Look inside for this year's Mountain Fair guide!
Sun
Sopris the
Cultivating community
Cultivating community
Volume 14, Number 25 | Jul. 28 - Aug. 3, 2022
connections since 2009
connections since 2009
A New Moon Rises
Photo and text by James Steindler Contributing Editor
The wildly wonderful and whimsical Amy Kimberly, along with stellar superstar Mark Taylor, prepare to pass along the marvelous responsibility of managing Carbondale’s Mountain Fair — to a squad of apprentices who likewise shimmer with magical mountain fairy dust. Kimberly has been director of the fair for nearly two decades — 19 years, according to Aly Sanguily, who is stepping in as the fair’s entertainment director. Meanwhile, Taylor has had his hand in the mix for a quarter of a century, bringing Mountain Fair tidings to locals and visitors alike every closing weekend of July. In addition to Sanguily, Deb Colley joins the team as operations director, James Gorman as production director (filling Taylor’s shoes) and Alta Otto as the fair’s vendor director. Putting on such an event takes a lot of work. Once Mountain Fair ends, planning for the next one begins almost immediately. “It’s year-round,” Sanguily said. “The four of us are essentially trying to create one Amy,” she laughed.
Volume 14, Number 25 Jul. 28 - Aug. 3, 2022
Mountain Fair's fresh team of directors (from left to right): Deb Colley, Ali Sanguily, Alta Otto and James Gorman. Poster design by Maggie Summers Tarbert
All jokes aside, the incoming directors are by no means new to the fair. Otto, for example, grew up in Carbondale and has long considered it a pinnacle point to a fun summer. “We respect the spirit of the fair and the people who started, built and kept it growing,” said Sanguily. “It’s still going to be the same fair you know and love.” In conversation, each of the new directors referred back to the invaluable mentorship Kimberly and Taylor have provided over the years. They were not selected solely based on their resumes, but for the work they’ve done alongside their predecessors. They’ve been through ups and downs, rising to the occasion when the going got tough. In fact, Colley considered her “golden moment” — a theme introduced during last year’s 50th anniversary fair — to have occurred in 2020 “when we reworked the fair so that it could still function during the pandemic,” she began. “When we rolled the band wagon around Carbondale neighborhoods — and people came out of their homes to dance, listen and even hop on their bikes to follow along — my relationship to the purpose and vision of the fair really became a little more clear. It's our beautiful and joyful duty to
provide an inclusive and accessible space for our community to celebrate, express themselves and connect. That's pure happiness,” Colley stated. “We do it for love,” added Sanguily. “Whatever stance we might take on what’s going on in the world, we can all come together at the fair and be one big, messy, happy family.” As for Sanguily’s golden moment? “When the last band is on … looking out into the crowd on Sunday night,” she shared, remembering ear-to-ear grins across every face in the crowd. Besides, “We’re here to create smiles,’” she recited, a frequent teaching of Taylor’s. Fittingly, Gorman, who braces to take over for Taylor, shared the same sentiment. “Every year, there is a moment at the fair when I am on the dance floor in front of the main stage and I look around to see nothing but smiling, blissful faces … I live for moments like this.” Check out the 51st Mountain Fair guide, produced in collaboration between Carbondale Arts and The Sopris Sun, included in this week’s paper.
GUEST
The Crystal Palace has fallen Editor
Raleigh Burleigh 970-510-3003 • news@soprissun.com
Contributing Editor James Steindler
Editorial Graphic Designer Hattie Rensberry
OPINION
Advertising Graphic Designer
By Elizabeth Key
My childhood home was built around a blue spruce in Aspen’s West End. It wasn’t a good climbing tree — its bark rough with budding pine needles, slathered in sap and opportunistic ants. Still, we struggled up the trunk, planning tree forts and pretending to be pirates peering out of our crow’s nest across the neighborhood, two stories below. As the years passed, the pine gripped deeper into the soil, its spine shooting upward and its crown presiding over prime real estate. When our home went on the market decades later, the buyers wanted to raze the house and the pine along with it for the paydirt beneath. But that old spruce has spent decades reaching out for stability, and the land beneath was ensconced in its roots. The offers fell through because the tree refused to be felled. Aspen is steeped in a history of exploitation, mined for its resources by the original opportunists. The mountains stand witness, hollowed out by silver mining and skinned of their timber. Those homegrown locals stand witness to a frenzy of construction and destruction, all at once. Opaque corporations add Aspen’s zip code to their portfolios while the super-wealthy buy housing out from under locals.
Alyssa Ohnmacht
Delivery
Frederic Kischbaum
Proofreader Our roots are as deep as that old blue spruce, but we have lost our purchase. Gone is the heyday of the ski bums, the characters and the untamed west. Generations of aspens lie felled in the dump. The housing crisis in the Roaring Fork Valley has pushed many locals into the almost-homeless category. Absent the music students, the refrain plays on, “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” The paradox is that there is plenty of housing in Aspen, but the megamansions stand mostly vacant, dusted by workers who commute from far-flung communities. The collective indifference of capitalism has made Aspen a sanitized snow globe that is nearly unrecognizable. For those who have opted out of the construction and real estate boom, most have been swept down the valley by the current of wealth. With few other choices, many locals have ceded the territory, reuniting with our community on the valley floor. Some of us have blown into adjacent valleys like dandelion puffs, finding happiness in the displacement of our
“dandelions days,” our vulnerable roots reaching ever deeper. For those without purchasing power, big money is escaping the upvalley snow globe and flooding down, once again ripping our rentals and roots away. Many locals have become valley nomads, carrying communities and homes on their backs. The wealthy bemoan the staffing shortages caused by the housing shortage, caused by the wealthy consuming the inventory. The drought of compassion for the displaced grows in circumference with the seasons, cyclical as the rings of a tree. With a nanny per child, a handful of houses, a jet and more money than they can spend in a lifetime, the wealthy balk at paying a living wage. The cost of living far outstrips the wages in this valley. There are only so many hours in the day to juggle multiple jobs. I washed my sap-stained hands long ago, but that blue spruce still stands defiant within me. As development ripples downvalley and again weeds out displaced locals, we can still hear: “You don’t
Layers upon layers of construction are a persistent characteristic of Aspen nowadays. Photo by Elizabeth Key
have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” What do you do when you have no home? The homeless local looks like everyone else in the community. Some recently homeless locals are camping or living illegally out of their cars. Some are couch surfing like modern-day ski bums who can’t afford a lift ticket. Behind the scenes, they shower at the rec centers, pay for food with WIC cards and dine at Subway. Big money has gentrified some locals to Battlement Mesa and beyond. The working class misses their families, and I-70’s frequent closures at times block their passage to upvalley income. The echo of the hollowed mountains and the faint quaking of the aspens is muted by traffic and the moan of empty fuel tanks. The Roaring Fork Valley is rapidly losing its most valuable resource: its community.
LETTERS Re: Human-Nature Garden
size with around 3,000 units. But hold on — 3,000 units and there are Thanks to James Steindler for his lovely still not enough? Build and build and still not article about a gift to our community (“Humanenough? Why not? Nature Garden to land on Rio Grande,” July 20, Two big reasons. First, affordable housing 2022). The Human-Nature Garden would not be possible without the collaboration of Roaring is itself a growth generator. And second, the Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), which constant increase in the business sector is the owns the land where the garden will be located. primary cause of growth. In the first case, putting people in new housing is not like putting skis in A big shoutout to RFTA’s Brett Meredith, Trails a closet that you take out only when you need and Corridor Manager, and Angela Henderson, them. These human beings need the complete Assistant Director, Project Management & infrastructure that residents do. Every facet of that Facilities Operations, for their generous support. support has to expand. And — more new people Nancy Peterson, CAFCI are needed to fill those slots. In the second case, there are new stores, Affordable for whom? lawyers, doctors, businesses like banks, restaurants, “Affordable housing” is a phrase I hear or see Uber drivers, city clerks, lift attendants, etc. These all the time. It comes up in newspaper articles, are new jobs that need new people to fill them. public meetings and any discussion with anyone New people need new housing. Vicious circle. about current affairs. Often attached is a phrase There is a simple solution. Stop the growth. No like “desperately-needed.” Usually there is some more business permits or licenses. No expansions. great problem this solves, like commuter and Put a limit on the number of businesses and on general traffic or providing needed employees to the number of employees. No more employee businesses or housing necessary workers like cops, housing. There is “enough” of both of those bus drivers, nurses and teachers. Aspen-Pitkin has things. There is no “constitutional right” to one of the country’s leading programs for their open any business in any place. Let the existing 2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 28- Aug. 3, 2022
businesses compete for the existing employees. Let the market sort itself out. Patrick Hunter, Carbondale
Slow down! The accelerators in our vehicles are indeed miraculous, allowing us to move tons of weight with a mere depression of the foot. This does not, however, connect us to a time machine (arriving in the blink of an eye) or a magic wand (making drivers ahead of us disappear). Take a minute, think about it. It’s important to know what kind of driver we are: emotional or logical? Emotional drivers are self-centered, stomp on the gas, stoplight race, bumper chase, fuel waste, dart from one lane to another and threaten all on the road and along the road. Logical drivers accelerate gradually, preserve two seconds worth of life-saving spacing, acknowledge that they SHARE the road ahead with other vehicles and flow with the “green” time of traffic lights. At the end of the day they’ve maximized their fuel dollars and driven with everyone's safety in mind. continued on page 22
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Help Wanted: A sign of the times By Kate Phillips Sopris Sun Correspondent Seemingly everywhere you look in the Roaring Fork Valley, a permanent “Help Wanted” sign greets customers at the entrance of many beloved restaurants. While the constant employee turnover brings uncertainty and inevitable stress for Carbondale restaurant owners, they are adapting to the times and continuing to deliver high-quality culinary experiences for locals and tourists alike. “It’s not easy,” said Patrice Fuller, owner of Carbondale Beer Works. “We definitely run a lot tighter than we ever have. But we also have to make money, so I’d rather work a little bit harder.” No stranger to hard work, Fuller, who has seen a recent shift in her kitchen staff, started cooking alongside chef Pete Mullery to help ease the load. To make matters more challenging, Chachi Rodriguez, longtime brewer and Fuller’s business partner, recently relocated out-of-state. Fortunately, Fuller’s tight-knit, front-of-house staff has stepped up to fill the gaps, including her dishwashers who are now in the tip pool because their work has expanded to front-of-house duties. “I have a girl that works for me, she’s a bartender and manager, but she’s a homebrewer and really wants to work commercially,” Fuller said. “She’s been working with the guys at Ball Brewing, and that’s probably going to be the answer. I had two different brewers that were interested but — I know everybody says this — they didn't want to move here because of housing.” Allegria’s new co-owner, Benoit DeFrancisco, said that it took him nearly a year to fill staffing
positions. They are now mostly midvalley locals. He said it was important that his staff showed a genuine interest in the work, and reflected the culture of Allegria. Noting the shift in workers’ standards, DeFrancisco said, “People are not going to sell their soul, or their time, and their life for 15 dollars an hour. ... You shouldn’t be forced to go to work, or feel like you have to, or sell your soul for a job that’s not going to give you enough money to survive.” Along this line of thinking, Ryan Sweeney, coowner of Brass Anvil, said that competitive wages keep high quality employees. As a result, he works tirelessly to create a welcoming environment with enticing menus that attract customers, who ultimately tip servers better. “There’s economic pressure on people. It’s a different world now,” he said. “If a server or bartender is only making 150 bucks on a Friday night, and they know across town they can make 250 or 300, absolutely they’ll go there. That’s a tank of gas, that’s a trip to the grocery store.” Notably, Sweeney, who also co-owns Bull and Buck in Basalt and Silver City in Aspen, noticed that more workers are choosing to stay in the midvalley rather than commute upvalley where historically they could make more money. “There could be a million different reasons, but I think Aspen is not as busy as last year,” Sweeney said. “Traditionally people will do whatever they can to get a job in Aspen even if that means a longer commute or more expensive housing situation, but maybe the Aspen money is not what it was, so maybe [workers are] wanting to be closer to home and work downvalley.”
