ditch company secretary, said the ditch is about eight miles in length, running from Cottonwood Park, across the highway and to an outlet near the city wastewater treatment plant. Wilma Erven, director of parks, recreation and golf for the City of Delta, described the use of the Hartland Ditch right-ofway as “very little and very long range.” She also noted the many public meetings held during the development of the Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Master Plan. Neither ditch company took part in those meetings. “Also there was a survey sent to all City of Delta residents for input,” she said in a memo to council members. “The consultant reviewed input from the meetings and surveys. Based upon this public input the consultants included the extension of trails along irrigation ditches as part of the future development of an off-road pedestrian and bicycle transportation system.” At the March 19 city council meeting, a resolution will be considered

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that complies with the request from the Hartland Ditch Company. When asked if any other ditch companies will be submitting similar requests, “None that I’m aware of,” Erven said, “but there are no guarantees.”

Red Flag bill

the commissioners that the planning department had completed a review of the two projects last fall, along with the U.S. Forest Service. Both witnessed the work as it was being done. “Gunnison Energy will be setting off one shot hole at a time to record the impact. The seismic activity will have a very small impact on the public,” she said. Casselberry added that the State of Colorado addresses the subject of water quality from undetonated explosives. Natasha Leger said the administrative process is confusing. Casselberry agreed, saying that confusion will be addressed in the land use regulations under study. Leger also said the maps are inadequate. Beyond the protection of private property rights, Commissioner Suppes noted the county receives revenue taxes and royalties from oil and gas activity and, although these are very small, the overall benefit is considerable. Two separate motions to proceed administratively with Trail Gulch 3D and Iron Point 3D passed 3-0. Casselberry reminded all parties that the U.S. Forest Service must give its approval before the county and Gunnison Energy can move forward.

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While visiting from Santa Rosa, Calif., Dave Myers read the latest issue of the DCI to his mother, Audrey Myers, a resident of Crossroads Senior Living who can no longer see to read her hometown newspaper for herself. When he’s in California, Dave reads the paper onto a CD disk which he mails to his mother every week.

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intention to infringe on the good citizens of Colorado and their Second Amendment rights.” In addition, the sheriff -----Colorado said, the bill could risk • the lives of law enforcement officers directed to enforce the “Extreme Risk Protection Order” as well �� as innocent civilians and individuals suffering from �� a mental health crisis. �� During a legislative �� update in Delta on Satur- �� day, March 2, Rep. Matt �� Soper expressed similar �� concerns for the lives of �� law enforcement officers. �� He said any attempt �� to remove firearms from an individual intent on �� harming themselves �� or others would simply �� make them even more �� angry and upset. �� Throughout House �� hearings, Soper said he �� heard repeatedly, “If it �� saves one life ...” �� “I see the opposite,” he �� said. “I see retribution.” During the legislative �� process in the House, �� Rep. Soper said he offered �� a handful of amendments �� to address his concerns, �� but each was rejected by �� the majority Democrats. �� He agrees a better �� option is to address a growing mental health �� issue in Colorado. If a �� person is truly a risk to �� themselves or others, he �� can be placed on an M-1 �� hold. “It’s easier to remove �� an individual than all the �� firearms that person has �� access to,” Soper said. The “Red Flag Bill” is �� also expected to be the �� topic of an upcoming �� Delta City Council work �� The March 6 Back session. Page feature on bird dogs incorrectly identified some of the hunters featured in photos. The photo of father and sons putting their bird dog through his paces was actually son Nate, father Charlie, and son Ian Rehfeldt. The Rehfeldt family lives in Montrose. Their bird dog, Patriot, is a purebred yellow lab. In another photo, Charlie Rehfeldt displays one of several pheasants bagged by him and his sons during a morning of �� bird dog training. He was incorrectly identified as �� Doug Homan. �� Staff writer Don Benjamin submitted the corrected information, but �� his email was missed during the process of lay�� ing out the page. The DCI �� apologizes to the Rehfeldt �� and Homan families for @. �� the error.

FROM PAGE A1 the anti-gun movement to gain another toe hold on dismantling our Second Amendment rights. The bill creates the ability for a family or household member or a law enforcement officer to petition the court for a temporary extreme risk protection order (ERPO). The petitioner must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that a person poses a significant risk to self or others by having a firearm in his or her custody. The respondent has the burden of proof at a termination hearing. Upon issuance of the ERPO, the respondent must surrender all of his firearms. If the ERPO expires or is terminated, all of the respondent’s firearms must be returned. “I truly believe my fellow sheriffs across the state would agree that there are individuals who live in our communities who should not possess a firearm due to severe mental health issues,” the sheriff wrote in his letter to the senator. “Mental health is the underlying factor and we as a society need to find a way to get people who suffer from chronic mental health disorders the help they need. This bill does nothing to address that issue. Once again, it is clear to me that this bill was written with the

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A4 Wednesday, March 13, 2019

ACCENT

BIRTHS Sarah and Adam Seymour of Olathe are the parents of a son, Nolan David Seymour, born Feb. 28, 2019, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and was 19.5 inches in length.

Church, nonprofit team up to build beds for kids

Kevan and Anjelica Arreola of Delta are the parents of a daughter, Rebekah Grace Arreola, born March 1, 2019, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. She weighed 7 pounds, 3.6 ounces and was 19.75 inches in length.

Martha Atchley

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Delta resident turns 100

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Delta County Independent

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Samantha Sanford graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San AntonioLackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Sanford is the daughter of Vollie and Reylene Sanford of Delta. She is a 2018 graduate of Delta High School.

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The Presbyterian Church of Delta invites volunteers and sponsors to join a communitybased project to provide disadvantaged children with a bed of their own. The church at the corner of 4th and Meeker is hosting a “build day” on Saturday, March 23, in partnership with Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Sleep in Heavenly Peace was founded in 2012 in Twin Falls, Idaho. In 2018, after growing to 13 chapters around the country and building roughly 2,000 beds, a national campaign was promoted by Mike Rowe (known for the TV show “Dirty Jobs). Following that campaign, the SHPMontrose chapter was launched, the first chartered chapter in the state of Colorado. After becoming chartered in June 2018, the SHP-Montrose chapter began coordinating “build days,” accepting applications for beds, and delivering/assembling beds for kids who did not have beds of their own. The SHP-Montrose chapter finished the year 2018 by building and providing 66 beds in communities from Cedaredge to Ridgway. Chapter president Bill Martindale said SHPMontrose has made multiple deliveries in Delta County, from Cedaredge

to Austin to Delta, and currently has four applications pending. During the build day on March 23, Martindale anticipates volunteers will be able to build at least 10 beds for kids in our community. SHP uses an assembly line process, where with just a little bit of training, volunteers of all ages cut, sand, assemble and stain the lumber for beds, as well as provide bedding. The beds can be stacked to create bunk beds. The cost is $350 for each bunk bed, including the lumber, mattresses and bedding. “Many of the kids we’ve encountered have no bed at all,” Martindale said. “They sleep on floors in sleeping bags, air mattresses or couches

Medicare info seminar planned March 21 in Delta Feeling lost in the maze of Medicare? Region 10 and the State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) are offering “Medicare and You,” an informational seminar on how to navigate the Medicare system, on Thursday, March 21, at 6:30 p.m., in the Grand Mesa meeting room at Grand Mesa Oncology and Rheumatology Center, 1501 E. 3rd Street, Delta, just to the north of the main Delta County Memorial Hospital building. This seminar is free and no registration is necessary. It is not sponsored by any insurance or drug company, and those attending will not be asked to buy anything. SHIP counselors are also

•••••••••••••••••

available weekly for oneon-one Medicare counseling sessions in the Region 10 service area, which includes Delta and Montrose counties. Those with questions or wanting more information can call 970-7653132.

every night. The kids who are fortunate enough to have dirty mattresses on the floor often have to share them with multiple other kids — we fix these problems instantly. This project is based around humans helping humans and making our community stronger by providing our kids with safe, warm beds of their own for years to come.” As an added bonus, SHP says it’s proven that quality sleep can improve children’s attention and learning in school, decrease irritability, decrease risk of injury, and decrease health issues such as illness and obesity. Volunteers are invited to participate in the build day March 23, for all or part of the building session from 9 a.m. to noon. Community members can also help by funding the cost of one bed ($350) or donating new pillows, sheets and blankets for the twin-size beds. Donations are tax-deductible. For more information, call Martindale at 844-432-2337, ext. 5303, or email bill. martindale@shpbeds.org. He also welcomes the names and addresses of children in need.

Delta Food Pantry opens on evenings Delta Food Panty is open from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. weekdays. It is located in the alley behind St. Michael’s Church and is available to anyone living in Delta. You may receive food every 60 days. No verification is required, other than some form of ID with name and address. To accommodate working families, the Delta Food Pantry is also open on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 5:30 to 7 p.m., thanks to volun-

teers from Delta United Methodist Church. Money can be tight at the end of the month and for those who work, 10:30 a.m. might be a difficult time. The Delta Food Pantry is offering the hard workers of Delta another option for nourishment. Additional volunteers are welcome for the evening shift. Please email deltafoodpantrycolorado @gmail.com with questions or if you would like to volunteer.

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Arts Coalition of Delta County is in immediate need of some equipment to be used in several events coming up in May and June. A theater group known as AC Theater has been organized and plans to present its first play of the season in late May and early June. The group has some lapel mikes that will make it possible to hear without a struggle. The group has also found a new set of good mikes at a discount price of $490 which could get them through several seasons of plays and musicals. The Arts Coalition is planning its second annual art exhibition, to be held at the Delta Elks Lodge July 5-6. Only artists from Delta County may show their art, at no cost to them. There is no cost to view the collection. Because AC/DC is counting on many artists to sign up for the show, it’s secured over three times the space of last year’s show. Professional art hanging display panels are needed. Maybe you could help by sponsoring a new panel at $290 each.

AC/DC is also scheduling several outdoor concerts this year beginning with the second annual 4th of July Patriotic Sing, just before the fireworks begin. The Cedaredge Community Band is also expected to play during the fireworks. For these concerts and others, AC/ DC needs to purchase a large outdoor sound system at a cost of around $800. Founding member Richard Weldon said, “We would encourage those who could afford to donate a small or whole amount of funds to the ongoing and expanding Arts Coalition. We can guarantee all the donations will go to our equipment needs and are tax deductible with the IRS. If you can’t afford to help us with the needed equipment, we would hope that you can support us by attending our events, plays or concerts.” Donations may be mailed to Arts Coalition of Delta County, c/o Technical College of the Rockies, 1765 US Hwy 50, Delta, CO 81416. For further information, contact Weldon at 970-640-6520.

SCHOOL

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Desserts and Diversions fundraiser set for March 15 Delta High School proudly presents the 15th annual Desserts and Diversions fundraiser this Friday, March 15, at Delta Christian Church at 7 p.m. There are many reasons to attend this event! The performances are top-notch, you get to eat unlimited desserts, the door prizes are fantastic, and you are supporting an exceptional high school activity. The speech team uses proceeds from this fundraiser to supplement tournament entry fees, travel costs, and a trip to nationals. Speaking of nationals, Sameha Haque and Caleb Frazier are traveling to Dallas, Texas, in June to perform their informative speaking pieces. These two placed first and second at the national qualification tournament. The competition included students from Fruita Monument, Central, Palisade, Eagle Valley, Summit, Battle Mountain, Delta and Montrose. At Desserts and Diversions, Sameha Haque will speak on the topic of pseudocide and Caleb Frazier will update you on the cost of free. The other six performances include duo, poetry, original oratory and program of oral interpretation. The team appreciates the support of the com-

Photo submitted

Lincoln’s Terriﬁc Kids

The Delta Kiwanis presented Lincoln Elementary students with Terriﬁc Kids awards on Feb. 27. The students are recognized by teachers for outstanding characteristics, achievement, and effort. The recipients (and their reason for recognition) for this week are: (back row, left to right) Alexis Comfort (effort), Mar Soe, Faith Watkins (respect), Sadie Contreras, Brylee Bush, Ava Martinez; (middle row) Christine Htoo (diligence), Isaac Mendiola (kindness), Antonio Springer (diligence), Greyson Hollenbeck (respect), Jason Weaver (perserverance), Kaylyn Sanford (honesty), Hayden Hamm (respect); (front row) Audri Merrit (caring), Kayden Moore (diligence), Victor Cota (teamwork), Willow Bond (kindness), Jacqueline Ponce (responsibility) and Kinzie Todd (diligence).

