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una nueva publicación semanal con noticias Volume 13, Number 49| Jan. 13-19, 2022 locales en español.

RFHS seniors Omar Gomez Rodriguez and Yahjairi Castillon, first-generation college students, are eagerly making plans for college this fall. Photo by Jeanne Souldern.

Scholarships open doors for RFHS seniors By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

The doors of opportunity opened wide for two Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) seniors, Yahjairi Castillon and Omar Gomez Rodriguez, who were each awarded full four-year QuestBridge National College Match Scholarships. QuestBridge is a national nonprofit that connects exceptional youth from low-income families with leading colleges. In 2020, they received 16,500 applications from across the country, of which 1,647 students were matched to colleges and awarded scholarships. At the recommendation of RFHS college counselor Elizabeth Penzel, Castillon and Rodriguez submitted applications in late September. Criteria for the scholarship awards include grades, test scores and an application with written essays, completed short-answer questions and teacher recommendations. They also consider nvolvement in school and community activities.

“Colleges look at being able to see you not only as a student, but as a whole, and they want to see involvement in the community. They want to see that you're well-rounded and will be able to contribute at their college,” Castillon shared. On Nov. 1, scholarship finalists were notified. At that point, students chose and ranked their college preferences from QuestBridge participating schools. Then, on Dec. 1, they learned which college had accepted them as a match. Castillon is a National Honor Society member, has served as Student Council president and has mentored freshmen students as a part of the Link Leaders program. She also served as goalie for the Rams’ lacrosse team. Castillon matched with Claremont McKenna College in California, where she plans to study International Relations. “I’d like to help out communities that are in need,” she told The Sopris Sun. “I think if I were to go into a government major, then I'd be able to do that.” She also intends to continue playing lacrosse.

When she and her family were informed about the scholarship award, “we were all super happy. We were screaming,” she said. Rodriguez is also a Student Council member, a National Honor Society member, peer tutor and participates in the Valley’s Buddy Program. He matched with Colorado College in Colorado Springs and will major in biology to pursue a career in the medical field. Rodriguez said, “My family is very supportive of me, especially my mom has always wanted the best for my siblings and me to pursue higher education and help each other out.” Castillon and Rodriguez are both Roaring Fork PreCollegiate scholars, which is, according to the local nonprofit’s website, “a college access and preparatory program for highly motivated students who would be the first in their family to go to college.” Together, the two started the RFHS Student Equity Council this school year, where students talk about making RFHS a more welcoming

environment for all students. Castillon said the club’s formation grew out of a forum held last year, facilitated by RFHS English teacher Carmen McCracken. Castillon noted, “the teacher suggested that we start a club to keep that conversation going.” She explained, “It's not just having diversity but also being inclusive,” adding, “It’s about promoting conversations about race, gender and sexuality, and all those topics that a lot of people don't like to talk about.“ Some students may find the task of applying for scholarships a daunting one. Castillon and Rodriguez encourage others to do so. As Rodriguez shared, “I'd say, take the risk, because you never know.” Castillon’s words of advice: “Dream big, even if you don't think that it's possible. I didn't think that I was going to get this scholarship at all. Don't think it’s not possible, just because there's a chance that it is.” She ended with, “There's nothing like hoping.”

The newspaper in your hands costs $2.00 to create. Advertising does NOT cover the full cost. The Sopris Sun is a nonprofit enterprise that helps budding journalists gain experience, provides employment and freelance opportunities to local writers, photographers and artists. We also produce a weekly publication in Spanish. Please help us to continue to provide quality independent media by donating today. Mail checks to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623, scan the QR code or donate at SorprisSun.com/donate.


BRANCHING OUT

By Geneviéve Joëlle Villamizar It’s been 15 years since I’ve lived in a natural setting, and wow. Overnight. Lifestyle. Change. At a slower rate, I’ve been shuttling for three weeks, moving to our new digs. Every time I pass Sunfire, the mouth of the canyon whispers, This is serious stuff. The winds whip; snow gusts. Too sharp a curve: cliff on one side, river down below… When I dress, it’s not for meetings or the coffee shop-office anymore. It’s for hauling and shoveling and building. No leggings or edgy shoes. It’s Carhartts, Gore Tex, Sorels. Hats and gloves are racked by the front door, where four or five pairs cycle from soggy to dry and warm again. Oriented to different chores, the sight of them triggers. Life on farms, ranches, acreages.

Oh, my god, the shoveling? Stewarding the land; outside all day. A world away from distractions and conveniences, the latest this or that. Life gets distilled. I need another coop, so I’ve been collecting materials online. I failed to beat the snow though, so luckily, I inherited an Erin’s Acres coop (thank you, sister). Wellbuilt, but small, it might work for the winter — tighter, warmer quarters. I needed a partner in crime to haul it, though. With guy friends in their ‘60s, though, I was stumped for two weeks. Thank you, Mike, ye of youth, strength, tools and kindness. Squat, lift, walk, repeat; we gurnied its density all the way around the greenhouse to his truck parked out front. I really had to focus (or kill myself ). Spine straight, tail tucked and knees out, I marveled at my obvious aging. It’s truly happening to me, I observed, no matter how strong or resilient I may have been. Penny was calling, but we did it. In boots up to my knees, I had to shovel out a chicken yard three days running to just reassemble the coop. I was half in, half out, backside grinding against frozen chicken poop and straw, legs gripping the backside of the nest boxes for leverage. Cold, gloved fingers fumbled drill bits and screws in my

headlamp beam. The longed-for snow came so fast, it buried my tools as I used them. Of course I loved it. Weather fills ordinary chores with Life. I’d sleep well because of this. Mornings, I luxuriate in the silence; blessed freaking silence. It apparently infuses the early hours with things like serenity. I stretch into all four corners under linen covers, listening to the house, to the outside, to my body. Will it be windy, an easy day, a harder day? I raise the shades, eager to know: what’s the weather going to do? How much snow? What’s the sky like? (What time is it?) We’ve had to shovel out for days in a row, the snow banks scaling all features. For every six or ten inches we got, town got one or two. Heading into town, a coyote hunted Bailey’s pasture, its coat thick and fluffy; a reassurance the wildlife are okay. I pulled over and lowered my window, wanting nothing between us. And then, pulling up to the bridge, I was startled by the sight of hundreds of geese in the sundazzled snow field. The neck of each goose arched forward in the same head-down position, creamy necks glowing gold in the morning light. A hunter friend explained they were preserving energy, eating while keeping

their feet warm. The pattern of repetition on such a grand scale was stunning. Catching up with a friend — you can fall off the planet, moving — we walked up White Hill, both struck by the turkeys in the pastor’s back yard. A rafter (flock) of them ranges the Nieslanik compound, but neither of us had ever seen them in the pasture, so it was a treat. As are wild turkeys grazing with Fale’s cattle, especially with deer, too, or horses: diversity is collective harmony. It took months to accept leaving our walk/bike lifestyle. But I remember now what kept me outdoors all those years ago. Extensive time outside reminds me what it means to feel alive. Not just “be” alive, but to feel the fullness of Life. The housing crisis is very real. I’m in a pinch-me state at the quality of life we’ve achieved when, for months, we had no promise of a landing place. I accepted the risk for a better life, because when we don’t take risks, when we don’t make mistakes, we don’t keep learning. We don’t have hope for a different reality, and we don’t grow. Growth is where it’s at. Obstacles help us shed old skin and renew. Wherever you live, whatever you do, happy new year.

LETTERS The gift of you

Grow jobs

Money is great. If we have any extra, we ought to spread it out to help others. It is satisfying if done correctly, which means being guided by good intentions. But, don’t forget, we are also great. Even better than money. So we ought to give a little of ourselves, too. Since you must go where you give yourself, joy in the results is immediate. Nobody has to send pictures or an annual letter detailing the marvelous effects of your giving. When you give the gift of you and see a smile, nothing is lost in translation and the “thank you” doesn’t end up in the landfill. None of this crosses my mind as I sit in silent concentration with my little buddy from The Buddy Program, working intensely on a functioning Lego roller coaster that is requiring more time and effort than constructing a real one. We don’t talk as much as we did playing baseball this summer, but as we get to know each other better, our quiet connection is more authentic and meaningful. Being a mentor is not all talk. It is simply human connection: the greatest thing to give, and get. There are many “little buddies” in our community who want to give you a tremendous gift. The hook is that becoming a mentor will make a lasting, positive difference in a young person’s life. The payoff for me is discovering a bigger, softer heart inside my chest pumping new life into my soul. Roger Marolt Aspen

Every person who works or shops within Carbondale removes transportation pollution and congestion. Every person who can walk or bike to work adds to demand for local mobility: good sidewalks, crossings, local shuttle. Remember, Carbondale existed before Aspen identified with skiing and culture. Coal, coking, transport of marble, potatoes, cattle, grain: all of those supported our town. When I look around now, I see two viable industries: distilling and mountain bikes. There may be others not visible to me. With the "Power of Four" nearby bike festival, local brands and bike shops, the expansion of LOVA (the Lower Valley Trail connecting Glenwood Springs with Parachute) and biking from Grand Junction to Moab, Carbondale could be a center for manufacturing innovation. Access to I-70 is not great, but adequate. Importing parts from Taiwan cannot be cost efficient once all the externalities of mining and making steel for container ships, marine fuel and air pollution are priced in, and increasingly they will be. Manufacturing line jobs lead to opportunities to improve part design, learn about testing and measurement, electronics, metal working and quality control. Hospitality jobs lead to the same cooking, dishwashing and hotel room cleaning day after day. Let's not hang our hat on tourism like 98%

of small Colorado towns hope to do. What can our town board do in this direction? Jay Coursey Carbondale

Emergency planning The horrific fire in Louisville, Marshal and Superior makes it clear that every community needs a disaster plan. I don't know if Carbondale, Basalt, Redstone, Marble or Aspen do. Our Forest Service representatives need to meet with our local fire departments, police and town councils to help each community draft plans that we all understand, so that we know where to go in the instance of forest fires, the most likely scenario of natural disaster here. McClure Pass was closed for four days recently. Independence is closed all winter. Interstate 70 closed several times in the past week due to accidents. If a fire roars, where do we go for safety? Do we go to the nearest river if we can't get out of town? We need to have serious plans made with expert advice, and all of us, including all schools, need access to them. We have few roads that are open to us. Please inform us through town meetings, local radio and newspapers. Please and thank you. Illène Pevec Carbondale Continued on page 14

The views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The community is invited to submit letters up to 500 words to news@soprissun.com. Longer columns are considered on a case-by-case basis. The deadline for submission is noon on Monday.

