Images Pueblo, CO: 2008

2008 | IMAGESPUEBLO.COM | VIDEO VIGNETTES TM

OF PUEBLO, COLORADO

WILD ABOUT THE NEW BUILDING Zoo introduces Islands of Life exhibit

ALL IN GOOD TASTINESS Union Avenue eateries offer their own special fare

This Ain’t Their First Rodeo Professional Bull Riders gallop into new headquarters SPONSORED BY THE GREATER PUEBLO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND PUEBLO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

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2008 EDITION | VOLUME 14 TM TM

OF PUEBLO, COLORADO

12 CO NTE NT S F E AT U R E S 12

HISTORICAL TREASURE TROVE History buffs of all types can find plenty to occupy an afternoon (or two, or three) along Pueblo’s Golden Mile.

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ALL IN GOOD TASTINESS Your taste buds are in for a treat at any of the eateries along the Union Avenue Historic District downtown.

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WILD ABOUT THE NEW BUILDING

20 THIS AIN’T THEIR FIRST RODEO The Professional Bull Riders Association opened its new four-story headquarters on the Arkansas River in July 2007.

35 MUSIC TO EVERYONE’S EARS The Pueblo Symphony Orchestra has been making the world a more musical place since 1928.

40 GUSTO GROWS FOR GRIDIRON Football has a special significance in Pueblo’s past, present and future.

The zoo’s Islands of Life Building opened in April 2007 in the renovated sandstone structure formerly known as the Animal House.

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STATE OF THE ARTS Art lovers will find lots to see at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, as well as at unexpected locations all over the city.

ON THE COVER Photo by Michael W. Bunch Headwaters Fountain in downtown Pueblo

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OF PUEBLO SENIOR EDITOR LISA BATTLES COPY EDITOR JOYCE CARUTHERS ASSOCIATE EDITORS KIM MADLOM, ANITA WADHWANI ASSISTANT EDITOR REBECCA DENTON STAFF WRITERS CAROL COWAN, KEVIN LITWIN, JESSICA MOZO DIRECTORIES EDITORS AMANDA MORGAN, KRISTY WISE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT JESSY YANCEY CONTRIBUTING WRITERS SHARON H FITZGERALD, MELANIE HILL, DAN MARKHAM, JOE MORRIS, VALERIE PASCOE ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER TODD POTTER INTEGRATED MEDIA MANAGER ELIZABETH WEST ONLINE SALES MANAGER MATT SLUTZ SALES COORDINATOR SARA SARTIN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS JEFF ADKINS, WES ALDRIDGE, TODD BENNETT, ANTONY BOSHIER, MICHAEL W. BUNCH, IAN CURCIO, BRIAN M CCORD CREATIVE DIRECTOR KEITH HARRIS WEB DESIGN DIRECTOR SHAWN DANIEL PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NATASHA LORENS ASST. PRODUCTION DIRECTOR CHRISTINA CARDEN PRE-PRESS COORDINATOR HAZEL RISNER SENIOR PRODUCTION PROJECT MGR. TADARA SMITH PRODUCTION PROJECT MGRS. MELISSA HOOVER, JILL WYATT SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS LAURA GALLAGHER, KRIS SEXTON, VIKKI WILLIAMS LEAD DESIGNER JANINE MARYLAND GRAPHIC DESIGN JESSICA BRAGONIER, CANDICE HULSEY, LINDA MOREIRAS, AMY NELSON, CARL RATLIFF WEB PROJECT MANAGER ANDY HARTLEY WEB DESIGN RYAN DUNLAP, CARL SCHULZ WEB PRODUCTION JILL TOWNSEND DIGITAL ASSET MANAGER ALISON HUNTER COLOR IMAGING TECHNICIAN CORY MITCHELL AD TRAFFIC MEGHANN CAREY, SARAH MILLER, PATRICIA MOISAN, RAVEN PETTY CHAIRMAN GREG THURMAN PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BOB SCHWARTZMAN EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RAY LANGEN SR. V.P./CLIENT DEVELOPMENT JEFF HEEFNER SR. V.P./SALES CARLA H. THURMAN SR. V.P./PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS CASEY E. HESTER V.P./SALES HERB HARPER V.P./VISUAL CONTENT MARK FORESTER V.P./TRAVEL PUBLISHING SYBIL STEWART EXECUTIVE EDITOR TEREE CARUTHERS MANAGING EDITOR/BUSINESS MAURICE FLIESS MANAGING EDITOR/TRAVEL PUBLICATIONS SUSAN CHAPPELL PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR JEFFREY S. OTTO CONTROLLER CHRIS DUDLEY ACCOUNTING MORIAH DOMBY, DIANA GUZMAN, MARIA McFARLAND, LISA OWENS, JACKIE YATES RECRUITING/TRAINING DIRECTOR SUZY WALDRIP COMMUNITY PROMOTION DIRECTOR CINDY COMPERRY DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR GARY SMITH MARKETING COORDINATOR AMY AKIN IT SYSTEMS DIRECTOR MATT LOCKE IT SERVICE TECHNICIAN RYAN SWEENEY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER PEGGY BLAKE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR NICOLE WILLIAMS SALES SUPPORT MANAGER/ CUSTOM MAGAZINES PATTI CORNELIUS OFFICE MANAGER SHELLY GRISSOM

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OF PUEBLO, COLOR ADO

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PUEBLO BUSINESS 26 Cleared for Takeoff Pueblo has become the gateway for U.S. Air Force aviation with a new world-class training facility.

29 Biz Briefs 31 Chamber Report 33 Economic Profile

D E PA R TM E NT S 10 Almanac: a colorful sampling of Pueblo culture

22 Portfolio: people, places and events that define Pueblo

37 Education Images of Pueblo is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and the Pueblo Economic Development Corp.

For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by e-mail at info@jnlcom.com.

41 Health & Wellness 44 Community Profile: facts, stats and important numbers to know

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce 302 N. Santa Fe Ave. • Pueblo, CO 81003 Phone: (719) 542-1704 • Fax: (719) 542-1624 www.pueblochamber.org Pueblo Economic Development Corp.

301 N. Main St. • Pueblo, CO 81002 Phone: (719) 544-2000 • Fax: (719) 543-1650 www.pedco.org VISIT IMAGES OF PUEBLO ONLINE AT IMAGESPUEBLO.COM ©Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080. All rights reserved.

No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.

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Member Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Please recycle this magazine

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I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

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MOVING PICTURES VIDEO 1 INSIDE LOOK Join us on a virtual tour of Pueblo through the lenses of our award-winning photographers at imagespueblo.com.

VIDEO 2 DINING IN THE DISTRICT Take a tasty food tour of Historic Union Avenue with Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Rod Slyhoff at imagespueblo.com.

VIDEO 3 ANIMAL ATTRACTION Find out why visitors go wild over the diverse inhabitants of the Pueblo Zoo at imagespueblo.com.

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GARDENING IN THE ROCKIES Welcome to the Rocky Mountain region, where gardening is an adventure. Few regions on earth possess such a diversity of climates and plant communities. Find out more at imagespueblo.com.

DINING DIVERSITY Colorado isn’t defined by any one regional cuisine. Instead, you’ll find everything from Old West-style chuck wagon dinners to high-end international fare. Get a taste of regional cuisine at imagespueblo.com.

A B O U T T H I S M AG A Z I N E Images of Pueblo is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is sponsored by the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and the Pueblo Economic Development Corp. In print and online, Images gives readers a taste of what makes Pueblo tick – from business and education to sports, health care and the arts.

“Find the good – and praise it.”

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Bessemer’s Liquid Asset There is a refreshing addition to the swimming pool area at Minnequa Park. The Pride City Band and several Bessemer business representatives were in attendance in July 2007 for the opening of a new spray attraction at the Minnequa Park pool.

The water-soaking feature was constructed for youngsters in the Bessemer community, which is located in the southern portion of the Pueblo metropolitan area.

The improvement cost $270,000 and was financed by the city of Pueblo, but the YMCA has been put in charge of overseeing all of Pueblo’s outdoor public swimming pool sites as of Jan. 1, 2008.

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Home of the Brave

Homage to the Chile

Here’s a salute to William J. Crawford, Drew D. Dix, Raymond G. “Jerry” Murphy and Carl L. Sitter.

These four native sons of Pueblo are all recipients of the Medal of Honor. It is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed by Congress on an individual serving in the U.S. armed forces.

In 1993, the U.S. Congress proclaimed Pueblo “America’s Home of Heroes,” and a memorial was erected in 2001 to honor the recipients. The memorial consists of four 8-foot bronze sculptures and is located outside the Pueblo Convention Center.

More than 10 million pounds of chile peppers are grown annually in Pueblo County. That deserves a party.

The annual Loaf ’N Jug Chile & Frijoles Festival enters its 14th year in 2008, with events taking place along the Union Avenue Historic District.

The theme of the festival is everything chile-related, and other attractions include a farmer’s market, arts, crafts and live entertainment.

The event coincides with the annual Signature of Pueblo’s Finest, an art show held at the Pueblo Convention Center.

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Heavy Metal History The steel industry helped shape the West, and there now is a museum that honors its impact on the Pueblo region.

The Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture is located in a missionstyle building that once served as headquarters for the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corp. in Pueblo. The Bessemer Historical Society purchased and ultimately renovated the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The museum has exhibits related to history of mining, labor, steel production, early industrial medicine and railroading, as well as the history of Pueblo and Colorado.

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Almanac

Fast Facts Q Founded in 1872, the Colorado State Fair is held in Pueblo each year at the 102-acre Colorado State Fairgrounds.

Q Lake Pueblo State Park, an 11-mile-long water reservoir, boasts 60 miles of shoreline and is one of the top recreation spots in the state.

Q The 3.5-mile-long Pueblo Levee Mural Project is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest mural in the world.

Still Lavish Today One of the most beautiful spots in Pueblo has plenty of historical significance.

Mineral Palace Park is situated in the same vicinity where Pueblo’s 25-domed Colorado Mineral Palace was constructed in 1889. The palace was a lavish structure built to promote Pueblo’s stature in the smelting industry, but the large building was demolished in 1942.

Still in existence on the spacious property is Lake Clara, named for Clara Latshaw. She persuaded landowner Harry Brown to ultimately sell the property to Pueblo for $35,000 for construction of a park, when Brown had originally insisted on getting $45,000 for the land.

Q Area kayakers are rejoicing, as a new whitewater park opened in downtown Pueblo in May 2005 and covers a half-mile stretch with eight different water features.

SEE MORE ONLINE | For more Fast Facts about Pueblo, visit imagespueblo.com.

Colorado Springs C

Pueblo | At A Glance POPULATION (2006 ESTIMATE) Pueblo: 103,730, Pueblo County: 152,912

Pueblo

LOCATION Pueblo is situated beside the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado, 110 miles south of Denver.

BEGININGS The El Pueblo Trading Post was established in 1842, and the city of Pueblo was incorporated in 1870.

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96 FOR MORE INFORMATION Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce 302 N. Santa Fe Ave., Pueblo, CO 81003 Phone: (719) 542-1704, Fax: (719) 542-1624 www.pueblochamber.org

PEDCO (Pueblo Economic Development Corporation) 301 N. Main Street PO Box 1957, Pueblo, CO 81002 Phone: (719) 544-2000 or 800-522-1120 Fax: (719) 543-1650 www.pedco.org

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SEE VIDEO ONLINE | Take a virtual tour of Pueblo at imagespueblo.com, courtesy of our award-winning photographers.

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Historical

Treasure Trove GOLDEN MILE OF MUSEUMS SHOWCASES REGION’S RICH HISTORY

STORY BY JOE MORRIS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

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istory buffs of all types can find plenty to occupy an afternoon (or two, or three) along Pueblo’s “Golden Mile,” a treasure trove of museums packed into one walkable area of town.

One popular destination is the InfoZone News Museum, which is housed in the Robert Hoag Rawlings

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Public Library. An interactive facility, InfoZone aims to increase knowledge about the freedom of speech and press, the history of Pueblo and the newspapers that have served the community, says Tracey Mattoon, news museum manager.

“We opened in 2003 and get a lot of visitors,” Mattoon says. “We’re on the fourth floor of the library and have

the best view in town of the city’s historic district.”

InfoZone features a 100-seat movie theater, touch-screen computer kiosks and exhibits that showcase the history of newspaper production, including a working Linotype typesetting machine.

And then there’s Hoagie, the animatronic newsboy that welcomes visitors.

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Three’s a Charm OLD FIREHOUSE GETS NEW LEASE ON LIFE

The Pueblo Railway Museum has full-scale and model trains on site.

just love him,” Mattoon says. “We have parents who bring their children in daily just to see Hoagie.”

For those who like their history a little more mobile, there’s the Pueblo Railway Museum, a program of the Pueblo Railway Foundation. With displays of railroading equipment, as well as operational trains (full size and model), the museum gives a fascinating glimpse into the rich railway history of the region, says Cork Hayden, a foundation volunteer.

“We have a pretty good stable of stuff at the rail yard,” Hayden says. “We have a whole bunch of rolling stock and are free and open to the public. We also have rides from time to time, at least four to six times a year.”

Among the collection are three locomotives, one of which has been painted in a bicentennial motif, a few cabooses, and several boxcars and f lat cars, Hayden says.

A broader historical perspective can be attained at the El Pueblo History

Museum, which features the El Pueblo trading post, now an archeological site enclosed by glass. The museum also contains approximately 9,000 square feet of gallery space used for a rotating series of exhibits and events.

