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The Third Street Center: a building that builds community

Seven days a week for 15 years

Creating an inviting space for collaboration and community solutions has been the hallmark of the Third Street Center as it marks 15 years of service in Carbondale.

With its 45,000-square-foot facility serving as the physical foundation for collaboration, the Third Street Center is currently home to a diverse collection of 36 organizations and has served over 70 since 2010.

“We like to think of ourselves as incubators of great ideas and solutions that make our community and region better,” said Executive Director Colin Laird.

Laird likened the Center, which is a multitenant and mixed-use facility, to other vital public spaces where people can engage and celebrate together in a context that is both flexible and inexpensive.

The Center prioritizes allocation of its limited long-term rental space toward nonprofit organizations, which benefit from the extra support. Third Street provides rentals for under half the market rate of commercial spaces in town.

“That was the idea: Let’s create a more affordable foundation for all kinds of great organizations that are doing great work in our community so they are not spending a fortune on rent,” Laird said. “We did that and it has worked. And it’s more valuable now,” compared with 15 years ago.

The building was originally Carbondale’s elementary school, which opened in 1961. It was repurposed in June of 2010 after the elementary school built a new building on Snowmass Drive. Laird attributed the Center’s success in part to the welcoming and nurturing environment of Carbondale which fosters opportunities for collaboration between organizations and residents.

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Photos and story by Romina Cabrera

Carbondale Arts Fashion Show director Amy Kimberly and models strut the runway in preparation for “Camera Obscura’” this coming March 6-8, showcasing the creative visions of 28 talented clothing designers.

Sandra Prado, founder and instructor of the Aspen Polynesia dance group, leads the practice for their show “Rhythms of Tahiti” at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen on March 2. They will showcase traditional dancing, drumming and live music featuring the rich cultural heritage of the islands.

Musician-teachers from the Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra practice for a January concert in Aspen.

Members of the Community Tai Chi group flow into their moves to promote health and well-being. Sponsored by The Center for Human Flourishing, members take part in the ancient Chinese practice known for bettering balance and meditation.

Artists of the Alaprima Painters group get together every Thursday to paint and critique each other’s work, inspiring friendships and camaraderie. Alaprima, which means “first stroke,” has been around for over a decade and is hosted in the True Rivers Unitarian Universalist office space.

Volunteers at the Lift-Up pantry in Carbondale organize food and supplies, ready to provide essential assistance and support to community members in need.

Defying gravity — Sopris Soarers aerial silks dancers perfect their stunts utilizing the Center’s I-beam structure ahead of their February First Friday performance.

Building the future, one robot at a time, Aspen Science Center’s robotics program teaches kids ages 1013 critical skills every Tuesday, preparing them for competition-level challenges.

SUNDAY

Signal the ski patrol

Did you read Roger Marolt’s column in the Aspen Daily News last month about his breakup with Aspen? It’s very good, and relatable for anyone who has lived and loved in our favorite local ski town. I can understand how hard it is to watch the place you love invaded by day trippers; America was just hijacked by billionaires, and we all watched it happen.

We watched Trump and Musk dance around to the Village People while Melania (disguised as The Hamburglar) covered her eyes. It was like watching a six-skier pile-up, and most of us couldn’t look away. Now it’s time to clean it up: someone signal the Ski Patrol to get a few toboggans out here, and kick some snow over those blood stains … The longer we wait, the harder it’ll be to contain this crash site of an administration.

Government isn’t supposed to be glamorous. It’s like skiers in the rain — bureaucrats in polyester making sure we have access to schools and hospitals on roads that are safe to drive. (BTW, Tesla trucks weigh too much to be stopped by a typical guardrail. So slow your roll, Little E.)

OPINION

Ps & Qs

By Jeannie Perry

Government that looks like the TJ Maxx of Russian royalty is not gonna work for average Americans. Sure, we love a good drama with outrageous characters in ridiculous costumes, who doesn’t? But at the end of the day, Americans care about equality and fair working conditions. We’d rather have safety standards and a little overtime than watch our four trillion plus in tax dollars go to building some spoiled brat’s Barbie dreamhouse in space.

Speaking of governmental waste, whenever I see the acronym DOGE I think of how the Kens stole the houses from the Barbies and renamed them “Mojo Dojo Casa Houses.” That is exactly where we are right now: watching the Kens’ song and dance sequence, hoping they come to their senses soon and feel shame.

“… the shameless couldn’t care less. And their audacious behaviour pays dividends in our modern mediacracies, because the news spotlights the abnormal and the absurd. In this type of world, it’s not the friendliest and most empathic leaders who rise to the top, but their opposites. In this world, it’s survival of the shameless.” - Rutger Bregman

What are we supposed to do with a shameless president? Wait around in the cold until he gets up to speed?

That must be how my ski-school instructors felt. When I was learning to ski in Aspen in the 1970s, it was about as glamorous as a kid in a hand-me-down down parka eating carrot sticks on the tailgate can be. My dad was ski patrol, so that meant catching a ride with him: leaving the house in the dark, all bundled up to no avail because the cold always found its way in; skiing from one patrol shack to another; breaking only to eat pb & j and carrots while sitting on a cold metal picnic table, or the back of the pickup.

My dad took it seriously, rescuing locals and visitors alike. All the fancy-pants (literally) who like to hit the slopes to show off their moves would just be standing around in the cold like the rest of us without the patrollers (and lifties!). It taught me that money doesn’t make you anything but rich.

The people who make this country great are the ones who work hard, not the one sitting on a golden throne of broken promises and bankruptcies, and definitely not the one dancing around like a tween buzzed on wine coolers apres-ski.

You know what’s classy? Truth and justice and looking out for those who are less fortunate. Aspen — and America — may be sidetracked by the granny in leopard-print leggings and sports bra dancing on the table, but we can still bring it back to homemade casseroles and wool socks. We’ll be fine as long as we look out for all skiers — natives and those who are new to the sport.

After all, America’s just a bunch of immigrants sliding down a groomed run because someone else got up early. So, eat your carrots, and in the words of the Aspen Daily News: “If you don’t want it printed, don’t let it happen.”

LETTERS

Re: Re: Cookie incident

I’m writing in response to Krista Lasko’s letter last week regarding the incident with a THC cookie at the Community Pantry outside of the library. I was surprised and sorry to read that Krista was disappointed with the library’s response to the incident. We’ve since spoken, and I’ve filled her in on some of the things the library has been doing since we were made aware of the incident. I believe we’re on the same page now, and I’d like to share my thoughts here as well.

First, I’m so relieved that Krista’s son made it through this ordeal without any lasting damage. It must have been so scary for them all, and I’m so sorry that this happened.

As the editor’s note stated, the library did submit a press release on Jan. 6, the same day we learned of the incident, intending to make the community aware of what happened. I was told that the school district would also send a notice out to parents. Library staff are now checking the pantry twice a day, removing items that are unsealed, homemade or otherwise suspect. We’re also planning to install a camera on that side of the building.

We established the pantry outside the library because we saw a major unfilled need in our community. We had a Lift-Up donation box in our lobby for a while, and our community was so generous in donating to it, but the items almost never made it to the food bank because people in need would take food directly from the box. Lift-Up is a wonderful resource, but their hours are extremely limited, making access difficult for working people. The Community Pantry is open 24/7 and doesn’t require a person to show ID or prove need. People who have a little extra can leave it for their neighbors, and those who could use a little help can take what they need. And it’s been heavily used since we installed it last fall.

I was so upset to learn that someone in our community might have put a THC cookie into the pantry, not knowing who might take it. Not only was it reckless and dangerous, but it cast a dark shadow over this valuable community resource and potentially jeopardized its future.

We support Krista’s message that parents talk to their kids about what they eat, and I hope that with our community’s combined efforts, nothing like this will happen again.

Tracy Kallassy Carbondale Library Branch Manager

A fond farewell

A number of years ago, after graduating from college in Upstate New York, friends left a note at my residence inviting me to move to Colorado with them. I’m showing my age. This was before the advent of cell phones. Back then you’d use a camera to take photographs and ensure you’d have pocket change to use to make calls from a phone booth.

After spending a couple of months in Aurora — “Gateway to the Rockies” — I moved to Estes Park. This was my introduction to the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. It was love at first sight! After six months in Estes Park I rode my bicycle with a friend cross-country to return to New York and resume college. While in Estes Park, I came to the realization that eventually I’d return to the mountains of Colorado.

After spending six years on the East Coast, in 1985, I moved to the Roaring Fork Valley thinking this would always be Home — emphasis on the capital “H.” As you know, “life happens.” I took a few detours across the country before returning to the Roaring Fork Valley, an area I’ve always considered Home, 10 years ago. I enjoyed being born and raised on Long Island. Yet, I consider myself a “semi-native” of Colorado.

For a total of 19 years I’ve absolutely loved living in the Roaring Fork Valley for a multitude of reasons. I tell friends about the unique combination of benefits provided by living in a semi-rural area with the amenities of a big city. Earlier this year, I left my beloved community of Carbondale with many fond memories that I’ll always cherish to return to Long Island to be near my beloved mother.

I’m fortunate to have lived in such a sacred area that provided me with a unique combination of spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, and social fulfillment. I’m sincerely appreciative of the friendships I’ve developed over the years. I’m sending a heartfelt farewell to my beloved community of Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley.

Jim Coddington III Saint James, New York

Editor Raleigh Burleigh 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com

Contributing Editor James Steindler

Sol del Valle Editora Bianca Godina bianca@soldelvalle.org

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Many Latino-owned businesses in the area participated in a national “Day Without Immigrants” strike on Monday, Feb. 3. While most restaurants, bakeries and clothing stores participated, service work like construction appears to have been less disrupted. A flyer which circulated on social media declared, “We are essential, we are strong, we are community.” Latinos were also encouraged not to attend college or make purchases on that day.

Supplemental budget

The Roaring Fork School District’s Board of Education approved a supplemental budget on Jan. 29 “that balances the District’s budget and addresses several concerns with the initial budget approved before the start of the academic year,” a press release explained. That initial budget missed key expenditures and overestimated student enrollment, leading to an approximately $7.78 million shortfall. The supplemental budget uses a portion of the District’s fund balance, savings from the Meadowood housing project and cost-cutting measures “minimizing impacts to students and staff.”

Student achievement

Hollis Serson, a Carbondale high school senior, was named a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholarship Program, established in 1964 to honor the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Serson attended Ross Montessori and Carbondale Middle School, as well as Roaring Fork High School for a year. In order to pursue pre-professional ballet training, she has lived away for three years to attend the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet school while completing high school through Astravo Online Academy, a free online public school option in Colorado. Serson has studied ballet

Yampah Mountain High School students spent their interim — a projectbased learning week between quarters — building five portable solar suitcases to donate to rural schools in Tanzania in partnership with We Share Solar, an educational nonprofit. Aspen Thrift Shop helped cover additional costs and educator Soozie Lindbloom, also a counselor at Yampah, brought the global changemaker project to Monika Okula, a science and sustainability teacher. Together they will travel to Tanzania this summer to deliver the solar suitcases, each of which can power three LED lights and charge devices. Lindbloom got connected with We Share Solar 17 years ago when she worked for Solar Energy International. “Hope requires action,” she told The Sopris Sun. “I am so grateful to be a teacher and work with students every day who want to create positive change in this world with their own two hands.” Pictured, clockwise from bottom-left: Alan Kosmalski (student, junior), Lindbloom, Tate Reed (student, senior), Devin Denton Rush (student, junior), Okula, An Welch (student, senior).

