Gunnison Country Times, March 21, 2024

City receives $1.75 million for water treatment plant project

Majority of ‘project 1’

cost covered

Biondini

Times Editor

On March 8, the City of Gunnison received $1.75 million in congressional dollars for its water system upgrades from U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, John Hickenlooper and Rep. Lauren Boebert. The money will cover most of “project 1,” which includes the design and construction of an infiltration gallery.

This perforated pipe acts like a shallow,

Water plant A6

INSIDE TODAY

NEWS: Gunnison landlords defy court orders, A8

COMMUNITY: STEAM, a modern art, B1

SPORTS: Western grapplers place seventh at nationals, B7

OBITUARIES A3 OPINION A4

CLASSIFIEDS A15-A18 SPORTS B6

Drew Nelson guilty on 20 counts

Sentencing set for April 24

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

After a seven-day jury trial in early March, Brett Andrew Nelson, 44, was found guilty of 20 of 24 counts brought against him by a Colorado grand jury in April 2022. The charges include various counts of criminal extortion, retaliation against a judge, attempt to influence a public servant, stalking and forgery.

Colorado Senior Judge Kenneth Plotz presided over the trial, held in Gunnison District Court. The jury returned the verdicts after five hours of deliberation. The court also ordered a pre-sentence investigation report offering details about

the defendant, which helps the court determine an appropriate sentence.

A statewide grand jury indicted Nelson on 24 counts, including committing extortion and threatening several judges, law enforcement officers and prosecutors in Western Slope counties, including Gunnison.

According to a February 2023 press release from the attorney general’s office, Nelson filed multiple fraudulent documents, including powers of attorney, against a variety of public officials. He also fraudulently claimed that officials and others, listed as victims in criminal and domestic cases in which he was a defendant, owed him millions of dollars in damages.

“Nelson allegedly filed documents with threatening statements to judges and filed announcements of liens

Nelson A7

THE

QUOTE of the week

“A lot of people are there to wear a costume and have fun. But I put a racing bib on, and that means ‘go fast.’”

— Joan Swift, 25-time Al Johnson racer See story on B6

BRIEFS

County signs contract for second phase of Sawtooth

Gunnison County has signed a contract with Buena Vistabased housing manufacturer Fading West for the second phase of its affordable housing development, Sawtooth.

The project is located along the south end of 14th Street, next to the Gunnison County Fairgrounds. The 32 additional units will be offered between 80-120% area median income. The contract enshrines a “guaranteed maximum price” of $11 million, meaning the county will pay no more than that over the lifespan of the project.

The goal is to have the units on the ground this summer, with move-ins starting at the end of October.

Upper Gunnison initiates drought planning

The Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District is developing a drought contingency plan using money from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART grant program.

The effort will help the Upper Gunnison plan for the impacts of drought, sustainably manage water resources and prepare for potential water shortages. The district will work with local water users, municipalities, schools, agricultural producers, recreationalists and environmental groups.

A stakeholder meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 27 from 9-11 a.m. at 210 West Spencer in Gunnison or by Zoom. The district expects the planning process to take most of 2024. A public comment period for the draft will open in early 2025.

Western class may produce smoke

A Western Colorado University hide tanning workshop on March 23 and 24 may result in the presence of increased smoke in the vicinity. The workshop, which is not open to the public, requires a small, enclosed smoldering fire to waterproof the hides.

When emergencies arise in our valley, we rely on the knowledge that help is on the way. A developing situation often brings great uncertainty at a great pace. If any emergency call requires the attention of firefighting or first responders, the Gunnison Volunteer Fire Department (GVFD) is ready to act.

GVFD is made up of 40 volunteer first responders and 3 paid staff. They serve both the City of Gunnison and the Gunnison Fire Protection District which encompasses 2,700 square miles of Gunnison and Saguache Counties. The City of Gunnison has partnered with GVFD since July of 1880, and has operated on an Intergovernmental Agreement for the past 15 years for fire services within the city limits.

Being a volunteer department means that the men and women actively responding to a call are unpaid. Different from a staffed department where firefighting is a full-time job, the GVFD volunteers are there because they signed up to protect the community. When Dispatch sends out a call for Gunnison Fire, the volunteers that respond are ready to serve. Each of these 40 dedicated members of our community work professional jobs in their own fields and step away from their lives when called upon. They must arrange with their employers, families, and personal lives that at a moment’s notice they will be fulfilling a duty to serve. Part of what makes the Department so strong is that the volunteers bring the expertise and skills of their daily lives to calls with them. Trade professionals from plumbers to electricians, gas utility technicians to mechanics, even off duty medical professionals, the volunteers’ varied specialties round out the team’s ability to adapt and solve problems through the demands of any developing incident.

GVFD meets every Wednesday evening for weekly training. To begin serving on active calls, volunteers train and receive certification in hazardous materials, structure fires, and wildland fires. Those who are looking to develop in leadership roles may be training for supervisory or specialty certifications. The Department pulls in situational awareness for structure fires and vehicle extrication to build working knowledge around what they may find on response. Each volunteer invests approximately 150-200 unpaid hours in training and on response calls annually. In addition to knowing how to fight structure fires and respond to vehicle accidents, the Department also trains for the distinct incidents of swiftwater rescue and wildland firefighting. Volunteers qualified to national standards respond to wildfire incidents across the United States. Sending volunteers and the apparatus specifically designed for wildland fires

exchanges manpower for experience that returns to benefit the Gunnison Valley.

GVFD can best be described as an organization in which “people follow greatness”. Some are drawn into the firehouse by friends or family, some come from Western, and others participate because they want to contribute to their community. Each volunteer embodies a sense of personal integrity and leadership for the greater good. They embrace responsibility when they walk into the firehouse and display a commitment that comes through in personal excellence during training and on active calls. The positive feedback loop instilling team camaraderie and drive builds a high quality in the Department and through their service to the community.

Public service in the community is not limited to first response calls. GVFD engages at the schools teaching fire safety and shows up as a friendly face to some of the community’s most cherished events. Downtown during Trick or Treat on Main Street, Night of Lights, or City Fest, the members of the Department are always happy to show the trucks and equipment as a part of our city.

Always remember that Gunnison’s first responders are available when help is needed. Always call 911 when you have a life-threatening emergency. The Department is also available to answer the community’s questions and test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for proper use and function.

To contact the Fire Chief, Hugo Ferchau, call (970) 6418153. Visit the Gunnison Volunteer Fire Department website at gunnisonfire.org.

Shane Alan Hutchison

Shane Alan Hutchison was born Jan. 28, 1971 in Gunnison. His parents are Bruce Hutchison of Pueblo and Marlene Permann (Mike) of Minnesota. Shane’s sons are Joshua Hutchison of Colorado Springs, Shane Hutchison of Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Jeremy Hutchison of Wichita Falls, Texas. His sisters are Heidi Hutchison of Pueblo and Holli Hutchison of Minnesota. He is survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins; Marshall, William, Esabeau, Savaun, Hanna, Emily and Leah.

Shane went to Gunnison High School. He loved football, wrestling, woodworking, art and music. He went to state as a sophomore in high school for wrestling. He was sponsored by Burton snowboards for snowboarding. He was even a model in Denver for underwear. He loved the out-of-doors. Mountain biking was a passion. Snowboarding, skateboarding, whatever he did, he did with his whole being. Everything to the extreme.

As Shane grew older, he got into drugs and alcohol. It overtook his life. Later, he was in prison various times because of alcohol, drugs and actions the alcohol caused. I want this memorial to help someone. I do not want to glorify Shane’s lifestyle, but I do want to honor him as a son, father, brother and friend.

Shane was paroled out of prison on February 26, 2024. He was found in Mineral Palace Park in Pueblo, Colorado on Feb. 29. He had overdosed on drugs and alcohol. The addiction had taken over his life. That was not Shane. He was pronounced dead at 10:59 p.m. on Feb. 29. He just couldn’t get it together.

There will be a memorial service for family and friends in Pueblo later this spring.

Luke Ryan George

Luke Ryan George passed away on Feb. 6, 2024 at his home in Wasilla, Alaska. Luke was born on April 28, 1992 in Gunnison. Most of Luke’s childhood was spent in Pitkin, then moving to Durango, Colorado with his family in 2000 and returning to Pitkin in 2005.

Luke moved with his family to Fairbanks, Alaska in 2010 before his senior year of high school.

Luke graduated from West Valley High School in Fairbanks in 2011. He played football and basketball while at Gunnison

High School and basketball

Spring snowpack

while attending West Valley High School.

Luke enjoyed being outdoors while climbing mountains in Colorado and Alaska. Additionally, he could often be found in the mountains during the winter and spring accompanied by his snowboard, brother and friends. He was a reluctant hunter, but loved wild game meat. During his rare hunting trips, he had taken elk, mule deer and caribou. He was also a skilled gamesman of cribbage, chess and Catan. Most importantly, he developed a strong relationship with Christ during his senior year in high school while at Bethel Church in Fairbanks.

Luke is best remembered by his friends as a polite, kind and caring person with a sense of humor who provided encouraging words to others. He had little patience for bullies and displayed compassion for and generosity to the homeless in Fairbanks and Anchorage.

Luke is survived by his parents, Gary and Becky George of Wasilla, brother, Brett of Wasilla, sister, Laura McCready (Lincoln) and their children, niece, Jessa and nephew, Colt of Idaho. Luke is also survived by his grandmother, Kay George and aunts and uncles, Mike George (Kim Gailey) and Greg George (Patty), all residing in Gunnison. Luke’s celebration of life service was held at Community Church in Gunnison on Feb. 14, 2024.

Rolling sagebrush hills emerge from the snow a few miles southeast of Gunnison on March 7.

(Photo by Mariel Wiley)

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GUEST COMMENTARY

How landscape conservation boosts rural resilience

Pete Kolbenschlag Special to the Times

When the Gunnison National Forest Reserve, now part of the larger GMUG National Forests, was first created over 100 years ago, protection for downstream agriculture in the North Fork and Gunnison valleys was a top priority. This conservation policy was visionary in its time and had few analogs anywhere in the world. At the dawn of the 20th century, the United States was a leader in land and watershed conservation, even if it was founded more on a “utility” than on a “protection” model.

There are a number of things that make agriculture in western Colorado challenging, but many of them can be divided into two big piles: environmental and economic. In both cases, the protection of “natural capital,” rather than its liquidation or spendthrift squandering, is the wiser long-term strategy. This is particularly true in a time of growing climate disruption.

As my organization, the Colorado Farm and Food Alliance, works to update its report on the climate emergency in western Colorado, we again find that the risk global heating poses to our lives and livelihoods on the Western Slope is severe. Agriculture is significantly threatened on many fronts from climate

LETTERS

2023

2023 Member

LETTERS POLICY

Letters

Not just misleading

Editor: County Commissioners run according to their party affiliation. Colorado school board races are non-partisan. School board ballots do not identify candidates’ party affiliations as they are irrelevant to the election and to school board service, all the better for our children and the schools in these politically charged times.

change, and the Southwest is at particular risk.

But with challenge comes opportunity. As vulnerable as our region is, we are also uniquely and well positioned to be climate leaders.

In our upcoming report “The Gunnison Basin: Epicenter for Climate Action” the Colorado Farm & Food Alliance provides updated information on the indicators and impacts of climate change in our region.

We also include powerful examples of local climate action. We look particularly at three broad pathways wellsuited to this region: community-centered rural renewables, regenerative agriculture and landscape-level and watershed conservation.

Public lands conservation, in particular, presents several important opportunities right now that could set course for decades or longer as we navigate toward a more, or less, resilient future. Healthy ecosystems provide a broad host of benefits that allow humans to live here. It's not only forests. Natural public lands, from deserts and wetlands to riparian corridors, all perform irreplaceable “ecosystem services” that make life here possible.

At the start of the 20th century, and since then, visionary American leaders have set apart certain public lands for values beyond what one industry —

Let the people decide

Editor: Local Republicans and Democrats recently held their respective county assemblies to lay out their political platforms and identify candidates for this year’s election.

say mining or sheep-herding — had in mind to fuel their profit. This is why we still have beloved places like the West Elks, Taylor Park and Cimarron Ridge to ski, camp, hunt and fish today.

This vision gave western Colorado the character and qualities we still celebrate, secured critical water sources we still rely on and are a resource that still powers a suite of multi-million dollar Colorado industries — from orchards and ranching to snow-riding, jeeping and rafting. And now, two decades into a new century, we see with clarity that Colorado’s future well being is more aligned with valuing these lands as healthy ecological systems rather than primarily as raw material.

As imperfect as those first conservation policies were, and with all the years of mixed — at best — policy since, that foresight over 100 years ago is why we still are able to ask today: Which policies for management of the public lands and our watersheds now will allow our progeny to ask this same question 100 years in the future?

Choices involve trade-offs and such is the case with landscape conservation. One tradeoff, if we don’t get it right, is our ability to prosper in the Southwest in the no-longer-distant future. Protection of public lands and the watersheds they contain is one vital strategy nec-

essary to survive the climate crisis.

This is one reason that the Colorado Farm & Food Alliance supports efforts being put forward by a broad coalition of groups, businesses and individuals to secure enduring protections for the Dolores River watershed. And the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is now amending several landuse plans to consider additional protections for public lands in the region, shifting its priorities away from fossil fuel extraction.

Just as leaders from more than a century ago had the wisdom to protect the water source areas that allow places in western Colorado to exist today, so too the next generations will scrutinize our actions and hold our decision-makers to account. After all, the future is already here. It includes the young people of today, and our direct and our non-distant heirs. They watch us carefully and understand that their stake in our decisions is extreme.

Don’t we owe it to tomorrow’s possibility to secure for its own sake what we have not yet depleted? Let’s give the future the one thing it needs most — a future.

(Pete Kolbenschlag is a rural advocate, long-time climate activist, and director of the Colorado Farm & Food Alliance. He lives outside of Paonia.)

We will not print

Email letters to editor@gunnisontimes.com or send to 218 N. Wisconsin St., Gunnison, CO 81230. Include your full

The deadline is Tuesday at 12 p.m.