Next up for the museum will be a children’s gallery, set to open in May 2008.

“We have an outstanding history museum, and we’re still growing,” says Deborah Espinosa, museum director.

Still want more? Then head over to the Southeastern Colorado Heritage Center, which is housed in a 1924 railroad freight depot that once belonged to the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.

The center soon will have an exhibit created in collaboration with the Pioneer Telephone operators.

“Their old museum is in the telephone building, and they want to get it out from behind locked doors,” says Chris Ball, director of development and marketing. “We’re working to add it to our antique telephone exhibit and history of telephony, so all of that history can be made available to the public.”

In addition to the many standing exhibits, special events are frequent.

And be sure, for once, to take any wooden nickels you’re offered.

“We’re involved in the wooden-nickel program here in the historic district,” Ball says. “We give them out with every admission, and then people can take them to select merchants along the Union Avenue Historical District and redeem them for all kinds of things.”

Hoagie, an animatronic newsboy, greets visitors to the InfoZone News Museum. Left: The new El Pueblo History Museum opened in 1990.

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hey don’t have a dalmatian yet, but it’s a matter of time.

Work is progressing rapidly on the Hose Company No. 3 Museum, which will be both a historical archive and monument to Pueblo’s firefighting community. With a new roof in place and work continuing to renovate the historic structure’s interior, museum officials say they hope to open full time in 2009.

“We’ve got the roof and plumbing done, and we’re working on a grant that will let an architectural and engineering firm begin work on the interior,” says Mark Pickerel, curator.

The station, which once housed horse-drawn fire equipment and still has its brass pole, was built in 1881. It last saw active duty in 1979, and then was closed by the city.

A private collector created a museum on the site in the early 1980s, but it was shuttered again a few years later.

But Pickerel and others, including Gary Micheli, public education officer for the Pueblo Fire Department, were determined to bring the building back to life. They began working to restore the structure, securing a grant for the roofing and infrastructure work. The group continues to assemble a collection that will be housed in the firehouse once it’s fully refurbished.

Among the artifacts already obtained are Old No. 1, Pueblo’s first motorized fire truck, and a 1911 American LaFrance Chemical Wagon. Altogether, there are more than 500 items, 200 pictures and 150 books for display.

– Joe Morris

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All in Good SEE VIDEO ONLINE | Take a tour of the eateries along the Union Avenue Historic District with Rod Slyhoff at imagespueblo.com.

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Tastiness CHAMBER CEO SHARES TIPS ON TOURING UNION AVENUE EATERIES

STORY BY KEVIN LITWIN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

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ungry? Rod Slyhoff says your taste buds are in for a treat at any of the eating establishments along the Union Avenue Historic District.

For example, the president and CEO of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce often starts his day with an iced double mocha latte and a spicy burrito at The Daily Grind. Or he might visit the Hopscotch Bakery for a breakfast scone and a hot cup of Pueblo-brewed Solar Roast coffee.

“There are quite a few unique, family-owned dining spots scattered along three or four blocks of Union Avenue,” Slyhoff says. “From dawn to dusk, you can always get a good bite to eat in this district.”

For lunch, Slyhoff says one of his favorite places to get a juicy hamburger is the Gold Dust Saloon.

“My favorite lunch there is their thick bacon cheeseburger with a basket of fries,” he says. “The fries are especially good because they are cut in a ribbon design so that they still have a bit of the potato skin on them.”

Up the street a bit is Papa Jose’s Cafe, one of Pueblo’s top Mexican food dining spots. The restaurant features dishes such as chiles rellenos (peppers stuffed with cheese and fried in egg batter) and sopapillas, which are fried dough pockets filled with honey or sweet jelly.

“To fill our sopapillas, my mother, Elly, uses a pineapple and tomato jelly recipe that she keeps a secret – even from me,” says Michael Pacheco, coowner of Papa Jose’s. “Our sopapillas are also covered with cinnamon and sugar.

They are delicious.”

In the mid-afternoon, Slyhoff occa-

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sionally stops by the Cock & Bull Tavern for a cool beverage and a large iced bowl of shrimp.

“Also on their menu is a sun-dried tomato pesto served with olive oil and bread,” he says. “Plus for dessert, their bread pudding is amazing.”

Across from the Cock & Bull is a sports bar called Zipper’s, with food specialties that include a spicy chicken ranch sandwich topped with provolone cheese.

“My favorite dish at Zipper’s is the stacked beef flatbread, which is tender roast beef layered with spinach and tomato,” Slyhoff says. “It is served with an artichoke and chutney sauce.

It’s incredible.”

For dinner, Slyhoff says he can’t get

enough of the garlic knot appetizers and the spinach lasagna entrée at Angelo’s Pizza Parlor. Or he might wrap up his day by frequenting Rio Bistro restaurant for a dry-aged filet mignon or a plate of sauerbraten.

“Union Avenue is a special place in Pueblo, and it has really become a destination for dining,” Slyhoff says.

“If you haven’t eaten there lately, be sure to check out one of these places soon.

And be sure to say hello if you happen to see me.”

SEE MORE ONLINE | To learn more about the many dining options in Pueblo, visit the archives at imagespueblo.com/07.

Papa Jose’s Union Cafe is a popular downtown Pueblo destination. Left: Rod Slyhoff, president and CEO of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, enjoys a hamburger and fries at Gold Dust Saloon.

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Wild About the New

Building PUEBLO ZOO CELEBRATES OPENING OF ISLANDS OF LIFE EXHIBIT

STORY BY KEVIN LITWIN

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

I

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t was the fall of 1999 when Pueblo Zoo officials decided to close their Animal House and Monkey Island attractions, both of which had been around since 1940.

The two attractions had fallen into disrepair, and there was talk in 1999 about actually demolishing both zoo landmarks. However, that demolition never took place, and today the sites are alive again – although under a different name and with a new focus.

The Islands of Life Building opened in April 2007 in the renovated sandstone structure that was long known as the Animal House. Meanwhile, Monkey Island also reopened but did so without a name, since monkeys no longer inhabit it.

“Now it is simply known as the island at the Islands of Life exhibit,” says Jonnene McFarland, director of the Pueblo Zoo. “The small island has ringtail lemurs running around as well as lizards and meerkats that zoo visitors can enjoy watching.”

McFarland says the former Animal House structure has been completely transformed and now features several new attractions in its current existence.

“We basically gutted the building’s interior except for an artistic fountain and an interesting animal cage, and then put in all new exhibits,” she says.

The Pueblo Zoo recently opened its renovated Islands of Life exhibit.

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SEE VIDEO ONLINE | View more of the watchable wildlife at Pueblo Zoo by visiting imagespueblo.com.

River otters are always favorites at the Pueblo Zoo. Right: Zebras are part of the African Plains exhibit. PHOTOS BY ANTONY BOSHIER

as well as plenty of biology-related findings that a ship’s crew might find on a sailing adventure,” McFarland says.

“It all goes with the Islands of Life theme. Visitors might even be surprised to see the captain’s skeleton within the ship as part of the exhibit.”

Pueblo Zoo is located in City Park and has a total of more than 400 animals from all over the world. The not-forprofit zoo is operated by the Pueblo Zoological Society.

Now that the massive Islands of Life

Sculpting a Story ANIMAL ART LENDS FINISHING TOUCH

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hree large animal statues seem to be roaring their approval these days atop the newly renovated Islands of Life Building at the Pueblo Zoo. The building’s roof has long been home to lifelike cement sculptures of a lion, bear and ape. These works were sculpted nearly 70 years ago by former Pueblo resident John Sutton.

“The inscribed name of John Sutton was discovered when our current zoo artist, Richard Montano, took on the task of restoring the beautiful sculptures,” says Jonnene McFarland, director of the Pueblo Zoo. “Richard discovered John Sutton’s name carved into the lion’s back. Also inscribed is the number 40, indicating that the works were completed in 1940.”

Montano also noticed that the three sculptures were covered with layers and layers of paint, which he painstakingly removed.

“Richard eventually saw that the statues were originally painted in Colorado’s three metal colors –

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Building renovation project has been completed, McFarland says the zoo will start concentrating on a couple more upcoming endeavors.

“We will soon be opening an exhibit of naked mole rats, which are hairless rodents from Africa that are the size of small hamsters,” she says. “Another exhibit will feature cottontop tamarins that are small, cute primates. Both of these exciting new additions to the Pueblo Zoo will be here by the summer of 2008.”

copper, silver and gold,” McFarland says. “He finished the restoration by adorning each sculpture with metallic paint so that they appear to be made of metal. The roof of the Islands of Life Building is now graced with a copper bear, silver ape and a gold lion.”

Sutton also was responsible for sculpting a drinking fountain in the Islands building, with the fountain resembling the stump of a tree with vines around it. In addition, he carved artistic designs on an animal cage that Montano also has painstakingly restored.

“John Sutton eventually sculpted for the Denver and Bronx zoos before he died in 1998,” McFarland says.

“His artwork is excellent, and Richard Montano did a great job bringing all of Sutton’s art objects back to virtual life here at the Pueblo Zoo.” – Kevin Litwin

I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

“All the current displays feature island themes. For example, we have a rock island, an ocean island and a South American tree island with actual species of animals from South America. There are about 25 species of animals in the entire Islands of Life display.”

One of the centerpieces of the building is a mock shipwreck of The Thatcher, a boat that has much of its inner structure on display in plain view for zoo visitors.

“People can see the captain’s quarters

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State of the

Arts

VISUAL ARTS ARE ALIVE AND WELL IN PUEBLO

The Buell Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum has 12,000 square feet of interactive exhibits for kids of all ages.

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STORY BY CAROL COWAN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

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ueblo’s plethora of visual art offerings truly is a sight for sore eyes – and healthy ones, too. Visitors will find lots to see at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, as well as at sometimes surprising locations all over the city.

The cultural hub of southern Colorado, the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center first opened in 1972 with a single gallery. Today it has grown to include six gallery spaces and the 12,000-squarefoot Buell Children’s Museum.

“The Arts Center is an absolute jewel,” says Lynn Stenzel, a Pueblo-based artist.

“The grounds, the buildings, the galleries – it’s really, really top-notch.”

“We pride ourselves on providing programs that show the importance of art in our lives,” says Erin Ragulsky, marketing manager for the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. “We try to support our local art community as well as bring in national and international artists.”

Exhibits rotate four times a year and include works from some of the center’s permanent collections – the Francis King Collection of Western Art; the Gene Kloss Collection, featuring drawings, paintings and intaglio prints; the Ruth Gast Collection of Historic Santos; and the Regional Contemporary Art Collection, which showcases the works of Colorado artists of the past 50 years.

In the spring of 2008, the Center will host an exhibit featuring the works of internationally acclaimed artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, in conjunction with the Over the River project the artists are installing on a nearby stretch of the Arkansas River.

The Buell Children’s Museum, which ranked the second-best children’s art museum in the nation in 2001 by Child magazine, opens the world of art to kids with a series of hands-on, multisensory exhibits. Kids of all ages also can make some visual art of their own in the Artrageous Studio.

Pueblo’s wealth of visual art is not confined to the Sangre de Cristo Arts The Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center boasts impressive permanent and rotating exhibits.

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Center alone. The center, along with the Downtown Association and other civic groups, sponsors the Art and Soul Street Gallery, a downtown beautification project that displays throughout the city sculptures created by Colorado artists.

The works are for sale, and some have been purchased and donated back to the city as permanent installations.

“We set out to do something that would beautify the downtown area but also promote the arts,” says Peggy Willcox, chairwoman of the Art and Soul Street Gallery. “We’ve got bronzes, things made out of stone, found-object art – it’s really quite a mix.”

Additionally, Willcox says, beautiful public art can be seen at the convention center, the college campus and along the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk.

While you’re down at the river, take a look at the largest mural in the world where over 177,000 square feet of art – that’s about two miles – is painted on the 65-foot-tall levee.

Local artists’ works are on display at area restaurants such as Park East and The Daily Grind Cafe, as well as at galleries, gift shops and studios such as Lynn Stenzel’s working studio showroom in the old post office building.

“Pueblo has a really significant arts community,” Willcox says.

In this case, seeing is believing.

Teachers in Town PUEBLO DRAWS ART EDUCATORS

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he Colorado Art Education Association held its fall conference in Pueblo in October 2007 – the second time the organization has done so, and certainly not the last.

“We had a vision to bring these teachers to Pueblo because of the rich culture and history here,” says Cynthia Ramu, conference cocoordinator and veteran art educator at the Pueblo School for Arts. “They loved Pueblo, and they’ve requested to come back every two to three years.”

No wonder Pueblo is so popular with art teachers.

Area merchants, restaurateurs, businesses and museums all got on board to help provide some 150 art-related events and activities for the 600-plus educators that converged on the city for the fourday conference.

Several events centered on Pueblo’s culture, including gallery and public art walks, a tour of the renowned Levee Mural Project and a visit to the El Pueblo History Museum.

Other events included an invitational art exhibit featuring the works of CAEA teachers and the annual Empty Bowl fundraiser for the homeless – a tradition among art teachers and students all over the state.

Additionally, Ramu says, keynote speeches by international artists and writers, master classes, special receptions and entertainment made for a fantastic weekend.

CAEA is slated to return to Pueblo in 2010.

– Carol Cowan

I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

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This

Ain’t Their

First Rodeo PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS GALLOP INTO NEW HEADQUARTERS

STORY BY JESSICA MOZO

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY WATSON

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The PBR Built Ford Tough Series is the association’s top-drawing tour.