Not pictured: Isaac Velasco Reyes (student, senior). Courtesy photo

with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle and the School of American Ballet in New York City.

LA artists residency

Anderson Ranch Arts Center will host 15 artists impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires during a five-week residency program, from Oct. 15 to Nov. 19. Fees will be waived and residents will be provided housing, studio space and meals. Applicants are to include an impact statement detailing how they were affected by the fires. Applications will be accepted through Feb. 28. Visit www.andersonranch.org for more information.

‘Compost Outpost’

The Town of Basalt and Basalt’s Green Team announced a pilot composting program, “Basalt Compost Outpost,” where residents can drop off kitchen scraps. After some light reading and taking a short quiz,

residents can receive a code for the Compost Outpost. The first 50 participants will receive a free one-gallon compost receptacle. The pilot program will continue through 2025, after which the Town will assess the impact. Visit www.basalt.net/compost for more information.

GarCo domain change

Starting in March, Garfield County’s official website will change from garfield-county. com to garfieldcountyco.gov. According to a press release, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommended that all government agencies switch to .gov for greater security. Staff email addresses will respectively change as well, but both the new and old emails will work for an extended period. New email addresses will be the same prefix as before, but with the new domain: garfieldcountyco.gov

Property taxes

Garfield County property tax notices were sent out on Jan. 29. Approximately 31,000 notices were mailed, with an expected collection of roughly $200.4 million, down from $232.8 million last year. Fortytwo percent will go towards k-12 education, 4.5% to local college districts, 3.1% to municipalities, 30% to special districts and the remaining 20.4% will be retained by the county. Property owners can schedule half payments for Feb. 28 and June 15, otherwise, full payment is due April 30.

Universal preschool

The hard deadline to enroll in Colorado’s Universal Preschool program, which provides up to 15 hours of schooling for children in their pre-kindergarten year, is March 5. More than 19,000 applications have already been submitted for 2025-26 enrollment. Eligible families can choose from diverse settings — including home-based, school-based or community-based programs — with assistance from the state. Visit www.UPK.Colorado.gov for more information and to apply.

They say it’s your birthday! Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Jim Coddington, Patrick Hunter, Sandra Lopez and Andrew Scott (Feb. 6); Kelly Rinick (Feb. 7); Michael Kinsley, Ashton Taufer and Amanda Villalobos (Feb. 8); Charley Hill, David Lubrant and Ellen O’Gorman (Feb. 9); Diego Gonzales, Sara McAllister and Pam Rosenthal (Feb. 10); Sara Berry, Georgia Chamberlain, Linda Criswell, Anne Goldberg, Thomas Mack, Sydney Courier McBrayer and Hamilton Pevec (Feb. 11); The Sopris Sun, Roger Berliner, Raleigh Burleigh, Sam Hayes, Anna Hutchinson, Ciara Low, Faith Magill, Sarah and Laura Nelson, Jamie Ramge and Gene Schilling (Feb. 12).

New development developments

AMY HADDEN MARSH Sopris Sun Correspondent

Residents from New Castle to Carbondale are growing more and more concerned about three proposed mixed-use developments in the area. Spring Valley Ranch, outside of Glenwood Springs, is eyeing close to 6,000 acres for mostly second homes, some affordable housing, two golf courses and a ski hill. Harvest Roaring Fork has plans for what it calls a “conservation community” on 236 acres at the old Unocal/Sanders Ranch/Bair Chase property between Carbondale and Glenwood Springs across Highway 82 from the Cattle Creek entrance. Roaring Fork Capital (RFC) is the developer whose projects include the Fairway Residences

1,026-acre project is billed as “an agricultural mixed-use community revolving around a working experiential farm with related agricultural, residential, recreational and commercial activities.”

Spring Valley Ranch and Nutrient Farm are in various stages of the county permitting process. Nutrient Farm went in front of the Garfield County Planning Commission on Jan. 29, attracting a standing roomonly crowd that spilled out into the foyer of the county administrative building in Glenwood Springs. Area residents and attorneys showed up to comment on the development, with no one fully supporting it.

The Planning Commission’s task that night was to consider

developers say they are already using. Friends of Canyon Creek, a group of concerned citizens, worry that a new 9 cubic feet per second (cfs) year-round draw would drain the creek and damage the ecosystem. Trout Unlimited, a conservation nonprofit, has concerns about possible damage to its fish passage project in the creek that the organization has worked on since 2017. Aspen Valley Land Trust owns conservation easements along the creek which could also be compromised by the draw.

The developer’s attorney admitted that they would rather

use water from Canyon Creek than the Colorado River. “Canyon Creek water is better for us to use on an organic farm,” said Dan Teodoru, attorney for the developer. But citizens question whether the project is a farm or a theme park. Nutrient Farm proposes adding residences, a private open space with trails and an adventure park to an existing organic farm. An onsite animal processing facility and possible water park are also in the mix. Friends of Canyon Creek has asked the county to deny the 9 cfs draw.

Garfield County planning staff recommended approval with 53 conditions and, after Teodoru’s contentious presentation and hours of public comment, the

commission continued the hearing to March 12.

Citizens are organizing Friends of Canyon Creek is one of three groups, including Protect New Castle and the Spring Valley Coalition, to raise awareness about area development. The names point to the projects they’re watching, but now a new group has emerged to try to bring everyone together.

Preserve Our Valley held its inaugural meeting on Jan. 30 in Glenwood Springs. Close to 30 people from the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys showed up, including some from the three citizen groups.

MENU

Carbondale’s old City Market — Is anything happening?

Sopris Sun Contributor

Nearly four and a half years have passed since City Market moved its Carbondale operations from the building at the Highway 133-Main Street roundabout north to its new facility in the Carbondale Marketplace shopping center. Since then, the building has sat vacant, mostly stripped to its outer walls and, as many townspeople have noticed, with lights on day and night (more on that later). The Sopris Sun set out to investigate.

We first contacted Lauren Gister, Carbondale’s town manager, to see what she might know. She responded, “We have heard virtually nothing” since there was some talk of an auto-parts store going into part of the space. However, she continued, “We get phone calls all the time” from residents wondering what is happening with the property or offering suggestions for how it could be used. “Nobody wants to see it vacant,” she added.

We next got in touch with SRS Real Estate Partners, which owns and manages the entire old City Market shopping center.

SRS is a large nationwide firm that is one of multibillionaire Stan Kroenke’s vast number of enterprises — among them several sports franchises (including the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche) and scores of shopping centers and other commercial properties. Joe Beck, a senior vice president in the company’s Denver office, spoke with The Sun.

Beck began by echoing Gister’s sentiment that SRS really wants to rent the

space, saying, “You want all of the anchor space [like the old City Market] to be occupied” in the shopping center. He then went on to describe the challenges to making that happen, citing two major factors.

The first is the difficulty in determining marketability. Beck said that retailers “can’t understand [a] mountain community” like Carbondale, which has a relatively small population base and is not on a major thoroughfare like I-70 (despite the traffic volume on 133). He added, “Most retailers rely on demographics and can’t take into account part-time residents,” a common dynamic in the Valley. That seems to have factored into the unsuccessful negotiations with the autoparts company as well as with Trader Joe’s, which reportedly explored the possibility

of occupying the vacant (since 2019) Safeway store in Glenwood Springs – also an SRS property.

In addition to the retailers’ hesitancy, there has long been community concern about and opposition to a big-box store presence in Carbondale, meaning that the landlord has to consider dividing up these large, vacant buildings; the old City Market has some 45,000 square feet of floor space. However, Beck said, “The cost of splitting up space in mountain towns is prohibitive — a staggering number.” One does not simply put up a wall between the two halves: a considerable amount of infrastructure (utilities, heating and cooling, etc.) must be also installed in each new unit. In the case of the old City Market, that may run to some $2 million or so.

Nonetheless, SRS has had to pursue dividing those buildings, and in January they had success leasing a portion of the old Safeway store to Harbor Freight Tools. Beck mentioned the relief at finalizing the intense negotiations, citing “deal fatigue.” There has been talk that Sprouts Farmers Market also may be moving into the building, but The Sun was unable to verify that. As for the old City Market, SRS had discussions early on with Lift-Up, the region’s food-assistance organization, which envisioned the space as a centralized food-distribution hub for the entire Parachute-Aspen corridor, as well as potentially for other uses, such as an indoor farmers’ market. It is unclear what became of that plan. Beck would not comment, and The Sun was unable to talk with anyone from Lift-Up. However, John Dougherty of Human Service Innovations, who is currently consulting for Lift-Up, said in an email that the possibility of the organization using the City Market space “quickly fell off the table early on in discussions, from what I know.”

More recently, there have been discussions with the Ace Hardware in the shopping center. The store, currently owned by Vicki and Chris Peterson, is in the process of being acquired by Tom and Jen Mortell of Telluride. In a phone call, Tom Mortell told The Sun that SRS had approached the Petersons and, subsequently, he and Jen about the hardware store taking over half of the City Market space. This would be a significant increase in floor area from its current standalone building.

continued on page 18

Interior of the old City Market store in Carbondale, May 2024. Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

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“In some ways, we are here in Carbondale because of the way Carbondale is,” Laird added. “It’s very community-oriented, it loves to engage and include, so we were able to create the physical space for that.”

Still, Third Street Center is facing challenges in terms of sustainability as it juggles accessibility in terms of affordable pricing while keeping up with the growing costs of maintaining its infrastructure.

After all, leaks need to be plugged and roofs and parking lots need to be redone, as the Center tries to provide service not only to its tenants but the greater community. The Center is not only home to organizations for office work, it hosts large gatherings for the community such as holiday concerts, dance classes, seminars and trainings. Last year it served as a shelter for homeless migrants during the winter months, a use they do not seek to repeat.

“When we opened, we didn’t realize that the larger community would use the space,” Laird said. “We thought tenants would use the space, but everyone wants to use the space.”

A five-year plan has been crafted that aims to stagger the increase in rents to ensure the Center has resources to maintain its infrastructure while remaining affordable to tenants.

Board members are looking to invest more in the Center to ensure not only the building is duly maintained but improvements can be made over the next few years. These include improving acoustics in the Community Hall as well as shifting to clean energy by installing more solar panels and even tapping into geothermal energy.

“There’s a lot of things that move through this space and create an environment that is accessible and affordable. But at the same time, we need to figure out how we can invest in the building so the tenants have what they need and, for the larger community, so we can meet that demand,” Laird explained. “The main focus is that this is a building that builds community.”

