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Carbondale’s weekly

community connector

Volume 10, Number 39 | November 1, 2018

Face your fears

It’s a good thing this green freak with the exposed brain is behind glass, because it seems unlikely that kindergartener Eloise Foss would be brave enough to get up close and personal with this scary looking creature. The face-to-face confrontation took place during CRES’s annual Halloween Happening — more on page 5.

Photo by Jane Bachrach

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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.

Life is like a Mexican train ride

The older I get, the more I realize life is like the train ride I took from Nogales to Mazatlán during Spring Break, 1991.

Everyone starts out with high hopes and expectations, clean clothes, and dreams of the amazing adventure ahead. There are new people to meet sitting right across the aisle, and people selling tamales through the windows along the way, and plenty of exciting ways to alter one’s state of mind. But then, about half way there, the novelty wears off, people start passing out, the conductor locks off access to the first-class cars, and the bathrooms overflow and run down the aisle.

When we’re young, the idea of a train ride through a foreign country is intriguing. There is a daring, romantic quality to boarding a train in a station where the signs are not in your native language. There is a feeling of chance; anything could happen.

But once we’ve been on board for a while, and read our magazines, and eaten too many tamales, we begin to realize a train ride is just a train ride— in any country. Watching the scenery flash by, we see that everywhere in the world people are simply living their lives to the best of their ability. Working and playing, loving and mating, but life ends in the same way for us all.

By the middle of the ride it’s easy to get jaded and turn to the bar car out of boredom, but if you spend too much time in the bar car you can lose track of time and miss the whole ride.

Like life, the train will continue to chug along the tracks with, or without, your appreciation.

Meanwhile, everyone has the ability to customize their seat on the train; whether it’s by rigging up a hammock or hanging a blouse as a curtain, and it is a group effort to maintain comfort in the train car. There are those who are eager to help out when the window is stuck open, and those who just sit and complain about the rain coming in.

Some of the people you meet are reckless and they climb out

of the window and run along the top of the train in the dark, high on psychedelics. Others are more careful, and they caution you to put your bag on the overhead shelf early on, before the bathrooms overflow and run down the aisle.

And you never know when the train will stop for the Federales to come on board with their assault rifles, looking for a young man whose whole life was altered the instant he hit another guy over the head with a beer bottle because he took his seat. For him — hiding in one of the overflowing bathrooms — the ride is suddenly in real danger of being over while the rest of us continue on our journey as the train continues on its track.

The key, I’ve learned, is to participate in a positive way. And to still look for intriguing aspects of the trip (even if you’ve spent the last eight hours rocking in your seat, staring at the never-ending desert with a scarf wrapped across your nose and mouth.) Whether that means reenacting The Gambler by playing cards all night with old friends, or sharing your last Reese’s peanut butter cup with someone you just met, it’s all about bringing joy to the ride; for everyone, and especially for yourself.

Because all we really have is our story of riding a train through Mexico and the adventures had along the way. Whether it’s a long or short story, a funny, scary, or boring story; it’s all ours, and we get to tell it any way we want…

In the end, as the train nears the station, and we say our goodbyes, we all look back on our trip with both awe and regret. But they say you always regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did. So, my advice: pack a bag, get on the train, and try everything once — more if it makes you laugh.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget to vote.

OPINION

Jeannie Perry is a writer, philosopher and cashier. Send your ideas, suggestions, words of wisdom, etc. to perrywilfley@yahoo.com.

Letters

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 500 words via email at news@soprissun.com or 250 words via snail mail at P.O. Box 399, Carbondale CO 81623. Letters exceeding that length may be returned for revision or submission as a guest column; please include your name, town, and contact information. The deadline for submission is noon on Monday.

You pay taxes Dear Editor: Voting is so important… a well studied lesson can lower your cost of living expense. If you vote for more tax, it is you who will be paying the tax as a taxpayer and consumer.

The commercial businesses and corporations are the largest payer of property taxes. Their cost of doing business and tax expenses are passed on to you, the consumer for the goods, services, house payments and rent you pay to them.

Don’t be brainwashed into thinking only the “wealthy” are paying the taxes.

It is passed on down to you, the consumer and to you, the taxpayer. Be aware and study your lesson well as many of these taxes go on forever!

Ernie & Carol Gianinetti Carbondale

Join me for CMC Dear Editor: I am asking the voters of Garfield County to join me in supporting Colorado Mountain College (CMC) by voting yes on ballot issue 7D. I believe we are fortunate to have a local college the caliber of CMC in rural Colorado. Without the passage of 7D, a quirk in the Colorado constitution (Gallagher Amendment) may jeopardize the education, support and services we all value.

A Yes vote on 7D will not increase

residential taxes above current levels. 7D simply allows college trustees to respond to Gallagher Amendment adjustments that are negatively impacting rural parts of the state in general and CMC in particular. As a result of this amendment, CMC lost over $2.7 million of funding in 2017 alone. This revenue will not be replaced and we cannot allow the depletion of funds to continue.

CMC provides two and four-year degrees and trains firefighters, first responders, law enforcement, nurses and teachers.

In fact our local college provides affordable education and critical career training in our mountain communities for nearly 20,000 students annually.

Please join me in voting yes on 7D for CMC and get your ballot in by Nov. 6.

Remember to vote “from the bottom up” as local issues appear at the end of the ballot. For more information or to register as a supporter: www.YESCMCYES7D.com.

Jim Calaway Carbondale

Vote maybe on 7A Dear Editor: RFTA is asking for a 2.65 mill levy increase to our property taxes to support existing operations and improve services into the future. They are asking for this property tax increase because they have already maxed out the amount of sales tax they can get from some jurisdictions.

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018

RFTA is stating if they do not get this increase they might have to cut services by as much as 20 percent. RFTA’s first point in its mission statement (from their web page) is that they will be accountable, financially sustainable and accountable to the public.

Look at the Post Independent 10 years ago (Sept. 4, 2008 and Nov. 5, 2008 by Scott Condon) when RFTA was asking for a sales tax increase (which they got in perpetuity). RFTA needed that .4 percent increase in sales tax for their BRT program.

They received the money and BRT has been very successful but now they need to get more money primarily to replace existing buses and yes expand services.

Carbondale pays 1 percent in sales tax (except food) to RFTA and other communities pay similar but smaller amounts.

That $30,000 car you bought you are paying up to $300 to RFTA and that $1000 computer you bought for your kid you are paying $10 to RFTA. The voters will decide but if they approve this mill levy RFTA will be back 10 years from now asking for an increase in the mill levy.

Maybe RFTA should focus on their core mission and provide fiscally responsible maintenance and replacement of existing rolling stock. Maybe we should think twice before voting yes on 7A. Marty Silverstein Carbondale LETTERS page 14

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 Carolyn Nelson

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

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To inform, inspire and build community.

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P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 520 S. Third Street #32 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Editor Will Grandbois • 970-510-0540 news@soprissun.com Advertising: Carol Fabian • 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Reporter: Megan Tackett Photographer: Jane Bachrach Graphic Designer: Terri Ritchie Delivery: Tom Sands Current Board Members board@soprissun.com Marilyn Murphy, President Raleigh Burleigh, Vice President Stacey Bernot, Secretary Barbara Dills, Treasurer Debbie Bruell • Cliff Colia Olivia Pevec • Nicolette Toussaint John Colson • Linda Criswell The Sopris Sun Board meets regularly on the second Monday evening of each month at the Third Street Center.

Founding Board Members Allyn Harvey • Becky Young • Colin Laird Barbara New • Elizabeth Phillips Peggy DeVilbiss • Russ Criswell Send us your comments: feedback@soprissun.com The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Donations to The Sun are fully tax deductible.

Recreationists vie for access on Sutey Ranch

By Trina Ortega Sopris Sun Correspondent Stating that access to beginner-level horseback riding is being compromised in the Roaring Fork Valley, riders in the Carbondale area are lobbying the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to designate its Sutey Ranch property for equestrian use only.

The BLM is accepting comments from community members through Nov. 5 about three options (referred to as “alternatives”) for how to manage the 557-acre Sutey Ranch property located along County Road 112 south of Cattle Creek Road.

The Sutey Ranch was acquired in March 2017 in a three-way land exchange with a private property owner. In the exchange, the BLM also acquired a 112-acre parcel along Prince Creek Road that had been used for years by the public and contained well-established multi-use trails. Once a working ranch held by the Sutey family, the parcel was historically used for grazing and includes ditch water rights, water storage rights and historic outbuildings. Much of the property’s western and southern borders connect to the “North Side” of the Red Hill Special Recreation Management Area via existing non-motorized trails.

The three alternatives for Sutey were created based on public feedback during a public open house in July 2018. Alternative A prioritizes hunting and wildlife but allows limited grazing; Alternative B allows equestrian and hiker use only; and Alternative C would be open to nonmotorized recreation, including mountain biking (except for Dec. 1 through April 15 to match existing policies on Red Hill), and grazing.

Acting BLM Colorado River Valley Field Manager Gloria Tibbetts said the three alternatives reflect the outpouring of comments submitted by special interest groups but the final proposal may look different and combine aspects of each alternative.

“Part of the reason there’s so much interest in the Sutey parcel is because of its location,” Tib-

There’s plenty of horses on the Sutey property as things stand, as their leavings attest. Photos by Jane Bachrach betts said. “It’s in an area with a lot of people who want to use public lands.”

Members of the Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council agree that is part of the property’s appeal. “If you go up on Missouri Heights, it’s horse country. Sutey Ranch is very proximal to that and a lot of people who are novice riders would be able to access that,” said horse council member Leslie Thomas.

According to Thomas, the horse council is made up of about 500 members and is growing. Its members have taken interest in the Sutey Ranch parcel because it offers “gentle” terrain.

“It’s shape is an open bowl, a flat-ish bowl, so the visibility’s really good. It’s fairly flat. It’s really great riding,” she said.

Fellow horse council member Susan Cuseo explained: “We’re looking for a predictable experience. For instance, I have an 8-yearold granddaughter who would like to ride. There are many places I couldn’t risk taking her. She would just get thrown; same for a novice rider and a novice horse. If you take them out and they have a bad experience, you might as well cancel the experience.”

