17 06 29

Because every town needs a park, a library and a newspaper

Sopris Carbondale’s weekly

community connector

Sun

Volume 9, Number 21 | June 29, 2017

Ryan Moyer, left, gave oarsman Logan Crist a taste of what the Crystal River has to offer on June 24. Moyer owns Up The Creek Rafting out of Glenwood Springs, which offers trips off the beaten waves when flows allow. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Let’s talk about the weather

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff Writer

It may sound mundane, but for a lot of locals — human and otherwise — a lot depends on the seasonal and shorter patterns of temperature and precipitation. That’s particularly evident in the winter, when ski resorts track the snowpack in daily detail, but they’re not the only ones watching.

The Colorado Basin River Forecast Center is in charge of estimating the amount of water that will trickle down from the Rockies toward the Pacific Ocean April through July. This year, it’s looking good for the millions of people who depend on that water.

“We really had some good snow early in

the season,” senior hydrologist Brenda Alcorn said. “December and January were really big months, then February was kind of okay and we really dried out in March and April. Then, in May, we had a couple of cold storms that kind of helped us rebound a bit. It’s slowing down, but it’s still coming. A lot of the reservoirs have filled or will fill this season.”

In general, Alcorn said, runoff has been above the 30-year rolling average throughout the Western Slope, with the notable exception of the Yampah River watershed.

On the Roaring Fork, runoff was high

enough to close some of the diversion tunnels to the Front Range for the third year running. That’s easier to do when the reservoirs on that side of the Divide are already pretty full, but it’s still unusual, according to Liza Mitchell, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Roaring Fork Conservancy.

“We had an above average snowpack this year, so we’re sitting pretty in terms of the natural water storage system,” she said. “It looks like there was a peak right around June 9, then it dropped a bit and then it peaked again.”

WEATHER page 14

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Carbondale Commentary The views and opinions expressed on the Commentary page do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The Sopris Sun invites all members of the community to submit letters to the editor or guest columns. For more information, email editor Will Grandbois at news@soprissun.com, or call 510-3003.

A goodbye letter to Carbondale

By Katrina Byars Departing Trustee I am grateful for my life and time in Carbondale. I consider Carbondale my hometown, and I will always be connected to this place.

Carbondale has given me many gifts.

When I was small, I learned to swim in our pool. I grew up knowing how to treat the water and mountains. Here, I learned the terrifying art of public speaking, because I had to speak up for our watershed. I know that the dandelion is a nutritious, and medicinal flower, not a weed. It is in our culture to take care of the beautiful natural resources that support our lives and nourish our spirit.

We care about each other, we help each other, and together do great things like supporting independent media with KDNK and The Sopris Sun. We create Mountain Fair together, protect our heritage together, and while we represent every political view under the sun, we make progress toward the things we know are important.

As Trustee for the Town of Carbondale, it is has been my responsibility to oversee the health, safety, and welfare of our community. I have served on several boards related to social and environmental justice. A year into my term a woman I know asked me how it felt to be a politician. I told her that I was still an activist.

I worked tirelessly to protect my community from highly dangerous hydraulic fracturing operations in our watershed through a long succession of strategies. I have pushed for inclusionary actions and resolutions to reach LGBTQ community members, Spanish speakers, differently abled people, senior citizens, at-risk youth, lowincome families, and those in need of mental health support. I believe we are all in this together, and we are strongest when everyone’s

voice is heard. The well-being of our environment is directly linked to the well-being of our society.

I’ve had difficult experiences here that have helped me to cast a much wider net of compassion and empathy. I love this town. My struggle to secure affordable housing remains a problem that persists for individuals throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. It is with a heavy heart that I leave behind our paradise to seek a stronger future for my family.

Our community has many strengths in volunteerism, community, and our environmental ethic. We could also use some improvement on attainable housing and inclusion of differently-abled citizens and seniors in our planning, and transportation. We need to do better on this as many amazing people are prevented from enjoying our parks, public spaces, and public events because we have not yet become adept in ensuring universal access. I have rallied for this issue for the last three years and I hope my friends and colleagues rally on to find meaningful solutions.

This week, as I pass the torch, I know that our community will continue to speak up for what is right. Carbondale will continue to be a bastion of environmental stewardship striving for social equality. I appreciate all of the encouragement and support I have received, and I hope that I can count on it in the future as I continue to fight for our water on the county, state, and federal level.

I am not leaving Carbondale behind as much as expanding our fight for clean water, clean energy, and social equality. I have learned so much about the challenges we face as Coloradans, that I feel a calling to do all that I can to make our region more humane, more livable, more diverse, and more sustainable. Our challenges are many, but our wild spirit prevails. Farewell, sweet town. Keep fighting the good fight!

OPINION

Letters

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 400 words. Letters exceeding that length may be edited or returned for revisions.

Include your name and residence (for publication) and a contact email and phone number. Submit letters via email to news@soprissun.com or via snail mail to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623. The deadline to submit letters to the editor is noon on Monday.

Protect railroad history Dear Editor: Railroad history in the West reflects our history, as a nation, as individuals with dreams and with courage, and as communities with a significant place in that history.

Yet, the Union Pacific Railroad Company, owner of the Rail Depot in Glenwood Springs, threatens to put an end to the Rail Museum at the Glenwood Depot so that the Company can add approximately $30,000 to its income. This amount, although a token in the budget of the Union Pacific, will put to an end the existence of the Museum.

Following is a letter I recently sent to the Union Pacific representative. Please add your thoughts to this issue for his consideration. Let’s save the Museum in its appropriate location, the Rail Station: Mr. Lance Fritz, Chairman and CEO Union Pacific Railroad Company 1400 Douglas St. Omaha, NE 68179 Dear Mr. Fritz, As a resident of the Roaring Fork Valley (Glenwood Springs to Aspen, Colorado) for the past half century, as an active participant in governance activities on the local, state, and national levels, and as a community member with a deep interest in historical preservation and community character,

I find it both surprising and upsetting that the Union Pacific Railroad Company would even consider an action that threatens to destroy and eliminate the existence of the Glenwood Springs Union Pacific Railroad Museum that exists in the historic Rail Station in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Even a brief review of the history of this area reflects the national significance of the railroads in the development of our nation.

The Union Pacific Railroad Company is significant both in the stories of its past, and in the role it plays in the lives of those who live in and visit our area today.

The Museum not only educates about and reflects that history, it educates all to the significance of the development and use of railroads in the nation’s westward movement. School children, railroad buffs, visitors, the casual tourist, those who wish to know about the significance of the place in which they choose to live, and others……. all visit the Museum and learn from the docents and volunteers who manage the Museum for us all.

Many of us use the train for travel adventures. We look forward to the train’s daily arrival and departure. Its location near the Museum is significant.

The nearby Colorado Hotel, the Denver Hotel, and the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Pool, Redstone’s Cleveholm Manor,

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017

and numerous other local, historically designated structures have significant connections to the Rail Station. The Station, local home for the California Zephyr, is an appropriate site for the attached Museum. The Museum site, although convenient for its current use, is not suitable for many other uses, for numerous and varied reasons.

I hope you will reconsider your request for increased monetary gain, a move that will put the museum out of business. Instead, allow those of us who support historic preservation and research to move forward, with both social and monetary support from Union Pacific Railroad Company.

Thank you for your reconsideration in this matter.

Dorothea Farris Carbondale

Service appreciated Dear Editor: The 4th of July approaches and we Americans prepare to celebrate our country’s independence and freedoms. I would like to invite all US military veterans and active duty to join us the Tribute to Veterans entry in Aspen’s Fourth of July parade. Meet at 10 a.m. at Paepcke Park on Main Street.

Locals and visitors are welcome. Rides are available. For more information call Hugh at 925-8278 or Sally at 948-8278.

LETTERS page 19

Sincerest thanks to our

Honorary Publishers for their generous, ongoing commitment of support.

Jim Calaway, Chair Kay Brunnier Bob Ferguson – Jaywalker Lodge Scott Gilbert: Habitat for Humanity - RFV Bob Young – Alpine Bank Peter Gilbert Umbrella Roofing, Inc. Bill Spence and Sue Edelstein Greg and Kathy Feinsinger

Thank you to our SunScribers and community members for your support!

It truly takes a village to keep The Sun shining.

To inform, inspire and build community.

Donations accepted online or by mail. For information call 510-3003 Editor Will Grandbois 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Advertising: Kathryn Camp • 970-379-7014 adsales@soprissun.com Reporters: Lynn Burton, John Colson Photographer: Jane Bachrach Graphic Designer: Terri Ritchie Delivery: Tom Sands CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS board@soprissun.com Barbara Dills, President Debbie Bruell, Secretary Cliff Colia • Diana Alcantara Matt Adeletti • Olivia Pevec Faith Magill • Stacey Bernot Raleigh Burleigh • Marilyn Murphy The Sopris Sun Board meets regularly on the second Monday evening of each month at the Third Street Center. Check the calendar for details and occasional date changes.

Founding Board Members Allyn Harvey • Becky Young • Colin Laird Barbara New • Elizabeth Phillips Peggy DeVilbiss • Russ Criswell

The Sopris Sun, Inc. P.O. Box 399 520 S. Third Street #32 Carbondale, CO 81623 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Send us your comments: feedback@soprissun.com The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Donations to The Sun are fully tax deductible.

Meet Marty Silverstein, Carbondale trustee

By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Staff Writer When Marty Silverstein moved to the Roaring Fork Valley from New York area in 1990, there were no opportunities for him to do the kind of computer consulting he’d done back East.

“The closest place was Denver,” Silverstein told The Sopris Sun, and he wanted to live in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Part of the rest of the story is one that’s been told up and down the Roaring Fork Valley for decades. Armed with a BS in political science and a minor in business administration, he eventually landed a job paying $7 an hour (plus a ski pass) at the Aspen airport.

“It wasn’t easy finding a job in Aspen in 1990, especially if you didn’t have a car … and a lot of employers thought you were a short timer,” he recalled.

At the same time, Silverstein was fortunate to land a job taking care of the Patio Building in exchange for a place to stay. “That’s how I survived.”

In 1994, a friend told him the Aspen post office was giving one of its periodic tests for employment. “I scored well … it was a stable job that paid $13 an hour with benefits … it was a good opportunity.”

