businesses
to
with worker shortages
Romeo
to fill snowplow seats, CDOT
offer housing for drivers by Nathaniel Minor/CPR
Italian master Camilleri’s original crime classic
Jeffrey Mannix
last week’s story on the new mountain bike park near Pagosa, it incorrectly said the project was included in the Collaborative Forest Land Restoration Program. Incorrect information was given to the Telegraph. Additionally, to clarify, the CFLRP’s first priority is restoration projects, which may or may not include recreation.
the cover
Temple climbs at the Technicolor Wall, aka the Techno Crag, near Ouray./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire
We’re only human.
The head of the San Juan National Forest has left the… forest?
In 2014, Kara Chadwick became Forest Supervisor for the San Juan National Forest, which encompasses 1.8 million acres in Southwest Colorado. Chadwick has worked in national resource management for the Forest Service in one capacity or another since graduating from the University of Montana in 1986.
Recently, however, Chadwick announced her plans to permanently move into a new position: deputy regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region in California. Chadwick had been detailed and working the position for the past four months, with Dave Neely as the acting supervisor in the San Juans.
In an email to partners, Chadwick said she’d be returning to Durango to wrap up and transition from Oct. 3 - Nov. 11, with a new acting forest supervisor planned to arrive in November. She wrote that a vacancy announcement for the permanent position would be sent out in early October.
“I know many think I’m crazy to leave this area with so much going on – let alone move to California! But I ask, who wouldn’t want to live in wine country?” Chadwick wrote. “It’s no secret that I am making a great many people happy by vacating this coveted position. Agency-wide, folks have heard of the great work being accomplished … and they want to be a part of that.”
Within the SJNF, the position for Columbine District Ranger remains vacant, too.
As the self-proclaimed (and totally baseless) New Yorker and The Onion of Durango, every now and then, we here at The Durango Telegraph have to bow to the master. And now is one of those times.
Recently, The Onion submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of parody, and it’s a doozy. The brief was submitted in support of Anthony Novak, who was arrested for creating a parody Facebook page of a police department.
“Americans can be put in jail for poking fun at the government?” The Onion wrote. “This was a surprise to America’s Finest News Source and an uncomfortable learning experience for its editorial team.”
The brief, in actuality, is a serious defense of parody in America. But it has its classic Onion moments, like a whole paragraph of nonsensical Latin words because “it knows that the federal judiciary is staffed entirely by total Latin dorks.”
by chance,
defame someone’s good name
that of their family, neighbor,
dog, we will accept full re-
a public flogging in the following week’s
“free but not easy,” we can be plied with schwag, booze and
In an interview with NPR, The Onion’s head writer Mike Gillis points out articles that have towed the line over the years: when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was named “the sexiest man alive” and a spoof story (that tricked some GOP members) about Planned Parenthood opening an $8 billon “Abortionplex” – to name a few.
Well, at least someone is standing up for the art of parody. We here at the Telegraph have surely had our moments. Except that time Missy challenged Boebert to an arm-wrestling contest. That was totally real. And we’re still waiting to hear back from the Boebert camp.
“I think a blacked out me is better than a sober you.”
– Deciding who’s driving, when probably no one should drive
In 2016, the Amsterdam Police were called to an upper story apartment by a community of neighbors who’d expressed concern over a woman in black lingerie standing motionless for hours at a window. It turned out to be an inflated worry, literally, because when the police entered the apartment, the woman in peril turned out to be a blowup doll. Though inquiries were made, her paramour was nowhere to be found, which resolved the worry and perhaps explained why she spent so much time at the window.
A similar experience occurred at a local park festival where a pair of hot air balloons designed to resemble boobs (with fringe) were being inflated. What a spectacle! A crowd of onlookers stood abreast in the park, shading their eyes, waiting to see when they would rise. I glanced toward the police department, which occupies the northwest corner of the park, and noticed a uniformed officer calmly surveying the crowd while other festival participants worked feverishly to prepare their individual balloons for launch, but for some reason, the boobs attracted the most attention.
They say the Constitution guarantees certain freedoms, but it does not hold that all pleasures could or should be created equal. A simple kiss presents a case in point.
From 1930-67, the Motion Picture Production Code officially considered any onscreen kiss indecent if the two actors’ lips touched for more than three seconds. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1946 movie, “Notorious,” tested the censor’s limits and got away with it by filming and splicing a full three minutes of the same lips kissing, all of it while Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman whispered and nuzzled and flirted and talked and shifted themselves around the patio repeatedly kissing and kissing – even as Grant answered the telephone. I counted more than 20 individual collusions of lips, but no single kiss lasting longer than three seconds. A sexy sequence, for sure, which I was forced to watch at least a half-dozen times just to get a reliable kiss count.
Naturally, it’s the softer habits that emphasize the pleasures, like camping on the couch while binging a seven-season dramatic series, or gorging on a gallon of ice cream, all because indulgence sometimes seems to help us get through a stressful time. In reality, it’s all a conspiracy of goodwill chemicals released by the body – dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin and serotonin, to name a few – that camouflage the will to question what might be easily questionable, like... Should I stay up all night and skip going
What appears to be progress on plans to build a new fire station at its current location at River City Hall, which some regard as the best option due to its proximity to Camino del Rio as an arterial road.
A new low-cost microloan to help local workforce with the initial burden of a lease, offering up to $5,000 for first/last month’s rent and/or a security deposit for those making less than the area median income.
