NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
SPORTS
DOG DAYS
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
HIGH HOPES
Friendly competition marks Hotchkiss stock dog trials, B8
Cedaredge Elementary students portray their favorite heroes, C2
Area athletes peak just in time for state track competition, C5-8
DELTA COUNTY
MAY 16, 2012 VOL. 129, NO. 20
75¢
INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
Term limits are headed for the ballot BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
Term limits for local elected officials will once again be on county ballots in November. The county commissioners Monday agreed to place a measure on the general election ballot for removal of term limits from the offices of county sheriff and county coroner. The final wording of the question will be approved at a later date, but the ballot issue will include only the two county offices in separate questions to the voters. The commissioners were asked to take the step at their May 7 meeting by Hugh Sanburg of Cedaredge and Chalmer Swain, former county coroner. They were joined by over 30 people in the commissioners’ meeting room who came to show their support for the idea. No one present offered opposition when asked for comment by Commissioner Doug Atchley. The presentation to the commissioners was a strong
endorsement for the county’s current elected sheriff and county coroner — Fred McKee in his third term as sheriff and Kevin Lucy in his first term as coroner. Law enforcement officers including Montrose County Sheriff Rick Dunlap, Montrose Police Chief Tom Chinn, Cedaredge Police Chief Robert Yant, Delta Police Chief Robert Thomas, and former Colorado State Patrol Officer Jon Rapp offered the strong endorsements for McKee personally and for the department organization he has put in place. Lucy, elected in 2010, was previously deputy coroner. He received a strong election endorsement from Swain who had been term limited. Some people in the meeting noted that the office of coroner is unique in that few people are qualified to hold it, so term limits should be removed. Sanburg and others told the commissioners that term limits can be viewed as unnec-
essary when voters have the right at regular elections to exercise term limits at the ballot box. It was stated during the session that since the adoption of term limits, the average term for state office holders has increased from 4.3 years to 7.8 years. Swain noted that the recent Republican State Assembly opposed term limits by a 1,931 to 1,183 vote. County voters have seen the term limit issue on the ballot before, said county clerk and recorder Ann Eddins. Currently, county commissioners are limited to two terms and all other county elected officials are limited to three terms, the result of the last vote here on the term limits issue in 2005. Despite the strong personal endorsement of McKee and the job he has done, commissioner Bruce Hovde noted the proposed measure is aimed at addressing the needs of the sheriff ’s office and not at the individual filling it.
Pipeline hits a snag BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
Crews working to install irrigation pipeline in a partially collapsed tunnel under Cory Bench ran into unexpected problems last week. A shackle and cable assembly attached to the four-footdiameter pipeline which enabled equipment to pull it through the tunnel bore failed during operations last
Wednesday. The mishap left the project 300 to 400 feet short of completing the pipeline installation. More serious, the critical shackle and cable equipment was left buried 80 to 100 feet beneath the surface of Cory Bench with no way to access it through the collapsed tunnel bore. The immediate solution was to begin a massive, round-
Kissner posts $100,000 bond BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Billy Kissner, who has been charged with second degree murder in connection with the death of his wife, was freed on a $100,000 bond last Friday. He had been held in Delta County Jail since his arrest May 4. At Kissner’s initial court appearance on May 7, a bond hearing was scheduled for May 17. In the meantime, a stipulated agreement was reached between the district attorney’s office and Kissner’s defense attorney. The judge deemed a hearing was not necessary. According to the DA’s office, conditions of bond include the following: Kissner must reside with his son and daughter-in-law and he must see a behavioral health counselor at least once a month. Any firearms in his possession are to be trans-
INDEX Accent ........................... A4 Activities ......................A11 Agriculture .....................B7 Back Page ................... D8 Church ........................... D6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Health & Fitness ...... A8-10 Legals ......................... D3-5 North Fork Times ........1-8B Obituaries ....................A12 Service Directory ........ D7 School Zone ............... A6-7 Sports ..........................C4-8 Surface Creek News ...C1-3 TV Listings ..................B4-5
ferred to a third party, and he is not to have access to any firearms, including his son’s. A protection order prohibits contact or communication with potential witnesses. The DA’s office said Kissner is still expected to make a court appearance May 17 for other matters related to the charge. Raelynn Kissner, 45, was found unconscious in her hot tub on Nov. 22, 2010. She was discovered by her husband, who called the ambulance. She was pronounced dead in the emergency room at Delta County Memorial Hospital. According to the final autopsy report, there was no evidence Kissner drowned. The autopsy also details blunt force trauma which occurred shortly before her death, as well as older healing contusions. The pathologist was not able to determine a cause or manner of death.