A March 14 Gunnison Times article titled “County commissioner race takes shape” inaccurately states that “Henry is fresh off a school board election where she ran against a Democratic slate.” This misinformation is not just misleading but may inadvertently add to the polarization and contentiousness surrounding the election.

Anne Hausler Gunnison

Neither party is especially active in our valley communities. Republicans hold occasional public meetings where they discuss their views and voice support for specific candidates. Democrat candidates campaign around election time and Jonathan Houck, Liz Smith and Laura Puckett Daniels are as good campaigners as I’ve seen.

I’ve been active, walking the streets and handing out literature for each of them. I believe these leaders make an effort to represent our community. Reportedly, other Democrats have been active during campaigns in the North Valley.

Our local candidates should represent the will of the people. The aforementioned do. But our local Democratic Party could do better. In the recent Gunnison

County Democratic primary, President Biden gained 83% of the vote. Ten percent of Democrat voters voted uncommitted. In national elections one point can swing an election. I hope our local Democratic Party has a plan to regain the 10% of the vote that did not choose Biden. Perhaps, if voters had a choice to rank candidates, they could find a way to prioritize their vote where they had confidence that if their first choice did not gain the most votes, their other choices might. In this hypothesis, if Biden wasn’t their first choice, he might be their second.

A resolution was placed before the recent local Democrat assembly to explore ranked choice voting (RCV). The resolution was soundly defeated. That’s unfortunate because RCV better reflects how the majority votes and gives an equal chance to candidates no matter their party affiliation. In its simplest form, if no candidate achieves more than 50% of the vote, RCV eliminates the candidate with the fewest votes and voters’ prioritized choic-

es are applied to remaining candidates respectively. This continues until one candidate achieves more that 50% of the vote.

Currently, the federal government and most states use the plurality system — the candidate with the highest number of votes wins. This could mean that a candidate with less, sometimes significantly less, than 50% of the vote could represent the views of a minority of voting citizens.

I believe RCV more accurately reflects the will of the people. RCV could be employed as necessary within political parties to choose candidates and at our local elections where all candidates would have an equal chance.

Let’s be in the forefront of change! I encourage local political parties and our county to consider ranked choice voting. Let the people decide.

Joe Dix Gunnison

Water cut disagreements continue on Colorado River

Upper and Lower Basin states share conflicting proposals for the future

Bella Biondini Times Editor

The seven Colorado River Basin states have again reached a stalemate, unable to agree on water use cuts in a system that is slowly drying out.

Over the last year, representatives from the Upper Basin (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and the Lower Basin (Arizona, California and Nevada) states have met monthly to renegotiate the rules used to operate Lake Powell and Lake Mead. These conversations came to a halt in February — the states sharing conflicting ideas on how to manage the reservoirs that funnel water to 40 million people downstream.

The existing reservoir operation guidelines, used to manage water shortages in the Lower Basin, were set nearly 15 years ago in 2007, spurred by multiyear droughts and decreasing reservoir storage. The rules are not set to expire until the end of 2026. But historically low reservoir levels during the summer of 2022 pushed the Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that manages water deliveries to the Lower Basin, to lead an early revision to avoid a potential system crash.

With larger water shortages projected beyond 2026, the Upper and Lower Basin states have agreed on very little about how to manage the river in the future. Earlier in March, the Upper and Lower Basin states submitted two different alternatives for the post-2026 operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead. While the states believe that changes need to be made — reducing the risks that come with depleted reservoir storage and climate change — their proposed solutions do not align.

Reclamation will have the final say in how the reservoirs along the Colorado River will be managed after the 2007 guidelines expire. The agency plans to publish a draft environmental impact statement in December of this year.

It is unlikely the seven states will reach a consensus this time. While the Upper Basin continues to take shortages in the form of less rain and snow, the Lower Basin has been consuming more water.

“When we say there’s little water to conserve in Colorado, we’re not being uncooperative. It’s because we don’t have large reservoirs above our

As of Monday, March 18, Blue Mesa Reservoir was up almost 40 feet from one year ago. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)

diversions,” Becky Mitchell said at the annual Colorado River Water Users Association conference in Las Vegas in December. Mitchell is Colorado’s representative on the Upper Colorado River Commission.

“We divert directly from creeks, streams, tributaries and the river itself. We use less water when there’s less available,” she said. “When we have a bad snowpack, we can’t drain a massive reservoir to bail us out. Instead, our water users go without and aren’t compensated for it. Colorado communities are doing their part, and they feel the pain.”

The 2007 guidelines use a “fixed tier” system to govern releases from Lake Powell and Lake Mead and administer water shortages in the Lower Basin. For example, tier 1 is triggered when Lake Mead reaches 1,075 feet in elevation, and Arizona, Nevada and Mexico are collectively required to cut back 383,000 acre-feet of water use. An acre-foot is enough water to cover an acre of land about 1-foot deep.

Tiers are set based on water supply forecasts the year prior, rather than the existing conditions along the river system. But these predictions have almost always been wrong, said John McClow, general counsel for the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District. He is actively involved in Colorado River negotiations.

Even a 1-foot inaccuracy can mean the difference of several million acre-feet of water releases, he said. As a result, large amounts of water have been consistently sent downstream since 2008. Reservoir releases average almost 9 million acre-feet per year, but inflows have not been high enough to refill Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

Reservoir levels fell to the lowest on record in 2021. Reclamation pulled water from reservoirs upstream, including an emergency release from Blue Mesa in Gunnison, to protect dam infrastructure. Lake Powell has still been unable to recover. Although Lake Powell is up almost 40 feet from one year ago, it's only 32% full.

Both the Upper and Lower Basin states agree that the tiered

system is flawed and want to base reservoir operations on “actual hydrology.” This means Reclamation would curb water use based on the volume of water actually present in reservoirs, rather than 24-month forecasts the year prior. But the two alternatives quickly diverge from there.

In its proposal, the Lower Division determined annual water cuts by looking at the “total system contents,” not just the reservoir elevations at Lake Powell and Lake Mead. This would add three reservoirs from the Upper Basin into the mix, including Flaming Gorge, Navajo and the Aspinall Unit (which includes Blue Mesa), and two in the Lower Basin. Even when storage levels at Powell and Mead are in poor shape, the Lower Basin would have access to more water.

The Upper Division states have shared another issue with the Lower Division’s proposal.

It states that when the combined reservoir storage is less than 23-38%, the Lower Basin will take their 1.5 million acrefoot shortage. The rest would then be split equally between the Upper and Lower Basin, up to 2.4 million acre-feet of water each, under “the most critical system conditions.”

“Most fundamentally, this framework commits stakeholders to the simple principle that when less water is available in the system, less water should be taken from the system,” the Low Basin alternative reads.

According to statistics from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Lower Basin consumes more than double the amount of water than the Upper Basin. In 2021, the Lower Basin pulled more than 10.5 million acre-feet from the Colorado River, while the Upper Basin suffered a 1 million acre-foot loss from drought — only consuming 3.5 million.

“They want to cut us 2.4 million,” McClow said. “Can we agree to that? Not likely.”

(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.)

Water plant from A1

horizontal water well. A large boring machine is often used to feed thousands of feet of piping into a cavity underground, similar to an electric conduit, and then backfill the area with gravel. The gravel filters the water before it enters the pipe and is eventually pumped to a plant for treatment.

The total price tag of the city’s water system improvements, split into five separate projects, is estimated at nearly $80 million. Project 1 focuses on the collection of “raw” or untreated water; project 2 is the complex system of pipes that will move water to a treatment plant; and project three is the new plant itself. Projects 4 and 5 include additional water storage and a possible reservoir at the cityowned VanTuyl Ranch — the chosen site for the majority of the projects.

What the city cannot cover with outside dollars will eventually be passed on to Gunnison’s relatively small utility customer base as rate increases. To relieve some of the pressure, the city has been “aggressively” pursuing grants to knock down the cost, said City Manager Amanda Wilson.

“Without that funding, coming up with the matching requirements associated with other grants that are in the pipeline was proving to be very difficult,” Wilson said during a city council meeting on March 12. “This is a huge relief.”

The city pulls its drinking water from nine wells scattered throughout the city. The system is outdated and no longer per-

Marble

from A1

tying its reserves. Despite the harrowing budget outlook, the Marble Charter School Board believes that this school year is an anomaly and has plans to steady the school’s finances.

“If you look back, we have years and years of sustainability. We’re trying to get through this dip and make sure that we land back on our feet moving forward.”

mitted by the state. Because all of the wells pull water from the same aquifer, it's also vulnerable to contamination and periods of prolonged drought.

Project 1 will increase the number of ways the city can collect untreated water for its drinking water supply. After it’s complete, the city will have the ability to pull from the underground water table using the infiltration gallery and directly from the Gunnison River, in addition to the aquifer. The infiltration gallery is designed to capture the water table that flows underground, and is much shallower than the main aquifer.

The city contracted with JVA Engineers for project 1 at the end of 2022, but did not have enough money to begin design work. But the congressional earmark, alongside grants from the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Colorado Water Conservation Board and Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, will cover the majority of project 1. The city will pitch in another $187,000 from its water fund to complete the $330,000 design this year.

The infiltration gallery will be placed on the southern end of VanTuyl Ranch, away from the existing trail system. A visible pump station will eventually move the water to the new treatment plant. The city also plans to drill three new wells on the property during this phase of the project.

Under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment requires the city to prove that its project will not negatively affect the existing private wells and

trict passes on “per pupil” revenue from the state and federal government based on Marble’s enrollment numbers, but does not manage its budget and has no obligation to subsidize operations at the charter school. While Marble follows many of the district’s policies, it has a separate school board and hires its own staff.

The Gunnison school board considered Marble’s contract renewal in February.

Superintendent Leslie Nichols said she felt confident in the director and staff’s ability to address the problems that arose following the pandemic, particularly around low student test scores. While Marble’s financial future still remains “precarious,” she recommended the board approve the new contract. The final charter contract, which usually stays in place for five years, will be considered this summer.

water rights of adjacent property owners. The Public Works Department shared its preliminary design report with the state last year.

“We have done engineering analysis to show that's not the case,” Wilson told the Times

The city is working to obtain an easement from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to

build a river diversion on the agency’s property. A portion of the VanTuyl property near the Gunnison River is a state wildlife area and is managed by CPW. The easement should be finalized by April.

Water quality testing will continue at VanTuyl this spring. Construction on project 1 is not expected to begin until

the spring of 2025. The city will focus on projects 1 through 3 in the coming years.

(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.)

Hawkins Siemon Marble School Board

The charter school has been in a contract with the Gunnison Watershed School District for almost three decades. The dis-

“[Our support] does not mean ‘Great, you've shown to us that your budget woes are fixed and everything's fine,’” Nichols said. “We're saying, ‘Hey, Marble, we believe in you … We want you to continue to work hard for the kids in Marble and the kids who attend your school. We're here to support you.’”

Reserves running dry

The Marble Charter School operates out of two buildings,

the older of which is the original Marble High School built in 1912. The charter school is using $1 million from the Gunnison Watershed School District’s recently-passed bond measure for renovations. But that money can’t be spent on basic school operations — leaving the charter school with a slim budget next year despite the extra cash.

The Roaring Fork School District, which serves students in Glenwood Springs, Basalt and Carbondale, is the closest

neighbor to the charter school. Roaring Fork increased teacher salaries in 2022, and Marble followed with similar raises so the school could continue to attract and retain new teachers.

But the salary boost came as a “pretty big hit to our bottom line,” and ate into the charter school’s limited reserves, said Marble School Board President Hawkins Siemon. This was accompanied by a drop in enrollment during the 2023-24 school year. The school budgeted for 50 students but by the

end of December, the headcount had fallen to 43.

“We're using more of our reserves than ever, since I've been part of the school,” Siemon said at a Gunnison school board meeting in January. “That is a little bit scary.”

The Marble Charter School ended its most recent fiscal year with a fund balance of roughly $162,000, Siemon said. The board expects to spend roughly

Crews run water quality tests on Tuesday, March 19. (Courtesy David Gardner/City of Gunnison)

In 2022, the Marble Charter School took ownership of the historic Marble High School building, constructed in 1912. The Marble High School is the only surviving structure in town to feature Yule marble in its construction. (Courtesy Marble School Board)

half of that balance this school year, most to cover teacher salary increases, according to budget projections.

“We still have an excess of funds in several of our banking accounts that will allow us to cover all our costs this year, and potentially for a few years to come,” the Marble School Board wrote in its renewal application. “However, we will need to develop a more sustainable financial plan to move forward to remain solvent after the next couple of years.”

To recover, Siemon said the board plans to “aggressively” market the charter school to attract new students. The school has done radio ads and mailed postcards to residents throughout the valley. The board highlighted the school’s bus service to Carbondale, low teacher to student ratio and its emphasis on outdoor education.

“You’ll go to Carbondale, which is only 40 minutes away, and they don’t even know we exist … But there's a lot of great features we can use when we market for enrollment,” said Marble Charter School Director Gina Mile. It’s her 21st year working at the school. “We just have to do more to get the word out. “

The board also decided rather than matching Roaring Fork salaries, it would offer 80-90% to save money in the future. While existing teachers will not receive pay cuts, incoming staff will have slightly lower salaries. The charter school formed a new grant committee and added a number of new fundraisers to supplement the money raised by the popular Lead King Loop race, including a backcountry ski film festival.

Nelson from A1

on several judges’ property to try to influence their rulings in cases in which he was involved. Nelson also filed powers of attorney, purportedly giving him the authority to act on behalf of judges in an attempt to dismiss cases where he was charged,” the release stated.

Since the start of 2024, Nelson has also filed eight lawsuits in Gunnison District Court. The defendants include Judge Plotz, Gunnison County, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie, Detention Captain Midge Barton, Detention Deputy Stephanie Long and

Pandemic aftermath lingers Marble has suffered from the same pandemic-related teacher and substitute shortages as the rest of the district, and the state, Mile said. During the 2022-23 school year, three of the seven full-time staff members went on family medical leave. At the same time, student attendance worsened.