Service academy information day to be held in Grand Junction Five service academy information days will be conducted in Colorado during the months of March, April and May. These events provide the opportunity for parents and students to join representatives from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs; the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.; the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.; the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn.; and the

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y., for an information session regarding the academy and ROTC/ NROTC application process, attending a military academy or ROTC/ NROTC, and serving as a commissioned officer in the United States Armed Forces. This is also an opportunity to hear from representatives of the congressional delegations about how they can assist

DHS students start Gay Straight Alliance BY HOPE CAMPBELL Delta High School

This month at Delta High, two students have formed a club called Gay Straight Alliance. The club held an interest meeting on March 5 and it held its first official meeting on March 7. Chris Romero and Sadearah Hanson are the founders of Gay Straight Alliance. The club is so LGBTQ+ students have a safe place to go to and have people they feel comfortable talking to. It can be joined at any

students gain a nomination to a service academy, which is complex and can start as early as the junior year in high school. The nearest event will take place in Grand Junction Saturday, May 4, at noon at Colorado Mesa University, 1100 North Avenue. The military service academies are federally funded institutions. All students receive a full scholarship including tuition, room and board, and complete medical coverage.

time and people who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community can join so they can show support for their peers. “We started the club because we saw that there wasn’t really community for the queer community. There wasn’t really a place for people like Chris and I... for them to feel accepted. We did this so everyone could be accepted. Not just people of the queer community, but everyone. We just wanted a place for support,” said Hanson and Romero.

the door or making a donation to the team by contacting coach Danielle Lopez at danielle. lopez@deltaschool.com.

munity. The venue has already been changed twice due to the popularity of this event. Consider buying a ticket at

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Chris Romero and Sadearah Hanson show support for LGBTQ+ by starting the Gay Straight Alliance club at Delta High School.

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Register for talent contest by March 14 Vision Charter Academy is excited to announce 33 students from eight different schools have signed up for the We Love Music competition. There is still time to sign up your student before the deadline of Thursday, March 14. Auditions will be held March 15 at the Delta Performing Arts Center. The judges include: • Justin Russell Jr., a musician and self-taught composer who plays double bass for the Grand Junction Symphony and the Valley Symphony Orchestra. He is also a mentor to the Valley Youth Orchestra. • Robert Wolcott, the band/choir teacher at Cedaredge Middle/High School. He has a bachelor’s degree in music ministry and master’s degree in music education. • Craig Thomas, owner and primary teacher at Delta Music. He has taught music in various

charter schools for the past 10 years. • Kaylyn Bruington, whose experience includes dance and theater. She also trained to become a light technician, sound technician, director, choreographer, writer and stage manager. • Cameron Gibbs comes from Cartlesville, Ga. and until May, leads the youth/worship ministry at Calvary Baptist Church. More judges will be confirmed soon. Plan to see the students compete in the finals at 7 p.m. Friday, March 22. This will be an amazing night of musical performances that Delta County hasn’t seen in awhile! Admission is $5 at the door of the Delta Performing Arts Center. Kids in grades K-12 will be competing for a $1,000 scholarship, a demo reviewed by Big Machine Label in Nashville, savings bonds and many other prizes.

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OBITUARIES She is survived by her Linda Jones; five grandchildren; and seven great- daughter, Ilene (Ellis) Harris of Hotchkiss; her grandchildren. sister, Karen (Mike) Jerman of Levan, Utah; six grandchildren; 26 greatgrandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren; and extended family. Mrs. Crabtree was preceded in death by her husbands, Franklin Beattie and Don Crabtree; son, Ralph Beattie; siblings, Patricia Bullock, June Coon, Lois Pavlisick, Jack Story and MelKathryn Crabtree vin Story. Taylor Funeral Service Kathryn E. Crabtree and Crematory is handied March 8, 2019, at Delta County Memorial dling the arrangements. Visit the internet obitHospital. She was 94. A celebration of life uary and sign the online will be held later in the guest registry at www. taylorfuneralservice.com. year. Mrs. Crabtree was born in Cedaredge to Thelma Wright Mary Campbell and John Thelma Louise Wright Story on July 15, 1924. She grew up in Paonia, died on March 7, 2019. graduating from Paonia She was 94. She was born in High School. Cedaredge on Dec. 14, She married Franklin Beattie when she was 18. 1924, to Harry and Grace They had two children, (McDowell) Palmer. She Ilene and Ralph. After Mr. Beattie’s death in the Korean War in 1950, she married Don Crabtree on Nov. 1, 1952, in Elko, Nev. Mrs. Crabtree enjoyed gardening, homemaking, fishing and spending time with her family.

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Walter Clock

Walter K. Clock died on Feb. 11, 2019, at his home in Bountiful, Utah, due to complications from pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer. He was 86. He was born on Sept. 26, 1932, in Paonia. He graduated from Grand Junction High School. On July 6, 1952, he married Bonnie Carter. He worked for the Rio Grande Railroad. Later he moved to Bountiful, Utah, and worked for Sperry Rand. He left there to work full-time for the National Guard, where he attained the rank of major. He later worked as a building inspector in Farmington City until his retirement. Mr. Clock enjoyed golf and traveling. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie; sister, Norma Jean Clark; three daughters, Paula Kopp, Debbie Tripp-Lewis, and

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OBITUARY POLICY

As a community service, the Delta County Independent publishes obituaries at no charge. Submissions are edited to include basic biographical information, survivors, precedents and service details. One photo can be included. Families wishing a more detailed eulogy may request a price quote for a paid obituary, which will be printed word-for-word and may include more than one photo. For more information, call 874-4421.

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attended Cedaredge High School and went to the University of Colorado where she earned a bachelor’s degree with majors in English and biology. She married George Wright on Dec. 21, 1946. The Wrights had four children. They lived in Portland, Ore., Richland, Wash., Connecticut, and Denver. Mrs. Wright worked in the accounting department of the engineering firm CH2 MHill. She was an active member of the Methodist Church and taught Sunday school for many years. She enjoyed homemaking, cooking, reading, family outings, hiking, and mountain flower and bird identification. She spent summers at a family cabin on Grand Mesa. Mrs. Wright is survived by four children, Gary, Gregory, Douglas, and David. She is preceded in death by two brothers, Benson and Miles; and

her husband, George, in Taylor Funeral Service 2008. and Crematory is hanService will be held at dling the arrangements. a later date.

Donald Wiseman

Donald M. Wiseman of Cedaredge died on March 5, 2019, just before his 77th birthday. Mr. Wiseman traveled extensively throughout the lower 48 states, but always returned to Cedaredge. He is survived by his son, Sam; daughter, Lynn Heffron; sister, Shirley Hawkins; nine grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and extended family. Memorial services will be held on March 26, at 1:15 p.m., at PACE Senior Community Center in Eckert.

Hershell Eversole

Hershell Eversole of Cedaredge died March 5, 2019, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. Services will be scheduled at a later date.

Wanda Newkirk

Wanda Lou Newkirk of Grand Junction died on March 10, 2019, in Grand Junction. She was 89. A visitation will be held on Friday, March 15, 6-8 p.m., at Martin Mortuary in Grand Junction. Funeral service will take place Saturday, March 16, at 10:30 a.m. at New Covenant Baptist Church in Grand Junction, with a committal service to follow at Delta City Cemetery.

SCHOOL

Gym blast offers a night of fun for middle schoolers

Boys and girls in grades 6-8 are invited to Bill Heddles Recreation Center for a night of fun. Music, refreshments, glow in the dark games and door prizes are part of the fun Friday, March 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A fee of $5 per person will be collected at the door. A school photo I.D. is required for admittance. For more information, call 874-0923.

Students of the Month

Photo submitted

Garnet Mesa Elementary School recognizes fourth and ﬁfth grade Students of the Month: (back row) Yaneli Vargas, Alex Mack, Caden Horn, and Francisco Bermudez; (front row) Aunalicia Aparicio, Alauna Torres, Kynan Grifﬁth and Stella Bubbins-Hill.

Scholarships provided for careers in health care

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Delta County Memorial Hospital Volunteers will be awarding $1,000 scholarships to 2019 graduates of Delta County high schools who are continuing their education in any area of health care. Applications are available from school counselors. Completed applications should be mailed to: DCMH Volunteer Scholarships, Attn. Education Department, PO Box 10100, Delta, CO 81416. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on April 19. A $500 scholarship will be awarded to a hospital Junior Volunteer. All funding for this scholarship comes from the operation of the hospital gift shop by the volunteer organization. For more information, contact Jacque Davis, marketing director, at 874-2291 or jadavis@ deltahospital.org.

GMES’ Terriﬁc Kids

Photos submitted

The following Garnet Mesa students earned a Terrific Kid Award from the Kiwanis Club of Delta for their efforts to be a responsible citizen and student. Pictured above are kindergarten and first grade students (back row) Angelice Medina, Brynleigh Reiher, Victor Estrada, Charlotte Zmiewsky; (front row) Heaven Tuck, Jovani Ponce, Hazel Starr and Zaiden Phillips. Below are second and third graders (back row) Jasiah Alvarez, Jonathan Soto, Molly-Anne Mansfield, Hailey Wachowicz; (front row) Jaxson Ash, Rylan Shaball, Aylin Rodriguez and Jordin Salas.

Annual poker tournament helps fund Kiwanis’ community service projects The Kiwanis Club of Delta is holding its eighth annual poker tournament at Bill Heddles Recreation Center on Saturday, March 16. Registration is at 4 p.m. with tournament play beginning at 5 p.m. and lasting until approximately 8 p.m. The tournament is a partnership between the Kiwanis Club and Western Slope Poker Tour LLC, owned and operated by Mel Lutz and Johnny Hicks. Approximately $1,000 worth of prizes will be raffled off throughout the evening,

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Check out the DCI Print Shop. Call Randy Crespin at 874-4421.

and the Key Club from Delta High School will be serving food at a nominal cost. Cold beer will be provided for the evening fun. Businesses can sponsor a table for $200 which allows all their employees/guests to receive their first $100 in poker chips for free. Interested sponsors or players can contact Clay Speas at 970-361-2950 to sponsor a table or pre-register for a spot at a table. Some of the proceeds from this year’s tournament will be used to provide summer reading opportunities in Delta County. Kiwanis is joining forces with Delta County Libraries to offer events, special activities, books and T-shirts for over 800 kids in the

county. The remainder of the funds raised will be used to provide youth programs and activities in Delta County, including college scholarships,

sponsorships for Key Club members to attend leadership conferences, and grants to numerous youth-related activities in the community.

April Fool’s softball tournament scheduled The annual preseason April Fool’s softball tournament will be held at Mountain View Park April 6 and 7. This is your chance to test your team and have a great time before summer softball starts. Divisions for coed, women’s and men’s teams will be offered. Register your team by March 25 for a $50 discount. After March 25,

the team fee is $275. The final deadline to register your team is March 31. Three games are guaranteed for the weekend. Men’s and women’s divisions will play on Saturday with coed teams playing on Sunday. For more information or to register, call Whitnee Lear at 970-874-0923 or email Whitnee@city ofdelta.net.

Delta County Independent

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ACTIVITIES

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Veterans host St. Patrick’s Day lunch The members of the Harry A. White American Legion Post 65 and its Auxiliary invite all members of the community to come out to a St. Patrick’s Day “Pot O’ Gold” lunch on Sunday, March 17, at Hoolies, 220 Main Street, Delta, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The special of the day is, of course, corned beef and cabbage, but cabbage rolls will also be offered only for the day. Veterans and their family members will be assisting in the serving of these Irish gourmet delights. The restaurant’s regular menu will be available.