Today, 22 years later, Silverstein is a Carbondale Trustee and probably the most outgoing, friendly and helpful Carbondale post office window worker the town has seen in a long time. He’s lived in a Carbondale townhouse with his wife, Kathy Webb, for 17 years, and during that time was joined by two cats: Care Matt (named after Avalanche hockey player Matt Duchene) and Mickey (in honor of his later brother).

Family history Silverstein, 65, grew up in the Bronx, New York, in the Mosholu Parkway neighborhood where the ethnic mix was about one-third Jewish, one-third Irish and one-third Italian. His high schools (JHS 80 and DeWitt Clinton) were about one-third Anglo, one-third Latino (primarily Puerto Rican) and one-third African American.

“Growing up in a mixed bag of nationalities, religions and ethnic groups, has given me an appreciation and tolerance for other peoples’ backgrounds,” he said. “It has also taught me that there are good and not so good people in all groups of people.”

Silverstein’s grandparents on his father’s side immigrated to the United States from Russia (probably between 1900-1910). His mother’s parents emigrated to the U.S. from Austria/Hungary at about the same time. “They were part of the great Jewish migration from Eastern Europe from 1900 to 1920. My father grew up on the lower East Side and my mom grew up in Brooklyn.”

Silverstein’s father graduated from the City University of New York (CUNY). His mother attended CUNY but did not graduate, and later worked for shirt-retailer A. Sulka. His father started working as an office manager at a direct-mail company, and worked his way up to president of U.S. operations. His parents, especially his mother, were union activists and labor organizers. “Back then, they’d be called socialists or communists … today they’d be called progressives.”

After college After college, Silverstein moved back to New York City, drove a taxi and attended an intensive program in IBM 360/370 programming and system analysis at New York University. He received a certificate from NYU upon completion of the program.

After NYU, he entered the workforce doing computer programming at Teacher’s Insurance and Chubb Insurance, then began a career as a computer consultant. Client companies he worked for included: AT&T, Merrill Lynch, Consolidated Edison, Perkin Elmer and Cordis Corp.

Silverstein had actually visited a cousin on Missouri Heights twice since 1986 before moving to the Roaring Fork Valley permanently in 1990.

“I ultimately moved here because my first wife had died

Marty Silverstein discusses local issues outside the Carbondale post office on a recent lunch break. He moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1990, and has worked at the Carbondale post office for seven years. Photo by Lynn Burton and I was stuck in a funk and decided I needed a change,” he said. “My cousin generously offered me a room here when I came.”

Impressions of those early visits to his cousin include standing outside in the snow at Thanksgiving wearing a Tshirt, and a dip in the Hot Springs pool in Glenwood Springs with snow blowing in his face.

When Silverstein was growing up, his family (especially his father) taught him and his sister that there is always someone worse off than they, and they should help out in any way they can. Silverstein said he and his wife, together and separately, volunteer their time to nonprofits and good causes dozens of times a year. “Without Kathy’s help, I couldn’t do the things I do.” Some events, such as the annual Cowboy Up, see Marty and Kathy working together.

“We’re a team.” They also make regular financial donations to local nonprofits and causes.

Silverstein is a member of the Sons of American Legion Post 100 “ … as my dad belonged to the greatest generation, fighting in World War II.” He and Steve’s Guitars owner Steve Standiford also organize and help run the annual summer music series in Sopris Park.

The trustees After serving on the Carbondale Parks & Recreation Committee for several years, Silverstein ran for a trustee seat in April 2016.

“I ran because I wanted to have some say in Carbondale’s future,” he said. “Some peoples’ legacy is their children. We are not blessed with kids but my legacy can be that I helped Carbondale stay the funky eclectic mix that we have today. I love that Carbondale is an inclusive place.

We have old miners, old hippies, professionals, artists and artisans, retirees and young families … every age and economic group you can imagine.”

Two of Silverstein’s main concerns are recruiting more bilingual police officers, and what he calls “the 800- pound gorilla” – City Market, which still hasn’t announced when it plans to build a big, modern store on Highway 133.

“It’s our largest sales tax generator… If it ever left town,

we’d have serious issues.”

Silverstein isn’t shy about his support for a Highway 133 development proposal for a City Market and other uses several years ago, which voters ultimately shot down.

“He (the developer) did everything we wanted.”

The seven-member Carbondale Board of Trustees tilts heavily toward environmental protections and energy-related sustainability. Silverstein said he’s not a “tree hugger” but the environment and sustainability are important issues for the board of trustees. “ … if you like to fish, hunt, play golf, breathe clean air and drink clean water … This is our only planet.”

Wrapping up When Silverstein started at the Carbondale post office seven years ago, he and his fellow workers started putting out suckers for the kids. One reason was to help teach kids to say “thank you.”

When this reporter noted that Silverstein seems to enjoy greeting customers and working the Carbondale post office window, he paused and then replied, “We’re very customer service oriented. ‘Service’ is part of our name. We fix problems … there’s some satisfaction in that.”

Lightning round Q: Your birthday A: Jan. 24, 1952

Q: Your favorite professional sports teams?

A: Hockey: Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers

Q: What was the first record you ever bought?

A: A Roy Rogers and Dale Evans 45. I was six or seven.

Q: What was the first car you bought?

A: A 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Q: What is your favorite month?

A: October.

Q: What is your favorite local pizza?

A: Peppino’s.

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017 • 3

Town Report

Carbondale seeks a new Ditch Rider Utilities has a seasonal position for the Ditch Rider open and is advertising to ďŹ ll it, according to the weekly memo to staff, trustees and others provided by Finance Director Renae Gustine ďŹ lling in for Town Manager Jay Harrington. Meanwhile‌ • Cerise Park LLC is revising Phase Two on Thompson Park to only do a portion of it. The lot conďŹ guration and design is the same as originally approved in October 2016. This will require amendments to the legal documents which were approved by the board in February 2017. This is scheduled for the July 13, 2017 board meeting. • New ďŹ nance accounting employee Viktoriya Ehlers had her ďŹ rst day on June 28. • Small equipment, a mower, two pickup trucks and a Jeep are being sold on the public surplus auction site beginning June 26. • Water demand is up with the warm weather, with the water treatment plant running close to full capacity and a small amount of North Nettle Creek ows being used to augment and increase production water. All water plants, with the exception of Crystal Well, are operational and fully staffed. • The Gateway RV Park water system continues to be a problem and various design and storage solutions are being evaluated. The park recorded 58 separate reservations with 130 campers. • Members of the streets crew and utilities crew began annual cleaning on drywells around town. This work will continue on Mondays throughout the summer. In addition, crews worked on pothole repair, painting no parking areas around the entrances to Sopris Park, street

sweeping, and sign replacement and repair. • No damage was reported after a tree blew down into the road on Oak Run and crews were able to remove the tree without incident. Pruning took place on trees in in Gianinetti Park and one tree with substantial rot at the base was removed near the playground. Staff also noticed a large cottonwood tree in Gianinetti Park that was exhibiting signs of active failure and began the process of removing it. • The Rec. Center gymnasium was closed on June 24 for a private rental wedding reception with 400 people attending. Also, a USTA Tennis Tournament took place on the Triangle Park Tennis Courts on Friday and Saturday, June 23 & 24, during which time the courts were closed to public use. • The ďŹ rst session of Youth Tennis Lessons culminates the last week of June, then session two starts on July 11 and runs every Tuesday and Thursday through July 27.

New this year is an introduction to pickleball program for kids 5 to 10 years old. This session takes place from August 1-17th. • Session one for North Face Bike Park Lessons has started and there is still room in the July, August and September sessions. Registration deadline for the July North Face Bike Park Lessons is Friday, June 30. • Chief Schilling and Lieutenant Wurtsmith are attending the Chief Conference this week. OfďŹ cers Rodgers and Kirkland attended bike class where Lieutenant Wurtsmith was a teacher. Reports are it was a great class. OfďŹ cer Sanders has left employment with the town and the department is currently taking applications for his position.

Cop Shop From June 16 through 22, Carbondale OfďŹ cers handled 224 Calls for Service. During this period, ofďŹ cers investigated the following cases of note:

FRIDAY June 16 at 10:57 p.m. Police took a report of damaged property at the Wells Fargo Bank.

FRIDAY June 16 at 11:56 a.m. Police received a report that two 64 gallon Waste Management bins had been stolen from a Carbondale home.

SATURDAY June 17 at 2:31 a.m. After a 29-yearold Carbondale man failed to obey a trafďŹ c signal, he was pulled over and arrested for driving under the inuence. Three minutes later, a 24-year-old man was stopped for weaving and arrested on the same charge.

SUNDAY June 18 at 4:40 a.m. A ďŹ ght between several young men at 7/11 resulted in several citations, though no charges for ďŹ ghting. Three 20year-olds were cited for minor in possession of alcohol, while a 19-year-old was arrested on a Jefferson County warrant.

MONDAY June 19 at 6:22 p.m. OfďŹ cers were informed that an unknown amount of jewelry was taken from a property on Dolores Way sometime after May 16.

MONDAY June 19 at 11:17 p.m. A 20-year-old Carbondale man was arrested for violation of a protection order.

THURSDAY June 22 at 7:33 p.m. OfďŹ cers were contacted by the director of Heritage Park Care Center about a possible sex assault, which is now under investigation.

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4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017

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Preliminary budget illustrates fire district without mill levy

By John Colson Sopris Sun Staff Writer As the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District works on its budget for the coming year, one unknown factor continues to be the question of whether the district will ask voters this fall for a tax hike in 2018, to make up for the impending expiration of a twoyear, temporary mill levy increase approved by voters in 2015.

A preliminary budget for 2018, provided

by Fire Chief Ron Leach, shows how the district’s finances would look if a tax question does not make it onto the ballot this fall.

On the revenue side of the ledger, Leach projected that the district can expect to pull in about $2.2 million in tax revenues, including just over $2 million in property taxes, and about $255,000 in other revenue streams.

On the expense side, Leach estimated, the district is looking at spending a little more than $3.1 million on everything from personnel ($2.3 million) to administration ($245,000), along with expenditures for communications, training, equipment and facilities.

“It’s a no-growth budget,” said Leach in a telephone interview, explaining that he is still working on the budgetary details that he expects to present to the district’s board of directors at its July 12 meeting at the Carbondale Fire District Headquarters.