Thomas and Cuseo said they were “pleasantly surprised” to see Alternative B, which prioritizes equestrian use. It additionally

would allow hiking but limits travel during the winter months. Grazing, a traditional BLM use and once part of ranch operations, would not be allowed. The council also wants to use the property to educate people about homesteading and the valley’s ranching history.

Horse riders say that equestrian access is being squeezed out of the Red Hill trails along Highway 133, due to a lack of trailer parking and bicycle traffic, and will only worsen after a new parking lot goes in.

“We’re really asking for one place to ride without mountain bikes,” Thomas said.

Many horseback riders have stated that mountain bikes cause safety issues for horseback riders and that equestrians have few places to ride.

Cart before the horse However, Davis Farrar of the Red Hill Council said the Sutey parcel is big enough to accommodate both uses, and safety concerns can be addressed with separate trails. He added that equestrians have access to many trails that don’t allow bicycles in the surrounding wilderness areas, including Maroon Bells-Snowmass, Hunter-Fryingpan, Holy Cross and the Raggeds.

“Equestrian use is allowed

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everywhere, on all public lands.

Mechanized use is restricted to designated routes and lands,” Farrar said. “Aside from that, the horse trails put in at Glassier [south of Hooks Spur Lane in Eagle County] apparently have weeds and grasses growing in because of lack of use.”

The Red Hill Council manages Red Hill trails under a Memoranda of Understanding with the BLM. Farrar says the council recommends Sutey be managed consistent with the existing Red Hill special recreation area, but with separate trails for horse and bicycle traffic. The council recommends building a parking area for horse trailers along County Road 112.

According to Farrar, the council

also supports shutting down access to all forms of recreation during winter to protect wildlife.

With more and more people moving to the Roaring Fork Valley for recreational experiences, including mountain biking, Farrar says it’s wise to plan for that growth and concentrate use on parcels like Sutey.

“We live in a valley where recreation demands are increasing exponentially… The solution is not to ignore it,” Farrar said.

“The Sutey Ranch has so many positive spinoffs,” he added, citing health, fitness and a continued boost in the recreation economy. “The conflict with the horse community is minor and can be worked out.”

But separating users with different trails would not work, according to the horse council’s Cuseo, who lives near Sutey Ranch, because it would fracture wildlife habitat.

Mike Pritchard of the Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association says that group has sketched out two proposed trails on Sutey that would be accessed from the Sutey Ranch side. “We are not advocating for access to the existing ranch roads, which mostly coincide with the open meadows/ fields favored by wildlife,” an RFMBA email states.

Members of a third group of stakeholders have submitted comments in way of a form letter stating that the Sutey property should be designated an “area of critical environmental concern” and prioritized for wildlife and wildlife habitat.

The public comment period runs through Nov. 5. Tibbetts encourages citizens to be specific in their comments. “Just knowing which alternative you care about is less informative to us than what the basis is, what the justification is, for that alternative.”

Comments may be emailed to blm_co_sutey_haines_ rmpa@blm.gov or mailed to BLM, 2300 River Frontage Road, Silt, CO 81652, Attn: Sutey Ranch Management Plan.

More information about the planning process is at go.usa. gov/xnvM5.

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Scuttlebutt

Send your scuttlebutt to news@soprissun.com.

Gobble gobble

Re-centered

Halloween is over, so it’s time to start prepping for Thanskgiving. The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies has your back with a turkey sale from Rock Bottom Ranch. Get your pasture-raised bird for $7/pound beginning Nov. 8 and aspennature.org, then pick them up Nov. 20 and 21.

Roaring Fork Insight is relocating Monday Night Meditation from True Nature to Roaring Fork Aikikai (2553 Dolores Way) and shifting the start time to 7:15 p.m. This by-donation drop-in program serves as an introduction to the practices of awareness and compassion and appropriate for beginning and established practitioners.

Out of order

A night at the opera house

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking anglers to stay out of the “toilet bowl” fishing area on the Fryingpan during the City of Aspen’s 10-day maintenance effort on the Ruedi Reservoir hydroelectric plant. To facilitate the work, water that normally feeds the toilet bowl will be re-routed, leaving the large fish in the pool isolated, stressed and very easy to catch while the work is ongoing.

For more information, contact CPW at 947-2920 or the Bureau of Reclamation at 962-4326.

The Wheeler Opera House has announced a new line-up of performances and films for the historic Aspen venue’s December programming. The early-winter series will feature performances by Impractical Jokers star Sal Vulcano, a holiday concert by The Ten Tenors, the ultimate Beatles tribute, The Fab Four, America’s Got Talent Finalist Mike Super: Magic and Illusion, and much more!

Single tickets are on sale now at aspenshowtix.com.

Mini me

Get your kicks

In addition to the regular midterms, Nov. 6 also marks the end of Sunlight’s Mini-Mayor election. The results will be announced just after 5 p.m., followed by a live town hall on Fox 31 at 8:15 a.m. the next morning. Several Carbondale businesses are involved in the event, and we’re hoping to see a candidate from our neck of the woods next year.

Play on The Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra just received a $10,000 grant from the Xcel Energy Foundation to support affordable and accessible orchestral music education and performances to the youth and communities for the 2018-19 school year. The RFYO is the only youth orchestra program in the region and brings together more than 60 students ages 5 to 18, to learn to play and perform together. RFYO students are eligible for need-based scholarships for reduced tuition and weekly private lessons, as well as access to the instrument lending library. The orchestra’s next free concert will take place at 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 13 at the Third Street Center.

Pitkin County recently installed a new panels on the old Emma Store in an effort to protect the historic structure from the ravages of winter and plowing on the adjacent highway. Its the second set commissioned from artist Gaard Moses, who painted the first ones in 2013. A public planning process for what to do with the store will begin early next year.

Courtesy Photo

Go green Carbondale Arts is seeking designers for the 11th annual Green is the New Black Fashion Extravaganza next March. The theme for this year’s sustainable fashion show is OZ, although designs do not need to be related to the theme. Becoming a GITNB designer provides exposure without all the stress and cost of producing your own show, but you have to get your application into laura@ carbondalearts.com by Nov. 9. For more information, visit carbondalearts.com.

Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District

Proposed 2019 Budget The Board of Directors of the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District will be discussing the proposed 2019 budget at their regular monthly meeting

After defeating Valley 5-0 and St. Mary’s 4-1, the Roaring Fork soccer boys will host the winner of the Salida / Green Valley Ranch for the 3A quarterfinals on Nov. 4.

We’ll let you know the exact time online once it’s been set, and we hope folks will come out for the game and otherwise show some Ram pride.

If I could turn back time Daylight Saving Time ends in the wee hours of Sunday, Nov. 4. Don’t forget to turn back your clocks to a rational system in which the sun is overhead at noon.

They say it’s your birthday Folks celebrating another year of life this week include: Don Parkison, Justin Marshall and Jay Riley (Nov. 1); Marge Palmer and Dave Weimer (Nov. 2); AJ Waski and Zack Jones (Nov. 3); Kelsey Schoenknecht, David Cappa and Jeff Achey (Nov. 4); Trina Ortega and Niki Burns (Nov. 5); Murry Daniels and Beth Broome (Nov. 6) Noreen Steiner, Brett Nelson, Lee Beck, and Virgil Leeman (Nov. 7).

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Cooking Matters is helping end childhood hunger across Colorado by inspiring families struggling with limited food budgets to learn how to shop for and cook healthy, affordable meals.

Help us celebrate our 25th anniversary by joining us for Colorado Gives Day! Schedule your gift starting Novemeber 1 and it will be doubled by Seattle Fish Co! Help end hunger at www.coloradogives.org/ ShareOurStrength/overview.

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4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018

We fill p rop too! Don ane cylinders, ’t get ca ug without in your R ht V or on the job!

So stay warm this winter with propane refills and bulk delivery from the Co-op! Also, keep an eye out for our Black Friday sales flyer running November 12th through November 25th, filled with bargains from pet beds to batteries.

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TREATS, NOT TRICKS All kinds of characters crawled through the halls of Crystal River Elementary School on Oct. 27 to attend its Halloween Happenings event, organized this year by the CRES Preschool.

Although the haunted house, ghosts of golf and targets of terror were popular, it appeared that the biggest hit with the kids and parents this year was the cotton candy, pizza and a massive selection of various sweet treats.

Photos and text by Jane Bachrach

The Sopris Sun, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018 • 5

Don’t bring me down, Bruce

Garfield Libraries, CMC looking to bypass TABOR

Colorado Mountain College

By Hayden Gamble Sopris Sun Correspondent Next Tuesday, the community will cast their vote on a number of measures, including whether or not to allow Garfield County Public Library District and Colorado Mountain College to sidestep the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Referred to as “de-Brucing” (named after Douglas Bruce, who wrote and promoted the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, a spending limitation approved by Colorado voters in 1992), this operation allows more spending and taxes than TABOR’s formula would otherwise allow.

However, neither Garfield County Public Libraries nor Colorado Mountain College are actually proposing to raise current tax rates. Rather, their concerns lie in maintaining revenues.

Garfield County Librairies Ballot issue 6A asks voters to allow the Library District “... to collect, retain and expend all excess revenues and other funds collected in calendar year 2017 and in each subsequent calendar year thereafter without further voter approval…” — or, in other words, to keep all revenues they already collect.

Some of the Library District’s funding — primarily the sales tax already approved

Carbondale Branch Library has seen plenty of demand despite cutbacks. Whether that will transfer to voter support remains to be seen. Courtesy photo by local voters — is subject to a Colorado state-specific formula that can limit the amount they’re allowed to retain. This stateimposed cap resulted in a $139,232 refund for their 2017 fiscal year, with a a similar, or even larger refund projected for 2018.

If voters approve this initiative, an additional $139,000 would be granted to the Library District’s 2019 budget, says Amy Shipley, Interim Executive Director of Garfield County Libraries. This would immediately boost their book budget back to previous levels maintained before they faced a 50 percent cut between 2016 and 2017. The increased budget would also allow the purchase of

roughly 7,000 new materials available in each of the next two years across the six library branch locations, one of which is in Carbondale. The book budget is not just for physical books though; it factors in e-books, audiobooks, movies, music and anything else available for check-out in their libraries, says Shipley.

Long-term, the passage of 6A entails that any money retained by the Library District in subsequent years would go to their general pool of funds and be divvied up based on the current needs of the communities they serve.

