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Paonia Elementary recognized as one of the state’s best schools, B1
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DELTA COUNTY
JANUARY 18, 2012 VOL. 129, NO. 3
75¢
INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
Ag housing was ‘worth the wait’ BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
The grand opening of Alta Vista de la Montaña in North Delta last week culiminated four years of effort to provide safe, decent and affordable rental housing for agricultural workers in the area. During the grand opening ceremony on Jan. 12, funding partner Jamie Spakow, USDA Rural Development, acknowledged the challenges in finding the right location, the right funding sources and the best development team for the project. “It was worth the wait,” she said, as she addressed the crowd gathered in the facility’s community room. A project of the Community Resources & Housing Development Corporation (CRHDC), the new development features threeand four-bedroom apartments appropriate for families. It also includes a conference room, community room, laundry room and outdoor play area. The housing development was designed by Faleide Architects; Shaw Construction was the general contractor. “Alta Vista de la Montaña will be such an incredible addition to our community,” said Mayor Mary Cooper. “Our little city is growing.” Representatives of CRHDC and the various funding partners traveled from the Front Range or the San Luis Valley to be part of the grand opening celebration. Early in the planning process, Delta was selected by area growers as the most centralized location to serve the housing needs of workers in the area.
“We encountered many bumps and hiccups along the way but stayed the course with the support of all our partners,” said Al Gold, CHRDC executive director. The end result is a quality built, energy efficient development that incorporates solar and green construction features that reduce energy consumption and utility costs for the residents. Financing was made possible through a private-public partnership which made history, Gold said. Alta Vista de la Montaña was the first development in the country where USDA Rural Development approved the use of loan and grant funds in tandem with low-income housing tax credits. Other non-profit organizations are already replicating the concept to complete affordable housing projects across the country. Gold briefly referred to the “bickerous and challenging work” which had taken place since the farmworker housing project was first proposed for a parcel near Delta High School. When a second site on H Road was rejected by the city’s planning and zoning commission, then the city council, CRHDC filed a discrimination complaint against the city. CRHDC ultimately found property within the city that did not require rezoning and was able to circumvent the planning process which had proven contentious. Gold also recognized the efforts of a Colorado woman who has helped integrate Burmese refugees into the community. Several families have found agricultural work in the area, and three have
Lund named BoCC chairman BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
During the Board of County Commissioners’ annual reorganization meeting, District #3 commissioner Olen Lund was named by his colleagues to serve as commission chair during 2012. District #1 commissioner Doug Atchley will serve as co-chair. This will be Lund’s final year in office. He is finishing his second term and will be term limited following the November general election. The BoCC schedules its regular meetings on the first and third Monday of each month with exceptions made for holidays. In other business at their Jan. 9 regular meeting, the BoCC dealt with the following matters: • The board approved drafting a letter to Gov. John Hickenlooper supporting the Colorado Roadless Rule ini-
tiative and urging him to move forward with it. • Commissioners approved spending $28,800 prior to the normal April start date for approved county department capital spending. Most property tax receipts are in by April and so the county administration delays budgeted capital spending in general fund departments until after that date. Commissioners okayed a $7,800 pay out for a new map-making plotter in the geographic information systems department. Also approved was a $21,000 software upgrade that will be used by GIS and the county’s emergency dispatch center. • County emergency manager Rob Fiedler reported snowpack levels in the 50 percent range of average for this time of year. Fiedler also reported that available grant money will provide hand-held COMMISSIONERS TO A3
already moved into Alta Vista de la Montaña. Applications from five additional refugee families are pending, said Rainie Kelso of CRHDC. She has been working with Luis Ibanez, the on-site property manager, to process applications from workers engaged in a variety of agricultural occupations. She anticipates all 40 units of the development will be occupied by July.
Residents of Alta Vista de la Montaña must earn 65 percent of their annual income from agricultural work and must be legal residents of the United States. Rents are determined on the household’s yearly income and will not exceed 30 percent of yearly pay. Gold concluded the grand opening ceremony with these comments: “CRHDC is grate-
ful that the farmworker population is as important to all of you as it is to CRHDC. At the end of the day it is not about buildings and structures but about people that play a key role in our individual lives and our economy. It is about the lives that we touch and improve and the opportunities for these families to be integrated into our communities.”