As it stands now, the district budget calls for a 2.8 percent increase “in all categories,”

intended to keep the district’s finances at the same inflationary pace as the overall economy, including a 5 percent increase in salaries “across the board.”

As it has in many recent years, the district will need to dip into its reserve fund, which is projected to stand at more than $1.7 million at the end of 2017, in order to meet the expenses lined out in Leach’s budget.

According to that budget, Leach predicted that the district’s reserve fund will drop to $996,000 next year if all the projected expenditures are met (the budget document used for this report can be found at the fire district’s website, www.carbondalefire.org, by clicking on the “Board of Directors” button and scrolling down to the June 17 board packet.)

Aside from the hard numbers, Leach said he will not know how the district’s performance of its duties might be affected if no new revenue sources can be found.

“I don’t have really good answers,” Leach said, when asked if the budget might mean a reduction in the numbers of employees, cutbacks in such things as response time to emergency calls, or other hits to the district’s mission.

“I hope not,” he added.

Although the district has a need for a new ambulance and a new wildland brush truck, Leach pointed out, the budget does not contain a line item for either expenditure.

Also needed, he said, are about 20 new

Carbondale Fire Chief Ron Leach has drafted a preliminary budget that shows how the department will fare if the board decides not to pursue a mill levy renewal.

Photo by Jane Bachrach handheld emergency radio sets, which cost approximately $2,000 apiece.

But that need is not reflected in the budget, either.

Nor are a number of big-ticket capital costs, such as a $1.2 million training facility; or a $1 million vehicle maintenance facility for the district’s fleet of 22 vehicles (currently maintenance is conducted in one of the truck bays at the old firehouse), among other capital-fund projects that Leach said would need to be funded out of the district’s capital-project fund rather than the operations budget.

Speaking candidly, Leach said, “I think this budget illustrates the importance of extending the temporary mill levy increase that was passed in 2015,” though he was quick to add that the board has the final say on whether a tax question should be put to

the voters.

The fire department is working off the tail end of that 2015 tax hike, in which voters agreed to tax themselves for an additional 1.75 mills each year for two years, and which was projected to boost the district’s annual revenue by nearly $600,000.

That tax hike was needed, district officials told the voters, to overcome years of reservefund depletion that started when the economy tanked in 2008 and area property values plummeted.

The 2015 mill levy approval was the second tax hike for the district in the wake of the 2008-09 recession (the first was in 2011), and followed on an electoral defeat in 2013 when the district sought a 6 mill tax hike in perpetuity. The voters rejected that tax question by a wide margin.

Don’t risk the safety of our local firefighters Local firefighters are our friends, family, and neighbors. Give them the best chance to defend your home and remain safe. When told to evacuate GO EARLY so firefighters can do their job efficiently and safely.”

— Brandon Deter, Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District Visit www.PitkinWildfire.com for your personal Wildfire Action Guide.

Call your local fire protection district today for a free wildfire mitigation assessment of your property.

A service of Pitkin County Emergency Management,t, e, your local fire protection districts in Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, Snowmass Village and the Pitkin County Wildfire Councilil EMERGEN CY MANAGEMENT

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017 • 5

Scuttlebutt

Send your scuttlebutt to news@soprissun.com.

Come to the table

organization working to build cross-cultural bridges. The reception and concert will take place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. July 12 at Belly Up Aspen. Additionally, Gallery 1949 will feature Allende’s exuberant paintings, with artist receptions on July 5 and 11. Tickets may be purchased at www.bellyupaspen.com or 970-544-9800, ext.121.

Beginning July 1, make your reservations for the third annual Our Town One Table public potluck on August 20 by emailing ourtown1table@gmail.com or calling Sondie at 305-710-0826. Visit ourtown1table.weebly.com for more information.

Win some, lose some Everyone started out with the same number of chips at the Carbondale Rotary’s Wild Wild West Casino Night a couple of weeks back, but Chris Rowberry ended up with the most and was rewarded with a boot-shaped salt-and-pepper set. Deana Hermanson had the least, and was presented with a spittoon.

The best reward, however, was the $22,000 raised for future scholarships.

Through the lens Colorado Mountain College is hosting a contest for photos “that capture the essence of life, learning and incredible beauty” of the area, according to marketing director Doug Stewart.

Amateur and professionals alike are invited to enter up to three photos now through Aug. 6 at cmcbecauseofyou.org/photo-contest.The contest website also allows anyone to vote for their favorite photos and share on social media. Using the popular vote as a guide, a panel of award-winning photographers will select the top three photos in each of the three categories: amateur camera, professional camera and mobile device photos.

The first-place photo in each category will win $500, second place wins $200 and third

Caught in the web

Alpine Animal Hospital recently announced Lead Technician Cheryl Streater as a new partner in the ownership of the practice.

Streater has been with Alpine Animal Hospital for eight years and in the profession for 23 years. She lives in Carbondale with her husband Robert and son Coleman, three dogs and her cat Canoe and loves to bike, kayak, raft and camp. Courtesy photo place wins $100. In addition, some of the winning photos will be selected for printing on CMC’s 50th anniversary commemorative posters and notecards.

Can you hear the drums?

Fernando Allende, the internationally renowned musician, visual artist, film and television star, will appear in concert in a benefit for English In Action, the local nonprofit

Strawberries and Cream

It’s Our Monthly y Special p Strawberries and Cream Body Masque

Back, Neck and Shoulder Massage, a Private Mineral Bath, and a Day Pass to our Historic Underground Vapor Caves.

“It’s a Day at the Spa” $135

As part of the 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival, more than 700 Xfinity WiFi hotspots in the Roaring Fork Valley will be free to the public through July 5. Comcast launched the network, which provides hotspots for subscribers alongside private connections, in 2012. Access a map of the Xfinity WiFi hotspot locations and download the Xfinity WiFi App at www.xfinity.com/wifi.

Spectacular students A little, electronic bird told us that Bryn Eden Phinney of Redstone recently graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Writing Concentration at Wheaton College, while Olivia A Ayers of Carbondale was named to the Dean’s List at the University of Rhode Island. Congratulations to them both!

Graystang? Bushound?

A new interline ticketing partnership will begin linking the Colorado Department of Transportation’s “Bustang” interregional bus service with Greyhound’s national route system within the next few weeks, which essen-

tially permits passengers to use the same ticket for both bus services. For more information, please visit www.ridebustang.com or www.greyhound.com.

Mean Mr. Mustard If you’re not familiar with Pastor Mustard and his intermittent concerts at the Missouri Heights Schoolhouse, now’s your chance to get acquainted. Steve Spurgin will rock the house at 8 p.m. June 29. “If you like Gordon Lightfoot, you’ll like Steve,” the Pastor assures us. More information at www.houseofmustard.com.

Longer than yours The Sun was recently informed that the Carbondale and Rural Fire Department has enough hose to reach from the firehouse on the south side of town to Highway 82 and back. Incidentally, from June 18-24, fire crews responded to six medical emergencies, four motor vehicle accidents, three carbon monoxide alarms and two suspected structure fires that turned out to be a smoking grill and a bonfire.

They say it’s your birthday Folks celebrating the day of their birth this week include: Patty Phelan and Katie Mac (June 29); John Stickney and Erin Rigney (June 30); Jax Moss and John Matchael (July 1); Staci Dickerson, Jeanie Chestnutt, Dean Harding and Laurie Loeb (July 2); Sissy Sutro, Maggie Jones, Tony Mendez, Cindy Sadlowski and Katie Jones (July 3); Rachel Cooper and Brad Geddes (July 4); Chris Wurtsmith, H. Mavis Fitzgerald, Carla Jean Whitley, Herb Feinzig and Adele Moss (July 5).

Boogie in Bonedale 4th of July Celebration July 4th- 10:30 am 39th Annual Kids Parade 11 am- 2 pm Sopris Park Activities

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11 am - 4 pm Swimming Pool Party 12:00 pm Watermelon Swim Relay 12:30 pm Coin Dive Hunt 1:00 pm Cardboard Canoe Race

Get Cool in Carbondale!

EARLY DEADLINE In observance of the July 4 holiday, the deadline for ad reservations for the Thursday, July issue is Friday, June 30 noon.

Contact Advertising Manager, Kathryn Camp at 970-379-7014 or adsales@soprissun.com 6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017

Brought to you by:

A discount guide to the Aspen Music Festival

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff Writer

renowned violinist Sarah Chang will run pass holders $30 instead of $85.

You can also get take a listen behind The Aspen Music Festival summer the scenes at a morning dress reseason opens June 29, and if $60 to see hearsal for $20, or picnic on the lawn Arnaud Sussmann and Wu Han that outside and hear Revel, Wagner and evening seems steep, don’t worry — ProkoďŹ ev oat through the aspens for there are plenty of events in keeping nothing at all. with a downvalley budget.

As for those who aren’t terribly inChief among them is a free concert terested in classical music at any price, it in memory of Carbondalian Mary may be time to give it another chance.

Crouch Lilly, which features the Aspen PR Director Tamara Vellejos wanted to Conducting Academy Orchestra playbe a rock ‘n roll journalist, but after a ing Verdi, Kraft and Brahms at 4 p.m. few years in Aspen, she’s totally hooked July 3 at the Benedict Music Tent (960 on the music and the stories behind it.

N 3rd St, Aspen). “I don’t think that there’s anything “Mary loved live classical music and in the world that is for absolutely everyattended the concerts in the music festival tent regularly,â€? friend Linda Criswell “Tentâ€? is a bit of a misnomer for the airy but decidedly indoor concert venue that hosts many Aspen one besides breathing and water, but when you have 400 events‌ You can explained. “She sat with friends in what Music Festival events. Photo by Alex Irvin go hear RenĂŠe Fleming sing Bjork songs she called the ‘Carbondale section,’ to this summer,â€? she observed. the left of the main entrance and down level of what they’re going to hear,â€? said PR The Carbondale Branch Library hosts free Cabe agreed. halfway. That’s where her friends will gather Associate Jessica Cabe. “All of our guest recitals July 22 and 29 and August 5 and 12 “It’s easy if you haven’t given it a real fair on Monday.â€? artists perform around the world in the best at 6 p.m., and Basalt Regional Library has an shot to think classical music is all the same, For the uninitiated, a quick primer: the fes- concert halls with the best orchestras. Our ongoing free Tunes and Tales series. tival brings 600 students from around the artist faculty members are principal players Another free option in Aspen itself are the but it’s absolutely not. I personally have comworld to Aspen over the course of eight around the country, and our students are be- Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra con- posers I like and some I’m indifferent toward, weeks in the summer to play in ďŹ ve orches- ginning their careers as professional musi- certs Tuesdays at 4 p.m., which includes just like with pop music,â€? she said. “A lot of tras, and to sing, conduct, compose and study cians all over the world.â€? breaks to change out student conductors — these pieces have been in pasta commercials with 200 renowned artist-faculty members.