And, as Shipley stressed, 6A would not raise current tax rates or collections.

Ballot Issue 7D asks voters to grant authority to the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees to adjust the school’s mill levy, “... solely for the purpose of maintaining revenues that would be lost due to statewide property tax assessments rate reductions…” The ballot proposal continues, “... and shall the revenues generated by any such mill levy increase be collected, retained and spent notwithstanding any limits provided by law?”

Next year’s property tax revenue is forecasted to decline as a result of Colorado’s Gallagher Amendment, and for CMC this could entail a $3.8 million loss in revenue. If approved, this ballot measure would allow the college’s trustees to adjust the property tax rate — or mill levy — they collect in an effort to prevent such loss. They would only be allowed to do this when CMC would otherwise lose revenue because of the Gallagher Amendment, which benefits only the booming residential areas in Colorado.

CMC receives roughly 70 percent of its funding from property taxes. Last year, the college received $2.8 million less because of the amendment; this year it’s predicted to be somewhere in the ballpark of $3.8 million. While this isn’t a large enough loss to threaten the existence of the college, it still represents more than 10 percent of the operating budget — or equivalent to CMC’s Rifle campus, with programs, faculty, staff and other necessary factors of operation included. And with 10 percent DE-BRUCE page 7

The Future of Young Rippers is in Your Hands

Vote online at www.Mini-Mayor.com 6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018

De-Bruce

The trail of two years planning (and many more to go)

from page 2

By Hayden Gamble Sopris Sun Correspondent

chipping away every year, the college administration is forced to start looking at, and possibly readjusting, the operation of the institution, says Matt Gianneschi, Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff at Colorado Mountain College.

CMC is the only trainer of firefighters, first responders, EMTs, teacher education and nurses in the six-county mountain region.

They also offer ESL and GED courses that are unfunded by the state, as well as free college for high school students in every region they operate.

“The trustees believe that the college was created by our communities, for our communities,” says Gianneschi.

CMC has already raised tuition in the last five years, and as one of the lowest-cost institutions in the nation, affordable tuition is something the college historically has set as a priority for this region, according to Gianneschi.

“We feel that we’ve done all we can with [tuition],” says Patricia Theobald, one of the seven trustees on CMC’s Board.

“We’re reaching capacity at the Carbondale and Aspen campuses, and we really just want to be able to provide more services,” she concludes.

The Pitkin County Open Space and Trails team has finalized their draft plan for the proposed Carbondale to Crested Butte trail; they are set to present and discuss it with the Pitkin County commissioners on Nov. 7.

The meeting will start at 1 p.m. at the Third Street Center, with the Open Space and Trails Board (OST) kicking it off by outlining the plan and welcoming public comments. OST will then present a recommendation to county commissioners, who will in turn consider the recommendation, discuss possible revisions and finally decide whether or not to give it their stamp of approval.

The trail’s starting point will begin with the 8.5-mile Crystal Valley stretch in Carbondale, and continue south 13 miles through Redstone and up to the top of McClure Pass. Moving along into the Muddy Creek drainage, it will descend the southern side of the pass toward Kebler Pass Road, where it will climb to the top of Kebler Pass, cross into the Coal Creek drainage and descend again, heading east toward Crested Butte.

The goal for this 83-mile route is to improve safety for both non-motorized trail users, as well as motorized Highway 133 and Kebler Pass travelers, while also providing opportunities for recreation.

“The plan has also significantly expanded to not only protect wildlife, but to actually enhance wildlife habitat up the Crystal River,” says Gary Tennenbaum, Director of Pitkin County Open Space and Trails.

“It’s because of this planning process that we’re going to do more for wildlife than

Crystal Tapp took a trip up the Crystal on the existing section of the path on a sunny October afternoon. Photo by Will Grandbois what would’ve been done before this process started.”

If approved, a second reading and public hearing will be scheduled for Dec. 5.

Tennenbaum notes that phase one is the only measure that truly gets approved if the commissioners accept this plan as written.

“With phase one, we go from Redstone to the top of McClure Pass. If that gets approved, it will take some time to construct and get through the NEPA and CDOT review processes. Then, we would go back to the County Commissioners and the Open Space Board and see which phase they would like to go with next,” he says.

“It’s is really a vision statement for the

future that will take probably decades to complete,” he adds.

For Carbondale, this trail provides a link to Redstone that doesn’t require driving. And vice versa for people who live up in the Crystal Valley and want to bike to Carbondale. Tennenbaum predicts it could help businesses in both towns as well, given the projected increase in rider traffic.

“This process has gone on for two years and we’ve gotten a ton of public comment.

The commissioners and the Open Space board have heard all of that public comment,” he continues. “... And I think they’re at a point where they can make a decision on where they want to go for the future.”

The Sopris Sun, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018 • 7

Town Report

Cop Shop

The following items are drawn from Town Manager Jay Harrington’s weekly report to staff, trustees and others.

From Oct. 19 through 25, Carbondale Police handled 208 Calls for Service.

During that period, officers investigated the following cases of note:

SPECIAL EVENT TASK FORCE members are needed to make decisions on rules and regulations for special events that take place on Town streets, parks and open space.

The first meeting will address last year’s events on Nov. 7 and the meeting on 2019 events will take place on Dec. 5 — both at 6 p.m. at Town Hall. The public is invited.

SATURDAY Oct. 20 at 3:01 a.m. After contacting a 36-year-old man for driving erratically, police arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence, speeding and negligence.

HALLOWEEN CANDY BUY-BACK takes place Nov. 1 through 7 at the Rec. Center.

Youngsters from 1 to 3 can gain free admittance to Motion Motions or Wild and Wacky Wednesday with two pounds of candy, 4 to 6 year-olds can get a free youth and adult pool admittance with three pounds of candy and 7 to 13 year-olds can get into an early release Wednesday program with one pound of candy.

HOLIDAY LIGHT installation has begun around town.

NEW SALES TAX REQUIREMENTS were discussed at a Colorado Municipal League meeting, including a Wayfair requirement that remote sellers above the de minimis level obtain a state sales tax license and begin collecting and remitting sales tax starting on December 1.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES at the Rec. Center include climbing instructors (call 510-1214), group fitness and silver sneakers instructors (call 510-1280) and youth basketball referees and recreation assistants (510-1279).

A BIKE RACE, the second of the Aloha Shaka Cross series, is slated for Nov. 4 at North Face Park. More info at alohamountaincyclery.com.

A NEW PLAY STRUCTURE called the Volta spinner is being installed in Sopris Park.

PLANNING AND ZONING approved two separate resolutions for accessory dwelling units and a special use permit for a cell antenna facility and elected Ken Harrington vice chair.

ALL DITCHES are now shut down for the season.

A WATER MAIN BREAK on the main Nettle Creek line under Thomas Road was repaired “relatively quickly.”

SATURDAY Oct. 20 at 2:51 p.m. A pair of reported runaways were found in Glenwood Springs waiting for a bus bound for California.

SATURDAY Oct. 20 at 10:40 p.m. Police stopped a 43-year-old man for driving abruptly from one side of the road to the other and issued him a summons for driving under the influence.

SUNDAY Oct. 21 at 2 a.m. A traffic stop for a defective vehicle and failure to drive on the right led to the arrest of the 25-year-old man driver possession of a controlled substance, open containers of both marijuana and alcohol, driving while revoked and introducing contraband. A 22-year-old passenger was also charged with possession and use of a controlled substance.

SUNDAY Oct. 21 at 9:31 p.m. Following a traffic stop for failure to obey a traffic control device, a 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

SUNDAY Oct. 21 at 10:50 p.m. A 29-year-old driver with only one headlight was issued a citation and a summons for open container and driving under the influence.

MONDAY Oct. 22 at 6:55 p.m. Two windows were broken out of a trailer on Merrill Avenue.

MONDAY Oct. 22 at 10:41 p.m. After a traffic stop for weaving, a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

MONDAY Oct. 22 at 11:34 p.m. Another weaving stop led to another DUI summons.

A NEW DRIVER has been added to the Utilities staff.

TUESDAY Oct. 23 at 1:26 p.m. Police “received information” that two high schoolers are “involved in illegal activities.”

NEW CHAIRS have been ordered for the board of trustees “at a very reasonable price.”

TUESDAY Oct. 23 at 4:13 p.m. An investigation began on an old sex assault.

POLICE WERE TRAINED on new equipment by firefighters. Officers Randy Rodgers and Bill Kirkland also attended a FBI Supervisory Institute course while Police Executive Assistant Anna Ramirez will be attending the Colorado Victim’s Assistance conference.

THURSDAY Oct. 25 at 1:41 a.m. A traffic stop for expired registration led to the arrest of a 27-year-old woman on suspicion of driving under the influence.

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Historic Thompson House to reopen for biweekly tours, events

Sometimes it feels like the Thompsons might come home any minute.

Photo by Justin Patrick ing provided overnight accommodations of their own. I imagine elegantly dressed, sophisticated-yet-country-rough friends might stay for a few nights, dancing to music, playing cards, telling stories in this joyful place that offered a sorely need change of scenery to the plowed fields. They must have sucked every minute of glee from these rare social opportunities.

“Because ranch houses were so far apart, when they had social events, people would often come in their wagons to the house to have a party and stay for two or three days,” Gray informed me.

Walking through the house is, of course, like walking through any museum, but the Thompson House carries a distinct and ex-

ENER

otic feel to it. It is not an old home sourced with period pieces from around the country to mimic the effect of a real pioneer domicile. This was clearly somebody’s treasured home. Everything (and there are a lot of things!) is in its right place.

After Hattie’s husband Oscar took his own life in the carriage house in 1920, she travelled extensively to far flung locations: Egypt, Hong Kong, Cuba, Morocco, and Merry Old England. It would have been rare enough for a man of that day to have the resources and willpower to board trains and steamships for prolonged intercontinental travel. But for a woman in her fifties, and one who made her fortune by THOMPSON HOUSE page 11

G Y

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Be a GREEN Leader!

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Dr. Ben Mackin of Carbondale Animal Hospital

There are only an estimated five historic homes in America that contain a full collection of the very possessions that once belonged to the original residents. Carbondale’s Thompson House, which was added to the National Historic Register in 2013, is one of them (Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello is another).

