NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
SPORTS
PICKING UP AMERICA
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
LATE BLOOMERS
Cross-country clean-up campaign comes to Paonia, B1
Cedaredge details drought response plan, C1
Avid golfers took up the sport late in life, C6
DELTA COUNTY
AUGUST 8, 2012 VOL. 129, NO. 32
75¢
INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
Remains of missing hunter discovered BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
A Hotchkiss area man who was moving cattle in the area of Doughty Mountain found what are believed to be the remains of a missing hunter from last year. Terry Baughn of Knox County, Ohio, was 73 when he disappeared Oct. 25 while hunting with friends. His hunting partners found the ATV he was riding the night he disappeared, but a heavy overnight snowfall erased any evidence of Baughn’s movements and hampered the original search effort. Not a trace of him had been discovered since, despite a week-long search earlier this summer. Those search efforts included a helicopter flyover and an exhaustive ground search by Delta County Search and Rescue, volunteers and members of Baughn’s family. Four Colorado Search and Rescue cadaver dogs were brought in from Delta County. Delta County Sheriff Fred
McKee said the Hotchkiss man, Terry Miller, discovered skeletal remains about a mile and a half from where Baughn was last seen. “That was not an area we’d concentrated on during the search effort,” McKee said, although he believes a team of searchers was fairly close to the brushy, heavily wooded area where Baughn was finally found. Delta County Sheriff ’s personnel, Delta County Search and Rescue, the Delta County coroner, and several individuals working with the livestock responded to the area on horseback and foot. At the scene, the skeletal remains and personal effects were gathered and transported back to the coroner’s office. McKee said the cause of death has not been determined, and may never be known. The family was notified Sunday. “They expressed relief that this part of their ordeal has been brought to a close,” McKee said.
Photo by Randy Sunderland
Off to the fair These turkeys were being “herded” into the exhibit hall at the fairgrounds Monday night. All poultry and rabbits were to be in place by 8 p.m. that evening. Dairy cows and goats arrived Tuesday, and sheep, goats, swine and beef weighed in early Wednesday. Heritage Hall exhibits were finished Wednesday, the final step in preparing for four full days of judging, entertainment and arena events. See pages B5-B8 for a complete schedule.
Jan Tuin named to school board vacancy BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
By a unanimous vote, the Delta County Board of Education selected Jan Tuin to fill the school board vacancy created by the resignation of Tom Mingen. The school board interviewed four applicants at a special meeting last week. Shelley Clement and Dave Evans had run for office in District V, which encompasses Paonia, Crawford and Hotchkiss, last November.
The other two applicants were Jody Roeber and Jan Tuin. At a special meeting early Monday morning, board members were prepared to cast secret ballots when school district attorney Aaron Clay informed them that a recent court case determined secret ballots violate the state’s open meetings law. They then discussed naming their top two candidates, but when no one embraced that idea board member Cheryl Hines nominated Shelley
Clement, because she was the second highest vote getter in November. “Why did we even interview the other candidates then?” board member Kathy Svenson asked. Board president Tammy Smith said rather than looking in the past, she would prefer to start fresh. “It doesn’t matter who ran in the election,” she said. “It’s only fair to give everybody a shot.” Put to a vote, the nomination of Shelley Clement drew a 2-2 tie with Cheryl Hines and Pete Blair voting in favor and Kathy Svenson and Tammy Smith voting against. Svenson then nominated Dave Evans because he demonstrated he was “thinking out of the box” during the
Hen house found to be in compliance BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
The Western Slope Layers facility on Powell Mesa was found to be “in substantial compliance” with the county’s conditions of approval during an inspection by county staff on Aug. 2. Nevertheless, the county commissioners agreed to spend at least $2,375 on an air quality survey of the 15,000hen egg-laying barn in hopes of addressing neighbor complaints about dust and odor coming from the facility. Ken Nordstrom, environmental health director for the county health department, reported results of his inspection to the Board of County Commissioners on Monday. Joining Nordstrom on last week’s inspection tour of the facility were Dave Rice, senior planner, and Bob Basher from the county engineering department. Neighbors’ complaints about
dust and odor are a point of difference between the county and Western Slope Layers’ neighbors. Nordstrom told the commissioners, “At the time we were there, we didn’t see any dust. There was very little dust produced by the chickens (scratching). (The owner) is managing the humidity levels to keep the dust down (and that) is an important part . . . . Flies, odor and dust were just very minimal.” Planner Dave Rice told the BoCC, “There was a video posted (Thursday night) that shows dust coming out of the facility.” A viewing of the video showed clouds of dust drifting past a building identified as the Western Slope Layers hen house. A neighbor who witnessed the county’s inspection from a distance e-mailed the DCI saying, “The (video) was taken the evening of the day the HEN HOUSE TO A3
interviews. That motion died for lack of a second. With no clear direction in sight, Smith asked if it was time to seek input from interim superintendent Caryn Gibson. “No,” responded Blair. “This is a board decision, not a staff decision. I ask they not get involved.” Smith then nominated Jody Roeber for the vacancy, and again the motion died for lack of a second. Svenson then tossed out the only name left, and all four board members voted for Jan Tuin, a 37-year employee of the school district. Tuin taught music in Paonia and Hotchkiss, and mentored new music teachers throughout the school district.
