delta county independent, jan. 7, 2015

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INDEPENDENTwww.deltacountyindependent.com

NORTH FORK TIMES SPORTSSURFACE CREEK NEWSARTIST AT WORK

Octogenarian opens agift shop in Hotchkiss, B1

BIRD TRACKINGWintering cranes are growingin numbers and locations, C1

SUN AND FUNCommunity sends Paonia

wrestlers to Florida competition, C6

Accent ........................... A4Activities ....................... A5Agriculture .....................C5Back Page ................... D6Business .........................B5Church ............................B4Classifieds .................. D1-2Editorial ......................... A2Legals ......................... D3-4North Fork Times ........1-6BObituaries ..................... A6School Zone ...................B6Service Directory ........ D5Sports .............................C6Surface Creek News ...C1-2TV Listings ..................C3-4

INDEX Oaths to be takenCounty officials elected to office in Novem-

ber will take their oaths of office at a ceremo-ny Tuesday Jan. 13, in Room 234 of the Delta County Courthouse. The public is invited to attend the 8:30 a.m. event.

The Board of County Commissioners will meet at 9:30 a.m., following the ceremony. The BoCC will then hold another Tuesday meeting the following week on Jan. 20. The meeting would normally have been held on Monday, Jan. 19, except the courthouse will be closed for Martin Luther King Day. The commissioners normally meet on the first and third Mondays of the month.

JANUARY 7, 2015VOL. 132, NO. 1

No developments in hen house lawsuitAt their work session Jan. 5, the Delta

County Commissioners heard there have been no new developments in the Powell Mesa hen house lawsuit. That is because the state Court of Appeals has not yet announced a decision on the plaintiff’s request for a rehearing of the October rul-ing issued in the county’s favor.

Also during the work session, the BoCC heard reports from department heads and conducted a short executive session to discuss a pending real estate purchase.

The county clerk’s office is dealing

with recent changes in state law that affect motor vehicle registrations, and will evaluate fees that are charged for them. Seventeen of Colorado’s 64 county clerks are retiring this year. The large number of retirements is believed to be caused by the trend of baby boomer generation members reaching retirement age.

Commissioners held an executive ses-sion with county attorney Christine Knight on a contract for purchase of a small house on Columbia Street in Delta. The parcel will be used one day for expansion of the government complex.

Photo by Pat Sunderland

New Year’s plus oneDr. Gina Martin delivered Diago Garcia at 12:50 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2, the first baby to be born at Delta County Memorial Hospital in 2015. He weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces and was 19 inches in length. Diago’s parents are Guadalupe and Susanna Garcia of Cory. He also has an older brother, Joshua, and a stepsister, Janine, who were anxious to make his acquain-tance. The hospital provided a basketful of baby items to celebrate the occasion.

BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Leslie Workman is home again, back in the community where she’s always felt she belonged and where she wants to raise her two children, ages 5 and 4.

Workman was hired as executive director of the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce in November.

A 2001 graduate of Delta High School, she studied geol-ogy at Western State College before obtaining a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Mesa State College in 2006. After graduating she moved to the Front Range and worked for Lockheed-Martin, where she was responsible for cost management and budget administration. “I love bud-gets,” she said. “I’m such a geek!”

She was not actively search-ing for another position, but an announcement on Face-book spurred some conversa-tions with Kami Collins, the chamber’s departing director. After several weeks of thought, Workman decided to apply for the job.

At Lockheed-Martin, she supported projects with $42 million budgets. Although the chamber’s budget is consider-ably smaller, there are simi-larities. “You still have to answer to people for every dol-lar spent,” she said.

While at Lock-heed-Martin, she also planned in-house employee gatherings such as ice cream socials and other networking events. When Lock-

heed-Martin closed its facil-ity in Newtown Township, Pa., and moved many employees to Denver, she was named the point of contact for transition. As a member of the receiving team, she was equipped with a list of resources for newcom-ers, much like the local cham-ber of commerce.

Workman also owns her own business, a soap and can-dle manufacturing company called Back Home ‘83. Some-day she hopes to open her own shop here in Delta.

“Even though I spent eight years in corporate finance, I am a business owner myself and I think that’s part of why I was chosen for this job. That’s where my concern for our members, and all businesses in this area, comes from and my passion for wanting to help them and our community. The very name of my company is a tribute to my home,” she said.

She sees other members of her generation — pastors, prin-cipals, bankers and other pro-fessionals — who want their children to experience growing up in a tight-knit community like Delta.

“I can feel the energy and the excitement we all bring to Delta,” she said. “I want to keep that going.”

She admits to a sense of nos-talgia as she watched her daughter singing Christmas carols at Bank of the West — a tradition she remembers partici-pating in as a child. It’s important to her for Lily and Steven to grow up around grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

She recognizes one of the challenges to her job is mar-keting Delta near and far. Co-workers in Denver, even those native to Colorado, had no idea where Workman was moving. Some knew Delta only as a small town on the way to Telluride. “Delta has a lot to offer,” she said. “We need to give people a reason to stop and stay.”

She sees the proposed Busi-ness Improvement District as

a step in the right direction. Results won’t be immediate, but when business owners and managers band together and are willing to put time and resources into downtown improvements, “that speaks volumes,” she said.

With the Parade of Lights behind her, one of the cham-ber’s main winter undertak-ings, she is back to meet-ing, or reintroducing herself, to business owners. It’s her

goal to visit every one of the chamber’s 278 members. “It’s important for them to under-stand all the chamber has to offer,” she said. “And I want them to feel they can call me any time. I’m willing to listen and work with everyone as best I can.”

Several events are also in the works, including a Small Business Expo and the annu-al Home, Garden and Recre-ation Show.

Chamber director delighted to be back home

BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

There are several indica-tors that officials in the court-house keep an eye on to help assess how things are going in the local economy.

One is foreclosures. Others are home sales and related data, sales tax receipts, and new vehicle registrations.

The tons of trash being taken in at Adobe Buttes landfill also generate a num-ber that county commission-ers watch to help them try and gauge the general level of economic activity in the county.

During their work session on Monday, Jan. 5, commis-sioners received an annual report for 2014 on Adobe Buttes operations.

Landfill manager Kevin Hunt reported that the ton-nage of trash taken in at the Tongue Creek Valley facility during 2014 was some 20 per-

cent lower than that taken in during 2013. Hunt added that the 35,871 tons of trash taken in 2013 was, however, “kind of high” by recent historical standards.

Last year, 2014, Adobe Buttes received 28,776 tons of trash. But in terms of recent years, the average tonnage of trash taken in from 2010 on has been closer to around 32,000, Hunt reported.

So whether it was less con-struction taking place or fewer people cleaning up their yards after the big 2013 rush on landfill services, no one knows for sure why the decrease in 2014 took place.

Asked by the commission-ers for his own view, Hunt said most of the decrease could probably be accounted for by lower activity at the North Fork Valley mines, and also by lower drilling activity which contributes land fill tonnage from drill cuttings and soils.

Some other statistical infor-mation on landfill activities for 2014 included the following:

• Approximately 139 tons of white goods were recycled.

• There were 244 automo-tive batteries collected and recycled.

• There were 4,510 gallons of used motor oil taken in and sold to a recycler for 20 cents per gallon.

• Adobe Buttes made a total of $12,732 from all of its recycling operations dur-ing 2014.

• The North Fork transfer station took in 771 tons of trash in 2014. That compares with 794 tons during all of 2013.

• The North Fork transfer station saw an average of 20 trash customers and 23 recy-cling materials customers per day in 2014. That compares with 22 trash customers and 23 recycling customers per day in 2013.

Adobe Buttes business gives economic insight

Leslie Workman


The e-waste recycling pro-gram in Delta County has hit a temporary snag in operations as the downstream processor of waste electronics (e-waste) in Grand Junction suddenly shut its doors about a week ago.

The Delta County commis-sioners discussed the situa-tion at a Monday work session. The proper disposal of e-waste is required by state statute, but county government is not directly involved in handling e-waste recycling.

Here, collection of e-waste is done primarily by a com-mercial recycler, Double J Dis-posal and Recycling of Austin. Some community-based efforts have done e-waste collection projects, but they have used the same now-shuttered down-stream processor that Double J has used, explained Rachel Leonard of Double J.

The county and Double J are actively working to locate another processor to accept the e-waste generated in this county.

Leonard affirmed that the current halt in collection of e-waste for the program is only temporary.

“I have made about 75 con-tacts looking for a new proces-sor,” she said on Monday. The county’s landfill manager is also working on the issue.

Double J has more than a dozen pallets of e-waste cur-rently in inventory that need to be shipped out, Leonard said.

Therefore, the situation requires a temporary halt in the acceptance of more mate-rial.

“This is only a pause in our program. The program is not going away. This program will return in the very near future,” Leonard said.

According to the state web-site, waste electronics contain heavy metals and other harm-ful constituents that have the potential to contaminate soil and groundwater if not man-aged and disposed of prop-erly. Therefore, they may not be disposed of in solid waste landfills in Colorado.

E-waste program to resume soon

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A2 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 LOCAL NEWS Delta County Independent

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Friday, January 30, 11:00 a.m. toSaturday, January 31, 12:30 p.m. $325

From the Delta Police Department:

Dec. 29:Ryan E. McGehee,

39, of Delta was issued a ticket for alleged care-less driving after being involved in a two-vehicle accident in the 300 block of E. 3rd Street. No inju-ries were reported and neither vehicle required tow service.Dec. 31:

A request for prosecu-tion was filed charging Galen W. Turner, 50, of Delta with alleged viola-tion of a protection order.

Shane R. McNeese, 31, of Delta was arrested and jailed on a warrant with no bond.

Miguel D. Mejia, 18, of Delta was issued a ticket for alleged driving a motor vehicle while license sus-pended, owner operated uninsured motor vehicle and no proof of registra-tion in motor vehicle.

Glen R. Frese, 58, of Montrose was issued a ticket for alleged care-less driving after being involved in a two vehicle accident in the 1400 block of Highway 50 North. No injuries were reported and both vehicles were driven from the scene.Jan. 3:

Anthony G. Uhlenberg, 32, of Delta was arrested and jailed for alleged criminal mischief and harassment.

Please remember:All criminal charges are merely an accusation and the defendant is pre-sumed innocent until or unless proven guilty.

From the Delta County Sheriff’s Office (partial list):Dec. 29:

Shortly after 2 a.m., sheriff ’s deputies and Cedaredge firefighters were dispatched to a car on fire on Trap Club Road a half mile north of the landfill. The driver saw smoke coming from

beneath the hood and was able to get out of the vehicle. It was totally destroyed by the flames.

A one-vehicle rollover occurred at about 6 a.m. at Highway 65 and Iris Road in Austin, when a Jeep rolled into a ditch. The female driver was transported to Delta County Memorial Hos-pital and the Colorado State Patrol took over investigation.Dec. 30:

A two-vehicle accident occurred at the intersec-tion of Highway 92 and 3100 Road at about 1:30 p.m. A 2007 Chevy Van driven by Donald Ludwig was severely damaged when it was rear-ended by a Dodge Ram pickup driven by Frederick Klas-een. The Colorado State Patrol took over investi-gation.Dec. 31:

Multiple incidents of items being taken out of vehicles were reported in Delta and Cedaredge. A Cedaredge man report-ed his wallet was miss-ing after the break-in; a Cedaredge woman said her purse was taken. A Delta area woman said three of her vehicles were broken into and $1,000 was missing. A pistol kept in the side pocket of one of the vehicles was found on the seat.Jan. 1:

The owner of an auto-motive garage in Orchard City reported a break-in at his shop. A window was broken to gain entry. He told dispatch everything was torn up and $300 in cash was missing.Jan. 3:

A Paonia area resident requested assistance with a doe stuck in his fence. The doe’s leg appeared to be shattered.Jan. 4:

An Orchard City woman asked for assis-tance removing her son, who is homeless and out of work, from her home.

Police blotter

Seniors thank the ElksDear Editor:

The Delta Senior Citizens would like to thank the Delta Elks Lodge No. 1235 for the four special meals they sponsored and participated in during the last few months of 2014. The Elks paid for all four meals prepared by DSC volunteer cooks, and several Elks came and helped serve seniors at each meal.

The funds for the four meals were made pos-sible by a grant from the Grand Lodge, and we are very thankful to the Elks and organization for their generosity. All the meals had large attendance, and were offered free of charge. They included meals to honor Grandparent’s Day, Hal-loween, Veterans Day (the largest, with over 100 meals served), and our Christmas dinner on Dec. 23, when 86 meals were served.

Thank you also to Elks members Doug Eades, Bruce Holmlund, Judy Conklin, Bruce Schmoldt, Joan Schmoldt and Clarence Mansker for being at the four meals and serving the meals trays to the senior diners.

Paul AshDelta Senior Citizens

Board Secretary

Thanks to winter box donorsDear Editor:

Thank you for the Helping Hands winter box program donations: Hawk Ranch, Angelovich fam-ily, Nolte family, Paonia Church of Christ, Moore family, City Market, Burch family, Yantzer family, HHS student government, TK Mining Services, HHS FFA, Rocky Mountain 4-H Club, Town of Hotchkiss, HK-8 Student Council, Food Bank of the Rockies, Hotchkiss Automotive and the Simpson family.

Carrie YantzerHotchkiss K-8 Principal

KUDOS

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DELTA COUNTY

INDEPENDENTDELTA COUNTY INDEPENDENT (UPS 152-700) is pub-lished weekly on Wednesdays at 401 Meeker St., Delta, CO 81416. Second class postage paid at DELTA, CO. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: DELTA COUN-TY INDEPENDENT, PO BOX 809, DELTA, CO 81416

401 Meeker St. • Delta, CO 81416 • (970) 874-4421News: [email protected]

Advertising: [email protected]

Beginning Jan. 1, 2015, Colorado newspapers that publish public and legal notices are required to post them to www.publicnoticecolorado.com, in addition to publishing them in the paper.

Publishing public and legal notices online was previously not required by law.

The Colorado Press Association board and its members agreed that it was important for the notices to stay in the papers as a permanent record and to make sure information is available to all Colorado residents, said Jerry Raehal, CEO of the press association.

The CPA lobbied on behalf of newspapers and the public to ensure that result.

Legislation was passed, specifying the change:

“When any legal notice is required by law to be pub-lished in any newspaper, the newspaper publish-ing the notice shall, at no additional cost to the per-son or entity placing the notice, place the notice on a statewide website estab-lished and maintained by an organization repre-senting the majority of Colorado newspapers as a repository for the notices” (Colorado Revised Stat-utes 24-70-103).

The Colorado Press Association works as the site administrator, at no cost to the newspapers or the government.

The website has many search features, includ-ing a “smart search” that individuals or businesses can sign up for. While there is a cost associated with this feature, it will save time and money by

finding the public and legal notices of interest to the user by using mul-tiple keyboards and sav-ing search criteria. It can even be set up so the pub-lic notices are delivered straight to one’s email.

“It’s one website with all required the legal

notices that run in the state,” Raehal said. “We think this setup is the best of both worlds. The public is able to keep legal notices in a perma-nent, trusted form but also acknowledge that some might find a digital format more accessible.”

Public notices are also online

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Winter is the perfect time to test your home for radon, according to Chrystine Kelley, radon program manager for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Envi-ronment. “Testing your home for radon is simple and works best when all your doors and windows are closed,” said Kelley. “That’s why January is a great time to test during National Radon Action Month.”

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas responsible for hundreds of Colorado lung cancer deaths each year. The colorless, odorless, taste-less gas can enter homes through miniscule cracks in floors or small spaces around utility pipes, and it accumulates unless properly mitigated. Long-term radon expo-sure is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second-leading cause of lung cancer in smokers. More

Americans die from lung cancer than any other cancer.

Gov. John Hickenloop-er proclaimed January National Radon Aware-ness Month in Colorado. All Colorado citizens are encouraged to pro-tect their families from the serious health risks associated with radon by testing and reducing any elevated radon levels found in their homes.

Testing is easy and affordable. The depart-ment provides coupons for reduced-cost radon test kits at www.colora doradon.info. The web-site also lists contractors, certified by the National Radon Proficiency Pro-gram, who install sys-tems to mitigate radon. Colorado residents also can call the state’s Radon Hotline at 1-800-846-3986 or check with their local health department, county extension office or public health nurse for radon information.

Coloradans urged to test homes for radon

Delta County Independent LOCAL NEWS Wednesday, January 7, 2015 A3

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GW King

Office (970) 874-9300Cell (970) 260-8781

• Focusing on retirement plan rollovers ( 401K, 403B, profit sharing, etc.) • Annuities • Life Insurance • Long Term Care Insurance • Stocks* • Bonds* • Mutual Funds*

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Photos by Randy Sunderland

The winner is ...Three lucky winners ended the year with cash awards from the Delta Rotary Club, which sold raffle tickets to raise funds for its educational scholarships, student reading program and charitable contributions. Scholarship recipient Emily Kuta and Delta County Fair and Rodeo royalty Abigail Conley (queen), Tess Gore (princess) and Alexa Huff (junior prin-cess) drew the winning tickets. The winner of the $3,000 prize was 18-year-old Brayden Astin. Unbeknownst to him, his ticket had been purchased by his uncle, Morgan Yost, who is the club president. The $2,000 prize went to Father Tom Seibert, a Rotarian who sold the winning ticket to himself. The $1,000 prize was won by Overholt Truss, which gen-erously donated the money back to the schol-arship fund. The winners were contacted by phone as their names were drawn, except Father Tom, who was present with fellow Rotarians and president Morgan Yost (right).