While most people tend to get rid of “old stuff” and modernize the look and feel of a home after they move in, Hattie Thompson’s relatives chose to leave the property intact — filled with Hattie’s possessions that give us a detailed glimpse into pioneer life in Carbondale, as well as providing clues to the character of this larger-than-life woman who defied conventional stereotypes.

I met with Carbondale Historical Society board president Sue Gray, who enthusiastically walked me through the Thompson House. It’s hard to imagine now, but when the home was built in 1885 as a wedding present for young Hattie Thompson by her father Myron, it was surrounded by open land.

Carbondale was only a few hundred residents strong, and most were strung along the valley working cattle and har-

vesting crops with few comforts. In the early years of homesteading, the Utes still hunted in the Roaring Fork Valley. With a quaint but sturdy one-story home to anchor them, Hattie and her second husband Oscar Holland put their energy into developing the Pleasantview Ranch, which grew to a profitable going concern.

“People came for the mining and stayed for the ranching,” Gray told me, “because they found this valley ideal for growing crops and raising cattle.”

As their wealth grew so too did the Thompson House. A second story and open porch was added around 1895 (eventually, that porch would be glassed using materials purchased from the Osgoods, sourced from the greenhouse at the Redstone Castle).

The property became the scene of extravagant parties and a hub for pioneer society. Looking at the large electric Victrola, piano, and ornate leather furniture in the elegant parlor, I could just picture the scene — only the more well-to-do neighbors’ carriages travelling for hours, maybe even a day or two, through a still very much wild mountainous landscape, to congregate at this warm outpost of social and familial jubilance. Their horses would pull the carriages to the porch entrance, where the animals could water briefly before be-

S

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Lee Ann Eustis stepping back, but not aside

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff

After more than half a century of contributions to Carbondale, Lee Ann Eustis is ready for fresher minds to take the wheel. Luckily, she’s not going anywhere — as your friends would tell you, she’d be impossible to replace.

“Everything she addresses, she does it from the standpoint that it matters,” noted friend and renowned pianist Robin Sutherland. “She has boundless personal energy.

There are so many threads and from their joining comes that fabric, which is hella strong. When you run into someone like that, stand back because things are going

to happen.”

In many ways, it’s a stroke of luck that she ended up here at all. Lee Ann, neé King, was born in Philadelphia in 1935 to a prominent family and raised mostly by her aunts and uncles. Her mother had eloped at 18 and divorced at 19 before marrying later in life. Lee Ann’s own rebellion came after she began studying English at Vassar.

“I came home with tons of different ideas and let them be known,” she recalled. “My friends really worried about me being an old maid because I didn’t have an engagement ring when I took my diploma.”

She worked in the advertising business for a while,

but couldn’t handle the falseness of it all. So when her father gave her some money, she used it to spend the better part of a year travelling through Europe — something unheard of for someone of her station and era.

“That really really changed me,” she said. “I wasn’t going to be back to Philadelphia.”

Instead, she moved to Washington D.C., where she got to know George Eustis’s mother and, ultimately, George himself. A wildlife biologist, he was a novelty in the capitol crowd, and smitten with her to boot.

“Anybody looks good after working with bighorn sheep for six or eight weeks,” she joked.

After two years of long distance romance, they decided to marry and make a life together — in Yuma, Arizona.

“You didn’t move away west of the Mississippi. You just didn’t do it,” Lee Ann explained.

By a twist of fate, they ended up in Monte Vista, Colorado instead, with George working on a wildlife refuge for sandhill cranes. That’s where their daughter, Leslie, was born premature — taken with a police escort over to Children’s Hospital.

“She’s a miracle,” Lee Ann said. “She was meant to be.”

After a brief sint in Fort Collins, George got an offer from Colorado Rocky Mountain School to teach. Their son, Evan, was four days old when they made the move to Carbondale.

An education It was 1965, and John and Anne Holden had been perfecting their own brand of outdoor-focused, all-around education on the old Pabst Ranch outside of town for a little more than a decade.

“I think the reason there was a foothold to be gained in the community is because the Holdens put it there,” Sutherland noted. “CRMS became the beacon.”

It certainly seems to have been the cornerstone for the Eustis family. Lee Ann taught, coached and soon became as invested as George.

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Eustis

from page 10

“It was very definitely about the complete person,” she said. “You didn’t have a spare moment. Everything involved the students.”

They found more independence after moving off campus, eventually ending up with a sprawling, then-remote property on Missouri Heights.

Lee Ann began to look for the kind of cultural opportunities she had enjoyed back home.

“I was always begging to go to Denver,” she recalled. “We’d try something — culinary arts or a craft’s fair — during the summer. There weren’t all these nonprofits like there are now, but I was on as many boards as you could be.”

She was instrumental in starting up Mountain Fair and helped build the Arts Council into a prominent organization with a full time director. They brought in plays — sometimes at the CRMS barn, sometimes at the soon-tobe-condemned Crystal Theatre — and tried to bring the boarding students into the community. It all came back to education for Lee Ann, whether it was forming a foundation or helping expand Aspen Country Day School.

Then, in autumn of 1978, everything changed.

Holding fast That’s when Lee Ann returned from an Arts Council meeting to find George dead. Her kids were 12 and 14.

“I don’t know how I got through that first year,” she said. “I took care of myself and the kids alone for a long time.”

That wasn’t lost on Leslie.

“I think it’s very difficult to be a woman alone, but mom held in there,” she said. “It’s a good honest triangle of love, and I give her a lot of credit.”

Paula Stepp for Garfield County Commissioner

“It was all very Louis L’Amour,” Leslie said of her parents. Courtesy photo Despite pressure — and some temptation — to move back East, the family stayed in Carbondale and involved with CRMS. “It was where they landed, it’s where she started her family, and then it gave her purpose after dad died,” Leslie said. “She was one of those strong women I grew up with that kind of these strange amphibians of Ivy League educated people who chose to be out West. She could compete with the Aspen crowd but liked being downvalley with the ranchers.”

“It was a whole new world that George exposed me to,” Lee Ann said. “I loved the fact that I had friends of all ages that make me feel alive.”

It’s not quite the town it used to be, but while at 83 she’s not a huge fan of change, Lee Ann is rolling with the punches.

“There’s something to do every single night. I have to make a choice,” she said.

“I have been enjoying life and I want to continue to.”

Thompson House continued from page 9 ranching in western Colorado, to venture to international destinations is remarkable.

The Thompson House is less a museum than it is a material reflection of Hattie’s life.

“We don’t know a lot about her personal life,” Sue Gray told me, “but we can deduce her character from the items she cherished and collected and kept in her house. For her time, she was a very unusual woman. She was worldly, not a country bumpkin. Very educated and interested in the affairs of the time. She was involved in the community as well as the day-to-day ranching operations.”

While I could go into detail here of all the treasures contained in the house, it’s a far better policy for you to see for yourself.

The Thompson House recently finished thousands of dollars of renovations and cleanings in part with help from History Colorado. The house is owned and main-

tained by the Town of Carbondale, and the historic goods contained inside belong to the Historical Society, which is also in charge of organizing tours and other public events.

According to Gray, the Society plans to open the Thompson House for public tours every other Saturday for four hours (details are still being fine-tuned) starting in December. Additionally, there will be a public cocktail party, also in December, to re-introduce the community to this unique resource. “The house will be available to rent for events, meetings, reunions, weddings, and birthday parties,” she said.

“Most people don’t even know it’s here, or what it is, or what’s inside of it. We want to introduce it to the community.”

More information about the Carbondale Historical Society and the Thompson House are available at carbondalehistory.org.

Business Skills for a Changing World WITH A CAREER IN PUBLISHING IN THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY, PAULA STEPP MET THE CHALLENGE OF THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION. SHE WILL DELIVER THAT EXPERIENCE, DRIVE AND COMMITMENT TO THE GARFIELD COUNTY COMMISSION

Paula Stepp is all business. For 28 years I worked side by side with her as she rose through the management ranks to become a key leader at my Carbondale-based publishing company. Stepp steered the business through the 2008 recession, a time when many companies failed. Thanks to her crisp fiscal management, team approach, loyalty and organizational skills, Big Stone Publishing grew over 300% and prospers today.

— Duane Raleigh

President / Big Stone Publishing

Would I trust Paula Stepp with the business of Garfield County? Without question. As circulation director at Climbing Magazine, Paula was responsible for half the revenue of the magazine. She was a superb leader and a key member of our management team. Paula knew the numbers from the ground up, but more importantly, she understood their impact on our customers, employees and suppliers, and on our ability to thrive as a business.

— Michael Kennedy

Editor, Publisher & Owner / Climbing Magazine 1987-1997

Vote Paula Stepp Nov. 6 PaulaStepp.com

The Thompson House still manages to be pastoral despite the town’s growth.

Photo by Julie Albrecht

Paid for by the Committee to Elect Paula Stepp. Norman Kirk, Treasurer

The Sopris Sun, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018 • 11

Community Calendar THURSDAY Nov. 1

WILD & SCENIC • From 6 to 8 p.m., celebrate the anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act with Wilderness Workshop (520 S. Third St., Suite 27) and discuss the possibility of protecting Deep Creek. $10 at wildernessworkshop.org.

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

Events take place in Carbondale unless noted.

8:30 p.m. (ish).

ROCK JAM • Whiskey Stomp plays Carbondale Beer Works (647 Main St.) from 9 p.m. ‘til midnight.

COVER BAND • Union of None takes the stage at the Black Nugget (403 Main St.) at 9 p.m.

FRI to THU Nov. 2-8

MOVIES • The Crystal Theatre (427 Main St.) presents “Colette” (R) at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2-4, Nov. 7-8 and “The Old Man & the Gun” (R) at 5:15 p.m. Nov. 3-4, Nov. 4 show is captioned. Closed Nov. 5-6.

STOMPGRASS • Steve’s Guitars (19 N. Fourth St.) hosts Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs at 8:30 p.m.

KIDS MOVIE • Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.) hosts a free screening of “Incredibles 2” at 2 p.m. with refreshments provided.

HOLIDAY CLAY • More than 20 local and national artists’ works of ceramic art will be featured at Carbondale Clay Center (135 Main St.) through Dec. 21 with a 6 to 8 p.m. opening reception.