During the interview session, Tuin said he would strive to be a good listener, that if selected he would approach his position with calmness and forethought. With 37 years as a music/ arts teacher he promised to work to provide support for the arts within the district. “It’s the arts that make us human,” he said when asked, “If state funding continues to be cut, which large items in the school budget do you feel should be explored?” Tuin will be sworn into office at the Aug. 16 school board meeting. Gibson and Clay said they would arrange some type of orientation before that meeting. Tuin will serve until the next school board election in November 2013.
Hospital CEO terminated BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Last week the board of Delta County Memorial Hospital terminated hospital administrator John Mitchell, who had been on the job just 10 months. Mitchell said the decision caught him off guard. “While I was surprised by this decision, the board and I did have honest differences of opinion about key operational and strategic issues. I respect the board and personally like the board members. I have been treated fairly and with respect.” Mitchell went on to say, “DCMH is a good hospital with a great staff and doctors. I would not hesitate to get my own care at the hospi-
INDEX
Man drowns in gorge
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A9 Agriculture ...................A10 Back Page ................... D8 Church ........................... D6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Delta County Fair ..... B5-8 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-5 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ..................... A8 Service Directory ......... D7 Sports .............................C6 Surface Creek News ...C1-5 TV Listings ..................C3-4
The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office reports that Jeffrey M. Young, 68, of San Lorenzo, N.M., collapsed and died in the Gunnison Gorge while crossing the Gunnison River. Young was on a fishing trip near the base of Chukar Trail when the incident occurred the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 5. The cause and manner of death are pending results of an autopsy. According to the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, there is no evidence of trauma nor felonious conduct on any person’s part.
tal. I am proud of my accomplishments, which include increasing quality, safety and patient satisfaction scores as well as compliance and integrity. I also conducted the first employee satisfaction survey and created an employee action committee to empower staff. I also introduced a physician-led utilization review function to improve the hospital’s financial performance. Since my start as administrator in October, the hospital had its best month financially in June, posting a $220,000 gain compared to a $15,000 budgeted loss. “Delta County is a great place to live and work and it has been my privilege to serve this community.” A statement issued by the
board said Mitchell’s contract was terminated Aug. 1 “in order to facilitate a different general direction of administration at Delta County Memorial Hospital.” “John is a great person,” said hospital board chairman David Lane. “I didn’t have any problems with him individually, and he certainly did some good things for the hospital.” Going forward, leadership at DCMH will fall on chief clinical officer Jason Cleckler and chief financial officer Bev Carlson, who have worked hand in hand with Mitchell. Lane says the board’s next step will be discussed at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Trooper injured in motorcycle accident A 13-year veteran of the Colorado State Patrol sustained serious injuries Tuesday at about 10 a.m. when his marked motorcycle, a 2011 Kawasaki, struck the side of a 2003 Ford F150 pickup driven by Clell Lambertson, 71, of Montrose. Both parties were reportedly eastbound on Highway 50 about three miles south of Delta. The pickup was in the right lane of traffic. The trooper, who has not been identified, was travelling slightly behind the pickup in the left lane. Lambertson allegedly crossed in front of the motorcycle in an attempt to make a U-turn in the center
median, and the motorcycle hit his driver’s side door. The motorcycle bounced into the westbound lane of Highway 50 where it was struck by a 2001 Pontiac van driven by William Roesch, 69, of Montrose. Roesch sustained minor injuries. The trooper was thrown from the motorcycle and also ended up in the left lane of westbound Highway 50. He was transported to Delta County Memorial Hospital. His condition was not known at press time. Lambertson was not injured in the accident. He has been cited with one count of careless driving causing injury.
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