Now, what would a St. Patrick’s Day pot o’ gold be without a pot o’ gold? Each person buying one of the special dinners will be able to draw a piece of gold from the pot, and some of those pieces will be marked so that the owner will get a special surprise gift. A portion of the profits will be used by the American Legion for a variety of veterans assistance programs. For additional information, call Post Commander Greg Jackson at 318-4236722, or Auxiliary President Debra Jackson at 318-423-6379.

Native plant expert to speak March 21

Native plants are a critical part of the food chain for both resident birds and native pollinators. Learn about the native plants you can plant to welcome birds to your yard. Speaker Mary Menz is a Colorado Native Plant Master and has worked as a bander’s aide at migra-

tory bird banding stations for 10 years. Black Canyon Audubon Society will sponsor a program by Menz at the Montrose Field House, located at the corner of Rio Grande and Colorado Avenue on Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. There is no charge to attend.

Delta County Reads! Delta County Libraries joins the Blue Sage Literary Committee and the Paradise Theatre in presenting “Mary Poppins” by P.L. Travers for the first Delta County Reads! Copies of the book will be available at all five libraries in Delta County and at checkout the read-

er will receive a ticket to attend a free showing of the film sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns,” at the Paradise Theatre in April. The ticket is good for any showtime of the film starting April 12. All Delta County residents are invited to participate.

Quicksand Soup

Pea Green Saturday Night returns March 23 It’s time for the March session of Pea Green Saturday Night and all of you are invited. The Dawson Springs Gentlemen, Quicksand Soup and the Pea Green Brothers will be performing old-time, cowboy and bluegrass music, tunes and humor in a historic Grange Hall setting for the cost of a single sawbuck ($10) at the door. This all will take place on March 23, from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Pea

Zuni archaeologist to present program

The Chipeta Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society will host the presentation “The Zuni Kiva Project and The Zuni World” by Zuni archaeologist and tribal elder Dan Simplicio on Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. in Montrose. Simplicio will discuss the significance and challenges of maintaining the Zuni Pueblo’s six religious kivas, along with other adaptations faced by the the Black Canyon Astro- community in maintainnomical Society’s March ing its traditional culture 19 meeting. It begins at 7 p.m. in the Partners’ Community Room, 511 East 10th Street, Delta. The ambassador program involves motivatThe Valley Youth ed volunteers to share Orchestra, under the NASA’s latest discoveries. Harvey will also discuss direction of Debra TenNapel, is pleased to some of NASA’s amazing announce its upcoming past, current, and future spring dinner concert missions. on March 16 at Delta The BCAS meets High School. The musical monthly in Delta or selections will center on Montrose. The BCAS a “Tapestry” with origialso holds public sky nal compositions, two viewing events. For more from VYO students and information, visit Black two from local musicians. CanyonAstronomy.com or The orchestra is comphone 970-856-7716. prised of youth ages 7 to

Learn about solar system ambassador program NASA/JPL solar system ambassador Brenda Harvey will discuss the ambassador program at

Electoral College: Learn the facts The League of Women Voters presents “Electing Our President - Electoral College or National Popular Vote? Separating Myth From Fact” on Thursday, March 14, at noon in the Montrose Library Community Room. The community is encouraged to attend!

Final ski race of the season set for March 17 The Mesa Meltdown cross country ski race will be held on Sunday, March 17, at Skyway on Grand Mesa. A 20k and a 5k freestyle race will both start simultaneously at 10 a.m. Registration is on race day only, $20 for Grand Mesa Nordic Council members, $30 for others. All ages and abilities are welcome. For more information, call 970-434-9753 or go to www.gmnc.org.

and language in the modern age. Simplicio has worked as an archaeologist and cultural resource specialist in the Southwest area for over 15 years and is currently with Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. The public is invited; the talk will be at the Montrose United Methodist Church, Baldridge Hall, at 19 S. Park Street (free admission). For more information, please contact Leigh Ann Hunt at 970-835-5228.

Youth orchestra presents spring dinner concert 18 from Delta, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel and Garfield counties. This event is the annual primary fundraiser for the orchestra. The silent auction begins at 4:30, the dinner at 5:30 and the concert will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are priced at $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Tickets and information are available at www. valleysymphony.net/vyo.

Valley Symphony Chorus sings jazz standards March 24 BY STACEY RYAN Valley Symphony Association

The Valley Symphony Association (VSA) chorus presents, “It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,’” on Sunday, March 24, at 3 p.m. at the Montrose Pavilion. The VSA is an all-volunteer arts organization in its 48th season. Montrosebased small business Go Big Banners is the concert partner for the spring choral concert. “Tight harmonies, swingin’ rhythms, and lively instruments make up our spring choral concert,” director Allyson

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Green Community Center which is located at the intersection of Hwy. 348 and Banner Road southwest of Delta. The doors open at 6 p.m. and seating is limited. Many folks bring a snack to share and you can do likewise if you want to. So swing by if you can and listen to some of the best of our local musical talent and associate with some of the finest folk in the four-county area.

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Connally said. Featuring members of local jazz band Take 5, the chorus will fill the afternoon with songs from Ellington, Gershwin, Goodman, Jobim and more. “Combining classic standards with jazz renditions of the not-so-classic, this show promises to take you back to the cool, free days of jazz, and swing you into the harmonic modern rainbow of modern jazz,” Connally said. “The music we perform is timeless and ageless,” VSA board member Priscilla Fry said, “And with ticket prices for stu-

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dents 17 and under at just $5, young people can attend this jazz concert that features this quintessential American art form.” Adult tickets are $17 and seniors (60+) are $16. Tickets are $20 at the door. For information, upcoming concerts, tickets, and the audition process, visit the VSA on Facebook @ValleySymphony Association and at Valley Symphony.net. Tickets are also available in Delta at Clubb’s, in Montrose at the Montrose Pavilion, and at the door on event days.

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A8 Wednesday, March 13, 2019

BUSINESS

Delta County Independent

Business survey will help guide tourism marketing

Does your business benefit from traveler and tourist traffic? The Delta County Tourism Cabinet wants to help build your business by directing more tourists to you through effective, targeted marketing and promotions. Photo submitted To aid in this, the tourThe ENGAGE Business Challenge kicked off Feb. 26 with a meeting that ism cabinet has launched included the 15 businesses that were accepted into the challenge. a short, five-question survey for tourism-related businesses such as retailers, specialty shops, lodging establishments, restaurants and recreation-based businesses. The survey will be issued The ENGAGE Busi- our county. panel of judges who will quarterly, so the cabinet ness Challenge kicked off The competitors will choose the top five winFeb. 26 at CB’s Tavern engage in classes, com- ners. in Delta, with a meeting munity meetings, one-onThe ENGAGE Busithat included the 15 busi- one coaching, and other ness Challenge particinesses that were accept- activities over the next pants are competing for ed into the challenge. 10 weeks, which will cul- $11,000 in cash awards The goals of the Busi- minate in a public event provided by sponsors Volunteers of Amerness Challenge are to fos- on Thursday, May 9. Alpine Bank, Region 10, ica and Horizons Care ter entrepreneurship in This event will provide Elevate Fiber, Colorado Delta County and to help an opportunity for all of Housing and Finance Center are pleased to build up downtown busi- the participants to pro- Authority, Startup Colo- announce Sadie Williams ness districts throughout vide their business plans rado, City of Montrose, as new executive direcand give a presentation and Delta Building Cen- tor. Williams’ goals are to provide a framework for on their businesses, to a ter. residents to achieve their Small highest quality of life and to encourage staff to business embrace a healthy work life balance. lunch and “Empathy, follow through and compassion learn planned The Delta County and a new MLS statistics are the traits a good long Delta area small busi- Board of Realtors and program. term care center leader ness owners are invited Montrose Association of Breakfast was pro- should possess,” she said. to a lunch and learn at Realtors teamed up to vided by Backstreet “Successful leaders also the HUB, located at 326 bring REALTOR® Day Bagel. Lunch was a taco collaborate with others Main Street in Delta, on 2019 to their members, salad bar from Daveto’s. to improve outcomes for Friday, March 29, from and anyone interested in Throughout the day, the residents served and noon to 1 p.m. learning more about real there will be door prizes, with the goal providing Laura Tarr Morris, estate and the local mar- giveaways and a silent the best resident cenowner of Tara’s in Delta, ket conditions. auction. tered care.” and Nancy Murphy of The event included Local affiliates busiPrior to accepting the Region 10 will share keynote speaker Bruce ness sponsors included position at Horizons Care strategies for starting and Gardner, author and real Fidelity National Title, Center, Williams served keeping a small business estate expert; “Disas- Guild Mortgage, Commu- as the Senior Commrunning. Attendees will ter Do’s and Don’ts” nity Banks of Colorado, Unity Care PACE (SCCbe given an opportunity with Connie Tremblay; Academy Mortgage, Land PACE) Center supervisor to ask questions. The a development panel Title, Bank of Colorado, and prior to that role, as HUB is providing lunch, on Opportunity Zones, Vectra Bank, Colorado a social worker for the or you may bring your REDO District, Colora- Title Services, Fidelity program. She has been own. Please RSVP by do Outdoors and Delta Mortgage, Heritage Title employed with SCCMarch 27 by calling Delta Economic Development Company, LegalShield, PACE for approximately Library at 970-874-9630. Corp.; a Colorado Asso- USH Advisors, Wells 10 years. SCC-PACE is An RSVP is not manda- ciation of REALTORS® Fargo, Western Group also a program of Voltory to attend. leadership panel Q&A; Insurance. unteers of America. She

15 businesses take on the ENGAGE challenge

can better follow trends and adjust the county’s marketing to those tourists most likely to spend their time in Delta County. “By surveying our tourism-related businesses, we hope to establish baselines and measure against them from year to year,” explained Kelli Hepler, the county’s tourism coordinator. “This will give us a better understanding of how our marketing dollars can be spent to the true benefit of businesses in our county.” The survey will be emailed out to businesses in mid-March. If you

own or manage a business in Delta County that benefits from tourist and traveler traffic and you do not receive the survey by March 15, please get in touch with Hepler to be added to the list. “It’s vital that we hear from all of our businesses so we can work most effectively and efficiently for all of Delta County,” Hepler said. She can be reached at 970-471-9621 or kelli@deltacounty colorado.com to be added to the survey list, or for any information related to tourism activities in Delta County.

Horizons Care Center welcomes new director

Delta, Montrose REALTORs team up

holds a master’s degree in social work with clinical licensure in long term care administration. “I am a believer in ongoing initiatives to maintain a homelike and comfortable environment for the residents of Horizons,” Williams said. “I plan to further staff development in geriatric training as well as develop methods for improved employee retention and recognition as well as focus on the development of community partnerships.” Williams refers to the mission statement of Volunteers of America when describing her affinity for aging services. “I love to fulfill the goal of uplifting all people and aim to proceed with the vision and mission of our founders Maud and Ballington Booth,” she said. Volunteers of America was founded by Christian social reformers, the Booths, in 1896 as a movement to “reach and uplift” the American people. The early organization nursed the sick,

fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless and visited those in prison. Regional director of operations Craig Ammermann said, “We are very pleased to have Sadie as our newest nursing home administrator. She has been a long-term, trusted source of leadership within the organization and feel she will be a positive force in shaping the direction of services at Horizons Care Center and the region.” Williams is a Colorado native and enjoys the strong sense of community connectedness in Delta County. She has two adult children, Austin and Sierra Williams, and one granddaughter, Vayda. She enjoys hiking, mountain biking, yoga and overall fitness. The public is welcome to attend a meetand-greet to welcome Williams to her position on Wednesday, March 27 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Horizons Care Center, 11411 Highway 65, Eckert. Refreshments will be served.