Ken Reyher’sbook to befeatured byhistoric club

Montrose County His-torical Museum is spon-soring “The Historic Book” which will meet Friday, Jan. 9, at 3 p.m., hosted by Riddled Raven Coffee House on West Main. This month’s book is “Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death” by Ken Reyher. This club is open to everyone. For more information please call Sally Johnson at 249-2085.

Life is precious. That message will be conveyed during a non-denomi-national prayer break-fast and March for Life planned Saturday, Jan. 17.

A pro-life Mass and prayers are scheduled at 8 a.m. at St. Michael Church, 628 Meeker Street, Delta. A free breakfast will be served at 9:30 a.m., followed by short presentations and a pro-life gathering along Delta’s Main Street for

about an hour.All are welcome to par-

ticipate — families, teens, youth, singles.

“Dignity for life is the foundation that social justice is built upon,” said Dan O’Donnell, event organizer. “Without it the house will crumble and fall. Help us fight the cul-ture of death by taking a stand and being counted among God’s people.”

For more information, contact O’Donnell at 921-5266.

March for Life set for Jan. 17

The Grand Junc-tion Housing Authority (GJHA) has teamed with the Colorado Work Force Center-Western Region to provide a no-cost workshop for struggling local homeowners and recently laid off miners to learn about mortgage modification and other

options for addressing delinquent or soon-to-be delinquent mortgage loans. This workshop is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 15, at 10 a.m. at Bill Heddles Recreation Cen-ter. Please call the Delta Workforce Center at 874-5781 to reserve a seat for the workshop.

Mortgage delinquencyassistance is available

Delta County Econom-ic Development announc-es the fifth annual West-ern Slope Soil Health Conference to be held Jan. 30 and 31 at Bill Heddles Recreation Cen-ter in Delta. This con-ference is designed to educate producers, gov-ernment officials and the broad community about ways to increase organic matter in and the health of our soils through cover crops, green manure, grazing, compost, ento-mology and other sus-tainable practices.

This conference will provide a great deal of information on how to put practices to work on local farms, orchards,

and smaller homesteads/gardens. Speakers include George Whitten on holistic ranching and grazing; Jonathan Lund-gren, an applied ecologist investigating ecologically based forms of managing insects and weeds; Kris Nichols on soil health and soil microbiology; and Karl Kupers on mar-keting sustainable agri-culture. Local experts will participate on panel discussions.

Early bird registra-tion (through Jan. 16) is $30. After that date and at the door, registra-tion is $40. Sponsorships and vendor space are still available. For more information or to get reg-istration materials, visit deltacountyed.org or call 874-4992.

Conference sponsors are Better Compost, Shavano Conservation District, Cropworx and Tri-County Water Con-servancy District.

Rec center is site ofSoil Health Conference

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Slumpingoil pricesimpactDeltaCounty


The big drop in crude oil prices that motorists are cheering is having a negative economic impact on Delta County.

The county landfill during 2014 took in 4,510 gallons of used motor oil and sold it to a recycler for 20 cents per gallon — a $902 benefit to oper-ations.

Now, however, at the start of 2015, the county has been informed by its recycler that the used oil will still be picked up, but there will no longer be any payment made for the stuff.

SUBSCRIBE TO DCI874-4421

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A4 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 ACCENT Delta County Independent

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Photos submitted

Holiday warmthOver 165 meals were served to hungry and happy people in two short hours at the annual Christmas Day dinner at Delta United Methodist Church. Additional meals were provided for the guests and volunteers of the Abraham Connection homeless shelter. Volunteers — including entire families — served the meals and played music. “We want to thank the dozens of people who bought and brought food, cooked at the church, served and cleaned up,” said Pastor Carol Rhan. “But we are especially thankful for the many people who joined in the fellowship of a shared meal. See you next year!”

Patricia Myers and Brian Busby announce their engagement.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Kenny and Marilyn Myers of Cedaredge. She is a grad-uate of Colorado Mesa University and a stay-at-home mother of three, Christoferr, Jacob and Dixie.

Her fiancé is the son of Carla Busby and the late Jerry Busby, also of

Cedaredge. He graduated from WyoTech in Laramie, Wyo., and is employed by Calfrac Well Service as a field mechanic.

The couple attended Cedaredge schools and worked at the Cedaredge Mercantile together as teenagers.

They are planning a May 9 wedding in Cedaredge.

Myers, Busby to wed in May

Patricia Myersand Brian Busby

Victor and Jacquelyn Garcia of Delta are the parents of a daughter, Sophia Bethany Hope, born Dec. 22, 2014, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds, 9.5 ounces and was 19 inches in length.

Bobby and Franny Esplin of Delta are the parents of a son, Wade Robert Esplin, born Dec. 22, 2014, at Delta County Memorial Hospi-tal. He weighed 6 pounds, 12.4 ounces and was 19.5 inches in length.

Willie and Crisstina Smith of Delta are the parents of a son, Dwayne Smith, born Dec. 26, 2014, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces and was 18 inches in length.

BIRTHS

DaphnaRussellturns 80

An open house is planned for Daphna Russell’s 80th birthday. Friends are invited to join the celebration at the Creamery Arts Cen-ter in Hotchkiss. No gifts, please, but there will be a money tree for those who wish to participate.

District 28 installation of officers took place Jan. 4 in Delta. Installing offi-cers were district deputy grand master Glen Con-ger and district deputy president Pat Monger. Marshals were Linda Hudgens of Olathe #99

and Jim Baker of Delta #116. There were approx-imately 45 members, two guests and four Grand Lodge officers present. Awards were presented to outgoing noble grands. Pat Monger of Olathe #99 received a pretty

bouquet of flowers and Ann Bristol of Elberta #106 received the past noble grand jewel from her great aunt, Margaret Nickson. The presenta-tion was made by Carol Mendenhall. The jewel is well over 100 years old.

Elberta #106 also had two perfect atten-dance awards, Grace Farmer and Ann Bris-tol. Evonne Carpenter of Montrose #31 received her past noble grand jewel and Violet Crane of Uncompahgre #65 received her Oddfellow past noble grand jewel.

The district meeting is Jan. 18 in Cedaredge, with a 1 p.m. potluck and 2 p.m. meeting.

The district is pleased to have Katherine #65 up and running again. Noble grand Joyce Con-ger is working hard to keep it going. Three new lodges — Montrose Rebekah Lodge #31, Uncompahgre Lodge #65 and Mt. Hayden Rebekah Lodge #54 — were wel-comed to the district. The meeting was adjourned and refreshments were served.

Bonnie PopeElberta #106

IOOF officers installed in Delta

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Delta County Independent ACTIVITIES Wednesday, January 7, 2015 A5

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Online registration for Delta County early blood draw events and health fairs in Delta, Cedaredge and Paonia begins Jan. 12. These annual health fair events are a joint effort with Delta Coun-ty Lions Club in Delta, Cedaredge and Paonia and Delta County Memo-rial Hospital (DCMH).

Go to deltahospital.org and click on the health fair artwork on the upper left hand corner of the home page. People will then hotlink to the reg-istration process where they may select the date, time, location and health screen tests they would like to sign up for. Then a registration may be printed out and brought to the early blood draw or health fair event. If dates, times or locations change after a person has registered, they can re-register a second time with the changed infor-mation.

For Delta County resi-dents without a comput-er, call-in appointments will be taken for three days only, Jan. 12, 13 and 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily at 1-888-592-6255.

Online registration was started in 2014 with participants finding this improved registration process through the hos-pital website to be quick and efficient. Appoint-ments went so smoothly that, generally speaking, there were no wait times, or only a very short wait to complete the registra-tion process and then receive the blood draw from phlebotomists on site. Many compliments and accolades were received by hospital staff regarding the ease of registration for the early blood draws, commented Patti Kalahar, manager of education and market-ing for DCMH.

Early blood draws will be offered from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the following locations: Paonia, Delta-Montrose Technical Col-lege campus, Wednesday, Feb. 18; Cedaredge Com-munity Center, Thursday, Feb. 19; Delta, DCMH oncology building class-rooms, Friday and Satur-day, Feb. 20 and 21, 6:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Health fair dates are:Wednesday, March 18

— Delta-Montrose Tech-nical College campus in Paonia, 6:30 to 10 a.m.

Thursday, March 19 —

Bill Heddles Recreation Center, Delta, 6:30 to 11 a.m.

Friday, March 20 — Cedaredge Community Center, 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.List of Health Screens

Healthscreen profile, $40 — 32 metabolic func-tions, lipid panel with direct LDL, TSH, liver, kidney, muscle, bone, uric acid, iron panel with fer-ritin.

CBC (Complete Blood Count), $20 — screening presents a general picture of overall blood health and checks for infection, anemia and early signs of leukemia.

PSA (men over age 40), $30.

Hemoglobin A1C, $35 — Provides an average blood glucose level over four months and is non-fasting screening. Recom-mended for anyone with a family history of dia-betes.

Vitamin D, $40 — concise measurement of D2 level for vitamin and nutritional absorp-tion, D3 for conversion of sunshine absorption, and total amount of D to define sufficient, insuffi-cient or deficient level.

Cardio CRP (C-Reac-tive Protein), $40 — ele-vated levels of C-reac-tive protein can indicate vascular inflammation. Inflammation may cause cholesterol deposits to break off and clog an artery.

Insure Fit colon screen-ing kit, $35 — specific to the hemoglobin and does not react with non-human hemoglobin, vitamins, drugs, or peroxidase from

food sources. No specific diet required and brush stool for easy sampling.

Gluten sensitivity (celiac/spru test), $45 — simple screening test for gluten sensitivity that measures antibodies to an enzyme (tissue tanas-glutaminease) which is a normal enzyme found in the digestive system.

Vitamin B12 and folate levels, $40 — essential for production of red blood cells, the function of nerve cells, and is required for DNA replication. Lack of these can cause anemia, fatigue, depression and poor memory.

Testosterone, total male, $45 — a hormone produced in males that regulates the retension of protein in the body and supports muscle mass, bone strength and sexual characteristics. Low T can cause hair loss, weight gain and decreased libi-do.

Testosterone, total female, $45 — A hormone produced in females (and males) that contributes to lean muscle mass, bone density and maintaining libido. Low T can cause brittle hair, decreased bone and muscle strength and diminished libido.

Please note that insur-ance is not accepted, so bring cash or a check.

A 10- to 12-hour fast is required for blood work. Drink plenty of water and continue to take your prescription medications.

For additional infor-mation and details please refer to the Delta County Memorial Hospital web-site www.deltahospital.org.

Registration for early blood draws starts Jan. 12

Dawsonto sharehis oilpaintings

James Dawson, a member of Delta Fine Arts, will be the Janu-ary spotlight artist and will share several of his beautiful oil paintings. He resides in Crawford and has his own website: wwwsaddle mountainstudio.com.

Come support Daw-son and DFA by attend-ing the meeting Tues-day, Jan. 13, at 2 p.m. The public is welcome free of charge. Meet-ings are held at the First Church of God, 1102 Howard Street, Delta. For more infor-mation, call Linda Aubery, 874-8922.

Cameraclub willmeet nextTuesday

Black Canyon Camera Club meets at noon Tues-day, Jan. 13, at the First Church of God at 11th & Howard in Delta. Mem-bers will be organizing a Western Slope photog-raphy show at the Elks Lodge in April. There will be an educational pro-gram after the meeting. The public is welcome to attend free of charge. For information, con-tact Rae-Ann Simmons at [email protected] or 856-7809.

Welcome aboard the “Island Fantasy Cruise Event” benefiting the Delta County Memorial Hospital Foundation. The gala event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Grand Mesa Oncol-ogy and Education Center from 6 to 11 p.m.

Festivities abound with gambling, shopping, eat-ing, dancing and enter-tainment. Gala guests will enjoy a tropical bar, a delicious dinner and music by The David Starr Band. Great shopping opportunities are avail-able for gala guests, with a silent auction and a live auction with top-of-the-

line items for the high-est bidder. At the end of the evening, the earnings guests have acquired with their gambling skills will provide entry tickets for some wonderful prizes.

Everyone is invited to a fabulous night to help the Delta County Memo-rial Hospital Founda-tion provide funding for programs, services and equipment at DCMH, and for educational scholar-

ships for local students interested in health care-related education.

Tickets are $85 each. After Jan. 10 the ticket price goes up to $95. This gala event sells out each year so purchase your tickets early.

For additional infor-mation contact Patti Kalahar, foundation liaison, at 874-2291 or [email protected].

Island gala benefits Delta County Memorial Hospital Foundation

Delta County Women’s Connection announces a new time and location for its gatherings. By moving to the evening, it’s hoped working women will be able to attend the dinner program at Delta Chris-tian Church, 795 1600 Road. The new time is Thursday, Jan. 15, from 5:30 to 7:30.

Dale Skram, motiva-tional speaker from Boul-der, will present, “The Invisible Woman.” Kibbie Ward will share, “What’s

in Your Lotion, Shampoo and Toothpaste?” Jessica Kastendieck will provide the music.

The $10 fee includes the program and dinner. Free child care will be provided with a reserva-tion. To make a reserva-tion or for more infor-mation, call 778-8208 or 856-4650, or email [email protected]. Please make your reser-vation by Jan. 12. Bring your friends and make it a girls’ night out.

New time, location for Women’s Connection

Greg Strange, a nationally recognized Christian comedian and entertainer, will perform at Delta United Method-ist Church Sunday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. Strange’s ministry is for the whole family and this free con-cert is an opportunity for everyone to come out and fellowship.

Strange performs over 200 concerts per year, visiting churches, inner-city schools, rescue mis-sions, prisons and Indian reservations. He brings joy, encouragement and the message of Jesus Christ wherever he goes. No reservations are required and the concert is FREE! A love offering

will be taken to support Strange’s ongoing minis-try. For more information call Delta United Meth-odist Church, 874-9501.

Christian comedian is coming to Delta

Greg Strange

THIS PAGE IS COLOR

A6 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 OBITUARIES Delta County Independent

Dixie GilmoreLifetime Delta resi-

dent Dixie Gilmore died Friday, Jan. 2, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. She was 69.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Taylor Funeral Service Chapel in Delta with Pastor Bob Hillyer offici-ating. Interment followed at Mesa View Cemetery in Delta.

Dixie Darlene Dawson was born in Delta Aug. 13, 1945, to Benton and Esther (Markley) Daw-son. She attended school in Delta and graduated from Delta High School in 1963.

She married Robert Gilmore at her parents’ home in Delta on Dec. 21, 1962.

She enjoyed raising her family, sewing, doing ceramics and cooking.

Mrs. Gilmore is sur-vived by her husband, Robert “Bob” Gilmore of Delta; three sons, Frank (Sherry), Dwaine (Traci) and Joe (Abbey) Gilmore; a sister, Joanne Dawson, all of Delta; one niece, Susan (Roy) Fezer of Delta; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchil-dren.

Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory handled the arrangements.

View the Internet obit-uary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

Joseph KeatingJoseph Robert Keating

of Hotchkiss died Dec. 18, 2014, at his daughter’s home in Holyoke. He was 54.

He was born in Salida April 6, 1960, to William Keating and Katherine (Landis) Potts.

He worked as a heavy

equipment operator in the Hotchkiss area and later moved to Holyoke to be near his daughter. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, woodworking and bull riding. He was a member of the Catholic church.

Mr. Keating is survived by his mother, Katherine; children, Joseph Keating Jr. of Whitewater, Misty Torres of Holyoke, Wil-liam Keating of Bakers-field, Calif., and Jenni-fer Keating of Aurora; grandchildren, Emali and Alicia Torres, Alex, Mat-thew, Jacob, Zachary and Logan Keating; brother, Scott Keating; sisters, Edith Keating and Kay-leen Nielson; and extend-ed family.

He was preceded in death by his father, Rob-ert Keating; and sister, Heather Fix.

Services will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, at Memorial Hall in Hotchkiss.

Gerk Funeral Home is handling the arrange-ments.

Sidney EllisSidney Jean Ellis of

Lazear died Monday, Dec. 29, 2014, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junc-tion. She was 81.

A funeral service was held Monday, Jan. 5, at Hotchkiss United Meth-odist Church. Burial fol-lowed at Riverside Cem-etery.

Mrs. Ellis was born in Osborne, Kan., Aug. 31, 1933, to William and Jacquetta (Sutton) Cur-tis. She spent her child-hood on Rogers Mesa and attended school in Hotchkiss. She gradu-ated from Hotchkiss High School in 1951. She attended Western State College.

In July 1955 she mar-ried Charles Ellis in Hotchkiss. They celebrat-ed 44 years of marriage before he died in October 1999.

Mrs. Ellis was a mem-ber of the Hotchkiss Unit-ed Methodist Church and Modern Women’s Club. She enjoyed her cats, playing cards, especially Double Rummy, playing Yahtzee, watching the Broncos and Rockies, and being an upholsterer.

She is survived by three sons, Craig Ellis of Arvada, Doug Ellis of Indian Hills and Dave Ellis of Lazear; six grand-children; and four great-grandchildren with one on the way.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Ellis; her sons, Thomas and Scott Ellis; and two brothers, Ryan and Stephen Curtis.



Dorothy GregoryDorothy Gregory of

Grand Junction died Monday, Dec. 29, 2014. She was 98.