Last year, half of Marble’s student body missed more than 20 days of school, equivalent to 12% of the school year. Student assessment scores over the last couple of years reflect the missed class time. Almost 50% of Marble students are one grade level behind in reading. In math, 65% are one grade level behind. With help from the Colorado Department of Education, teachers have started to meet with “at risk” students in small groups for additional instruction this year.

“It's definitely been a rough go,” Mile said. “But our recent or most recent test scores are looking a lot better.”

Over the years, enrollment at the charter school has slowly increased, Siemon said. The town is supportive of the school, often referred to as the “heart of Marble.” It has influenced the type of people that move to the rural area and has drawn in many younger families, he said.

“We feel like this year is the exception,” Siemon said. “If you look back, we have years and years of sustainability. We're trying to get through this dip and make sure that we land back on our feet moving forward.”

(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.)

Detention Deputy Aaron Brown, among others.

Most of those claims allege that his constitutional rights have been violated by persons acting “under color of law,” or in a lawful position of authority, while he’s been held in the Gunnison County Detention Center. Nelson is being held on a $300,000 cash-only bond in the detention center. Sentencing is set for April 24 at 9 a.m. in Gunnison District Court.

(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)

It all starts with a Chevy Truck

2024 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab High Country

Nelson’s case was heard in Gunnison District Court. (Photo by Abby Harrison)

Fish Fry Friday

Federal judge considers financial penalties against Gunnison landlords

Conflict continues over Fair Housing Act violations

Michael Karlik Colorado Politics

A federal judge on Wednesday, March 13 appeared to accept that despite going out of his way to accommodate their participation, a trio of Gunnison landlords will continue to disobey his orders and ignore the housing nondiscrimination agreement they voluntarily entered into with the government four years ago.

At the same time, U.S. District Court Judge Gordon P. Gallagher ruled out, for now, the possibility of jailing David Welch, John Welch and Ruth Welch for contempt.

"I don’t know what else we can do at this point," Gallagher admitted at a hearing in his Denver courtroom. "We were hoping to get some cooperation. But, unfortunately, we did not."

The Welches, despite being summoned to appear, did not attend the hearing. Nor did they show up at the federal courthouse in Grand Junction, where Gallagher normally is stationed.

apply" and providing records of rental inquiries and applications to the department over a three-year period.

Instead, they have effectively told Gallagher they believe the process is a witch hunt.

"This whole situation was started with untruthes (sic) and absolute lies," Ruth Welch wrote to Gallagher one week before the scheduled hearing. "At the time, I responded to the fact that I do not know how to deal with people that lie. I still don't."

She added that her "priorities have changed" and the department is "at the bottom of the list!"

Originally, after the Welches failed to appear at a hearing in 2022, U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter recommended holding them in contempt. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico, who was presiding over the case at the time, held off on imposing punishment after the government indicated it may be making progress with the Welches.

Last summer, Gallagher took the extraordinary step of traveling to Gunnison to hold a hearing at the Welches' local courthouse. He told them that compliance with the consent decree "needs to start now."

The unusual case revolves around the Welches' 12-unit complex at 1412 W. Gunnison Ave. and a consent decree they signed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in early 2020. The department received allegations that the Welches denied or discouraged families with children from renting at their property, in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

Through the consent decree, the Welches agreed to take certain steps like advertising their property with the phrase "families with children welcome to

"I've never seen a court put somebody in jail for this," Gallagher added. "But at some point, the court's going to say, 'Enough is enough,' and the punishments are going to start happening."

Instead, the government continued to report the Welches were ignoring the terms of the consent decree by continuing to advertise their property without the family-inclusive language and withholding the required rental records.

Prior to the hearing, Gallagher's courtroom deputy returned a call Ruth Welch had made to the court. According to a docket entry, Welch said one of her sons could not attend because he was undergoing

medical treatment, her other son was "out of the USA" and she was 88 years old and "could not drive herself" to the courthouse.

After being told Gallagher could reschedule the hearing to accommodate the family, "Ms. Welch refused to provide a date stating that she would not come to Court, ever, as she has more important priorities and does not agree with this process," the docket entry read.

"The conversation last week was fairly disheartening," Gallagher conceded at the hearing. "It was, ‘We'll do this whenever you can do it,’ which is not how courts usually offer court dates."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeyen J. Wu indicated he would likely submit a motion for financial sanctions. He also suggested installing an independent property manager to oversee the Welches' property in compliance with the consent decree.

"We view that as the more effective and direct way as opposed to the fine," Wu said. "I honestly don't know. We've not really been in this situation that I can recall."

"It would appear to me that financial sanctions are reasonably appropriate sanctions in this circumstance given the age, the health of the people involved and the behavior," Gallagher agreed. He added he was unlikely to agree to more severe penalties in the near term.

"What I don’t think is appropriate, at least at this point and probably never given the nature of the conduct, is incarcerative circumstances," Gallagher said. "I don’t want to take all the cards off the table, but that doesn’t appear appropriate at this juncture."

(This article is reprinted with permission from Colorado Politics. To read similar stories, please visit coloradopolitics. com.)

In early 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development received allegations that the Welches denied or discouraged families with children from renting at their property in Gunnison. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)

Dilly Deli opens doors

Gunnison’s newest sandwich shop, The Dilly Deli, welcomed its first crowd of customers on Thursday, March 14. Locals clamored in for hot and cold sandwiches, breakfast bowls, pastries and more. Over the last several months, co-owners Rachel and Jefe Branham renovated the space, which housed Firebrand for nearly three decades. Above the diners hung a “So All May Eat” sign, encouraging customers to purchase a sandwich for those in need.

Research

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(Photos by Abby Harrison)

Firebird Theater presented a rendition of playwright David Ives’ “All in the Timing” at the Almont Resort on March 15. The collection of six short comedic plays included a vignette of three monkeys trapped in a laboratory with typewriters. The trio were tasked with writing the complete works of Shakespeare — a twist on the classic infinite monkey theorem thought experiment.

(Photos by Mariel Wiley)

MetRec selects contractor for master rec plan

Ahonen to step down in coming months

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

The Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District (MetRec) board has selected a contractor, Norris Design, for its district-wide recreation master plan.

The plan will be the first of its kind, offering a roadmap of recreation needs and opportunities in MetRec’s service area — which includes lands as far north as Gothic to the southern border of Gunnison County. The board set aside $200,000 for the plan in its 2024 budget.

Board members unanimously approved the recommendation at a meeting on Feb. 28, and will vote on the final contract at a March 27 meeting.

“I’m proud of MetRec for being able to create a foundation and put itself in a position where it can help lead on this effort,” said District Manager Derrick Nehrenberg.

The district started soliciting proposals in January and MetRec received three applications. The district’s Recreation Committee, composed of board members Earl Marshall and Mary Haskell, Nehrenberg and administrative coordinator Chelsea Madden interviewed the candidates before making a recommendation.

Norris is well-known throughout the Gunnison Valley. Mt. Crested Butte worked with Norris on its 2023 master plan. Norris designed the Town of Crested Butte’s rec path bridge river access project and is a partner on Gunnison County’s affordable housing project, Whetstone.

For Nehrenberg, the firm was always a strong candidate, particularly for its clear focus on community engagement.

“It boils down to the relationships that they already have established in the community,” he said. “The master planning, and getting the pieces to fit together, is going to require understanding those relationships.”

Once the board signs the contract, it will lay out a timeline for the rest of the year. The first major step is GIS work, a process that creates and analyzes map data, Nehrenberg said. This will reveal what recreation amenities — like ice rinks, playing fields and trailheads — are currently available, where they’re located and who they’re serving.

Throughout the process, locals will have a chance to weigh in. The board hopes to

approve the plan in December of 2024.

Board changes

MetRec Board President Loren Ahonen announced that he will step down from the board. Ahonen is the district’s only representative from MetRec’s South Subdistrict. There’s no requirement that the MetRec board has a member from Gunnison, but Ahonen said it would be important for the board.

The plan so far is to swear in a new board member at the April meeting. The individual appointed to fill the position will serve for a little over a year, before facing a formal election. Each MetRec board member serves four-year terms, and is capped at two terms.

“I want to thank you for everything that you've done for MetRec,” said board member Cassia Cadenhead. “You've been an awesome leader. I really value your fairness. I understand, but I'm sad for the district.”

Board members discussed ideal candidates for the job, and said MetRec would benefit from someone with strong relationships with Gunnison County and large-scale planning experience.

Members also voted to make board member positions paid ones, following guidance from the Special Districts Association — a national special district advocacy and training organization. The recommendation was $100 a member per board meeting.

MetRec board members used to be paid, but the rule was suspended in the mid 2010s when the district’s budget dwindled. With the passage of ballot measure 6B in 2021 — when North Subdistrict voters chose to raise property taxes by two mills — and rising property values, MetRec’s budget is larger than ever.

Paying board members was not included in MetRec’s 2024 budget, Nehrenberg said, but will be added in an amendment later in the year.

“I feel strongly about this,” Ahonen said. “Especially as the organization moves forward, being able to recruit diverse candidates from different life experiences than we've historically had, is a valuable thing.”

(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)

1105 N Pine St., MLS #810392, $845,000. Welcome to your dream home in the picturesque Van Tuyl Village subdivision! This brand-new, 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom property is a testament to modern design and quality craftsmanship. As you step inside, you’re greeted by an open and inviting kitchen-dining area, adorned with cherry cabinets and equipped with state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances. The tiled shower and bathtub add a touch of luxury to the bathrooms, while the master bedroom boasts its own oasis with a reading nook or small office space. The 2-car detached garage features 8-foot doors and 10-foot ceilings inside, providing ample space for your vehicles and storage needs. The extra space above the garage, accessible via exterior stairs, presents exciting opportunities. Whether you need additional storage or dream of an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit), the potential is yours to explore with City of Gunnison approval. Don’t miss the chance to make this new construction your forever home. Contact us now to schedule a viewing and witness the epitome of contemporary living!

216 Lochleven Lane, MLS #804508, $875,000, 3-Bedroom 2-Bathroom 1,988 sqft, built in 1985, and with1.056 acres with attached car garage. Well built home situated in the beautiful little Homestead Subdivision in Almont. Sit on your large front deck and revel in the views up the East River Valley. Located just 10 min from Gunnison and 20 min from CB, you are centrally located to enjoy the activities the area has to offer from world class fishing, rafting and hiking to snowmobiling and skiing. This 2 story home has its main living area on the top floor with a large open kitchen/ dining living room area with a wood stove that keeps the top floor nice and warm. This area is a great space to gather and entertain as you take in the views surrounding the property. The property also has a sunroom that can be accessed from the second level or has 2 separate entrances from the exterior. There is a 1 car oversized attached garage and located next to the garage is a very large storage room/closet for all of your storage needs. The home has a lot of deck area on the outside for outdoor entertaining or to casually relax and take in the many different views. Almont is a quaint small town with 2 restaurants/bars located within minutes from the property. There is a free bus that runs up and down the valley from Gunnison to CB with a stop located in Almont.

413 W New York MLS #805945 2125 sqft

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Monday, August 8

5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

THE TOUR STARTS AT 6 P.M. Interpretation will be provided during the tours

• Meet the physicians, nurses and technicians who provide these lifesaving services

• Take an up-close look at the state-of-the art equipment used for cancer screenings including:

• 3D Tomosynthesis Mammography

• Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS)

Gunnison Valley Health Hospital Main Entrance 711 N. Taylor St. Gunnison, CO 81230 WWW.GUNNISONVALLEYHEALTH.ORG/EVENTS all ages

• Lung cancer screening

• Colonoscopy

• Deep oscillation therapy

• Tour the chemotherapy space

• Enjoy delicious appetizers and enter to win wonderful door prizes

Crazy for kombucha

The Gunnison Country Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of Crested Bucha on March 15. Guests sipped fizzy drinks and challenged each other to games of Connect Four. Located on Main Street, the new kombucha bar offers wine, beer, charcuterie boards and locally-brewed kombucha.

(Photos by Mariel Wiley)

Western moves enrollment deadline

Students in limbo after federal aid delayed

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

Prospective Western Colorado University students now have an extra two months to commit to the university, following months of financial aid delays from the federal government.

FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, allows students to apply for financial assistance from the federal government, helping offset the cost of college. At Western, most of the student body receives some form of federal aid. In 2022 and 2023, over 80% of enrolled Western students in incoming classes submitted a FAFSA form.

This year, the government overhauled the process in an effort to make it simpler, but as a result, the application portal opened over two months late. In response, Western and other universities around the country extended enrollment deadlines for students planning to start in fall of 2024 — giving families more time to consider their options. The university moved the priority enrollment date from May 1 to July 1.

“For us, it was a focus on providing the best possible service for our students to take the pressure off,” said Admissions Director Chase Watts. “Choosing a college is already stressful enough. We didn't want that to continue to be a stressor for them, to feel like they needed to decide right away.”

News from around the country shows that prospective stu-

dents are struggling to make the decision about going to college because, without financial aid awards, their families can’t determine which schools will be affordable. First-generation students and low-income students are most at risk, said Vice President of Marketing and Enrollment Leslie Taylor.

“I am really worried about very low income families, who are also first generation — the first students to go to college,” she said. “They don't know that things are going to turn out okay.”

Data trickling in

At the end of 2023, the U.S. Department of Education rolled out the "Better FAFSA” program. The goal was to simplify the application program, enabling more students to apply for federal aid and go to college.

The law created a new equation to determine a familys’ ability to pay for college, and is meant to extend the Pell Grant program. The new form will also be available in more languages, and have fewer questions.

Typically, FAFSA opens for students in October. But the form was not opened until January of 2024, after months of technical delays and issues arising from the simplification process. As of March 19, Western had received just over 100 FAFSA forms, Taylor said. The federal government initially promised that universities would have the data by January.

Neighboring universities like Adams State in Alamosa and Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction have extended scholarship and housing deposit deadlines. At Fort Lewis, the administration is financially supporting Pell Grant recipients — undergraduate students who show “exceptional financial need” — who lost their eligibility through FAFSA changes. Western is also contacting students via phone and email and

planning some visit days later in the summer.