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f you’re a rodeo fan, you couldn’t pick a better hometown than Pueblo, and the Professional Bull Riders Association couldn’t agree more. The PBR opened its four-story headquarters on the Arkansas River in July 2007.

“We were located in Colorado Springs, and three cities gave us opportunities to relocate – Reno, Kansas City and Pueblo,” says Denise Abbott, vice president of public relations and marketing for the PBR. “Pueblo had the best opportunities. The Riverwalk is gorgeous, and Pueblo residents have opened their arms to us.”

Before the PBR’s arrival, Pueblo already had a place in its heart for rodeo. The National Little Britches Rodeo Association, which is for kids ages 5-18, began holding its 10-day national finals rodeo in Pueblo in 2005 and plans to continue holding it here at least through 2010.

“We chose Pueblo as our new host city PU E B LO

SEE VIDEO ONLINE | Visit the sparkling new headquarters of the Professional Bull Riders Association at imagespueblo.com.

The Professional Bull Riders Association recently opened its new Pueblo headquarters.

because of the Colorado State Fairgrounds facility and the great, supportive community,” says Kimber Solberg, executive director of the National Little Britches Rodeo Association. “We experienced an outpouring of welcoming from Pueblo.”

The National Little Britches Finals Rodeo is the organization’s largest event, bringing more than 850 contestants and their families to Pueblo. Contestants compete for prizes such as saddles, buckles and thousands of dollars in college scholarships.

“We continue to hear more Pueblo people who have gone to their events say Little Britches is really exciting,” says Rod Slyhoff, president of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce. “Their arena is divided into three arenas, so there’s something going on all the time – bull-riding, calf-roping, pole-bending.

Our community has really enjoyed it.”

The event pumps more than $10 million into the local economy.

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“The economic impact was $10.5 million in 1997, and that was when we had only 500 contestants,” Solberg says.

“It’s even greater now.”

PBR’s largest event is the Built Ford Tough Series, considered the “major league” tour. The Built Ford Tough Series features the world’s top 45 bull riders competing at events in 35 cities across the United States, with the world finals wrapping up the tour in Las Vegas in November.

“Bull-riding is growing tremendously,” Abbott says. “More than 104 million viewers watch our events on TV around the world, and more than 1 million people attend our events each year.”

In turn, Pueblo is continuously exposed to a growing audience.

“Every time one of the worldwide viewers watches a PBR event, they hear that PBR’s headquarters are located in Pueblo,” Slyhoff says. “That’s worldwide advertising we could never afford to buy.”

PHOTO BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

Though PBR has been in Pueblo less than a year, the organization didn’t waste any time demonstrating its support for the community.

“They’ve already donated to the Riverwalk and participated in our annual Chile & Frijoles Festival,” Slyhoff says.

If rodeo is happy to be in Pueblo, then by all accounts, the city is thrilled to be its home.

“We did the ribbon-cutting for the new PBR building in August [2007], and well over 1,500 people were there to welcome members of the PBR staff,” Slyhoff says. “There’s a lot of community pride for the sport. We’re proud to say we’re home to one of the fastest growing sports in the world.”

SEE MORE ONLINE | To learn more about the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo, visit the archives at imagespueblo.com/06.

I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

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Portfolio

A Natural Choice for Dining Out MANDALYN FALLS IS ONE OF PUEBLO’S NEWEST AND MOST DELICIOUS DINING DESTINATIONS

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ow there’s another reason to visit the Greenway and Nature Center of Pueblo. Mandalyn Falls Restaurant opened next to the center in 2006 and has already become a local favorite.

Owned by husband-and-wife team Rowdy and Amanda Lindt, Mandalyn Falls specializes in American, Mexican and Italian cuisine. The Lindts named the restaurant after their oldest daughter.

“We serve a relaxed lunch, with sandwiches, soups, salads, burgers, chicken salad and vegetarian sandwiches. We love to serve on our outdoor patio,” says Rowdy Lindt. “In the evenings, we offer fine dining, with steaks, pasta primavera, lasagna and our award-winning smoked prime rib.

But we’re always family-friendly – you can come in dressed in shorts after a bike ride or a really nice outfit.”

Mandalyn Falls has two dining rooms – a large one for groups, and a small one with two-person tables for more intimate dining.

“Three sides of the small dining room are all windows, so there’s a great view of the [Arkansas] river,” Lindt says.

Though they are separate entities, Mandalyn Falls and the Greenway and Nature Center work together to bring visitors to the area.

“We’ve had people come to eat at our restaurant, and then they go visit the Nature Center,” Lindt says. “We’ve even gotten several visitors from out of state, and we’re starting to build a client base in Colorado Springs and Denver. One group from Denver told us our overall package was better than any restaurant in Denver.”

The Lindts created the restaurant’s menu from favorite dishes from both sides of their family. Lindt has been the lead cook so far, but they plan to hire an executive chef in the near future.

“The restaurant is a lot of work, and it can be stressful,” Lindt says. “But when people leave smiling, that’s the greatest reward.”

Mandalyn Falls’ menu includes prime rib, baked potatoes and mixed vegetables. PHOTO BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

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en Olson and Ron Van Valkenburg are so enthused about fly-fishing, they decided to open a combination fly shop and guide service in Pueblo.

Located on Main Street, the shop is called Anglers Addiction.

“We worked together as guides in Ridgeway, and we decided we could do even better than the shop we worked for,” Olson says. “We love sharing the fly-fishing addiction.”

The difference between fly-fishing and traditional fishing is in the rod.

“With a fly rod, you use the weight of the line to cast the lure,” Olson explains. “With a regular rod, you use the weight of the lure to cast the line.

You use a lot more flexible rod for fly-fishing.”

Olson and Van Valkenburg offer guided fly-fishing trips and classes in fly-fishing, fly-tying, entomology and advanced tactics. Their shop feels like a comfortable den, with a pool table, a 100-inch projection screen for fishing videos, a dartboard and plenty of coffee.

“A bunch of people come in every day for coffee and tell fish stories,” Olson says.

Though Anglers Addiction has been open little more than a year, the shop’s inventory has already grown exponentially – a reflection of the growing popularity of the sport here.

“There are fly fishermen all over Pueblo, and a ton of people come from Colorado Springs and Denver, too,” Olson says. “Last winter, Fly Fisherman magazine called Pueblo’s Tail Water the best warm water fishery in the state.”

Largemouth and smallmouth bass, carp, crappie, bluegill, wipers and trout are just a sampling of fish commonly caught in area waters like the Arkansas River, the Pueblo Tail Water, San Isabel Lake, Martin Reservoir and Horseshoe Reservoir.

“Fly-fishing is absolutely growing in Pueblo and all over the country,” Olson says. “The No. 1 comment we hear from people is that they always wanted to learn to fly-fish.”

ANTONY BOSHIER

Partners Share Addiction To Angling B

SEE VIDEO ONLINE | Take a virtual fly-fishing tour by visiting imagespueblo.com.

The Arkansas River is among top Pueblo spots for fly-fishing.

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Portfolio

Advocating Creative Camaraderie P sional artists from all over the country to teach the workshops, and aspiring artists fly in for a week to study and learn from an instructor. During the summer months, workshops are held at three Colorado ranches that provide lodging, meals and inspiring scenery.

“I bring in all the chefs, and artists have private accommodations,” Brens says. “We go out on location painting en plein air. The instructor helps everyone with problem-solving and does demonstrations of different techniques.”

The ranch workshops are held at Echo Canyon Ranch in LaVeta, Wilderness Trails in Durango and Red Rock Ranch in Westcliffe. In the spring and fall, Brens also offers a series of classes in Pueblo at Red Raven Studios.

For the Pueblo workshops, students stay at local hotels.

Class sizes for all the workshops are kept to a maximum of 12 students.

“Artists get a lot of one-on-one attention that you don’t get in a larger workshop,” Brens says. “Students really enjoy the camaraderie. They paint together, eat together and connect and learn from each other.”

Some students return every year.

“Probably 30 percent are repeat students, which has allowed me to develop wonderful friendships,” Brens says. “If you want to reach new levels with your painting, an extensive workshop like this is the way to do it.”

Visit www.artaspens.com for more information.

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

ueblo resident Marty Brens knows being an artist can be a lonely endeavor, with many days spent painting all alone. So she founded Art in the Aspens, a five-day workshop that not only educates but also promotes fellowship among aspiring artists.

“I owned a gallery in Snowmass Village and started the program 18 years ago,” Brens says. “When I moved to Pueblo six years ago, I started running it here.”

Brens recruits well-known profes-

Artist Marty Brens works on a painting at her Pueblo home.

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ou can’t miss Star Nursery & Landscaping Co. when traveling south along Interstate 25. Just look for the life-size statues of deer, a buffalo, a bear and other animals representing Colorado’s wildlife.

The animal statues found throughout the nursery are creations of Chuck Prichard, third-generation owner of Star Nursery & Landscaping Co. Prichard’s animal statues won first place for commercial floats in the 2007 Colorado State Fair parade.

A longstanding Pueblo landmark, Star Nursery dates back to 1926 and is one of Colorado’s oldest continuously operating nurseries.

Today, the grounds boast a waterfall, a horse harness museum and two of the oldest adobe homes in Pueblo. Four Sheltie dogs patrol the property at night, adding to the

historic nursery’s character.

Visitors to the nursery will find shrubs, trees, lawn statues, perennials, rose bushes and, of course, a quiet herd of Colorado wildlife grazing along Interstate 25.

“We at Star Nursery enjoy doing business in Pueblo because of our great customers and the city’s fore-

thought to develop the attractions we have here, such as the Riverwalk, nature trails and our newest addition, the Pro Bull Riding headquarters,” Prichard says.

A bull-riding fan, Prichard knows exactly what he’ll be adding next to his collection of life-size animal statues – a rodeo bull.

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

Follow the Quiet Herd Y

Star Nursery & Landscaping Co. was started by Frank Starginer Sr. in 1926.

Serving Daily Cups of Sunshine B

STEPHEN CHERRY

rothers Mike and David Hartkop’s coffee roaster doesn’t look much like a coffee roaster at all. For starters, it has 300 12-inch square mirrors on it.

The contraption the brothers invented is a solar-powered coffee roaster – the novel idea behind their innovative company, Solar Roast Coffee.

“We started building solar roasters in 2004 in southern Oregon, and we opened a mail-order coffee company later

Solar Roast Coffee uses solar power to produce what its owners call “the most earth-friendly brew on the planet.”

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that year,” says Mike Hartkop, 26. “We started getting such a demand that the rainy weather in Oregon didn’t provide enough solar power to roast our coffees.”

The brothers looked all over the country for a new city in which to root their growing business, and Pueblo fit the bill.

“Pueblo is fantastic. The sunshine is great, and people are friendly and accommodating,” Hartkop says. “We moved to Pueblo in January 2007 and opened for business in March.”

The two roast their coffee at the industrial lot on Aspen Circle and have a coffee shop with indoor and outdoor seating at Third and Main Street.

“Pueblo people come in and say, ‘Is this real?’ ” Hartkop says with a laugh. “They’re excited about it. People have said it’s the best coffee they’ve had. They end up taking a few pounds home and even sending it to relatives. They’re proud it’s made in Pueblo.”

Solar Roast Coffee roasts seven different coffee beans from all over the world, including Africa and South America.

All are 100 percent organic, and five are certified fair trade.

“Every other coffee roaster is supporting oil producers, but as long as there’s sun, there’s free energy, and you can reduce your impact,” Hartkop says. “It’s something we’re passionate and excited about. There are coffee shops everywhere, but we’re doing something no one else in the world is doing.”

– Stories by Jessica Mozo I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

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Business

Cleared for

Takeoff PEDCO SCORES ANOTHER WIN BY RECRUITING U.S. AIR FORCE FACILITY

STORY BY VALERIE PASCOE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

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ith its newly buzzing skies and thousands of pilots from across the country expected to arrive for training over the next few years, Pueblo has become the gateway for U.S. Air Force aviation.

In December 2006, Colorado Springs-based Doss Aviation Inc. opened a new $17.5 million flight training facility on 45 acres adjacent to the Pueblo Memorial Airport.

The campus, called the Initial Flight Screening Training Facility, is where 1,300 to 1,700 commissioned Air Force officers will be trained each year to become military pilots and navigators.

“We looked everywhere from Alabama to Texas to California and decided on Pueblo for its abundance of airspace, good flying weather and underutilized airport,” says Frank Hunter, president and CEO of Doss Aviation Inc. “We worked closely with Pueblo’s local government to build what we think will be the finest U.S. Air Force training facility in the United States – or the world.”

In addition to providing planes, aircraft hangars and classroom space, the facility, which is the only one of its kind in the area, includes 195 hotel rooms with three-star standard service, a gymnasium, dining area, flight simulator area, a small retail store, a barbershop, a computer lab and a medical center.

Hunter says support from the city and county helped Doss Aviation, Inc. successfully renovate the 20-year-old building,

Frank G. Hunter is president of Doss Aviation Inc. Left: Hundreds of commissioned Air Force officers will train each year at Doss Aviation’s Initial Flight Screening Training Facility near the Pueblo Memorial Airport.

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formerly owned by Lockheed Martin, into a world-class flight training facility.

“The officials in Pueblo were great to deal with. Everything we asked for, we got,” says Hunter. “They also went the distance when the Air Force came around with its source selection evaluation team.”

For Jim Spaccamonti, president of the Pueblo Economic Development Corp. (PEDCO), landing the Initial Flight Screening Training Facility not only means a win for Pueblo’s business development efforts, it also signifies a substantial injection into the local economy over the life of the facility.