The rise of “sleep tourism” – resorts dedicated to vacation and … sleep. I’m assuming my cat that wakes me up at 6 a.m. every morning by standing on my neck is not allowed?
to work tomorrow?... or... Do I want to risk the lactose overload and spend the next 30 minutes on the toilet with an uncomfortable case of cramps and diarrhea?
Then again, the line between pleasurable and the questionable blurs as one’s behavior drifts toward more public encounters. Many online gamers, for instance, find pleasure in online challenges, such as those advertised by y8.com: “If you are a professional killer or just a hired gun, then you will enjoy the multitudes of possibilities you will find in the killing game category. Work through your violent tendencies by enjoying these gruesome games.” It’s not as if this online site is the only promoter of the carnage entertainment industry. Rather, it’s the notion that working through one’s violent tendencies serves as a redemption for participating in the onslaught of a few virtual killing sprees. It all harkens back to how the North American Plains Indians traditionally proved their bravery by counting coup, but now we wield a joystick instead of a coup stick, an option today’s gangbangers and mass reality shooters ought to try.
Surely the last way to look at what’s questionable must be composed of the purely objectionable pleasures, which of course are those pursuits deemed illegal. Catching up with the news offers anyone a generous list of examples, like bilking people out of their hard-earned money, sexual abuse, cruelty to animals, murdering a girlfriend, inciting violence or reducing the cities of an entire nation to rubble under the flag of national aggression. An obvious objection to such an interpretation might suggest that these examples canNOT by any stretch of the imagination be considered pleasures, but unfortunately, even in the most horrendous situations, psychiatrists and neurologists confirm that dangerous and even criminal behaviors can stimulate adrenaline and ignite some kind of euphoric rush. One person’s pleasure may indeed be another person’s pain.
And finally, it may also be that pleasure is overrated. Socrates actually opted for death instead of exile at his trial, and in making that choice he defended the principle of inquiry. He said, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” or, as his sentiment might be paraphrased for even these treacherous times: an unexamined pleasure is rarely worth wallowing in.
– David Feela
The situation at Purple Cliffs; just all around.
The passing of badass Loretta Lynn, a trailblazer for women not just in country music, but all walks of life.
A developer’s plan to build hundreds of homes, a surf park, golf courses and all other kinds of stupid s**t in the middle of the California desert during a drought and increasing water shortages in the Southwest.
This past Sunday, six women wearing neon green leotards boarded a subway in New York and assaulted two young women and stole a purse and a cell phone. One of the young women was admitted to the hospital, but the muggers – since named “The Green Goblin Gang” by people who obviously love the letter “G” – van-
ished into the night as if it were one big greenscreen. Arrests could be coming soon, because local detectives have since found the GGG’s social media pages thanks to all the neon green, meaning the gang turned out to be just as dumb as they looked.
Alex
Megan
Makenna “Ryan Reynolds. He’s hilarious.”
Jeremy “I like that maple syrup s**t. They have a strong syrup game.”
“I lived in Skagway, Alaska, so I was thankful for Canada to be able to get out of the U.S.”
Q Canada’s Thanksgiving is on Monday, so the Telegraph asked: “What do you love about our neighbors to the north?”
Carl
“The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.”
“I love how they embrace speaking both English and French.”by Rob Pudim
I oppose criminalizing the tough choices that some women have to make about their reproductive health. I worked in OB-GYN offices for many years and have seen both the joys and heartbreak of pregnancy.
When I see the political ads talking about “full term abortion,” I wonder if those denouncing it know what they’re talking about.
There is tremendous joy in getting close to term: falling in love with the baby, getting his or her room ready and dreaming about their education. Sometimes a patient came in toward the end of her pregnancy, finding that her baby quit moving. After careful exam, it is determined that the baby has died. All those hopes and dreams of the future are dashed, and now everything has changed.
To make things even more traumatic, this woman will have to go through labor and delivery of a dead child. Sometimes, she would just go into labor and deliver her baby, but other times, she will need to be induced. This is not abortion. This is the result of a baby having died, and a woman having to go through the heartbreak and trauma of going through labor – only she’s not going to receive the gift she’s been looking forward to for so long. I believe this is what is being called “term abortion.” So wrong!
Having worked in the field for 40 years, not ever did I see or even hear about a pregnancy being terminated during the end weeks or months of a pregnancy. When you’re hearing or seeing these ads, think about whether the politicians talking about it actually have a clue as to what they’re saying.
On a more personal note, I became pregnant at a very young age. With the support of my parents, they were ready to back my decision to have an abortion or go
through with the pregnancy. I chose to continue with my pregnancy and have never regretted it. Yes, I could have had an abortion, which at that time was illegal. They were available, but it would have been at the hands of a stranger in Tijuana, as we lived very close to the border at the time, or maybe someone’s kitchen table with a blindfold on and unsterile instruments.
Surely you wouldn’t wish that on your child, your friend or the person you might have planned your future around. You would hope that if that decision had to be made, it would be with the thought that it would be carried out by a professional with sterile instruments in a clean environment.
Just a couple of things to think about when we’re listening to the political ads.
– Laurie Francil, DurangoI am concerned that the nuclear power industry will compete for monies that would best go to wind and solar. Nuclear energy is not cheap, safe or clean, and we still don’t know how to safely dispose of its dangerous and long-lasting poisons. Also, it is connected to bombs, so proliferation is a problem.
In addition, if the power goes down long-term, there could be loss of coolants, and meltdown could render large areas unlivable. Now, in Ukraine, we see Russians using a large plant as a shield that cannot be safely fired upon.
We should switch to non-nuclear energy now.
