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50¢ Woodcarvers honor vets with handmade eagle canes
Vol. 127, No. 5 — February 3, 2010
www.deltacountyindependent.com
See Surface Creek News on pages 1-3C.
$2.6M must be trimmed from school district budget
Kids’ Pasta Project recognizes two local organizations
Superintendent: School closures unlikely By Pat Sunderland Managing Editor
See The North Fork Times on pages 1-4B.
Superintendent Mike McMillan said school closures are unlikely to “reach a high priority” as the budget task force examines options for trimming $2.6 million from the school district budget. They are, however, among several alternatives being discussed during budget task force meetings. The Delta County School District budget task force, comprised of citizens, parents, teachers, business representatives, and administration, will meet twice in February and twice in March before presenting a list of final recommendations to the Delta County School Board on April 1. McMillan said closing Crawford Elementary, one high school and a middle school have been suggested, along with over 30 other ideas. But in a letter to Crawford parents — crafted after a sign in a local store inferred the closure was a certainty — McMillan said it’s unlikely Crawford School will be closed. The school has about 125 students in grades K-8. “Crawford student-to-teacher ratio is near the average for the entire district, and the cost of maintaining and operating the building is also very comparable to the other district schools,” he wrote on Jan. 15. “Therefore, it is not my intention or expectation to close Crawford Elementary, and the budget task force will evaluate all budget reduction proposals to recommend which are best for students.” McMillan cautioned parents against moving their kids to another school before a final decision is made. “I have been told that some parents are considering changing schools prior to any recommendations or decisions.” he wrote. “I ask that students stay enrolled at Crawford School where the staff is dedicated to
Tri County reaches agreement with towns A longstanding dispute over the sale of water from the Dallas Creek project was settled in January. As a result of the mediated agreement, Tri-County Water Conservancy District will pay the City of Delta $25,255, the City of Montrose $81,300, and the Town of Olathe $464. The four entities signed a contract in September 1977 which provided for the allocation of the water from the Dallas Creek Project, which is the primary source of Delta’s drinking water. According to the terms of that contract, the four parties were to share in the proceeds of any sale or lease of water after a 10year deferral period. The revenue sharing provision of the contract was not enforced until some time after Menoken Water Company and the Chipeta Water Company began receiving water from Tri County. Through mediation, all the entities agreed how the issue should be resolved now and going into the future.
Learn more about unemployment benefits On Thursday, Feb. 4, and Friday, Feb. 5, counselors from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s unemployment insurance program will be at the Mesa County Workforce Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to address questions and concerns people may have about their unemployment insurance. The first step in adapting to changes created by the loss of a job is to understand the unemployment insurance program. Claimants, and anyone who believes unemployment is in their future, can take the first steps by simply stopping by the Mesa County Workforce Center at 2897 North Avenue, Grand Junction, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Assistant city manager Steve Glammeyer led a contingent of Delta area residents to Denver Monday for a formal presentation before the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). The City of Delta is one of seven finalists competing for $17 million in energy impact funds which will be awarded by DOLA. If Delta is successful, the grant will make the proposed alternate truck route a reality. “We don’t know anything, and we won’t until next Monday, but I got a lot of good feedback from the group we took, and we had very few questions from the committee which leads me to believe we did a good job,” Glammeyer said. He was accompanied by four council members, interim city manager Glen Black, county commissioners Bruce Hovde and Jan McCracken, and citizen representative Gerald Roberts. Another group of supporters left Delta at 3 a.m. Monday to arrive in Denver in time for the presentation. “We packed the room and I think that made a big impression,” Glammeyer said.
By Hank Lohmeyer Staff Writer
Weekend Forecast
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their children to Paonia — an additional 30-minute ride each way — would put their homes up for sale. Buyers with children would be reluctant to purchase homes in the community. Frustrated sellers would lower their prices to motivate buyers, and property taxes would ultimately drop.
“We hope that you will consider making cuts in other areas before it ever comes to closing an entire school,” Neff said. “We look forward to working with you in the future and together making responsible, educated and innovative decisions for the best interests of the children.”
Hank Lohmeyer/DCI
A ranch in winter The stark setting of a rancher’s corner set frozen in mid-winter twilight stands in contrast to the vibrant colors of a Delta County winter sunset.