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • Jan. 13-19, 2022

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The flipside to the short term rental debate By James Steindler Contributing Editor

There are two sides to every coin and, following the Carbondale trustees’ Dec. 21 work session addressing Community First Carbondale’s (CFC) proposal to regulate shortterm-rentals (STR), a flip-side presented itself. In response to the work session, a contingent of people in favor of short-term rentals formed their own group in the wake of the debate. That group, Carbondale Forward, takes issue with various components of the CFC proposal, but, and perhaps surprisingly, there are some overlapping sentiments. Still, Carbondale Forward members assert that STRs are being scapegoated among a myriad of other issues contributing to the affordable housing crisis. “Displaced employees [and] residents are not the cause of STRs,” Carbondale Forward member Richard Walker wrote in a statement to the trustees. “It is caused by exorbitant rental rates, prohibitively high real estate prices and not enough affordable housing. This has been the case for years. And we have seen this problem start in Aspen and move its way downvalley.” Carbondale Forward organizer Brittany Hailey runs her own STR management business in the Valley. She oversees roughly 40 properties, primarily in the mid-valley area. Hailey also owns and operates two STRs in historic downtown Carbondale. She resides with her family in a separate home, also in Carbondale. Hailey acknowledged her business relationship with local realtors who have clients interested in purchasing second homes. “They reach out to me if they have clients who are looking for second homes and are interested in renting them out as well,” she told The Sopris Sun. During her designated two minutes at the Dec. 21 public meeting, Hailey stated that 95% of her clients are second-home-owners. She claimed, “If we took away the ability for them to short-term rent there would not be a single long-term rental (LTR) added … the homes would just simply sit empty.” Members of Carbondale Forward argue that many of the houses owned by second homeowners, for example in River Valley Ranch, would not be financially attainable by the general workforce if they were available as LTRs. The group also brings up the point that second home owners stay at these homes periodically and that it would be impractical for a tenant to occupy year-round. According to Hailey, “The town of

Richard Walker speaks with Brittany Hailey.The two are part of the pro-STR group, Carbondale Forward. Photo by James Steinler

Carbondale has 2,445 household units in which 40 of those units are being used as STRs. That equates to 1.64% of the total workforce housing.” She drew a comparison with Aspen where, she stated, STRs account for 12.9% of the potential workforce housing. Aspen recently passed a sixmonth moratorium on STR permits. Hailey brought up that landlords are ridiculed for advertising their properties at high costs. However, she stated, new home owners are paying larger mortgages due to the inflated market and have no choice but to rent their units at the prices they’re asking. Some people opt to rent their property as STRs, which generally rakes in more profit than a LTR, so they can manage to pay a pricey mortgage. “The average single family home price is $1.7 million in Carbondale, and I just want to know how somebody is going to rent something for $1,500 or $2,500 a month and make that a reality,” Hailey rhetorically asked. Nina Pedersen, a member of Carbondale Forward, has owned the lots from Fat Belly Burger to Second Street since the ‘90s. In recent years, she converted two of her apartment properties into STRs. Pedersen explained to The Sopris Sun that the extra income in turn

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gives her the opportunity to rent her LTR units at a more affordable rate. “I have heard that studios in the new rental building next to City Market are leasing at $2000 a month,” Pedersen stated. “That would make my one bedroom STR be around $3200 a month long-term … Long-term tenants would skoff, as would I in their shoes!” While there are likely plenty of rooms available at the Days Inn or Comfort Inn, Hailey opined that tourists don’t always find these options appealing. With under 10 commercial lodging options available in downtown Carbondale, she claimed that STRs fill that gap with adequate accommodations for visitors. From a tourism standpoint, Carbondale Forward members believe that STRs help to attract visitors and are imperative to maintaining a robust tourist economy. Hailey added that the organization reached out to local businesses and said, “They have a hard time keeping employees due to housing, but cutting down the number of tourists would absolutely crush their business.” Carbondale Forward would like to see properties that are already operating as STRs be grandfathered in, including second homes, out

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of consideration for investments already made. “I don’t want to see our community overrun by STRs. However, I want there to be a fair playing field for people who have already made financial commitments in the community,” she stated. As mentioned, there is some agreement between Carbondale Forward and CFC. For instance, the pro-STR group is not entirely opposed to a permitting system or even taxation. “I am totally for any taxation,” said Hailey. “I think we should permit and tax STRs and we should make sure that that additional money is utilized to create a platform for affordable housing for our community.” The group also agrees that limiting real estate speculation is important and does not wish to see outside investment companies buying up multiple properties. Therefore, Carbondale Forward acknowledges that eventually the need to cap the number of STRs in town will come. The trustees will hold a meeting to gather public input regarding STRs on Jan. 18. Anyone interested in joining can do so inperson or virtually. Visit www.carbondalegov. org for more information.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • Jan. 13-19, 2022 • 3


SCUTTLEBUTT Cannabis gives

Business nominations

LivWell Enlightened Health, a cannabis manufacturing company, donated $60,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Colorado toward its affordable housing construction efforts. The funding came from LivWell’s customers who participated in the business’s “Round Up” campaign. Since Colorado’s stay-at-home order went into effect, LivWell has offered customers the ability to round up their purchase and donate the difference. The campaign has accrued more than $200,000, which has been donated to a variety of nonprofits.

The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce’s deadline to submit nominations for 2021 businesses of the year (for-profit and nonprofit) has been extended to Friday, Jan. 21 at 5 p.m. Visit www.bit.ly/bestbusinessCarbondale to submit your vote!

Game nights

The Carbondale Library will host strategic game nights on the third Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. This monthly night of fun and strategy is free and open to all adults. For more info, call the library at: 970-963-2889.

STR input

Wetlands grants

The town of Carbondale will hold a public meeting regarding short-term-rentals and proposed regulations on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. This is an opportunity for the public to share their thoughts on the subject. Those who are interested can join inperson at Town Hall or virtually; see the agenda on the town’s website (www.carbondalegov.org) for a Zoom link. Folks who can’t attend either virtually or in-person can email their thoughts to trustees@carbondaleco.net by Jan. 14.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) will grant up to $1.25 million toward projects aimed at wetlands restoration. Aligned with CPW’s Wetlands Program Strategic Plan, the funding is intended for projects that intend to improve the distribution and numbers of ducks and “opportunities for public waterfowl hunting,” and/or improving the status of at-risk species. Jan. 26 is the deadline to apply. For an application and more info, visit: www.cpw.state.co.us

Vaccines According to a Garfield County press release, during the last two weeks of December, 859 people received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people 12 years and older get a booster shot after five months. The county also wants to remind people who have misplaced their vaccine card that they can go to https://mycolorado.state.co.us/myvaccinerecord for a record of their vaccination.

Red Canyon Road County Road 115, also known as Red Canyon Road, in the Spring Valley area remains closed due to dangerous, icy conditions. The Garfield County Commissioners voted to keep the road closed for 90 days starting Jan. 10. However, if the road is considered safe to reopen before 90 days, the county can choose to do so.

Strawberry Days comeback A “Phone of the Winds” appeared at the Delaney Nature Park in Carbondale. According to the laminated placard, “physically connected to nowhere, it is a portal where you can speak privately to whomever you wish, alive or deceased.” The installation was inspired by similar phones across the world, originating in Otsuchi, Japan. Thanks to an anonymous reader for letting us know. Courtesy photo

Student loan reprieve Once again, President Joe Biden extended the reprieve on student loan repayments and a pause on interest accrual. The latest extension spans from Jan. 31 through May 1. Due to the pandemic, people with outstanding student loans have had the option to suspend payments since March 2020.

4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • Jan. 6-12, 2022

Glenwood Springs’ annual Strawberry Days festival is set to take place this June after a two year hiatus due to COVID-19. In recent years the event has taken place at Sayre Park, but this year the fun will happen at Two Rivers Park. For more info, visit: www.strawberrydays.com

They say it’s your birthday Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Marianne Ackerman, Chuck Bauer, Michael Hassig, Tracie Wright and Annemarie Zanca ( Jan. 14); Crista Barlow and Frank Nadell ( Jan. 15); Johann Aberger, Kimberlie Chenowith and Drew Walters ( Jan. 16); Brenda Buchanan, Katrina Byars, Ron Kokish, Roy Rickus and Tanner Rollyson ( Jan. 17); Joe Flores, Lois Hayes, Tarie Lahet, Katie Montie and Shannon Pelland ( Jan. 19).


