December 27, 2012 by The Sopris Sun

LOOK INSIDE: PAGE 2

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Silver lining

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Volume 4, Number 46 |December 27, 2012

Photos that didn’t ﬁt Every week, The Sopris Sun runs out of pages before we run out of pictures. So this year, most of the pictures in our Year in Review issue are photos that didn’t run during the year. Check out pages 13, 15-16. You might even see yourself. As for this week’s cover photos (clockwise from upper left): a roping event at the Carbondale rodeo, KDNK Labor of Love Auction volunteer Olivia Pevec, Mustang Molly and Wendy Stewart at a Green is the New Black fashion show rehearsal, fox siblings on Missouri Heights and gourd banjo player Markus James (at Mountain Fair). Photos 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, e-mail editor Lynn Burton at news@soprissun.com, or call 510-3003.

Silver lining in trash talk A goat bust in Utah; told you so By Ron Speaker Simply put, they won and we lost. The Carbondale waste transfer station was approved by the Garfield County commissioners. There was a great effort put forth by the community of Carbondale to understand, comprehend and analyze the proposal put forth by MRI for a waste transfer station. The detailed application and the multiple reports from various consultants were quite informative for the citizens of Carbondale to consume in our spare time. Our efforts helped to protect our children’s main school route (Snowmass Drive) from increased transfer truck traffic and encouraged MRI to make several improvements to their operating plan. Now as the build out begins, the citizens look forward to the implementation of the safety features so heavily touted during the application hearings. We look forward to MRI becoming the honorable, reliable and “safety-first” operators they promised throughout the debate. We will be monitoring their progress, watching the roads more closely and being really careful on the Catherine Store bridge, once the big trucks start rolling. The silver lining for us on the losing side of this outcome is the community spirit that was created. The coffee shop conversations, the phone calls and the communication lines established during this process helped bring the neighboring home-owners-associations and many families together. Our bond is protecting the natural beauty in which we live. By standing up together in the county commissioners’ chamber several inconvenient times, we saw first hand how much our community cares about protecting the lifestyles we enjoy. Many new friendships were created during this process that will help keep our community closer together and more informed. So, now it’s time to move forward, take down our protest signs and work with MRI to mitigate the impacts of this facility and help make it one of the best in the country. That is what a great community does — move on to bigger issues. So let’s do our part to be responsible citizens and help MRI operate as promised. I only have one last thing on my wish list. Could someone please paint just one side of the Mid-Continent building to blend in with the mountain? This New Year I’m moving on and am tired of talking about trash. Ron Speaker lives east of Carbondale, just off County Road 100.

The Sopris Sun encourages commentaries on local issues from our readers. Please keep your commentary local and keep it to 700 words, then dispatch it to news@soprissun.com or P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623. Don’t forget to tell us your name, phone number, where you live and any other pertinent information about yourself.

Perhaps you saw the Portlandia episode campus, University of Colorado officials where an animal-loving couple, upset had doubts about the idea. CU students — about a dog tied up outside a chi-chi usually under the influence of alcohol or restaurant, searches for its owner, tries to other substances — have been known to do some wild things, includfeed it upscale goodies ing: beating a raccoon to like mussels, then fideath with a machete, nally releases the dog, baseball bat and hockey much to the owners’ stick; rioting for no apdismay. That’s sort of parent reason; and attackwhat happened in Salt ing fellow fraternity Lake City, Utah, not By Jonathan Thompson members from a motor long ago. scooter with bear spray. Sort of. High Country News (That backfired; the spray The Deseret News reports that Steve Wescott, from Washing- blew back at them and caused them to ton, was walking cross-country with his crash.) Adding guns seems unnecessary, esgoat, LeeRoy Brown, when he stopped at a pecially given the students’ demonstrated bar in Salt Lake City to get dinner. He tied ingenuity in finding other objects to gratify LeeRoy up outside because, presumably, violent urges. When the courts overturned goats aren’t served at that establishment. CU’s gun ban, however, it had to let profs When a concerned citizen called animal and students carry firearms, even in class. control officers, they hauled LeeRoy away. That, um, also backfired in November, Wescott tried to avert the animal’s arrest, when a college staffer accidentally shot a but ultimately had to pay $50 to bail out colleague while showing off her small, permitted .22 Magnum. The injury was minor, his buddy. Maybe the officers had a premonition and the victim is reportedly fine. But the inabout the dangers of goats: Just a month cident did reignite the debate over allowing later in Cache County, Utah, a goat, aptly concealed weapons on campus. named Voldemort, attacked a paperboy, head-butting him off his bike and chasing This edition of Heard around the West him up a tree, where he stayed for so long was guest-edited by Jonathan Thompson. Tips and photos of Western oddities are his parents reported him missing. According to various reports, Voldemort appreciated and often shared in this colis a fainting goat — a breed whose muscles umn. Write betsym@hcn.org. freeze up for 10 seconds when it panics — but that peculiar trait didn’t prevent him from waging his one-goat campaign against invading paperboys.