Events take place largely at the Music Tent making it ideal for squirmy little ones. Even or Looney Toons or ‘Fantasia’. You do know In the process, locals and visitors alike get a — a permanent semi-outdoor venue with a for regularly scheduled events, 3-17-year-olds it, you just don’t know that you know it.�

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer chance to experience top-notch instrumental scenic public lawn — and the adjacent indoor get in for $5, with a $50 season pass availvariety of programming, but luckily there’s an and vocal music.

Harris Concert Hall, as well as at the Wheeler able for 6-17-year-olds. “There’s a lot going in Carbondale, and if Opera House (catch Verdi’s “La Traviata�

For the grown-ups, the $60 Locals Pass in-depth website at www.aspenmusicfestithey’ve never been to the music festival be- there July 15, 17 and 18), The Aspen Chapel, offers a mix of deep discounts and free val.com. If you can’t ďŹ nd what you’re looking fore, I don’t think they fully understand the and elsewhere. entry. For instance, the July 14 concert with for there, call the box ofďŹ ce at 925-9042.

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THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017 • 7

Buddy Program blossoms; new ‘gardeners’ welcome

By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Staff Writer Arbaney Park in Basalt was probably the happiest, happenist place in town on the evening of June 22, with dozens of Buddy Program mentors and mentees chowing down on potluck picnics and pizza, slugging down soft drinks, swarming around on cool green grass, playing games and engaging in various ballrelated activities, chasing each other and generally having a good time under clear skies and pleasant temperatures.

A magician who goes by the name Ryan Eason mystified kids and adults with rope tricks and other demonstrations of his trade. All this took place at the Buddy Program’s annual picnic. Early in the evening, The Sopris Sun sat down with mentors Dana Presutti and Megan Vrono and their mentees, sisters Judith (14) and Jocelyn (11), both of Carbondale, to talk a bit about the program and what they like about it.

A high point for Dana and mentee Judith came last year when Judith rode a horse for the first time at a Windwalkers event for the Buddy Program. “It was really fun,” Judith told The Sopris Sun, “ … but a little scary.”

Mentor Megan and mentee Jocelyn also enjoy horsing around.“I love to see Jocelyn have new experiences and conquer fears,” Megan said in an email to The Sun. “We did this together during our first outing together at Cozy Point.

They offered free horseback rides to children, and we went. It was amazing to see Jocelyn start off so timid around the horses, and then finish the day feeling confident in her skills.”

Coming up later this summer, outing possibilities include the play “Hairspray” in Aspen,

Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Jeremy in 2011. August is her two-year anniversary with the Buddy Program. “I think it is important for children to have strong adult relationships outside of their parents and guardians. If you want to see positive change within a community, it needs to start with children.”

The Buddy Program

Left to right, front to back: Judith (holding her dog Princess), Riley and her human (Dana Presutti); Megan Vrono and Jocelyn. They were all part of the Buddy Program’s annual picnic at Arbaney Park in Basalt on June 22. Lynn Burton photo an Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklorico performance and “(hiking) Mushroom Rock,” Jocelyn chimed in.

Separately or together with their mentors, Judith and Jocelyn have gone to movies, attended cooking classes, visited an architect’s office and more.

Dana said her mother lived in the Alzheimer’s unit at Heritage Park Care Center in Carbondale before she passed away, and Judith regularly visited with her. “This made it much easier on me,” Dana said. They continue to visit Heritage Park residents every now and then on holidays and to say hello to the “amazing” staff

there. “Judith is one of the most caring and loving people I know.”

Continuing, Dana said, “We look forward to our weekly visits and always seem to know how the other is feeling. We are so grateful to have found each other.”

Dana moved to Aspen from New York City in 2007 and is store manager at Lugano Diamonds in Aspen. “My two teenage daughters went away to boarding school and I wanted a Little Buddy to fill the void … I felt I could add value to her life,” she told The Sopris Sun. Megan is a teacher at Crystal River Elementary School, and moved to Carbondale from

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The 31st annual Boogies Buddy Race sets out from Rio Grande Park in Aspen on July 4.

The 18th annual Bash for the Buddies takes place at Merry-Go Ranch on July 6. For both events, visit buddyprogram.org.

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In-stream entertainment!

Join Pitkin County Healthy Rivers and the Town of Basalt for a dedication of the new whitewater features in the Roaring Fork River near Basalt. The event will be held on Two Rivers Road adjacent to the waves. Two Rivers Road will be closed to vehicle traffic during the event. Parking will be limited.

Friday, F riday, June 30, 5-7 pm

With headquarters in Aspen, and an office at the Third Street Center in Carbondale, the Buddy Program’s mission is to “ … empower youth through mentoring experiences in order to achieve their full potential,” according to its website at buddyprogram.org.

The Buddy Program is open to residents in Aspen, Basalt and Carbondale, according to recruitment manager Laura Seay. “Yes, we have a wait list of Little Buddies in all three towns,” Seay told The Sopris Sun. For details, email LauraS@buddyprogram.org.

“They do an amazing job of matching people (mentors and mentees),” Dana said.

A mentor, according to the Buddy Program, is a “wise and trusted confidant” or an “influential supporter.” Mentoring is a oneto-one or group relationship that helps a child reach his/her full potential. “Mentoring is a powerful way for young people to develop competence and character and plays an important role in a child’s life.”

Watch your County Commissioners run the rapid River surfing demonstrations Swift Water Rescue demonstration

Streamside music, food & refreshments

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8 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017

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Food Co-Op gets a chance to survive (and thrive)

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff Writer This is not the end for Dandelion Market — but for a moment it sure looked like it might be.

A few weeks ago, the 10-year-old local food cooperative, which hasn’t turned a profit since 2013, is tens of thousands of dollars in debt to vendors and staff and is expected to be out of its current location on July 1, was facing the possibility of bankruptcy. Erica Sparhawk, Richard Vottero and Shana Miller were the only remaining members of an ideally five-plus-person board, and Courtney Miller was the last paid staff member standing. Without the volunteer base of years past, the storefront was closed more often than not. The best case scenario was to cut all the way back to a buyer’s club with a location outside of town.

That’s when the owners of Rhumba Girl Liquors and the Crystal River Laundromat came forward with an offer. The Co-Op could take over Sara’s Market, a fledgling endeavor occupying a 600 square foot space in their building at 1310 Highway 133. At $600 a month to start and with the grocery license already in place, it was an appealing option.

“We have an opportunity,” Sparhawk told about a dozen members-owners — mostly former board members and staff — at a meeting on June 26. “These guys have really stepped up and been willing to work with us.”

The board, along with prospective member Jeff Dickinson, presented a budget that laid out a sort of roadmap to solvency in the new space. It would involve taking on some of the original inventory which might not fit the Co-Op’s natural-and-organic philosophy, and while there’s plenty of equipment between the two markets, it might take some time before state approval to sell produce could be arranged. In the meantime, the board envisioned a farmer’s market style vendor on the lawn outside.

“It’s pretty bare bones,” Dickinson said.

“It’s going to take a lot to make this happen — a lot of sacrifice and volunteer labor.”

Some of those assembled had doubts about making that happen.

The Carbondale Food Co-Op has decided to pursue an opportunity to take over the Sara's Market space at 1310 Highway 133. Photo by Jane Bachrach “If you’re not 110 percent behind it, it won’t work,” Mary Catherine Conger said.

“It was very frustrating for me to try to support the Co-Op and not have communication. I drove by probably a dozen times and then I stopped coming.”

Laurie Loeb reminded her fellows that times had changed.

“When we started the Co-Op, there was a real need here for an outlet for organic food,” she said. “We have other competition now that didn’t exist before.”

On the other hand, Joanne Teeple pointed out, the Grand Avenue Bridge Project might give an advantage to the home team.

“Let’s see who wants to go to Vitamin Cottage on August 15,” she said.

In Vottero’s estimation, folding and defaulting on their bills wasn’t an option.

“We’re really hurting about hurting these vendors,” he said. “I think if the store closes, it will really be hard to get this type of business back into Carbondale.”

In the end, Dickinson was officially voted onto the board, and Sontantar — who was involved from the start — stepped up to round out the five. With the infusion of newfound energy, the board found enough optimism to move forward and discuss a lease.

Meanwhile, following a closeout shopping day on June 28, the market is looking for moving assistance starting at 9 a.m. on June 29 and 30. Email ericasparhawk@gmail.com to volunteer.

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THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017 • 9

Community Calendar THURSDAY June 29 TRAILS ’N ALES • The legendary Helen Carlsen guides a hike up Red Hill’s Blue Ribbon Trail at 5:15 for Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers. To RSVP or for more information, email rfov@sopris.net.

SIERRA CLUB TALK • Sierra Club National Executive Director Michael Brune talks about the fight to save public lands and the planet from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

OPEN MIC • Marble Distilling (150 Main St.) hosts an open mic with sign up at 7 p.m. and acts ranging from music to comedy to poetry starting at 7:30 p.m.; bring your own instrument.

BIKEPACKING • Sacred Cycle teams up with Defiant Pack for an introductory clinic on bikepacking from 7 to 9 p.m. at 2557 Dolores Way. Wine, beer and snacks provided; donations suggested at the door.

BOOK SIGNING • Paul Cohen reads from and signs his debut novel "The Glamshack" — listed as Most Anticipated Small Press Book of 2017 — from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Basalt Regional Library (14 Midland Ave.).

To list your event, email information to news@soprissun.com. Deadline is noon on Monday.

Events take place in Carbondale unless noted.

trying to adjust to their mother’s recent death, and each attempting to reconcile their differing interpretations of childhood memories. Tickets ($12$30) and details are available at www.thunderrivertheatre.com or 963-8200.