Naturalist Nights back with something for everyone By Kate Phillips Sopris Sun Correspondent

Learn more about the Red-naped Sapsucker and bird conservation efforts on March 9 and 10 — hopefully in-person. Photo by Mick Thompson

PRESENTATION DATES Jan. 13*:“Small Mountain Owls” with Scott Rashid, Director, Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute Jan. 27*: “Soil Carbon in Colorado Agroecosystems: Practice and Promise” with Dr. Courtland Kelly, Postdoctoral Researcher, Colorado State University Feb. 9/10: “Forest Disturbance by Bark Beetles in Colorado” with Dan West, Forest Entomologist for Colorado Forest Service, Colorado State University Feb. 23/24: “Using Goats for Habitat Restoration on Public Lands” Speaker: Hilary Boyd, Wildlife Biologist with the Bureau of Land Management March 9/10: “Three Billion Birds Lost: The State of Our Birds and How We Get Them Back” with Arvind Panjabi, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies * Denotes virtual presentation

Naturalist Nights, one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, is back and ready to inspire audiences around the Roaring Fork Valley (RFV). Founded by Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) in 1998, Naturalist Nights is a free winter speaker series created to connect environmental experts to the local community with the intent to encourage participants to take action in their own backyards. The event is now co-hosted annually by Wilderness Workshop, ACES, and Roaring Fork Audubon (RFA). “Naturalist Nights is a longstanding partnership between ACES, RFA, and Wilderness Workshop,” said Grant Stevens, communications director for Wilderness Workshop. “I think a big part of it is we wanted to build a community here in the RFV of people that connect with nature, that love the environment, that have a connection to the place where they live and always want to learn more.” This year, beginning Jan. 13 and alternating every week through Mar. 10, audiences can look forward to five experts who dive deep into topics that are locally relevant. ACES Marketing Director Emily Taylor said that choosing speakers

includes looking at current issues in the RFV and future endeavors that the organizations would like to tackle. “Usually we have some ideas percolating between Wilderness Workshop and ACES,” Taylor said. “We really wanted to do something around regenerative agriculture, which is how we identified Dr. Courtland Kelly to do the Soil Carbon in Colorado Agroecosystems presentation, because that’s a big part of what we do at Rock Bottom Ranch.” Highlighting Hilary Boyd, a Wildlife Biologist at the Bureau of Land Management, Stevens said, Boyd will speak about how goats are being used to manage noxious weeds on public lands in the aftermath of the Lake Christine Fire, and to increase plant diversity. Stevens and Taylor also expressed enthusiasm for RFA’s two speakers, Scott Rashid and Arvind Panjabi, discussing small mountain owls and the tremendous loss of birds over the past 50 years. The fifth speaker, Dr. Dan West, will analyze bark beetles, their impact on forests and using aerial detection to determine beetle epidemic locations. With a wide range of topics, Taylor said Naturalist Nights provides an opportunity to create dialogue between people of all generations and backgrounds.

Stevens added, “There’s so much to learn from older generations and folks that have spent more time here, connecting and appreciating and building a relationship [with the land]. These presentations often help those folks who have been here a long time to appreciate where they are at more; and if you’re new, it helps you build that relationship to a place. That combination is really powerful.” Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases, the first two events, “Small Mountain Owls” by Scott Rashid and “Soil Carbon in Colorado Agroecosystems” by Dr. Courtland Kelly, will be virtual and — assuming cases decrease — the next three presentations will be in-person with safety protocols in place. The virtual events will be held on Zoom at 6 p.m. on Jan. 13 and Jan. 27, and the in-person events will also be at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Third Street Center, and Thursdays at ACE’s Hallam Lake Nature Preserve in Aspen. Live presentations will also be available via KDNK broadcasting, GrassRoots Community Network and the ACES and Wilderness Workshop YouTube channels and Facebook pages. Registration for all events is highly encouraged at www. wildernessworkshop. org/events/ or www.aspennature.org/ naturalist-nights

Glasenapp’s ‘Recollectivity’ sees light By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

Terry Glasenapp, age 72, has a knack for collecting art. Not fancy paintings or bronze sculptures, but the pop art of American culture in motion. As an employee at Colorado Mountain College (CMC), Glasenapp was instrumental in bringing to fruition the Glenwood Springs Arts Council back in 1982. Thanks to CMC, he helped to secure the budding organization a space to grow from, inspired by the successes of the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities, founded in 1974. His upcoming exhibit documents the early years of the council as a celebration of its 40th anniversary. One newspaper headline reads: “Is Glenwood Springs ready for an arts council?” Other archives fill in the story up to the present, evoking memories of classic events like the Wild Women art show from the early 2000s. Glasenapp was a child of the ‘50s, coming of age through the ‘60s and ‘70s. He witnessed firsthand the economic boon and improved quality of life that a thriving arts scene could bring to a community with vibrant events and thoughtful murals.

“Art means business,” Glasenapp explained. “The research that started to happen in the ‘70s and through the ‘80s [....] countered a thought stream in our culture that this is kind of a frivolous thing.” Inspired by a LIFE Magazine story featuring San Francisco poster art from the ‘60s, which he considers “a fusion of art and music,” Glasenapp took to producing posters of his own “for imaginary bands coming through my town.” Laughing, he explained. “Not imaginary bands. But, what I mean is, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors and Janis Joplin were going to appear in Rochester, Minnesota, via the posters I made.” Eventually, his work was put to use — including a poster for the Blues McGoos (the band behind the hit “We Ain’t Got Nothing Yet”) and a banner for the stage, four feet by eight feet. “I had never done anything like that, but I did it.” “Recollectivity” is much more than posters (of which there are close to 100). It also features album art, newspaper clippings, event brochures, original collages and even films, spanning the colorful history of the United States from the ‘60s up through into 2022. In addition to wall hangings, 20 letter-size binders and 12 oversized binders will rest on counters

and tables for persons to flip through at their leisure. Facetiming with The Sopris Sun, Glasenapp previewed his treasures, displaying a garage full of collages, some with song lyrics, and special posters organized for transportation to the show. “I have prevented a lot of stuff from going into either the landfill or the recycling bin,” Glasenapp proudly stated, “and contained it over the years in boxes and files and binders.” “I think I’ve been a lucky person, in that I’ve been able to take part and be in the audience and sometimes, via actually Thomas Lawley when he brought me on board to do some work for Carbondale Council on the Arts [and Humanities], I would be able to get close to the performers, sometimes on stage with my camera,” he added. “I’ve been an observer.” Glasenapp continued, “Here’s a stretch, and I’m going to give credit to Amy Kimberly for this, and so much else.” Kimberly observed in an interview that what she does, organizing grand gatherings like the Carbondale Mountain Fair, is a form of art: “merging and synthesizing,” in Glasenapp’s words. He considers his endeavors to collect and preserve of a similar vein; composing a masterwork with many smaller works of art.

Terry Glassenapp was a major participant in the Carbondale Arts/Carbondale Mountain Fair “50 Years of Fair” exhibition in 2021. Photo by Amy Levenson

“All my life I’ve been passionate about this whole range of subjects,” he concluded. Glasenapp’s “masterwork” will be on display from Jan. 14 through Feb. 26 at the Glenwood Springs Arts Council new gallery space, 616 Sixth St. near the Glenwood Hot Springs.

The gallery is open only on Fridays and Saturdays, from noon to 4 p.m. and face-coverings are required for attendees. For more information, contact Glenwood Springs Arts Council at glenwoodarts233@gmail.com or 970-355-9689.

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • Jan. 13-19, 2022 • 5


Warm up this winter at Garfield County Libraries! Open Hours are expanding at all Garfield County Libraries: *All branches now open at 10 am, Mon-Sat. *Extended evening hours starting in January. *Sunday open hours will begin in Spring 2022. Enjoy our holiday events: *The Holiday Concert Series features an array of artist all winter long including a guitar soloist, celtic duo, pianist, and local choir. *Reindeer at Your Libraries gives you the chance to have an up close encounter with reindeer at your local library in December. Laptops and Wifi to Go! hotspots are now available for adults to borrow and take home! Check us out at:

www.gcpld.org

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

The Aspen Chapel Gallery (0077 Meadowood Drive) presents the work of 85 students from five local high schools through Feb. 12, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Courtesy photo

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13

MONDAY, JANUARY 17

Children and their parents are invited to storytime at the Carbondale Library on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. More information is at www.gcpld.org

Colorado Mountain College honors Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a virtual presentation by Ute Mountain Ute tribal member and policy maker Ernest House Jr. at 11 a.m. For details, visit www.coloradomtn.edu

STORYTIME

LEGAL CLINIC

Volunteer attorneys provide free legal consultation at Basalt Library from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. THINGS IN MOTION

Basalt Library hosts the Aspen Science Center for a workshop with marbles for students in kindergarten through fourth grade at 3:45 p.m. Questions? Contact kscimpff@basaltlibrary.org SALMON JAM

In collaboration with a performance at The Contemporary, Basalt Library welcomes Andy Thorn and Dr. Greg Garrison of Leftover Salmon for a workshop at 4:30 p.m. and a jam session at 6 p.m. To register for either or both opportunities, visit www.basaltlibrary.org ASK A LAWYER

Alpine Legal Services offers a hotline clinic on Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Call 970368-2246 and visit www.alpinelegalservices. org for the schedule of dates by legal topic. NATURALIST NIGHTS

FOR TEEN MENTAL WELLNESS LEADERS: WORKSHOPPING A CULTURAL MOVEMENT TO SUPPORT YOUTH MENTAL WELLBEING APPLICATION FOR 8TH-12TH GRADERS DUE BY: JANUARY 14TH Are you concerned about the mental wellbeing of the youth community? Are you interested in making a contribution by leading an entrepreneurial venture that impacts social change? Are you interested in helping to create sustainable mental health solutions for the youth of our valley? Click here to apply:

Scott Rashid, director of the Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute, talks about small mountain owls for a virtual presentation streamed at 6 p.m. through GrassRoots Community Network and Wilderness Workshop on Facebook and YouTube. KDNK will also broadcast the event live.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14

COLORADO WORKFORCE

Basalt Library hosts Colorado Workforce to assist job seekers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To register, call 970-927-4311. CRYSTAL THEATRE

Catch “Torn” at the Crystal Theatre through Monday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. with the exception of a matinee showing on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 5 p.m. LIL SMOKIES

The Ute Theater in Rifle presents The Lil Smokies performing at 7:30 p.m. LEFTOVER SALMON

The Arts Campus at Willits presents Leftover Salmon performing at 8 p.m. Tickets and info at www.tacaw.org

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15 YARN CLUB

DURING THIS ALL-DAY WORKSHOP ON FEBRUARY 10TH, STUDENTS WILL WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A CAMPAIGN (WITH A REAL SPENDING BUDGET) TO RAISE AWARENESS AND EMPATHY FOR THE YOUTH COMMUNITY. STUDENTS WILL DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT AN ONGOING CAMPAIGN AND ROADMAP TO HELP THEIR COMMUNITY THRIVE. Who: Students from Aspen to Carbondale When: Applications Due by January 14th, 2022 Topics: mental wellbeing and support solutions, dissect the current issues contributing to unrest, human brain, conflict resolution strategies, tools for creating a trauma responsive community, empathy, marketing and brand strategy, as well as implementation.