Keep up with Third Street Center news and ways to contribute at thirdstreetcenter.net

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Sherrilyn Ifill

LARRY DAY Sopris Sun Correspondent

For February, Black History Month, Sopris Sun illustrator Larry Day will highlight an influential African American person each week, accompa nied by an illustration.

Sherrilyn Ifill began her career as a fellow at the Amer ican Civil Liberties Union, establishing a distinguished name for herself as a civil rights attorney and scholar. While serving as president and director-counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Educational Fund, from 2013 to 2022, she led the fight for crucial civil rights issues such as voter suppression, inequality in education and racial discrimination.

A professor at the University of Maryland Law School for 20 years, she then joined the faculty at Howard University School of Law and established the 14th Amendment Center. She is also a fellow of the Ford Foundation, focusing on the 14th Amendment expressed in the arts.

The recipient of numerous honorary degrees, Ifill was named among TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2021. She earned the Radcliffe Medal, the Brandeis Medal, the Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association and the Gold Medal from the New York State Bar Association. Ifill is the author of “On the Courthouse Lawn,” published in 2007. Her forthcoming book about our democratic crisis is titled: “Is This America?”

“At this moment of democratic crisis in our country, we must return to the 14th Amendment and its powerful and pragmatic conception of a post-Civil War America grounded in the values of equality, justice and a reimagined vision of citizenship. That vision includes a clear-eyed confrontation with the stubborn persistence of whitesupremacy and its ongoing threat to the promise of our new country.” - Sherrilyn Ifill

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Sherrilyn Ifill

Amy Grogan takes the helm at Ascendigo

KATE PHILLIPS Sopris Sun Correspondent

The search for Ascendigo’s new president and chief executive officer concluded, as the nonprofit warmly welcomed Amy Grogan to the position on Jan. 27. Bringing a breadth of experience, strong leadership qualities and a commitment to community, Grogan’s skill set beautifully compliments the demands of this critical position.

“There is so much personal and professional alignment with Ascendigo’s history, story, their mission and areas of focus,” Grogan shared with The Sopris Sun. “As I spent time with this team, I definitely knew I wanted to be a part of it. I want to honor where they’ve been and help them grow and build into a sustainable future where they continue to have this deep ripple effect for individuals in the disabilities world.”

When considering Grogan’s impressive career thus far, it is easy to see how she seamlessly fits with Ascendigo. Since the beginning of her career, she has been passionate about advocacy and inspired by collaborative efforts that bring forth change. As a young student-teacher, Grogan said that her entire career trajectory shifted when she met a student with autism. She was “enamored with the constellation of support” and immediately pivoted from educator to social worker.

“I really think the path chose me,” laughed Grogan. “I was fortunate to balance both [graduate school and working]. My very first job out of graduate school was as a case manager for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That was my entry into the long-term care system.”

For the next few years, Grogan worked in Denver as a case manager. Eventually, her work ethic and connectabil ity piqued the interest of local nonprofit leaders, including those at Opportunities in Living (OL), a nonprofit dedicated to developing residential alternatives for adults with intellec tual disabilities. Grogan’s career flourished with OL, where she learned to recognize and respond to the needs of fami lies and individuals, develop programming and ensure effective daily operations. As its former executive director, Grogan said she was inspired by the innovation and creativ ity that enriched clients’ lives.

mentor, Bob Ward, that organization’s former chief strategy officer. Inspired by his reasonable and steady demeanor and ability to provide clear and effective feedback, Grogan said she plans to replicate his ability to facilitate a positive experience for everyone in the disabilities community.

“I bring a deep bench of systemic expertise,” said Grogan. “I have been partnering and working within the disabilities world for 25 plus years. I really do hope to bring best practices for running a nonprofit, how to be a mission-driven organization and to run an efficient business every day.”

At Ascendigo’s helm, Grogan will use her dynamic career

Declining enrollment in Valley schools part of a broader trend; districts planning mitigation

ANNALISE GRUETER

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Secondary education schools are experiencing a balloon effect: deflation. Enrollment hasn’t increased dramatically in recent years, but numbers were slowly growing. That is starting to change, and local school districts are preparing for what smaller student numbers will mean moving forward. The Sopris Sun spoke with Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) and Aspen School District (ASD) superintendents Dr. Anna Cole and Tharyn Mulberry, respectively, to learn more.

Colorado has one of the lowest birth rates in the country — around 52 births for every 1,000 women of childbearing age. New births in the state have hovered around 62,000 annually for the past several years. Colorado’s birth rate peaked in 2007 at approximately 70,000 births. Studies indicate that there is a correlation between women with a college degree having fewer children, and later in life. Last year, Colorado was ranked as the most-educated state in the country, with 62.9% of residents holding at least one degree or certificate above a high school diploma.

These are not the only factors behind declining school enrollments. Cost of living has played a steadily clearer role when it comes to where parents choose to live and send their children to school. Many parents who have long commutes to work face the choice of enrolling their child in the district where they live or the area where they work.

Superintendent Mulberry said ASD has been watching the decline through the schools. “We were actually up 30 students this year, but that was an odd spike. There’s been a pretty low birthrate in the Aspen area lately, which is fairly indicative of kindergarten enrollment,” he noted, before contrasting Aspen High School’s classes with smaller middle school numbers.

“Right now we’re anticipating a large incoming ninth grade class of around 160, but the sixth grade class is only 109 and numbers decline from there. We’ll be down in the 1,200 to 1,300s in the next ten years from around the 1,550s now,” Mulberry added.

Superintendent Cole spoke less to anecdotal observations and instead shared projections a demographer presented at a

recent school board meeting.

“In early October 2024, we received a report from Shannon Bingham, a demographer we contracted with to project enrollments. Bingham’s report was the first comprehensive picture we had as to enrollments for the next 5 to 10 years.” Cole added that the report confirmed staff observations. “Key reasons for the decline shared by Bingham include birth rates, cost of living and loss of students to neighboring school districts.”

Both leaders want to ensure stability and opportunities for students and staff in their districts. Mulberry noted that the highest numbers of Aspen students come from affordable housing areas of the district, though the school does absorb new students from wealthy backgrounds when families move here for circumstantial reasons. “We see occasional enrollment spikes from natural disasters and various factors,” he shared. “There was a big enrollment spike from COVID … With environmental and health disasters, some wealthy

second homeowners make their Aspen home their primary home.”

He added that his district has several new students from families whose LA homes were damaged or destroyed in January’s wildfires.

Cole is focused on thoughtful and accurate planning to ensure that RFSD serves families well and optimizes its available budget. “We will have to be much more conservative in our student enrollment projections (which directly correlate to revenue), school

are delivering on our mission to ensure every student thrives.”

Cole also noted the importance of community conversations and creative solution-building. “I think it is important for our community to understand that it will continue to get more and more difficult to recruit and retain high-quality teachers who reflect the diversity of students and our community,” she explained. “It will also continue to become more difficult to provide robust and diverse programming at increasingly small schools. We will need to continue to develop creative, collaborative solutions to ensure that we are providing high-quality schools where all children thrive.”

It will also continue to become more difficult to provide robust and diverse programming at increasingly small schools. We will need to continue to develop creative, collaborative solutions to ensure that we are providing high-quality schools where all children thrive.

- RFSD Superintendent

Dr. Anna Cole

staffing levels and budget assumptions,” she shared. “This will take careful collaboration with staff, students, families and community members as we work to ‘right size’ our schools and departments to serve a declining student population and still make sure we

Despite concerns about the trend and the necessary planning to mitigate it, both Cole and Mulberry see some silver linings.

Said Cole, “Recent financial issues have challenged our teams to strengthen accountability and transparency efforts. They have pushed us to tighten practices and focus on the work that is most essential to meet our goals. These practices will be essential as we continue to navigate a declining enrollment (and declining revenue) environment. I am confident that our leaders, staff and community can continue to come together to find creative solutions in the best interest of students.”

Tune in every second Friday at 6 pm on KDNK for the monthly VOICES Radio Hour, where we share stories and conversations from community members of our collective history, tradition, and heritage.

January 10: Revisiting Newcomers (Spanish)

February 14: Love Overcomes

March 14: Common Ground: Politics

April 11: Sober Living

May 9: Sage Stories

June 13: Common Ground: Faith

July 11: The Way Here (English/Spanish)

August 8: Our Land, Our Voices

September 12: Common Ground: Learning vs. Teaching

October 10: Nuestras VOCES (Spanish)

November 14: Coming Out for the Holidays

December 10: Common Ground: These are the People in Your Neighborhood

Every Second Friday 6pm on KDNK | voicesrfv.org

Tickets now on sale for Palisade Bluegrass Festival

MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent

Tickets are now available for the Palisade Bluegrass & Roots Festival, which has served as a weekend getaway for people in the Valley since its inception 17 years ago. The festival will take place June 6-8 with a plethora of bluegrass, roots and Americana acts ranging from big-name artists to up-and-coming ones: including a few Roaring Fork Valley locals like Natalie Spears, performing Sunday, June 8.

“Our philosophy at Palisade has always been to get some national acts, but emerging acts are our meat and potatoes,” Amy Kimberly, co-producer of the festival, told The Sopris Sun. “We love bringing the fresh sounds that you might not hear at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, or some of the older, more established events. For us with Natalie Spears it was a natural place for her to be. She’s earned that space on the main stage.”

Also gracing the main stage will be Kitchen Dwellers, LowDown Brass Band, The Faux Paws and Stillhouse String Band opening on Friday, Jun. 6. The California Honey Drops, Yarn, Sicard Hollow, The Cody Sisters and Cousin Curtiss carry the party on Saturday June 7. Finally, in addition to Spears, Sunday’s lineup will feature The Brothers Comatose and Pressing Strings.

“I think the range of our lineup really sets this year apart as opposed to other years,” Kimberly said. “We

succeed year after year, but this year, we really went outside the box with LowDown Brass Band, Yarn, California Honey Drops and even Cousin Curtiss to expand what that roots music genre is and can be. That is our secret sauce.”

Additionally, a second stage will welcome the talents of local group Sweet Jessup & The Dirty Buckets on Friday, Feed the Dog on Saturday and Magoo on Sunday.

“I think it’s one of the most relaxed festivals in the state, if not the country,” Kimberly continued. “There’s a lot of trust that happens at this festival. We cook the meals on an open fire and grill back there for the artists, and it feels very much like you’re part of a family.”

Kimberly has been running the festival along with co-producer Josh Behrman of Mountain Groove Productions for the Town of Palisade since it put out a request for proposals asking for that assistance. In the past two years, the co-producers have taken over a majority of operations with the help of volunteers and their own staff.

“Two years ago, [Palisade] staff reached a point where they said, ‘We really are too swamped running a town, and we need to not be running a festival.’ It was a process we went through, but eventually the whole festival was then handed over to Josh and me,” Kimberly explained. “It’s a lot more work, but it’s very rewarding and exciting, because we’ve invested 16 years into building this. It feels good to be able to oversee it and reap the benefits or the losses. It’s a festival we love, and have worked hard to make a really sweet deal on the Western Slope.”