Spaccamonti points to PEDCO’s status as a private organization as an advantage in dealing with government entities and companies like Doss Aviation Inc. that are looking to relocate or expand to the area.

“Because we’re a private organization, we can work with companies in a very confidential manner to keep information quiet. We take a very professional, businesslike approach,” says Spaccamonti. “In this case, at the end of the day, we were able to help bring a good business deal to the military while

remaining confidential and respectful of their goals.”

Over the past year, PEDCO has been instrumental in attracting five major enterprises to the area including an AT&T technical center with 550 employees, an Express Scripts medication screening call center and the world headquarters for the Professional Bull Riders, which created 180 local jobs.

Since PEDCO’s inception in 1981, the organization has helped recruit more than 60 major Fortune 500 companies to Pueblo and announced more than 18,000 primary jobs for the area.

“We absolutely pride ourselves on working with companies, satisfying their needs and going out of our way to make sure we exceed their expectations,” says Spaccamonti. “It takes a team to accomplish this, and I think we have one of the best teams in the nation in being aggressive and delivering on our promises.”

The lobby of Doss Aviation Inc.’s new facility is spacious and welcoming. Inset: Doss Aviation Inc. houses a gymnasium that may be used by individuals who are training at the facility to become pilots.

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Business | Biz Briefs

ATHLETIC CLUB FLEXES ITS MUSCLES Pueblo Athletic Club has bulked up.

The fitness center has just completed a three-year renovation project, more than doubling the space under its roof to 43,000 square feet while also making improvements outdoors. The club began the $4 million renovation project in 2004, though it remained open throughout construction.

PAC’s entrance was rebuilt to include a well-lighted lobby, expanded nutrition center and new physical therapy clinic.

A new wheelchair lift provides that “all the areas generally needed by someone in a wheelchair are accessible,” says Deb Beaudry who owns the facility with husband Eric.

Outside the facility, the club has completed a pool with zero-depth entry, slides and outdoor concessions. An 8-foot wall surrounds the pool and much of the area is shaded.

Additionally, all of the pools are now filled with mild salt water, which is gentler on hair and skin.

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PHOTOS BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

RESTORING GRANDEUR When Gary and Leilani Adrian purchased the home on West 13th Street, they weren’t just launching a reclamation project. They also took on a history assignment.

The home, now The Edgar Olin House Bed & Breakfast, had been earmarked for condemnation when Gary Adrian, then living in Colorado Springs, first took notice. The attraction was immediate.

“I fell in love with the architecture,” Adrian says.

The Adrians began the lengthy restoration effort in 2003, opened part of the home for guests in 2005 and finally completed the project in 2007.

Along the way, they delved into the home’s history, including its construction by 19th-century entrepreneur Edgar Olin and its time as the residence of a prominent judge, James W. Colter.

They’ve put that research to use, naming each of the four guest rooms after an individual who lived in the home previously.

Like the Adrians, guests have quickly taken a shine to the home. Business has been doubling annually since the bed and breakfast opened.

The Edgar Olin House Bed & Breakfast is the carefully restored former home of 19th-century entrepreneur Edgar Olin and later, Judge James W. Colter.

FROM PASTORING TO PACKAGING Bob Glasgow served as a pastor in Kansas, Minnesota and Pennsylvania before his family settled in Pueblo.

It was a lifestyle that demanded a lot of moving.

Today, this retired pastor brings his expertise with packing to the job of owning Bob’s Pack and Ship. Besides the primary packaging and shipping services, Glasgow’s business offers a variety of business services, including copying, business cards, notary, rubber stamps, passport photos and promotional products.

Bob’s Pack and Ship is an independent entity, allowing it a bit more flexibility in services than some chain franchises offer. But with a link to a national distribution center, Glasgow “can offer prices on smaller orders that are competitive with the big guys.”

Bob’s Pack and Ship, located at 959 W. Highway 50, is open from 9 a.m.6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday.

PDI PROVIDES WORK AND PRIDE Pueblo Diversified Industries is a collection of eight separate business I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

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units providing goods and services to the region and beyond. It’s also a service agency.

The organization’s sole mission is to create employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. More than 200 people with disabilities participate in the service, working in manufacturing, public service and other tasks.

“It’s a true vocational match, finding what they can do and what they are interested in doing,” says Karen Lillie, the president and CEO of Pueblo Diversified Inc. The staff provides the necessary job training and support services to allow individuals with a variety of disabilities to enter the workforce. Some people, most frequently those suffering mental illness, will use PDI to transition back to the commercial workforce.

“This helps people be productive and feel productive,” Lillie says.

CHIEFTAIN IS TOPS The Pueblo Chieftain truly has the community covered.

Since its founding in 1848, the newspaper has been a vital part of residents’ days for 140 years, And even in an age of 24-hour news, the paper remains a must-read.

For the past decade, The Pueblo Chieftain has ranked first in the United States in the percentage of city residents who subscribe to the paper, says Paulette Stuart, the paper’s promotions manager. More impressively, it’s not really a contest.

According to the paper’s Web site, www.chieftain.com, the most recent circulation audit showed that more than 70 percent of Pueblo households subscribed to both the daily and Sunday editions of the paper. The Washington Post, taken by 45 percent of D.C. residents, was second on the list.

“It’s because we’re a community newspaper,” Stuart says. “We really do cover the community.”

And when it’s not reporting the news in Pueblo and surrounding counties, The Chieftain is working to make them better. The paper, led by third-generation publisher Bob Rawlings, is a sizable contributor to charitable efforts such as United Way and other initiatives funded through the Robert Hoag Rawlings Foundation.

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MICHAEL W. BUNCH

Business | Chamber Report

The Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce covers a great deal of ground in promoting its 1,300 member businesses, as well as the community.

One-Stop Business Builder CHAMBER EXPLORES EVERY ANGLE TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY AND ITS BUSINESSES

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ome chambers of commerce focus on business growth, others on tourism and community development. The Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce does it all.

“We have our convention and visitors’ bureau located right here in the chamber, so we have the pleasure of not only servicing our business members, but also making sure that any convention that comes to town is serviced,” says Phyllis Samora, vice president. “And if someone is getting relocated with their job, or wants to move here, we handle the relocationinformation duties as well.”

That’s a tall order for a nine-member staff already handling the needs of a 1,300-member organization, but one that Samora says the chamber’s team does well.

“We truly work as a team, and we never forget that,” Samora says. “We all pull together, especially when we’re doing the big events.”

And there’s no shortage of activities that are either sponsored by, or enlist the help of, the chamber. Monthly luncheons and after-hours mixers, an annual business expo, a golf tournament, and ribbon-cuttings and open houses for members are all on the chamber’s calendar, as well as largescale events such as the Loaf ’N Jug Chile & Frijoles Festival.

“We have to watch how we balance everything, and make sure that the business community is always paid attention to,” Samora says. “We definitely utilize things like our ambassador program, where we have about 40 members who are our frontrow people at a lot of events. We couldn’t do it without them.”

The chamber also makes effective use of its Web site, www.pueblochamber.org, to promote the activities and PU E B LO

news of its members, and chamber president Rod Slyhoff finds himself on the road to Denver quite a bit to make sure the Pueblo business community’s voice is heard by state legislators.

It all comes down to being a lot of organizations under one umbrella, something that Samora says the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce does by making sure that its members understand that more often than not, what helps one company helps the entire business community.

“We say that no matter what we’re doing, we’re always finding a way to bring dollars into Pueblo,” she says. “That way everyone prospers.”

As an example, she points to McDonnell Douglas, saying, “When they came, they wanted to join the chamber and be a big part of the community. We knew they wouldn’t be selling Delta rockets to anyone in Pueblo, but all of their employees live here, do business here and shop here.”

The chamber’s mission statement says, in part, that the chamber “works to accomplish its purpose by serving as the voice of the Pueblo business community … by providing members with networking, promotional and educational opportunities, as well as information and business counseling assistance.”

For Samora, that says it all.

“We take great pride in servicing the entire Pueblo community,” she says. “We have ‘Greater’ in our name because we handle the entire county. And when someone does become a member, whether they’re very small or very big, we want to get to know them.”

– Joe Morris I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

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Business | Economic Profile

PUEBLO BUSINESS CLIMATE Pueblo has a low cost of doing business – among the lowest in America – which is a key reason why more than 50 companies have located here in recent years. Pueblo serves as the southern boundary for the state’s major business growth corridor, better known as the Front Range of the Rockies.

TAX STRUCTURE

TRANSPORTATION Pueblo is at the crossroads of two major highways, Interstate 25 (north/south) and U.S. Hwy. 50 (east/west).

Many licensed motor freight carriers do interstate and intrastate business in Pueblo.

Pueblo also is home to the Pueblo Memorial Airport, capable of handling virtually any size aircraft.

Great Lakes Airlines provides commercial flights.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific-Southern Pacific rail lines serve Pueblo, freight only.

INDUSTRIAL PARKS Most of the available acreage in Pueblo is in planned industrial parks.

Service for sewer and water, natural gas, electricity and telephone already are in place. Most industrial parks offer convenient access to interstate highway transportation and feature on-location rail service.

Real property tax assessed by political subdivision in which the property is located.

County sales tax 1% State sales tax 2.9% City sales and/or use tax 3.5% State individual tax 4.63% of Colorado taxable Income Vehicle license tax percentage of list price and vehicle weight Lodging tax 4.3% in addition to sales tax, charged only on hotel/motel rooms in city limits State motor fuel tax .22/gal. for gas, .205/gal. for diesel

BUSINESS POINTS Pueblo’s building costs always have been among the lowest in America, largely because the weather allows construction to go on year-round. The city’s costof-construction index is approximately 9% lower than the national average and comparable to or lower than most other cities in the Sun Belt.

Pueblo has one of the highest percentages of home ownership in America.

According to ACCRA’s costof-living report, Pueblo’s housing continues to rank approximately 8.4% below the national average.

Pueblo is in the enviable position of having almost three times more water than it currently needs for drinking, irrigation, hydroelectric power and recreation.

The 45,000-square-foot Pueblo Convention Center is the premier meetings destination in southern Colorado.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce (800) 233-3446 www.pueblochamber.org Pueblo Economic Development Corporation (800) 522-1120 www.pedco.org

Sources: www.pueblochamber.org www.pedco.org

Colorado City Industrial Park Minnequa Industrial Park Pueblo DepotIndustrial Park Pueblo Memorial Airport Industrial Park Pueblo West Industrial Park

Forbes magazine named Pueblo among the top 100 small cities for business in 2006.

Pueblo West Industrial Park North

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Healthy bodies, healthy minds, healthy lifestyles ...

Pueblo Athletic Club Where You Belong

Come in and see our new $3.5 million expansion including our Sports Performance and Rehab Clinic!

Pueblo Athletic Club 58 Glenroyal Dr. • Pueblo, CO 81005 (719) 561-3488 • www.puebloathleticclub.com

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Arts & Culture

Music to Everyone’s Ears SYMPHONY MARKS EIGHT DECADES OF ENTERTAINMENT AND ENLIGHTENMENT

T

he goal of the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra is to make the world a more musical place, and it has been doing that since 1928.

“Being a symphony that is 80 years old is quite an achievement in these days of declining arts support,” says June King, executive director of the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra. “So when we celebrate our 80th anniversary in 2008, we are really going to celebrate.”

Actually, the orchestra’s 80th celebration already has begun, since their performance season always runs from October through April.

“We still have a concert in February 2008, one in March and another in April, along with a special children’s concert also in April,” King says.

“There is plenty of time in early 2008

to attend a performance of this wonderful symphony.”

Today’s Pueblo Symphony Orchestra is made up of 75 musicians, none of whom are paid a great deal of money.

King says they all have other full-time jobs and have joined the symphony simply to stay connected with the art form.

“Our musicians perform because they love to perform,” King says.

“We don’t have a union and we aren’t a big group like the symphonies in Los Angeles, Cleveland or New York.

But being in Pueblo for 80 years is something that everyone can be proud of.”

The orchestra is conducted by Dr. Jacob Chi, who King says gets the absolute best out of every musician.

“Jacob is very formal – he is a Chinese master who tries to do everything right,” she says. “He is a stickler for good performances, which is why we perform our six main seasonal concerts in tuxedos. Jacob also works well with the young people who have recently joined the symphony as apprentices.

They will be the ones who will eventually take the place of retiring musicians within our orchestra.”

The symphony performs its concerts in the 625-seat Hoag Recital Hall on the campus of Colorado State University-Pueblo. Each performance is sold out, and the orchestra sold nearly 500 season tickets for the 200708 concert season.

Tickets for the six main concerts are $30 and $25 for each performance, while prices are $10 each for the three Symphony for Kids family programs presented each year.

“The Symphony for Kids program encourages parents and grandparents to bring their young children so that the youngsters can get an early taste and appreciation for music and the arts,” King says. “We also host a free concert in May for fourth-graders in Pueblo’s public school districts, and we host music master workshops for high school and college-aged students. We are always busy at the Pueblo symphony, which is why we have been around for 80 years.”

– Kevin Litwin

The Pueblo Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2005.

Left: Accomplished conductor Jacob Chi has successfully led the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra for more than a decade. PHOTO BY ANTONY BOSHIER

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Life Care Center of Pueblo Commits to Care

• 24-hour nursing care • In-house therapy services • Convenient southside location • Outpatient rehab for pediatrics through geriatrics

Plan a tour today!