6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • Jan. 13-19, 2022

Visit soprissun.com to submit events.

The Roaring Fork Yarn Club hosts an informal session in Sopris Park from 10 a.m. to noon. Bring your current project, a chair and warm clothes!

LAND HERITAGE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18 STORYTIME

Young ones and their parents are invited to storytime at the Glenwood Springs Library on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. More information is at www.gcpld.org COMMUNITY CHOIR

The Carbondale Community Choir rehearses at 6:30 p.m. Singers of all ages, styles and experience are welcome. To join the fun, email carbondaleccsing@ gmail.com or call 970-319-0108.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19

FACEBOOK FOR BEGINNERS

Basalt Library offers a crash course on navigating Facebook at 1:30 p.m. To register, call 970-927-4311 ext. 1013 or email cbaumgarten@basaltlibrary.org EXPLORERS CLUB

School-age children are invited to free after-school activities with the Aspen Science Center at the Glenwood Springs Library on Wednesdays at 2:30 pm. CIVIL RIGHTS

Basalt Library honors Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with a virtual discussion of “Alice’s Ordinary People,” a documentary film about civil rights activist Alice Tregay, at 6 p.m. free to view at your leisure via the streaming service Kanopy provided by local libraries. More info at www.basaltlibrary.org

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20 STORYTIME

Children and their parents are invited to storytime at the Carbondale Library on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. More information is at www.gcpld.org S.T.E.A.M.

Basalt Library invites students in grades five and up to explore the intersection of science, technology, engineering, art and math at Basalt Library on the third Thursday of each month at 4 p.m.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21

VALLEY VISUAL ART SHOW

The 43rd Valley Visual Art Show opens at Carbondale Art’s R2 Gallery. The exhibit includes works from 50 local artists and will remain until Feb. 25. COMEDY NIGHT

ART FOR ALL AGES

Comedian Caitlin Peluffo performs at the Art Campus at Willits at 8 p.m. Invfo and tickets at www.tacaw.org

CONSENSUAL IMPROV

SOUND SYMBOLISM

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16

NOISE POLLUTION

Basalt Library offers space for adults and kids to do art projects together at 2 p.m. The Arts Campus at Willits hosts the Roaring Fork Valley’s improvisational comedy troupe for a show at 8 p.m. Tickets and more info at www.tacaw.org FULL MOON CEREMONY

Sheridan Semple offers a full moon ceremony with aromatherapy at True Nature at 6 p.m. More info at www. truenaturehealingarts.com

SATURDAY, JANUARY 22 True Nature offers a workshop exploring synesthetic experience from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More info at www.truenaturehealingarts.com The Ute Theater in Rifle presents Noise Pollution: The AC/DC Experience at 7:30 p.m. Tickets and info at www.utetheater.com ‘90S DANCE PARTY

DJ Grim Nymph hosts a dance party at “Club Nug” (The Black Nugget) at 9 p.m.


Sol del el

Conectando comunidades

Valle

A este su agrpadec nu e o y o e m o vo p par s ro y a ecto .

Volumen 1, Número 46 |13-19 de enero de 2022

Miembros del grupo Community First Carbondale presentaron su propueta para limitar alquileres de corta duración al consejo municipal de Carbondale el 21 de diciembre. Foto de Raleigh Burleigh

Carbondale explora límites en alquileres a corto plazo Por Raleigh Burleigh Traducción por Dolores Duarte

La perspectiva de tomar medidas contra los alquileres a corto plazo atrajo una gran participación en una reunión especial del consejo administrativo de Carbondale el 21 de diciembre. Más de 20 personas se unieron al consejo y al personal, en línea y presencial. El debate se enmarcó en los esfuerzos del Community First Carbondale (CFC), un grupo formado hace unos seis meses para abordar esta misma cuestión: "la conexión entre la crisis de la vivienda y la proliferación de los alquileres de corta duración", como describió Kevin Rayes, que también trabaja como planificador del uso del suelo para la ciudad de Aspen. El CFC ha recogido 110 firmas para una iniciativa electoral que limita los alquileres a corto plazo — definidos como "una propiedad, unidad de vivienda o habitación para dormir, alquilada por un período de 29 días consecutivos o menos" — sólo a las residencias principales en Carbondale, y para impulsar un impuesto asociado del 10% más las tasas de licencia para su aplicación y cumplimiento, con los fondos sobrantes asignados a las viviendas más económicas. La propuesta del grupo también designa que los alquileres a mediano plazo — entre 30 y 90 días consecutivos — están permitidos con un permiso para las residencias no ocupadas por un ciudadano de tiempo completo.

El alcalde Richardson introdujo el tema diciendo que Carbondale "estudió la posibilidad de regular los alquileres de corta duración hace varios años", pero "no pudo llegar a ninguna regulación en ese momento" más allá de exigir que los alquileres de corto plazo paguen un impuesto de alojamiento del 2%. Cuando el alcalde se enteró de los esfuerzos del CFC, consideró que era el momento de conversar. En representación del CFC, Rayes, Shirley Powers, Ali O'Neal y Chris Hassig se sentaron frente a los comisionados. Rayes expuso las repercusiones negativas que tiene para los vecindarios el hecho de que las casas residenciales actúen como "parcialmente hoteles", con nuevos inquilinos en un plazo de pocos días. "En mi trabajo, he visto de primera mano cómo los alquileres a corto plazo socavan el proceso de zonificación", dijo Rayes, describiendo los esfuerzos que conlleva la formulación de un plan integral, con decenas de miles de dólares gastados en una empresa de consultoría para llevar a cabo la difusión pública y recopilar datos para determinar cómo le gustaría a una comunidad desarrollarse. "Las nuevas viviendas que se añadan deben ser ventajosas para los lugareños, no convertirse retroactivamente en alquileres a corto plazo", declaró Rayes, "socavando todas las partes de ese proceso y el propósito de los distritos de zonas residenciales".

Para añadir urgencia al tema, la ciudad de Aspen ha aplicado recientemente una moratoria de seis meses que pone en pausa los permisos de alquiler vacacional. Con las implicaciones de esa medida que probablemente repercutirá en Carbondale y otras comunidades, "tenemos que mantener el pie en el acelerador", aconsejó Rayes, "y conseguir que se apruebe una ordenanza lo antes posible". Powers calcula que hay unas 40 unidades de alquiler a corto plazo en funcionamiento dentro de los límites de la ciudad, se puede ver al registrarse como cliente en AirBNB y VRBO. "Cada una es una unidad que podría ser un alquiler a largo plazo para un local", enfatizó. "Apoyo todo totalmente", dijo el comisionado Luis Yllanes sobre la propuesta. "Está bien estudiada y representada de una manera que realmente podemos analizar. Me alegro de que no hayan intentado una prohibición total, eso habría sido más difícil de abordar". Durante la parte dedicada a los comentarios del público, intervinieron 10 personas. Entre ellos, Alyssa Reindel, quien con su esposo fundó Ever Green Zero Waste, describió su experiencia como inquilino durante más de una década en Carbondale. "Ha sido difícil", dijo. "Cuando llegamos aquí nos encontramos con muy buenos arrendadores, nos permitieron empezar nuestro negocio porque no nos subieron el alquiler durante diez años".

Reindel y su familia han recibido la noticia de que su actual alquiler se va a poner en el mercado. Ella está "en un aprieto, consiguiendo precalificación", y a pesar del éxito de sus negocios, ganando el premio estatal de reciclador del año en 2019, están luchando para encontrar algo accesible para alquilar o poseer. "No nos pagamos rutinariamente o lo suficiente, pero hemos estado trabajando en eso durante estos dos años, con la esperanza del nuevo alquiler para al menos tener a nuestros hijos durante High School", declaró. El ex urbanista Mark Chain comparó la cuestión con un virus, que se ha ido transformando en los últimos dos años y "se está transformando mientras hablamos". Hizo hincapié en que será necesaria la cooperación regional para abordar realmente el problema. Brittany Haley, residente del Valle, se unió vía Zoom y habló en nombre de los negocios que se benefician de los alquileres a corto plazo, como el que ella opera en la zona. Dijo que el 95% de sus clientes son propietarios de segundas viviendas y que, si no fuera por los alquileres de corta duración, las casas estarían vacías con una pérdida de ingresos fiscales para la comunidad. Haley también señaló que la gente ha hecho importantes inversiones que dependen de los alquileres a corto plazo y dijo que su negocio paga a más de 15 personas, 40 dólares por hora. Ella advirtió que la propuesta

del CFC tendría "resultados extremadamente perjudiciales". De común acuerdo entre los comisionados, de que hay que hacer algo, el alcalde Richardson propuso formular una declaración de problemas y objetivos con una serie de sesiones de trabajo. La discusión continuará en la próxima sesión de trabajo de los comisionados, el 18 de enero, que también será la primera reunión con Lauren Gister, la nueva gestora de la ciudad. Se anticipa que el proceso de regulación de los STR de lugar a una ordenanza que se considerará en marzo, y se anima a los miembros de la comunidad a compartir sus pensamientos y comentarios con el consejo durante el período de comentarios públicos. Quienes no puedan asistir a la reunión en persona o virtualmente pueden enviar sus comentarios por escrito a través del correo electrónico antes del 14 de enero a trustees@ carbondaleco.net. El debate sobre el alquiler a corto plazo será el único punto en la agenda del día en la reunión del consejo del martes 18 de enero a las 6 p.m. Los participantes pueden asistir en persona en el ayuntamiento de Carbondale o virtualmente. El enlace para la reunión virtual se publicará en la agenda de la reunión y también puede encontrarse en: www.bit.ly/CarbondaleAgendas Los comentarios del público se limitarán a tres minutos por persona; todos tendrán oportunidad de hablar.