– Beth Suttle Estelle, DurangoOur so-called congressional representative, pistol-packing Lauren Boebert, doesn’t like separation of Church and State. The Church should control the State, she says. Like Iran, for instance?
Never mind that many colonists in the 1600s and 1700s left their ancestral homes in Europe and made the dangerous ocean crossing to a wild land to escape just that. It’s probably why the First Amendment says Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion, and why the Constitution says there shall be no religious test to hold public office.
Of course, Boebert took the oath of office in early January 2021 to protect and defend the Constitution and then violated that oath a few days later when she, along with a majority of House Republicans, tried to block the peaceful and legal transfer of power to Joe Biden.
In Boebert’s 2020 campaign, she made it clear she would only represent people from her end of the political spectrum. She’s kept that promise. Everyone else can stick it where the sun don’t shine.
She’s spent her first term introducing wingnut bills and resolutions that went nowhere, hanging out with congressional wingnuts from other states and embarrassing western Colorado. We don’t need another two years of that. Vote for Democrat Adam Frisch for competent representation.
And if you want to keep democracy and women’s rights, boycott all GOP candidates.
– Carole McWilliams, BayfieldI visited the La Plata County Fair at the beginning of August and spoke with Shelli Shaw, the Republican candidate for our Colorado House District 59. With her past work as a school administrator, we agreed that there is nothing more important for our future than educating our children. Yet, when I pointed out how poorly Colorado’s teachers are paid due to the Tax Payers Bill of Rights (TABOR), she told me that she did not know about TABOR and what it stands for.
Despite a strong economy and a welleducated population, TABOR is the reason Colorado ranks 49th in teacher’s pay and has the highest pay gap in the nation. While Shaw honestly admitted ignorance of TABOR, not knowing about the most important Colorado tax law impacting our state budget in so many aspects is not acceptable for someone aspiring to represent us in the Colorado legislature.
Please vote for Barbara McLachlan, who has represented us here in the Southwest for the past five years. She has worked across the aisle and understands TABOR, water and the many other issues impacting us here in Southwest Colorado.
– Werner Heiber, Durango Education smeducation
The U.S. News “Best High Schools Rankings” gives Durango High School a scorecard of #70 in Colorado, outranked by Ouray, Telluride and Aspen. Durango mathematics proficiency is 44%, science
proficiency is 35% and college readiness is 50.8/100. Many schools in our district are in a similar situation. Are we OK with average?
It can and should change. As an example, Katherine Birbalsingh served as the Tory government’s “Social Mobility Tsar” and serves as a chair of a commission focused on changing economic outcomes for poor British kids through education.
While working under a strict, holistic, child-centered approach, “The worse a child performed, the more they needed to be ‘nurtured,’ but how to install a sense of personal responsibility when the rule is to ask for less, not more?” asked Birbalsingh. The progressive state system is failing our children. It is designed to make middleclass, white liberals feel good.
The mantra quoted daily by the students enrolled in Michaela, Birbalsingh’s school, is Rudyard Kipling’s poem entitled “If.” It is an inspirational poem of succeeding against all odds.
Michaela is ranked fifth in the U.K. with a 90% overall pass rate in key subjects. 82% of its graduates go on to universities like Oxford and Cambridge, and the school is ranked “Outstanding” in all categories by Ofsted, the U.K.’s federal school ranking body.
Many kids in our district are not poor, but we’re failing them. As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that we vote for new representation, Shelli Shaw, for Colorado House District 59, so our children can receive the best possible education.
– Rebecca Craddock, Hesperus
by Jonathan Romeo
In journalism, there’s a bit of an unwritten rule that says don’t put a question in a headline if you can’t answer it.
Well, we here at The Durango Telegraph were never much for playing by the rules, and when we ask, “Where did everyone go?” as it relates to the chronic staffing shortage in town and can’t provide a suitable explanation, it’s because no one seems to have the answer.
“I don’t know, honestly,” Nate Peach, an associate professor of economics at Fort Lewis College, said. Maybe someone with intimate knowledge of the restaurant industry can help? “We used to have a waiting list for people at Cuckoos and the Animas City Theatre, but now we can’t find help for either,” Michelle Redding, co-owner of the longtime establishments, said. “I just don’t understand it.”
Perhaps a more white collar-type job? “La Plata County is experiencing the same challenges with hiring that we’ve all heard anecdotally,” county spokesman Ted Holteen said. He added that the county currently has 36 vacancies.
It’s no secret, even as we approach the three-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, Southwest Colorado is still suffering from extreme staffing shortages across all industries.
But with unemployment and government relief money long gone, it’s a legitimate mystery – now that most of the
dust has settled, where did all the people who used to work in town actually go?
Of course, there’s the obvious: the cost of living, even before the pandemic, was high in Durango. However, the pandemic and resulting influx of new people to town drove the cost of living and housing/rent through the roof. Many workers were likely pushed out. And, with most new residents either working remotely, retired or second-home owners, the people moving and taking up what little housing inventory is in town don’t contribute to the local labor pool.
But that doesn’t tell the entire story. Staffing shortages remain a national issue, affecting not just desirable mountain towns like Durango, but even less desirable places, like, shall we say, the entire state of Indiana. Even our trusty friend Google seems to come up short on just where all these previous workers have now landed.
“We’re all just scratching our heads,” Joe Lloyd, owner of Durango Joe’s – which has suffered persistent labor shortages – said. “I wish I had the answer.”
By now, most are familiar with what was deemed “The Great Resignation” – spurred by the pandemic, an unprecedented number of American workers quit their jobs seeking a better work-life balance and pay.