Meth Task Force is having a positive impact
City makes pitch for energy impact funds
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meeting their needs. In my opinion, school transfer could even impede the decision process. “We encourage parents and citizens to be patient with this process and timeline.” At the Jan. 21 meeting of the school board, Stephanie Neff shared some of the Crawford parents’ concerns. She said they recognize the tough decisions facing the school board, but pointed out that Crawford has already taken several measures to reduce costs. In the last two years, she said, Crawford School has given up three teachers. The principal and Title I teachers teach core classes in addition to their fulfilling their contractual obligations. “By our estimation, Crawford School has already addressed budget concerns by cutting these teaching positions while maintaining our enrollment. Crawford K-8 is also very fortunate to have volunteers who work tirelessly as advocates for our children’s education.” Many of those volunteers, she said, are members of the community who do not have children in school. They simply see a need and take pride in the Crawford schools and community. She had also researched the property tax dollars paid into the school district. “Delta County School District receives approximately $414,351 from property owners in the Crawford area. According to school district website, it costs about $483,894 to run the Crawford school for a year. We also all know the district receives state funds in addition to property taxes. With these findings in mind it’s quite clear to see we’re paying our own way. “Finally, given the facts just stated, if Crawford School were to close, you can imagine the downward spiral it could have on our town.” Families who don’t want to bus
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The work of Meth Free Delta County and its community-based methamphetamine addiction treatment program is having a noticeably positive impact reducing use and addiction. Fred McKee, Delta County sheriff, gave that assessment to a gathering of local government officials on Jan. 22. And, during a second report delivered at the day-long municipal quarterly meeting in Cedaredge, county attorney Brad Kolman said that a “wait and see” approach on dealing with marijuana dispensaries could be advised for local jurisdictions that have placed temporary moratoriums on them. McKee told the gathering of almost 40 people that the Meth Free Delta County program is decreasing meth-related crime in the county. The Meth Free Delta County program aims at helping meth addicts regain control of their own lives by offering them better lifestyle choices than the sub-culture of meth. Much more than a drug treatment program, the community-based model of Meth Free Delta County involves courts, counselors, family members, case workers, friends, and most importantly volunteers from the community who help mentor former meth addicts back into productive lives. The Meth Free Delta County program is not a law enforcement program per se, but rather a comprehensive approach aimed at restoring the “whole person” who has become involved in meth. McKee said that the incidence of meth offender recidivism, or repeat meth-related criminal offense, has decreased. That in turn has lowered the number of beds at the county jail facility being used by repeat offenders.
Methamphetamine addicts’ first contact with law enforcement can become a blessing in disguise if it leads to acceptance into the Meth Free Delta County program and the chance for a new life. In addition, the community’s comprehensive effort to defeat the methamphetamine scourge, an effort
which employs resource of law enforcement, has driven the cost of methamphetamine higher, McKee said. That cost is now on a par with cocaine, a damaging and illegal drug which is however considered less destructive and addictive than meth. If drug users decide to use cocaine
rather than meth, it is believed that their rehabilitation and recovery is more likely. In a separate report to the municipal quarterly meeting, county attorney Brad Kolman gave an update on the status of marijuana dispensary See Medical marijuana, Page 3A
Bray: Golf course development isn’t feasible in this economy By Pat Sunderland Managing Editor
Although Kevin Bray said he and his partners remain committed to Paradise Hills, a housing development near Devil’s Thumb Golf Course, it doesn’t make sense to pour money and manpower into the project in this economy. Bray, real estate broker John Renfrow and Walid Boumatar are the principals in Delta Golf LLC. They met with the Delta City Council in late January to explain why they’ve defaulted on a contract to purchase the city-owned property surrounding the golf course. They also wanted to assure council members that they didn’t “just drop the project and walk away.” During the three years the property was under contract, Bray said they worked on road design and layout for 1525 Road, which the city has identified as the future access route to the golf course, and spent time and resources on conceptual planning, traffic surveys and soils reports. Between professional services and the payment of interest and earnest money to the city, Bray said they’ve invested over $470,000 in the project. And they had yet to turn a shovelful of dirt.
Driving their decision are statistics from the city’s community development department which graphically illustrate the drop in residential building permits — from 96 in 2006 and 71 in 2007, to 33 in 2008 and four in 2009. Boumatar pointed out that the development contained 472 homesites. Divide that number by four building permits a year, and “it doesn’t make sense from any point of view.” In addition to the housing development itself, Bray and his partners looked into tying the project into other commercial/residential developments proposed for North Delta. Those projects also remain on the drawing board due to a lack of buyers and investors. “Our commitment went beyond the option on the land, but the deterioration of the economy was just out of our control,” Bray said. “We believed when we started this project that Delta was prime for a lot of growth,” he continued. “Now, with the cost of infrastructure improvements, we don’t see prices making sense for five years. “But we also believe it’s important to be ready when the time is right, so we want to continue to do
the prep work. We wanted to come tonight to see if we can align our goals.” “Our initial goal was to sell the land,” council member Robert Jurca responded. “We’re not looking to become partners in developing the land.” Council members said they appreciated hearing Bray’s explanation, but declined to continue the discussion until the new city manager is on board and up to date on the project. After the meeting, Kevin Bray said he’d accomplished his primary goal, which was to re-establish communication with the city council. “We wanted them to be aware of all the progress we’ve made over the past three years.” The initial contract involved three contiguous parcels of land totaling 202 acres with a purchase price of $1.15 million. The partners later offered to buy additional parcels of land which the city hoped to receive in a trade with the Bureau of Land Management. The original closing date was Oct. 9, 2007. The most recent extension was March 31, 2009. “Our goal all along was to purchase the land and start construction the very same day,” Bray said.