FRIDAY June 30 MOVIES • The Crystal Theatre presents “Wonder Woman” (PG-13) at 7:30 p.m. June 30-July 6 except July 4 (closed); “Paris Can Wait” (PG) at 5:30 p.m. July 1 and “Born in China” (G) at 5:30 p.m. on July 2- 3.

SILKS WORKSHOP • Island Aerialist presents a workshop at the Launchpad, with beginner classes starting at 3 p.m. and intermediate and advanced techniques starting at 5 p.m.; $25 each class.

OLD-TIMEY FOLK • Steve’s Guitars (19 N. Fourth St.) hosts Natalie Spears of Pearl & Wood along with Lizzy Plotkin of Free the Honey at at 8:30 p.m. – or thereabouts.

July 1 THURS-SAT. June 29-July 1 SATURDAY WILDFEST • Wilderness Workshop’s big

MEMORY OF WATER • The final production of Thunder River Theatre Company’s current season runs through the end of the month at 67 Promenade. The play,

by Shelagh Stephenson, who also wrote for the popular cable series “Downton Abbey,” features three wildly different sisters, each

Genevieve Villamizar, Gregory Pickrell, Lynn Aliya, Mike Marolt, Patrick Curry, and Wewer Kohane beginning at 6 p.m. at True Nature Healing Arts (100 N. Third St.). $10 in advance at clients.mindbodyonline.com or $15 at the door.

annual fundraiser takes over the legendary grounds of Owl Farm in Woody Creek throughout the evening. Tickets are available starting at $45 at www.wildernessworkshop.org/wildfest.

WRIT LARGE • Hear true stories from

SUNDAY July 2 BRUNCH • Roaring Fork Beer Company and Field 2 Fork Kitchen present the first Moody Blues Sunday Brunch at the new Batch space (358 Main St.) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; $30 for adults and $10 for kids.

QUARTET • Driftwood plays Steve’s Guitars (19 N. Fourth St.) at 8:30 p.m.; $15 cover.

MONDAY July 3 HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION • Free opportunities include…

• One-hour consultation about heart attack prevention, plant-based nutrition, other med-

Advertise

ical issues. Call retired family doctor Greg Feinsinger, M.D. for appointment (379-5718).

• First Monday of every month catch a powerpoint presentation by Dr. Feinsinger about the science behind plant-based nutrition 7 to 8:30 p.m. board room Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

• Fourth Monday of every month, plantbased potluck 6:30 p.m. Calaway Room Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

All events supported by Davi Nikent, Center for Human Flourishing. More information at www.davinikent.org.

RAPTOR FAIR • From 3 to 5 p.m., the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (100 Puppy Smith St., Aspen) hosts its fifth annual free visit with birds from eagles to owls to falcons. RSVP and more info at www.aspennature.org/learn/events/Raptor-Fair-17.

TUESDAY July 4 FOURTH FESTIVITIES • Celebrate Independence Day with the 38th annual kids’ parade down Main Street at 10:30 a.m., followed immediately by a free community pool party coupled with ice cream, watermelon, crafts, games, music and more at Sopris Park.

WEDNESDAY July 5 BASALT MUSIC • Summer concerts kick off at Triangle Park at 6 p.m. with the Atomic Drifters. Summer Concert Series opens with Atomic Drifters!

CALENDAR page 11

SPACE IS LIMITED! WILL SELL OUT! RESERVE YOUR AD BY

JULY 6

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Your local source for July’s harvest:

Every Wednesday 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

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summer squash, broccoli, cucumbers, kale, tomatoes, basil, chard, green beans, spring onions, garlic, napa cabbage, and more!

2017 Mountain Fair Program

Programs will be distributed valley-wide as an insert in The Sopris Sun’s Thursday, July 27 issue, given directly to fair guests and will be available online at

www.soprissun.com

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10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017

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Support CA & The Sopris Sun FULL PAGE

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Community Calendar

continued from page 10

Ongoing WRITERS GROUP • Wordsmiths of all experience and abilities gather at the Carbondale Branch Library at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of the month.

BOOK CLUB • Join friends and fellow readers to discuss great books at Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.) at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month; call 9632889 for this month’s selection.

POETRY WORKSHOPS • Release your inner poet from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month a the Basalt Regional Library (14 Midland Ave.).

HIGH NOON • Bring your compliments, complaints and ideas to Sopris Sun Editor Will Grandbois at 12 p.m. Thursdays at the Pour House (351 Main St.).

LIONS MEET • The Carbondale Lions Club meets the first Tuesday of the month at the Gathering Center at the Orchard (110 Snowmass Dr.) starting at 6:30 p.m. Info: Chuck Logan at 963-7002 or Chris Chacos at 379-9096.

MEDITATION • Everyone’s invited for SRF meditation at True Nature (100 N. Third St.) from 10 to 11 a.m. on the first Sunday of the month and 5 to 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month. Call Jim at 618-1135 with any questions.

COMMUNITY MEAL • Faith Lutheran Church (1340 Highway 133) hosts a free community meal from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays of the month. Info:

510-5046 or faithcarbondale.com.

BIRDING • Meet a Roaring Fork Audubon volunteer at 7 a.m. every first and third Thursday May through August in the little parking area next to the south Crystal River Bridge. Free.

BLUEGRASS JAM • Bring the instrument of your choice or just your voice for a weekly jam session first and last Sundays at 6:30 at Steve’s Guitars (19 N 4th St.) and all other Sundays at the Glenwood Springs Brew Garden (115 Sixth St.).

YOUR STORY, YOUR LIFE • A free facilitated workshop for adults, writing your personal history, one story at a time. Facilitated by Shelly Merriam, historian/writer/genealogist.

First and third Fridays, 10 a.m. to noon at the Glenwood Springs Branch Library, (815 Cooper Ave.). Info at 945-5958 or gcpld.org FARMER’S MARKET • Local produce and more available at the Fourth Street Plaza from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays.

LINX • The Linx Business Network meets Tuesdays at 7:15 a.m. at the Sotheby’s International real estate office (201 Midland Ave.) in Basalt. Linx is a networking organization whose members work together to grow and promote their businesses, according to a press release. All dues not used for administration are given to local non-profits each December. Info: Keith at 970-390-8401 or kedquist@usa.net.

MINDFULNESS • The Mindful Life Program

in the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.) offers group sessions Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Admission is by donation and registration is not necessary. Info: mindfullifeprogram.org and 970-633-0163.

Book Club at 4 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month; and the Roaring Fork Brain Train. Info: seniormatters.org; Diane Johnson at 970-306-2587; and Senior Matters, Box 991, Carbondale CO, 81623.

SILENT MEDITATION • Free silent meditation sessions are held at the Launchpad (76 S. Fourth St.) from 6:45 to 7:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The public is invited.

SENIOR RADIO • Diane Johnson talks about senior issues and services on KDNK at 4:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month.

THREW AND THRU • The Carbondale Clay Center (135 Main St.) features a solo exhibition by Matthew Eames featuring an installation and sculptures playing with the idea of tenuous space.

CORRESPONDENCE • Carbondale Arts presents an exhibition that displays the artfully slow-paced discourse between 14+ artists utilizing the postal system in the tradition of mail art at The Launchpad (76 S. Fourth St.).

BRIDGE • The Carbondale Bridge Club hosts duplicate bridge (not sanctioned by ACBL) from 6:30 to 10 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.). $6/per pair.

SENIOR MATTERS • The nonprofit Senior Matters, based in the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.), offers numerous programs for senior citizens, including: tai chi with John Norman at 8:30 a.m. on Monday and Wednesday; tai chi with Marty Finklestein at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday; Alaprima Painters at 11 a.m. on Thursdays; the Senior Matters

EAST COAST ASSET MANAGEMENT PRE S ENTS

18th annual

SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS • A Spiritual Center in the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.) meets at 10 a.m. sharp with social gathering at 9:45 a.m. Everyone is welcome.

THE ART BASE • Charles J. Wyly Gallery (99 Midland Ave., Basalt) continues The Claudette Carter ARTmentors Annual Exhibition, presenting local high school juniors Natalia Plascencia, BHS, Megan Rusby, RFHS and Mae Houston, GSHS. Highlighting acrylic and charcoal paintings, a mixed media site-specific installation and digital photography, mentees learn firsthand what it takes to become a working artist and are introduced to the full cycle of the artistic process. On view until July 8.

LUNCH • Crystal Meadows (1250 Hendrick Dr.) senior housing hosts a lunch followed by Bingo every Wednesday.

RUN AROUND • Independence Run & Hike hosts a run around town Saturdays at 8 a.m. Meet at the store 596 Highway 133 (in La Fontana Plaza) and run various distances, with different routes each week.

Info: 704-0909.

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THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017 • 11

Trustees will appoint replacement for Byars’ seat

By John Colson Sopris Sun Staff Writer Carbondale’s Board of Trustees decided on June 27 that they will appoint a replacement for outgoing Trustee Katrina Byars, rather than hold a special election.

Among other effects, that means local voters next spring will be electing four trustees — including seats for three who will have been recently appointed — and a mayor.

Trustee Frosty Merriott will be stepping down because of term limits, putting his seat up for election as well.

Byars has resigned because she has been unable to secure affordable housing in Carbondale and is having to move to Glenwood Springs, where her children already are living. Town regulations require that a trustee live within Carbondale’s municipal boundaries. She also recently was laid off from her job as manager for the Dandelion Market food co-op store on Main Street.

Mayor Dan Richardson paused the Tuesday night meeting to give board members an opportunity to thank Byars for her service.

Speaking ďŹ rst, Richardson said he was “saddenedâ€? by her resignation and praised her “passionâ€? about many issues, ranging from her very public participation in events at recent Carbondale Mountain Fair celebrations, her work on the town’s Climate Action Plan and on issues related to oil and gas development in GarďŹ eld County and around the state.

Trustee Erica Sparhawk praised Byars for her work on energy-efďŹ ciency issues and for “always standing up for the little guyâ€? during debates about housing and other matters affecting the town’s low-income population.

Trustees Heather Henry and Marty Silverstein concurred, and Henry told Byars, “Your voice has been both the gentlest and the loudest, at the same time,� in speaking

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for the needs of the town’s less fortunate residents.

Several trustees lauded Byars for her hard work as liaison to several other agencies and boards in the region and around the state, and Trustee Frosty Merriott, who has had public disagreements with Byars about some issues, thanked her for her work to keep drilling rigs out of the Thompson Divide, a community-wide effort that has embroiled the town in energy-related politics on state, regional and national levels.