the-clock earth moving project to excavate the buried equipment, open a section of the collapsed tunnel from above, and complete the installation. On Friday evening, heavy PIPELINE TO A3
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Hugs all around Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Stone surprised his three children by popping into their classrooms several days earlier than they expected him to return from Afghanistan. Colin and Faith attend Lincoln Elementary School; Abigail is a student at Delta Middle School. Andrea Stone helped her kids keep track of their dad’s absence by transferring pebbles from one jar to another. More than 500 pebbles were moved during Stone’s year and a half absence. “I’m looking forward to relaxing and learning to be an American again,” he said. A transfer to Fort Carson is also in the works. During Sgt. Stone’s deployment, Andrea and the kids elected to live in Delta, near Judy and Mike Stone, Joseph’s proud parents. They added that Stone was awarded the Bronze Star for going above and beyond as the non-commissioned officer in charge of a signal support team on the Pakistan border.
School superintendent attempts to allay fears BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
As the 2011-12 school year draws to a close, “a time of uncertainty and turmoil” hangs over teachers and staff members of Delta County Joint School District #50. In a May 11 letter to staff, superintendent Jerre Doss acknowledged that rumors are rampant. He urges staff members to “stay focused on your students, remain calm, maintain a positive attitude, and resist the temptation to participate in the ‘rumor mill.’ ” Yet changes at the district office and the reported dismissal of two third grade teachers at Lincoln Elementary School are keeping the rumor mill running at full speed. “Massive numbers of employees are NOT losing their jobs,” Doss said in his letter dated May 11. “Nonprobationary (tenured) teachers who have not been notified otherwise through the evaluation process will have a job next year.” He acknowledges that probationary teachers are more at risk due to budget cuts,
building transfers or performance evaluations. “Classified employees will be returning in the fall based on job performance and/or district needs,” he continues. “Our school district requires over 700 employees to meet the needs of our students. Employee turnover occurs every year, and this year is no different.” Doss stresses that the curriculum alignment process is moving forward as planned, although primary oversight will change hands from district director Connie Vincent to the assistant superintendent. Applications for the newly created position of assistant superintendent are currently being reviewed, along with applications for a human resources director. According to the job description posted on the school district website, the assistant superintendent is charged with accreditation, assessment, public relations and transportation. The assistant superintendent will act as the superintendent in his or her absence, promote and support professional growth
Hospital, ambulance board members elected A mail-in election to fill seats on special districts in Delta County concluded Tuesday, May 8. David Lane and John Breitnauer Jr. garnered 34 percent and 31 percent, respectively, of the countywide vote to win seats on the Delta County Memorial Hospital board of directors. Breitnauer begins a second four-year term. Lane previously served two terms on the hospital board, then sat out as required by hospital bylaws. He will also serve a four-year term. Three individuals were elected to terms on the Delta County Ambulance District
board of directors. The three winners each got about 18 percent of the vote. Teresa Ferganchick, Bud Holmes and Kathie Lester were elected to the board. Jean Aaro, Lisa Cook, Teresa Driscoll, Uli Lange and Randy Spadafora were elected to the board of directors of the North Fork Pool, Park and Recreation District. A measure to expand the boundaries of Hotchkiss Fire Protection District No. 4 was approved 22-4. Countywide, 4,480, or 21.22 percent of the 21,110 eligible voters, cast ballots in the special election.
for self and others, promote the vision and mission of the school district, and other duties as assigned by the superintendent. The human resources director is expected to supervise personnel and personnel policies, recruitment, contracts, teacher orientation and recordkeeping, among other duties. Both job descriptions may be modified to more closely match the successful candidates’ experience and skills, district spokesman Bill Carlquist explained. He added that the job descriptions were compiled by Doss, Caryn Gibson, the current personnel director, and Debra Richards, administrative assistant. Applications for both positions will be reviewed by a panel of district staff led by Dr. Jerre Doss. They will narrow the field to two or three finalists for interview by the school board next week. The school district is attempting to consolidate the roles of several district directors under fewer employees, with the goal of saving administrative expenses.
Storage units hit The Delta County Sheriff’s Office reports that the padlocks on approximately 11 storage units near Hotchkiss were cut on May 8. Owner Dennis Green discovered the break-ins during a routine drive through the storage units, which are located on Highway 133. None of the tenants who stopped by reported anything missing. Attempts are being made to contact the remaining tenants to determine what, if anything, was stolen during the incident. Anyone with information is urged to contact the sheriff’s office at 874-2000 or Crimestoppers at 874-8810.