Those attending the festival this year can expect good music, good energy and many fun activities including stand-up paddle board and mini-kayak rentals to enjoy a large pond located on site, hiking trails nearby, artisans and vendors from Palisade, painting workshops and, for older folks attending, the myriad of wineries and distilleries Palisade has to offer. Following each night’s acts, late-night music jams typically erupt.

In short, there is something for everyone. Asked what hopes she has for the festival, Kimberly said, “Life is already so complex, so I hope what people get out of it is a weekend of simple enjoyment in nature that is beautiful and accessible. We’re not pushing any big agendas. Another thing we hope people get out of it is that they learn a few new bands that they hadn’t heard of before.”

For more information, vendor applications or to purchase tickets, visit www.palisademusic.com

MYKI JONES

Arts Correspondent

On Feb. 15 and 16., at 7:30pm, DanceAspen will premier its two-night winter season production of “Ember Glow,” a showcase featuring works by the company’s own choreographers Matthew Gilmore and Jonah Delgado, as well as guest choreographers Gabrielle Lamb and Noelle Kayser. The works will focus on the rich local history of Aspen, and even the venue itself.

According to a press release from DanceAspen, this production is said to be a “captivating fusion of innovative dance and athletic artistry.” Executive Director Laurel Winton further described it as a production that offers a “vibrant and evocative” retelling of Aspen’s history.

“Aspen is a very tightknit community. We’re very proud of our culture and our extremism in athletics, nature and all of that,” Winton told The Sopris Sun.

“It’s a brand for us in terms of our ability to represent all of the pillars that are very important to us, and give us our own identity in this little mountain town,” she said. “We’re much more than that.”

Gilmore’s piece, which was commissioned by the Wheeler Opera House to create a story surrounding the venue’s history, will be broken up into three pillars of storytelling, and is fittingly titled: “Bud, Burn, Bloom.” It breaks down the three stages of the life of the Wheeler.

“The ‘bud’ section is like a flower. It’s the budding stages of the opening night, the beginning of this beautiful theater in this mountain town,” said Gilmore. “The ‘burn’ section is the actual burning down of the theater — when there were two fires that caused that. The third section is the ‘bloom,’ which I think of [as] community rebuilding and blooming into the high-class arts and culture institution that the Wheeler is now.”

When asked what it was like to be commissioned by the venue itself, he said he researched the venue’s history extensively in order to do it justice. This was his first commissioned piece in his time with DanceAspen and, he said, that while he faced the hurdle of creating a piece that follows a trajectory such as the Wheeler, his collaboration with his fellow choreographers and the tech team for “Ember Glow” has made the process smooth and rewarding.

“Dance is more abstract storytelling. It’s … not a play. It’s not word for word, but it’s a more abstract interpretation,” Gilmore added. “I usually come up with my concepts on my own. I have a vision, and it’s created.”

For this piece, “There’s a lot of moving elements,” he continued. “We collaborated with Buckhorn Public Arts and the fabulous artist Andy Milner created a beautiful backdrop for my piece. He works a lot with plants and perennials, and it’s a beautiful thing that will be revealed on the stage.”

The additional pieces from Delgado, Lamb and Kayser pay homage to Aspen’s culture of extreme sports, address the resilience of community when systems, in and around it, collapse and explore the themes of human ambition, stamina and innovation within a changing world.

Winton said she is excited to celebrate the fact the company is developing a sense of who it is in its fourth year, and to be paying tribute to what makes Aspen what it is, and the Wheeler.

“Going into our fourth year, we’re developing a strong sense of who we are, and the right people are sticking with us and driving the vision with us,” Winton stated. “ I’m also looking forward to celebrating this historical moment for the Wheeler. It was our very first platform for the company, and so I have a lot of respect for the establishment. I’m looking forward to spotlighting its creativity and its innovation. In actuality, the Wheeler is a huge part of our success as a company of artists.”

To purchase tickets, visit www.dance-aspen.org

The Palisade Bluegrass Festival takes place under the watch of Mt. Garfield at Riverbend Park in Palisade this June 6-8. Photo by Lisa Moose Kral

Paige Anderson from Two Runner. Courtesy photo by Lisa Moose Kral

DanceAspen choreographer and performer Mathew Gilmore. Courtesy photo

Pulitzer-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar kicks

ANNALISE GRUETER

Sopris Sun Correspondent

The doors shut. The lights dropped, save for a single spotlight on a podium at the side of the stage. A slender tuxedo-clad figure emerged out of the audience into that spare brightness. It was not immedi ately clear whether the first words spoken were from William H. Macy as a local arts enthusiast or as the lauded actor, or, perhaps, were meant to impersonate Ayad Akhtar himself or Jacob McNeal, the fictional literary talent at the heart of Akhtar’s latest play, “McNeal.”

That ambiguity is exactly what Akhtar wants his audience to confront. The subtext of uncertain reality is a main characteris tic of McNeal, and a topic that has loomed large in Akhtar’s mind in recent years. While actor Macy performed just one nuanced speech from the second scene of the play, Robert Downey Jr. earned wide spread praise for his debut in the role at the Lincoln Center Theater last year.

Last Wednesday, Jan. 29, Macy’s mono logue opened the first in a trio of Aspen Words’ Winter Words events. Executive Director Adrienne Brodeur took the stage and introduced Ayad Akhtar himself and interviewer Maurice (Mo) LaMee, a cher ished figure in Colorado theater. Akhtar’s writing bridges the acting and literary worlds. His novels, “American Dervish” and “Homeland Elegies,” have been popu larly received and his various plays have earned him a trophy case of awards.

Photo:Sydney Yllanes

FRUIT TREES

& SHRUBS

Pruning, Grafting & Tools in Basalt

This 3-day workshop with Vanessa Harmony will cover tool selection and sharpening, fruit tree and shrub pruning, scion wood collection, and propagation by grafting.

Saturdays 12-4pm, 2/15, 3/15 & 4/12

Community Class in Carbondale

DYNAMIC WORKOUT

A full body workout with cardio, sculpting, and floor exercises. Tues/Thurs, 11-11:50am, 2/11-4/17

SKETCHBOOK WORKSHOP

Fun ways to get your creativity flowing with paints & pencils. Tues., 1:30-4:30pm, 2/11-2/18

CUPCAKES FOR VALENTINES AGES 8-16

Decorate your own cupcakes with the Pastry Chef Lab. Parents welcome. Bilingual. Wednesday, 3-4pm, 2/12

DRAWING REALITY

Learn how to draw using 1-point perspective in this fun class. Tuesdays, 1-4:30pm, 2/25-3/4

*Credit Art Classes in Aspen

*LOCAL ARTS NOW

A biweekly lecture series featuring local artists. Thurs, 5:10-8:10pm, 3/6-5/1

*WONDERFUL WATERCOLOR

Learn to use water mediums and color theory to paint. Wed, 5:10-8:45pm, 3/26-4/30

* Senior Tuition Discount applies. Contact campus for info and registration.

Register Today 970-963-2172

CALENDAR

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6

CLIMATE FILM

350 Roaring Fork presents four short documentaries on divesting from fossil fuel companies at the Carbondale Library at 5:30pm.

NATURALIST NIGHTS

If you missed Carbondale’s Naturalist Nights presentation with Celene Hawkins, “Tribal Engagement in the Colorado River Basin,” catch tonight’s in Aspen at 6pm at the Pitkin County Library.

MOVIE NIGHT

The Basalt Library celebrates Black History Month with a screening of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” featuring Miles Morales, a young AfroLatino superhero, from 4 to 6:30pm.

RAPID RESPONSE

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition offers an online info session regarding the Colorado Rapid Response Network at 6pm. Join the webinar with this link: www.bit.ly/CIRC-training BOOKS IN BARS

Join local librarians at El Dorado to discuss “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin from 7 to 8pm.

FRIDAY,

FEBRUARY 7

NATURE JOURNALING

Every First Friday, the Carbondale Library hosts “Nature Journaling with Words and Drawings” from 1 to 2:30pm.

FIRST FRIDAY

February’s First Friday festivities are themed around “Spread the Love.” Beginning at 4pm, the Chacos Park ice skating rink will be open (weather permitting) with live DJs from KDNK, a bonfire, hot chocolate and more. Community members are invited to create community love notes at True Nature, The Launchpad and the Crow & Key. The notes will be displayed inside the bright red phone booth at 4th and Main, with a few read live on KDNK leading up to Valentine’s Day.

LOVE YOGA

Stop by True Nature for love-centered yoga with live music at 5pm.

‘WINTERY WONDERS’

Sopris Soarers performs “Wintery Wonders” at the Third Street Center at 5pm. Purchase tickets at www.soprissoarers.com

WE HEART ART

Stop by The Launchpad from 5 to 7pm to enjoy the 46th Annual Valley Visual Art Show, as well as a Valentine’s-themed pop-up with handmade items and live cello music performed by Lauturo Madewell.

SPELLING BEE

Literacy Outreach presents “Spellebration Bowl XXXI” at the Hotel Colorado at 5:30pm. Learn more (and register a team) at www.literacyoutreach.org/ spellebration

BREATH OF LIFE

The Carbondale Clay Center hosts a First Friday reception for its current exhibit, “The Breath of Life,” consisting of photographs taken by Mexico City artist Álvaro Alejandro López of clay figures made in Mexico from the 19th to early 20th century, from 6 to 8pm. The exhibit is up through Feb. 21.

CRYSTAL THEATRE

The Crystal Theatre shows “Sing Sing” at 7pm tonight, tomorrow and Feb. 12-13.

CHANGEMAKER

The Wheeler Opera House’s Changemaker Speaker Series welcomes Peter Hillary, the son of Sir Edmund Hillary,

speaking about summiting Mount Everest through the decades. The talk starts at 7:30pm. Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8

TREE PRUNING

Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers and 350.org lead a fruit tree pruning workshop at Roaring Fork High School’s garden orchard from 10am to 3pm. Email achildsgardenofpeace@gmail.com for more info.

GARCO DEMS

Garfield County Democrats hosts its biannual reorganization meeting, where it will elect party officers and representatives, upstairs of the Glenwood Springs Library at 10am. Registered Democrats who are residents of Garfield County are eligible for vacant positions. More info at www.garcodems.org

‘DOG MAN’

The Wheeler Opera House welcomes TheaterWorksUSA for two performances of “Dog Man: The Musical,” at 4 and 6:30pm. Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com

JAZZ IT UP

Eighty of the most talented young musicians from Jazz Aspen Snowmass District 8 Honor Jazz program perform at the Carbondale Middle School from 5 to 8pm. Tickets at www.jazzaspensnowmass.org

MUSIC AT THE LIBRARY Quarteto Nuevo, an energetic musical ensemble intermixing Western classical, Eastern European folk, Latin and Jazz, performs at the Basalt Library at 5:30pm. More info at www.basaltlibrary.org

IRON FLY

Join the Roaring Fork Valley Fly Fishing Club and Roaring Fork Conservancy for a friendly fly-tying competition at The Tipsy Trout in Basalt from 5:30 to 10am. Details at www.roaringfork.org/events

SLED IN STYLE

The City of Aspen hosts the second annual Art Cart Alpine Rally, where participants (children and adults) create artsy sleds to take down the Whoa Nelly Sledding Hill at the Aspen Recreation Center (0861 Maroon Creek Road) from 6 to 8pm. Food trucks start serving at 5:30pm.