TEEN ROCK • Sleepy Justice returns to Steve’s Guitars (19 N. Fourth St.) at

LATIN DANCING • Enjoy an evening of salsa, bachata, cumbia and merengue to live music by Son Tres at 9 p.m. at The Temporary (360 Market St., Willits). $10 in advance at tacaw.org or $20 at the door.

SATURDAY Nov. 3

be r

Get Involved

SUNDAY Nov. 4

5K • Run or walk along Mitchell Creek Road above the Glenwood Fish Hatchery (1342 CR 132) then spring to Donegon Road in a benefit for local animal shelters and the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation in Silt. Registration is $10 and begins at 9 a.m.

PREHISTORIC PUPPETS • Erth takes you on a virtual aquarium adventure at 5:30 p.m. at the Wheeler Opera House (320 Hyman Ave., Aspen) using actors, technology, puppets and imagination to connect young audiences to the real science of paleontology.

PEACE OF MIND • Alleviate your election-season stress with a free class on the CORE technique for resolving emotions from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

MONDAY Nov. 5

HARVEST FEST • Celebrate the chang-

Fostering Diverse Educational

No ve m

FILM FUNDRAISER • Basalt High School (600 Southside Dr.) screens Reel Rock 13 at 7 p.m. in an effort to finish its new climbing wall and open it to P.E. students.

AUCTION • The Two Rivers Unitarian Universalists host a silent and live auction with food, an open bar and live music from Let Them Roar from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

FRIDAY Nov. 2

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS • First Friday Day of the Dead festivities start at 5 p.m. with altar viewing, face painting and traditional treats at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.) followed by an AfroLatin dance performance and Que Viva before the procession begins at 6:30, with spectators and participants alike parading down to the Thunder River Theatre (67 Promenade) for Aspen Sante Fe Ballet Folklorico and finally Dance of the Sacred Fire at Fourth and Main — all free and open to the public.

ing of seasons with music, local makers + early holiday gifting, delicious fare and hot cider from noon to 5 p.m. at The Way Home (689 Main St.).

Qigong, TaiChi Ukulele Classes Bridge, Bookclub Geneology, Watercolor RSVP Tax Assistance Sight & Health Info.

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John 963-1689,Diane 230-2158 * Senior Matters Room 33 3rd St Center Carbondale

DAM FILMS • Dance, Art, & Music (DAM) Films continue at 8 p.m. at The Temporary (360 Market St., Willits) with “McQueen.” $11 in advance at tacaw.org or $14 at the door.

TUESDAY Nov. 6

ELECTION DAY • Get your ballot to Town Hall (511 Colorado Ave.) or your local drop-off by 7 p.m. (it’s way too late to mail it). Then, tune into KDNK and keep an eye out at soprissun.com for live coverage.

FUNDRAISING WORKSHOP • Andy Robinson helps your board raise money with practical ideas from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Third Street Center. $55

WEDNESDAY Nov. 7

BOOKS ON SCREEN • Basalt Regional Library (14 Midland Ave.) screens “The Lost City of Z” at 5 p.m.

GREEN DRINKS • Chat with others passionate about sustainability and come check out 2757 Design Build Co’s new location (417 Main St. Suite Y) at 5:30 p.m.

— $5 covers food and beverages.

SCHOOL VISIONING • Help shape the future of Roaring Fork Schools with a bilingual meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Crystal River Elementary School (160 Snowmass Dr.). Free food and childcare if you sign up tinyurl.com/RFSDvisioning.

Further Out FRIDAY Nov. 9

VETS HONORED • Veterans are urged to contact Crystal River Elementary School (160 Snowmass Dr. / 384-5620) to participate in the annual Veterans Day assembly at 10 a.m., followed by a 12:30 p.m. joint event with Carbondale Middle School and Roaring Fork High School at CMS (180 Snowmass Dr.).

CALENDAR continued on page 13

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Free food and an open bar with live music from Let Them Roar!

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bENEFiTiNG TWo RivERs UNiTARiAN UNivERsALisT 12 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018

Community Calendar

continued from page 12

Ongoing

RF INSIGHT • Monday Night Meditation meets from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. at Roaring Fork Aikikai (2553 Dolores Way) and offers instruction in the Buddhist practice of Vipassana. RFI also offers secular mindfulness at the Carbondale Community School and is working with CMC to provide a class on “Zen and the Art of Dying” — more info at roaringforkinsight.org.

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.

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.

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN • Staff and sources talk about this week’s paper and more at 4 p.m. Thursdays on KDNK (88.1 FM).

HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION • Free opportunities include: One-hour consultations Monday mornings by appointment (379-5718) about heart attack and other chronic illness prevention through plant-based whole foods lifestyle with retired family doctor Greg Feinsinger, MD. New at 6 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Oct. 23, a livestream of Just 1 Thing 4 Health’s interviews with featured doctors. At 7 p.m. the first Monday of the month, a Powerpoint presentation about the science behind plantbased nutrition. Finally, at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month, participate in a plant-based potluck. All events take place at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.) and are supported by Davi Nikent Center for Human Flourishing.

WRITERS GROUP • Wordsmiths of all experience and abilities gather at the Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.) at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of the month.

OPEN MIC • Take the stage at Riverside Grill (181 Basalt Center Circle, Basalt) from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. Food and drink specials. Free.

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 963-2889 for this month’s selection.

KARAOKE • The Black Nugget (403 Main St.) and Sandman bring you over 30,000 songs to choose from and a quality sound system to release your inner rockstar at 9 pm. every Thursday.

STORYTIME • Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.) hosts stories, songs and more for ages four and up at 10:30 a.m. Thursdays and three and under at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.

LET’S JUST DANCE • Feel great, have fun and dance Tuesdays at The Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.). Catch a free lesson at 7 p.m., then from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. it’s open dancing with two-step, swing, waltz, line dance, salsa and more. No partner or experience necessary. $8/person; $14/couple. Questions? Call 970-366-6463 or email billypat4@gmail.com.

STORY ART • Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.), in partnership with the Aspen Art Museum, invites kids to learn about artists and create masterpieces of their own at 4 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month.

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.

LIFE DRAWING • Drop in for figure drawing with Staci Dickerson at 6:30 p.m. Mondays at SAW (525 Buggy Cr. Unit C).

LOVE ADDICTS • Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, a 12-step group will meet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Holland Hills United Methodist Church (167 Holland Hills Rd. Basalt).

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

MORE

WORLD DANCE • Learn rhythms from various countries and cultures for $12 per class from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays at the Carbondale Community School (1505 Satank Rd.).

DHARMA • The Way of Compassion Dharma Center holds a Dharma talk and meditation from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and a silent meditation and Buddha of Compassion practice at 8 a.m. Saturdays at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

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

GRIEF AND LOSS • Pathfinders offers a grief and loss support group every other Monday at 6 p.m., and a caregiver support group every other Wednesday noon.

An RSVP is required to Robyn Hubbard at 319-6854. Pathfinders offers support groups from Aspen to Rifle and is located in Carbondale at 1101 Village Rd. Info: pathfindersforcancer.org.

PARENT CHILD CLASSES • Waldorf on the Roaring Fork hosts musics, movement and merrymaking for kids under 5 and caregivers at 9 a.m. Mondays; sweetness, self care and singing for the under 1.5 crowd at 9 a.m. Wednesdays; and pals, play and puppetry for ages 1.5 to 4 at 9 a.m. Fridays.

More information and registration at www. waldorfschoolrf.org.

ROTARY • The Carbondale Rotary Club meets at the Carbondale Fire Station (300 Meadowood Dr.) at 6:45 a.m.

Wednesdays. The Mt. Sopris Rotary meets at White House Pizza (801 Main Ct.) at noon every Thursday.

YOGA • Get a donation-based introduction to Hatha Yoga Tuesdays from 8 to 9 p.m. at The Launchpad (76 S. Fourth St.).

MAKERSPACE • Children and teens are invited to design, create, tinker, and play with art and technology to design and create with 3D Pens, make stop-motion animation films, engineer duct tape creations, build their own video games, and more from 2 to 3:30 p.m. every Wednesday at the Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.).

YAPPY HOUR • Colorado Animal Rescue’s Yappy Hour at the Marble Bar (150 Main St.) takes place at 5:30 p.m. the third Thursday of the month. Sip on handcrafted cocktails and meet a C.A.R.E. dog, with $1 from every drink donated to C.A.R.E. Bring your own dog along as well.

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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TUMBLEWEED420.COM The Sopris Sun, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018 • 13

Letters

continued from page 2

1A for open space Dear Editor: One of the greatest challenges to the protection of the Roaring Fork Watershed is the fact that it is cut into pieces of four different Counties.

Since 2004, Eagle County’s Open Space program has been investing in conservation projects in our mid-valley, often partnering with Pitkin County, AVLT, the Roaring Fork Conservancy, the Town of Basalt, and other conservation minded organizations.

The Glassier Open Space and Grange Ranch and Emma Farms conservation easements are some examples of critical mid valley landscapes saved by these partnerships. Perhaps the biggest threat to both wildlife, and local food production, in our area is the ongoing suburban sprawl that increases human congestion into the open areas between the valley’s towns.

And our best mechanism for avoiding this sprawl is to acquire conservation easements and public ownership of the remaining open lands. If you are an Eagle County resident, please vote yes on 1A to extend the Eagle County’s Open Space program by a further 15 years.

Dale Will Carbondale

HCF supports Valley Life

The ROARING FORK VALLEY NEEDS health care for

all

Support the BASALT INTEGRATED HEALTH CENTER PROJECT

To see how you can help call Garry Schalla at 970-945-2840x7290 or email gschalla@mountainfamily.org www.mountainfamily.org

14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018

Dear Editor: This letter is written in regard to all residents of Pitkin County. My name is Amy Schuster. I am a board member and staff member of the nonprofit Valley Life for All. Valley Life for All’s mission to provide resources for persons with disabilities.

Our non-profit is also working on a valley wide inclusion campaign in which we are getting stories related to inclusion or what we call ‘voiceability’ published in newspapers. We believe that we have more abilities in common than others may perceive. We need to hear more openly about these abilities which is what we are striving to achieve.

We are extremely grateful for the support of the Healthy Community Fund.

The Healthy Community Fund generously donates every year to our organization.