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AeroCare Home Medical has been servicing the Western Slope of Colorado for 19 years. The company provides oxygen and sleep therapy along with durable medical supplies. If you suffer from a disease that makes breathing very difficult, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Congestive Heart Failure or Obstructive Sleep Apnea, you can count on AeroCare for quality and integrity in the delivery of care and service. In addition, AeroCare provides a variety of equipment for the home setting. The Delta location carries wheelchairs, walkers, beds, canes and other medical supplies and aids for daily living. You’ll find AeroCare throughout Colorado; in Delta the retail location can be found behind Taco Time at 713 Main Street. John Pope is regional

manager; Mike Moreland is the location manager. Ed Whyte is service tech, Tina Oeltjenbruns is the customer service representative and Justin Westbrook is the marketing rep. They pride themselves in being industry experts

in medical equipment. They can work with you to make sure your equipment is covered by your insurance provider of choice. Regardless of who your current supplier is, please stop by the office at 713 Main Street or call 874-

1268 and they’ll be happy to answer any questions you have. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days a week. Look for the AeroCare booth at the annual Health Fair at Bill Heddles Recreation Center Thursday, March 14.

AeroCare’s team of health care professionals delivers quality equipment and superior customer service throughout Delta County.

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NORTH FORK March 13, 2019

TIMES

Section

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Paonia returning to normal after water crisis BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

The emergency is over, water is flowing to all the taps, and the boil order is lifted. But the Town of Paonia is asking Paonia water users to continue being conservative in their water use. “This is the time of year when we have the least water,” Mayor Charles Stewart told the roughly 100 citizens attending a March 5 community information meeting at the Paradise Theatre. While the town will soon produce more water than it needs, the system is producing “about half of what’s normal for this time of year,” said Stewart. “That’s pretty scary.” Representatives of the town, state and county health departments, Delta County Emergency Management and the Southwest Incident Management Team gave brief updates on the emergency, responded to questions, and stayed after the meeting to address public concerns. Stewart thanked the community for its handling of the emergency. The outpouring of support, he said, relieved his concerns over how the town would respond to an emergency. When the town declared the emergency on Feb. 18, dozens of individuals stepped up to help, Delta County and state emergency response teams were activated, keeping the emergency from becoming a crisis and ensuring that everyone had drinking water and the needs of the most vulnerable were met. “I’m impressed with the community,” said Stewart. He thanked a long list of individuals, companies and agencies that went out of their way to help, among them, district water commissioner, Luke Reschke and Mt. Lamborn Ranches. Reschke identified the 100acre-foot Roeber Reservoir at the head of Reynolds Creek at the base of Mt. Lamborn as a source of raw water. The town contacted reservoir owners Steve Kossler and Mark Roeber with Mt. Lamborn Ranches. The cattle ranchers agreed to allow the town to divert water to the one-million gallon Clock treatment plant for treatment, allowing the two-million gallon tank to recover. This is the first time that they’ve worked with the town to provide water, said Kossler. The town agreed to replace the water, estimated at two acre feet or about 652,000 gal-

lons, at a later date. While the emergency occurred in a wet winter, Kossler said that even in a dry year, they would have honored the request. “We’ve always gotten along with the town and we want to keep it that way,” said Kossler. “It works out well for both of us.” Town leaders now begin the process of working with local and state agencies to ensure another shortage doesn’t occur. Paonia’s entire water treatment and delivery system covers a 25-square-mile area, said Stewart. That is “a massive area” for a small system. The town’s raw water supply comes from 32 springs at the base of Lamborn Mountain through 20 miles of pipe to one of two treatment plants. Historically, with late winters comes a reduction in flow from the springs. Because 2018 was one of the worst drought years in recent history, the problem was compounded by extremely low spring flows and major breaks in un-metered lines that were difficult to detect. One thing working in the town’s favor was the more than $5.7 million invested in “substantial upgrades” to the treatment and delivery system between 2012-2018, said Stewart. The Clock plant was out of service since 2015 and was brought on-line in time to provide water early in the emergency and process raw water from Roeber Reservoir. “All improvements dramatically helped us deal with this current water crisis,” said Stewart. During the two informational meetings and one board meeting held since the emergency began, members of the public have raised numerous questions related to water conservation, water rate structures, the lack of raw water storage, and what, if any, plan the town has to prevent another emergency. Stewart explained that the board of trustees has had held previous discussions on rates, which has the final say on rate changes. If changes are recommended, they would hold community meetings to discuss them in public, said Stewart. In the foreseeable future the town will continue to replace aging pipelines, and will look at raw water storage options. All of it will happen over time, he said. In the immediate future, “We can only do so much.”

Comments sought on revised oil/gas development plan The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Uncompahgre Field Office and Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests are seeking public comments on a revised oil and gas proposal about 12 miles northeast of Paonia. Gunnison Energy has revised its North Fork Mancos Master Development Plan, which proposes drilling up to

35 oil and gas wells from five pads, to use a more common and effective hydraulic fracturing method. The proposed wells would be on national forest system lands managed by the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest Paonia Ranger District, and private land. Wells could COMMENTS SOUGHT TO B2

Photo by Tamie Meck

New Paonia police ofﬁcer

Paonia town clerk Corinne Ferguson swears Andrew Vassel in as an ofﬁcer of the Paonia Police Department at the Feb. 26 meeting of the town board of trustees. Vassel previously worked for the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. He is a graduate of the Technical College of the Rockies Law Enforcement Academy in Delta.

Water issues will be discussed at future board and community meetings, said town administrator Ken Knight. He encouraged everyone to check the bi-monthly

meeting agendas (meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. second and fourth Tuesdays of the month) for water-related items. Agendas are posted at Town Hall and on the town

website, townofpaonia.com, on the Friday preceding each meeting. Citizens can sign up to receive notification of town meetings by emailing paonia@townofpaonia.com.

Civil Air Patrol cadets put training to good use BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

During the nearly three weeks that much of Paonia’s water users were under a state-mandated boil-water order, volunteers of all ages came from throughout the North Fork area and beyond to help. For more than two weeks they distributed water at Town Hall, answered questions, checked in on the elderly and shut-ins, and offered their professional services and vehicles. Within an hour of calling Paonia High School assistant principal Karla Head, high school students were at Town Hall waiting for orders, said Debbie Kimball, local volunteer coordinator for the Southwest Incident Management Team responding to the emergency. Kimball could not have accomplished everything without all the volunteers. In all, more than 50 individuals contributed almost 500 hours of time to ensure that everyone’s needs were met. One group of youth volunteers was more than eager to put their emergency response training to use. “It’s very rare that we get to do a lot of this work,” said Cadet 1st Lieutenant Jack Jones, 17, with the Delta County Civil Air Patrol Squadron. Cadets came from throughout the county to assist the town, and presented the colors at a March 5 community meeting at the Paradise Theatre. The official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP’s main focus is in training cadets in search and rescue skills for

Photo submitted

Delta County Civil Air Patrol cadets assist other volunteers and emergency team responders to load bottled water into Paonia Town Hall during the recent town water emergency. Cadets were among more than 50 volunteers contributing almost 500 hours of service to the town during the emergency. the Air Force, said Jones. In the event of natural and other disasters, they are trained to assist law enforcement, fire and other agencies. But opportunities to use their training are rare, said Jones. Compared to squadrons on the Front Range, the Western Slope has few disasters, and fewer opportunities to respond. Under the supervision of squadron deputy commander Amber Kendall Lage, cadets

helped distribute water at Town Hall, going the extra mile to help load containers into cars, and in some cases, following people home to help unload it, said Kimball. They also helped out extensively at the Creek Vista Assisted Living and Paonia Care Center, made sure no one threw garbage in the town’s plastic recycling bin. “Basically, they did anything needed and had great attitudes while doing it,” said Kimball.

Crawford sets fine for problem water shutoffs BY ROBBIE WINNE Contributing Writer

Seven observers came out for the town council meeting in Crawford Town Hall on Wednesday, March 6. After minutes were approved, Wanda Goforth, the mayor, informed the council about several non-agenda items. She described the administrative grant that the town is working on with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), to provide funding for a capital asset inventory for Crawford. The proposal includes the determination of a depreciation schedule, a capital improvement plan and would fund software to provide GIS mapping for the town. The council moved on to talk about sidewalk improvements at the town park. At the work session on Feb. 20, the trustees discussed opening up bids for concrete and fencing work at the town hall, which borders the town park. Bruce Baier, the public works director, agreed to move forward with bid requests. He produced four bids at the meeting. As it stands, the town has $58,000 budgeted for the much-needed work. These funds are a combination of the town’s general fund and Conservation Trust Fund (CTF) funds. The rest of the necessary funding, approximately $40,000, would come from CTF funds made available from the county. The council examined four submitted bids. Because a Grand Junction company included the cost and management of CDOT-approved traffic control with its bid at the lowest price, the council accepted that bid. However, the county funds cannot be released without an accepted contract in hand. The council agreed to accept the bid on the contingency that the funds

from CTF become available upon presenting the contract. Therefore the lowest bid was accepted, but not awarded until the remaining funding is secured. The next item of old business concerned inactive water/ sewer taps on Walt Jughaene’s property. Jughaene had originally bought six taps at the urging of his realtor at the time. He only uses three of those taps and has no plans to develop his property to utilize the remaining three. Jughaene asked that he be reimbursed for 12 years of paying on those inactive taps, either through an abatement of fees, or an outright sale of those taps. The council decided that the present working budget did not allow for either an abatement of fees or the purchase of those taps. They did, however, allow for revisiting the issue when the next year’s budget is under discussion. The council also came to a decision regarding unauthorized water shut offs at the town meter pits by homeown-

ers. The trustees decided to impose a $100 fee for any damage resulting in unauthorized shut offs. The council will publicize its decision to levy this fee in its April billing notices and in its April cleanup publications. The council will urge homeowners to either install a shut off at their homes with appropriate insulation or to agree to call on authorized personnel to help with the problem of burst or leaking pipes originating at the pits. A fee would also be levied for calling upon a town employee to turn off the water at the meter pit outside of business hours. The town council also made a motion related to implementing standard practices in personnel overtime and sick leave time for the town’s employees. The approved policy limits the amount of accrued overtime hours and the rollover of sick time. Since no agenda items were proposed for April’s meeting, the March work meeting scheduled for March 20, was cancelled.

Water workshop in Paonia tonight The Delta Conservation District and the Western Slope Conservation Center will host a free workshop on water on Wednesday, March 13, beginning at 6 p.m. at The Paradise Theatre in Paonia. Peter Goble, CSU climatologist and drought specialist, will speak about his current research aimed at deepening understanding of how changes and variations in the state’s climate impact the ag community. Goble is also the Colorado coordinator for the Com-

munity Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. Also on the agenda is Dave Kanzer, well known Colorado River District Deputy Chief Engineer. His main topic will be “Contingency Planning: aka expecting the unexpected in the Colorado River Basin.” This will include the Colorado Drought Contingency Plan; what can we expect if Arizona and California don’t adopt plans; and how this will affect the Lower Gunnison and North Fork areas.