2118 Chatalet Ln. • (719) 564-2000 • www.lcca.com

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Education

A New School of Thought PUEBLO CITY SCHOOLS ENLISTS COMMUNITY LEADERS TO CREATE STRATEGIC PLAN

A

well-run business always has a plan for success, and it’s no different for a progressive school system. Good thing, then, that the Pueblo City Schools now has a sixpoint working plan that will carry the system forward on several fronts.

The strategic plan was born out of new superintendent Dr. J. William Covington’s interview process. Covington, who took the system’s helm in July 2006, says that a multifaceted plan of action was one of the major things he discussed when he was interviewing for the position. So, creating the document was a top priority once he came on board.

“They asked me how I was able to accomplish some of the things we did in my former school district, and I told them it was through vision, strategic planning and engaging the community,” Covington says. “We invited everyone to be a major contributor to developing goals and objectives for the school district. They asked me if the same thing could be replicated here, and I said ‘of course.’”

Covington assembled a group of six people to lay the framework for the plan.

The group underwent training with The Cambridge Group Inc., a Montgomery, Ala.-based planning corporation, to help prepare them for the task. The group then used their training and knowledge of the community to develop

the district’s mission statement and the basic underpinnings of the strategic plan. At that time, the group solicited input from other area leaders to further develop the focus of each of the plan’s specific points, eventually bringing 350 people into the process.

And with the contributions of business leaders, school and university instructors, parents and other community activists, the plan was formulated, finalized and adopted in June 2007.

“This is not a plan that was developed by the board and superintendent’s staff,” Covington says. “It was developed by the community, and I think that’s why it’s good. All the necessary stakeholders were at the table.”

Adopting the plan will be a tall order, especially when factoring in the global aspect of the mandates, but Covington says he believes that, over time, the district can achieve the desired results.

“We have set a goal to begin implementing things now that will not cost an astronomical sum of money, and finish putting things in place by the fall of 2008,” he says. “We’re looking at things like a realigned curriculum, quality instructional delivery and more.”

A chief goal, Covington says, is to achieve international standards of learning, so that children in the Pueblo City Schools can compete not just in the United States, but also around the world.

“If we’re going to become a worldclass school district, it would be very inappropriate for us to just compare ourselves to other school districts in the state or nation,” Convington says. “We’re going to begin looking at international standards, and ensure that our curriculum is aligned to those.”

– Joe Morris

6 Points to the Strategic Plan Q All Pueblo City Schools students will successfully complete a comprehensive individualized education plan to prepare them to enter 21st-century academic pursuits or the global work force.

Q All Pueblo City Schools students will meet or exceed international standards and measures of achievement.

Q Pueblo City Schools will recruit and retain a highly qualified, competitive workforce sustained by cutting-edge professional development for internationally competitive schools.

Q Pueblo City Schools will provide a system of support for students to be civil, responsible, healthy and involved members of the global community.

JEFFREY S. OTTO

Q All Pueblo City Schools are conducive to superior teaching and learning, and are capable of responding to the diverse needs of 21st century learners.

Pueblo City Schools recently introduced its new, six-point strategic plan that aims to deliver its students “a world-class education for success.”

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Q Pueblo City Schools will secure and utilize 100 percent of human, financial and physical resources required to create and sustain world-class public schools and this strategic plan.

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Education

Fine-Tuning Students’ Focus ADMINISTRATORS CONSIDER EXPANDING FIELD-SPECIFIC ACADEMY APPROACH

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

W

Pueblo Technical Academy is a science and technology magnet high school.

ith an eye on the future, and following the success of Pueblo Technical Academy, Pueblo School District No. 70 hopes to create additional field-specific centers of learning at each of its four high schools.

“At the academy, our regular curriculum is taught by using technology,” says Dr. Dan Lere, superintendent. “We didn’t want to have a high school that just teaches technology, but one where the students learn math, English, American history and foreign languages, but they do so through technologybased instruction.”

Lere, who took the superintendent’s job in July 2005, says he saw the potential for similar specific types of teaching at other sites but knew that building entirely new schools wouldn’t be feasible.

So he set out to work with educators and community members to find a workable solution.

Forging a Future Career PCC’S WELDING PROGRAM PREPARES STUDENTS FOR IMMEDIATE JOBS

I

t’s a very, very good time to take up welding in Pueblo.

With several major projects under way in the area and a high-quality training program available, people interested in good-paying, long-lasting jobs are turning to the profession now more than ever.

“It’s always been popular, and we’ve seen increased enrollment over the past 10 years, but in the last two semesters it’s just gone crazy,” says Emilio Gonzales, department chair for welding and machining at Pueblo Community College. “When there are a lot of jobs, good jobs, available people flock to our programs. And right now there’s a lot of opportunity around here in welding.”

Xcel Energy’s Comanche power plant is one source of those jobs. With a multibillion-dollar addition to the plant under way – a project that’s expected to take several years to complete – the power provider is snatching up program graduates as fast as the welding program can provide them.

“The people from the plant came over recently and offered just about everybody a job out there,”

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Gonzales says. “They basically took the whole class.”

The welding instruction is split into two major sections: the AAS degree program, which offers advanced instruction following completion of basic welding courses; and the two-semester, welding certificate program, which provides training in Shielded Metal Arc Welding, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, Gas Metal Arc Welding and the Oxyacetylene cutting process, training which also is included in the longer degreed program.

“All of our instructors work in the field, and we have a top-of-the-line facility,” Gonzales says.

“Lincoln Electric brings us new equipment every year, and the job sites send us trailer loads of scrap metal, so we have the cleanest, newest equipment and lots of materials to practice on.

“Normally, I tell students that I don’t know what it’s going to be like when they graduate, but I’m not saying that these days. Welding is huge right now, and our facility can compete with anybody in the nation.”

– Joe Morris

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“We’re growing, so we’re looking at adding classroom space at the high school level, but we don’t need to build another [main] building,” Lere says.

“What we want to do is build several much smaller schools adjacent to our high schools, so all the students can share the common areas.”

These new annexes would house the proposed academies, which would feature field-specific, specialized curriculum and instruction utilizing health sciences, fine arts, language, math and science and more.

Lere points to Pueblo West High School as a good example of how all this might play out.

“The school was built for 1,300 students, and we have about 1,285 there now,” he says. “Rather than build another school just like it, with the same curriculum, we can build a specialized academy close enough to access the cafeteria, gym and auditorium – all the things that we know we don’t need to spend taxpayer money duplicating.”

With a working plan in hand, and a successful model to use as an example, Lere says the next step will be to hold community forums throughout the 2007-08 school year to begin selling parents and area residents on the idea.

“We’re going to be telling them that the graduation rate is higher at smaller high schools, and that just making the current ones bigger is not good for the students,” he says. “We need to break them up in smaller schools, and we don’t have to build a lot more to do that.”

The goal, Lere says, will be to utilize existing buildings and add to them, rather than building entirely new schools.

Student input also will be actively sought because, as Lere puts it, “They know where they’re going long before we do. We had kids podcasting and blogging before we even knew what those terms meant. They understand the future is about communication and design, about being creative thinkers rather than just memorizing math formulas. The academy concept is a real paradigm shift for us, but not for them.”

– Joe Morris PU E B LO

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Sports & Recreation

Gusto Grows for Gridiron SCHOOL RIVALRIES, REBIRTH OF CSU PROGRAM SIGNIFY FOOTBALL’S IMPORTANCE

F

ootball has a special significance in Pueblo’s past, present and future.

For many in the community, fall weekends are spent at Dutch Clark Stadium. The 14,000-seat stadium is the home to all four of the city high schools’ teams and the occasional college game.

“It’s the premier high school facility in the state of Colorado, for football, soccer or anything else,” says Kevin Romero, chief officer of student support and community services for Pueblo City Schools. “I’ve been to a number of facilities in the state, and we have the best by far.”

Football games are played Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday nights, depending on the number of home games on the Pueblo City Schools schedule. But two nights stand out.

In September, East and South high schools play the Cannon Game, an event that attracts a near-sellout crowd to Dutch Clark. The only game bigger in Colorado occurs the following month, when Centennial and Central hook up in

the Bell Game.

The Bell Game is the oldest rivalry in the western United States and sixth oldest in the country, with the first contest played in 1892. Since 1950, the winner has taken temporary possession of an old train bell.

Dutch Clark Stadium, named for the Pro Football Hall of Fame member and local legend, offers more than just plenty of seats and outstanding football. With the Arkansas River sitting beside it and an old railroad station in view, “it’s the best atmosphere for high school athletics,” Romero says.

Though football is king, the stadium is also used for other sports, such as an exhibition soccer match between Colorado Rapids and Colorado State University - Pueblo and the state’s 2A and 3A track and field championships in the spring.

“More and more people across the state are becoming familiar with Dutch Clark Stadium,” Romero says. “It’s a special place.”

A group of football lovers is hoping

to return that special feeling to CSUPueblo. The organization Friends of Football has been raising money to resurrect football, wrestling, and women’s track and field at the university.

The group already raised the necessary $7 million to bring back those sports, and is now embarking on a second fundraising mission to construct a top-flight on-campus facility to house those and other university sports. The organization already is halfway to its $6 million goal.

“Football has been a huge void since it was dropped in 1985,” says Dan DeRose, a member of the organization and a former player for the ThunderWolves.

DeRose and the Friends of Football believe that the return of the three discontinued sports, and football in particular, can be a prime factor in boosting the school’s student population.

“Football is the one sport that can drive enrollment,” says DeRose, who adds that an on-campus stadium to serve as a hub is an integral part of the equation.

– Dan Markham

Dutch Clark Stadium is named for Dutch Clark, the only Colorado native in the NFL Hall of Fame.

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PHOTO BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

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Health & Wellness

Commitment to Caring PARKVIEW MEDICAL CENTER MAINTAINS STEADFAST DEDICATION TO COMMUNITY

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ANTONY BOSHIER

P

arkview Medical Center has been strengthening the lives of Pueblo area residents for more than 80 years.

Today, that commitment is firmer than ever as the medical center continually adapts to meet the area’s growing health-care needs.

“For Parkview, this is it – this is our community,” says Mike Baxter, chief operating officer at PMC. “Our commitment remains right here and we’re focused on the needs of our community.”

Founded in 1923, the nonprofit medical center is governed by a board of local citizens who provide valuable support and direction to the hospital’s administrators. PMC also serves as the county’s second-largest employer with more than 1,500 employees.

Dedicated service from these and countless business leaders, volunteers and physicians mean families of this scenic southeastern Colorado community have access to the most up-to-date health care treatment options available.

PMC now provides the region’s most experienced certified Level II Trauma Center, which is staffed 24 hours a day by board-certified physicians and highly trained critical care nurses.

PMC also is home to the region’s first certified Stroke Center, which earned the coveted Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Additional specialties include cardiac care, women’s services, emergency services and neurological services.

Parkview also is the area’s only hospital to offer a complete behavioral health program to include adolescent, adult and geriatric as well as chemical dependency care. And to help heal and comfort the county’s youngest patients, PMC’s Kidsville® provides an innovative 12-bed pediatric department staffed by specially trained nurses. The newly renovated unit – made possible through the sponsorship of local businesses – features updated façades and rooms, state-ofthe-art beds, flat screen televisions, DVD players and interactive elements to make children feel at home.

Other recent improvements to the growing medical center

Parkview Medical Center is a nonprofit entity, so it reinvests revenues to continuously improve services.

include an upgraded nursery equipped to care for acutely ill newborns; a comprehensive, five-star Joint Center that sees patients through to recovery; and numerous upgrades to floors, waiting areas and patient rooms.

Demand from the community, increased inpatient and emergency room volume, and a desire to provide patients with more private rooms all have driven the latest renovation and expansion efforts, Baxter says. Plans also are under way to add patient rooms, upgrade operating suites and remodel sections of the emergency department, which in any given month experiences a five to 10 percent increase in patient volume from the previous year.

And in an effort to provide timely emergency treatment to even more of the county’s residents, Parkview recently broke ground on a freestanding emergency facility and outpatient clinic in Pueblo West.

“The new facility will provide an opportunity to work with the Pueblo West metro board to address the 24/7 health care needs of the community,” Baxter says.

The project is just one of many innovative new ways Parkview Medical Center is exceeding health-care expectations in this Colorado community.

– Melanie Hill I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

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Does pain keep you from living the life you want?

Perhaps you have been told you have no options or only surgical options.

Pueblo’s leader in nonsurgical relief from spinal disorders offers a new Standard of Excellence in pain management.

• Treatment of spinal disorders without surgery • Comprehensive medical evaluation & treatment • Physical medicine & rehabilitation • Balance assessment & fall prevention program • Bone density scans • Low level laser therapy • Therapeutic & diagnostic injections • Medically supervised • Most auto & on-the-job injuries covered • Most insurances & major credit cards accepted JERE G. SUTTON, D.O., ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON 1515 Fortino Blvd., Ste. 150 • Pueblo, CO 81008 (719) 544-1161 • www.premierback.com

Tired of the discount prescription runaround?

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• City-wide delivery • Prescription compounding • Workmen’s compensation • DME supplies • All major prescription programs • Medicare billings for diabetic and respiratory supplies • Fast prescription service with a drive-up RX window

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JB Pharmacy 915 W. Northern Ave. • Pueblo 545-1811 Locally owned and operated

Where service is an ingredient in every prescription!

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Health & Wellness

Providing Compassionate Care ST. MARY-CORWIN OFFERS GAMUT OF SERVICES FROM SCREENING TO TREATMENT

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t St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center, cancer patients are treated with much more than the latest in medical technology.