“A lot of people rethought their relationship with work,”
Peach said. “A lot of people were asking, ‘Do I stay in Durango and be broke and wait tables? Or do I take a job that can turn into a career?’ Durango is great, but having a career is pretty nice, too.”
However, for restaurants, which were perhaps most acutely impacted, staffing shortages were already starting to rear their ugly heads before the pandemic, said Kris Oyler, co-founder and CEO of Peak Brewing Co., the parent company for Steamworks, El Moro and Homeslice.
The pandemic simply accelerated what was likely on the horizon, Oyler said. And housing remains one of the top suspects. Just this past summer, Steamworks lost five employees who were priced out of town. “I’ve seen it in my own neighborhood – houses sell, and people show up with Texas or Oklahoma license plates, and they’re not contributing to the labor force.”
Indeed, Peach said data shows the labor force participation rate, which tracks the percentage of the population active in labor markets, was at 57% in La Plata County in 2021, compared to the national rate of 62%.
“Remote workers and retirees drive up home prices, and it creates a disconnect with the economy of the town,” he said. “That’s an important piece of the puzzle.”
But people need to work, right? (If not, please let us know). So where did everyone go?
“I’m still trying to figure it out myself; like, what the heck is going on?” said Blaine Bailey, director of In The Weeds, which offers support to the health of restaurant and hospitality staff. “I’m perplexed. I don’t know where everyone is or what they’re doing.”
Of course, there’s no catchall answer, but after speaking to a number of economic researchers and restaurant owners, some theories emerge.
After the pandemic, employers across all industries were in great need of workers, which gave a lot of power to the employees. Now, people could land jobs in positions that were previously above their skill set. So, it’s likely people took advantage and upscaled their careers into more white-collar and office jobs.
“If you’re graduating right now, it’s a fantastic time, because companies are desperate ,and you can basically walk into a position,” Peach said.
Also, the pandemic gave rise to more remote and online work opportunities. As many people know from first-hand experience, the service industry is not exactly a walk in the park, and remote/online work typically pays high wages and offers the convenience of working from home.
So, even with La Plata County’s population continuing to grow, there are still many “now hiring” signs around town.
“There’s still a big base of the sector that’s just missing employees completely, and I’m not entirely sure how you attract those people to return to work or what they’re doing,” Karen Barger, owner of Seasons of Durango, said. “There’s just no rhyme or reason where they went. It’s crazy.”
Housing, of course, is a critical component of the issue. The median home price in La Plata County recently hit $625,000. Rent continues to rise (we’ve all seen the $1,600 a month garage for rent on Facebook). And efforts to add more workforce housing are slow-moving and not enough to meet demand. Peach said a colleague just moved to Grand Junction, fed up with living with five other roommates.
“This place is so stinking expensive,” Peach said. “It’s unreal.”
Durango Joe’s Lloyd said he had 13 Fort Lewis College students lined up to work over the summer. But, when they looked for housing, nothing was affordable, and they all went back home. Between all their Durango locations, Lloyd said the coffee shops are down 15 to 18 employees.
“So I have to hire high school students, and it’s like baby-sitting,” Lloyd said. “Their parents will call in and say their kid is not coming to work, because they’re grounded. I’m like, ‘What do you mean they are grounded?’”
Carly Van Hof Thomson, co-owner at Zia Taqueria and Sage Farm Fresh Eats, said when applicants do apply, some are not necessarily the best candidates. “We don’t just want to fill the jobs with people that may or may not show up, be on time or maintain our culture and standards,” she said. “That actually makes it harder for everyone else.”
Take this for what you will, but Lloyd said throughout Durango Joe’s five locations in New Mexico – where housing prices and rent are far lower – staffing is not an issue.
“We get so many applicants down there,” he said. “It’s just not a problem.”
Cutting back, stepping in
Amid all this turmoil, businesses have had to adapt. The easiest change, of course, has been to limit days of operation and hours. Cuckoos, which used to be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, is now only open five nights a week for dinner. “That’s just all the staff we have,” Redding said.
Many restaurants have raised wages and increased benefits, too. Oyler said anyone who averages 30 hours a week at Peak Brewing locations qualifies for health insurance. Thomson at Zia’s and Sage said PTO was added last year. Colin Carver, co-owner of Carver Brewing, said the restaurant offers flexible scheduling, benefits and competitive wages on top of tips.
“We just really try to make sure they’re happy and want to stay, because if someone leaves, it could create a hole in the staff for a while,” Carver said. (He added that partly because of staffing, Carvers had to close for breakfast, which isn’t likely to return anytime soon.)
Many restaurant owners interviewed for this story have been forced to pick up shifts. Case in point – Lloyd took up the barista status for the first time in almost five years. He even had to take the test he developed years ago to help employees memorize drink recipes and the point-of-sale system.
“I did pretty good,” he said. “But I did miss one.”
Though the answer on where workers went remains elusive, one thing is agreed upon by multiple restaurant owners: a sliver of particularly cranky customers have not been graceful as restaurants deal with the domino effects of staff shortages.
Anyone who has worked in the restaurant industry can tell you there’s always the random bad egg on any given night. But restaurant owners interviewed for this story said it’s on a new level and more pronounced.
Customers have lashed out at already stressed staff. People have sent angry emails telling staff they should be ashamed, just because their meal was a little late. And in one instance, a woman even went into the kitchen and started yelling at the cooks (talk about hangry).
“People have a sense of entitlement that’s just unfortunate,” Oyler said. “Customers are going to have to adjust and adapt and realize this is the new norm.”