CONTRA DANCE

The Carbondale Community School hosts a contra dance from 8 to 10pm. The tutorial begins at 7:30pm.

THOMPSON SQUARE

Grammy-nominated country music duo Keifer and Shawna Thompson perform at TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9

SKI FOR SISU

The Mountain Sopris Nordic Council hosts its 33rd annual Ski for Sisu fundraiser at Spring Gulch. Details and sign up at www.springgulch.org/events-sg

BABYSITTER TRAINING

Basalt Library offers a babysitter training for ages 10 to 15 with Georgina Levey from the American Red Cross from 9am to 5pm. Registration is required at www.basaltlibrary.org/ events-calendar

WILLOW WEAVING

Jeff Wagner teaches the basics of willow basket weaving at The Launchpad from 9am to 4pm. Registration and more info at www.layinggroundwork. org/basketry — He’ll be back on Feb. 16 for another session.

Instructors and participants gathered Feb. 1 on Aspen Mountain for training during Mountain Rescue Aspen’s 38th annual Community Avalanche Workshop. Some 90 people took advantage of the free, all-day event to work on their avalanche safety and rescue skills, which featured realistic scenarios staged by

SPIRITUAL MUSIC

John Field presents “Spiritual Messages in Music” at A Spiritual Center (Room 31 at the Third Street Center) from 10 to 11:30am.

ECSTATIC DANCE

The monthly ecstatic dance at 13 Moons Ranch (south of Carbondale) features DJ Lydia Bain and her electric violin from 6 to 8pm.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10

MOVE WITH ME

Basalt Library offers a program designed to introduce “littles” (18 months to 3 years of age) to the joys of dance with their caretaker from 12:15 to 1pm.

ONGOING EVENTS

LINE DANCING

Learn to line dance at the Carbondale Community School from 5:30 to 6:30 every Wednesday.

ASK A LAWYER

Alpine Legal Services offers a hotline clinic on Wednesdays from 5 to 7pm. Call 970-368-2246 and visit alpinelegalservices.org for the schedule of dates by legal topic.

CANCER CARE

The Calaway-Young Cancer Center at Valley View Hospital offers yoga for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers at 9:15am on Thursdays. Then, the Walk and Talk cancer support group meets at 11am at the chapel in the cancer center.

GERI-FIT

The Carbondale Library hosts an older-adult fitness class every Thursday through Feb. 27 at 12:15pm. Call 970-625-5282 ext. 3084 to register.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

The Meeting Place in Carbondale (981 Cowen Drive) offers “Hole in the Donut AA,” Monday through Saturday at 6:45am, plus “Daily Reprieve” at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Find a full schedule at www.meetingplacecarbondale.org

AIKIDO

Crystal River Aikikai offers aikido training at 13 Moons Ranch for adults and teens on Mondays from 5:30 to 6:30pm and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30pm. Kids classes are on Mondays from 4 to 5pm and Wednesdays from 4 to 5pm. Get your first class for free with an RSVP at www.crystalriveraikikai.com

ENGLISH IN ACTION

Volunteer English tutors and

BOARD GAME BONANZA

Basalt Library invites school-aged children to play board games from 4 to 5pm.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11

INTRO TO CANVA

Learn to use Canva, an online graphic design tool, at the Basalt Library from 2:30 to 3:30pm.

BEST BUDDIES

Best Buddies International hosts a board game night at the Basalt Library for community members wishing to engage with people with intellectual and physical disabilities in a fun, relaxed setting from 6 to 8pm.

developing learners meet for informal conversational practice at the Carbondale Library every Monday at 6:30pm. Interested in becoming a tutor? Email angela@englishinaction.org or call 970-963-9200.

MONDAY MEDITATION

Roaring Fork Insight guides a weekly meditation group meeting at the Third Street Center (Room 31) from 7 to 8:30pm.

BIKE PROJECT

The Carbondale Bike Project Shop helps people repair their bicycles on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 6pm and Sundays from noon to 6pm on the east side of Third Street Center.

SENIOR LUNCH

Every Wednesday at noon, Garfield County Senior Programs provides a nutritious meal for seniors at The Orchard. To reserve a place at the table, call 970-665-0041.

COSECHA TEXTILES

Textile enthusiasts are invited to a monthly workshop at Cosecha Textiles (95 Red Dog Road) every first Wednesday from 4 to 9pm. Register at www.cosechatextiles.com

CLUB DE ESPAÑOL

Practice Spanish and enjoy specials at Bodegón in Carbondale every Wednesday from 5 to 7pm.

UNDER THE SUN

Join Sopris Sun correspondents and guests for “Everything Under The Sun,” airing every Thursday on KDNK at 4pm.

COFFEE WITH THE MAYOR

Carbondale Mayor Ben Bohmfalk posts up at Bonfire every Friday from 8 to 9am, and everyone is welcome to stop by to chat.

SACRED BROTHERHOOD

True Nature hosts a men’s group led by Kyle Leitzke at 6pm. Tickets at www.truenaturehealingarts.com

DRAWING CLUB

Roaring Fork Drawing Club socializes and sketches at the Colorado Mountain College Spring Valley FAB Lab at 6:30pm. Next Tuesday, the creative crew meets at Alpenglow Books in Glenwood Springs.

APHRODISIACS

The Cocoa Club partners with Antoinette Yarrow for a Valentine’s Day chocolate-making date that will play with aphrodisiac herbs from 7 to 9pm. Tickets at www.pollinatorchocolate.com

AFRIQUE EN CIRQUE

The Wheeler Opera House hosts “Cirque Kalabanté,” a mesmerizing show by Yamoussa Bangoura that captures the essence of daily life in Guinea, at 7:30pm. Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12

SPARK

The Carbondale Library invites kiddos to “build, create, explore, concoct and invent together” on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Wednesday of each month at 2pm.

ART OPENING

The Aspen Chapel Gallery presents “Animal House,” an exhibition all about animals, in partnership with Friends of the Aspen Animal Shelter, with an opening reception from 4 to 7pm.

COMMUNITY CHESS CLUB

Basalt Library hosts monthly chess sessions for seasoned strategists and beginners alike from 5 to 6:30pm.

LAUREN GROFF

The Aspen Words Winter Speaker Series brings Lauren Groff to Paepcke Auditorium to discuss her latest book,

“The Vaster Wilds,” at 6pm. Tickets at www.aspenwords.org

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13

NONFICTION BOOK CLUB

The Carbondale Library hosts a monthly nonfiction book club based around a theme rather than a specific book. This month’s theme is “the arts” and the group meets from 2 to 3:30pm.

BANNED BOOK CLUB

Basalt Library’s Banned Book Club chats about “Looking for Alaska” by John Green from 4 to 5pm.

UNDERSTANDING LONELINESS

The Aspen Chapel Gallery presents J.W. Freiberg, author of “The Loneliness Trilogy,” on the impacts of loneliness in our valley at 5:30pm. Find tickets for the live stream or in-person talk at www.aspenchapel.org

BREATHWORK & BUBBLY

Kula Yoga on Main invites guests for some musically-accompanied breathwork, followed by champagne and bon-bons from 6 to 7:30pm. More info at www.kulayogaonmain.com

DID YOU KNOW that Gussie Blake operated a brothel attached to the first Garfield County courthouse in Glenwood Springs? The Glenwood Springs Historical Society presents a talk about the early history of Glenwood Springs with Angie Parkison, author of “Hope and Hot Water” and “A Vintage Pictorial Souvenir,” at the Glenwood Springs Library at 6:30pm. The event is free, but donations are welcome.

CRASH TEST DUMMIES

Canadian alternative rock band Crash Test Dummies perform at TACAW at 8pm. Come early for Supper Club, catered by Epicure Catering, at 6pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

Fundraise Ski Celebrate Sunday, February 9, 2025

Join us at the Thompson Trailhead for Ski for Sisu, an annual tradition and the biggest fundraiser of the year! Embrace the spirit of Sisu, go the distance, and give back to the trails you love at Spring Gulch.

FUNDRAISE: Upon registering, you’ll receive a personal fundraising page to share with friends, family, and coworkers. Contributions are quick and easy through your link—no pledge collection needed!

SKI: Choose from our marked 3.5, 10, 12.5, or 15-kilometer courses and ski as many laps as you can! New this year: 1k kids loop and games.

ENTRY FEE: $50 adults, $20 youth, Under 10 is free! (Family pricing available) Includes a MSNC Buff or socks!

APRÈS SISU FEAST PRIZES SILENT AUCTION

SIGN UP TODAY: Visit www.springgulch.org

MRA members. Photo by Ken Pletcher

No nuke waste, $163,000 for new vehicles, new lobbyist hired

AMY HADDEN MARSH Sopris Sun Correspondent

Carbondale resident George Wear provided a change of pace to the public comment period ahead of the regular agenda items at the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting on Monday, Feb. 3. “I came here today to talk to you about your support for locating a nuclear waste depository in northwest Colorado,” he said. “I assume that all of you are aware that the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado [AGNC] is using federal grant dollars to do this.”

The BOCC is a member of the AGNC, a council of municipal and county governments including Mesa, Garfield, Rio Blanco and Moffat counties. Commissioner Mike Samson is a former chair and current treasurer of the organization. “I know somewhat about [the nuclear waste facility discussion],” he told Wear.

Wear said (and The Sopris Sun has verified) that the AGNC has received $75,000 from the Energy Communities Alliance, which bills itself as a “nonprofit membership organization of local governments adjacent to or impacted by U.S. Department of Energy [DOE] activities,” to look into nuclear energy. “They’re also looking into specifically locating a nuclear waste

[storage facility] in northwest Colorado through the Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative, which is part of the AGNC,” Wear explained. “They’re working on energy transition strategies primarily for Craig. If the coal plants and the coal mines close down, what’s everybody going to do up there?”

The grants, he said, are for outreach and engagement for the DOE’s Consent-Based Siting Initiative [initiated in 2016] that identifies spent nuclear fuel stores and disposal sites. “The other two winners were: Savannah River in Georgia, which already has its share of nuclear waste and has had problems,” he explained. “The third one is Hanford, Washington, which you all probably know already has its share of nuclear waste problems.” Both are DOE sites.

Wear cited concerns about transporting nuclear fuel rods by truck and rail and leaks from the site into groundwater. “We’ve tried for a lot of years at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, spent billions of dollars and [that] didn’t go anywhere,” he said.