Oncology staff in the hospital’s Reverend Roger Patrick Dorcy Cancer Center provide physical, emotional and spiritual care through every stage of treatment.

“The Dorcy Cancer Center boasts a phenomenal team of medical professionals consisting of board-certified radiation oncologists, medical oncologists/hematologists, surgeons and a palliative/hospice care specialist. In addition, the medical team is supported by certified physicists, dosimeterists and radiation therapists who are double-

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certified in radiation therapy and diagnostic imaging,” says St. MaryCorwin Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Michael Stenger. “This level of knowledge and experience is extremely unique in a community the size of Pueblo.”

The 40,000-square-foot facility – named in memory of the beloved Pueblo clergyman and former member of the hospital’s board of trustees – opened in April 2006. The Dorcy Cancer Center was designed to meet the cancer treatment needs of all Southern Colorado through 2025, but also draws patients from as far away as Kansas and New Mexico.

– Melanie Hill

The new Roger Patrick Dorcy Cancer Center PHOTO BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

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Community Profile

PUEBLO SNAPSHOT The Body Pro air in Pueblo is so clean that residents often can see purple mountains’ majesties 70 miles away. That is one of the numerous advantages of living in this city of clean water, a nationally ranked school system and reasonable home prices.

MEDICAL SERVICES General practitioners, 57 Medical specialists, 77 Surgical specialists, 57 Hospital beds, 713 Mental-health institutes, 1

CLIMATE Avg. annual snowfall, 31 in.

Avg. annual precipitation 11.19 in.

Avg. January low, 14 F Avg. July high, 91 F For current time and temperature call 542-3120.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce 302 N. Santa Fe Ave. 542-1704, (800) 233-3446 Beulah Fire Department 485-3111 Boone Town Government 712 E. Main St., 947-3311 Colorado City Metropolitan District 4497 Bent Brothers Blvd.

676-3396

The Pueblo County growing season is 180 days, but the county’s elevation range (4,400 to 12,000 feet) can influence what can be grown in different areas. Crops such as alfalfa, corn, melons, onions, peppers and tomatoes thrive throughout Pueblo County, but all require supplemental water. Trees and shrubs that do well include apache plume, cottonwood, crab apple, honeylocust, juniper, lilac and pine.

Pueblo City Hall 1 City Hall Place, 553-2489

Source: CSU Cooperative Extension

HOSPITALS

HOME ON THE RANGE Avg. home price, $116,097 Avg. mortgage payment, $690 Apartment rent One-bedroom, $404 Two-bedroom, $494 Three-bedroom, $589

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Avg. monthly utility costs Natural gas, $43.05 Electricity, $37.50 Water, $25.07 Telephone, $42.50

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Pueblo County 215 W. 10th St., 583-6000 Pueblo County Veterans Service Office 1120 4th St., 583-4544 Pueblo West Metropolitan District 109 E. Industrial Blvd.

547-2000 City of Rye 489-3441

Parkview Medical Center 400 W. 16th St., 584-4000 St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center 1008 Minnequa Ave. 560-4000 Colorado Mental Health Institute 600 W. 24th St., 546-4445

EDUCATION Private schools (7), 848 Catholic schools (3), 433 Public schools (48) School districts (2), 24,542 Public four-year colleges (1), 3,600 Two-year colleges (1), 3,230 Charter schools (4)

SCHOOLS Pueblo City Schools 549-7100 School District No. 70 542-0220 Colorado State UniversityPueblo, 549-2100 Pueblo Community College, 549-3200 University of Phoenix 599-5282 Colorado Christian University 528-5080 Colorado Technical University 595-0200 Intellitec College, 542-3181 John Robert Powers (800) 847-8904

LIBRARIES Rawlings Public Library 100 E. Abriendo Ave. 562-5600 Barkman Branch 1300 Jerry Murphy Road 562-5680 Lamb Branch 2525 S. Pueblo Blvd.

562-5670 Mahlon Thatcher White Branch 298 S. Joe Martinez Blvd.

562-5660

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CHURCHES

LIFE IN PUEBLO

More than 100 places of worship represent the ever-growing religious services in Pueblo. Most major faiths and denominations are represented.

At the beginning of 2004, the median price for a single-family home was approximately $104,643.

African Methodist Episcopal, 1 Assemblies of God, 6 The Baha’i Faith, 1 Baptist, 23 Bible Independent, 4 Catholic, 22 Christian, 3 Christian (Disciples of Christ), 2 Christian Science, 2 Church of Christ, 6 Church of God, 4

The Hispanic community in Pueblo makes up nearly half of the county’s population.

LEISURE OPPORTUNITIES

The city’s housing costs continue to rank approximately 8 percent below the national average.

Golf holes, 91 Movie screens, 20 Parimutuel betting days, 180

Pueblo’s construction costs have always been among the lowest in America, approximately 9 percent lower than the national average.

Protected recreation lands 32,762 acres Museums, 10 Symphonies, 2 (Pueblo & Youth)

Welcome to Colorado East Country

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 Divine Science, 1 Episcopal, 2 Evangelical Free Church, 1 Foursquare Gospel, 1 Free Methodist, 1 Full Gospel, 10

Colorado East Bank & Trust wants to make you three promises:

• We promise to listen.

Independent, 12 Jehovah’s Witnesses, 4 Jewish, 3 Lutheran, 6 Mennonite Missionary Alliance, 1

• We promise to understand.

• We promise to do everything we can to help you achieve your financial dreams.

Nazarene, 2 Nondenominational, 1 Orthodox (Eastern), 2 Pentecostal, 5 Presbyterian, 3 Religious Science, 1 Seventh-Day Adventist, 2 Southern Baptist, 10

.

Unitarian, 1 United Methodist, 11 Wesleyan, 1

AREA SIZE City, 40.88 square miles County, 2,389 square miles

The area code for Pueblo is 719.

PUEBLO

PUEBLO WEST

PUEBLO SOUTH

1515 Fortino Blvd.

(719) 584-2000

94 S. Tiffany Dr. (719) 547-4488

1219 S. Prairie Ave. (719) 561-5000

Visit us online at www.coloeast.com Chartered 1905

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Community Profile NEWSPAPERS The Pueblo Chieftain 825 W. Sixth St., 544-3520

Senior Citizen Resource Development & Coordinating Agency 230 N. Union Ave. 545-8900

PARKS AND RECREATION

UTILITIES

Greenway and Nature Center, 549-2414

Cable Comcast of Colorado, LLC 807 N. Greenwood, 546-3216

Lake Pueblo State Park 561-9320 Pike National Forest, 523-4061

RESOURCES FOR SENIORS AARP Info Center at Pueblo Mall 1117 S. Prairie 543-8876 Pueblo Area Agency on Aging 1120 Court St. 583-6611 Pueblo County Veterans Service Office 1120 Court St., 583-4544

Electric Aquila 105 S. Victoria, 546-6438

ACCOMMODATIONS Abriendo Inn 300 W. Abriendo Ave., 544-2703 Best Western Eagleridge Inn & Suites 4727 N. Elizabeth St. 543-4644 Comfort Inn (North) 4645 N. Freeway, 542-6868 Comfort Inn Pueblo West 77 S. Radnor Drive, 547-9400

San Isabel Electric 893 E. Enterprise Drive 547-2160

Days Inn 4201 N. Elizabeth St. 543-8031

Gas Xcel Energy 615 West St., 549-3611

Econo Lodge 4615 N. Elizabeth St. 542-9933

Water Board of Water Works 319 W. 4th St., 543-2217

The Edgar Olin House Bed & Breakfast 727 W. 13th St., 544-5727

Phone

Guest House Inn & Suites 730 N. Santa Fe Ave. 543-6530

Qwest Communications 308 E. Pikes Peak â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Colorado Springs, (800) 244-1111

Hampton Inn (North) 4703 N. Freeway 544-4700 Hampton Inn & Suites (South) 3315 Gateway Drive 566-1726 La Quinta Inn & Suites 4801 N. Elizabeth St. 542-3500 Microtel Inn & Suites 3343 Gateway Drive 242-2020 Pueblo Hotel & Conference Center, 4001 N. Elizabeth St. 543-8050 Pueblo Marriott 110 W. First St. 542-3200 Quality Inn & Suites 3910 Outlook Blvd.

544-5500 Super 8 Motel 1100 Hwy. 50 W. 545-4104 Valu Stay Inn & Suites 2001 N. Hudson, 542-3750 Wingate Inn 4711 N. Elizabeth St. 586-9000

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Community Profile professional theater company dedicated to presenting the city of Pueblo with highcaliber stage shows, as well as educational opportunities for the youth of Pueblo and surrounding communities through their Damon Runyon Repertory Abbreviated Children’s Theatre. Damon Runyon Repertory stages an average of eight main stage shows a year in the city of Pueblo. Information is available at 564-0579.

Festival Fridays These concerts – featuring Colorado jazz, reggae, blues, soul and rock ’n’ roll bands – take place on Friday evenings in July and August on the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center paseo and indoors in January.

Call 295-7200 for information.

PERFORMING ARTS Broadway Theatre League Union Avenue’s Memorial Hall is home to Broadway Theatre League’s professional, national touring productions that have included Tony Award-winning musicals such as Evita; plays such as Children of a Lesser God; and stars of the Broadway stage such as Marvin Hamlisch, Carol Channing and Rita Moreno.

For tickets, call 545-4721.

Children’s Playhouse Series The Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, in cooperation with

Pueblo County, presents a series of live, family-oriented performances each season.

For further information, call 295-7200.

Sangre De Cristo Dancerz This company, a resident ensemble at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, consists of people with and without disabilities and is cosponsored

by Very Special Arts Colorado. For information, call 295-7200.

Damon Runyon Repertory Theatre Company Damon Runyon Repertory is a

Impossible Players What’s impossible for these troupers? Not a lot. They put on four productions a year at Pueblo Community College.

Phone 542-6969 for general information.

Pueblo Choral Society The 85-member Pueblo Choral Society can be heard regularly at CSU-Pueblo’s Hoag Hall, as well as other venues throughout Colorado.

They sing classical, religious, operatic, light operatic, seasonal and ethnic folk music. To find out more, call 544-4455.

I spy something green.

Everyday moments can be learning moments with your kids. For more tips, visit bornlearning.org

Bob Root • Brad Rice 510 West Third Street • Suite 100 P.O. Box 4560 • Pueblo, CO 81003 (719) 544-9139

The area code for Pueblo is 719.

I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

47

Community Profile Pueblo Symphony The Pueblo Symphony orchestra presents a sixconcert season of eclectic programs appealing to many different tastes. For more information, contact the Pueblo Symphony office at 545-7967.

Sangre De Cristo Ballet Theatre This company is a resident dance company of the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. Each year, the company presents a major fall and spring performance in addition to The Nutcracker each December. For information, call 295-7200.

Southern Colorado Theatre Company Since its inception, Southern Colorado Theatre Company has strived to present professional, high-quality

productions. For information, call 406-9612.

Center Stage Performing Arts Series For more than 20 years, the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center has offered this series of national touring dance, music and theater attractions. For tickets, call 295-7200.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce 302 N. Santa Fe Ave. Pueblo, CO 81003 542-1704, (800) 233-3446 Fax: 542-1624 www.pueblochamber.org

Source: www.pueblochamber.org

Mission Foods Pueblo 2110 Santa Fe Dr. â&#x20AC;˘ Pueblo, CO 81006 (719) 543-4350 www.missionfoods.com

48

I M AG E S P U E B L O . C O M

PU E B LO

Your Health Your Hospital IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH

Top Customer Care Parkview Plans New Facility in Pueblo West

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Parkview Medical Center

Primary Focus: Top Customer Care PARKVIEW MEDICAL CENTER’S IMPACT GROWS ALONG WITH COMMUNITY

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Founded in 1923, Parkview Medical Center has become a regional landmark.

ow, how things have changed in 10 years.

Mike Baxter recently took a look at what Parkview Medical Center meant to the Pueblo community in 1997, compared to the hospital’s impact on this region 10 years later in 2007. The senior vice president and chief operating officer at Parkview Medical Center was surprised at what he saw.

“Our wages payroll in 1997 was $36.4 million compared to more than $75 million in 2007, and that $75 million in ’07 conservatively meant about a $150 to $200 million overall economic impact to the Pueblo community,” Baxter says.

“In addition, we now have 1,600 fulltime and over 1,900 overall employees, making us the largest private employer in Pueblo County.”

Baxter adds that there were 26,000 visits to Parkview’s emergency room in 1997, and that number more than doubled to 55,000 in 2007. Meanwhile, the hospital provided $5.5 million of charity care in ’97, compared to $28 million just 10 years later.

“I’d also like to point out that Parkview reinvests its profits right back into Pueblo because we aren’t part of a chain or branch – our money doesn’t go to any other city,” Baxter says. “The money stays right here, and you can see it at work in some of the technology we have purchased and upgraded in recent years.”

Upgrades will include a complete renovation of two operating rooms, at a cost of $600,000 each. The result will be the latest equipment and techniques for performing orthopedic and neurological surgeries.

“Yes, it might sound cliché, but our mission really is customer focused – we

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Keeping a Finger on the Pulse of Our Community Parkview Medical Center President and CEO C.W. Smith says a continued commitment to patient care has kept the hospital ahead of competition.

want to treat our patients well,” says C.W. Smith, president and CEO of Parkview Medical Center. “For example, in the area of staffing ratios, we have more nurses per patients than many of our competitors, including hospitals located north of us. We have a welltrained and committed staff devoted to providing patients with the best possible outcomes.”