Village Smithy staff stay busy to keep up with the demand. Photo by Paula Mayer
While high pay and affordable housing is critical for keeping staff, the restaurant owners agree that a healthy work environment is just as important. “[Workers] choose the environment that they want to be in,” DeFrancisco said. “[Allegria is] a safe environment for everyone. They are gonna be respected, they are well-treated, we have quality products and quality guests.” He added that a layer of transparency within his restaurant also builds trust with his staff. At Beer Works, Fuller said her team genuinely enjoys spending time together outside of business hours. On shift, they look out for each other by encouraging breaks when necessary, running food and sitting at the bar after hours to simply decompress. For years the community has played an
integral role in the success of Main Street businesses. Now is the time to consider perusing the shops, stopping by for a quick bite, or simply saying hello. “I’m not going to tell anybody who has financial uncertainty to go out and have a steak dinner three nights a week,” Sweeney said. “Sometimes it's just going in and having the experience you are comfortable having financially and enjoying it, and doing that more often than saving up for that one date night a month. Frequency over going big one night a month is a little bit more supportive to the businesses.” With Mountain Fair on the horizon, the restaurant owners ask for patience throughout the busy weekend, but most of all, be ready to enjoy a fun and lively culinary experience in downtown Carbondale.
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SCUTTLEBUTT What's the word on the street? Let us know at news@soprissun.com
Aspen Space Station From July 23 through Sept. 11, The Aspen Space Station — where art meets the cosmos — will hold events to promote the future of life on earth rather than a foreign planet such as Mars. For certain events, attendees will have to pass the Future Proof Exam before entry. The exam is available, along with details about the Aspen Space Station and scheduled events, at www. thefutureisonearth.org
Social justice On the fifth Sunday of each month, the Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist congregation hosts a speaker on the topic of social justice. This Sunday, July 31, the guest will be Jorge Montiel, lead organizer of the Mountain Voices Project. The service will be held at 10 a.m. in-person at the Third Street Center and via Zoom. M ountain Voices Project is made up of of 26 local nonprofits, congregations and schools from Aspen to Parachute working to address issues like affordable housing and health care.
Safety Tip According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bicycle helmets are a proven intervention that reduces the risk of bicycle-related head injury by about 80%. Carbondale Fire will be distributing free bike helmets for kids (toddler and youth sizes) during Mountain Fair. Bring your child to the first aid tent on Saturday and Sunday to get a properly-sized helmet. Children must be present to be fitted for the helmet with a parent or guardian to sign the release form.
Radio-active Gavin Congratulations to Gavin Dahl, former news director and station manager of KDNK, on the next step of his community radio journey — traveling from Montrose, where he has served as KVNF’s news director since 2020, to Salt Lake City. Dahl was hired as the executive director and general manager of KRCL, a member-supported station founded in 1979 that today boasts more than 75,000 listeners.
COVID update On July 19, Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order amending and extending the COVID-19 declaration “to continue providing state and federal funding to agencies to prepare for changes in public health and provide rapid response readiness.” Free testing in Garfield County is available at Carbondale’s rec center, Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
White-nose syndrome A fungus that causes a disease deadly to bats has been detected for the first time in Colorado. Pseudoogymnoascus destructans, which causes white-nose syndrome, was found on a bat captured in Otero County outside La Junta. “This recent finding will have significant implications for the native bats of Colorado,” said Tina Jackson with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Glenwood update Glenwood Springs and the White River National Forest have teamed up to bring camping and backpacking items to the Glenwood Springs Gear Library, which already offers an array of adventure gear. In other news, City Hall will be closed on Fridays with extended hours on other weekdays. Finally, the downtown farmers market will return under new management within the next few weeks.
Silent auction High Rockies Harm Reduction (HRHR) is holding an online silent auction featuring one item per day for the month of August — overdose awareness month. HRHR is still seeking items to include in its auction. To contribute an item, email roserae627@gmail.com
Big game hunting Beginning Aug. 2, remaining big game hunting licenses will be on sale at Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices, online at www.cpwshop.com/ or by calling 1-800-244-5613. Big game licenses include elk, deer, pronghorn and bear.
4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022
Aspen Tree Service continues along their 40th anniversary mission — to donate 40 tree plantings as a demonstration of gratitude to the community. On July 18, they contributed two cherry and two plum trees to Mountain Valley Developmental Services in Glenwood Springs. Roughly a dozen youth with developmental challenges joined in the planting and were rewarded with Aspen Tree merch. Courtesy photo
They say it’s your birthday! Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Tom Baker and Brent Moss ( July 28); Owen O'Farrell, A.O. Forbes, Randi Garcia, Sarah Kemme, Liz Phillips, Jake Spaulding, Greg Tonozzi and Jess Worley ( July 29); Nancy Barnett, Debbie Bruell and Cheryl Loggins ( July 31); Anibal Guevera and Sarah Uhl (Aug. 1); Jeff Dahl, Hattie Gianinetti, Catherine Masters, Maciej Mrotek and Justin Patrick (Aug. 2); Gavin Dahl, Sara Preston and Lily Surls (Aug. 3).
By Will Buzzerd Sopris Sun Correspondent On Monday afternoon, in a Third Street Center board room, Carbondale citizens were given the rare opportunity to directly voice the concerns of their community to Garfield County’s department of public health (GCPH). This was organized as the fifth in a series of six focus groups, each held across the county, assessing community health in order to inform the creation of the GCPH’s new Public Health Improvement Plan for the next five years. Two citizens attended the hour-long meeting and were interviewed by Amanda Havens, county Public Health Planner, on their health concerns — both personal and community wide. Recurring themes in discussion included access to specialty care and addiction aftercare, as well as general anxiety and stress resulting from the rising cost of living and decreasing access to housing. The issues of mental health and stress as a result of costof-living were shared by both attendees, according to whom commuting places undue stress upon Valley citizens. As demand rises for professions that can only pay for lower-cost housing, the length and cost of the commute are rising, increasing stress. Simultaneously, greater social
Shaping the future of wellness in Garfield County
stratification has the potential to rise due to high housing costs, which may put at risk the sense of community across the Valley and make it difficult for citizens to emotionally support each other at moments of collective hardship. The concerns voiced most frequently at the focus group seem to be common across the county, as when asked which issues recurred in the previous four focus groups, Havens replied: “Housing and mental health, absolutely.” Similarly,
the previous Public Health Improvement Plan for 2018–22 listed mental health and healthy housing as primary issues to address, not just in Garfield County, but across Eagle and Pitkin counties as well. Public Health Improvement Plans are documents written in accordance with the 2008 Colorado Public Health Act, which requires “the coordinated efforts of state and local public health agencies and their public and private sector partners within the public health system to …
Courtesy graphic
develop a comprehensive plan and set priorities for providing essential public health services” (C.R.S. § 25-1-501). The documents — which list both primary health concerns and methods to identify and address them — are formed on a five-year basis from assessments taken by the county. A local action plan is necessary, as the diversity of Colorado communities may be lost under a blanket of statewide statistics. According to Havens, “The problems of someone in
Silt could look totally different to someone in Denver.” The previous plan for the years 2018–22 was written as a joint document between Eagle, Pitkin, and Garfield counties, and was largely informed not by concerned citizens but by stakeholders in the private and public health sector. However, for 2023–28, Garfield County will have its own action plan. This is largely due to the increase of resources and employment of Havens herself as the county’s public health planner. Additionally, the next plan will be informed by a three-part effort, consisting not only of one-onone interviews with local health professionals and stakeholders, but also focus groups like the one held at the Third Street Center as well as an online Community Health Assessment, which is available to citizens across the County. Carbondale citizens who missed the opportunity to attend this meeting in person still have a chance to influence the future of Garfield County’s public health policy. The Community Health Assessment is located on the GCPH website (www.bit.ly/ planGarCo) and can be accessed in both Spanish and English. The survey is an opportunity for any citizen of Garfield County to positively shape the future of their community’s well-being for the next half-decade.
THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022 • 5
Park jumps into academic excellence role at RFSD By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent
"I tell the teachers and leaders, your kids can tell if you like them or not; you don't even have to say anything, and that makes a difference in how they feel about themselves and what they believe about themselves," said Stacey Park, chief academic officer for Roaring Fork Schools. Courtesy photo
This month, Stacey Park began her position as the Roaring Fork School District’s chief academic officer (CAO); a job that, when it came open, she “just jumped in.” Park said, “I read about the district's focus on prioritizing students' social-emotional well-being in service of academic learning, and that's in line with my values. I’m passionate about supporting and coaching toward academic excellence.” Former CAO Rick Holt stepped down in May to become superintendent of the Archuleta County School District in southwestern Colorado. An educator for 21 years, Park has experience as a teacher, principal, principal supervisor and assistant professor of practice. She emphasized the importance of a student's relationship with teachers and staff, explaining, “A student's experience can be so different when they know that we care about them as people and hold them to high expectations. That piece is underestimated — how much of an impact it has. Knowing students and learning what is meaningful to them can be powerful, and it doesn't take any money to do that, but it does take patience and time.” Born in South Korea, Park was a child when she and her family emigrated to the United States. They lived in Southern California, where her parents worked multiple jobs. Park shared that her parents struggled with language, cultural and income barriers, “all while trying to figure out the education system and help us find better schools.” “That context is important because my parents sought better opportunities for our family,” she said. “We lived in different apartments and attended neighborhood schools. I was aware that my parents were constantly trying to find better schools for my sister and me.” At one point, her parents temporarily used her grandmother's address so she and her sister could attend the school in that neighborhood.
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And it’s one reason why she chooses to work in education. “I want every child to have access to a great school and great education in their neighborhood — they shouldn't have to travel hours away to get it,” she explained. Park’s school days weren’t without their ups and downs. She observed, “School felt easy for me, but I didn't realize until later that it felt easy because the expectations were really low for myself and others in the school.” After moving to a wealthier school district, “School was hard, and that was a shock. It made me realize that I had not been prepared in the way that I should have been.” But eventually, she found “a handful of really great teachers who I knew cared about me being successful.” They saw her potential. “Even though I wasn't doing well in their class, they still forced me to do tutoring or whatnot after school because they wanted me to be successful.” Park has a bachelor’s degree in human development from the University of California, San Diego, a master’s in education leadership from Columbia University and is currently pursuing her doctorate in leadership for educational equity from the University of Colorado Denver. Working in Denver, she knew of Dr. Rodriguez’s work in Denver Public School before he was hired as RFSD’s superintendent in May. She also learned about Roaring Fork schools, she said. “Folks in education have spoken highly of the Roaring Fork district.” Most recently, Park has served in consulting roles focused on coaching and development for school leaders on technical and adaptive leadership. She also has experience with ensuring culturally responsive instructional excellence in classrooms. In a press release announcing Park’s hiring, Angie Davlyn, chief of human resources, shared, "We had an impressive pool of strong candidates for the position, and Stacey was our top choice." Last week, Park was in the Valley for two days to tour Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs schools, meeting a few students and staff. As for her first impressions of the Valley, she said, “It’s unbelievably gorgeous — every sunset is like, ‘Oh my gosh — unreal!’ And I love tight-knit communities, and everyone's been really kind.” Currently living and working in Denver, Park is looking for housing in the Roaring Fork Valley for herself and Daisy, her eightpound Shih Tzu, who is a puppy mill rescue.