OPINIÓN

ESQUINA LEGAL Por Tony Mendez Dentro de cada caso existe un baile en cual los partidos nombrados deben participar. Las reglas de procedimiento civil, sin importar el género de la persona, dictan cada paso dentro de este baile. Para empezar, el/la Demandante empieza una denuncia y el Demandado, o la Demandada, debe responder en igual. Dentro de la respuesta, sin embargo, el Demandado también debe incluir cualquier defensa que tenga, defensas afirmativas (significando una excusa apropiada), y contrademandas. A veces, hay más de un participante en un lado de la denuncia. Si es así, también se debe incluir cualquier denuncia

El baile de una denuncia cruzada que uno tenga. Si falta un participante en la denuncia, uno también puede denunciar a esa tercera persona dentro de la respuesta. Y el Demandado debe hacer todo esto dentro de 21 días de cuando recibe la denuncia. El ritmo de un caso me recuerda a la canción “Pasito Tun Tun” de la orquesta Billo’s Caracas Boys. Después de la denuncia y respuesta, uno entra al periodo de descubrimiento. Dentro de este periodo, dependiendo el tipo de caso, uno es dado la oportunidad de intercambiar información sobre la situación. Existen diferentes métodos para descubrir información, incluyendo, pero no limitado a, pedidos de declaraciones, interrogatorios, y producción de documentos. Los pedidos de declaración ocurren cuando una persona testifica bajo juramento pero no frente a la audiencia de un juez. Su testimonio, entonces, es usado en el futuro para probar alguna parte del caso, o para desacreditar a la persona que también testifica frente a un juez y cuyo testimonio cambió. Interrogatorios son preguntas hechas de modo escrito, las cuales la persona a quien son dirigidas

también debe responder bajo juramento. Y, los pedidos de producción de documentos son, creo que obviamente, pedidos para que se produzcan los documentos pedidos. Entonces, ¿qué pasa si la persona a quien se le mandó los interrogatorios, pedidos de documentos, o pedidos de declaración, no responde? Como la canción de Billo’s dice, “por las malas o por las buenas”. Primero, uno debe de comunicarse con el otro lado y tratar de llegar a un acuerdo de por cuando van a responder. Si no pueden acordar, entonces uno puede pedir al juez que ordene a la otra persona que participe. Finalmente, si no participan después de la orden judicial, el juez los puede encontrar en contención, el cual resulta en una fianza o hasta encarcelamiento. Después de que ambos lados estén satisfechos con la información descubierta, entonces proceden hacia al juicio. Días antes de empezar el juicio, cada lado cuenta su historia al juez usando un documento adecuadamente llamado “el breve”. El breve incluye, por ejemplo, información sobre los temas todavía no acordados, referencia a lo que dice la ley, y

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8 • el Sol del Valle • soprissun.com/espanol/ • 6-12 de enero de 2022

el pedido que uno está haciendo. De ahí, la audiencia empieza. Durante el juicio, cada lado presenta su esquema del caso. Después, cada lado presenta sus evidencias, los cuales incluyen testimonio, documentos y exhibiciones. Cuando un testigo es llamado y haya atestiguado, el otro lado tiene el derecho de cruzar la examinación de ese testigo. A veces, el proponente puede rehabilitar al testigo después del cruce. Cuando toda la evidencia ha sido presentada por ambos lados, cada lado da sus argumentos para acabar su presentación al juez (o al jurado). De ahí, el juez (o el jurado) después de deliberar la situación, da su decisión (o veredicto). Después de un veredicto, si alguien está insatisfecho con el resultado, uno puede apelar la decisión hecha. En una apelación, un partido pide que una corte, superior a la que atendieron, revise el caso. Los partidos, entonces, hacen sus argumentos en nuevas “breves,” y la corte superior decide si sí, o no, tomará el caso. Normalmente, la corte superior solamente toma casos donde hay error legal. Este es, más o menos, el proceso de una denuncia.

Donaciones por correo o en línea P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Executive Director Todd Chamberlin • 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Editor Raleigh Burleigh • 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Directores Artísticos Will Grandbois y Alyssa Ohnmacht Traductoras Jacquelinne Castro y Dolores Duarte Distribucion Frederic Kischbaum Miembros de la Mesa Directiva Klaus Kocher • Kay Clarke Lee Beck • Megan Tackett Gayle Wells • Donna Dayton Terri Ritchie • Vanessa Porras Eric Smith • Larry Day The Sopris Sun, Inc. Es un miembro orgulloso del Distrito Creativo de Carbondale The Sopris Sun, Inc. es una 501(c) (3) organización benéfica sin fines de lucro. Contribuciones financieras son deducibles de impuestos. ¡ESCRÍBENOS! Para contribuir ideas y contenido al Sol del Valle, escribiéndonos a: sol@soprissun.com Para comprar espacio publicitario en español, inglés, o ambos, mándanos un correo electrónico a:

adsales@soprissun.com

También se puede contactarnos llamando a 970-510-3003.


CHISME DEL PUEBLO Cabina de teléfono

Nominaciones de negocios

Una “cabina de teléfono” apareció en Delaney Nature Park en Carbondale. De acuerdo con el letrero laminado, “físicamente conectado a ninguna parte, es un portal donde puedes hablar privadamente con quien tú quieras, viva o fallecida.” La instalación fue inspirada por cabinas telefónicas similares a través del mundo, originalmente en Otsuchi, Japón. Agradecimientos a un lector anónimo por dejarnos saber. (Foto en la página 4 de The Sopris Sun)

La fecha límite para entregar nominaciones de la Cámara de Comercio de Carbondale para “negocios del año 2021” (con fines de lucro y sin fines de lucro) ha sido extendida hasta el viernes 21 de enero a las 5 p.m. ¡Visite www.bit.ly/bestbusinessCarbondale para entregar su voto!

Red Canyon Road La carretera 115, también conocida como Red Canyon Road, en el área de Spring Valley permanecerá cerrada debido a condiciones peligrosas en la carretera. El comisionado del condado de Garfield votó en mantener la carretera cerrada por 90 días a partir del 10 de enero. Sin embargo, si la carretera es considerada segura para reabrir antes de tiempo, el condado puede escoger en hacer eso.

Canabis ofrece LivWell Enlightened Health, una compañía de fabricación de canabis, donó $60,000 a Habitat for Humanity of Colorado hacia sus esfuerzos de construcción de vivienda económica. El financiamiento vino de los clientes de LivWell, quienes participaron en la campaña de la compañía llamada “Round Up”. Desde que la orden de quedarse en casa entró en vigencia, LivWell ha ofrecido a sus clientes la opción de completar el total de una compra y donar la diferencia. La campaña ha acumulado más de $200,000, lo cual ha sido donado hacía varias organizaciones sin fines de lucro.

Subvenciones

Aportación STR

El regreso de Strawberry Days

El pueblo de Carbondale organizará una reunión pública con respecto a los alquileres de corto plazo y propuestas de regulación; esta reunión será dada a cabo el 18 de enero a las 6 p.m. Esta es una oportunidad para que el público pueda compartir sus ideas acerca del tema. Aquellos que estén interesados pueden asistir en persona en el ayuntamiento o virtualmente; visite la agenda en la página de sitio web del pueblo (www. carbondalegov.org) para obtener el enlace de Zoom. Las personas que no puedan asistir virtualmente o en persona pueden enviar un correo electrónico con sus ideas a trustees@ carbondaleco.net antes del 14 de enero.

El festival anual de Glenwood Springs, Strawberry Days, ha sido confirmado para este junio después de un hiato de dos años debido al COVID-19. En años recientes, el evento ha tomado lugar en Sayre Park, pero este año la diversión tendrá lugar en Two Rivers Park. Para más información, visite www.strawberrydays.com

Noche de juegos La biblioteca de Carbondale organizara noches de juegos estratégicos el tercer miércoles de cada mes a las 6 p.m. Este evento divertido y estratégico es gratuito y disponible a todos los adultos. Para más información, llame a la biblioteca al 970-963-2889.

Vacunas Segun un comunicado de prensa del condado de Garfield, durante las últimas dos semanas de diciembre, 859 personas recibieron su primera dosis de la vacuna del COVID-19. El Centro de Control de Enfermedades y Prevención recomendaron que las personas de 12 años y mayores reciban su inyección de refuerzo después de cinco meses. El condado también quiere recordarle a la gente que haya perdido su prueba de vacunación que pueden visitar https://mycolorado.state.co.us/ myvaccine-record para obtener sus registros de vacunación.

