Gunnison Country Times May 18, 2023

SPORTS: GHS golf finishes out regular season, baseball makes playoffs, B7

Tourism slowdown expected this summer

Numbers may signal new post-pandemic ‘normal’

Bella Biondini Times Editor

Although the Gunnison Valley is preparing to enter its busiest season, local tourism officials are forecasting a summer that may be a little quieter than usual.

Visitor numbers to date have remained higher than those recorded pre-COVID, but early res-

NEWS: New bakery coming to Main Street, A11

Home beam advantage

Gunnison Rising slowly shifts to phase two

First homes planned for early 2024

Bella Biondini Times Editor

COMMUNITY: Tulips from the ground up, B1

OBITUARIES A2-A3

OPINION A4-A5

CLASSIFIEDS A14-A17

B7

Activity at Gunnison Rising grinded to a halt over the winter, but the arrival of warmer weather has allowed construction crews to continue building the framework for what will become the community’s largest new development.

The 630-acre Gunnison Rising subdivision is a new develop-

ment located just east of town that stretches along both sides of Hwy. 50. The project will be built out in multiple phases, two of which are already underway. Construction at the “government campus,” the project’s first phase on the south side of the highway, began in 2021, along with the installation of the sub-

division’s main utility lines. This year, project leaders expect significant progress to the north on phase two — a neighborhood that will contain Gunnison Rising's first homes.

The government campus houses a 38,000 square Gunnison Rising A6

School district confronts housing question

Survey reveals employee preference for ownership

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

Alongside almost every other public entity in the county, the Gunnison Watershed School District is square in the middle of an employee hous-

ing bind, short at least 30 staff members, but hindered in the hiring process by lack of affordable housing. Now, the school board is asking if it is a good use of taxpayer dollars to buy, build and offer housing to its employees. At a school board meeting on May 8, board members tackled the question with survey data from workforce housing consultant Willa Williford.

“The district is considerSchool board A7

Abby Harrison Alyssa Geist teaches a first grade class on May 17 at Gunnison Community School.

Lili Davis, an optional-level gymnast, mounts the balance beam during a preseason exhibition at the Gunnison Rec Center on Wednesday, May 10. For more, see B8

Jacob Spetzler

OBITUARIES A2 • NEWS • Thursday, May 18, 2023 Gunnison Country Times

QUOTE of the week

Jonathan Houck Gunnison County Commisioner

See story on A13

MetRec elects new board members

The results of the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation (MetRec) District board elections were certified on May 11.

Mary Haskell, Cassia Cadenhead and Keith Bauer were each elected to serve four-year terms; this will be Cadenhead’s second elected term. Haskell received 139 votes, Cadenhead, 130 and Bauer, 132. The results were confirmed by the Canvass Board, including MetRec director Loren Ahonen and Eligible District Elector M'lissa Story.

New board members will take their oaths of office at MetRec’s May 17 board meeting at 6 p.m. in the Crested Butte Town Hall at 507 Maroon Avenue.

OVHs allowed to roam CR3 for another summer

Gunnison County

Commissioners authorized a seasonal OHV exemption on a small portion of County Road 3 (CR3) that connects the Town of Marble to the Lead King Loop.

The exemption will expire in December 2023.

Since 2016, commissioners have approved this annual exemption to allow unlicensed recreational vehicles — like allterrain vehicles (ATV) and offhighway vehicles (OHV) — reach the start of the 13-mile Lead King Loop, which takes visitors to the increasingly-popular Crystal Mill.

Commissioners went back and forth on the decision for weeks, fielding noise, crowding and safety concerns from Marble residents who live along that portion of road. Gunnison County Public Works and county commissioners will remain in contact with staff at the White River National Forest to examine long-term solutions for the area, said Public Works Director Martin Schmidt. All commissioners expressed that they would not like the OHV exemption to become indefinite.

“I keep hoping that there is a silver bullet somewhere that's going to make everyone happy,” said Commissioner Laura Puckett Daniels. “And at the end of the day, there isn't.”