Part of that new norm is that the cost of going out to eat will likely increase to help offset increasing wages for staff. And in the meantime, show some courtesy. Peach said even though the world has mostly returned to normal, issues such as staffing shortages are still working themselves out.
“It’s death by a million cuts,” Peach said. “It’s no one, big boogie man. It’s all these little things that turned into a really big thing.”
And if you, dear reader, are one of the mystery people we’ve been talking about and want to tell us your story about where you found new work, please reach out to jonathan@durangotelegraph.com.
We promise we won’t put your photo on a milk carton. ■
It’s not that John Lorme can’t hire anyone to drive snowplows. He can’t get them to stay hired.
“Right before they start, they tell us they can’t take the job, because they can’t find housing,” said Lorme, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s director of maintenance and operations. “It’s either affordability or availability, depending on where you are. And sometimes it’s both.”
That dynamic has existed for decades in Colorado’s expensive mountain communities, but it’s now spreading as housing costs rise across the state. It’s a large contributing factor to CDOT’s current shortage of about 300 maintenance workers who fill potholes, fix guardrails and, crucially, plow snow.
That’s why Lorme found himself touring a two-story modular home on the fringe of Buena Vista on a recent afternoon, one of dozens in a tightly packed new neighborhood. The high ceilings, extra-thick insulation-stuffed walls and stainless-steel appliances earned Lorme’s initial approval, even though the home was built in a nearby factory.
“I’m pleasantly surprised,” Lorme said. “It does not look like a manufactured (home). It looks like a quaint little village. I would be proud to live here.”
The modular homes built by Buena Vista-based Fading West Development are about 25% cheaper than comparable onsite builds, according to company executives. And they just might become a key part of the state’s mission of keeping roads clear and safe.
While CDOT plans to continue its strategy of “surging” its maintenance workers to understaffed mountain areas in the winter months, the agency also sees workforce housing as a more permanent fix for its hiring problems. The agency is planning to spend $6.5 million on housing projects along the vital Interstate 70 corridor and in other housing-starved mountain towns.
Lorme said CDOT wants to partner with other short-staffed state agencies and local governments to build micro-neighborhoods where government workers and their families could live for free, or at least at a reduced rate. CDOT and officials in the Town of Frisco, for example, are pursuing a project that will build 22 units of workforce housing.
“We want that diversity,” he said, mentioning law enforcement officers, teachers and other local government workers. “Having all those together in the same development – I don’t see any cons to it. It’s all beneficial to us.”
But some are skeptical that state-owned housing will benefit workers – especially in the long run.
“I don’t know of anybody that wants to have a long-term career living in a mobile home, living in a condo or some sort of apartment,” Roger Rash, a Montrose County commissioner who recently retired after more than 20 years at CDOT, said.
“The American dream is to make enough money to own your own home. That was my dream. I worked my tail off to own my own home.”
Rash started his CDOT career as a main-
tenance worker and now sits on the agency’s statewide advisory committee. He said workforce housing – even if it’s nice – is a short-term solution at best. A better way to hire and retain maintenance workers is to boost pension benefits and raise pay, he said.
“Here in Montrose, we try to pay a living wage so these people can stay here and keep their families here,” he said. “If we can do it, why can’t the state?”
CDOT has raised maintenance workers’ pay about 15% over the past few years, though recent inflation has eaten away at the buying power of the roughly $20 starting hourly wage. Montrose County’s starting wage is about the same, though Rash said sizable raises are coming soon.
Other governments pay much more: A similar maintenance job in Aspen starts at more than $27 an hour, which Lorme said
has cannibalized CDOT’s maintenance staff in the Roaring Fork Valley. The agency had just one person on staff as of late summer, Lorme said.
The workforce housing fix is also a workaround for another challenge for CDOT: The agency can’t simply raise wages on its own, Lorme said. Pay scales are set by the Department of Personnel and Administration and negotiated by a workers’ union. What he can do is offer incentives like bonuses, overtime and housing stipends.
“We’re trying to use everything we can,” he said.
But a housing stipend won’t help if there’s no housing available, which is why Lorme said it’s time for the state to build its own.
more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.org.
Stuff to Do Deadline for “Stuff to Do” submissions is Monday at noon. To submit an item, email: calendar@durangotelegraph.com
Share Your Garden Thursdays, bring extra veggies and fruit for people in need, 8:30 a.m., Animas Valley Grange, 7271 CR 203.
Ska-BQ with Rob Webster, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Live music, 5 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Bingo Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.
Meditation, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109.
Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio.
Share the Love upcycling event, 9 a.m., Buckley Park.
Gary Walker plays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave.
First Friday Art Show, 5 p.m., Create Art & Tea, 1015 Main Ave.
Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Live music, 5 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
A Spooky Night at the Pumpkin Patch, 6-8:30 p.m., Falfa Pumpkin Patch, 54 County Road 221.
Ru Paul’s Drag Race Watch Party, every Friday, 68 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave.
Hip Hop Night, featuring Cody Kelly, Frayzie, DJAAY, Animas Lucid, Tesh G & DJ Phish, 8 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.
Bayfield Farmers Market, 8 a.m., 1328 CR 501.
Durango Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-12 noon, TBK Bank parking lot, live music by Jesse Ogle w/iAM music student.
Apple Days Festival, 9 a.m.-12 noon, Durango Farmers Market, TBK Bank parking lot.