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At UpRoot we recruit volunteers to help us collect excess produce from farms and private landowners, which we then redistribute to local hunger relief and food distribution agencies. Similarly, we are always looking for new farmers and fruit tree owners to partner with. And, as a nonprofit, we are always on the hunt for donors within the community that are interested in supporting our work.
uprootcolorado.org Mon-Fri: 7:30am - 4:15pm | Sat: 7:30am -11:45am
6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022
* “Gleaning” is the act of harvesting surplus fruit and veggies from farmers and tree stewards. Then, we donate it!
Carbondale is water secure, but the West is not
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Around 8 a.m. on July 27, the Crystal River at the Carbondale Fish Hatchery gage was reading approximately 73 cubic feet per second — about 28% of the historical average flow for this date.
Text and photo by Olivia Emmer Sopris Sun correspondent On Tuesday, July 19, the town of Carbondale trustees held a work session on water. Mayor Ben Bohmfalk wanted to know whether the town has enough water to service growth, particularly in light of the desire to add housing. He also asked if the town should be doing more to reduce water demand and whether climate change factored into the town’s water plans. The discussion of the town’s water supplies, rights and infrastructure was held in the context of a more than 20-year drought, which many climate scientists say is actually a pattern of aridification in the West. Earlier this summer, the federal government issued a warning to the seven states that use water from the Colorado River that they need to cut back usage by an unprecedented amount, and with speed, to protect the nation’s largest reservoirs and their power plants. If the seven basin states cannot make a plan themselves, the Bureau of Reclamation has asserted that it will make the cutbacks for them. Despite the specter of federal involvement in state water law, Town Attorney Mark Hamilton, who summarized the town’s water rights at the meeting, thinks that Carbondale should still feel confident about its water portfolio. Since many of the town’s water rights are older than the 1922 Colorado Compact — which governs the sharing of Colorado River water between the basin states — he thinks they are protected from changes to the Compact, which are slated to be renegotiated over the next several years. Public Works Director Kevin Schorzman walked the trustees through the town’s water system and concluded, “I think we have the ability to produce the water the town needs for the foreseeable future.” The town of Carbondale has a treated-water system and a raw water system. The treated water largely comes from Nettle Creek, a tributary to the Crystal River, with supplemental supplies from wells along the Crystal River and the Roaring Fork River. The raw water, which is diverted from the Crystal River through a network of ditches, is used for irrigation by about 70% of the town. Since most residents don’t use treated water on their landscaping, the town doesn’t have to run as much water through their treatment plants. According to a report by Schorzman, the three treatment plants have a 5 million gallons per day capacity, but current peak demand is around 1.4 million gallons per day. Several trustees expressed an interest in providing more information to the community to clarify the town’s role in ditch diversions on the
Crystal River. A report by Trustee Lani Kitching stated that Carbondale’s percentage of the senior water rights on the Crystal River below Redstone ranges from 15% to about 25% depending on river flows. According to the 2016 Crystal River Management Plan, the majority of water rights on the Crystal River support local agriculture. Based on Schorzman’s calculations, 2021 per capita demand for treated water was 116 gallons of water per day, but, if you subtract the amount of water that returns to the river via the wastewater treatment plant, water consumption was 46 gallons per day per person. One area of concern for the mayor was the impact of climate change on future water supplies. Based on the town’s water rights, the ability to draw water from both the Crystal River and Roaring Fork River watersheds and the town’s contract for some Ruedi Reservoir water, he feels comforted. Mayor Bohmfalk said, “My takeaway was that, from both a water rights on paper and a production of wet water, as they called it, point of view, we are prepared for severe droughts and we're prepared for the growth that we've planned for.” While Mayor Bohmfalk feels confident about Carbondale’s water security, he thinks that water conservation is “something we don’t have to do, but we should do.” Both the mayor and town staff pointed to outdoor water use as having the greatest potential for water savings. “Our general usage, even though we're growing, is actually trending downward a little bit and that's thanks to the efficiency measures that we have in our building code. So when we're adding new buildings, we're not actually adding much more water use for the new people that are using those buildings,” said Mayor Bohmfalk. “It seems like where we could definitely take some strides is with outdoor water use.” Mayor Bohmfalk expressed interest in newly passed state legislation, House Bill 1151, that appropriated $2 million for a turf replacement fund, to be run by the state’s Colorado Water Conservation Board. April Long, executive director of the Ruedi Water and Power Authority, attended the work session and provided comments to the trustees. “While Carbondale is water secure, the West is not. We are in a drought and we should begin to look like we are in drought.” Long suggested the Town consider collaborating with the Colorado Water Trust on agreements that would aim to keep water in the Crystal River during environmentally fragile seasons. Mayor Bohmfalk expressed openness to water agreements for environmental protection, saying, “It's something we should look into. I would be interested in learning more about that.”
I'm just waiting until you say the magic word…
Tre a t s !
El Jebel, Colorado 970-963-1700 RJPaddywacks.com
THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022 • 7
Wild Feast welcomes Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk By Myki Jones Sopris Sun Correspondent Wilderness Workshop will host its fifth annual Wild Feast fundraising benefit on August 10 at the St. Regis in Aspen, where the nonprofit will celebrate conservation, climate action and the protection of public lands. The occasion raises funds and awareness to further the group’s efforts to protect western Colorado’s lands and water, and build an equitable environmental movement. According to Grant Stevens, communications director at Wilderness Workshop, their work requires a combination of proactive and defensive measures to protect Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands. Proactive work entails fighting for new land and water protections; for instance, supporting legislation like the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act or local endeavors such as wild and scenic designation for the Crystal River. Defensive action may include preventing new oil and gas development or reservoir proposals. The Wild Feast is “a wonderful chance to bring together our supporters, celebrate our accomplishments of this past year and look ahead at the horizon,” shared Stevens. “We're excited that there is going to be an incredible keynote speaker.” The guest speaker, Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, is an environmental activist who works with the Montezuma Land Conservancy as a cross-cultural programs manager. There, she is charged with engaging the tribal community and its leaders in the conversation around conservation. Lopez-Whiteskunk has a background in information technology, having worked in that capacity for Chief Dull Knife College, the Southern Ute Indian and the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribes. She served as the co-chair of the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition and as education director for the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose. Recently, she was
appointed to serve on the Bears Ears National Monument Management Advisory Committee by U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. She continues her work to protect and preserve through education, by creating a better understanding of our country's resources, cultures and ways of thinking. In conversation with The Sopris Sun, Lopez-Whiteskunk focused on the importance of including and uplifting indigenous communities within climate action. “I've been trying to figure out how to make connections and conversations more readily available past just one person coming to speak,” she stated, “To create that space for tribal communities to be able to be engaged and create that opportunity.” “I really want to impress upon my audience how the landscape is strongly tied to the Ute identity. We've been far removed for many, many years and many generations. These are landscapes that we've always looked at; the mountains and the rivers are all a part of our family. So, for us to be reunited, it's such an invigorating sense of being reconnected,” she said. Lopez-Whiteskunk spoke to the importance of acknowledging the history not only of the people living here, but of the land itself. She wants to share the “great deal of knowledge” Mother Earth has granted us. “I want to open my speech up with a huge sign of gratitude, not only to the organizers, but to the surroundings of the mountain, the plants and the animals… to make that connection on a very human level that has been far removed for many years,” she said. “I want my voice, I want my song and I want my words to rain through the lands to everybody. We have no other choice but to live together. It only makes sense that we confront these challenges together.” She added that it’s important to acknowledge that the places we reside were once someone's home. It isn’t only about acknowledging the land but what people lost.
Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, photo by Tim Peterson Jr.
“If you imagine a time when there were not any state, county or city lines and limits — if there was no line, my people would be in the mountains. When the seasons changed, they would be coming off the mountains, they would be moving into lower terrain and identifying where that water source would be… My people moved very fluidly with the seasons and our resources, but we don't do that anymore because the lines have crossed us in so many different ways.” For more information on the Wild Feast or to purchase a ticket, visit www.wildernessworkshop.org
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Youth films on the big screen By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent Think of it like summer camp, but without the mosquitos. At the beginning of August, Aspen Film and the Red Brick Center for the Arts, in collaboration with the Colorado Film School, are presenting two week-long summer filmmaking camps for teens. In its second year, the summer filmmaking camp falls under the Film Educates programming umbrella and is one of the “multi-pronged educational arms of Aspen Film that focuses on youth education,” explained Erin McVoy, Aspen Film operations and productions director. Camp sessions are designed for youth interested in the art of filmmaking, with all classes held at the Red Brick Center for the Arts in Aspen. Week one of the camp – An Introduction to Documentary Filmmaking – is for youth ages 12 to 16 and runs from Aug. 1 through Aug. 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This camp is for students who have never used filmmaking equipment and focuses on learning the fundamentals. This includes exploring elements of storytelling and how to lay out storyboards. Campers can work individually or in teams of two or three to define the film’s narrative and subject. Using high production value equipment to film interviews and editing platforms to create a short film, students will also learn how to create captioning and soundtrack files to incorporate into their work. McVoy said it is basic level filmmaking on a compressed timeline. Last year, the campers created six projects that were one
to two minutes each. Week two – Advanced Techniques for Documentary Filmmaking – is for ages 14 to 17 and runs from Aug. 8 through Aug. 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For this session, McVoy said, “We’ve asked that campers have done some content creation, whether that’s on TikTok or another platform, and have done some work on their own.” The advanced session will be formatted as a team-based film project “to be more realistic in terms of how a film set works,” McVoy said. Students will rotate through various tasks — from director to sound technician to videographer. Completed films will be close to five to ten minutes long. McVoy said youth in the Roaring Fork Valley, while eager to learn, find limited media literacy opportunities. “Curriculum has been cut from schools, and it's important to provide those opportunities for youth, to start them off on the right foot, to have a potential career in filmmaking or broadcast journalism,” she shared. Aspen Film handles the filmmaking logistics, including securing shot locations and finding interview subjects. Partnering with the Red Brick Center for the Arts allows for hosting classroom space and handling class registration. The film camp’s other partner is Denver-based Colorado Film School (CFS), a community college dedicated to filmmaking. Matt Baxter and Aaron Koehler, CFS instructors who taught at last summer’s film camp, are returning. Baxter and Koehler will bring professional filmmaking equipment on loan from CFS. After each camp concludes, films are shown on the “big screen” at Aspen’s Isis Theatre. Last year, McVoy said, “the campers thoroughly enjoyed it. They were able to invite
family members and a friend or two. After we screened each project, we brought all of the filmmakers — our campers — up front for an interview-style panel with a question-andanswer session. It's a very nice cherry on top of the project, and they were all quite proud.” McVoy added, “We intend to expand Film Camp again next summer with not only documentaries but potentially animation — anime and other filmmaking styles.” One of Aspen Film’s goals is to offer more programming in Spanish. To that end, they have a job opening for a part-time bilingual education coordinator, specifically in support of Film Educates programming. In addition to the summer camp, Aspen Film hopes to start an after-school filmmaking program. “Part of our goal is to expand Film Camp and create other filmmaking opportunities, deepening our relationships in the schools.” For information about Aspen Film’s summer filmmaking camp for teens, go to aspenfilm.org/ film-camp-2022/
“Our hope, as we continue to grow Film Camp year after year, is to promote how these incredible projects are made by cool youth who are learning to share their vision through their storytelling as filmmakers," said Aspen Film's Erica McVoy. Courtesy photos by Ellen Huttenhower
Scholarship applications are available at the Red Brick Center's website at www. redbrickaspen.com/ For information about the part-time bilingual education coordinator position, go to aspenfilm.org/work-with-us/
THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022 • 9
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Visit soprissun.com to submit events
PC: Renee Ramge Photography
Keith Cheeseman serves up fresh-roasted Hatch chilies at the Carbondale City Market. These roasted chilies will be sold at the entrance to the grocery store on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through September. Photo by James Steindler
e l a S Sum m er t $295! Sunny 6-Packs jus
THURSDAY, JULY 28 LANDSCAPE CARVING Artist Leon Loughridge carves local landscapes into wood blocks to later create colorful prints. See the process take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, July 28 through July 30, at the Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt. ARTIST TALK Ceramicist Michael Wisner speaks at the Ann Korologos Gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. More info at www.korologosgallery.com NEW MOON CEREMONY Sheridan Semple leads a new moon ceremony incorporating essential oils for aromatherapy at True Nature from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets at truenaturehealingarts.com
Includes six (6) lift tickets + six (6) Sunny Pop Root Beers
FARM-TO-TABLE The Redstone General Store hosts a farm-totable, by-donation dinner with live music on the final Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.