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Robin Wolff (right), marketing and resource development director for Community Resources & Housing Development Corporation, leads a tour through the three- and four-bedroom units at Alta Vista de la Montaña in North Delta. The 40-unit housing development is designed for farmworkers and their families. Qualified applicants must earn 65 percent of their annual income from agricultural work and must be legal residents of the United States.
Homebuyers can find affordable options BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Property values are dropping. Mortgage rates are at an all-time low. For homebuyers in Delta County, there may never be a better time to purchase a house. For folks searching for better returns on their investment than the banks or stock market are offering, real estate can be a great option. There’s just one catch — you’ve got to have really good credit to buy even a fixerupper. If your credit isn’t top notch, you’re not going to get approved. “One of the big myths out there is that there’s no money and lenders are not lending,” said Janice Jones, broker/ owner of RE/MAX Mountain West in Cedaredge. “That’s not true. It’s harder to get a loan, but there are lenders out there making loans all the time.” There’s also an amazing selection of property — even houses priced below $100,000. A view of the Multiple Listing Service for Delta County shows 87 homes listed for
$100,000 or less. Jones breaks the listings down — 50 stick built, 35 manufactured homes, and two modular homes. For the most part, these are smaller, older homes, and many will need work. But Jones points to an older home she has listed in Cedaredge. The solidly built, threebedroom house is priced at $95,000. Just a few years ago, the same house would have brought $120,000 to $130,000. But since prices peaked in 2007, home values have been dropping throughout the county. “There are bargains out there for people,” she said, and not all are bank-owned. The house in Cedaredge, for example, is “pretty dated” but has 1,373 square feet and a detached garage. With some upgrades it would be a great investment. “We have so much inventory that sellers have got to be really competitive,” Jones said. “Even though the market has picked up considerably in the last year, if folks are thinking they’re going to sell their houses quickly, they’d better have the nicest
house in their price range or be priced below comparable houses.” Lenders like Wells Fargo have come up with financing options that are particularly attractive for fixer-uppers like the small home in Cedaredge, or bank-owned properties that need a lot of work. Renovation financing will cover the purchase of the property, plus the cost of repairs or upgrades, with one loan. The only catch is that improvements must be made by approved contractors, not do-it-yourselfers. These options are available for owner-occupied homes or investments. Jones said rent will generally cover the cost of the loan payment, because while home prices have dropped, rent has not — probably because people who have lost their homes have no choice but to rent. Before searching for bargains owned by the bank, Jones said it’s important for investors to first be prequalified. Many — but not all — repossessed homes will require work, because even if the owners were conscientious, AFFORDABLE HOMES TO A3
INDEX
Dog owners invited
Postage is going up
Fire damages house
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A9 Agriculture .....................B4 Back Page ................... D8 Business ........................ A5 Church ........................... D6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Health & Fitness ........ A7-8 Legals ......................... D3-5 North Fork Times ........B1-3 Obituaries ....................A10 School Zone .................. A6 Sports ..........................B5-8 Surface Creek News ...C1-4 TV Listings ..................C2-3
Paul Suppes, director of parks for the City of Delta, invites interested parties to a meeting on the off leash dog park to be held Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m., at the parks shop. Suppes will update dog owners on what’s taken place at the dog park and what needs to get done prior to the opening of the dog park in the spring. The meeting will include discussion of kiosks, signage, trash receptables and pet pick-ups. The dog park is located in Confluence Park, northeast of Confluence Lake.
Beginning Jan. 22, it will cost just a penny more to mail letters to any location in the United States. First class mail prices increase to 45 cents for one-ounce letters. The charge for additional ounces is unchanged at 20 cents. There will be a three-cent increase for postcards, to 32 cents. Letters to Canada and Mexico (one ounce) will increase 5 cents to 85 cents. Letters to international destinations will see a 7-cent increase to $1.05. Prices also will change for other mailing services, including standard mail, periodicals, package services and extra services.
At 9:13 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, Delta Fire Dept. was paged to a house on fire at 664 Silver St. The first truck arrived on scene with four members to find heavy smoke coming from all vents and openings on the home. Before the fire could be deemed completely extinguished Delta Fire had six trucks and 19 members on scene. Fire officials believe the fire was started accidentally in an attached storage area. The home has been deemed unsafe by the City of Delta building department until repairs are made.