Rivers for Resilience, 9 a.m., Santa Rita Park. River cleanup, lunch and presentations on stewardship, education and community action to protect Animas River. https://bit.ly/RiversforResilience
Fire Prevention Week Kick Off Party, 9 a.m.-2 p.m, featuring live music, food, fire demonstrations, family activities and more. Durango Fire Station, 1142 Sheppard Dr.
Share the Love upcycling event, 9 a.m., Buckley Park.
Parker’s Animal Rescue’s “Suitcase Party,” 11 a.m.-1 p.m., info at parkersanimalrescue.com
Aqui Estamos/Here We Are, celebrating young artists from the Latino community, 12 noon, Durango Public Library.
Second Saturday Series: “Early Photographers of Durango,” 1:30 p.m., hosted by Animas Museum. Register at animasmuseum.org/events.html
Farmington Hill plays, 5-8 p.m., Dolores River Brewery.
Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Bow Wow Film Festival, 6 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Community Yoga, 6-7 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd. Donations accepted.
Daniel Wilson plays, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.
Matt Rupnow plays, 6 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
People We Know plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station.
Second Saturday Series, 7 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave.
Skerryvore plays, 7:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Community Concert Hall. www.durangoconcerts.com
Durango Flea Market, 8 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.
Share the Love upcycling event, 9 a.m., Buckley Park.
30th Annual Toy Run, 9 a.m., Durango HarleyDavidson, 750 South Camino del Rio.
Lunch w/Congressional District 3 candidate Adam Frisch, 11:30 a.m., 11th St. Station.
March for Choice, gather at south end of Schneider Park at 12:45, march across 9th St. Bridge up Main Ave. to Rotary Park for a rally.
Silent Sundays w/Swanson, 2 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Pianist Adam Swanson accompanies silent film comedies.
Open Mic, 2 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co.
San Juan Symphony presents “Bolero! French Impressions,” 3 p.m., FLC’s Community Concert Hall.
Old Fort Cider Release Party, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos. Featuring live music by Haro in the Dark.
Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Live music, 5 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Jazz/Funk/Soul Jam, 6 p.m., 11th Street Station.
Comedy Show, 6:30 p.m., Olde Tymers Café, 1000 Main Ave.
Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Live music, 5 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109.
Game Night, 6 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.
Comedy Open Mic, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Live music, 5 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Open Mic Night, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Comedy Open Mic, weekly, 9 p.m., 11th St. Station.
CSU Extension Gardening Webinar: Great Plants for Fall Colors, 12 noon, link at https://bit.ly/3M62E46
Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Live music, 5 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Trivia Night, 6 p.m., Zia’s north, 2977 Main Ave.
Congressional District 3 forum, featuring candidates Lauren Boebert and Adam Frisch, 6-7 p.m., link at lwvlaplata.org
“The Pre-Hispanic Parrot Trade: Scarlet Maccaws in the U.S. Southwest & Mexican Northwest,” 7 p.m., FLC Lyceum Room. Hosted by San Juan Basin Archaeological Society.
Through the Roots with guests Red Sage & Ghost.Wav plays, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre.
Chris Pierce plays, 7:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Community Concert Hall. www.durangoconcerts.com
Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.
Shock Wave Drag Night, first and third Friday of every month, 9 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. 18+
Interesting fact: Aspen leaves are actually red, orange and yellow all year long. They just have so much chlorophyll that you can see only the green, until production fades in the autumn. Now you, too, can sound like a nerd on your fall foliage drive!
I try to recycle as much as I can. Cans, paper, plastic. I don’t know what to do with the twistys and clips on bread I buy at the local stores. I remember when we saved the pop tops from soda and beer cans to make a chain. Before your time. Then they invented the pull tab to stay with the can. Great. But what do you do with your bread twists and clips, if you buy bread?
– Pop a Top
sure, they’re pretty. But I am not spending a day or two of my precious life driving the Million Dollar Highway just to pull over and look at trees. Or worse, NOT pull over and look at trees. It’s got to be the most hazardous season on the roads, rubberneckers drooling over aspens just because they’re dying. Can you justify or rationalize this obsession?
– Leaf-t Behind
Dear Stonehearted,
Dear Top a Pop,
Wait, can I call you “top a pop” in a family newspaper? Sounds like a wholesome app for demonstrating whose dad is the best dad, named by someone wildly innocent. Kind of like the (seriously existing) Doggie Style app for dog owners to arrange playdates with their pups. Anyway. What’s to stop you from making a bread-clip chain? Alternate twist-ties with plastic clips and decorate the tree. The best part is, it’s non-biodegradable, so your Christmas spirit will last the whole eternity through.
– Can’t top this, Rachel
I’m not even sure you have a stone heart. You might be completely heartless. Nature is terrifying and awe-inspiring, and for a week out of the year it’s supremely beautiful in a way you can access without packing Clif bars. But you know what? I’m glad you stay home, inserting razor blades in Halloween candy or whatever you do for fun. Save some road space for the rest of us.
– Ooh and ahh, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
I think I am the only person on the planet who does not go gaga over fall colors. I mean,
The Hive Indoor Skate Park, open skate and skate lessons. Waivers required. For schedule and online waiver, go to www.thehivedgo.org
Bayfield Area Community Fruit Harvest, Oct. 13-15, events all day, community cookout Oct. 15 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., more info at pinerivershares.org
Lyrics Born with Influsense plays, Oct. 13, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre.
Durango Open Studio Tour – Taster Art Exhibition, Oct. 14, 5-8 p.m., Smiley Café, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.
The Burroughs plays, Oct. 14, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre.
Durango Open Studio Tour, Oct. 15 & 16, Smiley Café, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.