As students’ decisions are delayed, so too are their deposits — a university’s best measure of if a student will actually attend. Despite the FAFSA delays, Taylor believes student enrollment will remain steady.

While FAFSA muddied the future for students across the country, Western took a step to support its students from lowincome families. At the start of the year, Western unveiled its latest tuition assistance program, the Mountaineer Promise.

“We're hoping that it provides for families and students who wouldn't have considered higher education,” Watts said.

The program, starting this fall, will cover tuition for Western students whose annual household income is less than $70,000. But it only covers the gap leftover for these students after they’ve received federal aid. As of now, the university has no clear idea of how much aid those students will receive, or the amount it will have to cover. However, Taylor expects that the discrepancy won’t be significant.

“We’re just trying to support people and help them figure out what they're going to do with this new model that we don't fully understand,” Taylor said.

(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)

Western extended its priority enrollment deadline from May 1 to July 1. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)

Colorado wolverine bill introduced

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and a bipartisan group of legislators joined together on March 4 to announce legislation that would allow the agency to reintroduce the North American wolverine to Colorado.

Colorado wildlife officials considered the restoration of wolverine, along with Canada lynx, in the 1990s. Due to the complexities, the wolverine restoration plans were delayed in favor of lynx restoration. After lynx restoration was deemed a success, CPW returned to the idea in 2010. The agency completed a reintroduction plan, but the effort was halted because of uncertainty surrounding a federal listing decision.

Because the wolverine has been listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act, Senate Bill 24-171 states that reintroduction would not begin until a final rule designating wolverines in Colorado as a “nonessential experimental population” had taken effect. This is also known as a 10(j) rule.

“Colorado is the right state to take on this work,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “The North American wolverine requires a high-elevation habitat with persistent, deep snowpack, and Colorado has some of the best remaining unoccupied wolverine habitat in the lower 48 states.”

“We have the opportunity to conserve a species that has been missing from our state in addition to supporting the species by increasing their population capacity across the Western U.S.,” said Senator Perry Will. “This legislation will provide the nation’s top wildlife agency and wildlife professionals the right method to reintroduce a species.”

Key components for the legislation include:

• CPW will work cooperatively with federal land management agencies with jurisdiction over federal public lands where North American wolverines may be released in Colorado.

• The Parks and Wildlife Commission shall adopt rules providing for payment of fair compensation to owners of livestock for losses of livestock

caused by the North American wolverine.

• Before the reintroduction effort occurs, CPW will prepare and deliver a report on the North American wolverine in the state. CPW will also prepare a report for each of the five years after the reintroduction of the North American wolverine occurs.

• CPW may not use funds generated from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses or from associated federal grants to implement the reintroduction.

• The bill authorizes the CPW Director to use $750,000 from the Species Conservation Trust Fund for the reintroduction effort. The funds would become available in the state fiscal year 2024-25.

Background on wolverines

With a solitary nature and a strong survival instinct, the wolverine is an icon of arctic, boreal and alpine environments. The wolverine is the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family. With short, rounded ears, a broad head and a stocky body, wolverines are sometimes compared to a skunk-badger-bear

New Song Christian Fellowship

Bethany Church

909 N Wisconsin St. (behind Powerstop) • 970-641-2144

Two services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

FREE lunch for college students following the 10:30 a.m. service gunnisonbethany.com

9 a.m.: Family Service with nursery & children’s church Check out our website for updates!

Or download our app on the App Store by searching, Gunnison Bethany.

B'nai Butte Congregation

PO Box 2537 Crested, Butte CO 81224 305-803-3648 bnaibutte@gmail.com

March 22- Shabbatluck service, 6 p.m., in Crested Butte - pls bring a dish and drink to share

March 23 - 10:30 a.m., Kibbitz (chat) with Rabbi Mark at Rumors Coffee in CB

March 23, 1-5 p.m., Purim activities and Havdalah service in Crested Butte

March 24, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Torah Study in Gunnison

Spiritual Leader: Rabbi Mark Kula is available for you at RabbiMarkKula@gmail.com

Go to bnaibutte.org for additional details and locations.

combo.

Wolverines are native to Colorado, and their range once spanned down the Sierra Nevada in California and the Rocky Mountains. The species was extirpated in Colorado in the 1900s due to unregulated hunting, and broad-scale carnivore poisoning. Wolverines, which number in the thousands in Canada and Alaska, have since reestablished populations in Washington, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, but have not returned to stay in Colorado.

It is estimated that there are fewer than 400 wolverines in the contiguous United States. The most significant stressor on wolverines in the coming years will be climate change, according to an analysis by theFish and Wildlife Service. It is likely to present new and growing challenges to the species, most in the form of a reduction in the cold, snowy habitat that wolverines prefer.

Colorado’s high snowy mountains are the species’ largest unoccupied territory in the Lower 48, and will only become more important as a warming climate shrinks the snowpack

Faith Directory

77 Ute Lane • 970-641-5034

A Christ Centered Gospel Sharing Community where we want to be part of a community who encourage and support one another in our spiritual journey.

Sunday 10 a.m. / Wednesday 7 p.m. newsonggunnison.net

Community Church of Gunnison

107 N. Iowa • 970-641- 0925

Pastor Larry Nelson

Christmas Eve Service 7:00 p.m.

Sunday Morning Worship 9:30 a.m.

Weekend Services 9:30 a.m.

Nursery & Age-Graded Ministry

Weekly Student Ministry

Weekly Adult LifeGroups

Office Hours: Mon-Thurs, 9-4

For more info: ccgunnison.com or email info@ccgunnison.com

Join us in-person, listen to our broadcast on 98.3 FM, or view online stream on YouTube

Transforming Lives • Building Community

First Baptist Church

120 N. Pine St. • 970-641-2240

Pastor Jonathan Jones

9:30 a.m. Share & Prayer Fellowship

10 a.m.

Sunday School Classes

11 a.m. Morning Worship Service

6 p.m. Evening Service

Wednesday 7 p.m. - Children's Patch Club

Gunnison Bible Institute

Thursday 7 p.m. - College & Career Christian Fellowship firstbaptistgunnison.org.

Church of Christ

600 E. Virginia • 970-641-1588

Sunday Morning Bible Class: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship: 6 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Class: 7 p.m.

Trinity Baptist Church

523 N. Pine St. • 970-641-1813

Senior Pastor - Joe Ricks Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.

Adult Bible Study 8 a.m. trinitybaptistsgunnison.com

Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church

711 N. Main • 970-641-1860

Children’s Christmas Program

Sunday, December 17th at 10 a.m.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 7 p.m.

Christmas Day Service at 10 AM

The Good Samaritan Episcopal Church

307 W. Virginia Ave. • 970-641-0429

Rev. Laura Osborne, Vicar

First Sunday of each month –11 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Alternating at Good Samaritan and All Saints in the Mountains

Check our websites for location

Second Sunday-Fifth Sunday –9 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Children’s Sunday school –2nd and 4th Sundays, monthly

Office hours: M-TH 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Taize – 1st Wednesday, monthly - 7 p.m. goodsamaritangunnison.org

Visit our partnership church: All Saints in the Mountains, Crested Butte

Meeting Second-Fifth Sundays at 5 p.m., Holy Eucharist, Rite II 403 Maroon Ave, Crested Butte

Visit our website for location of 11 a.m.

Holy Eucharist, First Sunday of each month allsaintsinthemountains.org

Church in the Barn

8007 County Road 887

Waunita Hot Springs Ranch • 970-641-8741 Sundays, 10:30 a.m.

Non Denominational Come as you are.

the wolverines need for dens. The state’s mountains, which are at high elevation, are predicted to retain their snowpack as well, if not better than, the lower-elevation mountains in the Pacific Northwest.

CPW biologists estimate that the state has enough suitable terrain to support approximately 100-180 animals, significantly bolstering the species’ longterm viability with a potential to increase the population in the Western U.S. by 20% or more.

Wolverines are opportunistic feeders and eat a variety of foods that are available in their harsh alpine and subalpine environment. Their diet includes small rodents, rabbits, porcupines, ground squirrels, marmots, birds and eggs, fish, carrion and plants. Wolverines will occasionally eat deer and other large ungulates. These are probably scavenged, although wolverines can kill large ungulates if those animals are weakened and bogged in deep snow.

(Source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife.)

Rocky Mountain

Christian Ministries

1040 Highway 135 (1/4 mile N. of Spencer Ave.) • 970-641-0158

Sunday Morning Worship 9:30 a.m.

Nursery and Children’s ministry through Middle School “Remedy” Worship Nights

Small Group Ministries mcmchurch.org

St. Peter’s Catholic Church 300 N. Wisconsin • 970-641-0808 Fr. Andres Ayala-Santiago gunnisoncatholic.org crestedbuttecatholic.org

or call the Parish Office.

St. Peter’s - Gunnison Sat 5 p.m. & Sun 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m. (Spanish) Mass

First Sunday of every month bilingual Mass 11 a.m.

Queen of All Saints - Crested Butte, 401 Sopris Sun 8:30 a.m. Mass

St. Rose of Lima - Lake City Mass Service, Sun. at 10 a.m.

Gunnison

Congregational Church

United Church of Christ 317 N. Main St. • 970-641-3203

Open and Affirming

Whole Earth · Just Peace Sunday, 10 a.m.

Casual, Relaxed, “Come As You Are” Worship gunnisonucc.org

EC ELECTRIC IS SEEKING

Journeyman & Residential Wireman for projects in the Gunnison and Crested Butte areas. Must have a valid Colorado driver’s license and pass a pre-employment drug screen.

Top pay & benefits.

Send resumes to info@ec-electric.com or call 970-641-0195

ec-electric.com/careers

GUNNISON WATERSHED SCHOOL DISTRICT

See GWSD website for details gunnisonschools.net

Gunnison Watershed School District believes that students thrive when they are connected to something bigger than themselves. That’s why we create learning experiences that spark curiosity, helping students discover who they are and how to make a difference in the world around them. As they excel in academics, athletics and the arts, students find the confidence to pursue any opportunity in life. Our team is “Driven to be the Difference!”

HOURLY OPPORTUNITIES:

Bus Drivers

Food Service - CBCS

Assistant Building Manager - CBCS

Lead Custodian - Lake School Substitute Teachers

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES:

School Psychologist - District Newcomer Teacher and Integration Specialist

COACHING:

GHS - Speech and Debate

GHS - Assistant Girls Basketball Coach

GHS - Head Wrestling Coach

GMS Track and Field Coach - (Shot Put and Discus) (Sprints and Long Jump)

Please contact: Superintendent’s Office

JoAnn Klingsmith 800 N. Boulevard 970-641-7760

jklingsmith@gunnisonschools.net

personalities in a fast-paced, demanding atmosphere. These full and part-time summer seasonal positions are paid $20/hour plus inclusion in the staff tip pool. The summer season runs May through Oct. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience.com/ careers.

GUNNISON COUNTY EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Motor Vehicle/Recording

Technician

Clerk and Recorder: 40 hours/ week, hourly rate range from $21.82-$24.85 plus full benefits

Case Management Aide

HHS: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $4,966-$6,037 plus full benefits.

Caseworker I HHS: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $5,263-$6,399 plus full benefits.

Public Health Nurse II –Substance Abuse Prevention Juvenile Services: 20 hours/ week, hourly rate range from $33.79-$41.08 plus partial benefits.

Seasonal

Public Works: Guaranteed 40 hours/week, hourly rate range from $20.58-$23.43 depending on experience, plus partial benefits. Outdoor work that includes traffic control, fencing, tree and brush removal, trail work, recycling, equipment training and much more, all in a 4-day work week.

Patrol Deputy Sheriff: Full-time, 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $5,857-$6,669 plus full benefits.

Detention Deputy Sheriff: Full-time, 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $5,263$5,992 plus full benefits. Only work 14 days a month.

Regional Health Services Supervisor

Full-time, 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $5,526.00$6,291.00 plus full benefits.

West Central Public Health Partnership (WCPHP) Capacity Coordinator

Part-time, 10-20 hour per week, hourly rate range from $28.64$32.62 plus partial benefits.

Heavy Equipment Operator I

Full-time, 40 hours/week, hourly rate from $22.91-$26.08 plus full benefits.

Seasonal Weed Program Technician

40 hours/week, for 6 months. This seasonal position is set to start in May and end in Oct., hourly range from $22.91-$26.08 plus partial benefits.

For more information, including complete job descriptions, required qualifications and application instructions, please visit GunnisonCounty.org/jobs.

GUNNISON VALLEY HEALTH IS HIRING:

Please note this is not a complete list of all our open jobs. You can view all open positions on our website at jobs.gunnisonvalleyhealth.org.

Resident Services Manager– FT (Bachelor’s) $19.81-$28.73, MSW$28.35–39.69/hour DOE

Customer Service Support – FT $18.50–$23.12

Medical Assistant, Specialty Clinic or GVO – FT Uncertified $17$19.55/hour, Certified $18-$23.40/ hour DOE

Health Information Management Tech – FT $17.00-$20.80/hr DOE

Benefits Eligibility: Medical, dental, vision, health care FSA and dependent care FSA. All active employees working 40 or more hours per pay period are eligible for benefits on the first of the month following date of hire. PRN staff are not initially eligible for benefits.

Please visit our website for more indepth position descriptions, specific qualification requirements and to apply online: gunnisonvalleyhealth. org/careers/ or call HR for questions 970-641-1456 (PRN = as needed). All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a negative 10-panel drug screen test, criminal background check, reference checks, infection prevention procedures (TB test, Flu Shot, immunization records, etc.), physical capacity profile and acknowledgement of policies.

LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE is gearing up for spring and summer. Looking for a part-time teacher to start training in March and working part-to-full time after the mountain closes. This is a year-round, stable opportunity with benefits, great pay and lots of perks. It is also super rewarding. Do you love little people? Are you flexible and creative? Do you want more stability in your job? Please send resume and interest letter to Jessica at lilredschoolhouse1@ gmail.com.