She was born in Delta Feb. 25, 1916, to Chris and Gladys Decker. She attended school in Read and Delta.

She married Joseph Dobbin Jan. 16, 1940. They had two daughters. He died in 1967. She mar-ried Jack Gregory June 5, 1969. He died in 1999.

Mrs. Gregory moved to Fruita and Grand Junction before moving to Eagle Ridge Nurs-ing Home three months before her death.

She is survived by two daughters and their husbands, JoAnn Frost of Grand Junction and Marjorie Hood of Fruita; one brother; five grand-children; 10 great-grand-children; nine great-great-grandchildren; two stepchildren, Doug and Katharine Gregory; and seven stepgrandchildren.

She was preceded in death by both husbands; five siblings; one grand-daughter; and one great-granddaughter.

Funeral services were held Friday, Jan. 2, at Callahan-Edfast Mortu-ary in Grand Junction. Interment followed at Delta City Cemetery.

Irving WhiteCedaredge resident

Irving D. White died Monday, Dec. 29, 2014, at his home in Cedaredge. He was 88.

A memorial service was held Monday, Jan. 5, at Taylor Funeral Chapel in Delta. Inurnment fol-lowed in Mesa View Cem-etery.

Mr. White was born in Havana, Cuba, July 23, 1926, to John and Lil (Johnson) White. He spent his childhood and attended schools in Nebraska.

He served in the U.S.

Navy during World War II.

He enjoyed farming and spending time with his family.

Mr. White is sur-vived by three sons, Don White of Klamath Falls, Ore., Dale White of Boise, Idaho, and Dennis White of Cedaredge; one daughter, Susan Reger of Cedaredge; seven grand-children; and four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by one brother; four sisters; and two sons, Timothy and Gary White.



Mary HankeLongtime Delta resi-

dent Mary Louise Hanke died Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, at Colorow Care Center in Olathe. She was 93.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 17, at Tay-lor Funeral Service Cha-pel in Delta. Inurnment will follow at Delta City Cemetery.

Mrs. Hanke is sur-vived by four sons, Kerry (Diane) Hanke of Fruita, Bill Hanke of Cottage Grove, Ore., Barry Hanke of Longmont and Randy Hanke of Cedaredge; 14 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; and extended family.

Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory is han-dling the arrangements.


Bob CarrRobert “Bob” Neil Carr

died Dec. 30, 2014, at his home in Gunnison. He was 83.

He was born in Hotchkiss Sept. 24, 1931, to Rita and Ernest Carr. He grew up on Rogers Mesa on the family “fruit ranch.” He played bas-ketball and football at Hotchkiss High School and was on the 1949 1A state champion football team.

Mr. Carr attended Western State College on a football scholarship and received a bachelor’s degree in education.

He married Betty Jo LeFevre in 1953. They lived in Corvallis, Ore., where Mr. Carr was a lumberjack and rail yard worker. In Vilas, he taught high school shop and coached for one year.

He briefly worked in the coal mines in Crest-ed Butte before becom-ing a general contractor, specializing in concrete. He owned and operated a number of residential and commercial rental properties.

Mr. Carr was known to many as “Big Bob” or “Big Guy.” He served on the Gunnison City Coun-cil in the 1970s and on the city planning com-mission. He held several leadership positions in the Gunnison Elks Lodge, Gunnison Masonic Lodge, Waunita Chapter of East-ern Star and the Gun-nison Rainbow Girls. He was a longtime supporter of the Western State Col-lege athletic scholarship program.

He was a pilot. He enjoyed snowmobiles, motorcycles, boats, his 1920 Dodge Broth-ers Roadster, traveling around the U.S. and the world, hunting, fishing and expeditions to Alas-ka to pan for gold, hunt bear and fish for salmon and halibut. In his later years he enjoyed trips to the Colorado mountain casinos.

Mr. Carr is survived by his wife of 15 years, Aetna Goodner-Carr; sis-ter, Eleanor Jane (Jim) Conner of Delta; daugh-ters, Cindy (Dick) Vieh-man of Gunnison, Jo Ellen (Dennis) Davidson of Lone Tree, Sheri (Mike) LaCosse of Norwood and Kathy Carr (Gale Pick-ett) of Gunnison; step-children, Lee Ann (John) Mears, Melinda (Daryl) Davis, Tom Holler and Lisa (Dave) Dennis, all of Gunnison.

He was preceded in death by his first wife of 43 years, Betty Jo; his brother, Don; and sister, Beth Ebberts.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Community Church of Gunnison, 107 N. Iowa Street, Gunnison, with a reception to follow at the Gunnison Masonic Lodge, 120 N. Iowa Street.

Memorial contribu-

tions may be sent to Gun-nison Valley Health Hos-pice, 120 N. Blvd., Gun-nison, CO 81230, or the Western State Colorado University Foundation, P.O. Box 1264, Gunnison, CO 81230, for athletic scholarships.

Gunnison Funeral Services is handling the arrangements.

Patricia CochranPatricia Ann Cochran

died Jan. 4, 2015, at San Juan Living Center in Montrose. She was 51.

Services will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church Thursday, Jan. 8, under the direction of Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory.

Mrs. Cochran is sur-vived by her mother, Donna Cochran of Crawford; two children in California; a brother, Alan Cochran of Crawford; and three sisters.

Opal WeamsLifetime Delta resi-

dent Opal Weams passed away on Friday, Jan. 2, 2015, at Wil-low Tree Care Center in Delta. She was 92 years of age.

Funeral services will be held to honor Opal’s life at 2 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Taylor Funeral Service Chapel in Delta. Interment will take place at Delta City Cemetery. Viewing will be held from 1 until 1:50 p.m. prior to the service in the chapel.

Opal A. Myers was born on Nov. 28, 1922, in Yuma to Francis I. and Dollie M. (O’Neal) Myers. At the age of 3, Opal and her family moved to Delta in a cov-ered wagon. She attend-ed school in Delta.

Opal married the love of her life, Harold F. Weams on July 23, 1938, in Delta. Harold and Opal owned the Mobil gas station in Delta for many years.

Opal enjoyed garden-ing and canning, shar-ing the bounty of both vegetables and flowers

with her family and friends. She also enjoyed candlemaking and deco-rating with Harold for several years. She loved her family and enjoyed many family dinners with her great cooking. Opal loved to bake pies and was always ready to share with family and friends. There has never been a more wonderful caregiver than Opal.

Those grateful to have shared her life are her three daughters, Alice Joyce of Montrose, Dorothy (Merritt) Van-derhoofven and June (James) Schendel, all of Grand Junction; a brother, Don Myers of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; two sisters, Lola Bangert of Grand Junc-tion and Ione Kearns of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; nine grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.

Opal was preceded in death by her parents; her beloved husband, Harold; an infant son, Franklin; a son, Bob; a son-in-law, Reid Joyce; a grandson, Kerry Joyce; three brothers; and four sisters.

The family suggests memorial contributions to be made in Opal’s memory to the charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements are under the care and direc-tion of Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory.


Paid obituary

Opal A. WeamsNov. 28, 1922 ~ Jan. 2, 2015

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Barbara (Bobbi) McKevitt of Boulder passed away in her home on Dec. 18, 2014, after a long illness.

She was born on March 27, 1942, in Hart-ford, Conn., to Kather-ine and Howard Bow-ers. She was the oldest of six sisters.

She served the men-tally ill and chemical-ly dependent in many capacities over the years of her career as a regis-tered nurse and a Cer-tified Addictions Coun-selor. She also worked for 15 years as a Confi-dential Intermediary for the courts in Colorado, reuniting birth families and adopted adults.

Bobbi was a Master Gardener, an incred-ible cook and an avid birder who adored the Western Slope. She also loved reading, going to the movies and visiting with friends. She had a wonderful sense of humor and infectious laugh, and was a very engaging conversation-alist and a great lis-tener. When younger, she enjoyed skiing, hik-ing and camping, and even rafted down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in

1989. She was a very loyal and trustwor-thy friend as well as a greatly loved mother and grandmother. Bobbi faced her illness with courage, humor and perseverance. In this, she has set an example for us all.

She is survived by her children, Kelly Wilson and Michael McKevitt; “daughter in love,” Angie McKevitt; grandchildren, Zach-ary McKevitt, Jillian McKevitt and Lane Wilson; and sisters, Lorraine Bedus, Susan Bowers, Kathy Curran, Mary Lynne Bowers and Patty Forest.

A private memorial was held on Dec. 21, 2014. Public celebrations will be held at 4 p.m. on June 6, 2015, at the home of Mike and Angie McKevitt in Broomfield, and a second celebra-tion at 4 p.m. on June 8, 2015, at the Stolte Shed in Cedaredge.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memori-al donations be made to Heifer International or the National Audubon Society. To send condo-lences please go to www.cristmortuary.com.

Paid obituary

Bobbi McKevittMarch 27, 1942 ~ Dec. 18, 2014

THIS PAGE IS COLOR

www.deltacountyindependent.comTIMESNORTH

F O R KJanuary 7, 2015

BSection

Photo by Kathy Browning

Going to the hatcheryTaking a drive down Hatchery Road yields a scenic view of the surrounding mountains. One wonders if all those rainbow trout at the Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery ever really get to appreciate their enviable environs.

BY KATHY BROWNING Staff Writer

Town manager Jane Berry told the Paonia Town Council at their December meeting that the 2015 budget was a team effort by elected offi-cials, staff and primarily Cindy Jones, finance officer, “who has performed an exem-plary job.” Jones pulled all the numbers, research and documentation together. “It’s been a huge effort and I’m very appreciative of everyone’s contribution,” Berry said.

The budget message for 2015 begins with recognizing what the town has been forced to deal with over the last several years — the national recession, the downturn of the mining industry, infrastruc-ture emergencies like the col-lapse of the sewer main, an employee’s embezzlement and many other things have taken a toll on the town’s financial well-being.

“That being stated the town has gotten to a position where we have to be very con-servative with our projections and proposed policy,” Berry said. “Every department has chipped in with suggestions and ways expenditures can be reduced or eliminated.”

As pointed out in Berry’s message, “The budget is one of the clearest policy state-ments the Board of Trustees makes. The document priori-tizes the resources available and ensures a course of action

to implement the goals set by the Board of Trustees.”

The town is undertaking in 2015 several critically needed infrastructure projects.

The first and most mas-sive project is the $5.7 million completion of the two million gallon water project. Targeted for completion by Dec. 2015, the project was originally esti-mated at $5.4 million, with the higher figure now to cover additional contingencies and bond issue fees. The town has $500,000 in matching funds from the 2014 Grant/Proj-ect Budget. The remaining costs have been covered by a $1 million grant from the Department of Local Affairs, an $847,920 principal forgive-ness loan from Water Power Authority, a $75,000 grant from The Gunnison Basin Round Table, a $310,000 from the Colorado Water Conserva-tion Board and a 2.08 percent loan from the Drinking Water Revolving Fund with $3 mil-lion in bonds issued by the Water Power Authority.

The one million gallon Paonia Clock water stor-age roof project is slated for completion by April 2015. The town allocated $197,000 from the 2014 Grant/Projects Bud-get for matching funds. The Department of Local Affairs gave the town a $200,000 grant.

The town is investing $140,000 in new projects and

carry-overs from last year for other infrastructure improve-ments including the follow-ing:

The final $11,111 appro-priation for the re-pavement of the taxiway and parking area at the North Fork Valley Airport. The Budget Message states this amount will be offset by income from the cell tower.

Upgrades will begin at town hall with $6,000 bud-geted for new flooring.

A podium and microphones will be purchased for $750.

Payments of $13,225 will be made on the two 2014 police vehicles.

The police evidence room will be upgraded for $5,000.

VHF and 800MHZ radios will be upgraded and added for $7,600.

The remainder of infra-structure expenditures will be to add to, start or replace reserves for the Third Street Improvement matching funds, street overlay, sign replace-ment, Minnesota Avenue repairs, Leafvac repair, park improvements, park sprin-kler repairs, filter bags and meters, reserves for spring repairs and setting aside $8,382 for the next 4.5 years for a new Skid Steer. Those reserves total $135,782

Staff will not receive a cost of living increase.Half of the town manager’s salary is being paid for by a Depart-ment of Local Affairs grant for

three years. One police officer position was not filled last year and is not budgeted for 2015. Another police officer, the town clerk and a public works employee were laid off.

The Sidewalk Fund has accumulated since Janu-ary 2014. Repairs will begin on the south side of Fourth Street between North Fork and Poplar. Sidewalks in the “worst condition that are most used” will be repaired first.

Sewer rates are expected to raise by 10 percent. The last raise was 10 years ago. Trash rates have not been raised since 2007 and for 2015 a $3/month increase is expect-ed. Water base rates were increased by $5/month in 2014 and will not be increase in 2015. The 2014 increase for water was required to receive the loan for the two million gallon water project.

The town has re-allocated from the 2014 budget $24,000 for information technology improvements and upgrades and $1,900 for website improvements and upgrades. A total of $22,103 is allocated for 2015 for data processing expenses including $3,875 for the police department’s Spill-man Technology.

“Moving forward into 2015 and beyond, the follow-ing security measures need to be maintained or worked into the budget document.” Berry then listed continuing the one percent allocation of

the town’s two percent sales tax for capital improvements; increase dwindling reserves to cover at least six months’ worth of expenses; investigate the possibility of allocating funds for the Capital Equip-ment Replacement Fund; investigate the possibility of increasing the mill levy to fund a Street Fund dedicated for repairs and improvements and investigate other possible revenue opportunities.

To conclude Berry wrote, “This budget stays true to the community’s fiscally con-servative nature but takes appropriate risks by fairly evaluating revenue projec-tions and estimated expenses. This is a budget that pushes forward to achieve the goals set by the Board of Trustees, does not rest on the laurels of past accomplishments and ensures that the high levels of service provided to the com-munity remain.”

The council approved the $7.7 million budget and the 8.322 mill levy.

FROM PAGE B1Triple click and type.

Paonia adopts $7.7 million budget


Jackie Slater, an 83-year-old entrepreneur, has taken on a big challenge — opening up a gift shop in Hotchkiss. The shop, named The Jade, is located at 365 E. Bridge. Slater believes in generous hours for shoppers. The shop is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Slater has operated seven gift shops throughout her career. She’ll show you photo-graphs of her previous shops and her kids who helped in the stores. One very large shop in Columbia, Mo., was 25 feet wide, 110 feet long and three stories high. “It had a little bit of everything,” Slater said. People would call her on Sunday, and say, “I have com-pany in town. Could you open the shop?” And she would.

Her philosophy about her gift shop is that it should appeal to all the senses. “It’s important to me that our senses are alive,” she said.

The idea to open her first gift shop in Hotchkiss was her daughter’s idea. Her daughter is Moni Slater of Kids’ Pasta Project. At the end of May, Moni said she had purchased the place for the shop. Moni and her two brothers redid the former pizza restaurant.

“I’ve never been bored one

minute of my life,” Jackie Slater said. “I’m sad for peo-ple who get bored. There are always things to do.”

Jackie named the store The Jade because of her love of the

plant. She has a jade plant at her house which she has had for 25 years.

Slater is an artist and peo-ple can purchase many of her items at her shop. Natural

Beauties are what she calls her framed Colorado flowers. She has made felted purses called Puff Pockets and Peso Pockets. She had revamped Raggedy Ann dolls called Mary Medusa. Slater’s bees-wax candles and other candles are available. If you buy a note card, write your message and she will mail it for you.

Over the years she has dealt with 30 potters, and is now selling some of those items from her personal col-lection.

She has a number of locally made items. There are anti-aging facial products by Joan-na Gros of Leroux Creek Spa, lavender by Carol Schott at Lamborn Mountain Farm-stead and scarves by Penny Alexander and Moni Slater.

One featured artist is Ellard Alfred from Zimbabwe. Alfred creates unique sculp-tures from reclaimed metals. He has worked in Hotchkiss making a number of sculp-tures from items he has found at Reclametals in Montrose. Some of his work is of a seri-ous nature. “Guys in Chains” shows a slavemaster leading a group of slaves in Ameri-ca. Another called “Mother’s Love” shows two birds feed-ing their little one. Alfred’s sculptures can include just about any kind of metal like

typewriter keys, rakes, huge bolts, farm equipment, auto parts and other items. When he sees a piece of metal, Alfred immediately gets an idea of what type of sculpture he wants to make. Alfred has returned home now but his art is still for sale at The Jade in Hotchkiss.

Octogenarian opens shop in Hotchkiss

Photo by Kathy BrowningJackie Slater, an 83-year-old entrepreneur, has taken on a big challenge — opening up a gift shop in Hotchkiss. The shop, named The Jade, is located at 365 E. Bridge. Slater believes in generous hours for shoppers. The shop is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Photo by Kathy BrowningSculptor Ellard Alfred has a number of items made from reclaimed metal at The Jade.

Economy Dialoguesbegin tonight (Jan. 7) with look at localfood distribution


The usual narrative about small towns is that they are in danger of disappearing. Participants heard a more hopeful message at a Decem-ber event hosted by The Hive Paonia and the Paonia Cham-ber of Commerce. The three-hour meeting was called, “Toward a Thriving Economy: A Panel of North Fork Valley Leaders.”

Among the topics discussed were broadband Internet, agriculture, small business,

coal mining, solar energy, economic development, local investing, town leadership, real estate, arts and creative industries, tourism and plan-ning and conservation.