They have been an important funder for us to be able to do the work that we do and we wouldn’t be where we are today without the annual grants that we receive from them.

With their gift, we have been able to connect individuals with resources, strengthen our community, and facilitate opportunities through our providers collaborative, which assigns support for individuals who are experiencing adversity because of the transition of life after high school.

It is profoundly important to Valley Life for All that you vote for renewal of the Healthy Community Fund.

Amy Schuster Basalt

Vote for Jean Dear Editor: Hear ye! Hear ye!

We are so incredibly fortunate to have Jean as our County Clerk and Recorder. I worked with her as an election judge during numerous elections over the years. She is organized, intelligent, caring, and incredibly knowledgeable. Everything we were expected to do was clearly explained and Jean made sure all was understood.

The details of this job are absolutely endless.

When there was an issue in some other state about how poorly or wrongly a voting process had been handled, I could only think: ‘this place needs Jean Alberico!’

Many abnormal situations seem to be arising alarmingly often this year. Again, they need a Jean Alberico. Wouldn’t be happening on her watch!!

Whether it is the elections, the complicated understanding of the myriad of other responsibilities in the Clerk and Recorder Office, or communication with the public, Jean is the best.

We must keep Jean as Garfield County Clerk and Recorder. We, gratefully, will be in experienced and capable hands Vote for Jean Alberico!!!

Carol Duell Carbondale

Stepp supports grouse, economy Dear Editor: I’m voting for Paula Stepp as Garfield County Commissioner because I’m tired of our tax dollars being used to weaken protections for Colorado’s wildlife and public lands.

The current commission has conducted a costly campaign to keep the greater sage grouse from being listed as an endangered species, which would likely reduce oil and gas (O&G) drilling on federal land.

It’s a complex and divisive issue, but the commissioners have been backing the O&G industry by: • Buying expensive consulting services from the American Stewards of Liberty (ASL) – a shadowy Texas-based group opposed to endangered species protections and federal land-use regulations.

• Hiring a wildlife biologist known for favoring the O&G industry to challenge federal agencies’ sage grouse data.

• Suing the BLM to block new rules – which were recently overturned by Congress – that would have increased public involvement in land-use and resource management plans.

It’s fine for GarCo to encourage the O&G industry, which provides high-paying jobs and much of the county’s tax revenue. But the industry can, and should pay for its own legal and lobbying initiatives.

By funneling tax dollars to partisan groups like ASL and questionable sciencefor-hire consultants, the county loses credibility, worsens its relationship with federal agencies and further politicizes an issue that should be resolved by objective, unbiased science.

Paula Stepp appreciates the O&G industry’s contributions to the region’s economy. But she also understands the vital importance to our growing tourism and outdoor recreation industries of preserving healthy wildlife habitat.

Garfield County needs more leaders like Paula, who will work to develop a strong, more diverse economy, as well as a healthy environment. Electing her will be a good first step.

Russ Arensman Glenwood Springs

Time for a change Dear Editor: A few years ago, and over the span of several years, a group of local citizens spent many hours attending and testifying at County Commissioner meetings to protect an historic public right-of-way.

This dedicated group was comprised of a range of Garfield County residents, some who live in Satank and some from various LETTERS page 16

Telephonic local stories, Volume II

Can you Chapter Three: Toddlers and Tigers; Oh My! imagine?

By John Colson

Editor’s note: This monthly literary and creativity section features a sort of telephonegame story. Read the whole thing at soprissun. com/groupstory and sign up to write a chapter, submit a poem or otherwise get involved by emailing news@soprissun.com.

“Mother of the Dead” — a Mother’s Day gift from Karyn Clark to Niki Delson — will be on display at The Launchpad as part of the Dia de los Muertos festivities on First Friday.

Max’s first thought, after his heart stopped buzzing like a bee’s wings and he could think again, was that he needed to get free of these fat little fingers.

“I’ll just bite one of the fingers, that should do it,” he thought.

Unfortunately for Max (but maybe not so unfortunate for the toddler who had grabbed him), Max’s head was encased by warm and slowly tightening flesh, while his lower body and tail stuck out from the small-human’s fist — a very undignified position for any thinking being, whether mouse or dog or chimpanzee.

The shrieks continued, though it was hard to determine if they were from joy, amusement, surprise or fear, and the volume rose after the first one that had burst from the small-human’s mouth when he spotted Max inching down the aluminum tube harnessing his Burley trailer to his dad’s mountain bike.

In any event, Max felt he was in an untenable position — gripped by a young human hundreds of times his size, exposed to possible interference by a much larger human that surely must be lurking nearby (adult humans seemed always to be lurking, unless they were screaming and jumping onto chairs to get away from Max).

And if that larger human did chance to come this way to see what all the shrieking was about, Max was fairly certain the results would not go in his favor. Aside from the kindness done him by the two-legged student who freed him on his birthday, he could not think of a single episode in which human-mouse interactions had been helpful to him.

“Well, this is it,” Max thought disgustedly. “I’m a goner!”

But just then, two things happened — a ginger-colored cat (his name was Tiger) darted out from under the fence that surrounded the brew pub that the full-moon-cruisers had entered, and a large shape loomed out of the semi-darkness around the small-human’s Burley trailer, emitting noises that Max assumed were some form of, “Hey, kid, what the heck is going on?”

As Tiger slipped past the Burley, another large shape appeared beyond the fence, emitting noises of its own that apparently were directed at the cat. Max got the impression that Tiger was trying to escape an unwanted predicament as much as he was (Max, that is).

But then Tiger caught sight of Max’s bottom end and tail, and even worse for Max, caught the scent of a mouse in distress.

Now, cats being the carnivorous predators that they are, Tiger figured dinner was there to be had, if the smallhuman’s grip could somehow be loosened to permit Max a moment of freedom. The cat started to turn and move toward the Burley, forgetting its prior predicament.

At the same time, the first large human approached the Burley, saw what her child had captured, and started shrieking on her own (it was, as you might have guessed, the child’s mother).

What happened next was difficult to make out and all a blur.

The small-human, alarmed by his mom’s shriek, opened his hand and Max bolted in what he hoped was the opposite direction from where he’d last seen the cat. Hampered by his wounded leg, however, he slipped on the slightly bloodsmeared aluminum tube and fell to the ground, just as the cat pounced toward Max’s recently vacated perch on the tube.

Meanwhile, the other large shape (another human woman, if you must ask) leapt lightly over the fence, landed near the Burley, and began scolding the cat, which she thought had been making for the child as she had not even seen the mouse.

In the ensuing melee, with the two women arguing about Tiger’s apparent ferocity toward the small-human, the smallhuman yelling in response to the women’s argument and the cat bewildered by a sudden tornado of noise and human emotion, Max scampered across the street unobserved.

He was headed to another building, where he remembered there once had been a small Mexican-food grocer that kept a very tantalizing and invitingly easy to access dumpster in the back alley.

2018 COMMUNITY VISIONING PENSAR LA VISIÓN DE LA COMUNIDAD 2018 WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR VOICE!

¡QUEREMOS ESCUCHAR TU VOZ!

All community members are invited to tell us your hopes for our children, our schools, and our family-school partnerships.

Se invita a todos los miembros de la comunidad a contarnos sus esperanzas para nuestros niños, nuestras escuelas, y nuestras asociaciones de familias y escuelas.

EVENING MEETINGS

REUNIONES NOCTURNAS

-TUE, NOV 6 @ GLENWOOD SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

-MA., 6 DE NOV. EN LA ESCUELA PRIMARIA GLENWOOD SPRINGS

-WED, NOV 7 @ CRYSTAL RIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

-MI., 7 DE NOV. EN LA ESCUELA PRIMARIA CRYSTAL RIVER

-THUR, NOV 8 @ BASALT HIGH SCHOOL

-JU., 8 DE NOV. EN LA ESCUELA SECUNDARIA BASALT

All meetings will begin at 5:30pm and will be conducted in both English and Spanish in separate rooms.

Todas las reuniones comenzarán a las 5:30p.m. y serán en inglés y en español en salas separadas.

ALIMENTOS Y CUIDADO INFANTIL GRATUITOS

FREE FOOD & CHILD CARE

Confirme presencia para garantizar un lugar en cuidado infantil en tinyurl.com/RFSDvisioning o al 384-6004

Please RSVP to guarantee a child care spot at tinyurl.com/RFSDvisioning or 384-6004

www. RoaringForkSchools.com

The Sopris Sun, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018 • 15

Letters

continued from page 14

neighborhoods in the Town of Carbondale, including RVR and Dolores Way. The right-of-way I am referring to is the historic passage through what is now Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS), but which was once the main road connecting Glenwood Springs and Carbondale. Even after it was closed to motorized through traffic, which happened several decades ago at the school’s request, this road has been used by walkers and cyclists of all ages, as well as elementary, and middle school children travelling alone to and from school. Though this road existed long before CRMS put up its first structures in the 1950s, and though the school could offer no proof that public access has ever presented a real threat to their students, the school has long sought to close the route completely to the non-school community.

Through an arduous hearing process, as we presented what we felt were rational arguments on behalf of our greater community and future residents, we received open ears from both Commissioner John Martin and Commissioner Mike Sampson.

Surprisingly, Tom Jankovsky, who is supposed to represent us as his Commissioner District 1 constituents, repeatedly used these hearings to puppet the school’s position. In the end he was the only “no” vote on every proposal to keep that route open and improve it for public use and safety. Thanks to the votes of John Martin and Mike Sampson, both of whom took the time to meet privately with members of our group, we prevailed, and the former road remains open today for anyone to use during daylight hours.

There was little doubt in the minds of

those of us who witnessed this strange show from Mr. Jankovsky that he must owe some sort of debt, either to the school itself or to members of its past or present board. Why else would he be the holdout vote on something that would so obviously benefit the majority of his constituents?

I believe this sort of close-mindedness and pandering is not what we need or should expect from our elected representatives, especially not now.

We are lucky to have in Paula Stepp an alternate candidate with the experience and credentials to do a great job as our next District 1 County Commissioner. She will keep an open mind and listen to Garfield County residents from every part of the county, including ours. Whether or not you are familiar with her impressive record and style, please vote for her. A vote for Paula is a long-overdue vote against Mr. Jankovsky. It’s time for a change.