In 1983, based on direction from the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the DOE identified nine potentially acceptable sites for nuclear waste disposal, including six in the West and three in the South, and in 1987 settled on Yucca Mountain, about 80

“Give it a whirl, Vanna!”

miles northwest of Las Vegas, next to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site (now the Nevada National Security Site). After 30 years of approvals and reversals, lawsuits and resistance from the Western Shoshone and the Walker River Paiute Tribe, the Yucca Mountain Project was mothballed.

At Monday’s meeting, Wear told the BOCC that a consolidated interim storage facility was turned away in west Texas, opposed by the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau. “Nobody wants it in their backyard,” he said.

He questioned why AGNC has accepted federal money for the project. “My opinion is we’re wasting taxpayer dollars and we’re wasting our time looking into it.”

Commissioner Perry Will pointed Wear in the direction of state elected officials. Samson said he’d like to have Matt Solomon speak to the board. (Solomon is the Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative Project Manager for AGNC.)

Commissioner Tom Jankovsky stated, “I hadn’t even thought about nuclear waste in northwest Colorado, to be quite honest.” He added that the governor shut down the coal mines, which were producing “relatively clean energy.”

In other news, the BOCC approved a special event permit for River Center’s adult prom and the consent agenda, which included spending $163,161 for four brand new county vehicles. They also

continued on page 18

From Nantes and back again

GUS RICHARDSON Youth Correspondent

On Jan. 18, 17 high school students from Lycée Nelson Mandela — a school in Nantes, France — arrived in Carbondale. However, these French students were not here for purely a personal vacation. Rather, they came here as part of Roaring Fork High School’s (RFHS) Carbondale-Nantes 2025 Exchange, a program put on by English Language Development teacher Eric Lamb to increase cultural awareness here and abroad.

The students took part in many fun activities, organized by their hosts, including: a ski day at Buttermilk; a tour and scavenger hunt around Carbondale; a teen night at The Arts Campus at Willits; (half) a day in the life of a RFHS student; and a tour of historic downtown Aspen, to name a few.

On Jan. 27, RFHS students said “à bientôt!” to their exchange partners, with both sides experiencing a bittersweet blend of appreciation for a wonderful shared time and the sadness that comes with leaving new friends. After two additional days spent in Denver, the students boarded a plane back home, returning to Nantes safe and sound. Back in Carbondale, preparations have kicked into full gear for the RFHS exchange students who will depart to Nantes in late March. The local students are currently occupied with passport applications, fundraising and the clearing of their schedules. Despite some stress and fatigue, they are beyond excited to reunite with the French friends they made and get the opportunity to see the city they call home.

The American students, including this reporter, leave for Nantes on March 19 and return on March 30. While their itinerary is yet to be fully known to the students or their instructor, it is clear that they will be well taken care of and very entertained by the city of Nantes and its people. While the RFHS students may have different host families than those of whom they hosted, some of their paths are sure to cross again — for the bonds that were forged between these two groups of students will not fade any time soon.

Folks interested in helping cover costs can email elamb@rfschools.com

... their paths are sure to cross again — for the bonds that were forged between these two groups of students will not fade any time soon.

SPREAD THE LOVE February 7 th | 4-8pm

Get ready for Valentines Day and come enjoy the monthly celebration of local arts, shopping, restaurants, spirits and live music in the heart of the Carbondale Creative District.

Chacos Park 4-8PM

Live KDNK DJ’s, bonfire, hot cocoa, ice skating and Bumbu food truck

Love Note Creation Stations 5-8PM

Launchpad and True Nature

Write your love note to the world, the environment or a secret crush. Then share it at the phone booth in Chacos Park.

We Heart Art Pop-up Market + 46th Valley Visual Art Show

Carbondale Arts Gallery 5-7pm

Nantes, France exchange students alongside their new Roaring Fork High School friends. Courtesy photo

French exchange students experienced a very fun Colorado ski day! Photo courtesy of Eric Lamb

Nantes exchange students confer with RFHS art teacher Leslie Keery and her husband, Sean.

Photo by Gus Richardson

Senior leadership steers Rams hoops teams toward 3A playoffs

JOHN STROUD

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Chalk the dual success this season for the Roaring Fork High School boys and girls basketball teams up to a combination of factors that have the Rams on track for respective state playoff berths for a second straight season.

Not the least of which are two groups of senior athletes who’ve stepped into the all-important leadership role.

Most of those seven seniors have been playing hoops together since they were in elementary school, and four senior girls on this year’s Lady Rams roster have donned a varsity jersey since they were freshmen.

The girls now sit at 7-1 in the 3A Western Slope League after big wins last weekend over Aspen (70-13) and North Fork (73-46), moving them into second place in league.

At 16-1 overall after a 62-38 non league win over Coal Ridge on Tuesday, they’re also now ranked ninth among 3A teams in Colorado. Their only loss came to fifthranked and undefeated Cedaredge.

For the seniors — twin sisters Carley and Erica Crownhart, Maddie Anderson and Lexy Sanchez — it’s been a progression that started to pay dividends last year after two losing seasons their freshmen and sophomore years.

Under new head coach Mike Vidakovich, a talented but young group of players finished at 16-8 during the 202324 campaign and made it to the second round of the 3A state playoffs.

As they position themselves to take the next step, Vidakovich is quick to give credit to his team’s hard work.

“In practice, we work the entire time, from when we walk into the gym to when we finish, just focusing on what our coach is giving us,” said Carley Crownhart, who leads the team in scoring with 17.6 points per game.

“We have more discipline this year, and I think that’s what has brought us to this point,” she said.

Not to mention several returning players who, in addition to the senior contingent, include junior Nikki Tardif and sophomore Riley Bevington, who lead the team with 8.4 rebounds per game each.

“Just showing up and working hard every day and always staying focused and learning from our mistakes has also been really important,” said Erica Crownhart, the team’s assist leader at 3.9 per game.

Sanchez and Anderson point to coach

Vidakovich’s emphasis on details.

“He really goes back to the fundamentals to keep us accountable and make sure we have a good foundation to build off of,” Anderson said.

“I think that (Cedaredge) loss woke us up, and really got our focus back together,” Sanchez said.

Carley Crownhart agreed, and noted that one of the team’s strengths — speed — can also be its nemesis if they don’t take care of the ball and adjust when their opponents have a size advantage.

“Working on those details and just focusing on the little things until the end of the season is going to really help us out,” she said.

They also take senior leadership roles seriously.

“I view being a senior more as being a support system for the younger girls and making sure that they know that they have someone to come to when they need that,” Carley said.

Erica Crownhart said she looks to lead by example.

“We really try to treat everyone as equal parts of the team, and to just treat everyone with the same respect,” she said.

Added Anderson, “I think just keeping the sport fun, and keeping girls wanting to come back each year is important.”

in his fourth season as the Roaring Fork varsity coach.

“Through these four years that coach K’s been here, we’ve just gotten a lot better at playing together and knowing our different playing styles. That really bonds us as a team,” Lawson said.

Senior leadership extends beyond the gym to the hallways, he added.

“It’s important to be the friendly face in the halls, and make sure the younger players know they can come to you if they have any questions about the game, or about school, whatever, and just be there for them.”

Added Brennan, “Just coming up through JV together, and now playing together at varsity has allowed us to just build a nice chemistry and allowed us to play together as a team.

“Even though we might not be as big or as skilled as another team, we can still compete just because of our teamwork and chemistry,” he said.

Enjoying the ride

Meanwhile, the Rams boys now sit at 6-0 and are in first place in the 3A Western Slope League. They carry an overall mark of 11-5 after a tough but hard-fought 54-53 loss at 4A Coal Ridge on Tuesday.

Much like the girls team, a talented group of sophomore and junior athletes is supported by a trio of seniors — Lawson Kreiling, Sam Brennan and Luis Andrade. Kreiling recalled that in seventh grade they were part of a group of 40 kids who came out for the team. His dad, Jason Kreiling, was the Carbondale Middle School coach at that time, and is now

The Rams have been dominant in 3A league play, but have struggled at times when playing up in classification, including a 65-35 loss to 4A Aspen (now ranked third in the state) at home last Friday. That was followed by an impressive 50-34 pull-away win over league foe North Fork the next day.

“Not only playing as a team in practices and in game, but I think when we’re all having fun out there, that’s when we play the best,” Andrade said.

Winning league and making it into the 3A state playoffs is high on their minds with a key stretch of games coming up, including home stands against Olathe on Friday (5:30pm girls, 7pm boys) and Gunnison on Saturday (12:30pm girls, 2pm boys).

Roaring Fork High School senior basketball players (left to right) Erica Crownhart, Maddie Anderson, Sam Brennan, Lawson Kreiling, Luis Andrade, Carley Crownhart and Lexy Sanchez.

Photo by John Stroud

Rams senior Maddie Anderson takes the ball down the court during Friday’s game against Aspen. Photo by Isaac Sterling, youth correspondent

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Rest in peace, farmer man

The Sopris Sun is sad to announce the passing of Casey Piscura. A pillar of our local agriculture movement, Casey stewarded the fields at Sunfire Ranch for nearly a decade. His seed-breeding company, Wild Mountain Seeds, gained international prestige with original varieties of tomato, squash and more. Casey also founded the nonprofit Seed Peace with a noble mission: to provide hunger relief with fresh produce to local food banks, training farmers and conducting seed research. He was a brighteyed visionary striving to elevate the farming profession while making local food, grown from local soils, more accessible to all.

Moreover, Casey was a friend and mentor to many. He was always eager to share his vast knowledge of the intricacies of plants. Throughout the years, he trained dozens of interns and volunteers who have spread like seeds across the world. Casey enjoyed rafting, playing music and sharing meals. Anyone who knew his laugh knows that he carried a generous heart.

We will miss you, Casey.

Expect a full obituary in the coming weeks.

OLD CITY MARKET

from page 5

Mortell cited “positives and negatives to both sides of the coin” on the possibility. He said they are “interested potentially, but we have no idea how to break up the space” in the old store, so, at this point, “Nothing is written in stone.”

As for the overhead lights being on 24/7 in the old store (some one-fourth of the total number of lights), Beck said they are on for security reasons. The sad reality is that these large, empty buildings are targets for vandalism and theft. Beck mentioned there had been some of that problem at the Safeway location.

He added, as the conversation ended, “We would like to get a deal [on the building] that the town loves.”

DEVELOPMENT

from page 4

Siri Olsen and Rosemary Burkholder organized the meeting around the issue of the area’s carrying capacity. Water supply, traffic, wildlife displacement and an increased population were top of mind during the meeting. But the main purpose was to have a conversation about sustainable land use and the broader impacts of continuing development. “We want to preserve the quality of land that this valley deserves,” said Burkholder.

The group questioned whether a pause in development might be appropriate. “We’re approving and building, and no one is thinking about it,” said Olsen, who wrote a column about sustainability and carrying capacity published in The Sopris Sun on Jan. 8. The group hopes to provide a website soon.