B2 Wednesday, March 13, 2019

NORTH FORK TIMES

Hotchkiss-Crawford Historical Museum hosts quilt show A collection of donated quilts will be on display at the Hotchkiss-Crawford Historical Museum on Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 180 S. 2nd Street in Hotchkiss. Admission to the museum will be free for that day. This will coincide with the S & B Quilters Cabin Fever quilt show. Space permitting, there will be over a dozen quilts displayed. Many of the quilts are quite old and are displaying signs of age but all have interesting stories behind them. The public is invited to view these quilts from years gone by. One of the quilts is the

Rockwell quilt donated in 2009 by Dan Rockwell to honor and remember the Rockwell family. The quilt is believed to have been constructed by his great grandmother, Dora Miller and assisted by her daughter, Aileen

Cabin Fever Quilt Show set for March 15-17 The 2019 Cabin Fever Quilt Show will take place March 15-17 at Heritage Hall on the Delta County Fairgrounds in Hotchkiss. The show will be open Friday and Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 11-3. Sponsored by S&B Quilters’ Guild of Hotchkiss, this show features beautiful quilts and quilted items. There will also be vendors and dem-

Rockwell. Aileen was the wife of Robert Rockwell. The quilt has beautiful embroidery throughout and the lace surrounding it is possibly handmade. Another quilt was donated by Beulah Barrow Smith. It was made by her grandmother, Martha Barrow, and the quilt has a 1905 ribbon on it from the fair in Hotchkiss. Beulah remembered that she used this quilt as a child, especially when ill. The Umstad quilt is a work of art and a must see. It was constructed by Olive Douglass Umstad. Olive was born in 1853, moved to this area in the late 1890s and died in 1932. The quilt was donated by Hazel McLeod. It is made of satins, lace and other fine fabrics. The embroidery stitches link the pieces together and are varied and nicely done. Frogs, acorns, holly, cherries and a little boy in overalls are some of the embellishments that adorn the plain pieces.

onstrations. Admission is free. Handmade items are available for purchase from the S&B Boutique, and the Calico Café will have coffee and treats. Tickets for the 2019 Raffle Quilt drawing will be on sale for $1 each. Grab a few friends and make a day of it. On March 15, the For more information, Western Slope Conseremail sbquilters1989@ vation Center is hostgmail.com. ing a one-night screening of “The Colorado” at the Paradise Theatre in Paonia. The film, with its cinematic storytelling and score, has garnered worldwide acclaim and interest since its release �� in 2016. The Colorado, set to music by today’s leading composers and narrated by the stage legend Mark Rylance, takes viewers on a journey in nine chapters through the prehistoric settlements of the region, the period of European exploration, the dam-building era, modern industrial agriculture and immigration, and the impact of �� climate change. The Grammy-winning �� vocal ensemble Roomful �� of Teeth, cellist Jeffrey Zeigler (Kronos Quartet), and composer-percussion�� ist Glenn Kotche (Wilco) perform the film’s exhilarating score. �� The film will be shown Friday, March 15, at 7 �� p.m. at the Paradise The�� atre. Seats are available on a first-come, first�� served basis and doors

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FROM PAGE B1 produce up to 700 billion cubic feet of natural gas over the 30-year life of the project. The proposal estimates that approximately 122 workers would be employed during development of the wells, which would occur over four years. “Gunnison Energy changed its proposal to use the slickwater method of hydraulic fracturing instead of the previously proposed nitrogen foam method. It is important for the public to have the opportunity to review the modified proposal and provide comments specific to the new aspects of this proposal,” said BLM Uncompahgre field manager Greg Larson. “If approved, this project has the potential to make additional energy reserves available for the American public while bringing additional jobs to our local communities.” The State of Colorado receives 49 percent of revenues from leases issued on public lands

open at 6:30 p.m. A donation of $5 is suggested at the door. For more information head to WSCC’s website: http://western slopeconservation.org/.

in Colorado, which could result in up to $27 million in payments over the life of the project. The proposal and preliminary environmental assessment can be viewed online at https:// go.usa.gov/xQBaq. For comments to be considered, submissions must be received by April 1 via mail to the BLM Colorado River Valley Field Office, 2300 River Frontage Road, Silt, CO 81652, via email to comments-rockymountain-gmug@fs.fed. us or online at https://

go.usa.gov/xQBaq. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment — including your personal identifying information — may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask that personal identifying information be withheld from public review, there is no guarantee.

Photo by Katie Dean

MathCounts team

Students from Paonia Middle School advanced to regional MathCounts, which was held in Grand Junction Saturday, Feb. 23. Pictured from the left are Logan Farnsworth, Lane Allen, Olivia White, Graham Waltermire and Malachai Deck. Waltermire placed second overall and will compete at the state level at the University of Denver on March 23. This is the third year in a row that Waltermire has ﬁnished in the top three at regional competition.

Friends of Memorial Hall urged to send in their dues BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Friends and members of Hotchkiss Memorial Hall are encouraged to support the communityowned facility by buying or renewing membership. The dues are just $5 (or more, if you care to donate) and can be mailed to Memorial Hall, PO Box 911, Hotchkiss, CO 81419. “This facility belongs to you, and your participation is not just requested, it is needed to keep this place a treasure for the Hotchkiss community,” said board secretary Nancy Stevens in a recent letter. Other board members include Paul Schmucker, president; Dave Whittlesey, vice president; Bob

Sussman, treasurer; Eric Hollembeak, treasurerelect; Billie Marta, corresponding secretary; and Linda Dysart, member at large. The letter detailed the major projects undertaken in 2018, in addition to routine maintenance. The complete hall was painted inside and out with the exception of the Wheeler Room, which was recently updated by the ladies from Bega Sigma Phi, Beta Mu. The attic was completely insulated to keep the hall more comfortable and improve its energy efficiency. Stevens’ letter notes both those projects were quite costly. Insulated shades were installed in the hallway and ballroom windows, and two additional

security cameras were installed. Memorial Hall was built in 1949 through donations of money and labor and profits from Kowboy Karnival, started for that purpose and abandoned in the early 1970s when participation declined. These same donations of money, labor and room rental have kept the hall going for the past 70 or so years and the board is once again seeking the help of community-minded citizens, organizations and businesses to show their support of this versatile building. Every effort is made to keep rental rates low so they are affordable for the community. For information, email nancystevens@tds.net.

Uranium the Musical comes to the Paradise

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Screening of ‘The Colorado’ on March 15

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Delta County Independent

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On Saturday, March 16, at 7 p.m., the Paradise Theatre will host a special performance of “Uranium the Musical” by local playwright Marty Durlin. The production comes from Moab, where Durlin has created and directed radio plays for the past four years on behalf of community radio station KZMU. The Paonia performance will feature the Moab players, including a cast of nine and an orchestra of five along with sound effects and stage crew. Set in the Moab of 1956, the musical fea-

tures real people — “Uranium King” Charlie Steen, young Arches park ranger Edward Abbey, Milt and Audrey Galbraith of Milt’s Stop n Eat, and the “Goatman” Jack Holley — as well as fictional characters, including a female private eye and a pair of Soviet spies. While the play is a fantasy, the setting is real: boomtown Moab. The play focuses on Steen’s story, as he persists in his search for a vein of uranium that would ultimately make him “Urani-

um King.” Backed by his mother Rose, urged on by his wife ML, Steen was determined to strike it rich, and uranium looked to be the way. Vocal harmonies were created by Paonia resident Dylan Fixmer, who conducts the North Fork Community Chorus, teaches music at Hotchkiss K8 School, and has numerous musical side projects. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the door, or in advance at The Cirque in Paonia.

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Win a Kindle!

Photo submitted

Visit Delta County Libraries’ new website during the month of March for a chance to win a Kindle. From the homepage of the website, www.deltalibraries.org, patrons can click into an online scavenger hunt. Just search the new website for information and submit your answers for a chance to win. The winner will be announced on Monday, April 8. Happy hunting!

NORTH FORK TIMES

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Returning to her roots, Sisson opens Third Street Grill BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Photo submitted

Calling animal lovers

Is an animal communicator born or made? Shelley Gibbs will present a short talk about her own journey and her experiences communicating with animals, followed by Q&A. All animal lovers are welcome to hear her talk Tuesday, March 19, 6 p.m. at the Paonia Library.

A peach of an idea to open a restaurant was planted, nurtured and grew into the Third Street Grill. Located in the former Paonia Laundromat on Third Street next to the Paonia Flower Shop, Grill co-owners Xanadu Sisson and Lance Helmer and their three employees began serving breakfast and lunch on March 4 following a 10-month remodel. “We were planning to open two weeks ago but the water situation got in our way,” said Sisson.

New bishopric serves Paonia A new bishopric is serving in the Paonia Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. Roswell Checketts of Somerset is the new bishop, with Darren Harward of Lazear and Mike Miller of Paonia as his counselors. President Nicolas Taylor of the Montrose Colorado Stake presided at the proceedings on Feb. 24, held in the chapel at 511 Oak Avenue in Paonia. Other leaders and local members of the church were also present. Bishop Checketts replaces Scott Morley who served as bishop of Paonia Ward since 2014. A bishopric is as an unpaid volunteer ministry and serves 15 to 30 hours per week typically for a period of five years. They are primarily responsible for ensuring that the spiritual and temporal needs of the congregation are met. “Kerry and I are so pleased to be back in the North Fork Valley,” said Bishop Checketts. “We feel it a great honor to be called to serve the

Police calls include injured deer and criminal mischief

Photo by Kevin Nelson

Paonia Ward bishopric (from left): Darren Harward, Bishop Roswell Checketts, Mike Miller. wonderful people in this area.” Paonia includes nearly 400 members of the church residing in Crawford, Hotchkiss, Lazear, Paonia and Somerset. The ward is one of 11 congregations in the Montrose Colorado Stake. The stake includes approximately 4,000 members in the cities and surrounding areas of Cedaredge, Delta, Gunnison, Hotchkiss, Montrose,

Paonia, Naturita, Norwood, Nucla, Olathe, Ouray, and Telluride. The term “stake” is derived from Old Testament tent imagery in which the “tent,” or church, is held up by supporting stakes (Isaiah 33:20; 54:2). Church services in Paonia Ward are 10 a.m. to noon every Sunday. Visitors are welcome to attend Sabbath Day meetings and weekday activities.

“We’re cleanliness, good food, and prompt service with a little wait for quality,” said Sisson. Sisson has worked as an assistant surgeon at Aspen Valley Hospital, and sold real estate in the Roaring Fork Valley for 20 years, but grew up in restaurant kitchens. Dad John Sisson, a Delta County native, worked in kitchens for 52 years beginning in the 1960s at the Fireside Inn in Glenwood Springs. He was head chef for some of the top restaurants in Aspen, feeding celebrities, royalty, and at least three U.S. presidents. Sisson worked alongside her dad, preparing feasts for Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan and his entourage. John Sisson also coowned The Diner, which he and a partner ran for 11 years before his retirement in 2016. With Paonia experiencing a growth spurt, Sisson saw an opportunity to move closer to her dad, her extended family, and open a business. So far, said Xanadu Sisson, “This has been fantastic. It’s everything we expected it to be.” Located in the old Paonia Laundromat on Third Street, its table and counter seating, retro decor and menu mimic The Diner. Sisson chose the plump, fuzzy peach for its brand, incorporating into their logo and decor, much of which came from The Diner. “I wanted a brand that encompasses the likings of all people,” said Sisson. “I thought, who doesn’t like a peach?” Recipes combine Paonia staples with entrees from around the

Photo by Tamie Meck

From left, chef John Sisson, head chef Crystal Rose, owner/partners Xanadu Sisson and Lance Helmer recently opened the Third Street Grill in Paonia. country — New Orleans inspired, 1960s recipes from her dad, and quinoa bowls. Their “Tropic” dish honors the local Tropic Ditch, and in the coming months Sisson plans to introduce new recipes representing other American regions. Head chef Crystal Rose also learned her craft from John Sisson. “We’re so blessed to have her on our team,” said Sisson. The Grill also fills a gap in Paonia’s breakfast and lunch options after

Hightower Cafe’s recent closure. Two other Paonia eateries are opening soon, one in the former Flying Fork space at Third and Main, and another at the former Nelle’s Cafe location on Grand Avenue. Sisson said she’s excited to see what those restaurants will offer. “We need a place to eat, too,” she said. The Grill is open 9 a.m.2:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday; beginning March it will open at 8 a.m. daily, seven days a week.

Soul Train party at the Blue Sage Dig out your best ‘70s attire and join your friends for the Disco Fever/Soul Train party at the Blue Sage in Paonia on Saturday, March 16, from 8 to 11 p.m. Dance to the music

of DJs Skip and Patty. Prizes for the best 70s attire. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. For information call 970-527-7243, or email info@bluesage.org.

•••••• •• •• •• •• •• ••

BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

According the Paonia Police Department, officers responded to 58 calls during the month of February. Officers issued two verbal warnings, five written warnings, five citations, and assisted other agencies on four occasions. Traffic stops resulted in three written warnings and five citations, also known as traffic tickets. On Feb. 28 officers responded to a report of criminal mischief at the Technical College of the Rockies campus on Fourth Street. Since juveniles were involved, details weren’t available, said Paonia Police Chief Neil Ferguson. During the month no burglaries were reported. Officers did respond to a report of a trespass on Grand Avenue on Feb. 28, which involved an unwelcomed party refusing to leave private property. Officers responded to two calls about injured deer. At 3:05 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, Delta County Sheriff ’s Office didn’t have a deputy in the area and asked Paonia police to respond to a report of a deer that was attacked by another animal outside of town limits on Gunnison Mountain Lane. The animal was deceased when the officer arrived. At 6:56 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, officers responded to a report of a deer tangled up in a fence on Rio Grande Avenue. That animal was injured and was put down, said Ferguson. Both calls were “kind of unusual,” said Ferguson. “But we’ve had an influx of deer calls this year.”