Los Parques de Vida Silvestre de Colorado (CPW) concederán subvenciones desde hasta $1.25 millones hacia proyectos dirigidos a la restauración de humedales. Alineado con el Wetlands Program Strategic Plan del CPW, el financiamiento está destinado a proyectos que tengan intención de mejorar la distribución y el número de patos y también “oportunidades de caza pública de aves acuáticas,” y/o mejorar el estatus de especies en riesgo. La fecha límite para solicitar es el 26 de enero. Para una solicitud y más información visite www. cpw.state.co.us

Un respiro al préstamo estudiantil Una vez más, el presidente Joe Biden extendió el plazo de pagos de los préstamos estudiantiles y una pausa en los intereses acumulados. La extensión más reciente tiene un lapso desde el 31 de enero hasta el 1 de mayo. Debido a la pandemia, las personas con préstamos estudiantiles han tenido la opción de prolongar sus pagos desde marzo del 2020.

el Sol del Valle • Conector de comunidad • 13-19 de enero de 2022 • 9


CARBONDALE REPORT The first regular meeting of the Board of Town Trustees (BOTT) in the new year saw the full board in attendance, masked and in-person. With the exception of one item, the consent agenda was approved with little discussion. This included accounts payable with approved community grants, authorization for the town clerk to appoint municipal election judges and several liquor license renewals. Trustee Ben Bohmfalk noted that payment for overage fees from Mountain Waste have gone down significantly: $1,225 in December, whereas these approximated $4,000 at a point when many members of the public voiced complaints. The item that was pulled from the consent agenda for further dialogue involved the reappointment of two members to the town’s Environmental Board: Patrick Hunter and Fred Malo. Hunter in particular was under scrutiny for actions that Mayor Dan Richardson felt were counter to the efficacy and standing of that board. Several members of the Environmental Board vouched for reappointing Hunter, a decision they had unanimously approved. With the exception of Mayor Richardson, who has replaced trustee Heather Henry as the BOTT liaison to the Environmental Board, all trustees voted to reappoint Malo and Hunter. Several members of the audience stepped forward during the public comment period, including two people discouraging trustees from implementing a mask mandate, plus a complaint about traffic speeds on Merrill Avenue and the intersection of West Main Street and Hendrick Drive.

Diving into new pool prospects By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

The inaugural swim meet at the John M Fleet Pool in 1986. Valley Journal file photo

During trustee comments, trustee Lani Kitching announced that she is officially seated with the Colorado Wildlife Council and thanked Carbondale for navigating “unprecedented challenges” over the past four years, preparing her for the “thorny issues” she will face in her new role. One of the main items on the week’s agenda included approval of ballot language for putting the replacement of the town’s aquatic center on the April ballot. Pursuant to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), voters must approve any increase in taxes or public debt in Colorado.

The language that will appear on April’s ballot asks to borrow up to $8 million, without raising taxes, to build a new aquatic center replacing the existing one. This would be accomplished using the existing half-cent tax that is paying off the Recreation Center (anticipated to be paid off in 2024). Unless withdrawn, the half-cent tax must be spent on the Parks and Recreation Department. Through a Great Outdoors Colorado grant, the town hired a consultant to look at options and found the existing town pool beyond rehabilitation, with aging and deteriorating concrete.

“It’s up to us to make sure voters understand,” said trustee Erica Sparhawk. “These kinds of measures, like Heather pointed out, are confusing. TABOR does that on purpose. They put it all in caps so it feels like it’s yelling at you.” Sparhawk emphasized giving thought to the current pool’s users: seniors, working class people, school groups, etc. Without a plan to replace the aging pool, there could be “people in rivers without access to swimming lessons,” said Sparhawk. Next, trustees approved phasing the eighth street project,

due to the quickly rising costs of construction. Interim Town Manager Kevin Schorzman said that the pressures driving up costs will likely not be relieved for years. “Whatever the next Greek letter is for COVID, I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon,” he said. Phase one of the work will focus on the west side of the street, where there is not a continuous sidewalk. Traffic calming features, like “bulb outs” and striping will be implemented, along with the installation of a six-foot sidewalk in 2022. Phase two will focus on the east side of the street. Other actions taken by the board included the appointment of trustee Marty Silverstein to the Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority Board. Finally, the special event task force calendar of 2022 events was unanimously approved, “if [events] align with public health orders at the time.” The Parks and Rec Department has forfeited Oktoberfest and Celtic Fest, seeking to focus on events that more clearly align with their mission to encourage physical wellness. A fall festival has been slated for another group to carry out in mid-October. Schorzman was thanked for his participation as interim town manager. “I never heard Kevin complain,” said Richardson. “[He] never missed a beat, and had two big jobs for the past several months.” Petitions are now available at Town Hall for persons interested in running for one of three trustee seats, or the mayoral seat, each for a four-year term. Completed petitions must be returned to the town clerk by 5 p.m. on Jan. 24.

BASALT REPORT

Basalt Town Council signs off on new micro bus service By Dyana Z. Furmansky Sopris Sun Correspondent

In its first regular meeting of 2022, Basalt Town Council approved a resolution to ratify, continue and declare a local disaster emergency due to COVID-19. “Here we go again,” said Town Manager Ryan Mahoney. Tuesday night’s passage of the measure was unanimous and, for public health reasons, required that meetings be virtual until the disaster emergency is lifted. All seven council members participated electronically. Staff was either at home or in distanced locations at Town Hall to run the Zoom proceedings. Presentations to the council and public attendance, which was low, were also virtual. “I know more people who have gotten COVID-19 in the last two weeks, including in my own family, than during the entire pandemic,” said Councilor Gary Tennenbaum. One of the issues under consideration was the free public transportation that will start in February. The Town Council unanimously approved an agreement struck with Aspen Downtowner Group LLC, which will

provide one route of “micro transport” services within Basalt, and a second route from the town with stops at City Market in El Jebel and Whole Foods in Willits. Mahoney explained that the Roaring Fork Transit Authority will provide Basalt with half the $190,000 cost for the pilot program to improve short-distance travel while reducing the number of single vehicles making trips. Mahoney said a rider app called “Basalt Connects” will show the schedule and stops. The service will be available for eight months of the year, excluding tourism’s shoulder seasons in spring and fall. The Town Council approved an electronic invoice and credit card payment system for residents paying water bills and other municipal fees, such as court costs. Jenny Aragon, an accounting technician for the town, said that a payment portal can now be created to service customers who have been asking for this payment option. Two requests for expanded liquor licenses were heard. New York Pizza owner Kevin Jones asked that the shop be allowed to sell “spirituous liquors” in addition to beer and wine, and won

10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • Jan. 6-12, 2022

easy approval from the councilors. A second request for the sale of fermented malted beverages at Willits Town Store met with continued opposition on its second reading, before being approved in a 5-2 vote. “I won’t be supporting this, there are plenty of places to buy booze,” said Councilor Glenn Drummond, who questioned why one more liquor outlet was “needed” with so many already established. Councilor Tennenbaum also voted no. As at past liquor license hearings, Councilor Elyse Hottel asked for a “broader conversation” about how many liquor stores should be in the community. No Town Council meeting in recent memory has been without some reference to affordable housing, a need that no councilor disputes. On that subject, Simi Hamilton, a former U.S. World Cup cross-country skier, asked for approval of an accessory dwelling unit of about 450 square feet on a property owned by him and his wife, Sophie Caldwell, who was his cross-country teammate. Hamilton, who grew up in Aspen, said the new unit would be fully equipped with a kitchen and have its own entrance. “We’d like

to supplement our mortgage, and provide a long-term rental” for an existing Roaring Fork worker, he said. Mayor Bill Kane said he was “heartened that a local kid” returned to the Valley wanting to invest in the community, even in a small way. The council approved Hamilton’s request unanimously. Also on the Town Council’s virtual docket was a resolution approving a slightly revised intergovernmental agency agreement with the Ruedi Water and Power Authority (RWPA). The agreement, last signed in 2003 according to Executive Director April Long, is with municipal authorities in Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield Counties. The approved revisions, which include a correction in RWPA’s name, restates the Ruedi authority’s purposes of managing the reservoir for water quality, power and recreation, and its task of continued surveillance to prevent invasive species like zebra and quagga mussels from becoming entrenched. The meeting ended with an executive session about land acquisition for a new police station. Executive sessions are closed to the public.


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School quarantines take a toll By James Steindler Contributing Editor

The first hour of the Garfield Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting on Monday, Jan. 10, was taken up by one public comment item not on the agenda: school quarantines. Jill Edinger is a parent of three. She appeared with two other parents of children who attend St. Stephens Catholic School in Glenwood Springs. Edinger passionately conveyed to the commissioners that she was at her wits end with school quarantines. She works full-time as an attorney and depends on the child care. Edinger vented her grievances about COVID-19 policies that she finds unfair. “You can go to Cloud 9 and drink champagne bottles in Pitkin County and squirt them around the room — you can go to concerts — and my kid can’t go to school and I can’t go to work because of these policies,” she stated. She expressed concern that children will be affected by the regular hiatuses from school in the long run. “At the end of the day, my kids are going to be just fine because we have the financial resources — thank God,” she lamented. “You know the kids who are going to suffer? All the poor kids who are never going to catch up — never.” After Edinger went well over her allotted five minutes for public comment, the commissioners responded. First, they let Edinger know that they do not have jurisdiction over the local schools. “We do not govern schools,” said Chairman John Martin. “We do not tell them to mandate anything.” Martin explained that the local school boards (or private school leaders) make such decisions and take direction from the Colorado Department of Education and state public health agencies. On a personal level, the commissioners tended to agree with Edinger. “This board, which sits as the county health board, has not put a mandate on, has not told people that they have to quarantine and wear a mask, etcetera, through a mandate,” explained Martin. “We say it is a choice.” He added,

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“We agree with you 100%; it's crazy. We need to go ahead and get back to normal.” Edinger “implored” the commissioners to speak with the local school boards again (as they have before) and “tell them that you’re getting this feedback.” The commissioners agreed to do so.

Pet funding Heather Grant with Journey Home Animal Care Center ( JHACC) requested $200,000 in nonprofit general funding for its 2022 budget. JHACC, previously known simply as the Rifle Animal Shelter, recently moved into a brand new facility in Rifle. “We promise to stay committed to our community and give back,” said Grant. “Now we can expand on the programs and services that we can not only offer for homeless animals but community owned animals as well.” The commissioners approved unanimously.