Moderating the panel was Elaine Brett, who shared a study done by Ben Win-chester, a research fellow at the University of Minnesota Extension.

Winchester concludes that his research shows a more objective and hopeful reality for small rural communities than what has been widely held.

Brett said Winchester framed his conclusions as the “old rural narrative” versus the “new rural narrative.”

The old narrative says that small rural towns are doomed and dying. The new narrative

New narrative for small, rural communities

NEW NARRATIVE TO B2


Town manager Jane Berry told the Paonia Town Council at its December meeting that the 2015 budget was a team effort by elected officials, staff and primarily Cindy Jones, finance officer, “who has per-formed an exemplary job.” Jones pulled all the numbers, research and documentation together. “It’s been a huge effort and I’m very apprecia-tive of everyone’s contribu-tion,” Berry said.

The budget message for 2015 begins with recognizing what the town has been forced to deal with over the last sev-

eral years — the national recession, the downturn of the mining industry, infrastruc-ture emergencies like the col-lapse of the sewer main, an employee’s embezzlement and many other things have taken a toll on the town’s financial well-being.

“That being stated the town has gotten to a position where we have to be very con-servative with our projections and proposed policy,” Berry said. “Every department has chipped in with suggestions and ways expenditures can be reduced or eliminated.”

As pointed out in Berry’s message, “The budget is one

of the clearest policy state-ments the Board of Trustees makes. The document priori-tizes the resources available and ensures a course of action to implement the goals set by the Board of Trustees.”

The town is undertaking in 2015 several critically needed infrastructure projects.

The first and most mas-sive project is the $5.7 million completion of the two-million-gallon water project. Targeted for completion by December 2015, the project was original-ly estimated at $5.4 million, with the higher figure now to cover additional contingencies and bond issue fees. The town has $500,000 in matching funds from the 2014 Grant/Project Budget. The remain-ing costs have been covered by a $1 million grant from the Department of Local Affairs, an $847,920 principal forgive-ness loan from Water Power Authority, a $75,000 grant from The Gunnison Basin Round Table, $310,000 from the Colorado Water Conserva-tion Board and a 2.08 percent loan from the Drinking Water Revolving Fund with $3 mil-lion in bonds issued by the Water Power Authority.

The one-million-gallon Paonia Clock water storage roof project is slated for com-pletion by April 2015. The town allocated $197,000 from the 2014 Grant/Projects Bud-get for matching funds. The Department of Local Affairs

gave the town a $200,000 grant.

The town is investing $140,000 in new projects and carryovers from last year for other infrastructure improve-ments including the follow-ing:

The final $11,111 appro-priation is for the repavement of the taxiway and parking area at the North Fork Val-ley Airport. The Budget Mes-sage states this amount will be offset by income from the cell tower.

Upgrades will begin at town hall with $6,000 budgeted for new flooring.

A podium and microphones will be purchased for $750.

Payments of $13,225 will be made on the two 2014 police vehicles.

The police evidence room will be upgraded for $5,000.

VHF and 800MHZ radios will be upgraded and added for $7,600.

The remainder of infra-structure expenditures will be to add to, start or replace reserves for the Third Street Improvement matching funds, street overlay, sign replace-ment, Minnesota Avenue repairs, Leafvac repair, park improvements, park sprin-kler repairs, filter bags and meters, reserves for spring repairs and setting aside $8,382 for the next 4 1/2 years for a new Skid Steer. Those reserves total $135,782.

Staff will not receive a cost

of living increase. Half of the town manager’s salary is being paid by a Department of Local Affairs grant for three years. One police officer position was not filled last year and is not budgeted for 2015. Another police officer, the town clerk and a public works employee were laid off.

The Sidewalk Fund has accumulated since Janu-ary 2014. Repairs will begin on the south side of Fourth Street between North Fork and Poplar. Sidewalks in the “worst condition that are most used” will be repaired first.

Sewer rates are expected to raise by 10 percent. The last raise was 10 years ago. Trash rates have not been raised since 2007 and for 2015 a $3/month increase is expect-ed. Water base rates were increased by $5/month in 2014 and will not be increase in 2015. The 2014 increase for water was required to receive the loan for the two-million-gallon water project.

The town has re-allocated from the 2014 budget $24,000 for information technology improvements and upgrades and $1,900 for website improvements and upgrades. A total of $22,103 is allocated for 2015 for data processing expenses including $3,875 for the police department’s Spill-man Technology.

“Moving forward into 2015 and beyond, the follow-


At the Dec. 9 Paonia Town Council meeting, Mayor Neal Schwieterman announced the work on codifying all the laws in Paonia has been finished. There will be a public hearing on Jan. 13 for the two codifi-cation ordinances.

The first ordinance will enact codified municipal code and the second one deletes, amends or adds to the munici-

pal code. Copies of both ordi-nances are available at town hall.

“We’re initiating a new procedure to align ourselves with state law,” Schwieter-man said. “We’ve been work-ing on this for seven or eight years.”

With the codification, all the municipal code will be in one book. Then it will be digitized and available on the Town of Paonia website.

Paonia completes another step in codification

PAONIA BUDGET TO B2

THIS PAGE IS COLOR

B2 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 NORTH FORK TIMES Delta County Independent

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Memorial Hall annual meeting set for Jan. 17

The Hotchkiss Memo-rial Hall annual meeting will be held Monday, Jan-uary 17, 7:00 p.m. Every-one is invited to help cel-ebrate a great year.

Photo submitted

Community serviceValley View Showmen 4-H Club held a canned food drive recently at the Hotchkiss City Market. They then donated the food to the Hotchkiss Elks Lodge #1807 food pantry.

The fifth annual West-ern Slope Soil Health Conference will be held Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31, at the Bill Heddles Recreation Cen-ter in Delta.

This conference is designed to educate pro-ducers, government offi-cials, and the broad com-munity about ways to increase organic matter in and the health of our soils through cover crops,

green manure, grazing, compost, entomology and other sustainable prac-tices.

A project of Delta Coun-ty Economic Development, the conference will provide a great deal of information on how to put practices to work on local farms, orchards, and smaller homesteads/gardens.

Conference sponsors include Better Compost, Shavano Conservation

District, Cropworx and Tri-County Water Con-servancy District.

Speakers include: George Whitten on holis-tic ranching and grazing; Jonathan Lundgren, an applied ecologist investi-gating ecologically based forms of managing insects and weeds; Kris Nichols on soil health and soil microbiology; and Karl Kupers on marketing sustainable agriculture.

Local experts will par-ticipate on panel discus-sions.

Early bird registration (through Jan 16) is $30. After that date and at the door, registration is $40. Sponsorships and vendor space is still available. For more information, agenda or to get registra-tion materials visit online at deltacountyed.org/ soilhealthconference.html.

Soil health conference set for Jan. 30-31 in Delta

New narrativeFROM PAGE B1says they are desirable and have a lot of poten-tial.

The old narrative says small towns experience a brain drain with people in their 20s leaving. The new narrative says small towns are having a brain gain from people in their 30s and 40s and baby boomers who choose to live in small towns.

The old narrative says small towns are losing ground with traditional industries like extraction industries and agricul-ture. The new narrative says small towns are attracting entrepreneurs, technical profession-als, telecommuters and others who are creating their own opportunities.

The old narrative says the population is getting older and needs new resources. The new narrative says the older population brings oppor-tunity for growth, new jobs and industry.

The old narrative says population growth and

wealth driven by jobs is what sustains small towns. The new narra-tive for small towns is that people are searching for quality of life rath-er than getting rich or building big cities.

When Brett mentioned quality of life, those at the meeting broke into applause. It obviously resonated with them.

“People in their 30s are disillusioned with the corporate world, trying to get a job, trying to get ahead. They are looking for a more real experi-ence, a better quality life. So the thirty-somethings with degrees are moving to rural areas and start-ing small farms,” Brett said.

It’s not that the old narrative about small towns is not true. Twenty year olds do leave town, many for college or a career. But as they leave, people in their 30s to 60s arrive who bring their life and work experiences and educational degrees with them. A brain gain

is countering the brain drain. “I think it paral-lels very well what we are finding here,” Brett said.

As an outgrowth of the panel, The Hive Paonia is going to hold Hive Econ-omy Dialogues. The first one is Wednesday, Jan. 7 from 6-7 p.m. at The Hive Paonia. It will be about “Expanding Local Food Distribution.” That was one of the topics of concern expressed at the panel in December. For more information, visit http://hivepaonia.com.

To read more about the small town research at the University of Min-nesota Extension, visit http://www.extension.umn.edu/community/brain-gain.

Reception set for Friday to openJanuary show

The Creamery Arts Center has an exhibition planned for January that will feature three of its member-artists in the Peach Gallery.

Beverly Thomas, John Mitchell and David Strong will present their talents in paint, photog-raphy and pottery at an opening reception on Fri-day, Jan. 9, from 6-8 p.m. Their show will be on dis-play through Feb. 9.

Bev Thomas has been a Creamery artist-mem-ber for over five years.

She brings her flair for color to her acrylic and oil paintings with gusto. Inspired by her surround-ings, Thomas employs a simplistic, expressionist style to her work, giving the local landscape sub-ject matter a subliminal quality.

“I’ve always been interested in painting and drawing. I attended Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio, then went on to Ohio State, Washington University in St. Louis and graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Even though I’m from the Midwest, I’d much rather paint moun-tains than cornfields,” says Thomas.

She is instrumental in

making the Creamery’s second Friday opening receptions run smoothly. She’s nearly always there to lend a hand in the kitchen or to help with whatever needs doing at the monthly gala events.

John Mitchell of Ridg-way is a painter/photog-rapher exhibiting works in many local venues and galleries. He has also been a Creamery artist-mem-ber for many years. Mitch-ell has been working as a hobby/semiprofessional artist in oil, acrylic and watercolor since about 1970, studying under sev-eral teachers in the Hous-ton, Texas, area where he was a member of the Houston Civic Arts Asso-ciation. After retirement he moved to Ridgway and began working as a pro-fessional artist in water-color, oil and photography. He also studied photogra-phy with Kathleen Norris Cook and Steve Traudt, and watercolor and drawing with Meredith Nemirov, Danni Tupper and Barbara Torke.

His drawings, water-colors, photographs and oil paintings have been accepted for the Artists Alpine Holiday juried shows in various years. Mitchell’s works have been displayed as part of Delta Fine Arts’ Art in Public Places, Lolita’s Bazaar, Resource Gallery, Ridgway, the Creative Corner, and Westfield Art Gallery, Westfield, Mass.

He also lends a hand at the Creamery’s opening receptions as our steward

at the wine and brews table.

Joining Bev Thomas and John Mitchell for this show is master potter David Strong. He is the manager of the Creamery Arts Center’s Clay Stu-dio, conducting classes in all types of clay forming and glazing techniques.

He is a master of his media. “My work is pro-duced on a potter’s wheel and is fired to stoneware temperatures. For over 30 years I have been making limited edition functional ware and vessel-based, one-of-a-kind pieces, I am interested in explor-ing the possibilities of form and function, design and expressiveness in my work,” he said.

Strong worked at Anderson Ranch in Snow-mass in the early 1970s as a clay student, work-shop organizer and assis-tant, eventually becom-ing an artist in residence in clay at the Ranch. Since 1980 he has been working at his Brymstone Pottery Studio business in Cedaredge. His work has sold throughout the region and nationally and has been included in shows at the Foothills Art Center, Anderson Ranch Gallery and the Art Cen-ter in Grand Junction, among others. Strong has taught classes and workshops at a number of community art centers, in local schools, and in his home studio. He is one of the founding members of the Creamery Arts Cen-ter, in 2006.

A “Meet the Artists” reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9. prom-ises to be an evening of warmth, fine art, finger food, local wines and great company.

The Creamery is located at 165 W. Bridge Street in Hotchkiss. Win-ter hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, closed on Sun-days.

Creamery hosts trio of artists

The eighth annual Write On! competition deadline is Jan. 20. The Write On! contest pro-vides Delta County writ-ers an opportunity to sub-mit their works of fiction, non-fiction or poetry for inclusion in a published anthology produced each year by the Blue Sage Center for the Arts and the Delta County Librar-ies.

Pieces should not exceed 3,000 words, or poetry more that 50 lines. The writing is judged to be either ready for publi-cation, or not. A selected number of writers whose work appears in the

anthology will be offered a chance to read their pieces at the Write On! Anthology public reading on May 22.

This contest began in 2008 with the purpose of providing a place for aspir-ing local writers to submit their work for publication. Since the first contest, the number of entrants has grown and moved from a self-judged contest to one juried by students in the Masters program in English at Western State Colorado University.

The contest is easy to enter and a great way for a beginning writer to earn a publishing credit. Past

winners have included Marion Conger Stewart, Marla Bishop, Angus Stocking, Thomas Wills and Brandi Hudson.

The Blue Sage Center for the Arts is a chari-table 501(c)(3) organiza-tion located in Paonia providing education and expression in the arts and humanities in order to engage and enrich the North Fork community. Founded in 1996, the Blue Sage serves about 10,000 residents of the North Fork Valley annually through classes, events, gallery exhibits, venue rentals and arts outreach into local schools.

Entry deadline for Write On! is Jan. 20

Paonia budgetFROM PAGE B1ing security measures need to be maintained or worked into the budget document.”

Berry then listed continuing the one per-cent allocation of the town’s two percent sales tax for capital improve-ments; increase dwin-dling reserves to cover at least six months’ worth of expenses; investigate the possibility of allocat-ing funds for the Capital Equipment Replacement Fund; investigate the possibility of increasing the mill levy to fund a Street Fund dedicated for repairs and improve-ments and investigate

other possible revenue opportunities.

To conclude Berry wrote, “This budget stays true to the community’s fiscally conservative nature but takes appro-priate risks by fairly evaluating revenue pro-jections and estimated expenses. This is a bud-get that pushes forward to achieve the goals set by the Board of Trustees, does not rest on the lau-rels of past accomplish-ments and ensures that the high levels of service provided to the commu-nity remain.”

The council approved the $7.7 million budget and the 8.322 mill levy.

THIS PAGE IS COLOR

On Friday, Jan. 9, come meet the new resi-dent artists at Elsewhere Studios. They are Amber Imrie-Situnayake and Adriana Villagran of San

Francisco, Aralia Rose of New Mexico and Nazish Chunara of Los Angeles.

There will be a potluck from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with the artists’ presen-

tation at 6:30.Amber Imrie-Situnay-

ake and Adriana Villa-gran began collaborating at the Honors Studios at UC Berkeley while

both pursued a BA in Art Practice. While work-ing separately on their respective bodies of work, they realized that their artistic practices mir-rored a similar intention and way of working with material. In 2012, they began a series of sculp-tures/installations that explore the connection between object and mem-ory. They began sourc-ing the building blocks of their sculptures from estate sales, discover-ing a mutual fascination with the seemingly for-gettable thingamabobs that people left behind and the personal histo-ries and narratives that these objects contain.

This winter at Else-where Studios, the two artists plan to expand upon the work they’ve recently done with col-lected objects by inte-grating elements of text and exploring new mate-rial interests and pro-cesses, like mold-making and encaustic sculpture.

Aralia Rose, who is beginning a five-month residency, has a BA in Fine Art in Mixed Media from Alfred University. She works with real people as models, con-necting their resonances with those of divinities from traditions through-out geography and time.

She is currently creat-ing a body of work por-traying the four seasons as archetypal goddess-es. Ideas and images emerge through her cer-emonial work, spiritual practice, dreams, medi-tations and connection with nature and other

humans. She also often includes images of the New Mexico landscape in her artworks and spends time creating small plein air work both as “stand- alone” images and as inspiration for her larger pieces. She works pri-marily in Gouache, an opaque form of watercol-ors, and ink.

Nazish Chunara’s intent is to create full bodies of work repre-senting the relationship between chaos and order and to further under-stand the relationship between them and how

they can coexist in the same plane.

She is a painter seek-ing some truth by observ-ing her surroundings and trying to explain it on paper with paint, using both organic and non organic forms. “The world is much easier to understand when I try to recreate it on canvas. The physical act of paint-ing eases me, and I find that the act of looking at art eases others. I like to show that abstract art in all it’s disarray can still be very sweet and calm-ing.”

Four join studio’s artist residency

Delta County Independent NORTH FORK TIMES Wednesday, January 7, 2015 B3

Delta Middle School held its annual Middle School Math Counts competition on Dec. 4 and the schools in Paonia came out on top.

The seventh and eighth grade team champions from Paonia Junior/Senior High were Jalyn Walker, Logan Green, Katya Schwieter-man and Ethen White.

In the individual com-petition, Katya Schwi-eterman placed second, Logan Green placed third, and Ethen White was fourth.

Green, Schwieterman and Walker were also on last year’s sixth grade first-place team.

In this year’s sixth grade competition, Paonia Elementary had both the first- and sec-

ond-place teams. The sixth grade champions were Zander Sweezey, Abby Reedy, Ashton Brady and Allison God-win. The second place team was Dominic Felice, Christo Mora, Emma White and Hailey Emmons.

Paonia Elementary also had seven in the individual top 10. Due to an inadvertent oversight, Abby Reedy did not com-pete for first place, so she ended up tied for first with Allison Godwin.

The other adjusted top-10 finishers were Zander Sweezey (third), Ashton Brady (fifth), Christo Mora (sixth), Emma White (eighth) and Hailey Emmons (ninth).