Barbara Dills Carbondale Editor’s note: Dills is a current Sopris Sun board member. The views expressed here are solely those of the author.

It’s not the end of the world Dear Editor: I could see the handwriting on the shop walls. After 17 years on the job at Inland Steel in East Chicago, Indiana, my beloved steel mill was going belly-up.

I didn’t wanna watch it die. In 1993, I left the armpit of the world for God’s country, the Western Slope of Colorado.

Four years later, the USS Inland, along with every other major steel mill in the

16 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018

country, was in Davy Jones locker. Thirtyfive thousand workers out on the street at Inland alone.

The day of the big integrated steel mills was over, replaced by the more versatile mini-mills and out-competed by Nippon Steel. I’m no MBA, but even I know in business, it’s either adapt or die. The industry didn’t anticipate market conditions.

They thought they could produce cold rolled automotive turn after turn, day after day and rake in the chips. Big Steel didn’t see the automotive market wasn’t what it used to be and a steel supplier needed to offer a wider variety of products.

I see parallels in the current fossil fuel industry. Renewable energy sources are one of the fastest growing concerns in the world and it will replace fossil fuels.

The nonrenewable energy sources think they can continue to mine, drill, frack, and burn their product even though these processes endanger the health and safety of nearby residents and workers and jeopardizes our planet’s precious climate. This is why Colorado Rising and 350 Colorado initiated Proposition 112, the safer setback ballot issue.

Proposition 112 would increase the setbacks for all oil and gas drilling and fracking away from human occupancy from the current 500 feet to 2,500 feet. Literally hundreds of studies by medical professionals show people who live or work within a half mile of drilling activity experience eight times the incidence of cancer and pulmonary diseases requiring hospitalization The doomsayers at Protect Colorado, the oil and gas industry’s political action committee, say Proposition 112 will

destroy Colorado’s economy and put hundreds of thousands out of work. As is common with these PAC’s, they have no evidence or research to back that up those claims.

Proposition 112 will restrict new drilling only. There are about 50,000 oil and gas wells currently in operation in Colorado and Proposition 112 would have no effect on those. Federal lands, a third of the land in Colorado, would also not be affected. With horizontal drilling, oil and gas doesn’t hafta drill right next to population.

The apocalypse is just not coming.

Drilling and fracking will go on after Proposition 112 is passed, just farther away from people.

Eventually, however, the oil and gas industry will go away. The drought and resultant wildfires, the water-laden hurricanes, the melting polar icecaps and arctic tundra, the rising sea levels, and the disappearing coral reefs should convince us we can’t keep doing this to the planet. Besides, nonrenewable energy sources are just that; not renewable. We’re gonna run out.

Another claim Protect Colorado makes is Proposition 112 was initiated by out-of-state provocateurs. It is true, Colorado Rising did hire a petition signature gathering firm from Oregon to help get the initiative on the ballot, but the idea for Proposition 112 originated right here in sweet, home Colorado.

Recently, I went back to the Calumet Region in Indiana for my 50-year high school reunion. I looked up some of my former coworkers at Inland and, guess LETTERS page 18

This Land … is your land.

It’s too late to tovote! mail your ballot Don’t forget

sion a federal felony. vantage Plan and want to change plans or external, demonstrate what a lot of people “This bipartisan legislation is good forWhite Colorado’s return to original Medicare, now is the time already know: that the River NaAs of today, Colorado Secretary of State Wayne WilBallots were mailed to all registered airports and the thousands of people who fly in our state to make that change as well. tional Forest has incredibly dedicated, hardliams on is urging to drop offhave their ballots at a votvoters Oct. 16voters and should now each day,” said Senator Gardner.

“As wildfires hit Coloworking and talented people stewarding ing center or 24-hour drop box.

That’s because postbeen received. rado this year, I heardthese directly the men womenpubBowl’oftemporarily landsfrom on behalf of theand American marks don’t — ballots in the hands Ballots must count be returned

by Nov.must 7. Vot-be ‘Toilet fighting fires and was pleased to work to include a provilic,” said Scott Fitzwilliams, Forest Superviout Nov. of order an are election official by 49-cents 7 p.m. Election 6. The ers reminded to affix postage Day, sion to deter the idiotic behavior of unauthorized drone sor.

“I am extremely proud to share these Voter in each county will be Effective immediately, Colorado Parks to their Service ballots ifand they Polling choose toCenters return them use over wildfires.” awards with our local communities,” he open through Day except for Sunday.

Allisvotand Wildlife instituting a voluntary fishing by mail.

Ballots Election must be received by the said.

Andrew Larson, Erin Carey and Katy ers who vote in must To area on the Frying Pan closure at a popular Nov. 7 deadline — person postmarks thatprovide are re- identification.

Nelson all received recognitions for their find a later voting center drop box near visitlocated sos.state.

River downstream from the Ruedi opioid ceived than thatordate will not be you Gardner-backed legislation signed work in the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District. co.us/pubs/elections/VIP.html.

Incidentally, 801,385 Reservoir Dam. The fishing spot — known counted. Voters may also drop off their balSenator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the following ballots had atbeen returned as ofoutOct. locally 30 —as280,789 the Toilet Bowl — will experience lots in person the drop box located statement regarding President Trump signing the biparCDOT director resigns from Republicans, Democrats significantly reduced flow as opioid water that nor- into side of registered the Carbondale Town Hall. 279,721 from tisan package law: “One piece of legislation Gov. Hickenlooper today announced and 231,675 unaffiliated. mally feeds the pool will begoing re-routed fa- the epidemic, isn’t to to stop but it’s going to make Flu vaccinations available at Shailen Bhatt will be leaving his role as Excilitate required dam maintenance. a positive difference in the lives being harmed. We must Medicare workshop ecutive Director of the Department of Work on the dam,remain which isfocused owned and Riverview trail funding coming together on advancing policies that prevent drug The Colorado Gerontological Society will operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, is Transportation (CDOT).

Garfield County has applied for a $500,000 Colorado abuse, expand treatment, and support families.”

“Shailen’s innovation and drive has host a free educational workshop, Medicare estimated to continue through Nov. 10; Included in the package was Senator Gardner’s legSafe Routes to School grant that will help create a proMonday, at the Third Street Center Nov. 6 however, it could take longer if additional pushed the Department of Transportation posed 1.4-mile crushed gravel trail connecting the River- islation, the Alternatives to Opioids in the Emergency to work tirelessly to stand up a transportato address the changes to Medicare that ben- work is necessary. view School and Ironbridge to the Rio Grande Trail. The Department Act. This legislation establishes a three year tion network that can meet the needs of eficiaries can expect to see in 2018.

For more information about the voluncounty has already put $40,000 toward planning and demonstration program to test alternative pain manageWalgreens will be on hand to make flu tary fishing closure, contact Colorado Parks Colorado,” said Governor John Hickenengineering and is providing a cash match of $150,000 ment tools to reduce the amount of opioids being used vaccinations available. Anyone who wishes and Wildlife’s Glenwood Springs office at looper. “We wish him the best and can only from its capital reserve to serve as a placeholder only in an emergency setting, and other acute care settings. to receive the vaccine will simply present 970-947-2920 and for information about say ‘watch out’ as he brings his expertise to be used if the project is fully funded. Roaring Fork Following the demonstration program, this legislation their Medicare Card and their insurance work on the dam and dam operations, con- and creativity to a new set of challenges.”

School District has pledged an additional $40,000 and requires a report to congress with recommendations to Gov. Hickenlooper appointed Bhatt in card to one of the Walgreens pharmacists, tact Tim Miller of the Bureau of ReclamaCommissioner Tom Jankovsky said the Federal Mineral establish pain management protocols to be spread across February of 2015. During his tenure, Bhatt who will take the information and admin- tion at 970-962-4394.

Lease District (FMLD) may be a source to acquire the the country. focused on public safety and worked to ister the vaccine. Walgreens will handle the remaining $650,000 in funds needed toRangers see the project receive recognition better the lives of Coloradans through an Medicare/insurance billing. to fruition. transportation system.

Five White River Zinke Nationaltaps ForestBudd-Falen em- improvedfor Open enrollment for Medicare beneficiDeputy Solicitor Bhatt will leave his position in December of individaries ends Dec. 7. This is the time of year ployees are the recent recipients Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has selected controverWildfire drone legislation included to become president and Chief Executive ual, prestigious awards recognizing their when Medicare beneficiaries need to review sial land seizure lawyer Karen Budd-Falen to be Deputy Officer at the Intelligent Transportation and the commutheir currentreauthorization health insurance coverage, pri- contributions to the land in FAA Solicitor for Wildlife and Parks, a position that gives legal Society to of America.

CDOT’s Deputyof Executive nities they serve in their respective profes-related marily for prescription drugs through on issues the Interior agencies the The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which passed counsel Chief Mike sional fields.

Medicare D.to Forreauthorize those individuals who aviation and theand Fish andOperating Wildlife Officer Service.

93 to 6, Part aims federal programs National Park ServiceDirector Lewis has been “These recognitions, bothreported internal and are currently in a Medicare Adthat Budd-Falen willnamed begininterim in the director.

Deputy with airportenrolled infrastructure, improvements in safety and It was service for the flying public, and improves innovation Solicitor position on Nov. 1. Budd-Falen has previously in the aviation industry. It contains several Gardner- identified with the goals of armed militia leader and Nebacked provisions, including his effort to make unau- vada rancher Cliven Bundy, who refused to pay grazing thorized drone use that interferes with wildfire suppres- fees and treated public lands as his private rangeland.

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the program will include: Campus Tours • Department Presentations Comments from Jeff Leahy, Head of School Please RSVP. www.crms.org/admissions/open-house/

Write in Khalsa for Sheriff 14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • NOVEMBER 2-8, 2017 Tell your friends we need lots of votes!

and get a ride in Garfield Counties Official Military Tank Free in April 2019 That’s right we will bring it out and give you a ride in it!

Want to get involved?

Contact your elected officials about the issues that matter to you.