Heard around the west

Colorado It’s hard not to say, “I told you so.” When the state of Colorado deemed it legal to carry a concealed weapon on a college

Where should we buy our energy these days? By Sarah Gilman High Country News A few weeks ago, a Texas oilman cornered me at a brewery in the high-mountain town of Ouray, in western Colorado. Some young women from Moab had just taken the table next to my friend and myself, when the fellow wandered over to buy us a round. Eventually, he revealed that he worked for ConocoPhillips. This didn’t go over well with the Utah ladies, and Mr. ConocoPhillips grew defensive: Did they think the vehicle they had driven here ran on rainbows? When he found out I covered the industry as a reporter, he leaned in tipsily and asked, “Can we have a conversation? A real conversation?” The answer was apparently no, since what ensued felt like an energy-focused version of writer Rebecca Solnit’s essay, “Men explain things to me.” But if he had gotten past his assumption

that I was an airy naïf, he would have realized that I mostly agreed with him: As drilling impinges on more communities, those communities need to have “real,” critical conversations about energy development, conversations in which the locals recognize their role as consumers. Paonia, Colo., where I live and work, recently became such a town. Last December, nearly 30,000 acres in the surrounding North Fork Valley were nominated for oil and gas leasing. Though the proposal was deferred this summer for further study, in November, the Bureau of Land Management announced its intent to auction about 20,000 of those acres Feb. 14. Given the habitat fragmentation and pollution that energy development can bring, many here have fought the proposal. Some of the earlier leases sprawled across mountain biking areas or sat next to schools. Others encompassed springs that feed the town water system or surrounded

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • DECEmbER 27, 2012

irrigation ditches for ranches, organic farms and vineyards. As Peter Heller reported in an essay for Bloomberg BusinessWeek this July, the North Fork Valley “is home to the largest concentration of organic farms in the Rocky Mountains. … The valley produces 77 percent of the state’s apples, 71 percent of its peaches.” The BLM received nearly 3,000 comments on the proposal, mostly in opposition. “None of (those) issues … are incompatible with oil and gas development,” Steven Hall, BLM’s Colorado communications director, told Heller. Even so, in its latest proposal, the agency removed a couple of the more controversial parcels, including the one closest to Paonia’s water supply and another containing a popular trail network. Most of the parcels remain, though. Worse, the sale would occur under the terms of the outdated Resource Management Plan, a 23-year-old document which ENERGY page 9

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2012: Wildfires skip town, voters zap VCR By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Staff Writer The biggest story of 2012 might be something that didn’t happen. Wildfire conflagrations. There weren’t any, despite dry conditions that were worse than in 2002, which saw the Coal Seam Fire outside Glenwood Springs and the Panorama Fire on Missouri Heights. Credit the Carbondale Fire District for sending spotters to the field for several weeks to stamp out small fires before they became big fires. As for other big stories in 2012, residents voted down the Village at Crystal River development by an even bigger margin than the Roaring Fork Market Place a few years previous. Acting on concerns that there’s too much plastic in the world and in Carbondale, residents voted to ban plastic carry-out bags at City Market and charge 20 cents per paper bag in order to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags. The Garfield County Library District broke ground on a new Carbondale library and the town experienced its first bank robbery in quite some time. Here are some more items The Sopris Sun reported on in 2012.

JANUARY RE-1 terminates superintendent

by an almost 2-1 margin – 1,245 against, 667 in favor. The vote put an end to developer Rich Schierburg’s 24-acre mixed-use development on Highway 133 and several years of debate on whether the project was something the town needed or wanted. About 60 percent of the town’s registered voters cast ballots, with VCR losing in all three precincts. Developers are now one for three in projects that have gone to the voters. In the late 1980s, developer Bob Howard won approval for the River Valley Ranch subdivision by about 40 votes. In 2003, voters denied a “big-box” development proposal for the VCR property.

Brieﬂy noted: Musician and music producer Dave Taylor opened his Cool Brick Studios in the historic two-story brick house on Second Street (just south of the Village Smithy). A tree house designed by Carbondalebased Green Line Architects is one of the works featured in Lloyd Kahn’s 2012 book “Tiny Homes, Simple Shelter.”

mARCH TDC offers settlement The Carbondale-based Thompson Divide Coalition announced a plan to offer a total of $2.5 million to six oil and gas leaseholders southwest of town to relinquish their claims and rights to drill. The leaseholders were lukewarm to the proposal.

The Roaring Fork RE-1 School Board voted 3-2 to terminate Superintendent Judy Haptonstall’s contract as of June 30. New school board members Daniel Briggs, Matt Hamilton and Terry Lott Richardson voted to terminate; Richard Stettner and Bob Johnson voted against the motion.

Pot shop burgled

Brieﬂy noted:

Citing a backlog of foreclosures and sluggish national economy, local brokers said real estate prices hit an eight-year low. Town houses and condos that were selling for $450,000 in 2009 were now selling for $150,000 to $200,000.

The Carbondale Board of Trustees voted to annex and zone Thompson Park, which includes the historic Thompson ranch house. The Roaring Fork Food Policy Council formed and announced that two events will take place in January.

FEbRUARY Voters hammer VCR Carbondale residents voted down the Village at Crystal River development proposal

Sustainable foodies turned out to protest a Garﬁeld County land-use application that they said threatened an organic farming operation near Silt. Photo by Jane Bachrach

A group called Don’t Trash Carbondale didn’t take to the streets to protest a solid waste transfer station on County Road 100 – they took to a cattle pasture instead. The land use proposal was one of the hottest issues of the second half of 2012. The Garﬁeld County commissioners approved the controversial land-use application 3-0 in December. Photo by Lynn Burton

Carbondale police arrested an El Jebel male, 16, for allegedly breaking into and burglarizing a medical marijuana dispensary on the night of March 6.

Real estate keeps dropping

C’dale wins Gov.’s award The towns of Carbondale and Lafayette were the two recipients of the 2012 Governor’s Arts Award, presented by Colorado Creative Industries. The award recognizes a town or city for its collective efforts to enhance their community and their economy through strategic use of the arts. Colorado Creative Industries Director Elaine Mariner said the panel that chose Carbondale “ … (was) impressed with the diversity of arts programs and diversity of the people served. There was evidence of long-standing community support for the arts, in the art walk, the Mountain Fair, the public Art Around Town. It was clear that the city is financially invested, supporting arts events, nonprofit art organizations and venues like the Thunder River Theatre. City employees are encouraged to be creative, such as the Public Works director, whose gardens and lighting are artful, and the police, who wear tie-dye uniforms for the Mountain Fair. … .” CCAH Director Amy Kimberly nominated the town.