As part of their prepa-

ration for Math Counts, seven of the eight sixth graders also recently

received National Hon-orable Mention in the Noetic Math Contest.

Math counts in Paonia

Photo courtesy Bob BushtaPlacing second in Math Counts among sixth grad-ers are (left to right) Dominic Felice, Christo Mora, Emma White and Hailey Emmons from Paonia Junior/Senior High.

Photo courtesy Bob BushtaFirst-place seventh and eighth graders in the Mid-dle School Math Counts competition are from Paonia Junior/Senior High. They are (left to right) Jalyn Walker, Logan Green, Katya Schwieterman and Ethen White.

Photo courtesy Bob BushtaMath Counts champions for sixth graders are the team from Paonia Junior/Senior High. They are Zander Sweezey, Abby Reedy, Ashton Brady and Allison Godwin.

Photo by Kathy Browning

Singing with gustoOn Dec. 16, parents and grandparents came out to see the Hotchkiss K-5 students present their holiday musicals. Jenny West directed kindergarten through second grade students in ‘Arf! On the Housetop!’ while Jeannette Carey directed the third through fifth grade students (above) performing“Bring on the Snow.’

Photos submitted

Eagles soar highOn December 12, the following Paonia Elementary School students were recognized for demonstrating S.O.A.R. behavior. In the top photograph from left to right are Allison Godwin for achievement, Abby Reedy for achievement and respect, Sadie Lee for achievement and respect, Zander Sweezey for achievement, Olivia Tyan for achievement and respect, Sam Roberts for achievement and respect, Alejandro Garcia for achievement and respect, and Boe McLeland for achievement and respect. In the bot-tom photograph from left to right are Leia Ellenberger for achievement, Alex Csere-Bitonio for achievement, Keira Tyan for achievement and respect, Emily Reedy for achievement and respect, Johnathan Lightner for achievement and respect, Lily Lowe for achievement and respect, and Easton Tribble for achievement. Way to S.O.A.R. students!

Photo courtesy Carrie Yantzer

Cheese Weasels winThe Cheese Weasels won the recent second quarter Beef Cook-off at Hotchkiss K-8. The team includes (left to right) Luke Williams, Will Ela, Kaylee Laney, Bruce Turnbull and Taylor Deluzio. As always, the beef was donated by the Black Mesa CattleWomen. The young chefs were judged on culinary knowledge, presenta-tion and taste of their main entrée.

The Flight of the Eagle project at Paonia Junior and Senior High School is entering a new stage. Ground breaking is planned for this sum-mer.

Those in the commu-nity who are interested in seeing the Flight of the Eagle project become a reality are asked to attend a get-acquainted meeting at 7 p.m., Jan. 7, in the Community Room at Paonia Public Library.

A “Kickstarter”-type

promotional is currently being made. Come with ideas on what platform should be used, how the most people of all ages and interests can be reached, what networks are already established that would be of help to the project and how the children of Paonia can have a part in building their future.

Refreshments will be served. If ready in time, a preview of the promotion-al video will be shown.

Share your ideas on Flight of the Eagle


B4 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 CHURCH Delta County Independent

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HopeWestHopeWest is looking

for 100 dedicated people to make volunteering their New Year’s resolu-tion in 2015.

Volunteer opportuni-ties at HopeWest are as unique as the people giv-ing their time. HopeWest is seeking volunteers for these opportunities:

• At Heirlooms for Hospice volunteers help creatively display mer-chandise, greet and help customers, cashier and clean and repair donated items.

• Patient and family support volunteers can participate in a variety of activities such as visit-ing with a patient, shar-ing hobbies and stories,

reading to a patient, run-ning errands, relieving the caregiver for a small amount of time and pro-viding transportation.

• Barbers and stylists can give their time pro-viding professional expe-rience to patients. Volun-teers go to homes, nurs-ing homes or assisted liv-ing facilities and provide haircuts to patients. Vol-unteers serving in this capacity can be scheduled for as little as one haircut per month.

HopeWest is encour-aging community mem-bers to explore the many volunteer opportunities they have to offer, noting that whatever someone’s interests and schedule may be they’ll find the

right fit for each indi-vidual.

“Become inspired, con-nected, happy and hope-ful by making volun-teering your New Year’s resolution,” said Felicia Sabartinelli, volunteer coordinator at HopeWest. “HopeWest volunteers make everything possible at HopeWest. Each volun-teer makes a fundamen-tal impact on the lives of others in our commu-nity and we have a need for volunteers to give of their time and talents in a variety of ways.”

To become a volunteer today, call the HopeWest office at 970-874-6823 to schedule an interview or visit www.HopeWestCO.org to fill out an applica-

tion.AARP Tax-Aide

Volunteers are needed to open the AARP Delta site. Training will be pro-vided. Please call Jo Max-well at 856-3007 if you are interested in helping prepare taxes. Due to last-minute resignations, interested parties are needed to participate one or two days a week from Feb. 2 to mid-April.

Almost four out of five people who turn to AARP Foundation Tax-Aide are 60 or older. House-hold incomes aren’t high. For many of them, a tax refund could mean they won’t have to choose between paying for gro-ceries and keeping the lights on.

Touch the lifeof a child

Would you like to touch the life of a child subjected to abuse and/or neglect? Perhaps you could be a Court Appoint-ed Special Advocate.

Court Appointed Spe-cial Advocates (CASA) of the 7th Judicial Dis-trict is part of a national network of 951 commu-nity-based programs that recruit, train and sup-port citizen-volunteers to advocate in courtrooms and communities for the best interests of abused and neglected children. Volunteer advocates — empowered directly by the courts — offer judges critical information that is often used to ensure

that each child’s rights and needs are being attended to while in fos-ter care.

Volunteers are asked to serve the child or sib-ling group until they are placed in loving perma-nent homes. For many abused children, a CASA volunteer is the only con-stant adult presence in their lives. The volunteer visits with the child at least twice a month.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities available through CASA of the 7th Judicial Dis-trict, drop in for a CASA Q&A Monday, Jan. 12, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the new offices on the corner of N. 3rd and Cascade Avenue in Montrose.

Start the year right: Become a volunteer

THIS PAGE IS COLOR

Delta County Independent BUSINESS Wednesday, January 7, 2015 B5

Do you need just a lit-tle financial assistance to take your company to the next level? Perhaps it’s time to consider making some “small changes!” If you need funding to buy equipment, pay for advertising, build a new website or enhance your existing web presence, or even purchase inven-tory, the Region 10 Small Changes Loan Program was designed with you in mind.

The initial consulta-tion is free, and micro-loans ranging from $2,500 to $3,500 are offered at a five-percent fixed rate for 12 to 18 months. There are no closing costs to borrowers, and loans may or may not be col-lateralized.

“Through our work with small businesses in the region, the SBRC found that simplified access to microloans was a definite need and could help many local entrepre-neurs reach the next level of business development,”

Region 10 SBRC director Vince Fandel said. “We believe this will be a very useful tool for small busi-nesses across the west central region.”

The application pro-cess is streamlined, and counseling support and access to Quickbooks soft-ware are built into the program. To learn more about the Small Changes Loan Program or arrange a consultation, please call Vince Fandel or Linda Riba of the Region 10 Small Business Resource Center at 240-2436, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. Applications are avail-able at www.region10.net as well.

A non-profit organi-zation, the Region 10 League for Economic Assistance and Plan-ning was formed in 1972 and serves six counties (Montrose, Delta, Gun-nison, Ouray, Hinsdale and San Miguel), oper-ates an enterprise cen-ter (300 North Cascade,

Montrose) administers the enterprise zone tax credit and marketing grant programs, oversees the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and Community Living Services, coor-dinates regional trans-portation planning, and offers a loan program for small business. To learn more about Region 10, call 249-2436 or visit the website at www.region10.

Region 10 launches Small Changes loan program

Dance to theKnuckleheadsat MontrosePavilion

The Montrose Pavilion Dance Club is hosting a dance at the Montrose Pavilion, 1800 Pavilion Drive, Saturday, Jan. 10, from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Music will be provided by the Knuckleheads. Admission is $5 per person. Bring refreshments to share if you wish. For informa-tion, call 252-7172.

BY LEAH MORRIS Delta County Libraries

The new year has rolled in and 2015 likely arrived with a wave of New Year’s resolutions. But where there are reso-lutions, there are excus-es. From busy schedules to lack of money to the remoteness of Delta County, there is always a reason to delay follow-ing through on goals and plans. However, a visit to the Delta County Librar-ies website might help to remove some of those excuses.

“It doesn’t hurt to set goals each year,” encour-ages district director Annette Choszczyk. “And we have so many free classes available through our website that you

can easily start to learn something new. Sticking with it might be the hard part.”

Patrons with a desire to learn something spe-cific, or those simply hop-ing to learn something new can begin by logging into the Universal Class database with a library card number. Library card holders have access to over 500 in-depth and well-researched classes from business math to aromatherapy to par-enting skills. There are over 50 computer classes alone, starting with the basics of typing, social media, and Office prod-ucts, and working into more complex areas like pc repair and web design. Classes are instructor-led

but can be taken at the student’s convenience. A motivated learner can work in the middle of the night if need be.

Where Universal Class falls short is in the for-eign language depart-ment. However, another library database, Mango Languages, covers so many languages that a world traveler would need a lifetime to learn them all. With multiple levels based on experience, a person can study begin-ning Turkish, learn to text in Spanish, discuss wine and cheese in French, and finally, become pro-ficient in pirate, just in case. Classes are enter-taining, interactive, and incorporate movies in dif-ferent languages. A free

app adds convenience by making Mango Lan-guages available on any device.

“I’m not sure how use-ful it is to learn to speak pirate, but we do have a number of students learn-ing to speak English with Mango Languages,” Cho-szczyk explains. “It really is an effective language learning tool.”

Some New Year’s reso-lutions may be a bit less daunting than becoming

fluent in a new language, and there is likely a data-base that can help. Improv-ing a resume is easy with Optimal Resume. Learn-ing Express is there to help patrons study for the GED and other tests. Genealogy and western history databases will help the patron interest-ed in researching family history. The libraries can even motivate a person determined to lose weight in 2015; medical and

health databases offer sound advice on diet and exercise.

Now there is no excuse for bailing out on those resolutions. Databases can be accessed through the library website at www.deltalibraries.org/databases/. Of course, it might have been easier just to resolve to read more books this year. The Delta County Librar-ies will happily help with that goal, too.

Resolve to learn with Delta County Libraries

The Colorado West Retired Senior Volun-teer Program (RSVP) is scheduling private Medi-care counseling with cli-ents, on Thursday, Jan. 15, in Delta.

A trained Medicare counselor through the

State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) will work with individuals and couples to resolve Medicare problems or issues. The counselor will also assist with any Medicare fraud issues.

There is no charge, but appointments are required, and are now being taken for the above date. To make an appointment, or for more information, call RSVP Colorado West at 249-9639.

Medicare counseling offered

A kidZ Clinic is cel-ebrating complete staff-ing of the new school-based health clinic. The clinic would like to intro-duce Rachel Anthony, the new nurse practitioner who has relocated from Omaha, Neb. Anthony received her master of science in nursing from the University of Nebras-ka Medical Center with a focus on pediatrics. She received her bachelor of science in nursing with a minor in nutrition from Midland University locat-ed in Fremont, Neb. Her background is in pedi-atric primary care and pediatric weight manage-ment where she cared for patients with obesity and obesity related co-mor-bidities. She also served

as the adolescent bariat-ric surgery case manager at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha where she has worked for the last seven

years.A kidZ Clinic is proud

to offer Delta County stu-dents the opportunity to work with Rachel and her many medical talents, friendly smile, and help-ful manner. All students are eligible to receive services from the school-based health center and are encouraged to use the walk-in clinics for acute needs like coughs and colds. The staff invites all community members in for a tour if you haven’t had the chance to see the clinic and to meet Rachel Anthony! The clinic is located on the Delta Mid-dle School/ Delta Family Center campus at 360 E. 8th Street or call 874-2753 for more informa-tion.

School-based health clinic is now fully staffed

Rachel Anthony

The Grand Junc-tion Housing Authority (GJHA) has teamed with the Colorado Work Force Center-Western Region to provide a no-cost workshop for struggling local homeowners and recently laid off miners to learn about mortgage modification and other options for addressing delinquent or soon-to-be delinquent mortgage loans. This workshop is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 15, at 10 a.m. at Bill Heddles Recreation Cen-ter. Please call the Delta Workforce Center at 874-5781 to reserve a seat for the workshop.

GJHA is a HUD-approved housing coun-seling agency and will be bringing two certified foreclosure prevention and default intervention counselors to both pres-ent general information and schedule one-on-one appointments to assist

homeowners by work-ing directly with their mortgage loan servicer on their behalf. There is no fee to attend the workshop or to obtain individual assistance from GJHA throughout the difficult process of loss mitigation. Advan-tages of working with a HUD-approved counsel-ing agency include secure documentation transfer through shared coun-selor and servicer soft-ware systems, avoidance of costly scams, access to Colorado-specific pro-grams funded by the Colorado Attorney Gen-eral, and localized expert assistance. Homeowners who desire assistance or information but are unable to attend one of the designated work-shops should contact GJHA directly to sched-ule an appointment.

For maximum ben-efit of attendance, home-

owners are encouraged to call GJHA in advance at 245-0388 and ask for Sheila to obtain informa-tion about specific paper-work that should be brought with you if avail-able, based on your indi-vidual loan type. While this pre-registration pro-cess is encouraged, it is not required. Workforce Center staff will also be available to provide information about their services.

The Grand Junction Housing Authority advo-cates for and provides safe, suitable housing to the residents of the Grand Junction area whose annual income falls below the median income of Mesa County. Housing counseling ser-vices are extended to neighboring counties. Employers or residents interested in learning more may contact Amy Case at 245-0388.

Mortgage loan delinquency assistance comes to Delta County

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B6 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 SCHOOL Delta County Independent

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Older adults enrolled in the Senior Comm-Unity Care Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) delivered wooden coat racks, step stools and bookshelves to the Delta Head Start ele-mentary-age students the week before Christmas.

This project has been ongoing for the last sev-eral years with the help of the therapeutic recre-ation department staff and volunteers. The par-ticipants began building the pre-cut wooden kits in early November. The process required sand-ing the individual pieces until smooth and either using nails, wood screws or wood glue to secure the pieces together. Once the pieces were assembled, the participants were allowed to choose how to paint and decorate their items. Each completed project was unique and represented the personal-ity of the participant.

Despite some limita-tions in their physical abilities, the participants said the project made them feel important, use-ful and helpful. One par-ticipant said, “I can still do something that blesses someone else!” The group shared stories from their

own childhoods of times when others had given them gifts of special handmade items. Many felt that working togeth-er for a common goal was an impactful way to build and grow the relation-ships at the PACE com-munity.

Jannell Place, recre-ation assistant, said the participants chose the Head Start program to donate the finished pieces to because it was a won-

derful match of genera-tions. The wooden items were put in the center of a circle of children who were allowed to pick out a gift. It was explained that each item was made with love by a bunch of grand-mas and grandpas that care very much about each child.

The PACE program serves individuals who are age 55 or older, certi-fied by their state to need nursing home care, are

able to live safely in the community at the time of enrollment, and live in a PACE service area. Deliv-ering all needed medical and supportive services, the program is able to pro-vide the entire spectrum of care and services to older adults with chronic care needs while main-taining their indepen-dence in their homes for as long as possible. Visit www.seniorcommunity care.org.

Older adults craft wooden gifts

Photo submittedHead Start students received handcrafted wooden items the week before Christmas. The coat racks, step stools and bookshelves were made from kits and uniquely decorated by participants in the Senior CommUnity Care Pro-gram of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

Photos submitted

Happy Noon Year!Delta Elks Lodge #1235 hosted a “Noon Year’s Eve” extravaganza Dec. 31. To ring in the new year, par-ticipants stomped bubble wrap. They also danced, enjoyed pizza and games, and com-pleted a pottery craft provided by Fat Cat Pottery. A toast with sparkling apple cider capped the celebration.

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Churchoffersearlyreleasechild care

Delta United Meth-odist Church is again offering after school care for elementary and middle school children on Wednesday, Jan. 21, from 12:30 to 4 p.m. As before, bus transporta-tion will be provided from Garnet Mesa and Lincoln elementary schools to the church. Permission slips and more information can be picked up at the schools. There is no cost for this program.

Permission forms must be turned into schools by Monday, Jan. 19.

Handcrafted itemsShop Locally.

For all your printing

needs call Randy Crespin at 874-4421.

THIS PAGE IS COLOR

New year bringsneeded moistureto improve localsnow pack


Winter weather arrived in Surface Creek Valley with the new year, bringing a series of storm fronts carrying increas-ingly heavy amounts of snow and cold, zero-degree temper-atures.

County snow plows could be heard working early morn-ings clearing roads of over-night snow accumulations, and the area’s steep grades and sharp curves had been mag-chlorided and were being sanded as needed.

Roads became hard-packed snow and ice. School buses were off the roads, as school winter break was in effect.

The first of the storm fronts actually came through just before Christmas, depos-iting significant high country snows in the region from Dec. 21 to 23. Surface Creek Val-

ley received some snow from those first fronts.

Valley residents had been enjoying shirt-sleeve weather into mid December. No one seemed to be feeling edgy about the fine weather’s pos-sible effect on snowpack, because both the Grand Mesa and the Gunnison River Basin are enjoying a good amount of

water carryover into the cur-rent water year, which began on Oct. 1.