Donna Rae Bratton

Donna Rae (Howard) Bratton passed away peacefully on May 12, 2023 after fighting a quiet and courageous battle against Parkinson’s disease. She was born August 31, 1934 to Dave and Ruth Howard, a special birthday gift to her dad, also born on August 31. Dave and Ruth owned a ranch in the Powderhorn Valley, having met when Ruth was a schoolteacher in the one-room schoolhouse there and Dave was a “handsome cowboy who rode up on his white horse wearing a white cowboy hat.”

She is survived by her husband of 69 years, Dick Bratton (Sept. 6 would have been 70 years), her two daughters Susan Bratton and Sara Bratton Bradbury; three granddaughters Anna (Erik) Peterson, Abby (Yuri) Suguiyama and Katie Bradbury; two great-grandsons (Luke and Kai) and one great-granddaughter (Lily). She is also survived by one sister Polly (Tom) Hayden and one brother Mike (Barbara) Howard, 16 nieces and nephews (and their spouses), and numerous great-nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sisters Peggy Lou (Bob) Reece, Patsy (Russ) Brown and Bonnie (Gary) McCorkhill, and brother Ed (Vonnie) Howard and her parents.

She spent the first eight years of school in the oneroom schoolhouse in

Powderhorn. Because there were no school buses at the time, during high school she lived in Gunnison with Jay and Effi e Miller, going home on the weekend. In addition to being a good student, she was a very active participant in Gunnison County High School as class president, thespian and cheerleader. Well-liked and admired for her character, class and commitment, she was crowned homecoming queen her senior year and received the Outstanding Thespian Award her junior and senior years.

and while he was in the Army. Th ey returned to Gunnison in October 1958, when Dick was invited to join Ed Dutcher, a prominent trial and water lawyer, in his law practice.

Donna went back to college, graduating from Western State College (now Western Colorado University) in 1962.

a play or event or to Santa Fe for the Opera. As a group, the ladies raised the “classy” level whenever they appeared.

They married at the beginning of Donna’s sophomore and Dick’s senior year of college. She worked at Miller’s Clothiers, owned by Jay and Effie Miller, and together they worked cleaning the log “Clubhouse” (then on campus as the student union, now Th e Last Chance Bar). Th ey would arrive at closing time, turn on the record player (always including “When the Saints Come Marching In” on their playlist), turn up the volume and get to work.

In 1954 they moved to Boulder so Dick could attend law school at the University of Colorado, first living in an apartment and, later, in campus housing. During their last year at CU, they were dorm counselors and received room, board and phone. (Local car dealer, John Roberts, was a fellow counselor). Donna worked to help Dick through law school first at the CU School of Education and later for Dow Chemical at Rocky Flats where she earned her PHT Degree (Putting Hubby Th rough). She continued working at Rocky Flats after Dick graduated

Donna and Dick’s fi rst daughter, Susan, was born in Nov. of 1962. Th en, in Jan. 1965, their second daughter, Sara, was born. Donna then devoted her time to being a fulltime wife and mother, volunteering in the girls’ schools, being a Brownie leader, driving the girls to and from their numerous events and activities, keeping track of everyone’s schedules and managing to keep all of the plates in the air for Dick and his burgeoning law practice. Offi ce parties hosted by Donna were always classy, and she made a point of having everything presented perfectly. Having been a secondgeneration native of the valley, Donna was passionate about being involved in the community. She was a longtime member of PEO, election judge, bridge player and volunteer at the Pioneer Museum (of which she was especially proud). At the state level, Donna served on the State Republican Central Committee. She was a prodigious reader, having read hundreds of books from biographies to history to novels. After Sara graduated from high school, Donna went back to work, fi rst at the Gunnison Bank and Trust and later as the Deputy County Clerk and Recorder. Her friends were a tight-knit group. Th e ladies got together regularly, were second parents to each other’s children and made no excuses for bad behaviors! They loved sharing books with each other (long before book clubs were a thing), relished a lunch or dinner together and enjoyed taking a road trip to Denver for