Rifle airport Rifle Garfield County Airport Director Brian Condie appeared along with GarCo Premier Hangars LLC developers Dan Guggenheim and Jeff Parrington. The developers intend to begin constructing additional hangars at the airport in West Garfield County. “We’ve designed what we’re thinking is a multi-phase project,” explained Guggenheim. The first phase will include five new units and phase two will likely include three or four. They plan to start construction of phase one in April of this year. Phase two development won’t take off until at least 60% of the phase one units are under contract. Individual units will be sold or leased to private aviators or commercial companies. “Jeff and I have been working on this for about a year now and it’s been a long time to put all the details together,” said Guggenheim. “The Rifle airport really is under-utilized, with hangars particularly, and this is something the community can really use.” He added, “If we don’t do it, we feel that someone else will and we want to do it right.” The commissioners agreed to sign-off on GarCo Premier Hangars LLC’ 40 year land lease, as requested.

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River Bridge understands that talking can help By Dyana Z. Furmansky Sopris Sun Correspondent

A thank-you note from a recipient of help from River Bridge Regional Center. Courtesy photo

Children treated for sexual abuse at the River Bridge Regional Center (RBRC) in Glenwood Springs surpassed 250 in 2021. That’s ten more kids than were seen by the child advocacy organization in 2020 and about three times the number treated when RBRC opened its doors in 2007, according to Executive Director Blythe Chapman. “There is no rhyme or reason for child sexual abuse,” says Chapman. “It doesn’t rise or fall during holidays or because of the pandemic.” Nor is this rise in RBRC cases proof that sexual abuse of children, is increasing. What these numbers do indicate, however, is that abusive situations are being reported more often and children can get help sooner to recover from sexual as well as physical maltreatment. River Bridge has grown to eight full-time specialists, including therapists and a part-time nurse, yet is still under-staffed, says Chapman. About 75% of the children in treatment are girls but Chapman suspects the number of abused boys is higher than reported. “Boys are taught to be strong, which inhibits their ability to come forward,” she says. “It’s the children we don’t see that keep me up at night,” she says. “The overall drastic increase in our services is because more partners recognize how beneficial our services are,” says Chapman. Those partners include law enforcement and child protective agencies in Garfield, Eagle, Pitkin and Rio Blanco counties that contact RBRC when they suspect sexual abuse.

Chapman emphasizes that referrals for treatment of children and their impacted families must be made by these authorities. Schools and concerned individuals can report their suspicions to them. In addition to providing mental health services to children and their trusted caregivers, RBRC cooperates with legal investigations into an alleged perpetrator, which can lead to the person’s removal from the child’s home and life. “For parents to emphasize ‘stranger danger’ is completely ineffective,” says Meghan Hurley Backofen, RBRC’s sexual abuse treatment provider and mental health coordinator for Garfield County. “After treating about 4,000 kids I can count on less than two hands the number of times the abuser was a person the child didn’t know,” she says. Suspected perpetrators are never permitted on RBRC premises. While community-based child advocacy centers like RBRC work with the law to protect their young clients, “we tell families that convictions are not necessary for their healing,” Executive Director Chapman says. Proper treatment is. Without it, childhood onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) results in adverse “symptom clusters” that can linger or worsen in adulthood, says Backofen. Children continue to experience flashbacks, emotional numbness and hyper-vigilance. A mental health diagnosis, says Backofen, “comes from symptoms, not causes,” and a bipolar or borderline personality disorder might be determined to explain a child’s Continued on page 13

GOCO grant boosts RFOV prospects By Ken Pletcher Sopris Sun Correspondent

fire adaptation (fire mitigation and restoration). Each year it coordinates and runs a variety of projects In early December 2021, Basalt- proposed by some 50 organizations based Roaring Fork Outdoor — ranging from federal agencies like Volunteers (RFOV) announced that the U.S. Forest Service to businesses it had received a $298,490 grant from like Independence Run & Hike — as Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), well as by between 30 to 50 student the state-run agency that invests and other groups (e.g., the Buddy money from the Colorado Lottery Program or even a family reunion). in a variety of environment- and Recent notable projects have outdoors-related projects throughout included building trails at the Sutey the state. It was the largest single grant Ranch conservation easement near to RFOV in its 26-year history. Carbondale, restoring degraded In a press release, GOCO said ranchland in the Lazy Glen open the two-year grant would “address space in Snowmass Canyon and growing stewardship needs in the mitigation work done on the Lake Roaring Fork Valley resulting from Christine Fire burn scar. increased recreation and wildfires.” One major undertaking, “We are thrilled to receive this beginning in 2020, was coordinating support and endorsement from the establishment of the Glenwood GOCO,” Rebecca Schild, RFOV’s Canyon Restoration Alliance, a executive director, said at that multi-organizational consortium of time. She added, “RFOV is well- municipal and nonprofit stakeholders positioned to build off our strong in the canyon region that is dedicated foundation and effectively scale our to a multiyear restoration of the stewardship efforts to address the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar in and changing needs of our region.” around the canyon. According to its website, RFOV Schild, speaking recently with the “promotes stewardship of our public Sopris Sun about the GOCO grant, lands by engaging our community described it as “capacity building,” in education, restoration and which will “help us fill out our planned conservation projects.” Its three programs.” She continued, “Our trails principal focus areas are sustainable program has been strong, but we want recreation (building and maintaining to strengthen the [habitat] restoration trails), healthy landscapes (restoring and fire [mitigation and restoration]” degraded trails and habitat) and components of RFOV’s mission. 12 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • Jan. 6-12, 2022

In addition, Schild said that RFOV wanted to “increase engagement” among volunteers, notably in western Garfield County. As she put it, “Different kinds of volunteers bring out diversity in the community.” The RFOV website notes that there are plans to significantly expand stewardship work in the Glenwood Springs to Parachute corridor in 2022. Chief among the grant’s provisions is funding for the new full-time position of program coordinator, whose responsibilities will include working with youth groups (in particular, through RFOV’s Young Stewards Program and its partnership with the Buddy Program) and providing outreach to the newer groups the organization wants to involve. Grant money will also be used to help purchase a used pickup truck to supplement “our well-used van.” Schild explained that the truck will “allow us to have more programs [that can] access more challenging trailheads.” In addition, the grant will allow RFOV to upgrade its volunteer registration system software and will provide additional training for land restoration and fire mitigation. Schild was also excited about another project debuting in 2022. With funding provided by the 2020 federal Great American Outdoors Act and in collaboration with the Forest

Volunteers at the Silt River Preserve hike to work during last season. Courtesy photo

Service, RFOV will have a seasonal professional trail crew operating in the Maroon Bells-Sopris Wilderness. They will work with personnel from the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District to tackle a wide range of deferred trail maintenance and restoration in that popular and heavily used portion of the wilderness. “This is an important step for us,” she observed, “It’s the first time we have had a crew like this.” In addition to the opportunities provided by those two funding sources, RFOV is moving ahead with hiring four more staff members. And, with money from a 2021 GOCO Resilient Communities program grant, it will increase its stewardship projects in Pitkin County, as well as continue to address ongoing restoration in Glenwood Canyon (including work to repair projects

that were damaged by the summer 2021 debris slides). In a radio interview last fall with Sopris Sun Editor Raleigh Burleigh, Jacob Baker, RFOV’s communications and engagement manager stated, “We take the ‘V’ in RFOV very seriously.” He continued, “We actually doubled the number of volunteer hours [in 2021], as compared to last year. People were eager and engaged and wanted to come out and really make a difference.” Echoing that, and looking ahead to 2022 and beyond, Schild added, “The GOCO grant will allow us to do our work better. We will be better resourced to scale up our stewardship efforts and support land managers across our entire service area while offering rewarding experiences to a diverse pool of volunteers.”


River Bridge Regional Center's therapy room. Courtesy photo

Continued from page 12 behavioral difficulties when sexual abuse is the underlying cause. Until about 20 years ago, mental health professionals were trained to do what a child did if sexual abuse might be a possibility; “use avoidance,” says Backofen. “Society’s discomfort with acknowledging the abuse of children bled into the mental health field. Mental health providers took a non-directive approach, which meant that they wouldn’t force a child to talk about something they didn’t want to talk about,” says Backofen. “There was no evidence that not talking about a problem was helping the child get better.” The journey back from a child’s PTSD begins in a cozy cottage on the RBRC premises furnished with teddy bears, toys, comfy sofas and chairs. The treatment regimen is evidencebased, trauma-focused therapy, which means that children are given tests that measure PTSD levels before and after treatment. In as many sessions as required, the therapist allows the child to talk fully about

their experience, keeping the conversation neutral so as not to influence what the child says. Backofen says 34 kids under her care successfully completed treatment last year. Apart from the before and after measured PTSD levels, young clients also acknowledge that they feel better. Some have written thank-you notes to RBRC staff for helping them move on. “That difficult things happen to people is inevitable,” says Backofen. “Even children can be given the tools they need to cope.” The best thing a parent can do is “get educated” and talk to their children about how nobody should touch their body in a way that confuses them, says Backofen. Podcasts and books on talking to children about inappropriate physical contact are available through RBRC. “Parents need to say something like, ‘I want you to know that if a kid or adult ever touches you, or does something weird, you can tell me.” 24-hour Colorado Child Abuse Hotline in English and Spanish:

1-844-264-5437 (1-CO4KIDS)

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • Jan. 13-19, 2022 • 13


OBITUARY

LETTERS Holiday Baskets Program

Savanna Ray Bristol May 27, 1993 - Dec. 29, 2021

Savanna Ray Bristol was born in Glenwood Springs and passed at her home in Durango. She grew up and attended school in her hometown of Carbondale, where she graduated from Roaring Fork High School. In 2019, she attended San Juan Community College in Farmington, New Mexico where she got her phlebotomy license. She was on this earth for 28 years and helped make it a brighter, better place. She worked at various jobs that she loved, at River Valley Ranch, Dalton Ranch Golf Course, different dispensaries, doing home care with Comfort Keepers, working at a pet supply store and finally as a phlebotomist for Labcorp. People who knew Savanna know that she was all about being funny and irreverent. She had love and laughter to share, as well as a sarcastic wit and a delightfully sassy mouth that made people laugh! She marched to a uniquely different drum; that’s what made her so special. She loved to make people smile and feel better, always giving compliments and the best hugs! She never failed to let people know she loved them, and would tell them at least ten times a day! Savanna was artistic and creative. When the pandemic hit, she spent a

lot of time painting rocks to look like ladybugs, and making the cutest fairy houses. Then she would sneak around putting them on people’s porches or in flower gardens. The neighborhood was full of fairy gardens with her creations that year. She also loved going to local rivers and lakes, rafting and paddle boarding. She was a nurturing person and an amazing caretaker, taking care of whoever was in need, whether they be people or animals. She never met a dog or cat she didn’t lik e. She even took in and cared for an elderly client’s dog when the client could not. She was a source of strength and a big help to her sister Ciarra, and moved to Denver temporarily to help take care of her and her nephew when Ciarra was going through treatment for leukemia in 2019/2020. Savanna loved her family dearly and, if she knew you well, you were part of her extended family. Her nephew Summit was her absolute favorite person in the world. She loved spending time with him. She built him a rocket ship out of cardboard for his birthday last year and made him a Halloween costume — a fire truck that had moving wheels, lights that spun around, a ladder that telescoped up and a fire hose.