Parkview also offers almost every medical service, including open-heart surgery, neurosurgery, a behavioral medicine program and a chemical dependency program.

“We have an excellent cadre of physicians and continue to recruit top doctors based on community need,” Smith says.

He adds that the hospital has been a longtime backer of nursing programs at the local colleges.

“We spend a significant amount of dollars with Colorado State University-Pueblo in support of its nursing program, as well as supporting the nursing, radiology and respiratory therapy programs at Pueblo Community College,” Smith says. “These are simply more ways for Parkview to help our community grow.”

The hospital also just remodeled its Kidsville Pediatric Unit, which provides complete family-friendly care for the youngest of patients.

“Parkview is a regional health-care center that has become a Pueblo landmark – it has been around since 1923,” Smith says. “We provide the majority of service in our market area, and we stay fiscally responsible and up- to-date on technology. We know what we’re doing here at Parkview Medical Center, and we do it well.”

This special section was created for Parkview Medical Center

by Journal Communications Inc.

For more information, contact: Parkview Medical Center 400 W. 16th St. Pueblo, CO 81003 Phone: (719) 584-4000, Fax: (719) 584-4734

www.parkviewmc.org

©Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080.

All rights reserved. No portion of this special advertising section may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.

On the cover: Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo, Colo.

Photos by Michael W. Bunch

Parkview Medical Center

In Good Company PARKVIEW DEVISES EFFECTIVE WELLNESS PLAN FOR SAN ISABEL ELECTRIC

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ill Wood wants to run a healthy company, both for his employees and the bottom line.

The CEO of San Isabel Electric Association was recently told by the company’s health insurance provider

that San Isabel would receive a 6 percent discount on its insurance costs, if an accepted employee wellness program was put into place.

Enter Parkview Medical Center.

“The wellness plan had to meet cer-

tain criteria, so we needed help from an outside source,” Wood says. “Having been a heart patient myself at Parkview, I was impressed with the level of care I received while I was in their hospital.

So I gave Parkview a call about imple-

From left, Parkview Vice President of Managed Care Ryan Lown and Director for Health Initiatives Marian Heesaker discuss how a wellness plan benefits employees as well as the bottom line with Bill Wood, CEO of San Isabel Electric.

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Keeping a Finger on the Pulse of Our Community

What’s This on My Bill?

PARKVIEW HELPS WHEN INSURANCE QUESTIONS ARISE

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menting a health wellness program for my 110 employees at San Isabel Electric.”

Wood says Marian Heesaker, director for health initiatives at Parkview Medical Center, devised a program that the company’s employees could follow.

“We now do four wellness programs on our company site each year, and Parkview is a great help getting us qualified speakers to educate our employees,” Wood says. “One of the programs is a December health fair that includes blood pressure checks, cholesterol testing, bone density tests and even flexibility tips. Parkview is very accommodating – they are here at 7 a.m. to conduct the health fair, then our workers head out to the job sites.”

Not only does the wellness program meet the initial goal of satisfying the company’s insurance provider’s requirements – thereby qualifying San Isabel for lower rates – but the education and prevention aspects of the plan translate into even greater benefits for the company and its employees alike.

San Isabel Electric Association is in the electric utility business, which can be a dangerous industry. Employees climb poles, work on electrical lines from bucket trucks and do underground power line work. Keeping both safety and overall wellness on the minds of employees creates an atmosphere of heightened efficiency and greater productivity.

“We always have mandatory monthly safety meetings, and now four of those meetings are a combination safety/ wellness session,” Wood says. “Our people need to be in good shape and good health, and Parkview is helping us in that regard.”

eing a patient in a hospital can be a confusing and emotionally draining time.

Even if the care has been exceptional, a patient might experience anxiety after receiving their bill and not understanding some aspects of it. That is when Parkview Medical Center can help even more.

“We want a hospital stay to be as easy on the patient and their family as we can possibly make it, from providing them with exceptional care through the final billing process,” says Ryan Lown, vice president of managed care for Parkview Medical Center. “It’s a confusing business but we are here to help.”

Parkview representatives actually meet with employer groups in Pueblo on an annual basis, providing them with contacts at the hospital in case a health coverage issue might come up.

“We meet with human resource directors at Pueblo companies, and then these individuals contact us if one of their employees has a health insurance question,” Lown says.

“If a question arises, we are able to work with Parkview’s business office and that company’s insurance carrier, and get things figured out. Then we call the human resources director to explain the employee’s situation in an understandable way.

Health insurance is complicated, so we assist in making it understandable.”

Parkview Medical Center

www.parkviewmc.org

also brings several programs to worksites in an effort to promote health and well-being.

“We might schedule a health fair at a company site, providing blood pressure screenings, flu shots, classes on asthma and stress – all in a relaxed and familiar environment for a company’s employees,” says Marian Heesaker, director for health initiatives for Parkview Medical Center. “It’s all done in an effort to keep our worksites healthy and productive, and the employees feeling valued.”

Parkview also has formed a partnership with an organization that specializes in setting up health information centers at the workplace.

“The health information centers are currently in 52 Pueblo companies, supplying health information to employees on a monthly basis – information such as early detection of diseases, who should get a flu shot and ways to combat allergies,” Heesaker says. “In addition, the center offers information on subjects such as how to talk to your teenager about smoking, and backpack safety for school kids.”

Heesaker says the partnership is just another way for Parkview Medical Center to work toward keeping the Pueblo community as healthy as possible.

“There will always be a need for health care, but we also need to educate the community on how to prevent disease and promote health,” she says. “It is simply the right thing to do.”

Parkview Medical Center

That’s the Spirit PARKVIEW ALIGNS ITSELF WITH NATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH PROGRAM

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ational surveys estimate that women make 85 percent of the health care decisions for their family.

Women often decide when someone needs to go to the doctor, or if a family member should visit the emergency room. They also keep tabs of when their young children need to get their immunization shots up to date.

It was because of these caring individuals that the Spirit of Women Hospital Network was launched in 2000. The national program is advocated by hospitals in 55 U.S. cities that are advancing the cause of women’s health.

Parkview Medical Center is now a Spirit of Women member.

“Women these days want to be educated on how to keep their families healthy and safe, and that’s what we liked about this national program,” says Marian Heesaker, director of health initiatives for Parkview Medical Center. “Spirit of Women provides creative programming and good, credible information.”

Heesaker says that for only $25, any woman in Pueblo can become a lifetime member of the Spirit of Women network.

“There are no strings attached – one $25 payment gets a woman a lifetime of information centered on families, careers and being knowledgeable,” she says. “Members receive a national Spirit of Women magazine, e-mail blasts and newsletters about upcoming women-oriented events around Pueblo, and shopping discounts at several Pueblo-area merchants.”

Members also receive information on current topics such as the HPV vaccine being an appropriate or inappropriate option for a teenage daughter, or what brands of vitamins are

best for young children.

“There is also information on osteoarthritis; for example, a woman might have once been athletic but now suffers bone and joint pain, and the Spirit of Women program shows that this arthritis is very treatable,” Heesaker says. “Or perhaps a woman is expecting a baby. Spirit of Women offers information for Mom to teach the siblings about the responsibilities of being a big brother or big sister to the family’s new addition.”

Parkview’s involvement with Spirit of Women also allows the hospital to host a variety of innovative education programs that are intended to improve the overall health of women in Pueblo.

“We schedule education programs that are entertaining – we actually use the word ‘health-u-tainment’ to describe them,” Heesaker says. “For example, Parkview is involved with the national Day of Dance in February that increases physical activity in women. Many people don’t realize that heart disease kills more women each year than breast cancer, and Day of Dance is a fun way to incorporate exercise into a heart fitness program.”

More information on the Spirit of Women program can be found at Parkview’s Web site, www.parkviewmc.org, or call the hospital’s Spirit hotline at (719) 595-SPRT. “Spirit of Women encompasses every decade of a woman’s life, from childhood to old age,” Heesaker says. “And all it costs is $25 to receive health updates for a lifetime.”

Red shoes symbolize the annual Day of Dance event, a national women’s initiative that promotes heart health awareness.

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Keeping a Finger on the Pulse of Our Community

Not Quiet on the Western Front PARKVIEW TO CONSTRUCT EMERGENCY AND OUTPATIENT CLINIC IN PUEBLO WEST

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ound the sirens: Parkview Med ical Center is expanding.

Actually, the hospital is add ing a 17,000-squarefoot, one-story emergency facility and outpatient clinic in Pueblo West.

Construction began in November 2007 and the opening is tentatively scheduled for November 2008.

“The population for Pueblo West in 1986 was about 3,500 residents, but today the population is more than 30,000 people – so it’s time for such a facility to serve that area,” says C.W. Smith, president and CEO of Parkview Medical Center. “This will be a 24/7/365 emergency center, and will actually be the only facility in Pueblo West to offer that level of care.”

The building will be constructed in phases, with Phase One costing the hospital around $13 million.

“That total includes the land purchase, infrastructure, roads, construction and hospital equipment,” says Vince Velasquez, director of facilities and construction at Parkview Medical Center. “Some roads are already in place on the site, but additional ingress and egress roadways must be constructed. Phase One is getting the building up and running, and then the other phases will go into effect over time.”

Smith says those phases include eventually adding an operating room and recovery room. There are also future plans for a 90-bed hospital.

“Our real focus right now is on Phase One, with the ER to be equipped with a small laboratory, CT (computed tomography) scanner and radiology department,” Smith says. “We will also have a three-bed holding area to keep patients for up to 23 hours.”

There will also be a helicopter pad for transporting critical patients to the appropriate facility.

Parkview officials are also currently in the process of looking into constructing a new, two-story patient tower on the main campus. It will have 27 private patient rooms on each floor.

“The tower will be built so that it would have the capacity to eventually become a seven-f loor structure,” Smith says. “But that project won’t begin until late 2008. There is a need for more rooms at Parkview Medical Center, but we want Pueblo West functioning before we address the main campus.”

Smith adds that Parkview will continue to plan and tackle construction projects based on the medical needs of Pueblo County residents.

“We just keep putting our profits back into capital improvement projects that will ultimately benefit the entire Pueblo community,” he says. “The reason we all got into the medical profession is to help people. That’s what Parkview Medical Center is all about.”

In March 2007, Parkview Medical Center purchased land in Pueblo West and has plans to construct a 17,000-square-foot facility there that will house a 24-hour emergency and outpatient clinic, including laboratory and radiology services.

www.parkviewmc.org

Parkview Medical Center

Special Advertising Section

Colorado State

University â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pueblo

A re You Ready for Some Football?

The A r t of Teaching

Special Advertising Section

Colorado State University

An Anniversary

Worth Celebrating CSU-PUEBLO MARKS 75 YEARS AS THE CITY’S EDUCATIONAL LEADER

I

ncreased enrollment, new programs and modern facilities are on the horizon at Colorado State UniversityPueblo.

The educational institution is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2008 as it gears up for growth in the coming century.

“CSU-Pueblo has been around for 75 years under one name or another,” says President Joseph A. Garcia. “I think what people want to see is that it’s not only here, but it’s changing, it’s growing.”

Whether it’s the addition of a master’s degree in education or the scheduled opening of a new, student-funded $11.6 million Student Recreation Center, CSUPueblo is a dynamic institution that is planning for the future.

That’s quite different from the university’s rather inauspicious beginnings, according to John E. Smith, emeritus professor of chemistry and a self-described

historian of CSU-Pueblo and all its incarnations. He good-naturedly admits he was around for most of those changes.

The university was founded in 1933 and brief ly named San Isabel Junior College before founders settled on Southern Colorado Junior College.

Classes were held on the top floor of the Pueblo County Courthouse for 31 full-time and 32 part-time students.

In 1937, the school was renamed Pueblo Junior College, where Smith earned his associate’s degree in 1950.

Armed with a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Colorado in Boulder and with experience at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., Smith returned to his alma mater to join the faculty.

But change was in the offing. In 1963, Pueblo Junior College became a state-funded, four-year institution with a new moniker, Southern Colorado State

College and in 1964, Gov. John A. Love broke ground on a new campus north of town.

“I was one of the first to occupy the new college in its new campus setting,” Smith recalls.

In 1974, the original campus on Orman housed SCSC’s College for Community and Career Education (CCCE) and in 1975, SCSC’s focus was changed to a polytechnic university and became known as the University of Southern Colorado (USC). In 1979, CCCE separated from the University of Southern Colorado and became Pueblo Vocational Community College, joining the state community college system. It was renamed Pueblo Community College in 1982. USC became Colorado State University – Pueblo in 2003.

From the seed originally planted in 1933, two institutions of higher education have sprouted. Pueblo Community

Seventy-five years ago, the Pueblo County Courthouse housed the first classrooms of now CSU-Pueblo.

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College (PCC) was established in the 1980s when the University relinquished its two-year mission to concentrate on bachelor’s and master’s degrees. PCC and CSU-Pueblo continue to partner in meeting the higher education needs of Southern Colorado, and many of PCC’s graduates transfer to CSU-Pueblo each year to continue their studies.

While the university’s 75 years of history are sprinkled with colorful anecdotes, Smith’s favorite is the story of the school’s founding.

“Twelve years before, in 1921, Pueblo suffered a devastating, multimilliondollar f lood with loss of life. It was terrible,” he says. “In fact, in those days, there weren’t government programs to bail you out, so the people themselves had to bail themselves out.”

In addition, Smith says, the Mafia gained a foothold in the region in the 1920s, resulting in municipal government corruption. That was compounded by the 1929 stock-market crash and the drought-prompted Dust Bowl years of the 1930s.