Dick has often said that it was because of Donna that their daughters were high quality, successful women of character, and that any success he may have had was in large part because of Donna. Her appearance and character rubbed off on him a little, and he was dressed well because of her. Some of Donna’s greatest attributes were her incredible ability to judge character, her wisdom in the world and her understanding of business and politics. Those things were a central piece of their incredible partnership — she was his most trusted ally and advisor. She always said, “When you are having a bad day, put on something that makes you feel good, fix your hair and keep your chin up.”

Donna was a quiet and private person, not one to want the attention focused on her. At Christmastime, she loved baking brown bread and making hard candies and delivering them to friends and individuals who she knew had few connections in town. She seemed to know exactly the right way to meet someone else’s needs, quietly taking a meal, sitting and listening without saying a word, offering help or even planning a road trip to bless a friend. She would be the fi rst to give and the last to ever expect or ask for help.

The family asks that any donations be made to the Gunnison Pioneer Museum, Western Colorado University Foundation or the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley.

Services will be held May 20 at 11 a.m. at the Community Church. A reception and light lunch will be held immediately afterward at Webster Hall.

SPORTSMANS RESORT in Ohio City features a 3 bdrm/1 bath, 1808sf main house with year-round access location, mature trees, all positioned on 1.28 acres. Rustic cabins onsite would make great storage. 116 County Road 771; $499,900.

PRICE REDUCED R-3 lots & finish the West End Townhomes for a spec option, rental investment or employee housing. City approved site plans allow for two more duplex units. Water & sewer taps are already installed. Centrally located near the schools & RTA bus stop. 817 W. Denver Ave.; $319,000.

3 HOMES TOTAL Investment opportunity in town where each home is 2 bdrm/1 bath, tenants pay utilities, $5,400 income per month. Location near the airport and fairgrounds. 314 S. 12th St; $1,200,000.

LISTING 3 bdrm/2 ½ bath nearly 1,700sf home with additional family room & attached 2 car garage features a fully fenced backyard on just over half an acre. 430 Fairway Lane; $699,000.

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3 BDRM/2 BATH 1554sf home with open kitchen & dining room and a fully fenced backyard with storage shed. New metal roof in 2020 as well as exterior painting. Master bathroom was remodeled & includes two separate vanities with walk-in closet. 404 N. 7th St.; $425,000.

HOME ON 50 ACRES in Ohio City features an excellent mixture of wildlife, nearby trails, aspen, pines & 300 feet of Gold Creek frontage. 3 bdrm/2 bath house, huge attached garage, large detached barn, touched by Forest Service lands. 5498 County Road 771; $2,500,000.

OVER 1,900SF log cabin on 35 acres features 2 bedrooms, an open living room & kitchen with custom made oak cabinets, Upstairs loft includes additional beds for guests & the woodstove keeps the cabin warm. Well in place & solar panels for electricity. Seasonal pond and sold partially furnished. Lot 1 Stratman Subdivision; $425,000.

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4 BDRM/2 BATH 1920sf home and a fully remodeled basement with 2 car detached garage conveniently located near the new library & trail system. Includes a cozy great room & bonus room for storage or crafts. 108 Irwin Street; $639,000.

NEW LISTING Remarkable 4 bdrm/4 bath, 3650sf home on nearly an acre features 3 full master suites! Fully fenced backyard with firepit, new roof in 2020, office, game room, storage room, workout room and two storage sheds, dog run, and raised garden beds. 122 Meadow Lark Trail; $1,100,000.

Donna met Dick Bratton, from Salida, at a dance at Odd Fellows Hall when she was 16 and he was 18. They joked that her mother did not like her daughters dating college boys, but her sister, Patsy, who knew Dick at Western, told her mother that it would be OK, and that “Dick was harmless.”