Gothla Belly Dance Show & Dance Party, Oct. 15, 7-10 p.m., Durango Elks Lodge, 901 E. 2nd Ave.
Dear Rachel, All my friends are going WWOOFing. They all explain it like they buy a ticket to Vietnam and agree to work on a farm for a few months in exchange for a cot and some food. Sounds perfect, except my friends are all in or approaching their 40s. Don’t mean to sound ageist, but farm labor ain’t the same as skiing and bicycling all year. It’s going to wreck them. How can I support them, both now and when they come crawling back home?
– Bite Worse Than My Woof
Dear Yapper, WWOOF wins for weirdest verbed acronym. Especially because the double-W stands for “world wide,” which is definitely one word. Why not spelling-appropriate WOOFing, dear acronymers? Are you worried about being too doggie-styled for your own good? Or is that cool with the 20-year-olds who probably do the most WWOOFing? I wouldn’t over-wworry, dear reader. Your mid-life-crisis friends have the life perspective to get more out of this experience than their younger coWWOOFers. Even if that’s lifelong back pain.
– Wwarmly, RachelHarvest Fest, Oct. 16, 2-6 p.m., Rotary Park.
Standup Comedian Alex Moffat, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Community Concert Hall.
FLC Performing Arts Presents: “Cabaret,” Oct. 21-22, 27-29 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 23 at 2 p.m., Mainstage Theater, durangoconcerts.com
Fort Lewis College Homecoming, Oct. 22, 10 a.m., FLC Stadium, featuring catered brunch, yard games, kid-friendly activities, live music by Nu Bass Theory. Football game at 12 noon.
White Mesa Ute Community Spiritual Walk & Protest, Oct. 22, 11 a.m., White Mesa Community Center, Utah. Rally to protect communities, health, environment and sacred landscapes.
Animas River Fall Cleanup, Oct. 29, 9 a.m.-12 noon, Santa Rita Park. Bring gloves, water and layers. Lunch provided for volunteers.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
When you Aries folks are at your best, you are drawn to people who tell you exactly what they think, who aren’t intimidated by your high energy and who dare to be as vigorous as you. I hope you have an array of allies like that in your sphere right now. In my astrological opinion, you especially need their kind of stimulation. It’s an excellent time to invite influences that will nudge you out of your status quo and help you glide into a new groove. Are you willing to be challenged and changed?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Author Toni Morrison thought that beauty was “an absolute necessity” and not “a privilege or an indulgence.” She said that “finding, incorporating and then representing beauty is what humans do.” In her view, we can’t live without beauty “any more than we can do without dreams or oxygen.” All she said is even truer for Tauruses and Libras than the other signs. And you Bulls have an extra wrinkle: It’s optimal if at least some of the beauty in your life is useful. Your mandate is summed up well by author Anne Michaels: “Find a way to make beauty necessary; find a way to make necessity beautiful.” I hope you’ll do a lot of that in the coming weeks.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said, “It requires a very unusual mind to make an analysis of the obvious.” I nominate you to perform that service in the coming days, both for yourself and your allies. No one will be better able than you to discern the complexities of seemingly simple situations. You will also have extraordinary power to help people appreciate and even embrace paradox. So be a crafty master of candor and transparency, Gemini. Demonstrate the benefits of being loyal to the objective evidence rather than to the easy and popular delusions. Tell the interesting truths.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Cancerian poet Lucille Clifton sent us all an invitation: “Won’t you celebrate with me what i have shaped into a kind of life? i had no model. i made it up here on this bridge between starshine and clay, my one hand holding tight my other hand.” During October, fellow Cancerian, I propose you draw inspiration from her heroic efforts to create herself. The coming weeks will be a time when you can achieve small miracles as you bolster your roots, nourish your soulful confidence and ripen your uniqueness.
“Dear Rob the Astrologer: This morning I put extra mousse on my hair and blow-dried the hell out of it, so now it is huge
and curly and impossibly irresistible. I’m wearing bright orange shoes so everyone will stare at my feet, and a blue silk blouse that is much too high-fashion to wear to work. It has princess seams and matches my eyes. I look fantastic. How could anyone of any gender resist drinking in my magnificence? I realize you’re a spiritual type and may not approve of my showmanship, but I wanted you to know that what I’m doing is a totally valid way to be a Leo. – Your Leo teacher Brooke.” Dear Brooke: Thank you for your helpful instruction! It’s true that I periodically need to loosen my tight grip on my high principles. I must be more open to appreciating life’s raw feed. I hope you will perform a similar service for everyone you encounter in the coming weeks.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
How to be the best Virgo you can be during the coming weeks: 1. You must relish, not apologize for, your precise obsessions. 2. Be as nosy as you need to be to discover the core truths hidden beneath the surface. Risk asking almost too many questions in your subtle drive to know everything. 3. Help loved ones and allies shrink and heal their insecurities. 4. Generate beauty and truth through your skill at knowing what needs to be purged and shed. 5. Always have your Bullshit Detector with you. Use it liberally. 6. Keep in close touch with the conversations between your mind and body.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
The Libran approach to fighting for what’s right shouldn’t involve getting into loud arguments or trying to manipulate people into seeing things your way. If you’re doing what you were born to do, you rely on gentler styles of persuasion. Are you doing what you were born to do? Have you become skilled at using clear, elegant language to say what you mean? Do you work in behalf of the best outcome rather than merely serving your ego? Do you try to understand why others feel the way they do, even if you disagree with their conclusions? I hope you call on these superpowers in the coming weeks. We all need you to be at the height of your potency.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