Brieﬂy noted: The Lady Rams basketball team landed five players on the Western Slope All-League team with Megan Gianinetti garnering first

team honors – the only junior to be accorded that distinction. Others named were Kaleigh Wisroth, Hattie Gianinetti, Kenia Pinela and Maddie Nieslanik. The second annual Karen Chamberlain Poetry Festival returned to the Thunder River Theatre.

out on a new career – creating and making high quality bar soap and skin lotions. She markets her products under the company name Osmia Organics, and sells them on the Internet and in her showroom on Dolores Drive.

APRIL Harvey, Zentmyer, Hoffmann win Carbondale voters put newcomer Allyn Harvey on the board of trustees and returned incumbents Pam Zentmyer and John Hoffmann. By 27 votes, residents also upheld a ban on plastic bags at grocery stores larger than 3,500 square feet (City Market). Harvey was the third biggest vote getter, besting Bill Lamont by 27 votes in the 10candidate race. A total of 63 percent of Carbondale’s 2,803 active voters cast ballots.

Store owner arrested Carbondale police arrested Theresa Garcia, 54, on a warrant alleging she committed two counts of attempted theft of $20,000 or more in 2011. In December of 2012, Garcia accepted a plea deal and plead guilty to two misdemeanors: violating a state regulation governing pawn brokers and another regulation governing the sale of second hand property.

bank robbed An armed gunman robbed Wells Fargo Bank on Highway 133 at about 4 p.m. on May 5 and got away with an undisclosed amount of money. He forced five employees and one customer behind the bank counter and tied them up, then stole a bank employee’s car to make his getaway. The car was recovered. No arrests have been made.

Brieﬂy noted: Access Roaring Fork founder Deb Bath was nominated for a Garfield County Humanitarian Service award. Former Valley View Hospital emergency room physician Sarah Villafranco set

Carbondale voters elected Allyn Harvey to the board of trustees in April. Photo by Jane Bachrach The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce named Andrea Stewart as its executive director. Stewart has been with the chamber since 2008. The Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities hired a part-time development director for the first time. She’s Gabrielle Greeves. Roaring Fork High School Principal Dr. Cliff Colia retired after 24 years with the Roaring Fork Re-1 School District. Fellow teachers and parents described Colia as “the ultimate people person.” After 28 years, Roaring Fork High School teacher and coach Larry Black retired. Black graduated from RFHS in the 1970s. YEAR IN REVIEW page 5

THE SOPRIS SUN • DECEmbER 27, 2012 • 3

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Cop Shop The following events are drawn from incident reports of the Carbondale Police Department.

SUNDAY Dec. 9 At 1:55 a.m. an ofﬁcer responded to a noise complaint for the second time that night at Seventh Street and Lincoln Avenue and warned the resident he would receive a citation if police received a third complaint.

SUNDAY Dec. 9 At 8:42 p.m. police received a barking dog complaint at Eighth and Village Road. Upon an ofﬁcer’s arrival, the owner was taking the dog inside. SUNDAY Dec. 9 At 9:42 p.m. a patron at a bar called to report his friend stole his credit card and left the establishment. Police later found the alleged credit card thief in a parking lot and retrieved it. The owner declined to press charges. The Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District took possession of a new ladder truck in June. Fire chief Ron Leach said the $700,000 truck can not only rescue people from the roof of all buildings in the district, but also be used for lifting a vehicle or access hard to reach areas. It is equipped with a 1,500-gallon-per-minute ﬁre pump. Photo by Lynn Burton

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LOCAL LEGEND LOCAL LEGEND BOBB BOBBY Y MASON MA SON N O N - S T O P C H I C A G O D E N V E R L O S A N G E L E S S A N F R A N C I S C O H O U S T O N D A L L A S / F T. W O R T H

4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • DECEmbER 27, 2012

A SPEN A IR P ORT.C OM

Year in review continued î&#x2C6;&#x2021;om page 3 by a continuing drought that started in the winter and continued through the spring and into the summer.

JUNE SEI lays off five Solar Energy International laid off five employees, and executive director Tresi Houpt resigned, as part of restructuring brought on by falling enrollment and dwindling grant revenue. SEIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enrollment in solar courses has dropped due to competition from community colleges and for-profit firms now teaching the entry-level solar courses that had once been SEIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s virtual monopoly.

Hay prices skyrocket Last winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skimpy snow pack, followed by this summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drought, sent hay prices soaring, as some hay buyers searched beyond the Roaring Fork Valley for grass and alfalfa to feed their horses and cattle.

JULY LaHood visits Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;dale

Unprecedented fire danger The potential for wildfires was â&#x20AC;&#x153;off the chartsâ&#x20AC;? according to local and forest service officials, worse even than 2002, which produced the Coal Seam fire near Glenwood and the Panorama II fire on Missouri Heights. The conditions were brought on

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival, motored downvalley and spoke at the Carbondale VelociRFTA construction site. He noted the jobs VelociRFTA has created for the local economy.

BrieďŹ&#x201A;y noted: In a project that required a small crane, pickup truck, four workers and more than two dozen bystanders, True Nature Healing Arts moved its several-hundred-pound Buddha from Main Street to its new building on Third Street. KatLieblickstartedsellingherMamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sChoice 100% Natural Dog Food at the Carbondale Community Food Co-op, Crystal River Meats, RJ Paddywacks and Osage Gardens.