QUICK DRAW CLEANING is hiring carpet, duct and window cleaning technicians. $2230/hour, full and part-time. Serving all of Gunnison County and Lake City, a clean driver’s license is a must. Please email resume to djquickdraw@yahoo.com.

WATER OPERATOR: The Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District is accepting applications for a full-time Water Operator position to be part of a team environment focused on operation of the water plant and distribution system for Mt. Crested Butte. Important qualifications include a combination of construction, field operations and electrical/mechanical/maintenance repair. A State of Colorado water and/or distribution license or the ability to obtain such within one (1) year is mandatory (training for certifications provided). Operators are required to take on-call responsibility including select weekends and holidays. A valid Colorado driver’s license is required. Starting salary is $44,500-$51,500 for entry level. $58,000-$75,000 salary available for operators with experience and appropriate state licenses. Excellent benefits package including 100% employer paid premium family health, dental, vision and life insurance, 12 paid holiday days, two weeks paid vacation, employer contribution to retirement plan (5% automatic mandatory employer matching with 1-3% optional additional matching),

CLEAN ENERGY AND HOUSING

COMMUNITY LIASON: AmeriCorps service opportunity. The Gunnison Valley Home Energy Advancement Team (GV-HEAT) of the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority is facilitating energy efficiency upgrades in income-qualified households in the Gunnison Valley and is seeking a Clean Energy and Housing Community Liaison to help sustain and grow its programming. The activities of the AmeriCorps member, between Apr. 8 and Dec. 15, will focus on interacting, educating and collaborating with the local community in four key areas: 1. outreach, 2. program support, 3. workforce development and 4. expansion into the health sector. A living allowance and education award will be awarded. For more information, please view the service description on gvrha.org and apply through mountainrootsfoodproject.org/healthyfutures. Please email healthyfutures@ mountainrootsfoodproject.org with your questions.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN TREES AND LANDSCAPING now hiring for our 40th summer season. Come join a team that’s deeply rooted in the Gunnison Valley. Visit rockymountaintrees.com/employment/ to view available positions.

and overall quality control of paint jobs. Travel required to client worksites within Gunnison County, CO. 36 months experience as painter or related required. Must provide own vehicle to transport supplies and painting crew. Mail resume to Mike Keith, ML Keith, LLC dba Complete Coverage, P.O. Box 3484, Crested Butte, CO 81224.

GUNNISON LIQUOR (The Ghost) is currently looking for part-time help. Nights and weekends a must. Pay DOE. Stop by with a resume. 603 W. Tomichi Ave., Gunnison.

INTEGRATIVE DENTISTRY in Crested Butte is looking for a full or part-time dental assistant position to join our fun, high-energy, passionate dental team. Pay is dependent on experience, however no dental experience is necessary. Benefits are available to fulltime employees. Send your resume to info@ integrativedentistrycolorado.com.

BLACKSTOCK BISTRO is hiring for the summer season. To apply, visit Blackstockbistro.com and click employment. Line cook: Starting pay $20/hr, prior experience a plus, must work nights and weekends. Shifts start at 4 p.m. and go until close. Flexible with your other jobs if needed. Kitchen manager: Responsibilities include working on the line cooking during service, preparing food, assisting with inventory. This is a full-time position, around 45 hours per week. Applicant must be able to work most nights and some day-prep shifts. We offer flexible scheduling. Starting pay $45k/year, two weeks paid vacation, free ski pass or rec. center pass.

ELEVEN IS SEEKING A PERSONABLE AND TEAM-ORIENTED WELLNESS THERAPIST to provide wellness treatments, classes and activities for Eleven guests at Scarp Ridge Lodge, Sopris House, Taylor River Lodge and the Movie Cabin located in and around Crested Butte and Almont, CO. This role will embody the Eleven standard by exceeding guest expectations in all areas of the service, ensuring comfort, satisfaction, and safety for guests while remaining professional. This position requires certification, CPR/First-aid certification, and a valid driver’s license. The ideal candidate will be a flexible team player and interact positively with high-expectation clients, as well as quickly learn to effectively operate

software systems. This is a part-time, seasonal position starting at $100-$222 per wellness treatment, depending on the treatment type. The summer season runs May through October. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience. com/careers.

ELEVEN IS SEEKING A TEAM-ORIENTED

AND FLEXIBLE HOUSEKEEPER to ensure application of the highest Eleven standards for cleanliness of guest rooms and common areas for all Eleven properties in Colorado. This position will work with the housekeeping and lodge teams to complete daily and checkout cleans for all guest rooms according to Eleven standards, and accommodating guest schedules. This position requires proficiency with English and an understanding of Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) procedures, as well as ability to work flexible hours. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the needs of a hospitality company with high standards of excellence and the ability to succeed and maintain a positive attitude in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt quickly to ever-changing needs of a growing company. This full-time, summer seasonal position starts at $22/hour. The summer season runs May through Oct. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience.com/careers.

MOUNTAIN EXPRESS SHOP

TECHNICIAN: JOIN OUR TEAM. Mountain Express is looking to recruit a shop technician for immediately available shifts. Applicant required to hold a CDL class BP-2 with no air brake restrictions, or we will pay for you to obtain one. Starting wage is $22.60/hr. Health insurance is available based on hours worked. Ski locker benefit. Shop technicians are responsible for daily fueling and cleaning of fleet vehicles and other related tasks at the direction of the shop supervisor. Please contact Leah Petito at lpetito@mtnexp.org to apply. For a complete job description, visit mtnexp.org. EOE.

BOOKSTORE MANAGER: Western Colorado University invites applications for the full-time position of Bookstore Manager. The position reports to the AVP of Campus Operations and Construction and works closely with the faculty and students. This is a full-time, on campus position.

Responsibilities: The Bookstore Manager is responsible for directing operations, planning and administrating all bookstore activities. Accountable for taking book orders from faculty, product purchasing, receiving, pricing, accounts payable and daily deposits. In charge of book buyback, the graduation fair and student regalia, product promotions, displays, marketing, textbooks sales (physical and digital), textbook rentals, football game day events and web sales.

Operates a Point-of-Sale System (POS) and conducts annual inventory. Supervises up to 16 student workers, 4 temp workers and 1 full-time employee.

Compensation: $58,000-$65,000 FLSA

exempt. Western offers an excellent benefits package, including shared premiums for a comprehensive health insurance plan, dental insurance, retirement plan, life insurance and other insurance options. After one year of employment, Western provides free tuition for dependents enrolled full-time in undergraduate programs for up to four years.

For minimum and preferred qualifications and to apply, go to Western.edu/jobs. Required attachments for online application include letter of application addressed to Sherry Ford, resume, transcripts and contact information for three professional references. Please direct questions to Sherry Ford at sford@western.edu.

Applications and supplemental materials must be received by April 1, 2024. Review of applications will begin immediately. AA/EOE.

LOCAL LAWN CARE SERVICE COMPANY

looking for full-time, seasonal employee, four 10 hr. shifts, Tues.-Fri., May through Oct.

Zero turn mower operation, grass trimming and general yard maintenance experience preferred. Sprinkler system knowledge and maintenance a plus. Pay range $20-30 DOE. Submit resume or contact j2funke@gmail. com.

DOS RIOS GOLF CLUB is currently accepting applications for the upcoming season. Full and part-time line and prep cooks (pay DOE). Bar, wait and cart staff. All shifts available. Weekend availability required. Bar and grill open Apr. 1. Please stop by and fill out an application in person at 501 Camino Del Rio. 970-641-1482. Ask for Stacie.

HIGH-VOLUME, PROFESSIONAL GENERAL CONTRACTOR seeks fulltime, experienced controller with 5+ years experience. Duties include overseeing general ledger and accounting functions, balance sheet reconciliation, maintaining accounting systems access controls and oversight of accounting managers including accounts receivable, accounts payable, billings functions and payroll preparation. Successful candidates will be detail-oriented and proactive in our fast-paced environment, with proficiency in Quickbooks and experience in ProCore a bonus. Competitive base salary and benefits. Please submit resume to david@davidgrossgc.com or call 970-901-1798.

ARE YOU TIRED OF WORKING MULTIPLE

JOBS TO MAKE IT IN THE VALLEY? Iron Horse is looking for the right individual to join our expanding property care team. This individual is responsible for property inspections, inventories and the overall quality and presentation of vacation rentals in our luxury inventory. You will work hand-inhand with our maintenance, housekeeping and reservation teams to ensure that our guests experience vacation perfection. Excellent pay plus a company car, health insurance, on-call pay, paid vacation, ski or health and wellness pass, 5-day work week and more. If you are detail-oriented, organized, punctual and only want the best, then submit your resume to steve@ ironhorsecb.com and qualified applicants will be contacted for an interview. Clean driving record is required. No phone calls please.

IRWIN GUIDES IS SEEKING A FLEXIBLE AND DETAIL-ORIENTED SALES

RANCHING

GOOD BLACK BULLS

Yearling Gelbvieh and Balancers: Low birth weight, good conformation, good weaning weight and low PAP scores for high altitude performance. Plus, polled and good disposition. Trich tested to go anywhere.

The total package!

Call John and Debbie Hawks 970-596-4292 or 970-417-1897

REAL ESTATE

PALISADES AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMUNITY

Palisades Apartments is currently accepting applications for our waiting list. Our 2 bedroom, low income apartment community is income-based. You must meet restrictions. Our newly renovated 2 bedroom apartments are a must see. Apply in-person at 600 N. Colorado in Gunnison. We are a no smoking property.

For further information please contact us at 970-641-5429 or palisadesmanager@ silva-markham.com

1,500 SQ. FT. RETAIL/OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE in the Gunnison Meadows Mall next to City Market. For more information, call Jordon Ringel, 817-733-6947 or visit GunnisonMeadows.com.

Legals

AGENDA

Work Session March 25, 2024

5:30pm

Lake School Conference Room

This meeting will be conducted in person and by distance using the video conferencing platform ZOOM Webinar. Please check the GWSD website for further instructions. Work Sessions do not allow for public comment.

Work Session discussion items:

a. School Counseling Program - Team

Mental Health

b. Clinical Therapists in Schools - GVH’s Kimberly Behounek

c. Learning Coaching and Induction Programs - Andy Hanks

Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison, Colorado

Publication date of March 21, 2024

12427

INTENT TO DISPOSE

NOTICE OF INTENT TO DISPOSE:

To the following parties that have their personal property stored at Plotts Mini Storage, LLC, 312 W. Hwy 50, Gunnison, CO, 81230:

All property will be sold or disposed of, unless claimed and/or all rent and fees paid prior to March 31, 2024.

Unit 60 - Riccardo Sanchez

Unit 83 - Portirio Godiness

Unit A34 - Madeline Koepsell

Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison, Colorado

Publication dates of March 14, 21, 2024

12435

NOTICE OF VACANCY

NOTICE OF VACANCY

ON THE BOARDS OF DIRECTORS OF GUNNISON RISING METROPOLITAN

DISTRICT NOS. 1-4

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly to the electors of the Gunnison Rising Metropolitan District Nos. 1-4 (the Districts”), City and County of Gunnison, Colorado.

ASSOCIATE to assist with the management of Irwin Guides operations, including day sales, guide operations, sales and marketing duties, retail management and administrative responsibilities. This position will assist with all day activity bookings for the summer season, selling all Irwin Guides products. This position will also assist with marketing activities and management of the Irwin Guides retail space. This position requires 3+ years in an administrative role and knowledge of the outdoor industry and local activities and locations. This position also requires residence in the Gunnison Valley and the ability to work in-person at the Irwin Guides Crested Butte office, as well as ability and willingness to work flexible hours. The ideal candidate will have orientation to detail, sensitivity to deadlines and responsiveness to delegation, as well as comfort working independently in a fastpaced team environment. This full-time, seasonal position starts at $20-$22/hour, plus inclusion in the staff tip pool, depending on experience and qualifications. The summer season runs May through Oct. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience.com/careers.

SENIOR HOUSING AVAILABLE: Mountain View Apartments 2 bedroom apartment for rent. Applicants must meet HUD requirements: low income, minimum of 2 person household, elderly or disabled. Rent is dependent on income. Contact GVRHA at 970-641-7900 with questions and for an application.

FOR LEASE: Approximately 2,000 sq. ft. shop/office located on S. 11th close to the airport. Commercial zoning. Call 970-2093676 for information.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 32-1-808, C.R.S., that one or more vacancies currently exist on the Boards of Directors of the Districts. Any qualified, eligible elector of the Districts interested in serving on the Boards of Directors for the Districts should file a Letter of Interest with the Boards by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 1, 2024.

Letters of Interest should be sent to Gunnison Rising Metropolitan District Nos. 1-4, c/o White Bear Ankele Tanaka & Waldron, 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 2000, Centennial, CO 80122.

GUNNISON RISING METROPOLITAN

DISTRICT NOS. 1-4

By:/s/ White Bear Ankele Tanaka & Waldron Attorneys at Law

Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison, Colorado

Publication date of March 21, 2024

12518

Unit Pricing for Sewer

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE

JOHN LAWRENCE MARSHALL, a.k.a.

JOHN L. MARSHALL, a.k.a. JOHN

MARSHALL, Deceased

2024 PR 30002, Division P

Case

All

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Eric

Glenn T. Morris

Personal Representative 1574 S. Pennsylvania

Denver, CO 80210

Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison, Colorado

Publication dates of March, 14, 21, 28,

12476

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Tracy Beene a/k/a Tracy Gale

Beene, Deceased

Case Number 2024PR30008

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Gunnison, County, Colorado, on or before August 1, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.

Jennifer Gale Howe as personal representative of the Estate of Tracy Beene a/k/a Tracy Gale Beene 4527 North Lamar Boulevard Austin, Texas, 78751

Please contact through counsel:

Jacob A. With, Atty. #:40546

Law of the Rockies 525 N. Main Street Gunnison, CO 81230 970-641-1903 ex. 2

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado

Publication dates of March 21, 28, April 4, 2024

12537

ORDINANCE

ORDINANCE NO. 2, SERIES 2024: AN

ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GUNNISON, COLORADO REPEALING AND REENACTING

CHAPTER 5.40, OF THE CITY OF GUNNISON MUNICIPAL CODE

A full copy of the ordinance can be found on the City of Gunnison’s website at www. gunnisonco.gov, in the City Council e-packet information or at the City Clerk’s Office in City Hall, 201 West Virginia Avenue in

Gunnison or by calling 970-641-8140.

Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison, Colorado

Publication date of March 21, 2024 12527

PUBLIC HEARING

City of Gunnison NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT, pursuant

Sections 6.7 and 7.2 of the Land Development Code of the City of

Colorado, a public hearing will be held at the hour of 7:00 PM on the 10th day of April, 2024, in the City Council Chambers, Gunnison Municipal Building, 201 West Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, Colorado on the merits of Conditional

REQUEST FOR BIDS

CITY OF GUNNISON

REQUEST FOR BIDS (Project ID: 24-15)

PROJECT

The City of Gunnison is requesting bids from qualified contractors to clean the city irrigation ditches. The contractor will be responsible for digging out and cleaning ditches throughout the city. The contract consists of approximately 80-100 hours of work to begin on or about April 15, 2024 or as weather permits. The contractor will be responsible for digging out and cleaning ditches throughout the city. Contractor must supply the equipment and labor for the work. The equipment must include a mini excavator and a dump truck. All work must be completed no later than May 10, 2024. The location of the work to be performed will be the irrigation ditches within the City of Gunnison. Specific streets and schedules will be coordinated with the Contractor after award of Contract.

The real

Lot

AT

The public may attend Public Hearings and Regular and Special Sessions in person or remotely.

To attend the meeting remotely go to:

Copies of Request for Bid documents are located and only available on BidNetDirect. com. These RFB documents can be accessed from the City of Gunnison’s Solicitation section on the Finance department webpage at the following web address. www.gunnisonco.gov/rfp

All questions regarding the meaning or intent of this RFB must be submitted in writing only via email to the City Clerk at cityclerk@ gunnisonco.gov with the project name and number in the email subject line. Questions must be submitted by March 22, 2024 at 5:00 PM.

Bids will only be accepted by electronic submission through the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System (“RMEPS”) portal at https:bidnetdirect.com/Colorado, as detailed in the bidding documents. Email and hard copy bids will not be accepted. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado

Publication date of March 21, 2024 12561

REQUEST FOR BIDS

CITY OF GUNNISON REQUEST FOR BIDS (Project ID: 24-16)

The City of Gunnison, Colorado is requesting bids to furnish equipment and labor from

ASSIST — 600 N. COLORADO ST.

ASSAULT: THIRD DEGREE - BODI-

LY INJURY — 312 E. TOMICHI AVE.

MARCH 14

ACCIDENT — 112 S. SPRUCE ST.

BURGLARY: SECOND DEGREE — 172 C.R. 13

MARCH 15

FRAUD / HACKING - COMPUTER

INVASION — 1100 W. VIRGINIA

AVE.

HARASSMENT: COMMUNICATIONS — 910 W. BIDWELL AVE.

VIOLATION OF PROTECTION

ORDER: CRIMINAL ORDER — 600 N. COLORADO ST.

WELFARE ASSIST — E. TOMICHI

AVE.

ANIMAL: WILDLIFE ISSUES — 880 N. MAIN ST.

ASSAULT: THIRD DEGREE - BODI-

LY INJURY — W. NEW YORK AVE.

MARCH 16

JUVENILE PROBLEM — W.

TOMICHI AVE.

WELFARE ASSIST — E. TOMICHI

AVE.

MARCH 17

CRIMINAL TRESPASS: SECOND

DEGREE - COMMON AREA — 226

N. MAIN ST.

DISTURBING THE PEACE — 501 E.

TOMICHI AVE.

HARASSMENT: INSULTS,

TAUNTS, CHALLENGES — 201 E.

TOMICHI AVE.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE — 312 E.

TOMICHI AVE.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE - ALCOHOL — 310 W. TOMICHI

AVE.

GUNNISON COUNTY SHERIFF’S REPORT

MARCH 12

-Deputies posted civil papers

-Somerset/Marble deputies completed certified VIN

-Deputies posted civil papers

-Agency assist to Mt. Crested Butte

Police Department with a search and rescue - one fatality

MARCH 13

-Information report - Somerset deputies red-tagged an abandoned vehicle at the request of the Colorado State Patrol

-Welfare check on a post-op surgery patient requested by neighbors

-Deputies assisted the CSP with traffic control on a multi-semi truck accident on Monarch

-Deputies assisted the Gunnison Police Department as cover at the Gunnison Valley Hospital while getting medical clearance with an agitated arrestee

MARCH 14

-Welfare check

-Civil paper service

-Somerset deputies took one person into custody for violation of a protection order

-Deputies took one person into custody for driving while ability impaired and for an in-county warrant

-Deputies assisted the GPD with a possible burglary

MARCH 15

-Somerset deputies took a harassment report

-Agency assist to the CSP with a car vs. elk accident

MARCH 16

-Deputies assisted the CSP with a one-vehicle accident

-Information report - possible trespass

-Deputies took one person into custody for a violation of protection order - the suspect refused to leave the property where he was not allowed to be

-Deputies took one blue heeler dog to Gunnison Valley Animal Welfare League that was found in the highway by Lost Canyon Resort and gave the heeler food and water

MARCH 17

-Information report on harassment

-Somerset deputies wrote a citation for a person speeding but took them into custody for a valid warrant

-Deputies took a male red heeler dog to GVAWL that was found near C.R. 76

-Information report - juvenile issue

-Deputies assisted the GPD with an unruly subject at the skatepark

-Deputies assisted the GPD with a possible domestic at the Sherpa Cafe

MARCH 18

-Deputies took a barking dog complaint

-Deputies assisted the Emergency Medical Services crew with an injured skier who was losing consciousness on the way home

Science: a modern art

STEAM program encourages students to think creatively

Mariel Wiley Times Photo Editor

Young scientists were hard at work in their “laboratory” next to the Gunnison Community School library on the afternoon of March 6. Mechanical clicks and whirs emanated from the classroom as they experimented. One student linked robotic cubes together, while another formed a geometric sculpture out of colorful plastic pieces. A third fiddled with a plastic tower complete with a marbletowing conveyor belt.

Although these students aren’t actual, working scientists, they could be great ones someday — if they choose to be. Founded by Gunnison Elementary School art teacher Rain Bodine, the

STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) program introduces creativity into the landscape of sciences for first through fifth graders. Next year, the program will operate from a new, larger classroom and extend its curriculum to include middle and high school students.

Throughout Bodine’s 20-year career as an art teacher, she noticed that her students gravitated toward the box of LEGO bricks she kept in her classroom for when they finished their art assignments. They wanted to engage in “constructive play,” Bodine said.

She realized that students needed a resource that merged the creative skills they learned in their art classes with the analytical ones they were taught in their science classes.

Bodine proposed a STEAM program for Gunnison Elementary School students in early 2020, just before the pandemic swept across the nation. Later that year, GES adopted her proposed curriculum as a part of the library program.

Kids have access to the

STEAM classroom next to the library for scheduled, 30-minute periods. Bodine and Marlena Poirier, a Western Colorado University graduate student, monitor the classroom and guide students through different activities during their visits.

The classroom is small and windowless, but doesn’t lack color. Boxes full of robot parts, building blocks and sticky slime cover each table in a series of “stations.” Each station is equipped with a different set of toys that challenge the students’ creative and critical thinking abilities.

For example, they can construct towers out of plastic pieces to get a sense of how the physics of gravity affects buildings. The students also learn coding “without even realizing it,” by playing with iPad-operated robot toys called Spheros, Poirier said. Students use an app to create a series of commands that send the small Spheros on adventures across the classroom floor.

In the four years since the

Gunnison Elementary student Eve Athey and Marlena Poirier work together to create a battery-powered system that lifts marbles up a conveyor belt. (Photos by Mariel Wiley)

Rain Bodine snaps together robotic cubes that emit sounds and spin around when connected.

BIZCENTS: Storyweaver opens doors, B4

SPORTS: GHS baseball starts season away, B6

STEAM B2

Getting old can be a PAIN We can help! IN-HOME VETERINARY PAIN MANAGEMENT:

• Joint and spinal pain relief

• Personalized care plans

970.975.0298

STEAM from B1

program’s inception, Bodine has expanded her curriculum as student participation increases.

Currently, the first through fifth grade curriculum focuses on “experimentation, exposure and excitement.” An upcoming sixth through 12th grade curriculum will provide space for students to focus on in-depth, long-term projects of their choice.

Next year, students will visit their STEAM stations in a brand new classroom paid for by the school district’s recently-passed bond measure. Bodine is eager to set up the new, larger space.

Students are different these days. They need this time to step away from screens and participate in hands-on creativity.

Marlena Poirier

WCU graduate student

Bodine and Poirier also hope that the STEAM curriculum can be integrated into the students’ days as a full-length class next school year. This will allow more time to teach students the “why” behind all of the activities they do in the STEAM classroom, Poirier said.

“We see this program going far,” she said. “Students are different these days. They need this time to step away from screens and participate in hands-on creativity.”

(Mariel Wiley can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or mariel@ gunnisontimes.com.)

During Gunnison Elementary parent teacher conferences, students brought family members to see the STEAM classroom.

Plastic building pieces fill a tub in the STEAM classroom.

Poirier greets a student and his parent during a “STEAM Night” event on March 6.

Cubbies full of toys and craft materials line the walls.

Gunnison, Almont, Crested Butte, Mt. CB, Lake City and

Gunnison Country Times

Wildlife conservation meeting

The Gunnison Wildlife Association will host a talk on the North American Model of wildlife conservation and current ballot initiatives with Dan Gates of Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management on March 21 at 6 p.m. at the Gunnison County Library. This event is free to the public.

‘White Rabbit, Red Rabbit’

The Crested Butte Mountain Theatre presents “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit'' by Nassim Soleimanpour at Western Colorado University from March 21-23. This solo show features a different actor every night. Find tickets and more information at cbmountaintheatre.org.

Poetry slam fundraiser

All poets and poetry fans are invited to a farm and garden poetry slam on March 23 at 7 p.m. at the Western Colorado University Center. Come listen, laugh and dress like a farmer to win local prizes. This event benefits the Gunnison Valley Producers' Guild by donation. Register at GVPG.org or just show up and have fun.

Band and choir fundraiser

On March 24 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the Gunnison Middle and High School choirs and bands will be having a mattress sale at the Fred Field building. This fundraiser will be a one-day-only event. Funds will be used for summer camps and upcoming trips.

American Association of University Women meeting

On March 26 at 10 a.m. at the Gunnison County Library, the American Association of University Women will be exploring the General Assembly website. This website provides information about bills that are presented to the legislature. Please join if you would like to become more involved in the legislative process. Contact Sharon at 970.641.2883 for more information.

Rotary scholarships

Gunnison Rotary Club (GRC) is seeking applications for GRC scholarships. Four $2,000 awards are available, including fouryear college, Western Colorado University and a CTE scholarship. For more information, visit rotaryclubofgunnisonco.com and email gunnisonrotary@gmail. com with questions. Applications are due April 1.

Middle school summer program

Gunnison Middle School presents the 2024 Summer Experience program, featuring 41 different courses from outdoor adventures to music, art, cooking and more. Parents can register current 5th-8th graders from March 29-April 12 at gunnisonschools.net. For more information, please email gmssummer@ gunnisonschools.net.

Underdog Rescue fundraiser

Gunnison Gallery will host the 18th annual Cat and Dog Art Show to benefit Gunnison Underdog Rescue from April 1-30. Anyone may enter one dog and one cat 8.5 inch x 11 inch photograph or painting with the theme ”FURever Friends.” The fee is $5 per entry and the deadline is March 30 at 3 p.m. Public voting for $5 runs from April 5-25. Email photos to gunnisongallery124@gmail.com and drop by the gallery at 124 N. Main St. to pay entry fees. Call 970.641.6111 for more information.

Youth nicotine anonymous

Nicotine Anonymous for Young Adults meets every Wednesday from 2-3 p.m. at 601 6th St. in Crested Butte and from 4-5 p.m. at the Fred Field McDonough Room in Gunnison. This is a mutual support group with no religious affiliation. Contact ajohnson@gunnisoncounty.org with questions.

Overeaters Anonymous

Overeaters Anonymous (OA) meets on Thursdays from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at The Last Resort, 114 Wisconsin St. in downtown Gunnison. This is an open meeting.

GUNNISON ARTS CENTER BRIEFS

Fundamentals of Qigong

Practice Qigong with Heidi on March 23 and 30 at the Gunnison Arts Center. Qigong is a gentle practice of flowing movements that improves balance, strength,

Ongoing Senior Services

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!! Are you someone who likes to make others smile? Then you might be interested in volunteering for the Senior Meals program!! Meal delivery and in-person meal hosts needed! Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays mid-day. Mileage reimbursement program available for volunteers age 55 & up. Contact: egillis@gunnisonco.gov or 970-641-8272.

Delivery Assistance Hotline: (970) 641-7959 - assistance with ordering, pick-up and delivery of groceries and prescription medications. This includes deliveries from the Food Bank

SENIOR CENTER PROGRAMS

• March 29 (1pm): Featured Activity – Mahjong. Join us to learn this fun and challenging game that originated in China in the 19th century! Very friendly atmosphere. Please call Judy before your first time in order for the group to plan for new additions (973) 5844987.

• April 3 (12pm – Special Time!): Book Club. If you are new, please call ahead to Judy (973) 584-4987.

Senior Meals: (970) 641-8272 for advance orders OR (970) 641-2107 for same-day service Pick-up or delivery only! Meals served Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays Please note: all meals, all days are $4 during this time Order in advance if possible! Upcoming menu:

• March 27: Lasagna, green beans, salad, garlic bread, dessert

• April 10 (12:45pm): Gunnison Valley Trails & Tales with Kay Peterson-Cook. Learn about how some of your favorite trails came into being by someone who was there! Kay, one of the Senior Center’s hike leaders, will share some of her experiences creating recreational trails in the Valley, and some of the tales that went along with those adventures. Please RSVP!