“Knowing all this, it’s amazing that the people of Pueblo decided to try to establish a junior college,” Smith said.

“There was devastation all around, people getting by hand to mouth and yet, they wanted to provide for their children something more than just a 12th-grade education.

“It was a Herculean effort and a testimony to the remarkable strength of character of the people of the town.”

This special section was created for Colorado State University-Pueblo by Journal Communications Inc.

For more information, contact: Colorado State University-Pueblo 2200 Bonforte Blvd. • Pueblo, CO 81001 (719) 549-2100 • Fax: (719) 549-2371 www.colostate-pueblo.edu ©Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080.

All rights reserved. No portion of this special advertising section may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.

On the cover: Wolf statue at CSU-Pueblo Photography by: Michael W. Bunch

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

Le a rning To Achieve Your D re ams

From left: Colorado Sen. Abel Tapia, CSU-Pueblo President Joseph A. Garcia, Friends of Football members Mike Roumph and Dan DeRose, and CSU System Board of Governors member Bonifacio “Boney” Cosyleon

Not Your Ordinary Joe W

ith an ambitious vision of growth for Colorado State University-Pueblo, Joseph A. Garcia took the helm in 2006 as the institution’s 13th president.

What attracted Garcia to Pueblo?

“What I love about it is, first, it’s in southern Colorado, where I want to be,” he says. “Second, it is an institution that is providing access for a lot of first-generation students who don’t have a lot of money but have an abundance of ambitions and dreams.”

Self-described as “just an ordinary Joe,” Garcia is anything but.

A Harvard-trained lawyer, his diverse employment history includes stints as the Rocky Mountain States representative for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, executive director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, and a partner in a Colorado Springs law firm. Before joining CSU-Pueblo, Garcia was president of Pikes Peak Community College for five years.

He has twice been included in Hispanic Business magazine’s Hispanic Legal Elite and was twice chosen President of the Year by the Colorado Community Colleges State Student Advisory Council.

Within the last year, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has named Garcia co-chair of his P-20 Education Coordinating Council as well as a commissioner to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

Early in his CSU-Pueblo tenure, Garcia laid out a five-year plan with goals to increase enrollment, improve retention and graduation rates, and renovate and construct new facilities.

“As we look at enrollment growth, we want to create a different mix between commuter and resident students,” Garcia says. “We want to have more resident students on campus. I think that changes the whole nature of an institution when you move from overwhelmingly commuter to one that has a larger critical mass of resident students.”

www.colostate-pueblo.edu

Colorado State University

Are You Ready for some

FOOTBALL? CSU-PUEBLO FANS GEAR UP FOR A NEW SEASON OF GRIDIRON IN 2008

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letics Director Joe Folda recalls. “At that point, the president got very interested in it.”

CSU-Pueblo President Joseph A. Garcia had only been at the university’s top post for a few months, but he readily recognized that football’s return could help achieve a number of his stated goals – increased enrollment, improved student life, a stronger community connection, and higher retention and graduation rates.

“Most people aren’t aware of this, but our athletes have a 20 percent higher retention rate and graduation rate than

our nonathletes,” Garcia says. “Very different from a Division I program.

We want more student athletes here because they are more likely to graduate at a higher rate.”

The addition of the three sports will nearly double the number of student athletes on campus, from 196 to 341.

Friends of Football, many of whom donned pads during their college days, aren’t stopping with $7 million. They set a new goal – to raise an additional $6 million to build a new stadium on campus and to build it in time for the start of the 2008 season.

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

hen crisp fall air and lost freshmen herald another autumn on the campus of Colorado State University-Pueblo in 2008, a noise not heard in more than two decades will be added to the mix – the roar of a football crowd.

For the first time since the university fielded a gridiron squad in the fall of 1984, football will be back.

“It allows us to start the school year off with a lot of excitement,” says Todd Kelly, director of development for CSUPueblo athletics. “I don’t want to take anything away from our current fall sports, but in our society, obviously, football is a big interest with alumni, students and the media.”

The university also is bringing back men’s wrestling and women’s track and field.

A serious budget crunch in the mid1980s at what was then the University of Southern Colorado led to the elimination of several academic and athletic programs, including college staples such as football, baseball, tennis and golf.

Through the years, many of the programs were reinstated, but football – with its higher price tag – never made the cut. That changed when a Pueblo booster club, Friends of Football, launched a fundraising campaign in early 2006. Unbelievably, the group raised $7 million in one year.

“All of a sudden, they had the money, all the money that we asked for,” Ath-

Football coach John Wristen (left) and Athletic Director Joe Folda at the site.

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Le a rning To Achieve Your D re ams

Much

More Than

Textbooks

CSU-PUEBLO’S ROLE EXTENDS BEYOND CAMPUS INTO THE WIDER COMMUNITY

W

hen most people think of a university’s role in a community, they think education, and that’s certainly the primary contribution. Yet, Colorado State University-Pueblo imparts much more than wisdom – it gives back in myriad ways.

“Our mission is to serve the higher-education and workforce-preparation needs of southern Colorado, and you can’t do that by staying on campus. You have to get out there and work with employer groups, K-12 institutions, everybody you can, to let them know that you’re here to meet the needs of the region,” says Colorado State University-Pueblo President Joseph A. Garcia.

That means working with chambers of commerce and other business organizations and companies themselves to identify where the job growth is now and is likely to be in the future.

CSU-Pueblo helps build the region’s economy in other ways, too. A 2004 economic-impact study conducted by Drs. Jay Goodman and Kevin Duncan, professors in the Hasan School of Business, found that CSU-Pueblo contributes more than $112 million annually to the local economy.

“It’s a thrill to have such a large impact, and it puts CSU-Pueblo among the economic leaders in town,” Duncan says.

The study compared CSU-Pueblo’s impact to other regional economic players, and the university fared well. CSU-Pueblo exceeded Rocky Mountain Steel Mills and the Colorado State Fair on Pueblo’s economy and Colorado College’s impact on Colorado Springs’ economy.

“If you want to estimate the impact of an institution or

business on a local economy, it’s based on that economic activity’s ability to bring money from the outside in,” Duncan explains.

CSU-Pueblo fits that bill, attracting both federal and state dollars. The survey also revealed that about two-thirds of the university’s 4,000 students wouldn’t be in Pueblo if the university weren’t there.

“So, we attributed their spending to the impact,” he adds.

CSU-Pueblo’s contributions also range from the cultural and artistic to the scientific.

For example, water availability and quality are key community concerns. An in-depth research study, involving five faculty members and numerous students, began in December 2006 to determine the health of Fountain Creek.

“We definitely feel that this project is an outreach,” says Dr. Del Nimmo, adjunct research professor of biology.

With initial funding from the Lower Arkansas Valley Conservancy District, project participants are studying the creek’s aquatic life to discern whether pollution is taking a toll.

“What is currently the nature of the aquatic life in Fountain Creek, from its headwaters to the confluence with the Arkansas River?” is the question Nimmo’s group is exploring.

“We’re using living organisms as indicators of conditions within the creek itself,” he says.

In particular, researchers are concerned with metals and metalloids, such as mercury, cadmium, zinc and selenium.

The study is expected to take at least three years.

Students and faculty at CSU-Pueblo are involved in a variety of community projects, including water testing.

www.colostate-pueblo.edu

Colorado State University

The

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

ART of

TEACHING

RICHARD AND VICKY HANSEN ENJOY ARTISTIC FREEDOM AT CSU-PUEBLO

I

n an arrangement that speaks volumes about the academic flexibility and innovation of Colorado State University-Pueblo, professors Richard and Vicky Hansen each teach art part time, essentially occupying one full-time professorial position.

“It allows each of us to contribute as teachers but then to have dynamic, creative lives as artists,” Richard says. “I think we then bring that to the students.”

These two vibrant artists met at freshman orientation at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., where they both earned bachelor’s degrees.

“When we were 21 and we knew everything,” Vicky says with a laugh, “we came out to Colorado, bought 40 acres and built an adobe home and

studio. Now we’re able to live in this wonderful landscape that we love and teach, which is just a joy.”

The couple has been working and living in Colorado for 35 years and joined the university faculty in 1992.

Vicky is a potter with a deep appreciation for wood-fired kilns. In fact, she has two on her property.

While CSU-Pueblo’s art department boasts both gas and electric kilns, Vicky hosts workshops at her home so students have an opportunity to explore wood-fired ceramics.

“It [wood] adds this chance and mystery to the whole process,” she says. “It creates wonderful interactions with the surfaces of the clay.”

Staying with the kiln to continually reload it with wood, which takes 18 to 24 hours, also develops a sense of camaraderie among the artists, she says.

Vicky describes her art as a combination of landscape and movement.

Her specialty is vessels, yet she’s working toward more functional forms.

Richard, on the other hand, looks at landscape in a different way.

“I was a student of poetry who

became a studio artist who then became a landscape architect, only to find out the whole time I was simply trying to make poems – poems using stone and water,” he explains. “In many ways, I work in the gap between sculpture and landscape architecture.”

His specialty is public art, and his works include fountains, sculptural seating and basins. One of Richard’s favorite pieces is actually in Pueblo – the Farley/Reilly Fountain – a feature of the Arkansas Riverwalk Project.

Some of his other public pieces can be found in Virginia, Wisconsin, Maryland, Minnesota and various cities and towns in Colorado.

He says he hits his stride when his work is “a visual delight that is also improving ecological health or making people aware of the preciousness of water.”

That’s something that he also instills in his students.

“I see my job as to proffer them an experience and understanding of the visual fundamentals,” he says, “and then fanning the flames that are inside each one of them to discover their own artistic identity.”

Left: CSU-Pueblo professor Richard Hansen specializes in public art.

Top: Professor Vicky Hansen (right) assists a student in an art class at CSU-Pueblo.

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At the Head

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I

f you remember Potter’s Pharmacy on Elizabeth Street in Pueblo, you aren’t the only one. So does Brig.

Gen. Roger F. Mathews, deputy commanding general for operations with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.

“I was fortunate to work for a great man, Harold Dickerson, who owned Potter’s Pharmacy,” Mathews recalls.

“Harold knew everyone in the town it seemed, and they frequently visited the pharmacy just to talk with Harold. The pharmacy was largely untouched from the ’60s. I loved working there.”

A Fort Collins native, Mathews was a business major at the University of Southern Colorado, the precursor to Colorado State University-Pueblo, where he graduated in 1978.

It’s no surprise that Mathews was an Army ROTC cadet, but it is unusual that the U.S. Marine Corps led to his ROTC participation. After attending a Marine platoon leader course in the summer of 1975 at Quantico, Va., Mathews returned to the Pueblo campus for his sophomore year.

His training led ROTC leaders to tap Mathews to head up what he calls “a small aggressor team” for tactical training exercises against ROTC junior cadets.

The experience prompted Mathews to transfer to the Army ROTC program a year later.

“What stands out as my lasting impression of my time in Pueblo was the small-town feel,” Mathews says.

“The next important memory was my

connection to relatives living nearby.

My family originated from Colorado and, as the son of a career Air Force officer, I spent most of my life living elsewhere. Pueblo put me back in touch with my roots.”

Mathews is one of a number of CSUPueblo alumni who excel in their chosen fields.

Another is Dana Perino, who was appointed White House press secretary for the George W. Bush administration in August 2007. Perino had been deputy secretary since March 2006.

Professor Jennifer Mullen, chair of the Mass Communications Department and Center for New Media at CSU-Pueblo, remembers Perino as an outstanding student.

“Although Dana thought her career

would take her into broadcast journalism and that she wanted to be the news gatherer,” Mullen says, “she realized through some other opportunities and her other professional growth that she wanted to be more in the spokesperson role.”

Dana Perino, a graduate of CSU-Pueblo, is the White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. Top: Col. Roger F. Mathews, also a CSU-Pueblo graduate, was named brigadier general in 2007.

www.colostate-pueblo.edu

Colorado State University

FAST FACTS University Web Site www.colostate-pueblo.edu

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

Campus Pueblo, Colorado

Founded 1933

International (2.9%), Asian (2.5%), Native American (2.1%)

Estimated 2007-08 Annual Cost for An Undergraduate Student Colorado residents, $3,184, Nonresidents (out-of-state) tuition, $13,543, Western Undergraduate Exchange tuition, $7,550

Fall 2006 Number of Countries and States Represented 25 countries and 45 states

Fall 2006 Continuing Education Enrollment

Room and Board

1,846 students

Student to Faculty Ratio:

$6,000

Employees

Caucasian (55.5%), Hispanic (25.4%), Unreported (6.5%), African American (5.2%),

University Library, Fine Arts Gallery, Pueblo Sports Hall of Fame (Massari Arena), Pueblo Latino Chamber Lifetime Achievement Wall (Occhiato University Center)

Alumni More than 37,000

Varsity Sports and Championships

Registered Student Organizations

Fall 2006 On-Campus Graduate/Undergraduate Head Count

Head Count

by Ethnicity

Museums and Libraries

16-1

671 (384 faculty members and 287 staff members)

4,142 (3,925 undergraduate students and 217 graduate students)

and Math, and College of Humanities and Social Sciences

70

FY 2006-07 Degrees Awarded 768 bachelor’s degrees; 63 master’s degrees

Colleges/Schools Hasan School of Business, College of Education, Engineering and Professional Studies, College of Science

Competes in 12 sports in the NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Basketball, baseball, golf, tennis and soccer for men, and basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball for women.

Three sports – football, wrestling, and women’s track and field – will be added in the fall of 2008 to bring the total sports offered to 15.

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