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B4 Wednesday, March 13, 2019

NORTH FORK TIMES

Delta County Independent

Students suggest environmental solutions BY ANNETTE BRAND Staff Writer

At the March 5 Delta County Commissioners meeting, eight middle school students from Paonia Experiential Leadership Academy (PELA) gave presentations regarding their suggestions for dealing with critical environmental problems the earth is facing today. The students were introduced to the commissioners by their teacher, Emily Wassell, Ph.D., who is also director of PELA. Following are excerpts from each student’s presentation in the order in which they appeared. Lisa Eller: The High Country News’ article “Climate Change and the West” shows blood curdling facts about what this planet will be like in just twelve short years of irresponsible energy usage. I read this article with my school and some of my fellow classmates were on the verge of tears. The future of our envi-

ronment is solar energy. ... With more than 100 milliwatts of storage capacity, we can store when energy demand is low, and supply when energy demand is high. Converting to solar energy is cost effective and environmentally effective. Ellie Feder: I want generations after me to see this valley, but they won’t unless we reduce our water use. We use 400 gallons of water a day, each and every one of us. That’s a lot of water. If all government buildings have a policy such as replacing broken fixtures with low flow toilets and faucets, it would save a substantial amount of water, and money. We could also encourage everyone to do the same thing when remodeling or building a new home. Tyler Delvaugh: Our topsoil is getting used faster than it can be replenished. If our soil isn’t full of nutrients we aren’t going to be able to make enough food. If we keep building over

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the rich topsoil, we aren’t going to have a bright future. Considering agriculture is such a large part of this county, topsoil should be a more critical problem. We need good soil to survive. Krimzin Black: Compost is a mild, slow release, natural fertilizer that won’t burn plants like chemical fertilizers. It provides organic matter and nutrients which will improve plant growth and lead to better yields. Americans generate about 254 million tons of trash. We recycle and compost about 87 tons of this material. Delta County would benefit from having a countywide composting program because our county would make money and provide jobs. This small percentage of help could save our planet. Nikoya Schevene: I am here to share ideas about how creating arbor cities will greatly benefit Delta County. Samuel Wade, with his two sons, imported many trees by covered wagon from Missouri (over 530 fruit trees and over 1,000 grape vines and berry vines). All he had to keep them from freezing was a campfire. In Paonia he built a two-mile long ditch to irrigate his new fruit plants. Two thirds of the fruit died in the next winter, but those that survived made a home here that has spread throughout the town and become one of our major exports. It has been determined in Salt Lake City that a

tree canopy reduced surface runoff by 11.3 million gallons during a oneinch rain. Matthew Delaney: I speak on behalf of banning plastic bags in Delta County. Every year Americans alone use over 1 billion plastic bags, which uses 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. These bags can be costly to pay for and to clean up after. Also, plastic bags almost never degrade. Ridgway has banned plastic bags. Steamboat has banned plastic bags. The entire state of Hawaii has banned plastic bags and California is taking steps towards banning plastic bags. Please help us put a ban on plastic bags or at least replace oil-based bags with bio-degradable ones made from things such as corn and hemp. Saffire Black: I think having more bike paths would benefit this county

in a very positive way. It would decrease injuries to cyclists and people would feel more safe when biking. It would control obesity and promote physical fitness. Tourists would be more interested and drawn to the county. Bicycling and walking projects also create more jobs per dollar than road projects. More bike paths would reduce the number of car trips people take and, with the money saved from lower travel costs, people would have more money to spend on local businesses. Cleya Hartter: I’ve noticed changes in nature that will affect the economics of Delta County forever. Colorado is getting warmer. The temperatures in Denver have risen 50 percent since 1970. I couldn’t find any statistics on temperature changes in Delta County. We can no longer say that Colorado is in a drought. It’s become so

Photo by Annette Brand

Students from the Paonia Experiential Leadership Academy researched a variety of environmental issues, then offered solutions to the Delta County Commissioners.

much more than that. A word to describe it is aridification. Aridification is when a region or area becomes increasingly dry over a long period of time. Unlike a drought, which will go away and climate return to what it was, aridification doesn’t go away. Once we can make that switch in our minds and accept that the heating of our area is long lasting, we can work as a county, a group, a community to change the way we live our lives for the greater good of our planet. Commissioners Suppes and Lane expressed their appreciation to the students for their presentations. (Commissioner Roeber was absent.) They also complimented the students and their teacher on the subject matter and the knowledge and understanding the students brought to their presentations. The Paonia Experiential Leadership Academy is a private secondary school (grades 7-12) in a small agricultural valley in Colorado. The student-centered school collaborates with students and parents to facilitate meaningful experiential learning field trips that develop the head, heart and hands of the student. The school integrates the seven realms of wellbeing with core academic content to create relevant learning opportunities. The focus is on progress, accountability and quality. The website for the school is https://www.paonia experientialleadership academy.org.

Meet Elsewhere’s resident artists Elsewhere Studio invites you to meet its new artists-in residence. Leah Danze is a painter who is currently interested in exploring the possibilities of clay and cardboard. She has collaborated with poets, musicians, muralists and community organizers in the United States and in Latin America. Right now, she is interested in the intersections of memory and the body. Danze’s art practice is informed by humans’ relationships to each other and the natural world. She thrives on making art in unexpected places. JaMin Yie is a South Korean artist. She studied painting in the U.S. and France. Subsequent work has led her to Sri Lanka and Nepal, where she cultivated a sensibility for the ephemeral and sublime nature of things. By working from nature, Yie aims to restore “original mind” — to enter a primal non-dual state of being via complete immersion in the encounter between mind and object. Each stroke of paint or ink records a moment of instantaneous convergence between nature and her consciousness, facilitated by the sense of sight. As a result, her work describes a reality that is illuminated from within, neither subjective nor objective but both at

once, its luminosity seen through the shadows of passing forms. Sonja Hinrichsen examines urban and natural environments through exploration and research. As an artist she feels the responsibility to address subject matters our society tends to neglect or deny, particularly adverse impacts to the natural world. Her work manifests in immersive video installations, video performances and interventions in nature. Her participatory project “Snow Drawings” engag-

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es communities worldwide. Abbey Paccia earned her BA in animation at Sheridan College. Since then, she has worked professionally in the field and independently develops her own projects. Living in the Pacific Northwest opened her to new inspirations and she has shifted her artistic endeavors, mixing her love of story with imagery of the natural world. While at Elsewhere, Paccia intends to focus on the creation of an illustrated book, combining

Photo submitted

Exceptional Eagles

On March 1 the pictured Paonia Elementary School students were recognized for demonstrating SOAR behavior. From left to right the students are Cheyanne Keim, Brooke Harding, Presley Kunde and Iain Straub for order, achievement and respect. Paonia Elementary School provides a SAFE and ORDERLY environment that promotes high ACHIEVEMENT and growth, individuality and RESPECT. Way to SOAR students!

the “Shadow World” visual style that she has been developing for the past two years and a narrative influenced by ancient cultures, ecological interconnectedness and personal journeys.

Trivia Night benefits Crawford Montessori North Fork Friends of Montessori present Trivia Night at the Creamery Arts Center, 165 W. Bridge Street in Hotchkiss, on Saturday, March 16. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m., with competition at 7 p.m. Play as an individual or with a team of up to six members. Registration is $10 per person per game. All proceeds will benefit field trips and professional development at North Fork Montessori @ Crawford. This event is for adults 21 and older. Snacks and libations will be available for purchase, and door prizes will be awarded throughout the evening. For more information, contact sara.puharich@ deltaschools.com.

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SPORTS

Delta County Independent

SPORTS March 13, 2019

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

www.deltacountyindependent.com

More than ‘one and done’ ing parts to the Delta girls season was the fact that this year’s team was With great regret, last the first to be in an ‘Elite week’s exciting trip to Eight’ round in a so-noted the 2019 3A Boys and segment of play in a state Girls State Basketball tournament. Championships ended far Neither team should too soon for Delta High feel as though they had School’s student athletes. anything less than a sucBoth the boys and girls’ cessful season. Delta’s teams were part of a boys finished the year life’s dream to play in a with a school best 20state tournament in front 5 overall record and the of a big crowd at a ‘big girls recorded another venue.’ school-best record of 23-2 Delta’s boys and girls in 2018-19, helping take were more than qualithe sting out of an old fied to participate in the saying, “one and done.” annual state competition Delta Boys to crown the top teams Vanguard 62, Delta 53 in five divisions of basDelta’s first game of ketball. Both teams demthe season was in Denver onstrated their worth in against its last opponent arriving at Colorado’s of the year, The Vanbiggest basketball show guard School. The Coursof the year with program ers defeated Delta 82-62 bests to match other state in what Delta’s coaching qualifiers from around staff declared an earlythe state. There are 73 season learning experiteams in Colorado’s 3A ence with the Panthers classification and the turning the ball over Delta Panthers made it numerous times in the to the ‘Elite Eight’ for the loss. right to vie for a state Last Thursday’s conchampionship. test against Vanguard Delta’s boys were was an entirely different attending a state basketgame. ball tournament for the First quarter action first time since 1978-79 was cautious with the and 1984. There have Coursers easing to a 14been numerous Delta 10 lead as the two teams Panther teams (both boys prepared for the second and girls) which have quarter. participated in Sweet A pair of free throws 16 competitions over the from Jonathan Robinyears. son pulled the Panthers One of Delta County to within two early in Independent’s loyal readthe second period. Vaners offered some connectguard stretched the lead ing links to the past sucout to seven (19-12) on a three-point goal from Dominique Clifford and a two-pointer from Seth Fuqua. Two three-point goals by Kyle Mock tied the game at 22-22 near the three minute mark of the second period. Six straight free throws and a field goal stretched the Courser lead to 30-22 with a minute left in the period. Eli Farmer nailed a three-point goal from the left side and drove to the paint for a two-point goal to bring Delta to within five after a Clifford basket made the halftime score 32-27. Delta fell behind by as many as eight in the third quarter before rallying to take a 38-37 lead on an Andrew Baier basket near the three minute mark in the third quarter. Vanguard managed to squeeze out a five-point (45-40) lead by the end of the period. The Panthers fell behind by eight early in the fourth quarter but fought back to trail by three on a Baier field goal at the six minute mark. The closest Delta could Photo by Wayne Crick get after that was on a Senior Kyle Mock scores on a jump shot against Baier free throw which The Vanguard School in last Thursday’s 62-53 quar- had the Panthers down terﬁnal loss. Mock scored 18 points in the loss. two, 52-50, with under three minutes to go.