• March 30: Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, fruit, dessert

• April 1: Stew, carrot/raisin salad, Mandarin oranges, rolls, dessert

• April 19 (4pm): Community Meal & Social Hour! Program on the Great Sand Dunes National Park. RSVPs required! $5 for members/$10 for non-members –payable at the door.

Senior Shopping Hours:

Regular Activities: Mondays – Bridge @ 1 pm; Tuesdays – Canasta @ 1pm; Wednesdays –Book Club @ 1 pm on 1st Weds. of month; Thursdays – Bridge @ 1 pm; Fridays – Art Club @ 12:30 pm & Mahjong @ 1 pm

• City Market – Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (7AM – 8AM)

• Safeway – Tuesdays & Thursdays (7AM – 9AM)

All RSVPs and more info on Senior Center programs: egillis@gunnisonco.gov or 970-6418272.

• Walmart – Tuesdays (6AM – 7AM)

FITNESS @ THE REC CENTER – Sign up at the Rec Center front desk!

mobility and calm. This class is for beginners of all ages and advanced practitioners with a fun, group atmosphere. Pay what you can with a suggested donation of $10-$15. Register online at gunnisonartscenter.org.

CB CENTER FOR THE ARTS BRIEFS

Opera Colorado

Opera Colorado presents “Cinderella” on March 25 at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts. Is a bracelet as trusty as a glass slipper? Find out in this operatic re-telling of the classic tale. Tickets prices range from $25-$45 and may be purchased at crestedbuttearts.org.

End of season party

Join the CBCA for Deadhead Ed’s End of Season Party on April 4 from 8-11 p.m., featuring the sensational tunes of the Grateful Dead by Easy Jim. Tickets prices range from $35-$55 and may be purchased at crestedbuttearts. org.

Mondays & Wednesdays in the Gym

- Silver Sneakers Boom Muscle @ 9:30am

• Clark’s Market (Crested Butte) – Every day (8AM – 9AM)

SENIOR MEALS

• Gunnison Vitamin & Health Food Store – Monday - Saturday (8AM – 9AM)

Tuesdays @ 10AM in the Leisure Pool -Silver Sneakers Splash Class (all levels)

Self-reporting Form: www.gunnisoncounty.org /covid19.

If you have symptoms but are otherwise OK, please fill out the form. If you cannot fill out the form, call the Call Center (970) 641-7660

Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 11:30 am. $5 per meal. Advanced orders appreciate (24 hours). Pick-ups between 11 – 11:15 am (advanced orders only).

ORDER MEALS: 970-641-8272

- Silver Sneakers Classic @ 10:15am Menu: (all meals come with dessert!)

• Mon., March 25: Santa Fe Chicken, green beans, cucumber salad

Call Center: (970) 641-7660. If you are having symptoms, cannot fill out the online form, or your symptoms are worsening, call the Call Center. DO NOT go to your doctor ’s or the hospital If it is an emergency, call 911

• Weds., March 27: Chef’s Choice!

• Fri., March 29: BBQ Pork or Veggie Burger, potato wedges, veggies, cottage cheese

Walk-in & visitors welcome! Homebound adults ages 55 & up eligible for delivery. If you need a ride, call GVH Senior Bus @ 970-596-6700 (call in advance) or call the Senior Center 970-641-8272.

ONGOING SERVICES

Please practice social isolation. Remain 6 feet or more from others when needing to be out, but staying at home if at all possible.

Gunnison Country Food Pantry – Mondays (1 – 4 pm), Wednesdays (1 – 7 pm), Thursdays for 60+ (10 am – 2 pm). Contact: 970-641-4156, Located on the SW Corner of Main St. & Ohio Ave.

GVH Senior Bus: 7 days a week, 9 am – 4 pm. Call in advance! 970-596-6700.

The Gunnison Senior Center & Community Recreation Center is closed until April 30th.

Crested Butte Senior Bus: Monday thru Friday, 9 am – 4 pm Services Montrose & Grand Junction for medical appointments. Call at least 1 week in advance, or more. 970-275-4768. Gunnison County HHS Senior Resource Office: Call for appointments. 970-641-3244.

Putting arts and culture in the spotlight.

BIZ CENTS

Gunnison gamers: choose your player

Storyweaver Games opens doors

Mariel Wiley Times Photo Editor

In the modern digital age, many people associate the term “gaming” with hours spent staring at a screen. But Gunnison board game enthusiast Jason Janelle is on a mission to bring gaming back into the real world.

Storyweaver Games opened its doors on Saturday, March 16 to an eager crowd of local gamers. Owners Jason and Heather Janelle hope Storyweaver will provide a welcoming space for people of all ages to play board game classics like Monopoly, or dive into the fantastical worlds of role-playing games.

The pair had just moved back to Jason’s hometown of Gunnison from Denver early last year when he lost his job in a surge of layoffs. Jason left behind a decades-long career during which he worked for tech companies like IBM and smaller startups.

Instead of trying to break back into the tech world, Jason decided to use his newfound freedom to roll the dice on a new opportunity: opening a game store in his hometown. His sudden freedom paired with an empty, available storefront on Hwy. 50 spurred the couple into action.

Jason and Heather had been sitting on the idea of running a small-town gaming hub for nearly a decade, since starting to host weekly game nights at their house in Denver. This ritual soon evolved to include role-playing games (RPG). In a role-playing game, each player assumes the role of a character that interacts with an imaginary storyline, usually set in a fantasy or science fiction world.

“A lot of the role-play gaming is just storytelling. You start to see people’s imaginations grow,” Jason said. “Rather than just watching Netflix and just experiencing the story, you and your friends are building out a completely unique world.”

Heather and Jason’s daughter, Kymera, took interest in the popular game “Dungeons & Dragons,” a fantasy tabletop RPG that sends players on an odyssey to find treasure, battle foes and carry out daring rescues. She participated in gaming group meetups at local game stores in Denver, which helped her connect with like minded people and “brought her out of her shell,” Jason said.

The pair’s son, Raiden, took to the game “Warhammer,” a fantasy-battle RPG steeped in

magical elements and strategy. The game provided a low-pressure environment for Raiden, who has ADHD and autism, to practice social skills through the lens of a game character.

“This was the spark of inspiration for what I’m trying to do here,” Jason said. “People socialize a bit better when they’re pretending, because it's an externality to themselves. It helps people who are introverted to play as a different character, or be a different person for a while.”

Visitors to Storyweaver Games are first greeted with a peek into a booth with two active 3D printers. Jason hopes to soon offer printing services at a low cost — such as reproducing a lost game piece or creating new, custom-designed ones.

Around the corner, shelves are stacked high with board games, card games, collectible figurines and gaming books. Two spacious high-top tables grace the back of the room, where visitors can pull certain games off the shelf to play with friends at no cost.

Storyweaver will ideally be an inviting spot for people to spend time together playing games, Jason said. He hopes that it can offer a new socialization experience, outside of bars or people’s homes.

He plans to eventually host themed game nights, and dreams of one day hosting gaming tournaments. The space is open until 9 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on Fridays.

“I was pretty burnt out on what I was doing, and this just sounded like more fun,” Jason said. “Hopefully it brings people together.”

(Mariel Wiley can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or mariel@ gunnisontimes.com.)

Visitors look at different game options on one of the high-top playing tables. (Photos by Mariel Wiley)

Raiden Janelle assists a customer as parents Heather and Jason stand nearby.

Shoppers browse shelves stacked with games. Two Dungeons & Dragons fans get into character with new costumes.

Presence makes the heart grow fonder

Wendy Videlock Special to the Times

As a perennial student and a life-long teacher of the arts, I’ve noticed in the last few years that more and more people are coming to believe that poetry has tremendous value in their lives.

There could be many reasons for this. But in large part it seems that people are turning to poetry, not just for the pleasure and enchantment it offers or even for the magical way it builds community, but as a wisdom practice and a healing modality.

Poetry can be many things, but ultimately a poem is an appeal to slow down. We often think that our fast-paced lifestyle is something new to our time, but the poets have been entreating us to slow down for thousands of years. The tradition of wisdom poetry, or mystic poetry — sometimes known as ecstatic poetry — goes back to the roots of the art. Of course the roots of poetry are in song and the earliest poems we have are anonymous, but the mystical quality is unmistakable.

Probably the most well known of the mystics today is the Persian poet, Rumi, who lived in the 1200s and is today one of our best selling poets. This popularity is largely due to contemporary translations by Coleman Barks, who has transformed Rumi’s lengthy, whirling-dervish ghazal lines into bite-sized nuggets of wisdom like this:

Why do you keep knocking when the door is wide open?

Nayyirah Waheed asks that we perceive ourselves, not as separate from nature, but as nature.

If the ocean can calm itself so can you. you are both salt water mixed with air.

Mary Oliver, perhaps one of the most beloved of American poets, insists we silence our inner critic and get on with the business of living our one, wild and precious life.

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

William Blake, another poet of the mystic tradition, asks us to reconsider our understandings of attachment, impermanence and presence.

He who binds to himself to a joy

Does the winged life destroy — He who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity's sunrise.

Naomi Shihab Nye expounds on that same theme of nonattachment.

Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth.

What you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness.

Haiku is perhaps the poetic form most conducive to embodying the power of presence. The Japanese poet Ryokan, reframes a misfortune, (translation RH Blyth).

What the thief left behind: the moon at my window.

Issa, another haiku master, won’t let us forget that a sense of humor is essential to any wisdom practice, (translation Robert Haas).

Mosquito at my ear— does he think I’m deaf?

Wordsworth reminds us that even the structures we humans build in this world can create landmarks and landscapes which might deepen our understanding of beauty.

Dull would be he of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: This city now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theaters and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky…

Danna Faulds takes us from our frenetic monkey-minds back to our deeper consciousness.

Forgive yourself.

Now is the only time you have to be whole.

Now is the sole moment that exists.

Perfection is not a prerequisite for anything but pain.

Now is the time you have to be whole.

Derek Walcott has a way of creating a tone that insists our various difficulties will eventually lead to grace and self acceptance.

The time will come when, with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror and each will smile at the other’s welcome, and say, sit here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who was yourself.

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart to itself.

William Stafford, too, has a palpable interest in making sacred the present moment.

Starting here, what do you want to remember?

How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?

What scent of old wood hovers, what softened sound from outside fills the air?

What can anyone give you greater than now, starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?

There’s no question that anxiety, melancholy and isolation have been with us since the beginnings of civilization and are integral to the human experience. There’s also no question that the arts have been with us all along.

It’s heartening to see a modern population opening to what the poets have known for thousands of years. Crafting something beautiful from tragedy, loss and chaos is what we do to remind ourselves of our humanity, to provide ways of processing our complex and mixed emotions and to cultivate a deeper kind of perspective in our lives.

I’ll leave you with a few words from Irish poet and teacher, David Whyte.

Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into the conversation. The kettle is singing even as it pours you a drink; the cooking pots have left their arrogant aloofness and seen the good in you at last. All the birds and creatures of the world are unutterably themselves. Everything is waiting for you.

(Wendy Videlock is poet laureate of the Western Slope in Colorado. She is the author of five books of poetry, a book of essays and memoir and an illustrated children’s book. Her poems and essays appear widely. She teaches and advocates for the arts across Colorado. Reach her at westernslopeword@gmail. com.)

Dropping a knee for

Telemark

skiers celebrate 50 years of the Al Johnson race

Alex McCrindle Times Sports Editor

More than 200 skiers in elaborate costumes dotted the steep slopes under the North Face Lift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort on March 17. Their cheers and laughter, duck-billed ski boots and blaring music marked the annual local gathering of the alpine skiers' debaucherous cousin: the free-heelers. It was the 50th anniversary of the Al Johnson Memorial Telemark Race (AJ), and boy, it would have made Ol’ Johnson proud.

The race is named after the legendary 1880’s Crested Butte postmaster. Three times a week, Johnson would weather 18 miles of rugged terrain on Al Johnson B8

Cowboy baseball drops games away

Spann and Vincent cap-off early season play

Alex McCrindle Times Sports Editor

After opening the spring season with a 10-4 away victory over Monte Vista, GHS baseball fell in back-to-back games to Pagosa Springs and Cedaredge on March 15 and 16.

The away tournament games dropped the Cowboys’ overall record to 1-3, with the first league matchup set for March 29 away against Olathe. Despite the early season setback, Head Coach Tom Percival said he was impressed with the Cowboys’ defensive play.

“We pitched well and played strong defense, just left too many runners in scoring position,” Percival said. “Now we’re working on the little things, executing with runners on base, and knowing what to do on every play.”

On March 15, GHS took on the Pagosa Springs Pirates in the first game of the weekend’s round-robin tournament. Marshall Spann opened the Cowboy’s account in the first inning, reaching first on a poke to left field. Senior Mason Williams drove him home with a three-bagger at the next at bat.

Hunter Vincent and Talon Kibler also reached first, but the bottom of the order was unable to drive the upperclassmen home. The Cowboys took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the first. Pagosa pulled one back in the

first and gained traction with three stolen bases and a single to go 3-1. In the third, the Pirates’ speed on the basepaths punished the away team, and they tied the ballgame 3-3 after a vital single to shallow center field.

GHS rallied in the fourth, again with Spann’s hot bat and an RBI triple from Vincent. Kibler, John Parker and Grady Buckhanan also reached first on singles and a walk, and took back the lead 5-3. The Pirates rebounded with back-to-back triples in the fifth, and notched four unanswered runs onto the scoreboard. The ballgame ended, 7-5 for Pagosa Springs.

On Saturday, the Cowboys again came up short, falling 5-3 to the Cedaredge Bruins. With warmer weather on the horizon, the Cowboys will hope to play

March 26 at 3 p.m.

their home opener against Salida at GHS on

(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@ gunnisontimes.com.)