“One bad apple spoils the rest” is an idiom in the English language. It refers to the idea that if one apple rots as it rests in a pile of apples, the rest will quickly rot, too. It’s based on a scientific fact. As an apple decays, it emanates the gas ethylene, which speeds up decay in nearby apples. A variant of this idiom has recently evolved in relation to police misconduct, however. When law enforcement officials respond to such allegations, they say that a few “bad apples” in the police force aren’t representative of all the other cops. So I’m wondering which side of the metaphor is at work for you right now, Scorpio. Should
you immediately expunge the bad apple in your life? Or should you critique and tolerate it? Should you worry about the possibility of contamination, or can you successfully enforce damage control? Only you know the correct answer.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Of all the signs in the zodiac, you Sagittarians know best how to have fun even when life sucks. Your daily rhythm may temporarily become a tangle of boring or annoying tasks, yet you can still summon a knack for enjoying yourself. But let me ask you this: How are your instincts for drumming up amusement when life doesn’t suck? Are you as talented at whipping up glee and inspiration when the daily rhythm is smooth and groovy? I suspect we will gather evidence to answer those questions in the coming weeks. Here’s my prediction: The good times will spur you to new heights of creating even more good times.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): More than you might realize, people look to you for leadership and regard you as a role model. This will be extra true in the coming weeks. Your statements and actions will have an even bigger impact than usual. Your influence will ripple out far beyond your sphere. In light of these developments, which may sometimes be subtle, I encourage you to upgrade your sense of responsibility. Make sure your integrity is impeccable. Another piece of advice, too: Be an inspiring example to people without making them feel like they owe you anything.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Rapper-songwriter Nicki Minaj says, “You should never feel afraid to become a piece of art. It’s exhilarating.” I will go further, Aquarius. I invite you to summon ingenuity and joy in your efforts to be a work of art. The coming weeks will be an ideal time for you to tease out more of your inner beauty so that more people can benefit from it. I hope you will be dramatic and expressive about showing the world the full array of your interesting qualities. PS: Please call on the entertainment value of surprise and unpredictability.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Author Robertson Davies declared, “One learns one’s mystery at the price of one’s innocence.” It sounds poetic, but it doesn’t apply to most of you Pisceans – especially now. Here’s what I’ve concluded: The more you learn your mystery, the more innocent you become. Please note I’m using the word “innocence” in the sense defined by author Clarissa Pinkola Estés. She wrote: “Ignorance is not knowing anything and being attracted to the good. Innocence is knowing everything and still being attracted to the good.”
Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon. Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum. Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check.
(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.) Ads can be submitted via: n www.durangotelegraph.com n classifieds@durango telegraph.com
n 970-259-0133
n 679 E. 2nd Ave., #E2
Approximate office hours:
Mon: 9ish - 5ish
Tues: 9ish - 5ish
Wed: 9ish - 3ish
Thurs: On delivery
Fri: Gone fishing; call first
2022 The New Axis of Evil Desantis/Abbott.
The Real Axis of Evil Biden, Harris, Pelosi, Shumer
Amaya is hiring massage therapist part time positions. Send an email to trici agourley13@gmail.com or drop off resume to apply.
Free moving boxes including wardrobe boxes, dish boxes, general moving boxes of various sizes and legal file boxes. Must pick up. Text (832) 474-7191
by Massage Genius. Excellent condition, latte colored, 3 years old, gives great massages! Asking $3,100. 970-238-6901
A classic – sweet, smooth ride for cushy cruising. Been around the block but still in great shape. 42” long. $50 Text: 970-749-2595.
17” steel frame, black, hardtail, front Fox 32” fork. Set up for tubeless, decent rubber. Super fun, light and zippy bike –great for in-town rides, Phil’s or more. $700 Text: 970-749-2595.
Hero 5. A few years old but only used once or twice and otherwise just sat in a drawer. It is deserving of a more exciting owner! $150 OBO. Text 970-749-2595
Cozy up your home: vintage dressers, mid-century modern, nightstands, patio sets, coffee tables, cool art and décor, kitchen items … Patio blowout sale! 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.
Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.
Beautiful Studio Above Garage for rent from Nov till end of April.
Very peaceful and quiet on 4.5 acres, gorgeous views. 15 minutes from town. Perfect for single or couple. Would consider pet. Call or text 970 238 6901
Friendly Carpentry and Painting
Stucco repair, 707-806-3456.
Media, website building and content editing, copywriting and editing, newsletters, blogs, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. Visit our website at www.forwardpedal.com or email jnderge@gmail.com
Harmony Cleaning and Organizing
Residential, offices, commercial and vacation rentals, 970-403-6192.
Lowest Prices on Storage!
Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494.
Lotus Path Healing Arts
Now accepting new clients. 24 years of experience. To schedule call Kathryn, 970-201-3373.
Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.
Durango PlayFest Seeks Play Submissions from area writers by Dec. 1 for its fifth annual festival, June 28-July 2, 2023. Prior playwriting experience not required. Selected playwright will collaborate with a local director and actors to develop the work for a staged reading during the festival. Plays should be 60-90 pages, with up to four characters. Playwrights must reside within daily driving distance to Durango to attend rehearsals in June. Submit plays in a Word document or PDF to durangoplayfest@gmail.com with “play” in the subject line. For more info, visit durangoplayfest.org.
Congratulations to Dan Groth, winner (and only submission) in last week’s “fill in the blank” comic contest. Glad to see the heart of rock ’n’ roll is still beating, at least in some places. Koozie coming your way, Dan.