But then, within a few days of those balmy days in mid December, the local weather changed as it has the habit of doing in the valley. Within a week, a series of Pacific storm systems passed through the area, dumping large amounts

of wet snow in the high coun-try, leading to avalanche warnings. Blasting was done in some areas up high along Red Mountain Pass and other places to lessen the back coun-try avalanche risk.

The pre-Christmas storms left light accumulations around the valley, many of which disappeared within a day. Christmas Eve brought clearing skies and colder tem-peratures.

The next storm front passed through on Christmas Day, dropping some storybook “White Christmas” flakes around the valley, including at the Stolte Shed where the annual Community Christ-mas Dinner was being set up.

The season’s first, real win-ter-like storms came through as New Year’s approached. There were accumulations of snow that stayed on the ground in most areas on Dec. 29 and 30.

New Year’s Eve cleared off a bit before the next system moved into the area. On New Year’s Day, an inch and more of puffy, powdery snow fell throughout the valley.

The storms were welcomed

by skiers. Powderhorn Moun-tain Resort, on the north slope of the Grand Mesa, had delayed its December opening because of snow conditions, but that quickly changed. On Dec. 30, it announced that it had received five inches in the past 24 hours, and 25 inches in the past seven days.

The arrival of winter has improved the snowpack and water content values at Park Reservoir, according to gov-ernment sources. The snow water equivalent reported there last weekend stood at 7.5 inches since the beginning of the water year on Oct. 1. That figure is 72 percent of median — 10.4 inches — for the date.

Snowpack levels for the south Grand Mesa drainages are slightly below average for the water year that began on Oct. 1. However, water carry-over on the Grand Mesa from last year on that date was estimated at over twice that of last year’s 14 percent.

The Park Reservoir loca-tion’s median snow water equivalent peak value for the year is 27.4 inches of water content in the snowpack.

Winter arrives in the Surface Creek


Two landmark commercial properties in Surface Creek Valley have recently sold for prices far below their “actual values” as established by the county assessor’s office.

The former Red Hat Pro-duce building in Austin sold on Nov. 12 for $55,000, according to county records. The assessor’s office has the 11,280-square-foot warehouse and office structure’s assessed value listed as $122,358.

On Main Street in Cedaredge, another commer-cial building located at the cor-ner of Main Street and Grand Mesa Drive (Highway 65) sold on Nov. 18 for $40,000, accord-ing to county records. The

assessor’s office has placed a value of $117,516 on the 3,250-square-foot Cedaredge structure. The building had previously been on the mar-ket for an asking price in the $100,000 range. Last year the price had been dropped to $40,000, though the assessor’s office value had not been low-ered.

Do the two sales mean that the commercial real estate market in Surface Creek Val-ley is headed downward, or that it has bottomed out? The only person qualified to answer those questions is the one who buys the next com-mercial property here.

But in any event, the low sale prices of the two build-ings aren’t likely to reduce the

taxes assessed against them, nor against other commercial properties of similar type in the area, explains the county assessor’s office.

The $55,000 Red Hat build-ing at Austin, now owned by Holmstead Properties LLC of Eckert according to records, was assessed 2014 proper-ty taxes of $2,098; almost 4 percent of the building’s sale price.

And the $40,000 building in Cedaredge, whose new owner lives in Dacono, was assessed $2,187 in 2014 property taxes, according to county records — almost 5.5 percent of the sale price of the building. The tax amount — paid every year — is about the same as a typical commission on the real estate transaction.

Under Colorado law, explains Debbie Griffith, Delta County assessor, the purchase price of a building is not the only factor that determines its value for tax purposes.

Property assessment pro-cedures used by the county assessor’s office are estab-lished by the Colorado Con-stitution and statute, explains Griffith. Those procedures dic-tate that the individual sales price of a property doesn’t necessarily directly affect the value of that property, or of similar properties for tax pur-poses.

Real property is re-appraised every two years, Griffith explained. The sales

for a previous two-year peri-od are considered in the re-appraisal, but not solely on the basis of their sales prices.

Colorado uses a “mass appraisal” process that lumps the market value sales price of a property with the sale prices of other properties dur-ing a given period, and with other economic values also. The values are used to deter-mine the value assigned to a property.

Three criteria are used to determine the assessor’s value of a commercial property: the amount of rental income the property could bring; what the assessor determines is the “market” value; and the cur-rent replacement cost. From the three factors applied to

various properties, the asses-sor’s office creates a “model” of commercial property value that is used to appraise indi-vidual properties for tax pur-poses.

If a property sells for a very low price and a discount had been given due to material damage or physical problems with it, an adjustment can sometimes be made on the tax bill, Griffith explained.

But because of Colorado’s complex property assessment system, the apparently bar-gain basement price paid for the commercial properties may not result in lower taxes — not for owners of other com-mercial properties in the area and not for the new owners of the two buildings themselves.

Buildings sell below assessed value

www.deltacountyindependent.comNEWSSURFACE

C R E E KJanuary 7, 2015

CSection

Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

Trail viewSunny, blue skies overhead on Jan. 2 brought temperatures suitable for the first January thaw of the season and added scenic beauty to the familiar scenes along Cedaredge’s Surface Creek Trail.

Photo by Hank LohmeyerFollowing the first blast of winter weather and cold in the Surface Creek Valley, the first January thaw of the season brought a row of icicles hanging from a cottage.

Photo by Hank LohmeyerThe 11,280-square-foot former Red Hat Produce building at Austin, a local landmark structure, has sold for $55,000, according to county records.

Photo by Hank LohmeyerThis 3,250-square-foot commercial building at the corner of Main Street and Grand Mesa Drive (Highway 65) in Cedaredge recently sold for $40,000, county records show.


The Cedaredge Town Board dealt with several items of business at its December meeting, and trustees received various reports from staff.

The trustees gave an approval to a “utility ease-ment agreement proposal.”

The easement is needed for installation of the influent gravity line to the plant, and also for placement of the pres-surized line that will take the pumped treated outflow from the plant.

The town proposes to buy a 40-foot-wide easement extend-ing in a northwest direction from the proposed sewer plant location.

The proposed $6,000 deal would be with property owner, JWL Associates LLC.

In another sewer plant-related item, town staff reported that they are coop-erating with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on a years-long study intended as “a proposed Measurable Result Study regarding the existing water quality of the water

bodies accepting or proposed to accept effluent and water quality after the effluent is redirected,” according to the report.

In other business at its December regular meeting, the Cedaredge Town Board dealt with the following mat-ters:

• Gave a routine approv-al for renewal of a 3.2 beer off-premises beer license for Cedaredge FoodTown. Police reported no incidents at the location and recommended approval of the renewal.

• Golf pro Larry Murphy’s report gave credit to some vol-unteers who help with minor course maintenance chores at the course.

• Trustees approved a request for proposals from engineering firms willing “to provide municipal engineer-ing services for a variety of municipal-related projects.” The work would be under-taken on a project-by-project basis.

According to the town pro-posal, a partial list of services the town is looking for a firm

Cedaredge seeks sewer easement

TOWN COUNCIL TO C2

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C2 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 SURFACE CREEK NEWS Delta County Independent

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Striking contrastA pair of pasture mates strike a contrasting picture set against the background of snowfall that has come recently to Surface Creek Val-ley.


Ghost vanThe photo is of the burnt-out hulk of a mini-van that caught fire on Trap Club Road Dec. 29 at 2 a.m. There were no injuries, reports the county sheriff’s office. Cedaredge Fire Department responded.

The Plant & Dig Gar-den Club has concluded another successful year learning about many aspects of gardening, serving our community by participating in gar-dening programs at Pio-neer Town and Horizons Care Center and enjoying the camaraderie of our group.

Club members plan to take part in many inter-esting meetings and visi-tations during 2015 and to continue our commu-nity-oriented projects.

The January meeting will held on Friday, Jan.

16, at 2 p.m. It will be the farewell and thank you to our current officers (Joan Kennen, president, Judi MacKendrick, vice president, and Waynella Gonzalez, secretary) and the installation of officers for the next two years: Waynella Gonzales and Joan Chambers, co-presi-dents and Marilyn Spor, secretary.

The club invites all women interested in gar-dening, friendship and community activities to join our group. Please call 856-3897 for further information.

Plant and Dig Club to meet Jan. 16

The Cedaredge Pub-lic Works Department, in a monthly report to the town trustees, gave the following update on work being done to repair distribution system leaks and on water line replace-ment projects.

The monthly depart-ment report, given in December, states:

• The town had 23 water leaks that were repaired in 2014. This compares to 17 in 2013 and seven in 2012. Six

of these leaks were on Greenwood Avenue. Three were on the corner of 176 SW 13th Avenue.

The last three leaks were a result of the pres-sure surge that occurred on Nov. 13. The pressure surge was the result of a broken 3/8” diameter brass fitting on a 6-inch pressure reducing valve. When this fitting broke, the pressure reducing valve locked into the full open position, immedi-ately adding 90 to 100 psi to the system below this point. This sent shock waves through the system below this point, causing multiple prob-lems.

The root cause of the problem was identified by 7:30 a.m. and normal operating pressure was maintained by 8:30 a.m.

• Water Line Replace-ment: the town installed nearly 500 feet of new pipe this year to complete the final leg of the Frey Subdivision Pipeline. This was a three-year project starting in 2012 with the installation of new 6-inch pipe from NE Shady Oak to NE Lodge-pole.

Last year, 4-inch pipe was installed from NE Lodgepole to NE Knotty

Pine. This year the proj-ect was completed with the installation of 4-inch pipe to the PRV vault on Indian Camp Road. The town also installed a new fire hydrant on Indian Camp on the high pressure side of the PRV vault at the request of the fire department. The last 950 feet of this proj-ect was completely under either asphalt, concrete or landscaping. There is

even a corner of a foun-dation that is within inches of the pipeline. The town was able to accomplish this pipeline replacement at minimal cost by assembling the entire pipeline on the surface and then pulling it through the existing pipe. The only excavation that was required was at the beginning and end points and each service location.

A busy year for public works

Town councilFROM PAGE C1to provide include the fol-lowing: preparing concept reports, feasibility stud-ies, cost estimates, and proposed funding plans; providing professional engineering services in planning, designing and/or project management; advising and/or repre-senting the town on vari-ous matters concerning ongoing management; reviewing new develop-

ment projects; preparing specifications, detailed construction drawings and contract documents; assisting in the solicita-tion, analysis, and pro-curement of contractors; and providing on-site and/or off-site supervision and evaluation of quality control for various public works projects.”

A full copy of the request for proposals is available at town hall.

Fall Migration Report, 2014

For years I’ve col-lected the information about crane movements through our area. I send the information to the biologists at the San Luis Valley Refuge, to the Colorado Crane Conser-vation Coalition in the Steamboat Springs area, to the Bosque del Apache and to Rod Drewien, the biologist who invited me to be the “official vol-unteer monitor” of our cranes back in 1995.

I have chosen the fall migration dates to be September to December

and will include Janu-ary and February to be the winter report. March through May will be the spring report while July to the end of August as the summer report. Hap-pily, trying to determine the exact dates for the seasons has become more difficult — our wintering flock seems to be grow-ing not only in numbers but in locations and dates! They have been reported from Montrose, Grand Junction and many times from the Delta area, especially along Highway 50 when you’re leaving Delta for

Grand Junction. The consensus of opinion is that they may occur near or around the Escalante Wildlife Area.

Our wintering flock seems to be growing. BE ALERT FOR CRANES!

Report by Evelyn J. Horn

and Jim WallaceLanded at Hart’s Basin

= 595Reported in flight

= over 3,066Landed elsewhere = 857Reported from Escalante Wildlife area near Delta

= 3,000+Christmas Bird Counts:Black Canyon Audubon

Delta area @ 850Montrose area @75

Again, my thanks to all who have called (835-8391) or posted on email. My email address is [email protected].

Birds of the Western Slope A look at local birds with Evelyn Horn


The Town of Cedaredge is continuing to make progress with its project of replacing and upgrad-ing customer water meters.

The town trustees received a report on the work in progress during their regular December meeting.

The report, submit-ted by the Public Works Department, stated, “In January of (2014) we had nearly 30 new meters in inventory that needed to be installed. With these meters, along with pur-chased and warrantied

returns, we changed out 65 meters (in 2014) and performed six new installs. There was one abandoned tap. (During 2014) we purchased nine, 2-inch meters from Ute Water. These were new meters they had in inven-tory they were not going to use. This purchase saved us approximate-ly $200 per meter. We focused on changing out commercial meters and were able to change out approximately 50 busi-nesses to new radio read meters. We still have 17 commercial meters left of the older touch read style.”

Crews progresswith new metersFriends

programJan. 8

The Friends of Cedaredge Public Library present handwriting ana-lyst Polly Cady in a pro-gram at the Cedaredge Library Thursday, Jan. 8, at 2:00 p.m. A Certified Graphologist, Polly has been teaching and doing handwriting analysis for 25 years. Come enjoy her lively discussion on the alphabet and hand-writing. Refreshments are served. The Friends meeting will follow.


Delta County Independent TELEVISION LISTINGS Wednesday, January 7, 2015 C3

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C4 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 TELEVISION LISTINGS Delta County Independent

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THIS PAGE IS COLOR

The 13th annual con-vention of the Ditch & Reservoir Company Alli-ance (DARCA) will be held Feb. 11-13 at the Two Rivers Convention Center in Grand Junc-

tion. The event will focus on DARCA’s efforts to provide input to the state of Colorado’s ongo-ing water plan. A wide variety of speakers have been invited to not only

inform, but to solicit input from ditch com-panies and agricultural water users. Additional topics will include pre-sentations on the Cali-fornia drought and its water plan, Northern Water, the history of the prior appropriation sys-tem, and the valuation of ditch companies. Colo-rado State Senator Gail Schwartz will address the group to discuss the Colorado General Assem-bly’s present and future role in the plan.

DARCA will be host-ing a pre-convention workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 11, dealing with cut-ting edge technologies used in water delivery systems across Colorado.

On Friday, the final day of the conference, participants may choose among three concurrent workshops:

Corporate Formali-ties of Ditch Companies; Water Court and the Appellate Process; and-Ditch Rider Issues & Rights.

For information regarding convention registration, as well as sponsorship or exhibi-tor registration oppor-tunities, please visit www.darca.org or con-tact John McKenzie at (970) 412-1960 or [email protected].

Sign up now for the special early bird rate!

Conference focuses on ditch companies

BY HANNAH HOLM Coordinator, Water Center at

Colorado Mesa UniversityColorado lurched one

more step toward resolv-ing how to satisfy growing demands for water with stable-to-diminishing supplies when Governor Hickenlooper received the first complete draft of a statewide water plan on Dec. 10.

In compiling the plan, the Colorado Water Con-servation Board (CWCB) provided the latest infor-mation on current and projected water sup-plies and defined some “no regrets” actions that would help, no matter what the future holds. These include achiev-ing at least low-to-medi-um levels of conserva-tion, completing already planned projects, imple-menting water re-use projects, and preserving the option of taking more water out of the Colorado River and its tributaries to meet both West and East Slope needs.

The CWCB stopped short of endorsing (or vetoing) any particular projects to meet future needs, or taking a hard stand on the role con-servation and land-use restrictions should play in meeting future needs. The draft plan maps the landscape, but doesn’t define the route.

The identification of specific projects was left to roundtables of water providers and stakehold-ers in each of the state’s major river basins. As anticipated, those basin

plans conflict on the issue of whether East Slope basins can continue to rely on additional West Slope water to meet their growing needs. Approxi-mately 500,000 acre-feet/ year already flows east across the Continental Divide through ditches and tunnels that siphon off a majority of the nat-ural flows from many headwaters streams. One acre-foot can meet the needs of 2-3 households for a year under current usage rates.

While the draft plan doesn’t say “yes” or “no” to additional transmoun-tain diversions, it does incorporate a seven-point “draft conceptual agree-ment” on how to negoti-ate on future transmoun-tain diversions. The draft discussion framework (there’s been a lot of push back on calling it an agreement) contains several new features in the many-decades-long debate between East and West Slope actors over transmountain diver-sions. It states that the East Slope is not looking for stable water deliver-ies each year from any such project, recognizing that it may only be able to divert in wet years and would have to use trans-mountain water in con-junction with non-West Slope sources, such as the Denver Basin aquifer and temporary transfers from agriculture.

The draft framework also notes the need for an “insurance policy” to protect against Colorado

water users getting cut off in the event that we fail to let enough water flow beyond the state line to meet downstream obliga-tions. Colorado and the other Upper Colorado River Basin states have never failed to meet their obligation to downstream states under the 1922 Col-orado River Compact, but the margin by which we’ve exceeded it keeps dimin-ishing. Additional use in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico plus con-tinued drought could push us over that threshold.

While the draft frame-work is a tiny part of the draft Colorado Water Plan, it’s likely to be at the center of debate between water leaders from each of the state’s major river basins as the draft Colorado Water Plan becomes “final” over the coming year. In a meeting December 18, members of the four West Slope basin roundtables met in Grand Junction to work toward a com-mon negotiating position in those discussions.

The four roundtables share extreme skepticism about the wisdom of any transmountain diver-sion, no matter the cave-ats, and a concern that any “insurance policy” to protect existing uses from curtailment under the 1922 Colorado River Compact would ultimate-ly result in water being transferred out of West Slope agriculture, even if the transfer is voluntary and lower-impact than the wholesale “buying

and drying” of agricul-tural water rights that has already devastated some East Slope farming communities.