“Your voice has been both the gentlest and the loudest, at the same time.� – Trustee Heather Henry

Richardson presented Byars with an illustration of the iconic massif to the south of town, Mt. Sopris, and a card thanking her for her service.

To replace Byars, Richardson told the trustees, there are a couple of options available under town election rules — appointing a replacement within 60 days of Byars’ departure (which was to be formalized by a letter of resignation on June 28), or holding a special election within 180 days (which would be costly and, the trustees felt, impractical

since any special election would be held close to the date of the regularly scheduled 2018 municipal election).

Some had reservations about the tight schedule for appointing a new trustee by the end of August. Trustee Heather Henry, in particular, worried that a two-week application period might not be sufďŹ cient for getting the word out and attracting the best candidates for the post.

And while the exact cost of a special election was never stated, the trustees seemed to agree that it would be an unnecessary expense at a time when the town’s budget already is tight.

According to Town Clerk Cathy Derby, advertisements seeking applications for Byars’ position can’t get into The Sopris Sun until the July 6 edition.

She suggested to the trustees that the application deadline ought to be set for July 21 in order to get the applications to the trustees by July 25, hold interviews on Aug. 8 and, if necessary continue them on Aug. 22, and then name a replacement at the Aug. 22 regular meeting.

Under town codes, she said, a new trustee must be appointed no later than Aug. 27.

Derby added that an announcement of the application process will be on the town website (www.carbondaldgov.org), and other announcements in The Sopris Sun and on Carbondale’s community access radio station, KDNK, will mean the effective period of advertising for applicants will be longer than the two weeks from July 6 through July 21.

General agreement among the trustees was summed up

by Merriott, who declared, “This is what we should do.

We shouldn’t be having an election.�

A motion by Trustee Marty Silverstein, seconded by Trustee Heather Henry, calls for applications to be in by July 21 for the trustees’ consideration.

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Pitfalls, priorities and patience for a new City Market

By John Colson Sopris Sun Staff Writer The troubled Carbondale Marketplace development proposal, on a parcel of land adjacent to the intersection of Highway 133 and Main Street, has been granted its sixth extension in a year and a half for the submission of critical documents that must be ďŹ led before any development can proceed on the property.

The approval of the 90-day extension for ďŹ ling a ďŹ nal plat for the project, however, came only after the Board of Trustees (BOT) listened to a litany of problems outlined by spokesmen for the project’s development partnership and the City Market grocery store that is to be the anchor tenant in the project. “We have gotten a little grayer since we started,â€? noted Joel Starbuck, director of real estate development for City Market and its corporate parent, Kroger, referring to himself and Carbondale-based developer Briston Peterson.

Peterson had pointed out only moments earlier that he had been involved in different development plans for this same parcel for more than a dozen years.

Starbuck, relating his efforts to build a shopping center into which the existing City Market is planning to relocate from its present site less than a mile away, said this project has had “more pitfalls than any other project that I’ve been associated with.�

He was referring to ďŹ scal restructuring and an apparent lack of funds on the part of Kroger, which has been the subject of numerous bad-news ďŹ nancial reports over the past couple of years.

According to a June 19 story in the Denver Post, Kroger lost more than $7 billion in market value over two days earlier this month, starting with a bad earnings report on June 15 that caused its stock to lose 19 percent of its value.

The next day, June 16, the online retail giant Amazon an-

A new City Market building as envisioned in a 2016 reviewing agency packet for the Town of Carbondale. nounced it would be buying the Whole Foods natural-foods grocery chain, which sent another shock through Wall Street and caused Kroger’s shares to lose another 9 percent in value. “And Kroger has been struggling (even before these developments),â€? the story continued, “battered by a bout of food deationâ€? that largely came from Kroger’s efforts to “thwartâ€? the growth of food sales in the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Starbuck said his bosses at Kroger have been telling him he does not have access to developmental funds that he once thought were secure, and declared, “Right now, I’m trying to keep the relocation of the Carbondale store at the top of the listâ€? of projects demanding attention and ďŹ nancing from the parent corporation. “It’s uid, because things change,â€? Starbuck told the

trustees, in a seeming reference to the Amazon bid for WalMart, and he later said that part of the problem has been that bids from contractors have come in “really way over ‌ very much over the top,â€? meaning much more expensive than the company’s engineers had estimated. “It was really across the board, from bricks to mortar to sand to tile,â€? he said of the bids regarding materials, which he blamed partly on the fact that the entire state of Colorado is going through a construction boom that is driving costs up.

He said he and his team are now looking through those bids to see if changes can be made to lower those costs, and that new bids may be sought during the extension period.

But he still must wait on Kroger to get its ďŹ nancial house in order and provide him with a budget for the Carbondale project, he said.

Peterson, for his part, noted that “this has been a long road for our partnership,� which he said is “losing dollars with this transaction.�

But, he told the trustees, he and his partners have been “very, very patient� and “would like to see a successful outcome here.�

He said that his partners and he plan on submitting an application to develop the parcel next to the proposed site for a new City Market “with or without Joel’s presence.�

The existing City Market store, in the Crystal Village Shopping Center, has another four years on its lease, and is not in jeopardy of closing as a consequence of delays in building a new store.

The trustees concluded that, since most town residents support the project, it would be acceptable to make the extension for 90 days rather than the 60-day period proposed by town staff. “I just want to make sure there’s enough time,� said Trustee Heather Henry.

The extension was approved unanimously.

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THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017 • 13

Weather

om page 1

High water is an important part of the natural cycle.

“Peak flows scour the streambed and create good habitat for aquatic macroinvertebrates, which are the base of the whole food web,” Mitchell explained.

It’s also a boon for recreation; just ask Ryan Moyer of Up The Creek Rafting. The Glenwood Springs based company offers trips down otherwise oft-ignored sections of the Roaring Fork and Crystal rivers. The latter, in particular, requires a sweet spot in water level to be raftable without bumping into bridges.

“Typically we’re able to get up there almost every year, but it doesn’t last for long,” Moyer said.

“For it to be still running this good this time of year is a bit above average. We’re predicting good things through the peak of the season.”

Dry land Off the river, day-to-day conditions can have just as much impact as broad weather patterns.

In the North Fork Valley, for instance, one cold night in spring can “sting” crops and lead to lean harvests. That was a bit of a problem this year, but according to Orchard Valley Farms Manager Rob Kimball, it’s far from a disaster.

“There’s some of everything, but not an abundance of everything except our grape crop. It’s spotty all over the valley,” he said.

“When the tree doesn’t have as much work to do, the fruit that it does have is usually pretty darn good and tasty, so that’s a positive,” he added. “I think we’re up for a pretty good year all-and-all.”

Folks hoping to sample some of that local produce might consider a trip over to Paonia for Cherry Days this weekend.

Closer to home, the lilac bloom seemed somewhat stunted this year, but the wildflowers are beginning to make up for it in the high country.

According to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) things are looking a bit dryer than usual at the site closest to Carbondale, which has recorded 6.61 inches of precipitation so far in 2017, compared to 6.98 inches last year and 10.66 the year before that.

The National Weather Service outlook through mid September forecasts a 40 percent probability of above average temperatures on the Western Slope, with an equal chance of above or below normal precipitation.

That’s not great news for local firefighters, with fire bans already in

It doesn’t matter if you're a chicken, a turkey or a human, when it's hot we all want to cool off. Despite the large crowd that's what these shady characters did during the heat of the day on June 24 at Sustainable Settings. Photo by Jane Bachrach place on BLM and private land in unincorporated Garfield County.

The stage-one restrictions, which don’t currently extend into Pitkin County or White River National Forest, prohibit campfires outside of metal grates in developed campgrounds, operation of an engine without a spark arresting device, smoking outside or other uses of open flame.

Fireworks are always prohibited on BLM, National Forest and National Park Service lands, and the Garfield County Sheriff’s office urged locals to think twice before setting them off at home.

In fact, thinking twice may be the rule of thumb in general.

“Nobody wants to be the cause of a fire. It’s just about paying attention,” noted Carbondale Deputy

Summer Clay Camps

Fire Chief Rob Goodwin. “Right now the fire danger is very high and quickly moving to extreme. We’ve had this extended period of hot and dry, so all the grasses have cured out and now the larger fuels have started to dry out. The conditions are really ripe for a bad fire.”

The only cure for that, he said, is the consistent afternoon rains that usually come through in July.

to register call us at 970.963.2529 or email us info@carbondaleclay.org

AGES 5-8 July 10-14, 1-3:30 PM, $125 Trolls, Trolls, Trolls Trolls are taking over the Clay Center! Join us for a colorful week straight from the movie Trolls.

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August 15-19, 9:30 AM-NOON, $125 Secret Life of Pets Learn to hand build your favorite character from the movie and much more!

July 31-August 2, 9:30 AM-NOON, $75 A Day at the Zoo What’s your favorite animal to see at the zoo?

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14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017

AGES 9+ Wheel-Throwing Boot Camp $125 July 10-14, 9:30 AM-NOON July 17-21,1-3:30 PM July 24-28, 9:30 AM-NOON August 7-11,1-3:30 PM August 14-18, 9:30 AM-NOON

Gettin’ fired up Photos and text by Jane Bachrach

It was pretty chilly at 6 a.m. June 24 in Crown Mountain Park, as pilots and their crews prepared their balloons for the Lift Off for Lift-Up event. It was worth it, however, to see one of the greatest shows on earth take off and become one of the greatest shows in the air. In less than an hour, people and balloons in various stages of readiness were getting fired up before taking off. One of the entries had a moment of embarrassment when a cable was caught under a car as they took off, but volunteers were able to bring them back down and untangle the ropes before they ascended for a second time.

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017 • 15

Greg Benson — known to many as DJ Phathead on KDNK Community Access Radio — died in his sleep on June 18.

“I just remember being blown away by this young kid from San Francisco,” former KDNK staffer Skip Naft said in an on-air remembrance. “… Just an amazing force to be reckoned with creatively and also as a friend.”

For the whole tribute, produced by recording artist and longtime friend Izm White and KDNK’s Amy Hadden Marsh, visit tinyurl.com/ kdnkphathead.