US Sen. Michael Bennet Washington, D.C. Office 261 Russell Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5852 US Sen. Cory Gardner 354 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5941 US Rep. Scott Tipton 218 Cannon HOB Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4761 CO Sen. Randy Baumgardner 200 E. Colfax Denver, CO 80203 (303) 866-5292

CO Rep. Bob Rankin 200 E Colfax, RM 307 Denver, CO 80203 (303) 866-2949

Upcoming meeting

The Carbondale Historic Preservation Commission meets the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

Fall Leaves: Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em for Healthy Soil, Lawns, Gardens & Planet

Fall leaves contain valuable nutrients that build soil and feed plants. Take a cue from Mother Nature and let your fall leaves enrich your soils.

Mulch mow leaves into your lawn with a leaf mulching blade Shred leaves to mulch your gardens Compost your leaves For more information: Visit www.carbondalegov.org

Brochures available in the Carbondale Town NOVEMBER 9, 2018 | Hall, 8:30 - 11:00 am Carbondale library Third 500 HOLDEN WAY, CARBONDALE, & COLORADO Street Center lobbies.

LEARN ABOUT CRMS

the program will include:

Department Presentations Remarks from Jeff Leahy, Head of School Admission and Financial Aid Q&A

please RSVP.

www.crms.org/admissions/open-house The Sopris Sun, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018 • 17

The future ain’t what it used to be

From the archives of the Roaring Fork Valley Journal Nov. 2, 1978 The undefeated Roaring Fork Ram football boys were preparing to face off with the Glenwood Springs Demons on their way to the Northwest League title.

Roaring Fork had just defeated Rifle, while Glenwood was coming off a humiliating loss to Steamboat. (These days, Carbondale would be in a smaller league than most of those teams even if it had a varsity football program.)

In other news… A group of local teens were arrested for stealing a motorcycle after one of them was spotted riding it.

Nov. 3, 1988 Gary Hubbell shared his recollection of the fantastically successful first big-game season in Colorado — and how it was drying up. Gross Locker Plant in Silt processed nearly 250 deer and elk the first round, while hot weather for the second lot left many hunters empty handed. There were hopes that extra precipitation would make for a better third and final season. (The schedule is similar this year — the second season of combined deer/elk just ended and the third runs Nov. 3-11, followed by some limited hunting opportunities.)

In other news… In addition to co-authoring a book on Aspen history, Ed Larsh was teaching a CMC course titled “The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be.”

Oct. 29, 1998 Former Carbondale Police Chief Fred Williams was backing challenger Ed Fos-

ter for Sheriff against Democratic incumbent Tom Dalessandri, but denied it had anything to do with the possibility of a job if his candidate won. An investigation by the District Attorney’s office was pending. Dalessandri (who was re-elected on that occasion but later unseated by Lou Vallario) preached a team philosophy from his days in the Aspen Police Department, but Foster felt the office had failed to work with County Commissioners.

In other news…

Basalt Town Council discovered it had some extra funds, and the Journal suggested they replace the voicemail at Town Hall with a real human being.

Oct. 30, 2008 Hopes that the economic downturn might help with the area’s housing crunch were dispelled at the State of the Valley symposium put on by Healthy Mountain Communities. “Many people who would have previously qualified no longer can get mortgages,” said Don Ensign of Design Workshop. “And when this is over, there will be a pent-up demand and no supply.”

As for how to weather the crisis, panelists agreed that diversity was the key to economic success. “You have a very beautiful, valuable region,” said state demographer Jim Weskott. “Don’t sell it off.”

In other news… The Gathering Center at The Orchard debuted as a public event space as well as a church hall.

get InvoLved with KDNK! BECOME A MEMBER

Letters

continued from page 16

what, they’re not begging on the street.

They found other jobs. Some were retrained. Others had to move outta the Chicago area. Take it from me, that move isn’t always a bad move.

Don’t believe the “the end is near” PAC’s. The sky won’t fall when Proposition 112 passes.

Fred Malo Jr. Carbondale

Say your piece on Sutey Dear Editor: The Sutey Ranch Homestead is 557 acres of gentle land located on County Road 112, Crystal Springs Road and is bordered by neighboring properties with families, children and horses. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) acquired the private Sutey Ranch in the Wexner land exchange in 2014. They are now deciding it’s future. Currently, only hikers and horseback riders have shared the land with 90 years of historic homestead ranching and the wildlife.

Sutey Ranch sits below the BLM’s Red Hill SRMA for mountain bikes. The BLM is being pressured to add this historic quiet place to Red Hill SRMA with more mountain bike trails leading from Red Hill through Sutey Ranch to County Road 112.

The moderate terrain of Sutey Ranch and Fischer Creek may be the last of BLM public lands in the Roaring Fork Valley, where families, children and older trail partners can enjoy trails without mountain bike surprises.

Mountain bikes currently have 9,100 acres of the Crown SRMA, 3,100 acres of

Red Hill SRMA, 2,500 acres on Sky Mtn. Park and recently they have secured 220 acres of private land for a five-mile mountain bike park surrounded by USFS National Forest in Coal Basin. USFS, CPW, hikers and horseback riders are very concerned about bandit trails trespass.

If you want help save Sutey Ranch with special protections for the wildlife and keep this unique, quiet and peaceful property for hiking and horseback riding only, then write a letter to: blm_co_sutey_haines_rmpa@blm. gov or mailed to: BLM, 2300 River Frontage Road, Silt, CO 81652, Attn: Sutey/Haines Management Plan. Make the letter Gloria Tibbetts - Acting Field Officer Request Alternative # 2 with equestrian emphasis, with hikers and with special protections for the wildlife and critical winter range closure to all human intrusion.

The BLM must receive comments by Nov. 5.

Holly McLain Carbondale

Solar Rollers thanks Dear Editor: I am writing on behalf of Solar Rollers to express our gratitude to everyone in our community who attended and sponsored our screening of the new documentary “Living In The Future’s Past” on Oct. 11. The screening sold out the Crystal Theatre in Carbondale — and the Marble Distilling Company afterparty led to hours of lively discussion about climate change, energy and human LETTERS page 19

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Letters continued from page 18 nature.

Solar Rollers inspires young people to develop knowledge in the field of energy and empowers them to improve the world’s energy systems.

We wish to thank our sponsors who underwrote the film costs: Don and Marcia Flaks and RJ Stumpf Construction. Many thanks to the Marble Distilling Company for hosting the afterparty complete with Dude drinks in honor of Jeff Bridges who produced and presented the film. Thanks as well to Kenichi Woodworking and to the Solar Rollers Board of Directors who sponsored tickets for high school youth. Additionally, we are grateful

Parting Shot

for the support of Vision Films and the Crystal Theatre who made this premiere screening possible.

To everyone in the community who attended the benefit, your funding helps us to provide highly engaging energy education programs that build technical skills, teamwork, self-confidence and ingenuity. Keep an eye out for additional “Living In The Future’s Past” film screenings in our area for original thinking on who we are and how we relate to the environmental challenges that we face.

Noah Davis, Executive Director Solar Rollers

Legal Notices Service Directory PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission for the purpose of considering a revised Site Plan for 1st Bank. The amendment to the site plan relates to the exterior design of the bank.

All other aspects of the approved site plan generally remain the same.

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Interior/Exterior We love small jobs Schedule Now Before the Holidays

The property is Lot 5B of the Carbondale Marketplace Subdivision. This property is located west of Highway 133, between Nieslanik Ave and Industry Place, across from the Dollar Store.

The applicant is Michael Hassig, A4 Architects. The property owner is FirstBank Corporation.

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 7:00 p.m. on November 15, 2018.

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

Janet Buck Town Planner Published in The Sopris Sun on November 1, 2018.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Board of Trustees for the purpose of considering an application for a Major Site Plan Review to allow a mixed-use project with approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and 115 residential dwelling units on a 5.37 acre property.

The application includes a Variance to allow the buildings along Main Street to be set back farther from the property line than the 10 ft. Maximum Front Yard Setback prescribed in the UDC due to the location of the Rockford Ditch and associated easement.

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The owner/applicant is Crystal River Marketplace LLC.

Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:00 p.m. on November 27, 2018.

Janet Buck Planning Director Published in The Sopris Sun on November 1, 2018.

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Carbondale, CO 81623 970-379-0575 or jackerman.lmt@gmail.com

Submit to unclassifieds@soprissun.com by Friday 12 p.m. Rates: $15 for 30 words, $20 for up to 50 words. Payment due before publication.*

THRILLING & CHILLING Don’t let the Mickey Mouse hat fool you — these scary looking zombies were part of Carbondale’s Thrill the World dance performance behind the library on the afternoon of Oct. 27 (coinciding with similar events around the globe). It appeared as if there were a lot more spectators to ogle the 14 zombies than in years past.

Photo by Jane Bachrach

Design Review Administrator – Aspen Glen

John Ackerman, LMT Massage Therapist

Evening appointments available

GET THE WORD OUT IN UNCLASSIFIEDS! Rates start at $15. Email unclassifieds@ soprissun.com. *Credit card payment information should be emailed to unclassifieds@soprissun. com or call 970-274-1076. Checks may be dropped off at our office at the Third Street Center or mailed to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623. Call 510-3003 for more info.

The Homeowners Association at Aspen Glen seeks a part-time professional to manage the design review process for residential construction in a premier private community.

Skills include meeting facilitation, resourceful problem solving, and coordination of the development process to ensure compliance with covenants and Design Guidelines.

Ability to read building and landscape plans, understand the design and construction process, and apply land use planning concepts is desired.

Needs to be a concise communicator both orally and in writing, and to establish effective working relationships with property owners, their design team, HOA members, the HOA Board, and the Design Review Committee.

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The property is Lot 1 of the Carbondale Marketplace Subdivision. It is the vacant property located at the northwest corner of Highway 133 and Main Street. It is generally located along West Main Street, behind the 7-11 store.

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

970-317-7549

DO YOU LOVE RED HILL? WANT TO BE INVOLVED? Red Hill Council is seeking two new members.

QUALIFICATIONS:

- Love Red Hill - Support our work & The Red Hill SRMA - Willingness to contribute

Send a letter of interest by November 30 redhillcouncil@gmail.com Red Hill Council, 0165 Basalt Mountain Dr. Carbondale, CO 81623

Carter Barger, HOA Director Please email letter of interest and resumé to: srchconslt@gmail.com 603-493-5548

Help care for this wonderful community asset.

Tell your friends! www.redhillcouncil.org

The Sopris Sun, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • NOVEMBER 1-7, 2018 • 19

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