AUGUST This paint watched the action at the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo in June. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Library breaks ground The Garfield County Library District

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Some ranchers managed to grow enough hay to cut it in June. In most cases, whether you had a crop depended on whether you had junior or senior water rights. Photo by Jane Bachrach broke ground on a 13,000-square-foot Carbondale branch library at the corner of Third Street and Sopris Avenue. A row of mostly dying spruce trees south of the site were cut down as part of the project, which prompted protests from some. The new library will open in the summer of 2013.

transfer station and recycling processing center at the former Mid-Continent coal load out facility about a mile east of Carbondale on County Road 100. Trustees instructed staff to draft a letter to the Garfield County commissioners concerning the application.

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Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;dalers oppose SWTS Residents from inside and outside the town limits packed the trustees meeting room to oppose an application from MRI and IRMW II LLC to build a solid waste

Roaring Fork High School welcomed a new principal. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Drew Adams, who spent many years as a teacher and administrator on the Front Range before coming to Carbondale. YEAR IN REVIEW page 7

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Scuttlebutt

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CRm goes 689 The question â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going into the old Six89 restaurant spotâ&#x20AC;? has ofďŹ cially been answered. The new tenant in the old brick house on Main Street is Crystal River Meats, which was previously located in another old brick building on Fourth Street. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are excited to ring in the holidays by reopening our country store,â&#x20AC;? said Tai Jacober, Crystal River Meats co-owner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our business is grounded in the local community and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s essential to offer our products right in downtown Carbondale; 689 Main Street is the perfect spot for us.â&#x20AC;? Crystal River Meats offers USDA-certiďŹ ed natural, grass-fed and ďŹ nished meats from the Crystal River and Roaring Fork valleys which are available at several locations, including Whole Food in Basalt. The store also carries local eggs, dairy and grocery products from several local and regional vendors, according to a press release. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re designed to serve as a one-stopshopping experience for the Roaring Fork locavore,â&#x20AC;? Jacober said. Crystal River Meats is owned by brothers Tai, Forest and Rio Jacober.

John Nieslanik steps down John Nieslanik recently stepped down after 30 years on the Carbondale Housing Authority board of directors. Nieslanik and Dorothy Marshall started what became Carbondale Senior Housing in 1982 and folks in the know say without their vision the development would not be what it is today. Board members

The Giving Tree returned to the branches of the crabapple tree at Third and Main streets over the weekend. A professionally created sign on the tree said in English and Spanish: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leave something if you like. Take something if you need.â&#x20AC;? As of Monday afternoon the tree was festooned with a wool hat, scarves, packaged snacks, a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ&#x201A;eece sweater, ornaments and more. Photo by Lynn Burton

Otak leaves for Denver

and others recently feted Nieslanik at the Pour House. They included: Jerome â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sargeâ&#x20AC;? Whalen, Glen Jammaron, Ramona GrifďŹ th, Billie Lou Speer, Ian Bays and Pat Pier.

You read it here ďŹ rst (almost) The current Colorado Rocky Mountain School newsletter says a 60th anniversary; celebration and reunion will take place April 17-20, 2014. Founders John and Anne Holden started the school in 1953 after local rancher/philanthropist Shorty Pabst donated the 350-acre Bar Fork Ranch to the couple for their school. These days, a sign says â&#x20AC;&#x153;Welcome to Oyster Countryâ&#x20AC;? at the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entrance. Maybe the anniversary trivia crew will track down when the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sports teams became the Oysters.

After 13 years serving the Roaring Fork Valley, Otak architectural and engineering recently closed its ofďŹ ce at 36 N. Fourth Street and opened one in lower downtown Denver at 1821 Blake St. An e-mail from the ďŹ rm said Linda Schuemaker will remain part of Otak and serve local and regional clients from her home ofďŹ ce in Glenwood Springs.

This could be good Straight from Portland, Oregon (home of the March Fourth Marching Band) come the Shook Twins. The twins will be opening act for Mountain Standard Time at PAC3 on Jan. 23. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the twinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; PR ďŹ&#x201A;ack has to say about them: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Identical twins Laurie Shook (vocals, banjo, percussion and beatboxing) and Katelyn Shook (vocals, guitar and mandolin), are at the heart of

the quirky folk band, Shook Twins. â&#x20AC;Ś The Shook Twins intertwine gorgeous â&#x20AC;&#x153;twinâ&#x20AC;? harmonies with an eclectic and eccentric blend of folk, roots, pop and fun. But donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be fooled. The Shook Twins are not your average folk trio. They have a few tricks up their sleeves. Laurie may drop a beatbox in the middle of a song, while Katelyn plays the guitar, glockenspiel, mandolin, and sings into a telephone and â&#x20AC;&#x153;bocksâ&#x20AC;? like a chicken. Laurie plays wah-wah Banjo and loops various melodies and beats to make it sound like more than just identical twin sisters. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a refreshing romp ďŹ lled with unexpected surprises.â&#x20AC;? Just what the Roaring Fork Valley can use in late January as we head into Cabin Fever season.

They say itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your birthday Folks celebrating their birthday the week of Dec. 27-Jan. 2 include: Chip Bishop (Dec. 28), Randy Schutt, Sue Edelstein, Nick Walgren and Mark Gray (Dec. 29), Beymar Silva (Dec. 30), Kris Cook (Dec. 31) and Lucas Pulver and Annie Grice (Jan. 1).

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Year in review continued om page 5 piano to the Third Street Center. The singer/songwriter/pianist told the Sopris Sun she’d wanted to donate such a piano to a public facility since 1981. Several events and realizations converged in 2012, which led her to fulfilling her dream.

Rodeo volunteers the key Sopris Sun contributor Kayla Henley profiled some of the folks who make the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo happen every Thursday – the volunteers.“We can’t do this without them,” said rodeo board member Melanie Cardiff.

A town of Carbondale energy planning process that started in 2006 caught the eye of the Environmental Protection Agency in 2012. The upshot is an EPA official presented Carbondale with one of Garfield Clean Energy’s Innovation awards at a ceremony and banquet. Former Gov. Bill Ritter was the keynote speaker.