Continued from page 2

She is survived by her mother Patty Bristol, father Doug Bristol and partner Lisa Talley, sister Ciarra Bristol and partner Marlin Boyer, nephew Summit, grandfather Maurice Bristol, aunts and uncles Kelly and Jan Warnock, Tina and Ras Smith, Debbie and Jim Martin, Mike Bristol, many cousins and friends she considered family. She is preceded in death by grandparents June and Tiny Nightingale, Marsha and Milt Dodson, Eva Bristol and uncle Tim Nightingale. There will be a celebration of Savanna’s life sometime in the summer when Ciarra is cured of cancer. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at suicidepreventionlifeline.org

The Holiday Baskets Program (www.holidaysketsprogram. com), run entirely by volunteers, was once again a joyful community effort. For 40 years this program has provided new gifts, toys and food for people in need in our valley. The response this year was particularly generous and heartwarming, with many individuals and groups participating for the first time which enabled us to serve 347 families (1,345 individuals)! This included gifting over $40,000 worth of City Market food cards. I especially wish to thank our Steering Committee; Elaine Bonds, Marsha Cook, Kathy Dreher, Elizabeth Parker and Bobbi Teliska, who spent many, many hours and lots of energy matching families with Adopting Angels and making sure all the gift bags were ready on pick-up day. We also thank the 14 local agencies who referred the recipients and delivered their gift bags. We are extremely grateful to Mike Garbarini who, once again, entered all the applications online so that we could operate virtually. In addition, we greatly appreciate St. Peter’s Episcopal Churc h in Basalt for providing space in which to coordinate and distribute the thousands of gifts. A recent quote from Angela Hanley, English in Action staff member, summarizes the hopes of the Holiday Baskets Program: “We are very grateful to all the Holiday Baskets volunteers and donors for their generosity, and for the greater message of care and compassion this program communicates in our valley.” Anne Blackwell Carbondale

Looking Back The “no one” of it. Granite Peak and grizzly bears, Back then we went there. Jampa Carbondale

PAGES OF THE PAST

You can take our bags, but not our bingo From the archives of the Valley Journal and Sopris Sun

Jan. 21, 1982 Carbondale Trustees approved a $3.5 million Industrial Revenue Bond (IRB) to support the construction of a strip mall at the southwest corner of Main Street and Highway 133. The socalled “Mall at Roaring Fork” would feature a 23,000 square-foot Circle Supers grocery store (previously located in the Sopris Shopping Center) on one side and a drug store on the other, with office space in between. The whole deal was spearheaded by “The Company” — a partnership that didn’t yet exist on paper. (It’s unclear how much changed before the actual construction of what’s now the old City Market space, to say nothing of later acquisitions, expansions and renovations.) In other news… The Dutch Creek mine reopened eight months after the methane explosion that killed 15 men.

Jan. 23, 1992

Peggy Ferguson celebrates New Year 1986. Valley Journal file photo

Devotees of Carbondale Fire’s weekly bingo night arrived one Tuesday to find a sign taped to the door: “Bingo canceled by vote of CVFD membership 1-13-91 (sic). Thanks.” The Journal was subsequently flooded with calls from seniors and others expressing shock and a sense of betrayal. “I’m a widow and it

14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • Jan. 6-12, 2022

has given me something really enjoyable to do every Tuesday night,” said June Nightengale. “Bingo gets the older seniors here in town at night to socialize and have some fun. We even have a few who come in from out of town for the games and I know some of the older folks have been playing for 30 years.” Fire Chief Ron Leach said the whole thing was just too much of a drain on the handful of volunteers who were certified to run the game, but, given the uproar, the department was looking into ways of bringing bingo back. In other news… KDNK was in danger of losing access to programs like “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition” if it didn’t pay its NPR debt by March 22 — so they turned to the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities for help bridging the gap.

Jan. 3, 2002 Numerous locals had a role to play in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Colorado Rocky Mountain School nordic coaches Andrew Gardner and Lindley van der Linde were part of the support staff, acting as a wax tester and forerunner, respectively. Rachel Weishaar, RFHS class of ‘94, was on the front lines of logistics as the motor pool coordinator, overseeing a fleet of nearly 5,000 vehicles. And Jay Artaz, class of ‘74, was one of 38 people carrying the

torch through Wichita, a triumphant moment in his battle with cancer. Even the kids got involved, with Basalt Middle Schooler Michelle Miller winning CocaCola’s poster contest for the local leg of the torch relay. In other news… A regional highway task force proposed a new interchange which would elevate Highway 82 traffic over Highway 133 at their intersection north of Carbondale — for about $200k.

Jan. 12, 2012 The decision on whether to continue Carbondale’s bag ban was headed to the April ballot, after more than 200 people signed a petition to put it to the people. The original ordinance, passed by trustees the previous October, removed plastic bags from retailers of a certain size — in practice, just City Market — and placed a 20¢ fee on paper bags. It was part of a broader push by the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) to curb waste, with moderate measures already passed in Aspen and Basalt. (Voters would ultimately back the ban, which continues to this day even as Kroger begins phasing out plastic bags at all its locations.) In other news… Roaring Fork School District’s board voted to terminate Superintendent Judy Haptonstall’s contract, citing concerns about her “Moving On” initiative.


PARTING SHOT

LEGALS NOTICE PURSUANT TO THE LAWS OF COLORADO GOODFLOWER HAS REQUESTED THE LICENSING OFFICIALS OF THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE GRANT A RETAIL MARIJUANA STORE LICENSE TO SELL RETAIL MARIJUANA PRODUCTS AT GOODFLOWER 1101 VILLAGE ROAD UL4B and UL5B CARBONDALE, CO 81623 HEARING ON APPLICATION TO BE HELD AT: CARBONDALE TOWN HALL 511 COLORADO AVENUE CARBONDALE, COLORADO AND VIA ZOOM DATE AND TIME: FEBRUARY 8, 2022, AT 6:00 P.M. DATE OF APPLICATION: DECEMBER 8, 2021 BY ORDER OF: DAN RICHARDSON, MAYOR APPLICANT: SEAN RITCHEY Information may be obtained from, and Petitions or Remonstrance’s may be filed with the Town Clerk Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO 81623 ORDINANCE NO. 10 Series of 2021 AN ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING ADDITIONAL SUMS OF MONEY TO DEFRAYING EXPENSES IN EXCESS OF AMOUNT BUDGETED FOR THE GENERAL FUND, VICTIMS ASSISTANCE FUND, LODGING TAX FUND, DISPOSABLE BAG FEE FUND, WASTEWATER FUND, TRASH FUND, CARBONDALE HOUSING FUND, CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION FUND, RECREATION SALES AND USE TAX FUND AND SALES AND USE TAX FUND OF THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE, COLORADO NOTICE: This Ordinance was introduced, read, and adopted at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Carbondale, Colorado, on December 14, 2021. This Ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after publication of this notice. The full text of said Ordinance is available to the public at www.carbondalegov.org or at the office of the Town Clerk, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado, during normal business hours. THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE By: s/s Dan Richardson, Mayor ATTEST: s/s Cathy Derby, Town Clerk ORDINANCE NO. 9 Series of 2021 AN ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING SUMS OF MONEY TO THE VARIOUS FUNDS AND SPENDING AGENCIES, IN THE AMOUNTS AND FOR THE PURPOSES AS SET FORTH BELOW, FOR THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE, COLORADO, FOR THE 2022 BUDGET YEAR NOTICE: This Ordinance was introduced, read, and adopted at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Carbondale, Colorado, on December 14, 2021. This Ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after publication of this notice. The full text of said Ordinance is available to the public at www.carbondalegov.org or at the office of the Town Clerk, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado, during normal business hours. THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE By: s/s Dan Richardson, Mayor ATTEST: s/s Cathy Derby, Town Clerk

Correction: A History of Carbondale, presented virtually by Senior Matters with the Garfield County Libraries, has been postponed.

HELP WANTED Carbondale Clay Center Hiring a marketing and communications manager (30 hrs/week), responsible for creating physical and digital promotional materials, updating the website, social media, photography and editing images of artwork, inventory lists and other general responsibilities. Compensation: $22/hr. Apply by emailing director@carbondaleclay.org Help Wanted Ads are FREE. To place a short ad for two weeks, visit: www. soprissun.com/free-help-wanted-ads/

The section of Red Canyon Road (County Road 115) that runs between Highway 82 and Spring Valley has been closed due to winter conditions since late December. On Jan. 10, Garfield County Road and Bridge Director Wyatt Keesbery announced the closure will remain in place for another 90 days. Anyone who would like to make public comments on this issue may do so at the next Board of Commissioners Meeting on Monday, Jan. 17, at 8 a.m. at the Garfield County Administration Building or online (details at garfield-county.org). Photo by Paula Mayer

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