Documents for Nutrient Farm and Spring Valley Ranch proposed PUDs can be found at www.garfield-county.com/community-development/ planning-project-information

You can find info about Friends of Canyon Creek at www.friendsofcanyoncreek.com

Protect New Castle’s website is www.protectnewcastle.com

The Spring Valley Coalition is www.springvalleycoalition.com

The county planning and zoning commission’s hearing of the Spring Valley Ranch

matters, which will complement Robert Weidner’s work on the federal level. The county pays Weidner $7,500 per quarter. County Landfill Director Deb Fiscus presented the annual landfill update and the BOCC agreed to send comments to the White River National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management’s Colorado River Field Office in approval of the proposed action for the West Mamm Creek Pipeline Project. Public comments on the project are due Feb. 7 at www.bit.ly/MammCreek

County Commissioner meetings at the

Seeking America OPINION

Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed— Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There’s never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”) —Langston Hughes

Langston’s dream was and still is for many a “dream deferred,” and although our nation’s historic responsibility for these moral failures is unconscionable, it isn’t irreparable. At this moment in our country, when so many of the programs designed to support our collective well-being are actively being dismantled — from youngest to oldest, people who fought for this country, people who have been the victims of brutal racism, and my students who work hard to bring their best to our future — people face yet again a dream deferred.

Pretending that our country has always been in the right allows mutations of these brutal deeds to live on, hiding in the deceitful misuse of patriotic notions like merit, freedom, equality and justice. This malevolent ruse ensures the privilege of dreaming for only a select group while inflicting brutal injustices on too many. When “kings connive” and “tyrants scheme, ” “our more perfect union” dies along with the truth.

Candace Samora, a Roaring Fork High School senior, writes about dreams.

Many American children grew up watching Disney — pretty princesses in castles waiting for charming princes to

rescue them from evil. Pocahontas was among the “princesses” but she was not royalty, she was Native American, and in her tribe, there was no royalty. Born in 1596, Matoaka, nicknamed Pocahontas, grew up in a sedentary society as part of the Powhatan tribe. Like many acquainted with her story, she was 11 when she first came into contact with English settlers. Matoaka would become the first recorded instance of missing and murdered Indigenous women and children.

Once upon a time, I was once a little girl who watched the Disney rendition of “Pocahontas.” On an old box TV that only played VHS tape, I witnessed the world’s interpretation of Native Americans. My imaginary history of the Americans was far from the truth because it was based on a false perception of my people. Growing up, that facade burned away to the concrete truth: Native Americans have always been a target for the violence that built the foundation of America.

SEEKING HAYSTACKS

By A.O. Forbes

Colonization is present, it’s an enslavement of Natives who are reduced to a feathered image. I have family that kill themselves rather than face the struggles imposed on us by generations of colonization. I know of girls that go missing because the brutality of our history is still thriving. I have heard the words of domestic abuse survivors, I have seen the tears of a sexual assault victim, and I see children who do not care for their traditions because tradition comes with the history of genocide.

Perhaps we think by averting our eyes we can protect our family, our lives, and weather the storm. But as Martin Luther King Jr. observed, too many good people are more comfortable with order than justice. The threat is the “appalling silence and the inaction of the good people in the face of injustice.”

Ta-Nehisi Coates describes the contagious comfort many Americans find in forgetting our past horrors, “Forgetting is a habit. They forget because to remember would tumble them out of the beautiful dream, to live down here in the world.” I

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would argue the dream is not the problem. After all, the spirit of our dream is justice. Our collective dream is a good dream: self-evident truths, all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these being Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” It has been violence, manipulation, the demonization of certain people, and the scapegoating by tyrants and kings that kill our “dream.”

Bryan Stevenson states,

The big problem we have in the United States is that we don’t actually know our history. We don’t know about the centuries of racial injustice. We don’t know about the native genocide. You say “native genocide” and people have no idea what you’re talking about. They think you’re saying something radical. We’ve invested a lot of time in creating false narratives about slavery, about enslavers, about the South, about the North, emancipation, about abolitionists … Only when you understand what you did, can you then begin to calibrate all the things that have to happen for you to try to make peace. For you to recover.

Our conscience must be an honest witness, innocence our power, and truth the tether to our best selves. We must tell our own story to understand how we are all complicit in allowing systemic indifference and outright injustice to stifle our right to seek, as Plato states, “the full vision of being.” Let us not fear our history, not fear what we actually know to be true but have averted our eyes from seeing for so many years. It is only our refusal to tell the truth that now threatens the dream we claim for our country.

Langston Hughes ends his poem “Let America Be America Again,” with:

O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath— America will be!

Carbondale Bike Project is seeking volunteers with bicycle mechanical experience to help keep our shop running in 2025!

Carbondale Bike Project is the only community bicycle project serving Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle counties.

Open Shop hours are Tuesday and Thursdays, 2PM-6PM and Sundays Noon-6PM. We ask for 2-6 hours volunteer time during open shop hours. Volunteers will receive training on shop operations.

Carbondale Bike Project is located in the Third Street Center, 520 S Third St., Suite 34, Carbondale

Contact Valerie Gilliam at valerieeudora@gmail.com, 970-948-5877 or Shop Manager, Erik O’Connell at Carbondalebikeproject@gmail.com

Check out our website under the “How Can I Help” tab to find more ways to volunteer: https://carbondalebikeproject.org

Carbondale Bike Project is under the fiscal sponsorship of Carbondale Community Center dba Third St. Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

2nd Street Sanitary Sewer Replacement Project

ASPEN

Aspen Daily News

Mi Chola

Aspen Valley Hospital

Snowmass Market

The Aspen Store

Box on Hyman Avenue

Pitkin County Library

BASALT

Basalt Quick Lube

Basalt Regional Library

The Basalt Store

Alpine Bank Basalt

Timbos

7/11

Jalisco Grill

Big O Tires

CC Cafe

WILLITS/EL JEBEL

El Jebel Mobile Offices

Midvalley Surgery Center

TAC Fitness

ANB Bank

CARBONDALE

Catherine Store Garcia’s City Market

Alpine Bank

Box at La Perla

Box at “Main St.”

Recreation Center

Carbondale Library

CMC in Carbondale

3rd St. Center

Valley Meats

La Roca LiftUp

7/11

Jalisco Grill

Mi Lindo Nayarit

La Fogata

Gloria’s Boutique

GLENWOOD SPRINGS

7/11 West Glenwood Post Office

Hospital Valley View

Recreation Center

Mountain Family Health

Welcome Center

GWS Library

Sal Mex

La Michoacana

Coin Laundromat

Tony’s Market/Bakery

Tequila’s

Frida’s

El Yaqui

Kum & Go

Comfort Dental

Impuestos Seguros

NEW CASTLE

Tapatio’s Post Office

Taquerina Elias

New Castle Library

City Market

SILT

Silt Library

Silt Laundromat

Kum & Go (Main St.)

Silt Roundabout

La Placita 2

RIFLE

Tapatio’s

Kum & Go

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Jalisco Grill

Box at City Hall

Rifle Library

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El Patron

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Full edition is available every Friday afternoon on newstands and at businesses from Rifle to Aspen

Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus and Rep. Velasco address priorities for 2025

JACKIE RAMIREZ

Sol del Valle

The Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus met with Governor Jared Polis on Jan. 13 to address the concerns of the community.

Colorado House District 57 Representative Elizabeth Velasco, co-chair of the Caucus, is also the first Mexican-born legislator in Colorado, the first Latina to represent her district, and the first openly queer person elected in Western Colorado. Her focuses include language access, affordability and environmental justice. However, this year she will concentrate on leadership, an area she has experience in, serving as co-chair of the Caucus, vice-chair of the Energy and Environment Committee and chair of the Wildfire Affairs Committee.

Velasco mentioned that during the meeting with Governor Polis, the caucus had the opportunity to express some disappointment, but it was also an occasion to offer help and collaboration to meet challenges.

“For the Caucus, it is very important to share our priorities or pillars with our members when meeting with the governor … We were concerned about some of the statements he made regarding the state of our State, and we felt disappointed. That is why it is essential for us to continue advocating for Latinos in Colorado,” Velasco said in an interview with Sol del Valle.

“As state representatives, it is essential to elevate the voices of our districts and, for the Caucus especially, the voices of members of the Latino community.”

According to a press release from the Caucus, one of the main topics discussed in the meeting with Polis was immigration and how to create a safe state for all, particularly for communities more vulnerable under the Trump administration.

“The pieces that we’re working on are around legislation and strengthening protections. But I think it’s so important the work that many of our grassroots organizations do around ‘knowing your rights’ … and for

people to get the information on what is real and what’s not,” Velasco said. “It’s very vital, and that’s really what’s going to make a difference. An informed and connected community is going to be stronger.”

The Caucus also announced its four pillars for 2025: 1) protection of air, land and water; 2) creation of safe jobs and higher wages; 3) solving the housing cost crisis; and 4) defending our communities.

Velasco is in the beginning of her second term as the representative for HD57.

“In my first term, we passed more than 30 bills. I was able to build coalitions and strengthen relationships,” Velasco reflected. “I definitely feel like I know how the soup is made.”

This year, Velasco will focus on some legislation related to language access. “One of the bills involves conducting an assessment to make all of our state departments more accessible to

people who don’t speak English,” she elaborated. “I’m also running a bill on language access in emergency alerts. This came about in response to the Grizzly Creek fire we had in 2020.”

Velasco said that a study was conducted in this regard during her re-election, and the current bill is a continuation of that study, aiming to implement its recommendations and establish a threshold for counties to comply with language access in Colorado.

One bill under consideration is House Bill 25-1036, which creates a license plate to financially support the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Velasco is a primary sponsor of the bill along with Senator Jessie Danielson, who represents District 22 of Colorado.

“It has been truly wonderful to work with the Native American community here in Colorado,” Velasco stated. “We live on ancestral lands where people have

experienced a lot of harm.”

Velasco is also a primary sponsor of House Bill 25-1078 Workforce Education in Forestry and Firefighting. This bill, introduced by the Wildfire Affairs Committee in January, aims to improve workforce development and professional preparedness in the areas of forestry, wildfire management and natural resources (forest health), especially for young people.

“Our district is 60% public lands. We have the White River National Forest, which is the most visited national forest in the country, so healthy forests are an important part of our district,” Velasco explained.

“We’ve even heard from the firefighting community about the rising costs of responding to disasters due to climate change,” she continued. “What’s key is the importance of having trained professionals in forestry and firefighting.”

Velasco also participated in the Immigrant Voices Press Conference on Jan. 22 at the State Capitol, organized by HD10 Representative Junie Joseph and HD40 Representative Naquetta Ricks.

“It was a day of action and a day of unity for everyone living in Colorado,” Velasco said. “It was for the community to express their rejection of mass deportations and family separations. We are a diverse community, and that makes us stronger. That is why Colorado is prosperous. It depends on all of us, and we will not leave anyone behind.”

Follow Leonardo Occhipinti’s “Nuevo Mundo” in Sol del Valle every week in Spanish.