Several RFTA board members and staffers traveled to Washington, D.C. to be honored in a Champion of Change ceremony in recognition of authority’s VelociRFTA bus rapid transit system, which broke ground in 2012. RFTA was one of 14 organizations named for the weekly honor. The whirlwind trip cost about $10,000.

Six89 goes out on top Six89 restaurant owners Mark Fisher and Lari Goode closed their award-winning restaurant and announced they will open a totally different restaurant in the former Hestia space at Fourth and Main streets in 2013. “(Football player) Barry Sanders went out on top of his game,” Fisher told Sopris Sun writer/photographer Jane Bachrach. “Sanders just said ‘I’m done.’ I’m going out like Barry Sanders.” As of the end of 2012, Fisher and Goode had not decided on a name for their new restaurant but the following have been suggested: The Hippiecrite – A vegan restaurant that serves meat; The

YEAR IN REVIEW page 8

EPA recognizes C’dale

D.C. recognizes RFTA

SEPTEmbER

the issue, the town trustees codified regulations for owning chickens in Ordinance No. 15, which replaced a previous ordinance. The ordinance, which was prompted by a flap from a non-chicken owner earlier in the year, limits flocks to 10 hens, bans

OCTObER Lari Goode (left) and Mark Fisher (right) before they closed restaurant Six89. Photo by Jane Bachrach Weigh Inn – As you enter the restaurant you step on a scale and your server records your weight (stepping on the scale on your way out and seeing the difference is optional); BLT – Beef Lamb & Taters; Nude Food – The bare basics; Hands On – No silverware allowed (diners eat with their hands like at Dar Maghreb, the Moroccan restaurant in Los Angeles).

Dancing-Light realizes vision Realizing a long-held vision, Lisa Dancing-Light donated a Kawai “small grand”

C’daler tackles fracking Carbondale resident Tara Sheahan, and her friend Allison Wolff, organized an antifracking rally on Capitol Hill in Denver. The lineup of entertainers and speakers was scheduled to include: Jakob Dylan and Rami Jaffee (of The Wallflowers); Nederland band Elephant Revival; actors Mariel Hemingway and Daryl Hannah; scientist and author Sandra Steingraber (“Living Downstream”); car racing’s “Carbon Free Girl” Leilani Münter; Woody Tasch of the Slow Money movement; and representatives from Water Defense and the Earth Guardians.

Trustees re-legalize chickens After several weeks pecking around at

It’s a decidedly unique tradition: folks in the ﬁre station area of Missouri Heights setting out pumpkins for Halloween. This year, passersby spotted about 10-12 of the orange works of art sitting on rocks, stuffed into crevices, and posted on fence posts. Word has it the pumpkins survived a little longer than in years past. Photo by Lynn Burton

TOWN OF CARBONDALE

INVITATION TO BID The Town of Carbondale, Colorado is accepting qualifications and proposals from Irrigation Contractors for the installation of an

Irrigation System for the Carbondale Community Garden. Sealed bids will be received by the Town of Carbondale at Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO until 1:00 pm, Monday, February 11, 2013. A complete Bid Proposal package is available by contacting Parks Supervisor,

Josh Walberg, at (970) 309-6207 (OR) jwalberg@carbondaleco.net. The Town reserves the right to reject any or all Bid Proposals or accept what is, in its judgment, the Bid Proposal which is in the Town's best interest. The Town further reserves the right, in the best interests of the Town, to waive any technical defects or irregularities in any and all Bid Proposals submitted. In addition to the price, the criteria set forth in the Instruction to Bidders and any specific criteria listed in the bid proposal package may be considered in judging which Bid Proposal is in the best interests of the Town.

THE SOPRIS SUN • DECEmbER 27, 2012 • 7

Year in review continued om page 7 Arts and Humanities its non-profit Business of the Year. Roaring Fork High School sophomore Jessica Hardin reported that the school staged a mock debate between Olivia Savard (as President Barak Obama) and Cameron Doherty (as Gov. Mitt Romney). The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce elected three new board members for 2013: Heather Gosda Beach, Jeni Ptacek and Frank W. Zlogar. The inaugural Carbondale Turkey Day Cyclocross was held Thanksgiving morning and with minimal promotion attracted 50 racers, some from the I-70 corridor. Organizers hope to make the race an annual event.

DEC 25 – JAN 1 WHEELER OPERA HOUSE

Hyde ParkDEC on 25 Hudson 5:30pm 5:30PM 27 MyDEC Week

with Marilyn

3 Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture, Comedy or Musical “Michelle Williams is brilliant!” — Vanity Fair

DECEmbER

Argo

GarCo OKs transfer station

3:15pm DEC 28

8:15pm DEC 25

Ginger & Rosa Rampart

6:00pm DEC 28 complex, mesmerizing.” “Tense, shocking, — Entertainment Weekly “One of Woody Harrelson’s finest performances.” — NPR

Rust and Bone 8:15pm DEC 28

8:15pm DEC 25

Rampart Anna Karenina “Tense, shocking, complex, mesmerizing.” — Entertainment 2:45pm DEC 29 Weekly

commercial sales, and mandates that coops be “built of uniform materials” – among other provisions. Up to six turkeys, geese or other domesticated fowl are permitted.

New Yorker speaks

8:15pm DEC 25

Author and New Yorker magazine Executive Editor Dorothy Wickenden spoke to a full house in the Third Street Center’s Calaway Room. Wickenden, who wrote the New York Times best selling book “Nothing Daunted,” also read from her book and fielded questions at the historic Thompson house earlier in the day. The Friends of the Gordon Cooper Library, and Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities brought Wickenden to town as part of the library’s One Book One Town program.