No restrictions, no blackouts. While supplies last.
Buy Online at SunlightMTN.com Sale ends July 31, 2022
DIFFERENT VIEW Blue Sage Center for the Arts in Paonia holds an opening reception for “6 by 3: Same Places, Different View” with works by Jill Knutson, Cedar Keshet and Patti Kaech — each using different mediums to depict matching locations. The reception is at 5 p.m. and the exhibit will remain through August 19. FASHION Artisanal designers Isa Catto and Mi Jong Lee join local trader Betsy Fisher for a free panel conversation at The Arts Campus at Willits at 7 p.m. RSVP at www.tacaw.org STEVE’S GUITARS Katy Guillen and the Drive perform at Steve’s Guitars at 9 p.m.
SATURDAY, JULY 30
CRYSTAL THEATRE “Where the Crawdads Sing” will screen at 7:30 p.m. and the theater will be closed during Mountain Fair weekend.
MOUNT SOPRIS RUNOFF The annual 4-mile race from Prince Creek to Sopris Park (or 14-mile option from Emma Schoolhouse) begins at 7 a.m. Sign up at www.bit.ly/2022runoff
HEISENBERG Aspen Fringe presents “Heisenberg” by Simon Stephens at the Thunder River Theatre at 7:30 p.m. through Saturday with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Find tickets at www.thunderrivertheatre.com
MOUNTAIN FAIR The booths open and the music begins at Sopris Park at 10 a.m. For the (extensive) schedule of events, visit www.carbondalearts. com and check out the official program in this week’s edition of The Sopris Sun.
BLUES GUITAR Chris Smither performs at The Arts Campus at Willits at 7 p.m. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
SONGWRITER CONTEST Watch the five finalists in the Mountain Fair singer-songwriter competition perform at the Jam Tent at 12:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, JULY 29 NEW MOON MAGIC The 51st Mountain Fair begins with a procession from The Launchpad at 3:45 to Sopris Park for the opening blessings and drum 10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022
circle at 4 p.m. The Red Hill Rollers play at 5:15 p.m. followed by Death by Dub at 7:45 p.m.
EMPOWERED BIRTH True Nature hosts a workshop for pregnant folks, their partners and community, as well as (aspiring) birthworkers from noon to 3 p.m. Tickets at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
DOUBLE FEATURE As part of the “Mountain / Time” exhibit at the Aspen Art Museum, The Arts Campus at Willits screens two films by Thai filmmaker Apuchatpong Weerasethakul with an optional three-course dinner by Epicure Catering. The first film, “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives”, begins at 3 p.m. “Memoria” shows at 7 p.m. Tickets for either movie or both are at www.tacaw.org ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL The Aspen Music Festival and School brings a free piano recital to the Carbondale Library on July 30 at 6 p.m. For more info, call 970-963-2889. UNCOMMON RITUAL Bluegrass banjoist Béla Fleck, mandolin player Mike Marshall and bassist Edgar Meyer revisit their 1997 album “Uncommon Ritual” at the Benedict Music Tent at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at www.aspenmusicfestival.com BRACKEN CREEK Steve’s Guitars hosts Bracken Creek for a post-fair fiesta beginning around 9 p.m.
SUNDAY, JULY 31 CIVIL SOCIETY The Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist congregation hosts Jorge Montiel, lead organizer of the Mountain Voices Project, on “reknitting civil society” and broad-based community organizing at the Third Street Center at 10 a.m. LEADVILLE ENTERTAINMENT The Tabor Opera House hosts a street festival and show with Los Mocohetes, Adolfo Romero and Parallel Artístic and Leadville's own Bicicasa Basement Boys beginning at noon. CMC AT COORS FIELD Watch the Colorado Rockies play the Dodgers whilst supporting the Colorado Mountain College Alumni Association Scholarship. Visit www.bit.ly/ CMCRockies for tickets and more info. FLORENTINE FILMMAKERS The Aspen Institute hosts documentarians Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein on “how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the 20th century” from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets at www.aspeninstitute.org
MONDAY, AUGUST 1 COLORADO DAY In celebration of Colorado’s anniversary of statehood, granted in 1876, all state parks will be free to visit. AUTHOR TALK The Aspen Institute hosts David Greene to discuss his recent book “Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders are Made” at 5 p.m. CRYSTAL THEATRE “Where the Crawdads Sing” shows through Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ASPEN FILM “Still Working 9 to 5” shows at the Isis Theatre at 7:30 p.m. followed by a Q&A session moderated by Aspen Public Radio’s Breeze Richardson. Tickets at aspenfilm.org
TUESDAY, AUGUST 2 FOAM PARTY The Basalt Library hosts a foam party for little ones from 10 to 11 a.m.
JAZZ IN CHINA “Jazz in China: The Documentary,” produced and directed by Dr. Eugene Marlow screens at the Basalt Library at 5:30 p.m. followed by a discussion with Dr. Marlow.
Reknitting Civil Society: Broad-Based Community Organizing from Aspen to Parachute
TIG NOTARO The Arts Campus at Willits presents comedian Tig Notaro at 7 p.m. This show is sold out!
A social justice service, featuring Jorge Montiel of Mountain Voices Project
FURTHER OUT THURSDAY, AUGUST 4
PARTISAN POLITICS The Aspen Institute hosts New York Times op-ed columnist Michelle Goldberg and Tim Miller, a former Republican National Convention spokesman, on “Partisan politics, social disruption, and living under a pandemic: America in 2022” at 5 p.m. JOEY LEONE The Glenwood Springs Library features a concert with guitarist and music historian Joey Leone all about the history and social impact of American blues music. The show is free and begins at 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5
Sunday, July 31, 10am Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist Third St. Center in Carbondale or via Zoom Join Zoom Meeting - https://zoom.us/j/97893023273 Meeting ID: 978 9302 3273 - Passcode: chalice
BIKE LIGHTS Carbondale’s bike pedestrian commission hands out bike lights during First Friday, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Following the service, there will be time for reflection and conversation about how we can overcome the divisions plaguing our communities and solve our collective problems.
BLUEGRASS/JAM The Travelin’ McCourys perform at The Arts Campus at Willits at 8 p.m. For tickets, visit tacaw.org
SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 MARBLEFEST MarbleFest returns with live entertainment beginning at 11:30 a.m. and continuing into the night this Saturday and Sunday. Several food vendors will keep the crowds fueled.
truu.org
Scan QR Code to Join via Zoom and enter “chalice”
LIVE MUSIC The Jeff Andrews Band performs at Heather’s in Basalt at 6:30 p.m. CELEBRATING CIRC The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition celebrates its 20th anniversary with dancing, food and drinks at Colorado Mountain College's Spring Valley Campus from 7 to 11 p.m. SON VOLT The Arts Campus at Willits presents Son Volt at 8 p.m. Tickets at tacaw.org
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 HALLELUJAH Aspen Film presents “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song” at the Isis Theatre in Aspen at 7:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 ECSTATIC DANCE The full moon-thly ecstatic dance tradition at 13 Moons Ranch continues at 6 p.m. 5POINT FILM The 5Point Summer Film Series continues with “The Territory” at The Art Campus at Willits at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at tacaw.org
ONGOING
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3
FARMERS MARKETS Downtown farmers markets are in full swing. Carbondale's is on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Aspen’s is on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Basalt’s is on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
OUTDOOR BABY GYM The Basalt Library takes baby gym outside from 10 to 11 a.m. Visit www. basaltlibrary.org for more info.
UNDER THE SUN Join Sopris Sun correspondents and guests for Everything Under The Sun, airing every Thursday on KDNK at 4 p.m.
ARTIST RECEPTION Meet painter Terry Gardner and sculptor Amy Laugesen during the opening reception of their “San Luis Valley Views” exhibit at the Ann Korologos Gallery from 5 to 7 p.m.
WILD WEST RODEO Carbondale’s summer rodeo series continues at the Gus Darien Arena every Thursday through August 18. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with slack at 6 p.m. and grand entry at 7:30 p.m.
STEVE’S GUITARS The Cabin Project (from Portland) performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8 p.m.
Join us for our social justice Sunday, with Jorge Montiel, lead organizer for Mountain Voices Project, a “broad-based organization” of 26 non-profits, schools and congregations working through “relational organizing” to identify and solve the most salient issues facing our families and communities.
THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022 • 11
Bilingual events come to Mountain Fair
By Max Seitel-Hayes Sopris Sun Correspondent
Don’t miss our 43rd Annual Run!
July 30, 2022 14 Mile
Sopris Run-Off 7:30 am @ Emma School $55 Race Fee ($60 on the day of the race)
4 Mile
to Fair 7:15 am @ Sopris Park $35 Race Fee Proceeds benefit
Carbondale Council for Humanities Sign up @ active.com or in the store Race shirts for the first 75 to Enter!
for more info Call 704.0909 or visit www.independencerunandhike.com 12 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022
This year will mark the 51st annual Mountain Fair, and along with the perennial activities we know and love, it will include some exciting new activities. This year, the kid-friendly Oasis zone of Mountain Fair will include the Creative Canopy Arts Tent and will offer new bilingual activities. The team behind all of this programming at the Oasis is largely made up of local educators and volunteers who share in the principle that Mountain Fair is made by the community for the community. Andrea Harris, a local artist and educator who will be a supervisor at the Oasis, believes that bilingual activities will allow Mountain Fair to be even more inclusive for the community. “It is important to include bilingual programming because everyone from the community should be welcome,” said Harris. “A person cannot feel welcome to something if they cannot access it.” Harris will also be one of the artists and educators leading activities in the Creative Canopy Tent — a new space within the Oasis where families can go to do different arts and crafts. The first bilingual events at the Oasis will happen at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Starting with some storytime for children, local educator Alejandro Rico will share songs and a puppet show — all in Spanish. At the same time, inside the Creative Canopy, Andrea Harris will teach visitors how to make their own celestial headband. Then, at 11:15 a.m. inside the Creative
Canopy, artist Gabriela Mejia will teach visitors to decorate a grass skirt which they can use in a Polynesian dance taking place later that day. Finally, Aspen Polynesia dancers and drummers will share skills in movement and music in a fun, upbeat performance at 1:00 p.m. Although the bilingual events at the Oasis only take place on Saturday, there will be bilingual volunteers available to help throughout the weekend. On Friday and Saturday, there will be bilingual students helping at the Creative Canopy, and on Sunday there will be bilingual volunteers helping out as well. These new bilingual events will make this year’s Mountain Fair more inclusive and meaningful for everyone who attends, as in the past the language barrier could prevent many people from getting the full experience. “It’s over 10,000 people who attend the fair. We pull from the entire valley, so it's really not just the Carbondale community, but the entire Roaring Fork valley community,” said Micahel Stout, education director at Carbondale Arts and Oasis coordinator. This year the coordinators at Mountain Fair are working hard to include all Valley residents because that is what Mountain Fair is all about — celebrating our community. As a largely bilingual community, it is a relief to see initiatives like this at Mountain Fair. “We are taking time to thoughtfully add as much as we can for now,” said Harris. “And I am hopeful that this will be a start to more bilingual programming in the future. These are baby steps toward a more equitable community.”