State Representative Elizabeth Velasco, co-chair of the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus, participated in an Immigrant Voices press conference at the State Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Photo by Jackie Ramírez

Share your works in progress with readers by emailing illustrations, creative writings and poetry to fiction@soprissun.com

Comparte tus proyectos creativos aún en proceso con nuestros lectores. Puedes enviarnos un correo electrónico con tus ilustraciones, creaciones literarias y poesía a fiction@soprissun.com

A high-stakes scavenger hunt

By Tom Mercer Carbondale-ish

Long ago, it was not uncommon for children to participate in a scavenger hunt. For our purposes, a scavenger hunt is a competitive activity wherein two or more teams are given identical lists of items which they have to locate and acquire by going door-to-door in their community. At each home, a team would request that the occupant freely give them one or more of the items on their list, and, upon returning to the place where the hunt began, the team that collected the greatest number of listed items wins the competition.

William Wilson, a wealthy resident of Manhattan, was planning a party at his home. William had an unusual sense of humor. He wanted his guests to experience a unique activity that none of his fashionable friends would ever have experienced. So, William decided that a scavenger hunt would be the perfect activity for his party guests.

William knew that his guests would be reluctant to participate in the activity, so he sweetened the deal by promising a threenight stay at his posh second home on Long Island. William’s plan worked, and the majority of his guests agreed to participate in the scavenger hunt. Teams were formed and the lists of items to procure were distributed.

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The list of items included the following: a bowling ball, a used tube of toothpaste, a kazoo, an unopened candy bar and a mouse trap (without the mouse). The winning team would be the one that returned with the greatest number of items on the list.

... a bowling ball, a used tube of toothpaste, a kazoo, an unopened candy bar and a mouse trap (without the mouse).

A fellow named Larry Smithson was one of the party guests that night. Larry was known to be highly competitive. Both Larry and his partner, Alice, could generate a friendly smile within a second. So, they expected to do well — and they were correct. They had successfully found all of the minor items when they pressed the doorbell at Apartment 8B.

A man with a cast on his left leg answered the doorbell. They explained the reason for their visit, and the man, who clearly would not be bowling anytime soon, handed Larry a bowling ball. With their mission more or less accomplished, they returned to their host’s apartment. The host was clearly impressed, and he asked Larry if he could take a look at the bowling ball. Unfortunately, as Larry was handing the bowling ball to his host it slipped out of his hands and landed squarely on Larry’s big toe.

So, “Limping Larry” spent a week recuperating and healing in a deluxe Long Island condominium.

The Town of Carbondale is accepting bids from local qualified contractors to perform work on the 2025 Chip Seal program. Sealed bids will be received until 11:00 am February 27, 2025 , by the Town of Carbondale, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado 81623, at which time the bids will be opened and read aloud. Specifications and contract documents can be found on the Town of Carbondale website, or at Town Hall. Work on this project cannot begin prior to May 12, 2025, and must be complete by June 27, 2025. No chip seal work will be allowed on residential roads on Tuesdays as Tuesdays are residential trash and recycling collection days.

The Chip Seal Program consists of applying asphaltic binder and aggregate meeting CDOT No. 8 specifications on approximately 38,940 square yards of street surface. All work shall meet, at a minimum, the Town of Carbondale Chip Seal Surfacing Specifications. A list of the streets scheduled to be chip sealed are included (see Street Listing). The Town has a limited budget for the 2025 Chip Seal program and therefore reserves the right to adjust the quantities to fit within the financial limits of the program based on the bids received. The listed square yard measurements are estimates for bidding purposes only and the final square yardage will be determined at the end of the project.

The successful bidder will be expected to enter into an Agreement for Professional Services with the Town (see attached Agreement). Bids shall be submitted on the bid form attached to the request for proposals.

PUBLIC NOTICE

ROARING FORK SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to §38-26-107, C.R.S., that after 10:00 a.m. on February 13th, 2025, final settlement with FCI Constructors (“Contractor”) will be made by the Roaring Fork School District (“District”), for its project located at 205 Meadowood Drive, Carbondale, Colorado, 81623, subject to satisfactory final inspection and acceptance of the Project by the District.

Any person, as defined in C.R.S. 2-4-401(8), that has furnished labor, materials, sustenance, or other supplies used or consumed by such Contractor or its subcontractor in or about the performance of the work on the Project or that has supplied laborers, rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of the work whose claim therefor has not been paid by the Contractor or subcontractor, at any time up to and including the time of final settlement for the Project, may file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on such claim at the Roaring Fork School District Offices located at 400 Sopris Ave, Carbondale, CO 81623.

Failure to file such verified statement of claim prior to final settlement will release the District and its employees and agents from any and all liability for such claim and for making final payment to said Contractor.

s/s Roaring Fork School District

• First Publication: 01/30/25

• Final Publication: 02/13/25

I am grateful to the Indigenous people of this continent. They husband the lands and waters and traded among tribes —from the “Land of Fires” to Point Barrow, Alaska — for 15,000+ years. And now they nurture our society with good will, feeding us, caring for us, building and maintaining our infrastructure. We owe them. Please don’t let our prevaricating president cloud the truth so he can treat them as sub-humans, sending them away and tearing apart families, while creating a pall of fear over communities of kind folk that have only helped us to be strong and deserve our support and

we would not expand NATO closer to them. Russia responded by twice invading Ukraine. Trump is right about one thing, there really is a “deep state” in the capital. These are long-term warmongers that are committed to the “American Empire” and to the Military Industrial State.

The level of inequity in the U.S. exceeds that of most comparable countries. Thanks to war-waging expenses, the U.S. continues to raise its national debt, a large piece of which is ironically held by China. We are paying interest to China which they are investing in their country on things like solar and wind turbines.

Roaring Fork Valley locals — it’s time to stand up and stand together to save our nation. And, quite frankly, to offer hope as we watch our precious democracy endangered, dismantled policy by policy, action by action by

We need to be heard — but even more, we need to find ways that we can be effective in facing our nation’s problems.

Mark your calendars for March 8, 3:30 to 4:30pm, Paepcke Park, Aspen, for a Protest offering some hope and alternatives… a different kind of protest, but a

We will have speakers who are experts in their fields who will outline problems and offer solutions we can pursue right

We will address the local environment, freedom of the press, immigrant rights, youth voices, rule of law and

We are still confirming the agenda, but speakers will address all the above, five minutes each, outlining the prob-

This local protest is organized by Linda Lafferty and Blanca O’Leary, VERY concerned citizens of the Valley.

We welcome your support, mostly by organizing friends and neighbors to participate. March 8. Aprés Ski?

Linda Lafferty and

Nine small countries just gathered together at the Hague to form “The Hague Group.” They intend to help the Palestinians form their own state. They will work to enforce the rulings of the U.N. and the International Court of Justice against Israel, the U.S. and other countries.

There is a growing opinion worldwide that the U.S. is in decline, both economically and in stature. U.S. support of the destruction and genocide in Gaza exemplifies the problem. The ongoing war in Ukraine is another example of ineffective foreign policy. The U.S. broke a promise to Russia that

The wealth of billionaires increased by 70% during the pandemic. It is said that 50% of American families can not come up with $500 for emergencies. So the praise that is given to the current economic picture really only applies to the wealthiest people. Russia had a larger increase in GDP last year than the U.S.

The U.S. has not been well served by either of our major political parties. Trump offered another choice.

Patrick Hunter Carbondale

Buddy Program

I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude and admiration for the Buddy Program, which has profoundly impacted my family and so many others in our tight-knit community. My journey with the Buddy Program began 15 years ago, when my son Max, then 5, was paired with a remarkable Big Buddy who guided him through countless milestones. Watching my son flourish under the support and friendship of his mentor inspired me, years later, to become a Big Buddy myself.

Since becoming a Big Buddy, I have experienced some of the most rewarding moments of my life. Volunteering in this way has allowed me to connect with an incredible young person, offering them encouragement and a trusted confidant. It has also expanded my appreciation for the profound difference one person can make in a child’s life.

I have witnessed firsthand how this organization fosters meaningful connections, promotes positive self-esteem, and provides invaluable mentorship opportunities. It truly strengthens the fabric of our community.

I am also proud to serve on the Buddy Program’s Board of Directors and recently became its president.

To the dedicated staff, volunteers, and participants who bring this mission to life daily, please accept my deep appreciation. You exemplify the power of compassion, generosity, and hope. I encourage everyone in the Roaring Fork Valley to learn more about the Buddy Program, and consider how you, too, can make a lasting difference in a child’s life.

Katie Goldsmith Roaring Fork Valley

LETTERS POLICY: The Sopris Sun welcomes local letters to the editor. Shorter letters stand a better chance of being printed. Letters exclusive to The Sopris Sun (not appearing in other papers) are particularly welcome. Please, no smearing, cite your facts and include your name and place of residence or association. Letters are due to news@soprissun.com by noon on the Monday before we go to print.

PARTING SHOTS

On Feb. 1, locals celebrated the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox, Imbolc, with a fundraiser for people impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles, including Pasadena Waldorf School and Westside Waldorf School, as well as “random GoFundMe people who have lost everything.” Waldorf School of the Roaring Fork hosted music, movement and ceremony, all organized by teacher Clay Allen, who also performed with his band.

It’s certainly not too late to donate. You can find a list of organizations to support at www.bit.ly/ImbolcLA

Photos

by Raleigh Burleigh

LEGAL NOTICE

Town of Carbondale 511 Colorado Avenue Carbondale, CO 81623 www.carbondalegov.org (970 963-2733 Fax: (970) 963-9140

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission for the purpose of considering a combined application for Subdivision Conceptual Plan and a Preliminary Plat for a townhome lot split at 1348 Barber Drive.

Project Description: The application requests to subdivide the existing property from 4-unit apartment building into a 4-unit townhome building. The combined application for subdivision conceptual plan and preliminary plat would create 4 new lots of record for each townhome unit. The existing structure and utilities would remain for each unit. The new lots would range in size from 3,138 square feet to 4,949 square feet and all lots would front on Barber Drive.

Property Location: 1348 Barber Drive

Applicant: 1348 Barber Drive, LLC

Owner: 1348 Barber Drive, LLC

Said Public Hearing will be held at Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 7:00 p.m. on February 27, 2025

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The application may also be viewed on the Town’s website at:

https://www.carbondalegov.org/departments/ planning/current_land_use_applications.php

If you would like to submit comments regarding this application you must send them via email to jbarnes@carbondaleco.net by 5:00 pm on February 27, 2025. The comments will be entered into the record. If you have questions regarding the application, please contact Jared Barnes, Planning Director at 970-510-1208.

Published in The Sopris Sun on February 6, 2025.

Haley is the loan assistant at the Carbondale branch and has been with the bank for over a year.

She is passionate about the arts and community events, which is why you’ll see her volunteering at Carbondale Arts.

• Enhance your leadership skills.

• Strengthen your ability to problem-solve and think critically.

• Engage in civil dialogue.

• Bonus: looks great on college applications!

• For ages 15-17, $195, includes all readings and light refreshments. Scholarships available.