BY WAYNE CRICK DCI Sports Editor

cess of Delta High School basketball teams. A reference to the time lapse for state participation in boys play at a state level was brought to light by former student/athlete David Kuta. Kuta’s recollection of the last time a Delta High School boys basketball team attended a state competition, and played in an ‘Elite Eight’ game, dated back to the 1984 season. According to Kuta, the Panthers lost to Florence, Beat Centauri and lost to Fountain-Fort Carson to place sixth. Previous to 1984, according to Kuta, a Delta team ventured across the mountains for an ‘Elite Eight’ appearance in 1978 and 1979, when brother Gregg was a member of the Delta team which participated in what was, at that time, simply referred to as the state tournament. It would seem relevant to call any play past a district competition, such as the 3A District Tournament in Grand Junction, as a state tournament contest. Kuta also noted all games in the 1984 state competition were played at the Auditorium Arena, which was torn down to make room for what is now the Colorado Convention Center. Thank you, Mr. Kuta, for sharing the facts and setting the record straight. One of the most excit-

With Delta needing the ball, the Panthers were forced to foul and Vanguard hit enough of its free throws to pull away for a 62-53 victory. The loss was bitter sweet for the Panthers as Vanguard went on to defeat No. 8 DSST: Stapleton in the semifinals to advance to the title game against No. 3 Manual, which defeated No. 2 Sterling, 61-55, in the other semifinal contest. Manual went on to win the 2019 3A title against Vanguard, 80-68. Sterling finished third with its 7237 decision over DSST: Stapleton. Delta got 18 points from Mock to lead the Panther’s offense. Teammate Jonathan Robinson finished with 12 points and Baier had nine. Vanguard’s Clifford scored 23 points to lead all scorers in the game with teammates Carter Milroy and Seth Fuqua finishing with 11 points each. An emotional Rob Ames told his players after the game, “I’m so proud of you all. You played for each other and never quit. Never forget what you accomplished and share your stories with your children.” As for who might return for another 3A state title run ... nothing is certain. A look at the numbers indicates Resurrection Christian heads the list of potential returners with just two seniors leaving due to graduation. Teams losing three seniors include DSST: Stapleton and Montezuma Cortez. Lutheran will lose four seniors, as will Sterling. The remainder of this year’s field graduates five or more seniors. Delta leads the way with eight seniors, The Vanguard School has six and Manual will lose five. Delta Girls Eaton 53, Delta 45 Defensive pressure by both teams created a few turnovers and miscues for both teams. The Reds had more turnovers (2017) in the game but prevailed offensively with higher shooting percentages than did the Panthers. Delta was eight of 22 from the field in the first half (36.4%) and six of 25 in the second half (24.0%) for a game total of 14 for 47 and a 29.8% game average. Eaton was 10 of 19 in the first half and six of 20 in the second half for a 16 of 39 game performance and a 41.0%. The game became

physical the longer teams played and a total of 48 fouls were called. Delta had the edge in this category with 14 of 23 made freethrows (60.9%) while the Reds made 16 of 28 for a 57.1%. Eaton took advantage of Delta’s missed shots in the first quarter and came away with a 15-9 lead. The Panthers shaved one point off Eaton’s lead in the second quarter with their 15-14 advantage to trail 29-24 at halftime. At the end of the third quarter Delta had trimmed Eaton’s lead to 36-35. A 17-10 fourth quarter allowed the Reds to pull away for a 53-45 quarterfinal win in this year’s 3A state playoffs. Sophomore Keely Porter had another good day on offense for the Panthers with 15 points to lead all scorers in the game. Porter also had six rebounds and was seven of 11 at the free throw line to go with her one assist and four steals. Sara Geddes scored 12 points (four-for-four free throws) and had 12 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Freshman Erika Kuta was Delta’s third player in double figures, offensively, with 11 points. Kuta also pulled down four rebounds in the contest. Eaton’s final game of the 2019 state tournament came in its Final Four loss to eventual state

champion St. Mary’s, 5420. It was St. Mary’s second straight title. Next year’s 3A state tournament could see the same eight teams, who played in this year’s Elite Eight, return for another run for the title. Eaton has four seniors moving on while Alamosa, Colorado Springs Christian and Delta all graduating three seniors. Centauri will lose two seniors with Pagosa Springs and St. Mary’s needing to replace just one senior in 201920.

Photo by Wayne Crick

Sophomore Keely Porter scores two of her gamehigh 15 points on this jump shot against Eaton last Thursday.

Photo by Wayne Crick

Junior Sara Geddes scores on a short jump shot against Eaton’s Reds in last Thursday’s quarterﬁnal Class 3A State Tournament game. Geddes was 4/4 at the free throw line and ﬁnished the game with 12 points.

Photo by Wayne Crick

Delta girls’ coach Kyle Crowder ponders his next option in last week’s quarDelta coach Rob Ames greets his players as they come off the floor late in last terfinal play against Eaton. The Reds had a better offensive game than Delta Thursday’s 3A Elite 8 State Basketball Tournament game against The Van- with 41 percent of their shots falling from the field to Delta’s 29.8 percent. Eaton won the game, 53-45. guard School. Vanguard pulled away late in the fourth quarter to win 62-53. Photo by Wayne Crick

B6 Wednesday, March 13, 2019

SPORTS

Delta County Independent

Photo by Wayne Crick

Delta’s ﬂashy point-guard, Alexus Fausto (1), works some quick moves to get around Vanguard’s Seth Fuqua (33) last Thursday night at Denver University in the quarterﬁnal round of the 3A State Basketball Tournament. Vanguard won the game, 62-53.

Photo by Wayne Crick

Senior Kyle Mock was a thorn in the side of Vanguard’s defense last Thursday night in the quarterﬁnal round of the 3A state basketball tournament hosted by Denver University. Mock scored 18 points in a losing cause, 62-53.

Photo by Wayne Crick

Delta senior Jonathan Robinson gets inside the defense of Vanguard’s Carter Milroy (0) and Logan Arrasimth (21) to score two of his 12 points in a 6253 quarterﬁnal loss to the Coursers in last week’s Class 3A State Basketball Championships.

Photo by Wayne Crick

Delta freshman Erika Kuta (1) scores two points on this jumper against Eaton defenders Sydney Booth (21), Kaleigh Williams (1) and Addie Randel (hand in the face of Kuta). Eaton’s quickness and aggressive play was too much for Delta in a 53-45 loss.

Photo by Tamie Meck

Delta’s John Ames, center, starts the 1600-meter run at the 2018 Western Slope district track meet in Grand Junction last season. Track season opens in Delta County this Saturday with the annual Delta High School Invitational meet. Field events start at 9 a.m. and running events at 9:30 a.m. Results are posted following each event at co.milesplit.com/timing/scottmeets.wikispaces.com.

Sparks named Paonia’s �� head baseball coach ��

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BY TAMIE MECK With all the rain, up until now, prep baseball season in the North Fork Valley has been all wiffle balls and indoor practices. But when Paonia opens the season against 3A Gunnison on March 23, it’ll be ready, said Eagles head coach Ricky Sparks. Sparks was recently named to replace Nate Miller, a Paonia graduate and all-state baseball player who coached the Eagles to two state 2A titles and was twice named 2A coach of the year during his four-year tenure at Paonia. When Miller announced last fall that he was leaving, he told the DCI he hoped that “someone within the organization will step up and take over.” Sparks stepped up. Since joining the program in 2012, Sparks has been assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach. The decision was more like drawing straws than having someone make the decision, said Sparks. Coaches, players and school administration all had a say. “We knew we wanted to keep it inhouse,” said Sparks. Miller “wishes us his best and he wishes he could be out here,” he added. A 2003 Hotchkiss High School graduate, Sparks attended Dallas Baptist University on a baseball scholarships. In 2006 Sparks was drafted by the New York Mets and pitched relief for three seasons. “This is my 30th year of baseball

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DCI Sports Writer

if you count T-ball,” said Sparks. All but one assistant coach, Steve Swartzendruber, returns this season. “Schwartz” retired last year after more than three decades of coaching sports at Paonia. Only one returning coach, assistant coach Nate Wiggins, is a Paonia High School graduate. The other coaches all graduated from Hotchkiss. Collectively, they hold seven school baseball records. Since 2003 Sparks has held the Hotchkiss school record for ERAs, and is tied for most at-bats in a single season. A 2004 HHS grad who also has coached at Paonia since 2012, Curt Morgan holds school records for the most strikeouts by a pitcher in a single sea-

son, RBIs, slugging percentage, and home runs. He played two seasons at Lamar Junior College. Eric Neal is also a 1992 graduate and state champion wrestler from Hotchkiss. Two new coaches, Brandon Bell and Michael Sparks, will help out with the team when time allows. Sparks is the younger brother of Ricky Sparks, and Bell is a 2004 Hotchkiss graduate who holds the school record for most base on balls (walks) by a batter in a season. Sparks said Miller leaves him with a strong program and a good team. “I don’t think it’s very often that you change head coaches after two state championships,” he said.

Returning players — seniors Soul Connolly and David Lozano; juniors Jai Petmezas, Shane Odom, Austyn Norris, Carlos Lozano and Grey Neal; and sophomore Gunner Putman are there because they want to be, he said. “They’re working harder right now than I’ve ever seen them work.” While returning players bring state championship experience to the program, the Eagles lost eight talented seniors, most of them all-state players. “We’re going to play a little bit different baseball this year,” said Sparks. “We’re not going to hit 25 home runs. We’re going to have to show a little more grit and scrap and show a little bit more of a team effort from top to bottom.”

Photo by Tamie Meck

Paonia baseball coach Ricky Sparks works with ace pitcher Soul Connolly and other players during a recent indoor practice. Sparks was recently named to replace former head coach Nate Miller. He and four other Eagle coaches are Hotchkiss High School graduates.

SURFACE CREEK March 13, 2019

NEWS

Section

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Sandhill cranes return March 15-17 For the past eight years in March, Black Canyon Audubon Society (BCAS) has welcomed back the migrating sandhill cranes at Fruitgrowers Reservoir outside of Eckert. This year, Eckert Crane Days will take place March 15-17. On Friday, March 15, from 7-9 p.m., there will be a wine and appetizer reception at the Graystone Restaurant on North Road (just east of the intersection with Highway 65) in Eckert. Dr. David Noe from Paonia, the featured speaker, will talk about why the cranes choose to stop at the reservoir. Please call 970-874-9532 by March 10 to make a reservation. There is a $20 charge to attend. On March 15-17, come to Fruitgrowers Reservoir between 9 and 11 a.m. to watch the sandhill cranes lift off. The migrating sandhill cranes arrive late in the

afternoon and rest, feed, and overnight in the fields around the reservoir. They are coming from wintering in New Mexico via a stop at Monte Vista and will continue north from Fruitgrowers Reservoir to their breeding grounds. If the weather turns cold, windy or snowy, they may stay in the area for a few days. Stacy’s on Main Street in Cedaredge will provide fresh coffee and baked goods to the early risers; these will be available for sale on Saturday and Sunday mornings, only. On Saturday, between noon and 2 p.m. there will be a free lunch at the nearby Hart’s Basin Ranch, sponsored by Western States Ranches. BCAS members will be available with spotting scopes to answer questions regarding the migration of sandhill cranes. Bring your binoculars and spotting scopes if you have them. Last year, over a threeweek period, 6,000 cranes came through the area. To watch the cranes lift off, BCAS will set up at a pull-off west of the reservoir on North Road. From Eckert, turn east onto North Road and follow the road up the hill; you will see BCAS tables and scopes with parking available on both sides of the road. Parking is also available in a small parking lot down the hill and closer to the reservoir. In addition to watching the cranes, BCAS members will also be on the causeway (North Road) to watch waterfowl and answer questions. For more information, go to the BCAS website, www. blackcanyonaudubon.org, or contact president Bruce Ackerman at Bruceackermanaud@aol.com.

Photo by Emy Lynn Roque Cisneros

Part of the application process to register a home on the list of historic places is research. Current homeowner Schum was delighted to discover her home, 540 W. Main Street, is one of the originals built in Cedaredge. Once her home is approved, another plaque, designating it as a historical site, will be placed beneath the “Circa 1908” one at her front door.