Photo by Jane Bachrach

Locals become leading trout semen freezers From the archives of the Roaring Fork Valley Journal June 30, 1977

July 3, 1997

El Jebel Daze was held the previous weekend and according to the Valley Journal, it had “something for everyone,” including a four-wheel-mud-driving competition, carnival, dance, beauty pageant and more. Winners of various events included: Miss El Jebel (Julie Bishop); Best Float (the Basalt Queen float); Shopping Cart Race, adults, (Glenda LeBeck), Shopping Cart race, kids, (Trina Gray); Greased Pig Contest, adults, (Ron Felcen); Greased Pig Contest, kids, (Mitch Huffman).

Six years after it was first proposed, Roaring Fork Valley governments closed on the 33-mile railroad right-of-way from Woody Creek (near Aspen) to Glenwood Springs. The purchase price was $8.5 million. Rail proponents hoped the purchase would lead to rail service from Aspen (actually, Brush Creek) to Glenwood Springs. The direct costs for rail service, not including on-going costs, were estimated at $200-$300 million. Rail service from Aspen to Glenwood Springs was discontinued in 1969.

June 28, 2007

July 2, 1987 An article by William D. Jochems reported that John Riger of the Crystal River Fish Hatchery, and Barry Stout (a rancher south of Silt), were developing a method of cryopreserving (freezing) trout semen. The purpose of the freezing was to increase production of the Tasmania strain of rainbow trout at the hatchery. Riger and Stout said that as far as they knew, they were the only ones preserving fish semen on their scale anywhere in the world.

Carbondale Police Chief Gene Schilling told the VJ “we’re stretched pretty thin.”

With growth and more complex criminal cases to handle, he said the town needs two more officers and he will request an extra $108,000 in the 2008 budget. “Three years ago, we had an investigator. Now, the officers have to investigate their own cases. It’s not petty stuff.” At the time, the PD had 14 police officers and support staff.

– Compiled by Lynn Burton

HIGH NOON Carbondale Police Department is now accepting applications for the position of

Police Officer I and II “Laterals welcome to apply”

We are looking for a highly motivated individual who will enjoy working in a TEAM / Community Policing environment. Starting salary is $50,000.00 (Lateral salary negotiable). Ability to work shift work, weekends and holidays is a must. We offer an excellent benefit package. Spanish speaking is a bonus. Applicants must be at least 21 years old, have or ability to obtain a valid Colorado driver’s license and no felony convictions.

Applicants must complete background checks, complete physical agility test and participate in a ride-along program.

Send application, resume and references to Carbondale Police Department, 511 Colorado Ave., #911, Carbondale, CO 81623 or to Lt. Chris Wurtsmith, cwurtsmith@carbondaleco.net.

Position will remain opened until filled.

16 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017

Photo by Jane Bachrach

Sopris Sun Editor

Will Grandbois will be at the

Pour House (351 Main St.)

at noon Thursdays

He’ll take your compliments and complaints, answer your questions and hear your suggestions.

Stop in for lunch, grab a drink or dessert or just drop in.

Property tax cuts not as deep as expected

By John Colson Sopris Sun Staff Writer As area governments begin to put together their budgets for 2018, officials are breathing a little easier thanks to news that changes in state property tax rates for commercial and residential property will not be as financially troublesome as once anticipated.

State and local officials have been told that a recalculation of state property-tax rates, as governed by the Gallagher Amendment to the state constitution, will result in a 2018 tax cut, already planned due to constitutional requirements, that is likely to be roughly half as deep as once predicted.

The upshot of this news will not be precisely known for weeks, due to the fact that budget talks have only recently begun in the halls of local government and detailed property valuation information from county assessors across Colorado are not due out until late August.

The changes to the tax rates, at the state level, are due to the combined influences of the Gallagher Amendment to the state constitution, passed by voters in 1982, and the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) amendment passed in 1992.

Gallagher is supposed to keep residential and commercial property tax revenues roughly equivalent in terms of dollar amounts (55 percent from commercial, 45 percent from residential), with commercial rates permanently set at 29 percent and residential rates fluctuating (usually declining in response to rising commercial property values) in order to maintain the desired ratio.

TABOR, meanwhile, established strict limits on how much tax revenue state and local governments can keep from year to year, and prohibits government from enacting tax hikes without voter approval.

Gallagher normally is recalculated periodically, whenever residential and commercial tax revenues drift out of the ratio

OPINION

Gallagher’s unintended effect on rural Colorado

By Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser President and CEO of CMC The story of Colorado Mountain College is inspiring and unique. Fifty years ago the citizens of Garfield, Lake, Eagle, Summit and Pitkin counties bucked the conventional thinking in Denver and voted to create a college in Colorado’s central mountains. This courageous and generous act – enhanced in 1982 by the addition of Steamboat Springs in Routt County – created CMC, a college that would reach some of the most remote areas of the state and remain generally independent of state control.

CMC’s importance to the communities of the central Colorado Rockies is very real and well understood by individuals seeking to improve their basic skills; by others pur-

According to Matt Gianneschi, Chief Operating Officer for Colorado Mountain College, the six-county district’s board of directors last week approved a 2017-2018 budget of $65.5 million that reflects a revenue shortfall of only $79,000 due to the Gallagher Amendment adjustments, instead of the $4-million revenue hit the district had expected earlier in the year.

According to budgetary data sent by CMC, the Gallagher-related rate changes cut CMC’s projected income by 9.5 percent.

“We felt like we dodged a bullet in some ways,” said Gianneschi in a telephone interview, explaining that commercial growth on the heavily populated Front Range region of Colorado was the primary cause for the adjustment.

The problem for many Western Slope counties, he said, is that residential property values generally largely outweigh commercial values due to a disproportionate amount of residential development in the region.

So commercial tax revenues often are a smaller portion of district income than the residential taxes, and in fact officials in several districts in this area had at one time been expecting budget increases due to increased residential assessed valuations in recent years.

But, when residential rates were chopped statewide to accommodate Front Range commercial growth, Western Slope districts can see their overall revenues plummet.

But while the revenue drop was not as severe as expected this time, Gianneschi warned that already the state is predicting another Gallagher adjustment in two years, perhaps bringing residential tax rates as low as 6.2 percent of residential assessed valuations.

That rate decrease in 2019 will be much more significant than this year’s drop from 7.9 percent to 7.2 percent, he said, with a much larger revenue hit to be expected by smaller special districts.

According to the CMC budget data, dropping the residential tax rate to 6.2 percent would mean a cut of nearly $6 million, or approximately 10 percent of the college district’s entire current income, which would equate roughly to half of the district’s tuition income, or about the same as the amount needed to fund the Vail Valley campus in Edwards or the Summit and Breckenridge campuses combined.

“This is something we (on the Western

suing specialized certificates, associate or bachelor’s degrees, or lifelong learning; and by employers reliant on the college for a trained workforce. The college operates more than a dozen facilities in mountain towns – campuses and centers that, without the college’s financial model, would likely not exist had the decision to build them been left to those on the Front Range.

The college is now one of the highestperforming open-access institutions in the country, provides tuition-free college to nearly 30 percent of high school students in the region, and delivers advanced training to the nurses, police officers, teachers and first responders across nine counties spanning 12,000 square miles. And, all of this is done while maintaining the lowest tuition in the entire state.

Unfortunately, a peculiar amendment in the Colorado Constitution threatens Colorado Mountain College’s independence and affordability.

Last Friday, the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees adopted a budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year. Reflecting very sound operational management and fiscal

constraint, the budget kept costs below inflation while expanding investments in our region’s workforce and facilities. The budget was also a miner’s canary for the impending risks that threaten CMC and other locally supported public services.

In 2016-17, property values in our district increased at a healthy rate. Some regions saw values climb by as much as 18 percent. This should have been good news to local services funded by property taxes, but the reality was quite the opposite.

Though property values grew, tax revenues fell, not because of any decisions by managers or officials in the mountains, but rather because of unyielding growth in the Denver metro region.

Over the past several years the population in the Denver metro area – and, by association, the number of new homes – has grown at a historic rate. The result is that this growth in just one part of the state has triggered a statewide adjustment in property taxes required by the Gallagher Amendment of the Colorado Constitution. This provision requires the legislature to lower assessment levels

mandated by the state, and early this year state officials were estimating a massive increase in commercial property valuations, particular in the oil and gas industry.

As a result, state officials moved to offset the surge in commercial values, and called for a much steeper cut in residential tax rates than ultimately was needed, when for various reasons that surge in commercial property values did not materialize.

But when the first estimates were released, all indications early this year were that the tax-rate changes might drastically affect revenues in special districts that depend heavily on property taxes for their operations.

As of January of this year, some special districts around the state were bracing for revenue losses estimated to be as high as 10 percent, according to a Denver Post report.

In April, however, as state tax managers realized they had overestimated commercial property valuations, the Gallagher-based tax adjustment was reexamined. In the end, the residential property tax rate dropped from 7.96 percent to 7.2 percent (instead of the 6.5-percent rate initially predicted).

According to officials with three special districts in Roaring Fork Valley area — the Garfield County Library District, Colorado Mountain College and the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District — fears of significant revenue losses due to the changes prompted by the Gallagher amendment have been greatly alleviated, at least for the present.

CMC sighs in relief

Slope) do not control,” Gianneschi said, adding that the western part of the state is “particularly vulnerable to things like the Gallagher Amendment.”

Carbondale Fire The Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District has been worried about the Gallagher-related revenue issue, conceded Chief Ron Leach, but at this point the concern has lessened considerably with the news that the rate change will be less onerous than originally expected.

In fact, Leach said, residential property values have risen by about 12.8 percent in the fire district (which covers parts of Garfield, Gunnison and Pitkin counties), recovering from the slump brought by the recent recession. The increased property values will partially offset the effect of the Gallagher-prompted tax-rate change, although the final numbers have yet to be determined, Leach said.

Of more immediate concern to the district’s finances, Leach said, is the expiration this year of a two-year tax hike approved by voters in 2015 (see related story).

GarCo Libraries According to library district director Jesse Henning, the Gallagher amendment tax-rate change would result in a loss of $46,000 to the district’s expected budget for next year, which is still being worked out.

The library district’s budget for 2017, according to a chart forwarded by Henning to the Sopris Sun, comes to about $4.95 million, compared to approximately $5.9 million in 2015 and 2016.