Where the West Slope roundtables begin to diverge is over how addi-tional Colorado River Basin development on the West Slope figures into the picture. Given that any new uses raise the risk of failing to meet downstream obligations, should new West Slope water projects be looked on any more favorably than new projects to send water across the Conti-nental Divide? Where is the right line in the trade-off between pro-tecting existing Colorado River water users and making the fullest use possible of the resource? And what place should “nonconsumptive” uses of water for the health of the environment and recreation play into these decisions?

This already-compli-cated dilemma is made more complicated by the fact that the Yampa and

White river basins have fewer dams and diver-sions on their streams than the other West Slope river basins, and therefore have a greater interest in new projects to provide greater security for existing users, as well potentially irrigate even more land and/or meet the needs of increasing energy development. Is the Yampa Basin bear-ing an unfair share of the burden of meeting downstream obligations, or would it be even more unfair for existing users in other basins to have to cut back in order to subsidize Yampa Basin growth?

In the quest to find common ground on this issue, participants in the December 18 meeting called for better hydro-logic data in order to better understand how much additional risk is created by different lev-els of additional use.

I don’t know if that’s possible, given the cur-rent state of scientific understanding of our

region’s climate and hydrology, particularly when it comes to fore-casting. What may bear fruit is the search for the right “triggers,” in terms of reservoir and/or streamflow levels, to indi-cate when more develop-ment, on either side of the Continental Divide, can proceed without pos-ing unacceptable risks to the whole system. Don’t expect this dilemma to be resolved anytime soon, no matter what deadlines exist on paper.

This is part of a series of articles coordinated by the Water Center at Colorado Mesa Univer-sity in cooperation with the Colorado and Gun-nison Basin Roundtables to raise awareness about water needs, uses and policies in our region. To learn more, go to www. coloradomesa.edu/Water Center. You can also find the Water Center on Face-book at https://www.facebook.com/Water Center.CMU or twitter at https://twitter.com/WaterCenterCMU.

Key dilemmas remain in state water planDelta County Independent AGRICULTURE Wednesday, January 7, 2015 C5

“Stay Close to Home and Family, We Are Here for Your Health”

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C6 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 SPORTS Delta County Independent

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SPORTSwww.deltacountyindependent.comJanuary 7, 2015

Photo by Wayne CrickFreshman Kendra Hillman takes a breath during her competition in the 200 freestyle. Hillman placed fourth in the event.

BY TAMIE MECK DCI Sports Writer

The members of the Paonia wrestling team may be from a tiny west-ern Colorado town, but they learned they had a thing or two to show the boys down in Florida.

Last week the Eagles traveled to Bradenton, Fla., a more than 1,500-mile flight from Denver, to compete at the South-east Duals at Braden-ton High School. Paonia opened day one with a 5-0 dual record to win

its pool, and ended the two-day tournament in second place with a 7-1 record.

“It was a great experi-ence for the team,” said head coach Andy Pipher, whose Eagles have won three back-to-back Class 2A state titles and will seek a fourth title in Feb-ruary.

Their sole loss was to Braden River High School, ranked 15th in the nation in prep wres-tling, by a score of 40-31. Six of the matches went

head-to-head, Paonia lost one match to forfeit, and Braden gave up two. “That was a great dual, very good for the kids,” said Pipher.

Senior Josh Altman (132) said prior to the trip that it was the talk of the year. “We know there’s going to be a lot of tough teams,” said Alt-man in December. “The way we see it we’re just going to go out and do the best we can and have some fun.”

Colton Godwin (113), Jesse Reed (126), Bo Pipher (138) and Gun-nar Chesnik (145) were undefeated for the tour-nament. Results count toward their individual and dual win/loss record and tournament seeding.

Paonia is well-known for use of the cradle hold. By about the fourth dual, Pipher said by phone interview from Florida that he overheard an opponent’s coach telling his kids to watch the cra-dle. “After that, I kind of felt like we were at home,” said Pipher. By the final dual, their oppo-nents’ warm-up “was cen-tered around countering the cradle.”

Pipher said one Flori-da coach knew the head coach from Ponderosa, Colo., and called him for advice. “He was told to watch the cradle,” said Pipher.

Several family mem-bers traveled with the team, and some had fam-ily in the area, including

Bo Pipher, whose aunts and uncles came to cheer on the Eagles. Sophomore Gabe Ferguson’s Florida relatives had never been to a wrestling event, let alone seen Gabe wrestle.

“We had more fans in the stands than any other school,” said Pipher. Host Southeast High School’s athletic director told Pipher that Paonia had a bigger crowd than they normally see at a wres-tling event.

Assistant coach Mark Milner put a lot of effort into making the trip a reality, said Pipher. The entire trip was funded by wrestlers, coaches, fami-lies and the community. “We would love to do it again... If you can give these kids that type of

experience and not cost taxpayers anything, it’s a good thing.”

With high tempera-tures in the mid-80s and the hotel located on Bra-denton Beach on the gulf side of southern Florida, the team took time before and after the tournament to enjoy the beach. “The kids are having fun,” said Pipher.

“It’s crazy being from a little school and being able to go to Florida and wrestle some of the best teams in the country,” said Chesnik prior to the trip. He had never heard of Bradenton, and knew of a few teammates who had never been on a beach. “It’s an experience we’ll have for the rest of our lives.”

Eagles 2nd in Florida duals

Photo courtesy Andy PipherThe Paonia High School wrestling team traveled to Florida last week, where it placed second at the Southeast Duals in Bradenton. The photo above shows the team enjoying some R&R at Bradenton Beach. The entire trip was paid for by wrestlers, coaches, family members and the community. Paonia will pursue a fourth consecutive state title in February.

BY WAYNE CRICK DCI Sports Editor

Second-year Cedar-edge High School’s Lady Bruin basketball coach, Ryan Hilbig, is enjoying another stellar season. His Lady Bruins are cur-rently 7-0 as the 2015 portion of their schedule begins to unfold.

Cedaredge’s girls have won by 20 or more points in all but one game, a 53-50 win over Olathe. The Lady Bruins use a potent running game that upsets the tempo of opposing teams and allows them to gain significant advan-tages in many contests.

The Lady Bruins do not have many players who score big points in every game. Rather, the players get most of their points in a transition game set up by pressing situations.

Only two players, junior Nellie Freeman and senior Kristin Gard-ner have double-digit efforts for the season. Freeman is scoring at a 10.7 clip while Gardner is close behind with a 10.4 scoring average.

Seniors Mackenzie Kehmeier and Bree Gut-tierrez have 8.3 scoring averages while junior Kendall McHugh and sophomore Hannah Gil-more own 7.0 and 6.3 averages respectively.

The top four rebound-ers for the Lady Bruins include Gilmore (5.5 per game), Freeman (4.4 per

game) and Kehmeier and Gardner with 4.2 aver-ages.

In the steals depart-ment, Freeman (3.9), McHugh (3.7), Gardner (2.7) and junior Sierra Baldozier (2.6) are the team leaders.

For the boys, an extremely slow start has the Bruins looking at a 1-6 record entering 2015.

Cedaredge’s single win came in game two of the season against Olathe, 71-55.

Junior Garrett Meyers is Cedaredge’s leading scorer with a 10.5 aver-age after stats from six of the seven games played so far. Another junior, Tyler Cooper is second in team scoring with a 9.3 average.

Sophomore Christian Reynolds and senior Corey Reynolds have 5.5 scoring averages for the Bruins while senior Mal-aki Rhode sports a 5.3 average.

The Bruins will be on the road to begin their 2015 basketball schedule as they face tough Meek-er squads on Jan. 9. The Lady Bruins are slated to begin their game at 6 p.m. and the boys get underway at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday’s contest is in Cedaredge against Rangely. The Lady Bru-ins play at 2 p.m. and the boys are set for their tip off with a 3:30 p.m. start-ing time.

Lady Bruins on top in 2A WSL; Bruin boys look for more wins


Basketball’s second season, so to speak, begins anew for area prep teams.

For the Delta High School Panthers, both teams enter the new year with identical 4-4 records overall. Both are 1-2 in league play.

The Lady Panthers are currently in fifth place in league standings behind Palisade, Eagle Valley, Glenwood Springs and Rifle. Delta has played Palisade and Glenwood Springs so far, account-ing for their two league losses. They own a victory over Battle Mountain.

Some of the early clut-ter may be cleaned up this week when Delta takes on Rifle (1-1, 5-1) on

Friday at 6 p.m. in Delta. Steamboat Springs (0-2, 3-5) is in town on Satur-day for a 1 p.m. contest.

The Lady Panthers are extremely young com-ing into the season with six sophomores making up the bulk of this year’s team. Two juniors and three seniors complete Delta’s 2014-15 roster lineup.

Sophomore Emily Baier leads the Lady Panthers in three catego-ries; scoring, 12.9 ppg; rebounding, 10.9 per game, and steals, 3.7 per game.

Lily Lockhart, another sophomore, is second in scoring for Delta with a 10.6 average per game. She is also second in rebounding with a 5.8 average.

Senior Desiree Smith and sophomore Megan Sandoval own 6.1 scoring averages for Delta.

Other top rebounders for the Lady Panthers include senior Haley Mil-lard (5.4 per game) and junior Rachel Huerkamp (4.5 per game). Sandoval is next in line with 4.3 rebounds per game.

Sophomore Emily Nortnik is second in steals for Delta and tied with Smith with 3.4 pil-fers per game.

For the boys, their two losses in league play came against Palisade and Glenwood Springs with their WSL win com-ing against Battle Moun-tain in overtime.

So far, the Panthers have been led by 6-5 senior Eian Baier who is averaging double fig-ures in scoring for the season for the Panthers. Baier is also among the

top rebounders for Delta, with 6-6 senior Cade Gafford pulling down his share of rebounds to keep the Panthers close in games.

Beau Byers, a 6-2 sophomore, has been con-tributing double digits in scoring to give the Pan-thers a potent scoring punch.

Freshman Jaspar Car-michael, 6-0, has also given the Panthers some big-scoring games. His presence on the floor will warrant plenty of atten-tion when the defensive assignments are handed out by opposing coaches.

Delta is at home to start its 2015 portion of scheduled contests. Rifle is in town on Jan. 9 for varsity games at 6 and 7:30 p.m.

On Jan. 10, the Pan-thers host Steamboat Springs for games at 1 and 2:30 p.m.

Delta hoops teams 4-4

Photo by Wayne CrickDelta junior Lydia Knutson reaches for the wall to win the 200 freestyle last Saturday at Bill Heddles Rec Center.


Delta High School’s head swim coach, Emily Cannell, is excited for the 2014-15 swim season. Her squad boasts some talented swimmers who have been in the program for several years.

Delta hosted a swim meet at Bill Heddles Rec-reation Center last Satur-day with Cannell’s team performing well during the four hour competi-tion.

Cannell passed along several of the meet’s results for several Delta competitors.

Delta’s 200 medley relay team of Abigail Vigil, Kaylee Dunham, Aspen Spiker and Lydia Knutson was the winning team in that event.

Knutson was also a double winner in single events as she won both the 50 and 100 freestyle races. Knutson has quali-fied for state in the 50 after early competition.

Spiker won the 100 butterfly and is hoping to qualify for state in this event.

Freshman Kendra Hillman placed fourth in the 200 freestyle, and the 400 freestyle relay team of Knutson, Landre Whelan, Vigil and Spiker placed first in that event on Saturday.

Coach Cannell sees her team doing well as the season progresses and notes, “We have high hopes of qualifying for state in the 200 medley relay and the 400 free-style relay.”

Delta competes in swim meet

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January 7, 2015

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RENT/RENT TO OWN Newer home on 2 acres, 3 BR, 2 BA on walk-out base-ment, 2-car garage, deck, porches, lots of amenities. Delta area, $1,300. (970) 249-1148. (4x50)

FOR RENT – 12X70 Mobile home, 3 BR, 2 BA. Water, trash, & sewer paid. Call (970) 874-3394. (2x1)

DO YOU HAVE A HOUSE or apartment for rent? Get results through the DCI Classifieds.

WANTEDTO RENT

HOUSING WANTED: Responsible 23-year-old male with Masters Degree in criminal justice needs temporary housing while attending Delta Police Academy Jan. 12-May 15, 2015. Call (970) 216-2367. (4x51)

SELLING YOUR HOME? Call the DCI to place your ad today. 874-4421.

CARD OFTHANKS

WITH HEARTFELT gratitude, the family of Virginia Pulliam would like to extend our sincere appre-ciation for the cards, calls, food, monetary donations, and prayers. Your love and friendship has helped us through this difficult time. (1x1)

AGRICULTURE

FOR SALE - AG WATER Surface Creek drainage - 3 shares #1 Alfalfa Ditch Company. $100,000. (970) 250-6528. (4x51)

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WANT TO BUY OLD Volkswagens, any condi-tion, no title is fine. Looking for pre-1967 busses, bee-tles, and Karmann Ghias. Vans that have been turned into sheds, parts and piece. Leave a message (970) 986-2707 or send an email to f ranzmuhr@gmai l . com (4x1)

AUTOMOTIVE

1996 CHEVY 12 passenger van for sale, 138k miles, in good condi-tion, asking $4,000, OBO. Please call (970) 874-4837 or (970) 835-3826. (2x53)

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D2 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 CLASSIFIEDS Delta County Independent

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VICTIM'S ADVOCATE/ Police Officer - Olathe Police Department - Olathe, CO. Must be 21 years of age or older, have Colorado P.O.S.T. Certification, valid driver's license, no felony or domestic violence con-victions, pass background investigation, psycho-logical test/polygraph test. Victim Advocate: Provides victim services, conducts interviews, assists in court process, responds to crime scenes, victim assistance documentation, data entry. Police Officer: Daily patrol duties to include but not limited to: Traffic enforce-ment, respond to calls for service, municipal ordi-nance, state law enforce-ment, criminal activity investigations. Pay ranging from $28,000-$30,000 based on experience. Submit cover letter and resume to Chief Justin Harlan, Olathe Police Department by email at [email protected] or mail to PO Box 789, Olathe, CO 81425. Deadline for applications is January 16, 2015. (2x53)

ARIEL IS LOOKING FOR loving and safe homes to provide foster care. If you have ever thought about making a difference in your community, now is the time! Please contact Shayna at (970) 245-1616 for more information. (6x51)

EXTREMELY EFFICIENT multi-tasker needed for busy Operations Department in fast growing international company. ShadeScapes Americas, located in Paonia/Hotchkiss area, is currently seeking a full time Operations Specialist to coordinate the ordering and shipping of high-end, internationally manufac-tured products. Position requires professional con-tact with sales managers, product manufacturers and shipping industry in a fast-paced environment. Qualified candidate would have excellent organiza-tional, computer, commu-nication and problem-solv-ing skills. Experience with accounting and spreadsheet software a plus. Submit a resume and cover letter to Dierdre@ShadeScapesUSA .com before January 12. Compensation DOE. ShadeScapes Americas is an equal opportunity employer. (1x1)

MARKETING & PUBLIC Relations Administrator. Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) is seek-ing a Marketing and Public Relations Administrator. Requires a Bachelor's degree with an emphasis in marketing, market research, public relations, or a related field plus 5 years practical work experience in market-ing, advertising, or public relations. Prior experience in management of market-ing campaigns/programs is highly desirable. Experience in the utility or energy-relat-ed fields, especially in elec-tric cooperative marketing/communications, is strong-ly preferred. Work history must reflect demonstrated knowledge of economic development and market-ing principles using market research tools, strategies and techniques, preferably within the energy or electric utility industry. Must have demonstrated proficiency in written and verbal com-munications. Computer proficiency, including using Microsoft Office Suite, is required. Experience using design software such as InDesign, Photoshop, etc., is beneficial. Must maintain a valid Colorado Driver's license. To apply, contact the Colorado Workforce Center in Delta or Montrose, Colorado, phone: (970) 874-5781 or (970) 249-7783. Applicants must be reg-istered with the Colorado Workforce Center online through www.connecting-colorado.com. Application packets are available from the Workforce Center. Applications will be accept-ed until 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 9, 2015. DMEA is an equal opportunity employer and provider. DMEA is an EOE/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive con-sideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or veteran status, or any other status protected by law. (4x51)

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FREE DIAPERS FOR UP to one year! Pregnant women in Delta County can now get help to quit smok-ing and get something they can really use after their baby arrives — free diapers. Healthy moms have healthy babies. Enroll in the Baby & Me Tobacco Free program today. Contact the Delta County Health Department at 874-2165 or your local physician. (TFNx2)

SUPPORT THE DELTA Public Library. Give a gently used book in the Downstairs Book Store.

WELCOME RETURNING Veterans, Post 9221 VFW meets at 5:00 p.m. on the 4th Thursday of each month in Cedaredge. To find out how to participate in pro-moting patriotism and assisting veterans, contact Wayne Hamrick, (970) 250-1180. (tfnx23)

HOTCHKISS-CRAWFORD Historical Museum. Winter hours, Saturdays 1-4 p.m. thru December 24. $3 admis-sion or free to members. Come see our museum at 2nd & Hotchkiss Streets in Hotchkiss. 872-3780. (tfx44)

ALCOHOLICS ANONY- mous, at Friends of Bill W. club at 9th and Palmer, meets Sunday 1 p.m., 7 p.m. Monday at noon, Tuesday at noon, Wednesday at noon, 5:30 ladies only. Thursday at noon, and 8 p.m., Friday at noon, Saturday 12:15 p.m. Call 874-8282. (tfnx5)

ALCOHOLICS ANONY- mous meeting, women only, (non-smoking), Saturdays, 11 a.m., in the basement of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 5th and Palmer, (go to the back door). (tfx1)

CHECK OUT THE BOOK store at the library. You'll find a great selection of paperbacks at reasonable prices.