Register of historic places preserves Cedaredge heritage 111-year-old home is candidate for historic register BY EMY LYNN ROQUE CISNEROS Staff Writer

Cedaredge’s Historic Preservation Board (HPB) is considering adding another residential property to the local register of historic places. The home — 540 W. Main Street — was built in 1908 by a local builder at the time, Robert “Bob” James. One of the HPB board members and grandchild of James, Mike Mills, lived in that home

as a child. Registering 540 W. Main acts to help preserve a part of Cedaredge’s humble beginnings and James’ hard work. “It’s different now,” said Mills. “During that time lilacs were everywhere in town and when they went into bloom, all of Cedaredge smelled like lilac.” Remembering the home itself he recalled the trees and bushes surrounding the property. “There used to be an apple tree to the west of the home and I remember building a treehouse and eating lots of apples there,” he said fondly. Mills joined the HPB largely because of his grandfather,

who first came to Cedaredge in 1901. Having just recently become master carpenter, he was in high demand for building for over 30 years. He built the first bridge across Surface Creek, the silos at Pioneer Town, and several of the first churches, businesses and homes. “Because of my grandfather’s influence in Cedaredge I’ve always been interested in the towns heritage,” said Mills. “He was very active in the community, on one of the early town councils and president of the Cedaredge lumber yard for a time.” HISTORIC PLACES TO C2

OC trustees debate water rates, paid holidays BY EMY LYNN ROQUE CISNEROS Staff Writer

Trustee Craig Fuller started the Orchard City Board of Trustees work session by suggesting the town recognize the foreign exchange students at a meeting twice a year. They all agreed and town administrator Melissa Oelke thought it would be good to place each exchange student’s flag around the walls of the community room as a way to see what countries have visited Orchard City. Next the trustees discussed amending the personnel policy holiday schedule. Currently Orchard City does not observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “Am I the only person who doesn’t see the reason to add another holiday?” said trustee Jan Gage. Currently there are 10.5 paid holidays. Trustees decided to take it to a vote next week. Trustees then resumed the discussion on drought policy recommendations. Some confusion seemed to exist with what to amend/adopt. Two items, such as being vigilant

about acquiring water when available, the town already does. Trustees Gage and Doug Keller want it included to simply have it in writing. Oelke ultimately asked the board what they want this report to become — an ordinance, policy or just recommendations. She suggested simplifying the report and adopting the phases of drought mitigation as a policy. The report would provide guidance when to implement the three phases. Another element they’re thinking of eliminating is the special rate/break given for businesses like the nursing home during droughts. Essentially everyone would pay the same rate, regardless. Last summer those who could show historical data of high usage qualified for the special rate. One difficulty Oelke pointed out with different rates is that if someone could not show historical data, such as those who usually keep their cattle on the Mesa but couldn’t last year, they couldn’t qualify for the special rate.

A thick blanket

Mayor Ken Volgamore disagreed since several high water users cannot adjust their usage in a bad year. Oelke urged the trustees to decide what to do with commercial rates before the policies are finalized. They will also look at seeing how to show users their past water usage on the bill for educational purposes. Next on the agenda was

looking at an application for limited RV use for construction purposes. Essentially this would grant an exception to the 90-day RV policy for one citizen to live in an RV while building his home. Oelke plans to approve the application for 12 months and if needed the citizen can come speak to the board. Lastly, the trustees reviewed the Delta County

Noel Road project and moved two public hearings on ordinances to next month, April. Delta County may be paving Noel Road this year. If it does, Orchard City is asking if the county will pave the 1,500 feet Orchard City owns, at the town’s expense. Doing so would save the town some money even though it isn’t currently high priority for road projects.

Winter deer count shows contrast from 2018 BY EMY LYNN ROQUE CISNEROS Staff Writer

This winter’s urban deer count is in and less than last year. On Feb. 21, citizen volunteers and Colorado Parks & Wildlife volunteers surveyed ten area boundaries for does and bucks. The survey is part of the early stages to identify trends of resident deer versus seasonal deer. Cody Purcell, district manager for CPW reported that

Photo by Kim Taylor

This cozy cabin is still buried in ample snow near Mesa Lakes on Grand Mesa.

this year only 239 does and 40 bucks were counted — a staggering drop from last year’s 508 total. Purcell said the numbers were a bit surprising, but some theories may explain the contrast. Last year’s winter was dry, so deer may have hung more in town than out. This year they may be down farther, like in Eckert, due to the harsh weather conditions. Mountain lion sightings were higher this year but Purcell said that’s likely not affected the numbers drastically. The counts did note the deer are in better body condition — they’re heavier and have better coats. “Some people say there’s more deer, some say there’s less,” said Purcell. “But there’s a trend where the deer are staying in town because citizens feed them.” Last year Purcell began a campaign to

stop citizens from feeding the deer and says the situation has improved. “Many people have good intentions but don’t understand what it does to them,” he said. Not much data is available to compare the deer counts to, so continuing the surveys each season will give the best big picture. An aerial survey is also conducted each winter in December, but the areas surveyed in February must be done on foot. No management plan is available at this time, as Purcell is working on establishing trends. In June another survey will be conducted to see how the deer move during diverse seasons. “Nothing drastic is being done yet, as we’re just trying to see what’s going on and better understand the deer population,” said Purcell.

Photo submitted

Many of the deer counted are resident deer, those which stay in Cedaredge year round, such as these photographed last summer near the golf course.

C2 Wednesday, March 13, 2019

SURFACE CREEK NEWS

Delta County Independent

Fundraiser supports Paul Dill BY DON BENJAMIN Staff Writer

The American Cancer Society predicts that over 100,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2019. The average survival rate is 50

percent. Paul Dill is one of those survivors but he’s far from average. This weekend, the Surface Creek community will come together to celebrate the success of his treatment and raise

Photo by Tracy Dill

A St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser will help Paul and Tracy Dill deal with expenses associated with his cancer treatments.

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funds to help Paul and his wife Tracy deal with expenses. The “Luck of the Irish’” fundraising event is scheduled for St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17, from 4-7 p.m. The location is the Grand Mesa Arts & Events Center (GMAEC) at 195 West Main Street in downtown Cedaredge. The event will feature refreshments, live music by David Starr, and a wide range of auction items including Broncos’ tickets, rounds of golf, and sporting goods. At least one of Paul’s distinctive hand-fabricated knives will be included as an auction item. Acquaintances describe Paul as outgoing and talkative with a wicked sense of humor. He has always been selfemployed as a metal fabricator and welder. He also sharpens tools including saw and clipper blades, scissors and knives. One of his specialties is building beautiful Alabama Damascus Steel knives and he’s recently tried his hand at decorative metal art. “If it’s steel and you can get it hot and burn it or weld it, I can do it,” he laughed. Paul laughs a lot. It helps because for several months he had to give up his metal working and focus on battling the tumor he nicknamed “tater.” Paul’s cancer adventure began in 2018 with a routine test that he’d been putting off for years. The Delta County Health Fair was in town offering screening for various risk factors. As a healthy and active 54-year-old with no symptoms and only one hospitalization (as a kid to have his tonsils removed), Paul was skeptical of the need for screening but he summed up his experience precisely. “I flunked,” he said. After screening, there was a colonoscopy and biopsy which confirmed cancer in Paul’s colon and lymph nodes. Surgery followed in September 2018. Chemotherapy began on Halloween and lasted until the end of January when Paul got to ring a bell. Grand Mesa Oncology at Delta

Health fair comes to Cedaredge Delta County Memorial Hospital is joining forces with hospital volunteers and local Lions clubs to host the annual health fairs March 13, 14 and 15, according to the following schedule: Wednesday, March 13 — In Paonia at the Technical College of the Rockies, 6:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday, March 14 — In Delta at Bill Heddles Recreation Center, 6:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, March 15 — In Cedaredge at Cedaredge Civic Center, 6:30 to 10 a.m.

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County Memorial Hospital has an end-of-chemo ceremony which invites each surviving patient to ring a brass bell. The ceremony was a fitting one because one thing Paul knows how to manage is metal. Working together as TP Services, he and wife Tracy have fabricated metal to produce several local signs and a wide range of decorative pieces. One of his most visible works is the sign that hangs at the entrance of Cedaredge’s Surface Creek Saddle Club at the intersection of East Main Street and Cedar Mesa Road. The Dills donated their labor to fashion the huge metal sign and Paul has been a saddle club volunteer for years. His metalwork signage is also on display at the arts center in downtown Cedaredge. His decorative art can be seen at Stacy’s on Main in Cedaredge and at Sisson’s Feed and Seed Company in Delta. Paul and Tracy have lived in Cedaredge since 2003 and, although he’s finished the most challenging part of his treatment, he’s not out of the woods yet. With three months of chemotherapy behind him, Paul is still going in for regular monthly checkups. Eventually he’ll go in quarterly, then semi-annually, and then once a year. He’s relieved to be through with the chemo which he likened to having the flu every 14 days. “Just when I was starting to feel better,” he recalled, “Here came the needle in for another round of poison.” In addition to making him queasy and sapping his energy, the chemotherapy made him sensitive to cold (“eating ice cream was like taking a bite out of a cactus”). It also ruined his sense of taste and — worst of all for an outgoing and sociable guy — it lowered his immunity which forced him to avoid contact with others. “We became hermits,” he said, “But we were never alone.” Throughout the process, friends and neighbors kept in touch and when his supporters suggested the St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser, the Dills at first figured they’d get by without it. But the others insisted. Paul had done so much for the community, they said, so now the community would return the favor. Paul is thankful for the quality medical care he’s receiving and he described the outpouring of local support as “the most humbling thing I’ve ever experienced. Cedaredge is one heck of a community.” Anyone unable to attend the fundraiser can contribute by making a donation directly into Paul Dill’s account at any Bank of Colorado branch. For more information, contact Melinda Katchur at 303-564-0823 or MelindaKatchur@gmail. com.

Photo by Emy Lynn Roque Cisneros

This home at 540 W. Main Street was built in 1908 by a local, Robert “Bob” James.

Historic places FROM PAGE C1 Currently 26 properties are listed on the register. Containing buildings of historical interest, the hope is to “preserve the history and character,” according Mills. “We hope people will keep homes in a historic state but we don’t limit or confine what people do,” said Mills. To qualify a building must be at least 50 years old. In this case, Shirley Schum approached the HPB booth at Applefest to see if anyone knew any history on her home. Over the years it’s passed through several owners. After speaking with Mills and discovering his grandfather built it she was happy the board wanted to add her home to the register. When giving a tour to Mills, he recognized a drawing in the closet indicating its

measurements; James often did this in homes he built. “I started out just wanting to learn more about the home and now I see the register as a way to honor the history and people who started Cedaredge,” said Schum. “James built so much in town and I want to do my best to preserve this house.” Mills helped Schum with the application process, which includes research and paperwork. Next the town will approve the application and the Cedaredge Board of Trustees vote to add it to the register. It will likely be approved in the next month or two. “A lot of history will be gone if we don’t do something now to write it down,” said Mills, referring to the importance of the board and register.

Methodists welcome guest preacher March 17 Galileo, biblical teachings and Christian responses to samesex attraction will be discussed when Robert “Brother Bob” Anders of Pea Green preaches at Community United Methodist Church in Cedaredge Sunday, March 17. Anders will bring a spiritual and factual discussion of how Christians

Robert Anders

Irish stew luncheon set for March 15 The annual Irish stew luncheon hosted by the Cedaredge ESA Sorority will be held at the Masonic Hall on Main Street in Cedaredge on Friday, March 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Beef stew and potato soup with salad, roll, dessert and a drink will be served for $7. Take-out is available. Proceeds will fund local student scholarships. Call 970-856-3842 for more information.

who condemn lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) people are stuck in a past uninformed by current research and knowledge just as was the church that condemned Galileo as a heretic for claiming the earth revolved around the sun. Anders will explain these results from people reading scripture as fact without recognizing the social and cultural norms of the times in which the Bible was written and later interpreted. Anders will ask the congregation to listen to his message with open minds remembering that Jesus loves everyone, and that it is important for the church to convey that love. “We have men, women and youth who are lesbian, gay, transsexual, bisexual and questioning in our community right at this moment who need our love and unconditional acceptance,” Anders said. “Many are being bullied and are afraid to be who they are. They may not be able to come out to their families and friends.” All are invited to the worship that will begin at 10 a.m. at the church at the corner of NW 3rd Street and Aspen Avenue in Cedaredge. For information, contact Pamela Gubkin weekday mornings at pgubkin@ cedaredgecumc.com or 970-856-3696, or Pastor Joe Agne, revagne@gmail. com or 720-891-5233.

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Photo courtesy Cedaredge Middle School

Students of the Month

The Students of the Month for February at Cedaredge Middle School are, from the left: back — Addyson Roeling, Livia Stahly and Kerrie Meyer; front — Adelynn Hanson, Hunter Voss, Christopher Hathaway, Gabe Argueta and Alexia Funk.

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