Rampart

Brieﬂy noted:

“One of Woody Harrelson’s finest performances.” — NPR

Quartet

5:30pm DEC 25 5:45pm DEC 29

My Week with Marilyn 3 Golden Globe nominations, Promised Land including Best Picture, Comedy or Musical “Michelle Williams is brilliant!” — Vanity Fair

8:15pm DEC 29

The Sessions

3:00pm DEC 30 complex, mesmerizing.” “Tense, shocking, — Entertainment Weekly “One of Woody Harrelson’s finest performances.” — NPR

A Royal Affair 5:15pm DEC 30

On Rampart the Road “Tense, shocking, complex, mesmerizing.” 8:15pm DEC 30 Weekly — Entertainment

“One of Woody Harrelson’s finest performances.” — NPR

The Intouchables 2:45pm JAN 1

Not Fade Away

TICKETS

aspen show tickets at the wheeler | 970 920 5770 | www.aspenshowtix.com DOORS open 30 minutes before show

5:15pm JAN 1

MEMBERS of AMPAS, BAFTA and guilds call 970 925 6882 x308 LIGHT FOOD AVAILABLE for purchase in theater p

TICKETS

J O I N U S for our annual JOIN

aspen show tickets at the wheeler 970 920 5770 www.aspenshowtix.com DOORS open 30 minutes before show MEMBERS of AMPAS, BAFTA and guilds call 970 925 6882 x308 LIGHT FOOD AVAILABLE for purchase in theater

U S for our annual O S C A R PA R T Y F E B 24 at the caribou club tickets and more info caribou club at aspenfilm.org

O S C A R PA R T Y at the

tickets and more info at aspenfilm.org

8 • THE SOPRIS SUN • DECEmbER 27, 2012

Pastor Doug Self retired from The Orchard after 36 years of local ministry.

NOVEmbER Former VCR returns

8:15pm DEC 25

F E B 24

Kids found a way to pass the time while election results came in for their parents at Dos Gringos on Election Night – they crawled in and on newsstands. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Developers announced plans to submit an application for a downsized commercial project on part of the former Village at Crystal River property. Called Main Street Market, the new development will feature a new City Market store. It will front Main Street and be about half the size of the proposal that residents shot down in January.

The Garfield County commissioners unanimously approved a land-use application for a solid waste transfer station and recycling operation at the former Mid-Continent load out facility on County Road 100. The approval carried with it several conditions and came after two eight-hour public hearings. The applicants were Mountain Rolloffs Inc. and IRMW II LLC.

Town reaches 133 agreement The Carbondale Board of Trustees approved an Access Control Plan agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation that will guide the state agency as it upgrades Highway 133 for years to come, and also the town has it makes landuse decisions along the highway.

P&Z OK’s comp plan The Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a draft comprehensive plan, which will go to the trustees in early 2013.

Sheepdogs returning The U.S. Border Collie Handler’ Association awarded its 2014 National Sheepdog Finals to Strang Ranch, which hosted the event in 2011. The 2011 finals attracted thousands of spectators, 150 open category dog/handler teams and dozens of nursery dog/handler teams. YEAR IN REVIEW page 9

Rams make playoffs The Roaring Fork Rams won their first state volleyball tournament match in several years before being eliminated in a tiebreaker 25-16. The Rams finished the season 23-5 and placed second to the Gunnison Cowboys in the 3A Western Slope league. On the soccer front, the boys made the state playoffs in October and won one game before being eliminated.

Brieﬂy noted: The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce named Aloha Mountain Cyclery as its for-profit Business of the Year for 2012, and the Carbondale Council on

A mamma cow on Missouri Heights teachers her baby cow how to lick a three rail fence. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Year in review

In remembrance

continued om page 8

Drug bust targets C’dale TRIDENT, the Carbondale Police Department and other law enforcement agencies arrested 14 suspects on Dec. 12 in connection with an alleged drug ring that was based in Carbondale. During the undercover investigation, narcs bought cocaine, ecstacy/MDMA, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, prescription drugs, one assault rifle and one .38 caliber pistol. Two other suspects turned themselves in to authorities on Dec. 14. Five suspects were still at large.

Carbondale area residents said ﬁnal goodbyes to several community members in 2012, among them: Blair Austin "Buzz" Weaver 1952-2011 Kelvin (Kelly) Eric Osborn 1963-2012 James Edward Von Brewer 1933-2012 Conny Erhard William Arthur Jeffries Nancy Law Blakeslee 1936-2012 Ruth Hollen Dewell 1937-2012 Andrew Scott Gressett 1957-2012 Claude Robert Holgate 1935-2012 Wendel Deloss Gipe 1953-2012 Allison Rebekah Rochel Everding 1982-2012 Margaret (Peggy) Gilcrest 1932-2012 John Charles Martin 1944-2012 Glen Charles Harris 1947-2012

Chris Chacos and his crew once again spearheaded a downtown ﬂowerpot competition that attracted almost a dozen entries. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Dana L. Strangeland 1958-2012