The GHS baseball team lines the home dugout win against North Fork in May, 2023. (Photo by Jacob Spetzler)

A skier in a chicken onesie, Santa Claus and Gumby sprint alongside more than 200 telemark skiers at the starting line. (Courtesy Taylor Ahearn/ Crested Butte Mountain Resort)

Mountaineer wrestlers finish strong at nationals

Hernandez, Noble take seventh place

Brenna Barkley Special to the Times

Dean Noble and Cole Hernandez showcased an excellent team performance at the final day of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships on March 17. The grapplers finished seventh place in the 149-pound weight class and 174-pound class. As a whole, the Mountaineers finished 20th with 20.5 team points.

Noble started the second day of the national tournament with a loss in his opening match, which sent him to the match for seventh place. He then faced Newberry’s Devan Moore in his final duel of the season.

Noble won the duel decisively against Moore, leading 4-3 after the first round and holding onto the lead in the following two periods. In the third round, Noble scored eight points with a takedown, a near fall and for riding time. The senior’s sev-

enth-place finish marks his first All-American honor and his best placement at the national tournament.

Hernandez fell in his opening match on Saturday to St. Cloud State's Seth Brossard. He bounced back in his final match to claim a seventh-place finish and his second All-American title.

It was a battle against St. Cloud, but Hernandez managed to score six points in a pair of takedowns. Earlier in the bout, the redshirt senior had to work his way back after being down 3-1 in the first 3 minutes. Hernandez then outscored his opponent 5-4 in the second with a takedown and a pair of escapes.

Patrick Allis, Ryan Wilson and Cole Gray also competed for the Mountaineers, making it to the consolation bracket of the tournament. Gray made it to the quarterfinal round before taking part in the consolation bracket.

(Brenna Barkley is the assistant athletics communications director at Western, and can be reached at bbarkley@western. edu.)

Gunnison Pizza Co. claims B League hockey championship

The Gunnison Pizza

Dean Noble competes at Nationals. (Courtesy Western Colorado University)

Company adult hockey squad took down the Inn at Tomichi 5-2 on March 6 to achieve B League hockey glory. The Pizza Company jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the end of the second period. The champions were led by Wyatt Howery with two goals, and Bree Hare, Ashton Carroll and Jay-Rod Cawley, who notched a goal and an assist each. Pizza Company goalie Lucca Sterrer stopped 13 of 15 shots in the final to prevent a comeback. In the third period, Tomichi’s Peter Sowar and Devon Carrillo slotted two goals, but the Pizza Company held on and won the title.

(Courtesy Ryan Romero)

Crested Butte lore, as local skiers, draped in costumes, raced to the top of the North Face Lift, and back down its double-black diamond runs.

Five decades later, the race has grown to mean a whole lot more than a chance to dress up. This year, the anniversary paid tribute to lost community members, and its benefits supported the Crested Butte Avalanche Center (CBAC). To top it off, local legends continued to set the pace at the front of the pack, with rumors spreading the 50th may be its last.

“The Al Johnson is truly a celebration of the Gunnison Valley community,” said 37-year racer Pat O’Neill. “This year’s race, more than others, spoke to the hard realities of winter, but no matter what happens, this community is going to be there for you.”

On Sunday afternoon, a heaviness accompanied the race’s opening ceremony. CBAC Executive Director Than Acuff recognized lost community members Eric Freson, Jan Parker and Kelsey Boleski in a speech.

“This has been a brutal month for our town,” Acuff said. “The AJ gave us a chance to reconnect with friends and celebrate the memory of Eric, Jan and Kelsey. Hopefully, we were able to add a little laugh-

ter to what’s been a really rough winter.”

On the bluebird morning of the race, temperatures touched into the 40’s and competitors swarmed onto the Crested Butte steeps. Telemark skiers, dressed as Barbie-doll boxes, fourlegged skiing elephants and gold-inlaid leprechauns lined up at the base of the North Face. After the sounding of a bugle, the racers took off, skinning 600 vertical feet to the top.

O’Neill, who is about to turn 60, holds the record for skiing in 37 of the 50 races and clinching first-prize in 11 of them. The old-timer started off at the front of the pack, with young and hungry free-heelers close on his tail. At the top of the skin track, the telemarkers ripped off their skins and navigated through the steep mogul fields.

O’Neill reached the summit first, maintaining a 30-second lead over his competition. On the descent, however, the AJ’s next generation caught up to him on the Last Steep, and Miles Morris took first place over the decorated racer.

“I always love it when someone beats me,” O’Neill said. “It’s been so great to compete all these years, but nobody likes to pass the torch to another athlete more than me.”

Joan Swift, a 25-time racer, was awarded second place in the women’s bracket. Her and her family have been making the AJ pilgrimage since the early 90s, and while never winning

first, she is a perennial podium finisher.

“The race has always been a family affair,” Swift said. “We started when my son turned 9, and we have competed every year since he went to college. A lot of people are there to wear a costume and have fun. But I put a racing bib on, and that means ‘go fast.’”

The hoots and hollers echoing from the Last Steep dwindled in the late afternoon, but the party continued at the base area. O’Neill was awarded a massive, wooden ski for his 37th race and the top racers celebrated on the podium. It was a fitting tribute to 50 years of dropping a knee in the name of Al Johnson.

“The 50th was everything and more,” Acuff said. “The race was amazing, the costumes were off the hook — it was top shelf. We’d love for this race to continue, but we may not have the energy for it to go on. Eddie Cohn, who helps with event planning, told me afterward ‘Let everyone know, I’m keeping this race going.’ That’s all I can say. It’s hard telling not knowing.”

(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@ gunnisontimes.com.)

2024 AL JOHNSON TOP THREE RESULTS MEN

Miles Morris 16:41.2

Pat O’Neill 17:12.5

Mike Preston 17:16.9

WOMEN

Alex Riedman 21:43.6

Joan Swift 22:33.5

Ashley MacLeod 26:35.5

Pat O’Neill is awarded with a historic telemark ski, commemorating his 37th Al Johnson race. (Courtesy Taylor Ahearn/Crested Butte Mountain Resort)

Titans lacrosse rebounds against Montrose

After falling in back-to-back games against league rivals Grand Junction and Fruita Monument, the Crested Butte lacrosse team bounced back to beat Montrose 8-4 on March 16. The win moves the Titans to 1-3 overall, and 1-2 in the 4A Mountain League. The Titans will host their first home game at Gunnison Middle School on March 22, taking on Telluride at 4 p.m.

WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY SPORTS BRIEFS

Nielsen breaks personal records at nationals

Western freshman Morgan Nielsen broke her own school record in the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships March 12-16.

On the fourth day of the meet at the SPIRE Institute Aquatic Center in Geneva, Ohio, Nielsen

hit the touchpad in a time of 5 minutes, 4.38 seconds during the preliminary heats of the 500 to break the record she had set two weeks earlier.

Nielsen concluded her national championship in 29th place in the 1,650 freestyle (17:24.76), 38th in the 1,000 freestyle (10:27.79) and 45th in the 500 freestyle.

Juelfs awarded academic honors

Western’s Kade Juelfs was voted to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball First Team AllAcademic squad. The junior guard holds a 3.76 grade-point average while majoring in business administration. He posted a career-high 13.0 points per game to lead the

Mountaineers in scoring during the season. He also led the team from long range with 53 3-pointers, another single-season career best figure.

Cockman receives firstteam, all-academic award

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference sports information directors voted Western’s Rachel Cockman to the wom -

en’s basketball first team allacademic squad.

Cockman led the Mountaineers in scoring this season with an average of 14.8 points per game. She also led the team around the rim, averaging a single-season best 7.3 rebounds per game while adding 20 blocks on the defensive end of the court.

Senior captain Riley Davis pursues a Summit attacker. (Courtesy Graham Koval) AJ Hegeman fires at the net in the Titans’ opening home scrimmage against Summit.

The Titans opened their season with a scrimmage on the Katy O. Rady Field at Western Colorado University.

Devun Skinner fends off a Tiger defender.

Titan defenders close down a Tiger attackman.

Rowan Dishmon looks for a Titan attacker in the early season scrimmage.

Serious

Bella Voce girls ready to compete

Madi Behounek Giddyup Staff Writer

Bella Voce is a women's choir, originally created by Matthew Coronado, a former GHS choir teacher, specifically for a competition called Colorado West. Elaina Jauregui, the current choir teacher, chose to keep the tradition alive when she took over Coronado’s job. Bella Voce isn’t a year-round choir. It’s for female students who truly enjoy singing and would like to take choir to a more serious level. Bella Voce is all about hard work and dedication since the singers only have about four months to practice and learn the songs.

Currently, 10 girls are involved in Bella Voce: Olivia Neyman, Karma and Patience Freeman, Clara Trezise, Nataly Contreras, Norah Abilia, Madi Behounek, Annie Harvey, Mia Rodriguez and Elizabeth Klingsmith.

The girls meet for practices on Tuesdays after school. The three songs Jauregui is planning on performing with Bella Voce are “Frostina: A Girls Garden,” “Danny Boy,” and an original

GIDDYUP

about singing

The right moves

Chess tourney tests strategic skill

Natalia Sabino Giddyup Staff Writer

Gunnison High School social studies teacher Mark

called “A Rose.”

“I joined Bella Voce because I want to experience being in a women's choir,” Rodriguez said “I look forward to learning from the more experienced girls, I think there’s a lot I can learn from them. I also can’t wait to compete with them.”

This year Jauregui is taking her three high school choirs: Show Choir, Concert Choir, and Bella Voce to the Colorado West Music Invitational on April 19 at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

“I always try to pick songs that I think my choirs will like, add variety, and will also challenge them while putting them in a position for success,”

Jauregui said. “I feel like these songs will accomplish all of the above.”

“I wanted to join because I want to improve my singing voice and my stage presence as a singer, I want to get better and stronger,” a freshman member of Bella Voce said. “I also want to connect with other women who enjoy singing as much as I do. In the end, my goals are to help win at Colorado West and to be a way better singer by the time April comes around.”

Science Olympiad takes 2nd place at regionals

Team headed to state in April

Kamryn Noble Giddyup Staff Writer

The Gunnison High School Science Olympiad recently took second place at regionals. The competition was held at Colorado State University in Pueblo on March 2. The team will compete at the state level on April 6 at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

Science Olympiad is a competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science such as earth science, biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. The students did very well in air trajectory, anatomy and physiology, astronomy, chem lab, codebusters, detector building and more.

“There are a total of 14 members, everyone participates but they all have different categories,” GHS teacher and Science

Olympiad sponsor Maria Kattnig said. “Our season started in the middle of October and won’t end until the middle of April. We do different things and it's kinda like an academic track meet.”

The 14 members in Science Olympiad are Udev Vijay, Karma Freeman, John Robbinson, Julian Ryter, Josephine Wishard, Spencer

Hays, Delanie Young, Tyler Hill, Leon Long, Jemma Petrie, Aaron Baca, Tilden Martinez, Gavin Vasquez and Reigo Koepsel.

“I recommend Science O to the incoming freshman, it’s fun, it helps you learn science and it looks good on your college applications,” Vijay said.

High has been hosting a winter chess tournament for the last 30 years, starting at the middle school and carrying on the tradition at the high school. These tournaments bring students together to showcase their strategic chess skills. This year, the tournament was organized by manager Rhone Flynn and was held every day but Thursday in High’s classroom for a full month.

Ten students participated. During the last two weeks, the four students who made it to the final rounds were: Kyle Mason, Elias Coop, Tyler Hill and Udev Vijay.

Hill excelled and got first place, winning $100. “I was relieved that I won the competition and that it was over because it took a long time and

I had really tough competitors,” Hill said.

The two freshman boys stepped up, with Mason claiming second place ($50), and Coop securing third place($25). Vijay got fourth place.

“My favorite part of the chess tournament was making new friends,” Coop said.

These tournaments are a fun opportunity for students to get some playing time in, and apply their skills and knowledge without being in a club.

Choice Pass rewards healthy decisions

Includes ski pass and other discounts

Belinda Serrano Melchor Giddyup Staff Writer

Victoria Cota Giddyup Staff Writer

Choice Pass is a program that rewards and celebrates healthy choices and is open to all youth from grades 6 to 12. To participate, young people commit to staying drug, nicotine and alcohol free. Choice Pass is a popular program among students because it offers discounts at different stores and helps pay for activities. Choice Pass provides discounted ski passes, rec center discounts and community support.

The program has one condition: to remain drug-free. Students can be called at random for a drug test to be held accountable while participating in this program. If the student tests positive, there are con -

sequences that could include being expelled from the program. Youth who test positive for alcohol, drugs, or nicotine participate in a restorative justice practice. Youth can also violate the terms of choice by being suspended from school or selfreporting.

To obtain the pass, a student has to go to the Choice Pass website and register. This program offers important education for youth and parents. Parents are also required to attend an educational night, which educates them to be better parents regarding alcohol, sexting, setting clear boundaries with your teen, body image and healthy eating.

“It gives me discounts at some places, especially by giving me a discount on my ski pass,” program participant Angel Morales said. “I heard about the Choice Pass from a person who works at social services and went to a meeting. My favorite part of the program is going skiing.”

Chess tournament participants. (Photo by Natalia Sabino)

Science O - GHS Science Olympiad team after winning 2nd at regionals. (Photo by Sally Hays)

(Back) Clara Trezise, Patience Freeman, Karma Freeman, Olivia Neyman, Annie Harvey, Elainia Jauregui. Front: Madi Behounek, Norah Abila, Mia Rodriguez, Nataly Contreras. (Photo by Madi Behounek)

Stellar students

Each month, Gunnison Middle School nominates students that demonstrate exemplary leadership in the classroom. February’s focus was “I develop resilience and perseverance.” The nominees for last month were Axel Estrada and Daiana Contreras (sixth grade), Kelsey Chowdoroski and Charlie Willis (seventh grade) and Dalilah McDermott and Adrian Hanachek (eighth grade).

Dance to the beat

Drum beats echoed through the Gunnison Arts Center as dancers leapt and twirled across the studio floor on March 19. Instructor Makaya Kayos led the group through a series of traditional Congolese dance moves to the sound of musician Teber Sita’s drumming.

(Courtesy Andy Dunda)

(Photos by Mariel Wiley)

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