Mountain Fair cuenta con eventos bilingües
Por Max Seitel-Hayes Traducción por Jacquelinne Castro
Este año marcará el 51o festival anual Mountain Fair, y junto con las actividades que ya conocemos y amamos, también se unieron algunas actividades nuevas y emocionantes. Este año, la zona de Oasis apto para niños de Mountain Fair incluirá la Carpa de Artes Creativas y ofrecerá nuevas actividades bilingües. El equipo detrás de toda la programación en el Oasis está compuesto en gran parte por educadores locales y voluntarios quienes buscan compartir el fundamento de que Mountain Fair es de la comunidad y para la comunidad. Andrea Harris, una artista local y educadora quien será la supervisora en Oasis, cree que las actividades bilingües le permitirán a Mountain Fair ser más inclusivo para la comunidad. «Es importante incluir programación bilingüe porque todes en la comunidad se deberían sentir incluides», dijo Harris. Harris también será una de las artistas y educadores que dirigirá las actividades en la Carpa de Artes Creativas — un nuevo espacio dentro de Oasis donde las familias pueden ir y hacer diferentes artes y manualidades. Los primeros eventos bilingües en Oasis comenzarán el sábado a las 10 a.m. Empieza con un tiempo de cuentos para niños, el educador local Alejandro Rico compartirá canciones y una representación de marionetas – todo en español. Al mismo tiempo, dentro de la Carpa de Artes, Andrea Harris les enseñará a visitantes como hacer su propias diademas celestiales. Luego, a las 11:15 a.m. dentro de la Carpa de Artes, artista Gabriela Mejia les enseñará a
visitantes como decorar una falda de pasto la cual podrán usar en el baile polinesio que tomará lugar ese día más tarde. Finalmente, bailarines y tamborileros de Aspen Polynesia compartirán sus habilidades de movimiento y música con una presentación alegre y divertida a la 1 p.m. A pesar de que todos los eventos bilingües en Oasis tomarán lugar el sábado, habrá voluntarios bilingües ayudando a lo largo del fin de semana. El viernes y sábado, habrá estudiantes bilingües ayudando en la Carpa de Artes. Estos nuevos eventos bilingües harán que la feria Mountain Fair sea más inclusiva y significativa este año para todas las personas que asistan al evento, ya que en el pasado había una barrera de idiomas que prevenía que las personas tuvieran una experiencia completa. «Hay más de 10,000 personas que asisten a la feria, se atraen personas de todo el Valle, así que no solo se trata de la comunidad de Carbondale, sino que de la comunidad del Valle Roaring Fork», dijo Michael Stout, director educativo de Carbondale Arts y el coordinador de Oasis. Este año, los coordinadores de Mountain Fair trabajarán muy duro para poder incluir a todos los residentes del Valle porque de eso se trata Mountain Fair — celebrar nuestra comunidad. Como una comunidad mayormente bilingüe, es un alivio ver iniciativas como esta en Mountain Fair. «Estamos tomando tiempo para agregar cuidadosamente lo más que podemos por ahora», dijo Harris. «Y estoy optimista que este será el comienzo para más programación bilingüe en el futuro. Estos son pequeños pasos hacia una comunidad más equitativa».
Sol del el
Valle
Volumen 2, Número 22 | 28 de julio - 3 de agosto, de 2022
Conectando comunidades desde 2021
Celebremos al aire libre
Por Omar Sarabia Director de Defiende Nuestra Tierra El día Sábado, 23 de Julio, Defiende Nuestra Tierra junto con el Aspen Institute y el Servicio Forestal del White River, unieron esfuerzos para celebrar la Semana de la Conservación Latina en un evento llamado «Celebremos al Aire Libre». Por la mañana tuvimos un evento de pesca dirigido por Wilderness Workshop y CPW (Colorado Parks and Wildlife por su siglas en inglés) en Rifle Falls donde los participantes aprendieron a pescar y también aprendieron acerca de cómo obtener una licencia para pescar y a donde ir. También CPW proveyó las cañas de pescar y se las regaló a los participantes. Al mismo tiempo se llevó a cabo una caminata en Grizzly Creek dirigida por Protégete de Conservation Colorado en conjunto con el Servicio Forestal. Esta caminata, guiada por Beatriz Soto, llevó a los participantes a sumergirse en la belleza natural de este corto pero sustancioso recorrido de 1.5 millas rodeados de acantilados que se están recuperando de los incendios y a su vez aprendieron a cómo prevenir estos mismos. Por último, el evento estelar fue el del rafting, donde más de 80 participantes de nuestra comunidad, en su mayoría latinos, experimentaron por primera vez en su vida la belleza del Cañón de Glenwood ¡y sus aguas rápidas! Empezaron en Shoshone y terminaron en el Parque Two Rivers. Fue una experiencia divertida llena de chapuzones de agua helada con un sol cálido de verano. Estos botes fueron donados por Defiance Rafting, Blazing Adventures y Blue Sky Adventures. Al terminar las actividades matutinas se les invitó
Foto cortesía de Sam Sheppard Photography
a todos los participantes y público en general a que se unieran a la gran fiesta “Celebremos al Aire Libre” en el Parque Two Rivers. Allá las festividades arrancaron a la 1 p.m. con Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folclórico, donde se lucieron y deleitaron al público con un espectáculo que realiza nuestras tradiciones con música de José Alfredo Jiménez, uno de los máximos exponentes en la música Mexicana y de toda América Latina. Después vinieron Carmen Corona, “La Patrona”, y Samuel Fausto a alegrar la tarde y preparar al público para la banda de Puro Norte con ritmos norteños. Y para cerrar con broche de oro, llegaron los ritmos desde Colombia, la mismísima Sonora Dinamita donde todo el público se levantó del pasto y se fue a bailar y a gozar las cumbias y ritmos del güiro. Más de 24 puestos de información de organizaciones y negocios estuvieron presentes y la comida fue por parte de Slow Groovin y Taquería Jalisco. Las primeras 150 personas que asistieron y se registraron recibieron un boleto para comida y otro para la rifa de artículos para acampar; se regalaron mochilas, hieleras, pases para clases de esquiar con todo incluido y pases de un día para esquiar donados por Aspen Ski Company. Con un total de más de 180 participantes en las actividades matutinas y más de 300 personas en total nos enorgullece decir que fue todo un éxito. Se logró conectar a nuestra comunidad latina con nuestras tierras públicas por medio de actividades al aire libre divertidas y llenas de aprendizaje. Recuerden que nuestras tierras publicas son de nosotros y para nosotros, sin importar tu raza, religión, sexo, si eres de aquí o creciste o naciste en otro lado. Las tierras públicas son tuyas — ¡sal a disfrutarlas!
Foto cortesía de Joe Van Wyk
Foto cortesía de Defiance Rafting
Modelando el futuro del bienestar en el condado de Garfield
Por Will Buzzerd Traducción por Dolores Duarte
El lunes por la tarde, en una sala de juntas del Third Street Center, los ciudadanos de Carbondale tuvieron la inusual oportunidad de expresar directamente las preocupaciones de su comunidad al Departamento de Salud Pública del Condado de Garfield (GCPH por sus siglas en inglés). Esta reunión se organizó como la quinta de una serie de seis grupos de discusión, cada uno de los cuales se llevaron a cabo por todo el condado, para evaluar la salud de la comunidad con el fin de informar la creación del nuevo plan de mejora de salud pública del GCPH para los próximos cinco años. Dos ciudadanos asistieron a la reunión que duró una hora, y fueron entrevistados por Amanda Havens, planificadora de salud pública del condado, sobre sus preocupaciones en materia de salud, tanto personales como comunitarias. Los temas recurrentes en la discusión incluyeron el acceso a la atención especializada y el postratamiento a una adicción, así como la ansiedad general y el estrés resultante del aumento del costo de vida y al cada vez más limitado acceso a la vivienda. Ambos asistentes compartieron que los problemas de salud mental y estrés, son resultado del costo de vida, según el cual, los desplazamientos suponen un estrés excesivo para los ciudadanos del valle. A medida que aumenta la demanda de profesiones que sólo pueden pagar una vivienda más barata, la duración y el costo de los viajes diarios aumentan, incrementando el estrés. Al mismo tiempo, puede aumentar la estratificación social debido a los elevados costos
de la vivienda, lo que puede poner en peligro el sentido de comunidad en todo el valle y hacer que los ciudadanos tengan más dificultades para apoyarse emocionalmente en momentos de dificultad colectiva. Las preocupaciones expresadas con mayor frecuencia en el grupo de discusión parecen ser comunes en todo el condado, ya que cuando se les preguntó qué problemas se repetían en los cuatro grupos de discusión anteriores, Havens respondió «La vivienda y la salud mental, absolutamente». Del mismo modo, el anterior plan de mejora de salud pública para 2018-22 menciona a la salud mental y la vivienda saludable como temas principales a abordar, no solo en el condado de Garfield, sino también en los condados de Eagle y Pitkin. Los planes de mejora de salud pública son documentos redactados de acuerdo a la Ley de Salud Pública de Colorado de 2008, que requiere «los esfuerzos coordinados de las agencias de salud pública estatales y locales y sus socios del sector público y privado dentro del sistema de salud pública para ... desarrollar un plan integral y establecer prioridades para proporcionar servicios esenciales de salud pública» (C.R.S. § 25-1501). Los documentos -que enlistan tanto los principales problemas de salud como los métodos para identificarlos y abordarlos- se elaboran cada cinco años a partir de las evaluaciones realizadas por el condado. Es necesario un plan de acción local, ya que la diversidad de las comunidades de Colorado puede perderse bajo un manto de estadísticas estatales. Según Havens, «los problemas de alguien en Silt podrían parecer totalmente diferentes a los de otra persona en Denver».
La encuesta del condado de Garfield es accesible en español. Imagen de cortesía El plan anterior para los años 2018-22 fue escrito como un documento conjunto entre los condados de Eagle, Pitkin y Garfield, y fue informado en gran medida no por los ciudadanos preocupados sino por las partes interesadas en el sector de la salud pública y privada. Sin embargo, para 2023-28, el condado de Garfield tendrá su propio plan de acción. Esto se debe en gran medida al aumento de recursos y al empleo de la propia Havens como planificadora de salud pública del condado. Además, el próximo plan será informado por un esfuerzo de tres partes, que consiste no sólo en entrevistas uno a uno con los profesionales de salud local y las partes interesadas, sino también grupos de enfoque como el que se celebró en el Third Street Center, así como una evaluación de la salud de la comunidad en línea, que está disponible para los ciudadanos de todo el condado. Los ciudadanos de Carbondale que no tuvieron la oportunidad de asistir a esta reunión en persona, todavía tienen la oportunidad de influir en el futuro de la política de salud pública del condado de Garfield. La evaluación de salud de la comunidad se encuentra en el sitio web de GCPH (www.bit.ly/planGarCo) y se puede acceder a ella tanto en español como en inglés. La encuesta es una oportunidad para que cualquier ciudadano del condado de Garfield positivamente determine el futuro del bienestar de su comunidad para la próxima media década.