OBITUARIES

William Arthur Moore

Without a clear plan for the future, he joined the Peace Corps from 1965 to 1967, during which, as an essentially urban kid who had worked summers on a ranch, he taught rural north Indian villagers how to increase chicken eggyields. Bill returned home at the height of the Vietnam War and was about to be drafted when a vision-related issue rendered him unable to serve. Still without a clear plan, he went on a six-week mountain-climbing expedition to Afghanistan and then worked as a cowboy for his family’s friends, Bob and Ditty Perry, at the Mt. Sopris Hereford Ranch in Carbondale.

With their two children, Bill and Lorna traveled the world, spending substantial time in Peru, Tibet and Bolivia, where Lorna and her colleagues had medical research projects aimed at understanding the mechanisms by which the multigenerational high-altitude residents were protected from hypoxic-related disorders afflicting newcomers. Bill, always the facilitator and diplomat, made such ventures possible and productive.

The lights went out for Bill Moore on May 8, 2023. Though he lived in Denver for 50 years, his heart’s home rested at his family longtime cabin on Gold Creek above Ohio City, Colorado, where he spent all the time he could.

Bill was born William Arthur Moore II in Los Angeles on June 26, 1942, to Eudorah Goodell (Morse) Moore and Anson Churchill Moore. After travel restrictions were lifted at the end of World War II, the family moved to Richmond, Virginia for four years while his father engaged in a construction business. While Anson was happy in the East, Eudorah was determined to return to California, and in the late 1940s the family moved first to Altadena and then Pasadena. In Pasadena they built what became the longtime family home overlooking the San Gabriel Valley. It was a heavenly place for a boy to grow up, roaming over as-yet unbuilt hillsides.

He attended 3rd through 8th grades in Pasadena, but the town’s starchiness was not a good fit, so his wise parents, having ranching friends near Carbondale, Colorado, trundled him off to the newly formed Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS). It was a perfect match, toughening him and pushing him to grow physically and socially. After graduation from CRMS he briefly attended Pasadena City College, then transferred to the University of Colorado Boulder, and graduated with a degree in business administration in 1964.

During that Carbondale year, in August 1969, he met Lorna Auguste Grindlay of Rochester, Minnesota. Lorna was working as a summer faculty at CRMS while enrolled in a PhD program in biological anthropology at the University of Michigan. She convinced Bill to pursue his longtime interests in geography by enrolling in a master’s degree program there with a focus on regional land-use planning.

Bill and Lorna married in July 1971 and settled in Denver shortly thereafter to raise two wonderful children and remain happily for nearly 52 years.

Bill was happiest helping others. During his land-use planning jobs, Bill resolved conflicts that arose. For example, when his employer, Level 3, who was laying fiber optic cable throughout the western U.S., strayed from the approved route into a rancher’s field or a railroad right of way, Bill always found a way to resolve each side’s concerns, create peace and accomplish the important goals. He was equally adept at resolving problems for his children, siblings, parents, nieces and nephews, whether arising from divorce or work-issues such as those encountered by his wife while navigating the male-dominated world of medical sciences at the University of Colorado DenverAnschutz Medical Campus and simultaneously a teaching faculty (and founding chair) of the University of Colorado Denver’s Anthropology Department or as Dean of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

Bill had a deep love for the outdoors, especially Colorado’s high country. He summited its 150 highest peaks, loved long walks along high-alpine ridgelines and skied into backcountry huts every year — including a three-day hut trip to the Sangree M. Froelicher hut near Leadville, Colorado in January 2023. He practiced yoga for over 25 years, wove beautiful baskets and was a longtime member of the Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad. And nothing was more enjoyable to him than a Sunday dinner with his family, grandchildren and a cold IPA (but only after 5 p.m.).