Energy continued om page 2 governs development on hundred of thousands of acres. If the agency waited, it could reexamine the proposal under the updated version — due in draft this spring — which, in theory, would allow it to account for advances in drilling technology and changes to the area’s economy, demographics and environment. That might help the agency strike a clearer balance between energy development and other interests. At an environmental film festival in Paonia soon after the BLM’s decision, the audience booed throughout a Google Earth tour of the parcels still up for lease. When a staffer from the conservation group who hosted the event noted that the mountain biking parcel had been withdrawn, discontent only grew. Many refused to accept any leasing whatsoever. Opponents believe, as do their counterparts in many communities facing oil and gas development, that some places are too special to drill. It’s a valid view; I often share it. But that raises an uncomfortable question: Are there any places so unspecial that they should be drilled? Mr. ConocoPhillips knows well that few of us in Paonia or elsewhere can say we don’t rely on these fuels — for heat, for transport, for electricity, for the fertilization of food. Every place matters to somebody. And what patch of Earth isn’t habitat for at least a few wonderful somethings? As Bobby Reedy, who runs a local auto shop in Paonia, told Heller: “I wanna flick the light switch and know the lights are gonna come on. If it’s not in my backyard, whose is it gonna be in?” If we continue to insist on living as we do now, maybe we need to see drill rigs from our kitchen windows and hiking trails, even our school playgrounds. How else can we truly understand the costs of something we use unless we’re confronted with them daily? This isn’t just the machinery of corporate greed; it’s the machinery of our vast collective energy appetite. And if we can’t look directly at it, and can’t accept what it does to our water and air, then it’s time to do more than just fight drilling. It’s time to go on an energy diet. Sarah Gilman is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News in Paonia, Colorado, where she is the magazine’s associate editor. THE SOPRIS SUN • DECEmbER 27, 2012 • 9

Community Calendar THURSDAY Dec. 27

tra return to PAC3 in the Third Street Center. With roots in jazz, Afrobeat, funk, salsa and samba, The Motet keeps their audiences in a dancing frenzy by layering house and techno rhythms into a style that is uniquely their own. Eufórquestra has made a splash on the Colorado music scene with its progressive, genrecrossing funk fusions and a relentless tour schedule. Info: P a c 3 C a r b o ndale.com

LIVE mUSIC • Is this one après ski, après work or après one’s younger days? In any case, Josh Rogan plays the recently remodeled Black Nugget in the Dinkel Building at 5 p.m. There’s no cover. ROTARY • Mt. Sopris Rotary meets at Mi Casita every Thursday at noon.

FRIDAY Dec. 28 mOVIES • The Crystal Theatre presents “Anna Karenina” (R) at 7:30 p.m. through Jan. 3. LIVE mUSIC • Smooth Money Gesture plays the Black Nugget at 9 p.m. There’s no cover. LIVE mUSIC • Carbondale Beer Works presents Electric Lemon from 8 to 11 p.m. There’s no cover. LIVE mUSIC • Steve’s Guitars in the old part of the Dinkel Building presents live music every Friday night.

SATURDAY Dec. 29 LIVE mUSIC • The Motet and Euforques-

To list your event, email information to news@soprissun.com. Deadline is noon on Monday. Events take place in Carbondale unless noted. For up-to-the-minute valley-wide event listings, check out the Community Calendar online at soprissun.com. View events online at soprissun.com/calendar.

LIVE mUSIC • Whiskey Tango brings it to the Black Nugget at 9 p.m. There’s no cover. LIVE mUSIC • Carbondale Beer Works presents Josh Rogan (solo rock and blues) from 6 to 9 p.m. There’s no cover.

SUNDAY Dec. 30 OPEN mIC • Is the Carbondale All Star Classic Kazoo band back in town? Who knows, but Jammin’ Jim hosts an open mic at the Black Nugget at 5 p.m. There’s no cover.

THURS. Dec. 27 TUES. Jan. 1 ACADEmY AWARD SCREENINGS • Aspen Film presents its 21st annual Academy Screenings at the Wheeler Opera House. These ﬁlms are likely contenders for Oscar nominations, and include: “On the Road,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Anna Karenina” and more. Info: aspenﬁlm.org.

TUESDAY Jan. 1 POLAR bEARS TAKE NOTE • The second annual Roaring Fork Polar Bear Club takes a dip in the aforementioned river after a Bikram Yoga class at 9 a.m. in Basalt. Info: Bel at 927-1230.

WEDNESDAY Jan. 2 FREE mOVIES • Wanna get the kids out of the house? The Gordon Cooper Library presents free movies at 1 p.m. on Jan. 2-4. The ﬁlms are “Hercules,”“The Lorax,” and Madagascar 3.” Info: 963-2889. ROTARY • The Rotary Club of Carbondale hosts an assembly at the ﬁrehouse at 7 a.m. Info: eagleriver@sopris.net. NETWORKING • The Valley Divas meet at Konnyaku on Highway 133 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. RSVP at 704-1711.

Further Out SUNDAY Jan. 13 CELTIC RHAPSODY • The Celtic band Feast presents an all new show with step dancing, champion Irish dancers and ballerina Rosemarie Mientka at Glenwood Springs High School at 3 p.m. Tickets for this family show are $24 in advance and $27 at the door; kids are $9. Info: junctionconcerts.com or 970-241-4579.

THURS.-FRI. Jan. 17 LIVE mUSIC • Singer/songwriter Leon Joseph Littlebird will weave his native and pioneer roots in two January performances in the Jim Calaway Honors Series at Colorado Mountain College. Blending Native American flute, guitar and vocals, Littlebird’s music speaks of Colorado’s rich history. His stories of pioneer life are influenced by his greatgrandfather, one of the original settlers in Blackhawk, and he connects to his ancestral roots of the indigenous Navajo people of northern New Mexico with ancient flute music. Littlebird has released four albums. The Jan. 17 concert takes place at the New Space Theatre on the Spring Valley Campus at 7:30 p.m., and the Jan. 18 concert at CMC in Rifle (3695 Airport Road) at 7:30 p.m. Both concerts feature a reception at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for full-time CMC students and children up to 17 years. Advance tickets are available at 947-8367. The Thursday concert will honor George and Patti Stranahan and the Friday concert will honor the late Marvelle Couey.