14 • EL SOL DEL VALLE • soprissun.com/espanol/ • 28 de julio - 3 de agosto de 2022
Donaciones por correo o en línea P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Editor Raleigh Burleigh • 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Editora Contribuyente Vanessa Porras Directore Artístico Hattie Rensberry Diseñadora de anuncios Alyssa Ohnmacht Traductoras Jacquelinne Castro y Dolores Duarte Distribucion Frederic Kischbaum Executive Director Todd Chamberlin • 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Miembros de la Mesa Directiva Klaus Kocher • Kay Clarke Lee Beck • Megan Tackett Gayle Wells • Donna Dayton Terri Ritchie • Eric Smith • Roger Berliner el Sol del Valle agradece por su apoyo a: MANUAS, FirstBank y Alpine Bank The Sopris Sun, Inc. es una 501(c)(3) organización benéfica sin fines de lucro. Contribuciones financieras son deducibles de impuestos. ¡ESCRÍBENOS! Para contribuir ideas y contenido al Sol del Valle, escribiéndonos a: sol@soprissun.com Para comprar espacio publicitario en español, inglés, o ambos, mándanos un correo electrónico a:
adsales@soprissun.com
También se puede contactarnos llamando a 970-510-3003.
OPINIÓN
Al No Artista Por Vanessa Porras
A pesar de tener casi toda una vida en el Valle, como muchos inmigrantes, mis raíces están divididas entre el hogar que fue y el hogar que ahora es. Mis memorias de niña son imágenes combinadas de montañas y el desierto. Recuerdo estar en casa de mi abuela mirando las montañas en la distancia como pequeñas ondulaciones moradas en el horizonte. Entre esos recuerdos, están las montañas de Colorado en todo su esplendor asomándose entre pinos. En la cocina de la que fue mi casa, estaba un cántaro de barro con una taza boca abajo. El barro poroso olía y sabía a tierra mojada cada vez que tomaba agua. Ese cántaro era para mí como tener un día lluvioso a mi disposición. Cada vez que pienso en México,
El barro: Arte de supervivencia mis sentidos intentan replicar esa experiencia. Aparte de los recuerdos fragmentados de la infancia, confieso que sería difícil ubicar en un mapa el lugar que fue mi hogar. No conozco su historia, ni su gente ni mucho menos sus tradiciones. Hace unas semanas asistí a la apertura de la exhibición Clay, Love and Resilience por Carla Martínez y Diego Valles, organizada por Carbondale Clay Center. Desde Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Martínez y Valles viajaron a Carbondale por primera vez para exhibir sus piezas de cerámica contemporánea y dirigieron un taller donde les enseñaron a los participantes su proceso desde principio a fin. «La tradición de Mexico es la cerámica», dijo Martinez. Desde el sur de Oaxaca hasta el norte de Chihuahua la tradición de alfareros se ha visto como un oficio utilitario, como la olla donde cuece la abuela los frijoles o la taza de café que acompaña el pan dulce. Martínez y Valles son dos entre al menos 400 alfareros de Mata Ortiz que tiene una población aproximada de tan solo 1,400 habitantes. La palabra que mejor describe la cerámica que se produce hoy en día en Mata Ortiz
es innovadora. Para Martinez y Valles, es importante reconocer la sabiduría de los alfareros indígenas previos y la fundación que establecieron principalmente las mujeres alfareras. En los años ‘70, Juan Quezada Celado — habitante de Mata Ortiz — comenzó a replicar cerámica auténtica de la zona arqueológica Paquimé en Casa Grandes. Después de que las industrias mineras y madereras colapsaron, la gente de esta región hizo lo que tuvo que hacer para sobrevivir ante el desempleo y la pobreza. Cuenta Valles que aunque la gente no lo hiciera con malicia, hubieron campesinos que se encontraban artefactos prehistoricos, entre ellos ollas enteras, y las vendian como fuente de ingreso en el mercado negro. Con el tiempo, al ver la escasez de estos artefactos, Quezada comenzó a experimentar con el barro y desarrolló técnicas diferentes para producir réplicas a las ollas antiguas. «La gente enterraba las ollas [que producían] y las vendía como artefactos», dijo Martinez. Fue Spencer MacCallum, un arqueólogo aficionado, quien ayudó a Quezada a exhibir sus ollas en museos y galerías y quien lo animó a firmar sus obras en vez
de hacerlas pasar por artefactos. Quezada, compartió sus descubrimientos y sus técnicas con otros. «Todos contribuyen algo a la comunidad, de alguna manera todos nos beneficiamos y todos compartimos», dijo Valles. Es así como Mata Otriz ha sostenido su reputación en la innovación de la cerámica. Como un gran equipo, los alfareros de esta región siempre están experimentando y retando los límites del barro. Tan solo se requiere observar las obras miniaturas de Martinez y las ollas de Valles para poder trazar la tradición y el homenaje a los alfareros indígenas. Los patrones y símbolos son líneas fuertes y finas pintadas con pinceles de tan solo dos cabellos de humano. «[Estas obras son] mucho más que unas piezas hermosas, son una forma de transmitir lo que creemos», dijo Valles. Fue una sorpresa aprender que Mata Ortiz es uno de los muchos pueblitos rodeando Casas Grandes. Dicen que los primeros años de tu vida son los que más te marcan. Yo viví mis primeros años en Ascensión, Chihuahua y nací a solo una hora de Nuevo Casas Grandes. Una de las cosas que añore cuando nos mudamos a Carbondale fue el olor y el sabor
Nosotros no cobramos por abituarios.
Durante un taller en el Carbondale Clay Center, Carla Martínez y Diego Valles enseñaron a los participantes su proceso. Foto de Vanessa Porras
al barro mojado. Aunque el cántaro de la cocina en Ascensión ya no existe, hoy un nuevo cántaro ha emigrado a mi habitación, su perfume a tierra mojada me despierta cada mañana y me recuerda a los lugares y a la gente donde provengo y lo que he aprendido de su historia y sus tradiciones. Las obras de Martinez y Valles estarán en exhibición en Carbondale Clay Center hasta el 13 de agosto con una apertura de First Friday el día 5 de agosto de 5 a 8 p.m. Al no artista, te invito a que conozcas la tradición y la innovación de Mata Ortiz.
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4 0 0 R O B I N S O N S T R E E T, B A S A L T TA C A W. O R G
EL SOL DEL VALLE • Conector de comunidad • 28 de julio - 3 de agosto de 2022 • 15
CHISME DEL PUEBLO Traducción por Jacquelinne Castro
Celebrando CIRC 2022 marca el vigésimo aniversario de la Coalición por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes de Colorado (CIRC por sus siglas en inglés). Durante los últimos 20 años, CIRC ha servido como una voz unificada y un movimiento estatal para defender y promover la justicia para los inmigrantes. Únase a una celebración gratis que se llevará a cabo en el Campus Spring Valley de Colorado Mountain College el sábado 6 de agosto de 7 a 11 p.m. Todos los ingresos se destinarán a CIRC. ¿Tiene preguntas sobre este evento o cómo patrocinar? Comuníquese con Andrea en andrea@coloradoimmigrant.org
Magia de luna nueva El 51o festival Mountain Fair comenzará el viernes 29 de julio, con una procesión de The Launchpad a las 3:45 p.m. a Sopris Park para las bendiciones de apertura y un círculo de tambores a las 4 p.m. The Red Hill Rollers tocan a las 5:15 p.m. seguido por Death by Dub a las 7:45 p.m.
De la granja a la mesa El Redstone General Store organiza una cena «de la granja a la mesa» por donación con música en vivo durante el último jueves de cada mes a las 6 p.m.
Actualizaciones de COVID El 19 de julio, el gobernador Jared Polis firmó una orden ejecutiva modificando y extendiendo la declaración de COVID-19 para «continuar proporcionando fondos estatales y federales a las agencias para preparar cambios en salud pública y proporcionar preparación de respuesta rápida».
Las enmiendas remueven ciertas provisiones así como la activación de la Guardia Nacional. Pruebas gratis en el condado de Garfield están disponibles en centro de recreación de Carbondale, de martes a viernes desde mediodía hasta las 5 p.m. y los sábados de 8 a.m. a 2 p.m.
Síndrome de nariz blanca Un hongo que causa una enfermedad mortal a los murciélagos ha sido detectado por primera vez en Colorado. Pseudogymnoascus destructans, el cual causa un síndrome de nariz blanca, fue encontrado en un murciélago capturado en el condado de Otero a las afueras de La Junta. «Este reciente hallazgo tendrá implicaciones significativas para los murciélagos nativos de Colorado», dijo Tina Jackson de parte de Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Caza mayor Comenzando el 2 de agosto, las licencias de caza mayor estarán disponibles en venta en las oficinas de Colorado Parks and Wildlife, en línea en www.cpwshop.com/ o llamando al 1-800244-5613. Las licencias de caza mayor incluyen alce, ciervo, berrendo y oso.
Actualización de Glenwood Glenwood Springs y el Bosque Nacional White River se han unido para traer artículos de campamento y excursionismo de mochila a Glenwood Springs Gear Library, el cual ya ofrece una colección de equipo de aventura. En otras noticias, el ayuntamiento estará cerrado los viernes con horas extendidas los fines de semana. Por último, el mercado de agricultores del centro regresa bajo nueva administración dentro de las siguientes semanas.
La Semana de la Conservación Latina fue celebrada en Glenwood Springs con un evento llamado «Celebremos al Aire Libre». Foto de Raleigh Burleigh
Consejo de seguridad De acuerdo con el Centro de Control y Prevención de Enfermedades, los cascos de bicicleta son una intervención comprobada que reduce el riesgo de lesiones craneales de bicicleta por un 80%. Carbondale Fire estará distribuyendo cascos de bicicletas para niños (tallas para niños pequeños y jóvenes) durante Mountain Fair. Traiga a su pequeño a la carpa de primeros auxilios el sábado y domingo para obtener un casco de tamaño adecuado. Los niños deben estar presentes para medirse el casco con un padre o tutor para firmar el formulario de permiso.
Cena compartida
El pueblo de Carbondale está aceptando reservaciones de mesas para la cena compartida anual “Our Town One Table”. El tema de este año es «Una Tarde Mística» y el evento se llevará a cabo el domingo 21 de agosto entre la calle 4 y la calle principal. Cada mesa puede acomodar hasta ocho personas. Para reservar su mesa gratis o para patrocinar el evento, envíe un correo electrónico a jwall@carbondaleco.net
Consultas médicas «La salud no es solamente pastillas y procedimientos». La Clínica de Nuestro Pueblo ofrece consultas médicas gratis. Para más detalles, llame a Isabel al 970-984-1072.
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Leon Marchand takes home a ribbon after a hunter-jumper show at the Strang Ranch.
Young spectators Kingsley and Landers Thorn watching the Gymkhana on July 9.
A miniature-horse foal munches on a tree branch. Stella Shoemaker rides Roo during a hunter-jumper show at Strang Ranch on July 10.
Horsin' around in Carbondale Photos and text by Jane Bachrach Carbondale is indisputably a great place to horse around in the summer and, as seen here, there are many different equine activities to either participate in or enjoy as an observer. In addition to Thursday rodeos, there are hunter-jumper shows and lessons at Strang Ranch, monthly gymkhana competitions at the rodeo arena, arena polo lessons at the Aspen Valley Polo Club and a lot more. Just being around horses makes you smile, and some of us just love to hug them! The Sopris Gymkhana Club continues its summer series with three events left on Aug. 13, Sept. 17 and Oct. 1 at the Carbondale Rodeo grounds. The next horse show at the Strang Ranch takes place Aug. 6 and 7. Khloe Vater hugs "G" the horse.