In addition to his wife and two children, Anna Auguste and John Anson, and spouses David Biagioni and Emily (Gamble) Moore, Bill leaves behind four thriving grandchildren, Madalyn Eudorah and William August Biagioni, and Olin Anson and Juna Grindlay Moore; his three siblings, Anna Reynolds Moore, Anson Churchill Moore, and Reynolds Morse Moore, and their respective children; nieces and nephews, William and Matteo Valeri and spouses Manuela Zanaboni and Valentina Cirella; Carolyn and Sarah Moore; William, Henry, and Charlotte Ogden Moore; and great niece/nephew Isabella Eudorah and Julian Anson Moore.

Bill’s life has been one of deep and quiet grace and devoted, loving service. He has been his family’s navigator, its rod and its staff, noble builder and keeper of the family flame. He will be profoundly missed by the many left behind but who have been enriched by knowing him and having benefited from his many good deeds and kindest and most loving of hearts.

970.641.1414

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OPINION

These wild places — what comes next for VanTuyl?

After moving across town a couple of weeks ago, I was initially grumpy about no longer living close to Signal Peak, its trails boasting views of the snow-capped Uncompahgre and the sleepy town nestled below the Palisades. But soon I realized I’d be closer to the VanTuyl Loop, a place I frequented when I first moved to the Gunnison Valley.

The 3-mile path provides just the right amount of time to think a dilemma through, clear your head after a frazzling day at the office or race a swarm of mosquitos on your bike at dusk. If I had to describe the charm of Gunnison to someone who had never laid eyes on the valley, I’d just send them to VanTuyl. Its open farmlands and the gurgle of the Gunnison River are the reason I can’t quite stomach spending more than 48 hours in Denver anymore.

One of the few things I miss terribly from my roots in New Orleans are the songs of the night creatures. The conversational roar of the cicadas and frogs during the summer signaled the arrival of the fireflies my sister and I would chase in the backyard. We were young and carefree then, cradling the wondrous blinking insects in our hands. Never were the nights silent, nor did I feel alone when the sun set.

When I first moved to Colorado, it was often so quiet

LETTERS

Voting in school board elections should be a priority

Editor:

2023

It has come to my attention that the first Gunnison Watershed School Board election in over 24 years is going to be held this November.

LETTERS POLICY

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Many people that I speak with are unaware that the Gunnison school board members have all been appointed and not elected by the people. Therefore, the representation for the people may or may not have been what the people of this valley had hoped for in many years past.

There are three positions up for election this year. The importance of the school board is far more important than most believe. The schools and the people we choose to run the board affect all of us, even if we do not have children or are not teachers. The future of our children, the education they receive and the ways our teachers are treated matter to everyone in the community and it should.

I am not a parent, but I care very much about the children, the education they receive and the future of the people in this

property more than a decade ago. Water, the city officials preached. Water for the future.

Bella Biondini Times Editor

at night that it was diffi cult for me to fall asleep. During one of my fi rst bike rides on VanTuyl, which was now years ago, I heard a frog chirp. Then another. I slammed on the breaks.

Now I prefer to experience VanTuyl on foot to take in the sounds of the ranch. They remind me of the place I grew up: green, humid and full of wild things.

Last week, I, along with many residents, gathered at City Hall to learn more about what the engineers have in mind if they are indeed to construct a water treatment plant on the ranch. Some said it’s hard to imagine a facility of this size being silent, while others wondered if the project would turn the loop into a construction zone. For how long? Just look at the mess in Little Blue Creek Canyon for inspiration.

After poring over the 2010 VanTuyl Ranch management plan (it is 100+ pages long and no light read), I believe the city is not overstepping the original reasons it purchased the

community. These children are the future. They will be the ones who are the decision makers and leaders.

All registered voters in the county should vote for the school board members. We all pay taxes that are used for the schools. We all should know that schools are the heart of our community. The children bring life and joy to us all. They deserve the best, the best education, the best teachers and a caring community.

This fall there will be a ballot in our mailboxes, and we get to vote for three people for the school board. You have to vote for your voice to be heard. It matters what decisions are being made for us and the future of our community, state and country.

The importance of voting in school board elections should be a priority, whether you have children in the school or not. It affects us all. Education is so important and making sure a quality education is offered to students across the country should be at the top of our list.