CALENDAR page 11

̄˷˷˷ɁɅȳȳɂ˴ ȵȳȼɂȺȳ˴ ȼȽɁɂȯȺȵȷȱ˴ ȺȽɄȷȼȵ˴ ȴɃȼȼɇ˴ ȯȼȲ ȴɃȼȼɇ ȯȼȲ

SCHOOL

ȴɃȼȼɇ”

presents the Winter Teen Conservatory production of

Music and Lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar Choreography by Sophie Ledingham * Musical Direction by Terry Lee Directed by Graham Northrup

Starring: Anna Ashmore * Ben Belinski * Jack Dresser * Kidd Duhe Solomon Julia Foran * Nakiri Gallagher-Cave * Kiki Glah * Lyon Hamill Flynn Holman * T.J. Kaiser * Sophie Ledingham * Emery Major Marissa McKinney * Sage O’Reilly * Luke Ryan * Luke Wampler

Jan. 10, 11, and 12 at 7pm Jan. 13 at 2pm at the Aspen District Theatre $20 Adults/$12 Students aspenshowtix.com or 920-5770

For information about Theatre Aspen School’s theatre education programs, please visit www.theatreaspen.org/education. Produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • DECEmbER 27, 2012

Community Calendar

from page 10

Ongoing KOROLOGOS SHOW CONTINUES • Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt continues its “Winter Welcome!” show, featuring Carbondale artist Andy Taylor and more than two dozen western regional artists. Info: 927-9668.

stages a four-mile beer run Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and a group run Saturdays at 8:15 a.m. Info: 704-0909.

APRÈS SKI • DJ RasGis spins roots rock reggae during après ski every Sunday from 3 to 7 p.m. at Burger Bar & Fish, located in Snowmass Base Village across from the Elk Camp gondola.

ZINGERS CONTINUE • Betsy Schenck leads the Senior Matters Zingers sing-along group in Room 33 of the Third Street Center. Under her direction the tunes take on a whole new meaning and resonance when sung by seniors. Info: 963-2167.

PHOTO SHOW • Ron Martin shows his local photographs, and Margie Martin shows her handmade craft items, at Martin’s Central Vac and Electrolux store on Highway 133 through December.

ART • Through December, Glenwood Springs Art Guild exhibits include Tara Vetter at the Flower Mart in Glenwood Springs, and Nancy Martin at Bullock Hinkey real estate in Glenwood Springs.

SNOWSHOE TOURS • The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies offers Elk Camp Meadows nighttime snowshoe tours Fridays through March 29. The one-hour tours start at the top of the Elk Camp Gondola at the Snowmass ski area and conclude with dinner or a nightcap at the new Elk Camp restaurant. The cost is $35, which includes gondola ride, snowshoes and naturalist guide. Tours leave from the top of the gondola 6 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at any Aspen/Snowmass lift ticket ofﬁce.

STORY TImE • The Gordon Cooper Library presents Storytime with Sue at 6 p.m. every Monday. Info: 963-2889.

bILINGUAL STORY TImE • Gordon Cooper Library presents a bilingual story time for kids 1-5 years old Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. info: 625-4270. mAYOR’S COFFEE HOUR • Chat with Carbondale Mayor Stacey Bernot on Tuesdays from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Village Smithy on Third Street. bEER RUN • Independence Run & Hike

JAm SESSION • Carbondale Beer Works on Main Street hosts an old-time jam session with Dana Wilson from 7 to 9 p.m. every Monday. All abilities are welcome. TAI CHI • Senior Matters in the Third Street Center offers tai chi with instructor John Norton at 9 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. The cost is $40 per month or $7 per drop in. Info: 274-1010. PHOTO SHOW • The Colorado Mountain College gallery on Grand Avenue continues showing Gayle Waterman’s abstract photography through Jan. 25. SUPPORT GROUP • Hospice of the Valley presents a grief and loss support group in Basalt the second and fourth Wednesday of the month.

Mountain Fair Director Amy Kimberly manages to have a little fun while she manages Mountain Fair. Photo by Jane Bachrach

FROM US TO

you

From The Sopris Sun staff and board of directors

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We look forward to serving the community in 2013 and beyond.

Thanks for your support in 2012. Front (left to right): Trina Ortega and Jane Bachrach; center: Lynn Burton, Terri Ritchie, Debbie Bruell and Peggy DeVilbiss; back: Frank Zlogar, David Johnson and Laura McCormick. Not shown: Bob Albright, Will Grandbois, Linda Fleming, Colin Laird, Jean Perry and Elizabeth Phillips. Photo by Carlos Hererra

THE SOPRIS SUN • DECEmbER 27, 2012 • 11

Community Briefs The Spring Gulch Nordic trail system seven miles southwest of Carbondale is ofﬁcially open and excellent conditions are reported. All the skate lanes are open and classic track is set on all the trails. “We encourage everyone to get up there and burn off that holiday eggnog while enjoying some of the best cross-country skiing anywhere,” said Mt. Sopris Nordic Council spokeswoman Katie Soden. For the latest snow conditions and directions, visit springgulch.org.

CmC registration is under way Registration for spring semester at Colorado Mountain College is now under way. Many classes start the week of Jan. 14. For details, go to coloradomtn.edu/classes. Colorado Mountain College will be closed for winter break through Jan. 1.

CmS seeks robotics coaches Carbondale Middle School is not only looking for coaches for its robotics program, the school will also pay them $25 an hour. PEAK Coordinator Megan Currier says she has students “begging” to become part of the school’s competitive robotics team but the school needs more coaches to make it happen. “Coaches do not need prior experience in robotics, just a willingness to learn and the desire to work with middle school students,” Currier said. Students competed in the FIRST Lego League regional competition in 2011 and another team competed in the competi-

tion in November. The spring session for this after-school program begins in February; classes run from 3:30 to 5:15 p.m. For details, call Currier at 384-5735 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) or e-mail mcurrier@rfsd.k12.co.us.