Part of that budget shortfall, Henning pointed out, was due to property-tax repayments to the oil and gas industry, due to prior years’ overpayment of taxes by the industry, and about $100,000 in decreases in property taxes paid by the industry for 2016 and 2017.

across the entire state, which removes revenues from rural fire, water and sanitation districts; municipal governments and public protection agencies; and locally funded schools like CMC. We join the growing assembly of rural leaders fearful that continued growth on the Front Range will wipe out the services that we all worked so hard to build and that make our communities safe and prosperous.

With support from the CMC Board of Trustees, my management team and I have begun research and due diligence into the options before us, keeping in mind our values of innovation and inclusivity. Over the coming months, we invite and encourage creativity and best thinking to address an issue largely out of our control, but one that has the very real potential to compromise the Western Slope communities we hold so dear. Your local district college also stands ready to offer leadership and share potential solutions to preserve critical services including access to an affordable, high-quality postsecondary education for another 50 years.

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017 • 17

An eighth grader’s experience in Kenya

By Katie Noll Special to The Sopris Sun Jambo! Jina langu ni Katie Noll. That is Swahili for “Hi! My name is Katie Noll.”

I am a rising eighth grader at the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork. Each eighth grade student is required to do a project about a topic of interest to them. During my seventh grade year, I began to think about what might interest me and concluded it would be something that would help children less fortunate than myself.

At the same time, my family and I were planning a trip to Kenya. I thought I would unite these two ideas together to create what is now my eighth grade project which is Helping Children in Kenya through Education.

Last spring, I contacted our Safari guide, Antonio Marangabassa, of Napenda Africa Safaris. Luckily, he also had a passion for education. I asked for some guidance and direction about how I could help children in Kenya. He said we would be visiting a school in a Maasai Village and they needed school supplies, such as pencils and pens, crayons, erasers as well as used t-shirts for the children. I also learned that his wife, Eunice, was the director at Makhanga Hope Academy located in the Bungoma District of Kenya. They also had a lot of similar needs.

During one of our spring assemblies, I made an all school announcement that I would be collecting these items to take with me to Kenya to donate to the children there.

The students and families at the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork were so supportive and provided a plethora of items to donate. I was so grateful and surprised with all that was contributed! We decided to split the donations providing one school with all the used t-shirts and sending the school sup-

plies to the Makhanga Hope Academy.

When we arrived at the Maasai Village located in the Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya we were greeted with a traditional song of welcome for us. All the people were wearing traditional clothing with lots of beautiful jewelry they had made themselves. I thought it was really amazing how the tribe created such beautiful music with just their voices. I enjoyed their singing while I watched the sunrise and begin to shine on their smiling and welcoming faces with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background.

I already felt connected to them without even knowing their names and excited about what I would be providing for them.

I was surprised by all the differences between my school and their school. There was no running water so they had to use an outhouse. There were two old blackboards, but I did not see any chalk or erasers. But what surprised me the most was to not see any classroom materials in the one room school house.

There were no books, school supplies or other classroom materials so often seen in a classroom. Much of the important educational information for the elementary school children was painted on the walls, such as the English alphabet. All children speak Swahili, but they all learn English as well.

This year in my class we got brand new desks, however, at this school there were maybe five desks for 65 children! It made me realize how lucky we are for all the things we are provided with at our school and all things we do not have to worry about.

After the children presented their ABC’s, sang a tribal song and recited a few things they had learned, I passed out the shirts. I gave a shirt to each child and smiled because I could tell I brought some joy into their life.

Each child was excited to get a new shirt and

75% of children in Kenya do not finish school due to poverty.

Some young children trying on their new shirts. The one on the left is from the Carbondale Rodeo! A piece of our local rodeo is now all the way in Kenya! Courtesy photo 18 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017

Katie Noll, a rising eighth grader at The Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork, passing out gently used t-shirts to the local children of all ages in a Masai Village. The school house is in the background. Courtesy photo they all immediately tried them on! All the children were so grateful and I could tell how happy they were to receive the generous gifts that our school community had provided. On our ride home, I kept reviewing what had happened in my mind still not believing it was real. It was the most inspiring experience I had ever had! It made me begin to wonder how else I could contribute.

I asked Antonio to be my mentor for my eighth grade project and he gladly agreed.

We began to discuss some of the educational challenges and needs for the Makhanga Hope Academy. I sat down and discussed this further with Eunice, the school’s head director, to gather more information. I did not realize 75 percent of children in Kenya do not finish school due to poverty. I was so surprised to learn that the school had so many basic needs, one of which was a well.

The majority of the children who attend this school board there. Some of the children are even orphans. The whole goal of the school is “training Kenya’s next generation of leaders, regardless of gender or ethnicity”.

Water is something I know I take for granted. I turn on the faucet and clean water flows out, but that is just not the case everywhere. These students have to walk two miles to take a shower! The area has been in a three-year drought and therefore the 35 foot hand dug well has dried up and another deeper well needs to be dug to provide water for the school. I found out it will cost about $15,000.

The African Angels Children’s Fund was started by Allan Van Fleet to support the school in different ways for their needs. It is a

registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charity. There website is www.african-angels.org/home and you can go there to read more about this school and their story.

This year, for part of my eighth grade project, I have been inspired to contribute to the digging of this well. I am aiming to raise $7,500. I am asking the local community to consider helping me reach my goal. I have already found a person to match the amount I raise!

I am so thankful for everything I am provided with in my life. I have a roof over my head, a bed, clean clothes and clean water along with so many other things that I now realize I have taken for granted. I am hoping to help provide financial contributions that will help build this well for these kids. I want to give them the same opportunities as I have because I believe all children should be able to look through the same window of opportunity as I do in my life. How lucky am I to have been born so fortunate! In my life, I have a goal that I would like to make as much of a difference as I can in the lives of others in a positive and impactful way.

If you would like to help me in this journey, you can donate money directly to the African Angels Children’s Fund. You can send a check directly to them. Checks can be made out to the African Angels Children’s Fund. Please write “Well-KN” in the memo line. You can mail your check to: 6218 Elm Heights Lane, Suite 201 Houston, TX 77081-2409. You will receive a receipt for your charitable donation you can use for tax purposes. Remember - every dollar you donate will be matched.

Letters continued om page 2 Come hear the crowd’s cheers of appreciation. Or if you are watching, show the men and women that you appreciate their service to our country.

Hugh Roberts USA Vietnam Snowmass

Become a big buddy Dear Editor: On June 22nd, over 120 Little Buddies, Big Buddies, and some of their family members attended the Buddy Program’s Annual Picnic at Arbaney Park in Basalt to celebrate summer and their special relationships! In addition to sharing a delicious dinner including many homemade delicacies brought by our Little Buddies’ families, participants enjoyed a great magic show by

Ryan Eason, as well as lots of fun lawn games. Our Buddy and Family Picnic has become one of our favorite events of the year and it is such a testament to the profound impact that mentors have on the lives of youth. Our four mentoring programs and the critical services that we provide to our local youth are made possible by the amazing support of our community.

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to register for the Boogie’s Buddy 5-Mile Race on July 4th and join us at the Bash for the Buddies on July 6th. More information on the Race, Bash and becoming a Big Buddy available at buddyprogram.org or call us at 970-920-2130.

Soledad Lowe Community Program Director The Buddy Program

PUBLIC NOTICE

ROARING FORK SCHOOL DISTRICT RE-1

Preoccupation with Doc Holliday Dear Editor: I'm sorry, but I just don't get Glenwood Springs' preoccupation with Doc Holliday, an alcoholic and consumptive gambler and gunfighter who stayed in the Glenwood Hotel for about six months before he died in 1887. Recently, Holliday's Derringer supposedly was recovered with much ballyhoo and now I read he is going to have his own museum Glenwood Springs seems obsessed with outlaws; Kid Curry, Tom Horn, Al Capone, Ted Bundy, etc. Buffalo Bill Cody and Teddy Roosevelt visited Glenwood Springs, too.

Where's their museum?

The local legend is Gussie Blake hired Holliday to kill a patron in her brothel when he overstayed his welcome and did not pay. The deadbeat's unmarked grave was supposed to be in the brothel's backyard. I'm sure Blake had her recalcitrant customers and she certainly had the money to pay Holliday, but I doubt if it's true. It's a good story, though, and never let the truth interfere with a good story.

There is some difference of opinion on Holliday's character. Google says he never started a fight and never backed down from one and the placard on I-70 says he could

turn an innocent joke into a deadly insult.

I'm inclined to believe the latter. I've known guys like that.

Fred Malo Jr. Carbondale

Thank you, Lynn Burton Dear Editor: The Sopris Sun Board invites the entire community to join us in thanking Lynn Burton (Jake, as he is known on the local airwaves, or LB, as he often signs his emails) for his dedication and service to this newspaper, to Carbondale, and to the Roaring Fork Valley. He's served as The Sun's intrepid editor and reporter the past six years, shepherding the paper through some especially lean times. Without Lynn, you would not be reading these words right here, right now.

Lynn specifically asked that we not organize a public shindig in his honor to mark the end of his time on staff this week. But nothing says you can't ambush him when you see him around town ... or harass him now and then with a grateful call-in when you hear his distinctive voice on KDNK. He well deserves our collective gratitude.

Thank you, Lynn!

The Sopris Sun Board

Parting Shot

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to §38-26-107, C.R.S., that on July 17th, 2017, at 10:00 a.m., final settlement with MW GOLDEN CONSTRUCTORS (“Contractor”), will be made by the Roaring Fork School District RE-1 (“District”), for its DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION improvement project (“Project”), at 1640 JW Drive, El Jebel, CO 81623 & 504D 27th St., Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 subject to satisfactory final inspection and acceptance of the Project by the District. Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has furnished labor, materials, sustenance, or other supplies used or consumed by such Contractor or its subcontractor in or about the performance of the work on the Project or that has supplied laborers, rental machinery, tools or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of the work whose claim therefor has not been paid by the Contractor or subcontractor, at any time up to and including the time of final settlement for the Project, may file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on such claim at the District Administration Offices located at 1405 Grand Avenue, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601. Failure to file such verified statement of claim prior to final settlement will release the District and its employees and agents from any and all liability for such claim and for making final payment to said Contractor.

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it” – Yogi Berra.

Thanks, everyone. See you ’round the ranch.

“The beat goes on” – Sonny & Cher.

Photo by Lynn Burton

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THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2017 • 19

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