Cori Dobson Gunnison

Although I don’t disagree that the city must renovate its excruciatingly outdated water system, have redundancy in times of drought or that VanTuyl is the wrong place to put the treatment plant, I along with many, warn of what could be lost.

Sure, recreation wasn’t quite at the top of the list of management priorities, but why do we recreate where we recreate?

You will almost never catch me on a run in town. I try to get as far away from the buzz of the work day and the glow of my laptop as possible. In addition to VanTuyl, I am a usual suspect on Signal Peak’s Cemetery Trail, and the Cranor Hill bike loop.

All of these routes share views of the Gunnison Valley that make me contemplate why I’ve worked so hard to stay in this community and the countless things I have here that I am thankful for. It’s on the back of my bike that I've learned how to deal with loss and mourn the changing seasons and the friends that have come and gone.

I commend the city for its plans to try and avoid disturbing the area as much as possible, as well as hiding the lessthan-picturesque equipment in a barn that staff hopes will blend into the existing farmscape. But new pipes have to be

Regarding property taxes

Editor:

Having received the new valuation on my property, I must say it is as ludicrous as advertised. The Gunnison Valley governmental entities do not need this influx of cash. We pay these taxes for the continued services provided. Those services haven’t increased in cost to warrant such charges.

The businesses of our community are going to suffer from these punitive amounts. If they succeed in surviving, it will mainly be by raising their prices — thus making it more difficult for the citizens of our valley to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

The renters are going to suffer from increased rents because the landlords may not be able to consume this extra cost. Some homeowners will find it’s pay the taxes, or eat.

Our elected officials need to mitigate these amounts for the good of the community.

Susan Crawford Gunnison

placed underground somehow, and the machinery to build the plant parked somewhere. The possible addition of a storage reservoir in the future would require the partial flooding of an ecosystem that has existed for generations.

There is a chance once the plant is complete it may not make that much of a difference, tucked away off the main trail, near land that has already historically been used for ranching. It may just be a blip on the landscape, fading, maybe, into the background. Who can say?

Change is difficult, and we should be careful of what battles we choose to fight as a community and why. While some fight further development in Gunnison, others are pushed out by rising home prices and a lack of inventory. By accepting growing pains, (Gunnison Rising and Whetstone are good examples), it's a chance to make this community a better place.

I’d argue that ensuring there is a hearty water supply is necessary for Gunnison’s future. And that the most cost-effective place may be VanTuyl. While I implore residents to be open to change, I also ask the city to consider these wild places and what they mean to the community. They’re aren’t many left.

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

This quality of care was comforting to us

Editor:

We would like to publicly thank the people who helped Donna in her long battle with Parkinson’s. Dominica LaCapra managed a team of outstanding caregivers who not only provided professional care, but each also cared for Donna personally.

In addition to Dominica, we would like to thank Heather Estes, Jeri Bates McGraw, Krista Brockschmit, Cearra Smith, Choying O'Brien and Alli Dages.

Although we do not know all of the names, we also want to thank the paramedics and the staff both in the emergency room and inpatient in the hospital who provided professional help in her final days, also in a very personal caring way.

This quality of care and kindness was comforting to us during this difficult time.

Dick Bratton, Susan Bratton, Sara Bratton Bradbury Gunnison

2023 Member

Wiggins for GCEA board

Editor: I have had the pleasure of working with Greg Wiggins in the board room for 10 years. He is a great leader and is very sensitive to the needs of the members and the dollars allocated to projects.

He supports cost effective renewables such as the Taylor hydro project, which is close to fruition. Wiggins supports employee education, safety programs, Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) fire mitigation planning and implementation of drone inspections looking for potential problems.

Wiggins is a great common sense business man who spends the members’ money wisely — always looking at the rates members pay and the benefits of dollars spent. A director influences all aspects of the business and Wiggins does a great job in all areas.

I believe Wiggins’ stable, proven and committed leadership is essential to GCEA’s continued success.