Teegan Rice competing on her horse, Waffles, at the Gymkhana.
THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022 • 17
BASALT REPORT
Council meets Possumco in the middle on middle class housing
By Dyana Z. Furmansky Sopris Sun Correspondent Sent back to the drawing board by Basalt’s Town Council during a fractious regular meeting on July 12, the Basalt Center Circle (BCC) grocery store and affordable housing complex’s revised design received higher marks at the July 26 regular meeting. “You guys are really good listeners,” councilor Ryan Slack said. He echoed a sentiment that other councilors expressed, regarding Z-Group Architects’ changes to the Midland Avenue project’s use of color, wood, brick and articulation to make it appear less massive. “We’re trying our hardest to make this the best project it could possibly be,” said Z-Group Principal Architect Scott McHale. “We want it to be embedded in the fabric of Basalt.” While public opposition to BCC’s size was still voiced, it was toned down compared to the previous meeting, when the council’s three-minute limit on individual statements, a routine parliamentary practice, was challenged by speakers. Mayor Bill Kane began his remarks with “a plea for civility,” and a retort to BCC opponents who claimed the project was a done deal. “If this were a done deal we’d be done already,” he said. About 15 people spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, mostly in favor of BCC’s progress in refining its architecture. “It’s getting there,” said Jacque Whittsill, a former Basalt mayor. “But don’t go easy on my friend Tim Belinski,” she said, referring to one of BCC’s two partners. Whittsill said that she had been wanting to see redevelopment in this part of Basalt for 25 years. Nevertheless, she asked the council to “push Tim hard” to achieve an excellent finished product. Chief among the persistent concerns are increased traffic BCC could generate and the council’s discomfort with BCC’s request that it be allowed to rent the 65 apartments before the grocery store opens, if necessary. BCC partner Andrew Light asked for this flexibility due to project financing requirements he said would not permit apartments to be unoccupied if the grocery’s opening is delayed. The town is asking that BCC put up about $250,000 to ensure completion of the grocery store. Several speakers supported the BCC footprint but objected to the small square footage of its affordable rentals, all but two of which are studios. Jimbo Liquors owner Gonzo Mirich recalled what it was like when he shared a three-bedroom apartment with 11 roommates. He said he would have loved to live in a studio by himself. “Size doesn’t matter,” he said. The council voted unanimously to approve BCC’s rezoning application after the first reading and to continue the public hearing and second reading at its Aug. 9 regular meeting. Councilor Elyse Hottel left the room and abstained from voting because she is
The initial design for BCC faced opposition for appearing too bulky. BCC's revamped design creates more visual variety. Courtesy graphics
employed by Connect One, hired as BCC’s landscape architecture firm. Other major business on the council’s packed agenda was approval of Possumco LLC’s 155 dwellings on Parcel 5 of Sopris Meadows Subdivision between Willits Lake and Willits Lane, allowing it to continue to the second reading and public hearing, also on Aug. 9. Possumco principal Michael Lipkin and the town council agreed to meet in the middle on what Lipkin calls “the missing middle;” of the 46 units in two of Possumco’s buildings that are earmarked for affordable housing, 23 will be for sale to occupants who make more than $250,000 annually, and 23 will be for rental by people who earn less than $120,000. The compromise would allow the town of Basalt to create, for the first time, homeownership opportunities for people who make too much money to qualify for affordable rentals, but can’t afford to buy a free-market residence in Basalt.
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18 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022
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CARBONDALE REPORT
Trustees pursue STR tax, table lodging tax
By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor
All Carbondale trustees were present at their regular meeting on July 27. During opening comments, trustee Lani Kitching talked about a gradual release of contracted water at the Ruedi Reservoir to help fish populations by cooling the Roaring Fork River. Carbondale, Basalt and Glenwood Springs participated. Trustee Marty Silverstein mentioned there will be a hiring event in front of the post office on July 29. “If you’re interested — go,” he said to no one in particular. “I won’t say the pay is the best, but the benefits are the best.” Town Manager Lauren Gister announced that Jared Barnes, an Eagle County planning manager, was hired as the town’s next planning director with Janet Buck having recently retired. Barnes will begin work on Aug. 22 and will help to hire a new planning tech. The town is interviewing candidates for the finance director and public information officer positions with a goal of filling both by the end of August. Next, trustees breezed through approval of the consent agenda and a special event liquor license for the Roaring Fork Sports Foundation, beneficiary of this year’s Cowboy Up fundraising event on Aug. 26. Funds raised will go toward Roaring Fork High School sports teams as they travel to finals and tournaments. Another quick, unanimous approval went toward accepting public infrastructure improvements made by Sopris Lodge as a
condition of that development. Improvements included two water main installations and sidewalk improvements on Second Street. Moving along, trustees were given an update by Mattie Prodanovic of Hilltop Securities regarding the selling of bonds to build a new aquatics facility, as authorized in the April election. Prodanovic addressed concerns around increased interest rates and inflation. She explained that within the parameters established by the ballot language, they’re “sitting right around” what was predicted. If all goes as planned, the town will have $8 million available by Sept. 27 after unanimously voting to authorize the sale of bonds on Sept. 13. Parks and rec director Eric Brendlinger followed up with a best-case timeline for construction of the new pool. Once funding is acquired, a 12-month process can begin that would include final designs and bidding. Demolition could then happen in August 2023. Allowing eight months for construction, the new aquatics facility would optimistically be open by May 2024. If the process takes longer, then the town may have to forgo its 2024 pool season. Trustee Erica Sparhawk encouraged Brendlinger to bring energy efficiency consulting into the project from the beginning, to be sure that’s prioritized. Mayor Ben Bohmfalk agreed that funds should be sought specifically to make the pool as net zero as possible. The final item of discussion involved placing either a lodging tax or short-term rentals (STR) tax — or both — on the November ballot. “Just about every jurisdiction is putting a question on
The Carbondale Police Department saw three promotions ahead of Mountain Fair. Sergeant Bill Kirkland was promoted to lieutenant, while Ciara Chacon and Jerry Chacon were promoted to patrol sergeant. Photo by Raleigh Burleigh
the ballot about a STR or lodging tax,” stated Gister. Right away, based on general consensus at a recent work session, trustee Colin Laird proposed deciding on an STR tax before talking about a lodging tax. A 5% STR tax, as outlined in the packet, is projected to bring in $150,000. Using that 5% as a starting figure, Silverstein emphasized that, with the 8.4% sales tax and current 2% lodging tax, the total tax to STR renters would be 15.4% — “still less than most towns in our community.” “I won’t go below 5%,” said trustee Chris Hassig. “The commercial property tax disparity is an important consideration to me,” he said in reference to STR operators paying residential taxes at 7% which are less than the 29% paid by commercial property owners. Kitching agreed — “any other bucket-list destination, you’d be paying 10% or above.” “I think we’re ready to direct staff to come back with language,” said Bohmfalk. “Maybe 6% is the magic number we could agree on.” Laird proposed as much with the 6% tax dedicated to a community housing fund. Approval was
unanimous. Considering a lodging tax increase to better fund the town’s Tourism Council, “My thoughts have evolved on this,” said Bohmfalk. Based on comments made by lodging owners at a previous meeting, he considered it wise to take a year to explore the idea more in-depth. Additionally, “I don’t want the two to compete with each other,” he said of putting two tax-related questions on the ballot, even though neither will directly affect residents. “The brutal irony,” Hassig addressed the Tourism Council, “is you’ve done a brilliant job with limited resources.” Regarding STRs, so far the town has issued 23 licenses, announced town clerk Cathy Derby. A third of these, she explained, are people who just rent a bedroom. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she said regarding the STR tax. To continue operating while regulations are determined, STRs must be registered by Monday, Aug. 1 (www.bit.ly/CdaleSTR). Owner-occupied STRs and STRs located in the Historic Commercial Core zone district can apply for license at any time.
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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022 • 19
Letter from Michigan, ’22
(when “normal” maybe isn’t so normal) By Ken Pletcher Foreign Correspondent Hello again, fellow Bondalers and Valley dwellers, from verdant, humid southwestern Michigan! Bonnie and I made it to our old stomping grounds a little later than usual but in time for a mostly great July 4 weekend here (see below). I can report that during the journey east through the Great Plains and Midwest things seemed basically back to normal this year, other than higher prices for everything. Plenty of semis on I-80, maybe not as many RVs and campers as before. Even one of our favorite bookstores, Prairie Lights in Iowa City, was back to its pre-pandemic hours. The Midwestern corn and soybean crops generally look good. Here, locally grown green beans and cantaloupes are at the fruit stand. Peaches and blueberries have arrived. Sweetcorn season is just starting and will be full-blown soon. Ah summer! The Lake Michigan water level is down again from last year and considerably lower than the record highs in 2020 that caused so much beach erosion. The water is warm and clear, and our nice wide beach has returned. It looks like sand is piling up again at the base of the shoreline bluff, hopefully rebuilding the washed-away foredunes. Even a late spring-early summer regional dry spell that folks around here called a “drought” (more accurately qualified as “incipient drought” by a longtime Chicago meteorologist) has now been broken by rainstorms that have included occasional heavy downpours. So now it’s warm and sticky — typical for this time of year — but at least our skin has plumped up again. On the surface, things seem almost routinely normal here this year. So why don’t they feel that way to me? Maybe it was the fellow’s t-shirt I spotted in a southwest suburban Chicago convenience store that said “Locked and Loaded” and depicted the image of an American flag with assault rifles for stripes. Possibly it’s the flag I saw while riding on a lovely Michigan backroad that read “F**k Biden”, with the third character being the Stars and Stripes. Certainly, the ongoing hearings of the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 insurrection are contributing to the sense of unease — mine and almost everyone I know, anyway. Endless revelations of the extent to which high-level individuals in the Trump Administration and their allies strove to overturn a legitimate election and undermine our democracy have been shocking and extremely troubling but, sadly, not surprising. Still, these events were an assault on our country unprecedented since the Civil War; I hate to say it, but a significant percentage of our populace seems alright with that. What a difference from the response to Watergate a halfcentury ago! Oh, and I can’t forget the end-of-term rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court that included nullifying a New York state law on concealed-weapons permits and the biggie, overturning Roe v. Wade, the almost 50-year-old ruling that had constitutionally allowed women the right to an abortion. The majority opinion,
written by Justice Samuel Alito, dismissed the premise that the Constitution includes an inherent right to privacy (the equal protection clause of Amendment XIV), which had been the justification for Roe and subsequent previous court challenges. Clarence Thomas, in a concurring opinion, went further, wondering if other similar privacy-themed rulings allowing gay marriage, homosexual relations or contraception should also be overturned. However, he didn’t include interracial marriage on his list (Thomas, a Black man is married to a white woman); apparently, some things still do qualify as private to him. And then there is the continued litany of mass shootings in this country — hundreds so far this year and counting. The most awful ones linger in the news, like the racially motivated shoot-up of a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, or the horrific massacre of children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas. There, it has become known, the authorities hesitated for more than an hour to stop an active shooter. But the one that’s really hitting home for me was the unconscionable mass shooting — not 75 miles across the lake from where I sit right now — at a Fourth of July parade in a north Chicago suburb. That could have been the parade in my old town in Chicago’s western suburbs that we used to go to with our son. Or the one several years ago in La Porte, Indiana, where our great niece was marching with her band. Or any of our wonderful parades in Carbondale, for that matter. Highland Park is one of several largely affluent suburbs called the North Shore that stretch along Lake Michigan for miles toward Wisconsin. It is predominantly white with a sizable Jewish population and generally (even now) has been considered one of the safest places in the Chicago area. The city is home to Ravinia, one of the country’s premier summer concert venues. I know people from Highland Park, and, possibly, some of you have encountered folks from there visiting the Roaring Fork Valley. One of my oldest aikido friends is a long-term resident of the city. He didn’t know any of the victims but did remember the father of the alleged gunman (who has already confessed to the police). The man once owned a convenience store that my friend and his family frequented. My friend says the man was “friendly and quite
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Art by Larry Day
popular;” he has been troubled, though, by the disturbing news reports about the shooter’s troubled family life. Two of our neighbors here in Michigan lived in Highland Park for decades before moving out in 2001 and still have many friends there. His old office was directly across the street from where the 21-year-old gunman stood on a rooftop spraying bullets into the crowd below with an assault-style rifle. She wrote in an email, “We knew one of the Highland Parkers who was killed. Our kids knew one of the people who was injured. There could be more that we haven't learned about yet. We're heartbroken about this.” Illinois, like Colorado, has enacted some of the country’s most stringent gun-safety regulations, including a red-flag law. In 2019, the alleged shooter had two encounters with police, one involving concerns that he was going to harm himself and the other that he was threatening family members. Nonetheless the authorities did not pursue a red-flag order, he was able to obtain a gun permit and, later, two high-powered rifles (one was used in the attack). No motive has yet been given for his actions. I heard this the other day from my sister-in-law: “The Second Amendment proponents have taken away our First Amendment right to free assembly.” Case in point: After the shooting, with the gunman at large, all of the surrounding communities canceled or shut down their Independence Day observances (he wasn’t apprehended for several hours).