IF YOU LOVE BOOKS, you will love the Downstairs Bookstore in the basement of the Delta Public Library.

BECAWS! DONATIONS needed. Credit cards accepted. Call 970-527-3350, or visit cawsonline.org. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS)

YOUR LISTING HERE! call now... 874-4421

NARCOTICS ANONY- mous meets at 9th and Palmer, Delta, Mondays and Fridays at 8 p.m. (tfnx5)

DELTA FOOD PANTRY needs meals for Delta families who are temporar-ily in need. Donations of non-perishable food may be brought to 628 Meeker. (tfx36)

HELP!!! KEEP THE animal population under control, and SAVE an ani-mal's life. Adopt your new cat or dog from the Delta County Humane Society. Adoption fee is minimal. Call 874-2149. (DCHS)

THERE IS A VFW MEETING on the first Monday of each month. At 6 p.m. there is a potluck and the meeting is at 7 p.m. at the IOOF Hall, 860 Hwy 92, Delta. For further information, call 874-8172 Jim Baker, Quartermaster. (tfx12)

BECAWS! ADOPT A DOG or cat today. Call 970-527-3350, or visit cawsonline.org. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS)

CHAPTER, UNITS OF DAV regular meetings on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Veterans Building, 15th & Howard, Delta. For further information, call Paul Carter 874-5150. (tfx19)

ARE YOU NEW TO THE Delta area? Stop by the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce at 301 Main St. for you FREE Welcome Bag, filled with goodies, sam-ples, discounts and commu-nity information, courtesy of Chamber members and sponsored by Kim Guthrie-Burch of Re/Max Today.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO change a child's life! Children are waiting for senior partners in Delta County right now! Can you spare 3 hours a week? We need your help! Call today for more information. Please volunteer to spend time with a child in our community. Partners of Delta, Montrose and Ouray, 874-4661, www.partners-west.org. or [email protected]. (tfx13)

DELTA HAS A BOOK- store in the basement of the library featuring gently used books and magazines. Come check it out!EDUCATION

EMT-BASIC CLASSES at Delta-Montrose Technical College in Delta begin January 21. Evening/Saturday and daytime classes available. In-state tuition and fees $2,164. Book and some supplies also required. Call (970) 874-7671 or email [email protected] for more information. (2x53)

EMT-BASIC CLASSES at Delta-Montrose Technical College begin March 2, in Paonia. Evening/Saturday classes only. In-state tuition and fees $2,164. Book and some supplies also required. Call (970) 874-7671 or email [email protected] for more information. (2x53)

EMT-199 CLASSES at Delta-Montrose Technical College begin January 27. Classes are evenings and some Saturdays. In-state tuition and fees $3,176.50. Book and some supplies also required. Call (970) 874-7671 or email [email protected] for more information. (2x53)


Delta County Independent PUBLIC NOTICES Wednesday, January 7, 2015 D3

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PUBLIC NOTICES

The Delta County Libraries offer many edu-cational and entertain-ing activities and events for you and your fam-ily to enjoy. If you want to know what else your library is offering, please contact the library or visit the Delta County Librar-ies website at www.delta libraries.org. Check out these programs:

Literacy ProgramFor information on

registering, locations and time for the GED and adult education classes in the Delta/Cedaredge area, call 209-9643. Information on the North Fork GED classes can be obtained by calling 399-5325.

CedaredgeStorytimes. Baby, tot

and preschooler story-times are Thursdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Contact the library at 399-7674 for details.

Tech Soup Satur-days. Bring your devic-es and questions every Saturday and our expert “techies” will do their best to answer your questions from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Friends of the Cedaredge Library. Regular meeting Thurs-day, Jan. 8, at 3 p.m. Public welcome.

Club Friday Adult Craft. Primitive silicone light bulbs. Something old with a new twist. Dec-orative light bulbs made with heatproof silicone. Sounds like a science experiment, right? Put your lab coat on and come have some fun creating these old-world-charm lights. No cost, sup-plies provided. Sign up in advance at the library or call 399-7674. Friday, Jan. 16, 10:30 a.m.

CrawfordStorytimes. Baby, tot

and preschooler story-times are Thursdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Contact the library at 399-7783 for details.

Computer Tutor. Librarians will be avail-able to help you with questions and problems about computers or mobile devices. Just drop in during regular library hours or call ahead for a specific time. Contact the library at 399-7783 for

details.Native American

Beading with Bob Heid. Watch Bob Heid do his magic with precision beading. He is amazing! Saturday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m.

Wii & Waffles. It’s early release day from school — come to the library for Wii games and sports, followed by a waf-fle and juice. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m.

DeltaStorytimes. Story-

times for babies, tots and preschoolers are Wednes-days starting at 10:30 a.m. Contact the library at 874-9630 for details.

Talk & Tangle Yarn. This is a group of knit and crochet enthusiasts who get together to talk and work on their indi-vidual projects. Anyone is welcome to join. Mondays starting at 5:30 p.m.

Tech Talk. Bring in your devices and get help from our tech-savvy staff! Every Tuesday in Decem-ber at 5:30 p.m.

Magic the Gather-ing Tournament. If you play Magic the Gather-

ing, you are invited to join us for a day of fun at the Magic Tournament at the Delta Library confer-ence room Saturday, Jan. 10, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For information call 874-9630.

Book Club. Come join a group of enthusiastic readers to discuss “Buri-al Rites” by Kent Han-nah, the January book of the month. Saturday, Jan. 17, at 1 p.m. Every-one is welcome.

Magic the Gathering Club Meeting. Interest-ed players of the card game: Magic the Gather-ing can come battle other players, trade cards or just learn to play! This club meets every Sat-urday at 11 a.m. at the library. All age levels wel-come.

Teen Program: DIY Galaxy T-Shirts. On early release Wednesday students 10 years old and up are invited to come to the Delta Library to create a galaxy T-shirt. We will be using bleach so wear old clothes that can be ruined. Program includes a Minute to Win

It challenge and snacks. Invite your friends! Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 1:30 p.m.

Living Within Our Means. Free 10-week financial study with Bob Aubrey. Materials pro-vided! Living Within Our Means will meet every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Early registra-tion is required at Delta Public Library. Call 874-9630 for more informa-tion.

HotchkissStorytimes. Baby,

tot and preschooler sto-rytimes are Wednesdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Contact the library at 399-7781 for details.

Tech Help. Librar-ians will be available to help you with questions and problems about com-puter or mobile devices. Tuesday-Thursday by appointment. Contact the library at 399-7781 for details.

Discover Italy. Come join us as world travelers Matt Kottenstette and Emma Stopher-Griffin share their experiences as slow food delegates for

Terra Madre, the world’s largest food and wine fair in Turin, Italy. Wednes-day, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m.

Knit and Crochet Group. Do you knit or crochet? Interested in learning how? Join this group for pattern help, project ideas, snacks and good company. All levels welcome. Thursday Jan. 15, lesson at 3 p.m.; group at 4 p.m.

Wii and Games. Kids come for Wii and games after school early release. Snacks and fun provided. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. Call 399-7781 for more information.

PaoniaStorytimes. Baby, tot

and preschooler story-times are Tuesdays start-ing 10:30 a.m. Contact Paonia Library at 399-7881 for information.

One-on-One Help. Individualized instruc-tion with any computer or electronic device. Call the library at 399-7881 to schedule a time that is convenient for you!

Kids’ Yoga with Jane. PreK-second grade are invited to come with their caregivers to join Jane for 30 minutes of family-friendly yoga ses-sions. Saturday, Jan. 10 and 24, at 10:30 a.m.

TAB Meeting. Teens join us for our first TAB (Teen Advisory Board) meeting of the year and help us make decisions for activities and programs for the coming months. Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 4 p.m.

Armchair Travel on “The Way” in Spain. Join Steve Lyons and Phyllis Swackhamer as they relive their trek on “The Camino: A Jour-ney Through Northern Spain,” with lots of great pictures on the big screen and travel tales from the Camino de Santiago, also known as “The Way.” Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. Call 399-7881 for more information.

Early Release from School: Movie Time. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. Call the library at 399-7881 for more infor-mation.

What’s happening at your local library?

BY MELISSA WDOWIK, RDN Colorado State UniversityIf you are like most

Americans, you eat one-third of your calories away from home. This includes meals at restau-rants, snacks from vend-ing machines, drinks at coffee shops and foods from convenience stores. With weight loss being the most popular New Year’s resolution in this country, the Food and Drug Administration’s

new calorie labeling rules may come in handy.

The first rule requires restaurants to provide calorie and other nutri-tion information for stan-dard menu items, includ-ing self-serve food. This rule also applies to food trucks, movie theaters, pizza places and amuse-ment parks, as long as the company has at least 20 locations. The sec-ond rule requires calorie information for food sold

from vending machines, helping consumers to see the often high calorie level in relatively small portions. Alcoholic bev-erages will get visibility as well. You might not realize your pre-dinner cocktail has more calo-ries than your meal; now you will at least have the facts to make informed decisions.

Allowing consumers to make informed decisions is the whole purpose of these new rules. If you want to balance your cal-ories throughout the day to maintain a healthy weight, prevent or man-age a chronic condition (think diabetes or heart disease) or ensure you are getting the right fuel for an active lifestyle, the new labels will be both informative and motivat-ing. Let’s take an exam-ple. An average meal at a sit-down restaurant contains more than 800 calories, while a typical drink contains 200 calo-ries. To put the numbers into context, consider:

• Active young adults need 2,000 to 3,000 calo-ries/day.

• Healthy adults ages 30 to 70 need around 1,500 to 2,000 calories/day.

• Older adults need between 1,200 and 1,800 calories/day.

If you are an active adult male, that restau-rant meal and drink adds up to half of your daily calories. If you are an inactive adult female, the meal provides almost 70 percent of your daily calorie needs. These are the kinds of numbers you need to know in order to avoid taking in extra calories day after day.

Obviously there is a great deal of variability depending on your age, gender, size and activity level, and many comput-er sites and phone apps exist to help you calcu-late your specific needs. But as a general rule of thumb, menus and menu boards will state that 2,000 calories a day is the average recommen-dation. Based on this, use the new labels to guide you in distributing your calories into 500-600 calories per meal (break-fast, lunch and dinner) and 100-200 calories per snack (mid-morning and mid-afternoon).

Using these numbers on a practical level, you may decide to omit your morning coffee drink, or keep the coffee drink and

forgo the soda with lunch; eat just one pastry out of a package of two; eat a smaller portion of pasta; take half of your restau-rant meal home for left-overs; skip the vending machine cookies; or order a small burger instead of a value meal.

While some chain res-taurants already post their calorie counts, the law makes it mandatory for the rest to post by December 2015. In the meantime, use your best judgment to decrease your portion sizes along with your health risk and waistline.

Melissa Wdowik, PhD, RDN, is an assistant pro-fessor at Colorado State University in the Depart-ment of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and director of the Kendall Anderson Nutrition Cen-ter.

New food labels are coming to town

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Delta County Independent SERVICE DIRECTORY Wednesday, January 7, 2015 D5

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THIS PAGE IS COLOR

D6 Wednesday, January 7, 2015 BACK PAGE Delta County Independent

BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

If you’re looking for a hobby for the new year, take a tip from Bryan Cashion and consider astronomy.

Cashion moved to Montrose for the fly fishing in 2008 following a career in envi-ronmental engineering. After attending a presentation on telescopes given by the Black Canyon Astronomical Soci-ety (BCAS) he was invited to attend a club meeting. “From there it just snowballed,” said Cashion, now president of the society, although he still finds time to fish.

BCAS was founded in the early 2000s by a group of local astronomy buffs. While leadership in the society has changed over the years, its fourfold mission has remained the same: commu-nity outreach, preservation of dark skies through pub-lic education, collection and dissemination of information on “the science, literature, philosophy and art of astron-omy,” and rendering the uni-verse “readily accessible for the pleasure and education of the public.”

“It’s not for us to look at the stars, it’s for us to show the sky to other people,” said Cashion.

With its high altitude, secluded places and dry cli-mate, western Colorado is ideal for viewing. “We’re very blessed in terms of the night skies that we have,” said Cashion.

For centuries the heavens were quite a mystery, but with major advances in tech-nology, man’s knowledge of the skies has vastly improved in recent years. Combined with access to clubs like the BCAS, astronomy is more accessible and easier than ever to learn, and the invest-ment in dollars doesn’t have to be astronomical. Depend-ing on individual interests, skygazing can be enjoyed in daylight or at night, with or without a telescope, and even with a good pair of binocu-lars, said Cashion.

BCAS has partnered with the National Park Service to offer viewings at Black Can-yon National Park, located at about 8,500 feet in eleva-tion. Summer viewings are held Wednesdays and Fri-days, except during the full moon. NPS interpreters give an opening presentation, and BCAS members set up their telescopes and will stay to answer questions until every-one is ready to leave.

Ridgway State Park also offers monthly Saturday pro-grams at the Dutch Charlie visitors’ center, and the West-ern Colorado Astronomy Club offers programs at several locations, including Colorado National Monument.

The Hubble Space Tele-scope, launched 25 years ago this April, has provided incredibly clear images from deep space and has opened up new worlds for stargazers. “Everybody knows Hubble,” said Cashion. “People have a

better idea of what’s out there because of Hubble.”

The recent asteroid land-ing of the European Space Agency Rosetta mission has also attracted a lot of media attention.

Winter is a great time to learn about astronomy, its rich history, its culture, and the science behind it. For the novice, Cashion recommends “NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Uni-verse,” and “The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide,” both coffee table-style books by Terence Dickinson and avail-able at NPS visitor centers or through local libraries. Sky & Telescope magazine has been educating astrono-mers for more than 70 years, and Astronomy magazine has published since 1973.

Basic online and home courses are available. For the more serious learners, online astronomy and astrophysics degrees are available, but can be costly, said Cashion.

Winter is also a great time for viewing. The first events of the new year are scheduled for Jan. 17 (Jan. 24, in the event of adverse weather), and in March, but the busy season kicks off in late May at Ridgway State Park. The park’s sixth annual Astrono-my Festival runs June 17-20 and will offer both daytime and nighttime viewings.

Summer events average about 50 viewers, and can attract as many as 80 or 90, depending on the event and season, said Cashion. The 2012 “Transit of Venus,” a daytime event when the love planet crossed between the sun and earth, attracted about 300, and a partial solar eclipse that same summer, viewed at the Black Canyon South Rim, attracted 300-350. (Sun viewing requires special telescopes, which BCAS mem-bers provide for viewings, and

viewers should never look directly at the sun.)

Late July and August events tend to attract foreign visitors, who may be drawn to the area by the local astron-omy clubs. “It’s probably one (draw) we don’t exploit suf-ficiently,” said Cashion.

For those already inter-ested and considering invest-ing in a telescope, “We always tell them, ‘Don’t buy a tele-scope until they’ve come to an event,’” and never purchase a cheap telescope, said Cashion. They are never the best value for the money.

The best telescope to buy depends on individual inter-ests. There are models for viewing the day sky, others that work best for viewing the moon, and still others that are best for magnifying far-away objects like stars, planets, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Today’s scopes range from simple starter scopes for a few hundred dol-lars to high-tech models with GPS systems for locating and tracking celestial bodies.

“There is no perfect tele-scope,” said Cashion. “If there was, we’d all have the same thing.”

BCAS often offers an annual “Learn Your Scope” program at Field of Dreams in Orchard City. Members bring telescopes ranging from basic 4-inch refractors to a 20-inch Dobsonian mount scope, which helped revolutionize amateur astronomy.

It’s easy to get hooked, and not uncommon for stargazers to purchase more than one telescope, said Cashion.

BCAS meetings are held monthly on the Tuesday clos-est to the full moon at either the Montrose Centennial Room or Delta Partners offic-es. They open with a techni-cal presentation, followed by a business meeting. Member-ship is $12 per year per per-

son, or $20 for families, and includes a subscription to the quarterly, Reflector maga-zine. BCAS is a member of the Astronomical League. Those planning to travel can link up with other clubs, view

the heavens from new loca-tions and meet other people interested in astronomy.

For more information, visit blackcanyonastronomy.com or email [email protected].

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Photo by Tamie MeckBlack Canyon Astronomical Society president Bryan Cashion shows his Celestron 4.5-inch Stellarvue telescope. For those interested in stargazing, the society offers educational and viewing programs throughout the year. For those interest-ed in purchasing a scope, Cashion recommends attending one of the society’s outreach sessions and asking lots of questions.

Ricky Smith photoA timed exposure captures the night sky from Ridgway State Park. The BCAS offers monthly stargazing events during summer months. The Black Canyon Astronomical Society and NPS have partnered to present regular viewing programs to the public throughout the summer. Society members provide telescopes. Their next program is Jan. 17 at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim visitor center.

Keeping an eye on the sky

Ricky Smith photoThis 20-inch Dobsonian mount is one of the many telescopes that members of the Black Canyon Astronomical Society provide for view-ing the night skies.

delta county independent, jan. 7, 2015

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