Postscript: Recently, several of us went to a nearby municipal beach, where “Taps” has long been played at sunset on summer nights. At the appointed moment, a gentleman with an antique bugle began the familiar melody. We all stood, facing the lake and the fading light. Men doffed their caps, children were silent. Undoubtedly, some folks among our small throng disagree with me on many issues. But, for just that spontaneous and solemn moment, we were unified. As the last notes drifted away, we all applauded and slipped off to our cars. Only later did I realize that the direction we were all facing — northwest — was toward Highland Park. Had it occurred to me then, I probably would have burst into tears.
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Your source for showcasing local fiction, poetry and more! Send your creative pieces to: fiction@soprissun.com
The Man Next Door
M
By Tom Mercer
y name is Alex and this is my story. It was the last week in May 2075 when ChronoCorp transported me back in time to the first part of the 21st century. My geographical target was the city of Arlington Heights, Massachusetts. I was not the first agent to be involved in the corporation’s time-travel missions, and I had no reason to believe that I would be the last. Many had made the leap before me, and many would doubtless follow. I had successfully completed the company’s training program, and I had made an exhaustive study of my intended destination as it existed in the year 2022. I had also read a risk assessment study focused on time travel. Frankly, I was highly motivated by the generous payment that I would receive upon my return to the year 2075. Unfortunately, I had not allowed for circumstances to arise that would complicate my mission. That complication was my neighbor in 2022, Nathan. The mission was fairly simple, to prevent a specific politician from boarding a flight out of Boston Logan International Airport. Apparently, the targeted politician was on a track to inspire riots and pointless bloodshed in the course of his intended travels. Chrono-Corp’s field agent handbook outlined various tactics that an agent could use to successfully accomplish such a mission. Chrono-Corp assured that there would be a device available in the past to allow me to return to 2075 upon completion of my mission. Everything went smoothly on the day of my scheduled transport. The time-travel apparatus was inspected and found to be 100% ready for my mission. I dressed in clothing appropriate for the year 2022, stepped onto the transport pad and closed my eyes. The sounds of the machinery in the lab reached a crescendo and I was transported to 2022 in a split-second. Upon arrival, I opened my eyes and surveyed my surroundings. I was standing on a timetransport pad, and a fading green glow hung in the air around me. I determined that I was in some sort of crude metal shed. When the green glow faded, I opened the door and peeked outside. The
shed was located in the backyard of an old twostory house of a residential neighborhood. It was late at night and I was exhausted, so I made my way into the house and fell into a deep sleep. In the morning, I looked at the map that had been issued to me. I located a nearby grocery store and walked down to Massachusetts Avenue to purchase supplies. Although my mission schedule indicated that I would only be in the past for a short time, I would need provisions. Using the physical paper money that ChronoCorp had provided, I purchased food and newspapers and walked back to my temporary home. As I neared the house, I noticed the man that lived next-door. He was sitting on his front porch, and he was obviously assessing his new neighbor — namely, me. I stopped in front of his house and, hoping to curtail any further curiosity, I introduced myself. He told me that his name was Nathan. Following a brief chat, I excused myself, explaining that my groceries needed to be refrigerated. It seemed that my neighbor was the curious sort, and I hoped that his curiosity would not become a problem. My unease intensified over the next few days as I realized that my neighbor seemed to have nothing better to do than watch my every movement. Whether I was coming or going, he was either watching me from the chair on his front porch, or peering out one of the windows that faced my house. I resolved to be cautious and refrain from doing anything the least bit suspicious. Still, it’s difficult to “act normal” when you’re a time-traveler on a mission. I performed an equipment check on the time-travel device in my backyard tool shed at 1:30 a.m. the morning of my assigned mission. I had upgraded a few components and ran a new electric line to the shed. When I finished, I crossed my fingers and switched the machine on. The equipment hummed to life, as expected, and the intensifying green glow around the transport pad indicated that everything was operating perfectly. Satisfied, I shut down the equipment, entered my house and went to bed. I slept fitfully, tossing and turning in anticipation of my impending mission. I awakened early on the morning of my assignment and caught a cab to Logan Airport. I went directly to a seat in a waiting area with a clear view of the security screening line. When
I saw my intended target, I simply approached a security officer and informed him that the man — my target — posed a danger to the flight, and that’s all it took. I slipped away in the resulting commotion and the target passenger was pulled out of the line and taken into an adjoining room for questioning, which resulted in him missing the flight. Although I did not know exactly what would have happened if he had reached his destination, it did not matter to me. I had completed my assignment. I was relieved that nothing had gone wrong, and that history might be somehow changed for the better. I returned to my temporary home that afternoon without any trouble. I slept well that night, but was awakened early the next morning by the sound of my doorbell. I opened the door and there stood my neighbor Nathan. I invited him into my house and we sat down in the living room. That was when he told me that he had seen the green light coming from my tool shed. He clearly wanted an explanation. I realized that it would be better to give him any explanation rather than have the local authorities ring my doorbell, so I told Nathan that I was experimenting with a time-travel device in my tool shed. He was aghast. I told him nothing about my assigned mission, and the sketchy information I did share seemed to mostly satisfy his curiosity in spite of its incredible nature. Besides, even if Nathan did speak to someone about what he had witnessed, no one would believe him. He returned to his home after our talk, clearly dumbfounded, and later that night I stepped onto the time-travel pad and successfully
returned to my own time in 2075. It was the morning following my return to the future that I learned that my nosey neighbor had followed me through the time portal shortly after my departure. For some unknown reason his transport into the future had apparently disabled the machine’s auto-destruct program. At least he has someone he knows in the year 2075, I thought. Historical documents revealed that my disappearance (and my neighbor’s disappearance) had both been mentioned in The Boston Globe newspaper that week. The article also noted that investigators had discovered some unusual equipment on one of the properties and the equipment had been seized by agents of the federal government. Perhaps that is how the initial design for the first time-travel device was discovered. Instead of the past affecting the future, the future may have affected the past. Stranger still, electronic records and postmission interviews revealed the following: 1. The completion of my mission in 2022 only took three days, and I promptly returned to 2075 after my job was done. 2. My neighbor Alex was interviewed by Chrono-Corp following his arrival in 2075, and he was absolutely certain that I had been in the house next door for more than six months. 3. Strangest of all, Chrono-Corp’s time management equipment indicated that I had been in the past for one year and five months. No one could say whether the timescrambling was due to a glitch in ChronoCorp’s equipment, or some sort of rift in time itself. Time will tell, I suppose.
"Summer hummers", photos by Tommy Sands
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Are you looking for a position that allows flexibility in your schedule with the ability to help others?
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22 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022
LETTERS Why persist in driving like there’s no tomorrow? It just might be that day — if not for you, for someone else. Diane Reynolds, Slow Down in Town
We’re having a heat wave In the past, while manning the 350 Roaring Fork climate change booth at Carbondale’s farmers market, a few deniers came by and insisted the whole thing was a hoax and we needed fossil fuels forever for our very survival. At last week’s market, with temperatures soaring toward triple digits for what seemed like the umpteenth day in a row, we heard very little of that. There were those who blamed climate activists for the high price of gasoline. I pointed out the cost of petrol was going down, not because of increased oil production or the release of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but due to reduced demand, the way it should be. Drivers are unwilling to pay the exorbitant amounts demanded by Big Oil and are increasingly relying on alternative forms of transportation. And encouraging people to switch away from fossil fuels didn’t cause the price jump, either. Demand went down during the pandemic and Big Oil cut production. Being typically reactionary American businessmen, the oil barons didn’t juice up the wells and refineries when it was obvious the country was coming out of the worst effects of the pandemic. High demand plus low supply equals high prices. Inflation will go away even if we do nothing about it. If we do nothing about climate change, it’ll get nothing but worse until we leave our children with a nonviable planet. Eighty-five percent of America is experiencing 90-degree heat or more. One-hundred million Americans in 28 states have received heat alerts. Records are being crushed. For you nationalists out there, other parts of the world are affected, too. Europe is sweltering at an unprecedented level. Western India and Pakistan were hit with a heat wave that destroyed their crops. No sooner had that abated than
continued from page 2
eastern India and Bangladesh experienced record flooding. Droughts in Africa will cause massive starvation. All this is caused by our addiction to fossil fuels. They’ve done their job. Fossil fuels made the Industrial Revolution possible. Now that we know of its damaging effects, it’s time to say adios. Fred Malo Jr., Carbondale
Business funding The COVID pandemic, economic volatility, inflation and business uncertainties rattle business start-ups, small business capital formation, underserved business owners and better paying job prospects. Well, the U.S. Government has nearly $10 billion to hand out to the states through the American Rescue Plan Act. So far, more than $1.5 billion has been allocated. Also, it includes venture capital funding. In the future, Colorado will receive its share allotment under "[t]he American Rescue Plan reauthorized and expanded SSBCI [State Small Business Credit Initiative], which was originally established in 2010 and was highly successful in increasing access to capital for traditionally underserved small businesses and entrepreneurs. (1) I advise local and county small businesses and entrepreneurs needing funding to start planning and be ready to get their piece of the pie in Colorado. It's too bad Colorado’s U.S. senators, U.S. representatives, county officials and others, including bankers, don't inform the general public until the last minute. Then the madness commences in stressed-out confusion. Shame on elected officials! (1) "Treasury Approves Nine Additional State Plans to Support Underserved Entrepreneurs and Small Business Growth Through the State Small Business Credit Initiative", Press Release, Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 19, 2022. Best wishes, Emzy Veazy III, Aspen
PARTING SHOT
There's a rumor going around that visitors must pay a fee to photograph the iconic Crystal Mill outside Marble but it’s not exactly true. Photographs are allowed from the road as they always have been. To access the Crystal River to photograph the mill from that angle, you must sign a waiver at the Crystal Store and pay a fee. Photo by Lynn Burton
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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022 • 23
24 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 28 - Aug. 3, 2022