Roger Grogg Gunnison

Stern committed to green energy solutions

Editor:

I am a mother and homeowner in CB South. I’m writing to show my support for Frank Stern because he seems genuinely committed to bringing green energy solutions to the Gunnison Valley.

I believe such solutions are imperative for the health of our planet and the lives of our children and grandchildren.

Rose Meier Crested Butte

mitigation and he always works tirelessly at everything he does.

I hope that you will join me and vote for Stern for the benefit of our children’s future.

GCEA will mail ballots May 22 and you have until June 16 to vote online or until June 20 by mail.

Randy and Joan Swift Crested Butte

Mark it for Stern

Editor:

I am so pleased to see that Frank Stern is running for the District 1 Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) board of directors.

Stern has a lifetime of training that makes him an extraordinary candidate for directorship. Frank has a degree in civil engineering, with an emphasis in energy engineering, and 30 years of experience in the electric utility business focusing on green energy programs.

Stern has been active in the community since his retirement, helping as a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, the Gunnison Food Pantry, CB Nordic Center, Gunnison Valley Climate Crisis Coalition and the Crested Butte Mountain Biking Association Stern’s resume can be found at franksterngceaboard.com or he can be contacted at frankforgcea@gmail.com.

Your GCEA ballot will be in the mail on May 22. Ballots are due on or before June 20. Please return your mail ballot or vote electronically at www.GCEA. coop.

Please do not discard your ballot, mark it for Frank Stern and mail it in.

Steve Schechter Gunnison

I will be voting for Stern

Editor:

able May 22. I will be supporting my father, Greg Wiggins, as he continues to devote time on the GCEA Board of Directors.

I’d like to encourage all young adults that have a GCEA power bill to vote. For the past 12 years, he has had the opportunity to be a part of the board. He supports sustainable power, promotion of electric travel and providing excellent service to all GCEA members. Electronic voting will be available this year along with mail in ballots.

I’d like to thank the Gunnison Valley for its continuous support.

Montana Wiggins Crested Butte What has happened to us?

Editor:

I agree that as parents we must stand for our families and protect our children. In doing this, please don't ignore the parts in the Bible that teach tolerance, acceptance and unconditional love. Don't skip the words on compassion, understanding and kindness. If we ignore these lessons then our children really will need protection. We all will.

Christians cannot succeed in Christ-like behavior if they practice fear and intolerance, anger and hatred. Once you can let that go, this wondrous and amazing life God has gifted us is not awful at all.

“Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but do not see the plank in your own eye?"

Matthew: 7.

Jane Thomas Gunnison

May is Better Hearing & Speech Month

Editor:

Speech, language and hearing disorders are among the most common disorders in school aged children.

Frank

Stern is clear choice for GCEA

Editor:

I am writing this letter in support of Frank Stern for the board of directors of Gunnison County Electric Association.

Our country and local government is making great strides in electrification of homes and electric vehicles to mitigate climate change and air pollution. Currently the provided energy to GCEA by Tri-State is comprised of about 33% renewables. The remainder is natural gas and coal. GCEA/Tri-State is committed to 70% renewable energy by 2030.

This naturally will increase electricity demand for the semigreen energy that GCEA provides and is a very good start. We need board members that will ensure that we meet these goals or better yet, exceed them.

Polls show that the majority of Americans want to fight climate change as we experience unprecedented heat, and escalating natural disasters such as forest fires, hurricanes and flooding.

Stern is an engineer with 30 years of experience in the affordable clean energy sector. I know Stern very well and he is passionate about climate change

I am writing in support of Frank Stern for a seat on the Gunnison County Electric Association’s board of directors. I do not know Mr. Stern personally, but I know about his experience in the electric utility industry, his resulting expertise and his interest in addressing the calamity of climate change in these times.

Other than the steadily decreasing numbers of climate change deniers, the rest of us understand the importance of addressing the causes of climate change and the need to transition to sources of clean energy.

Mr. Stern is a strong supporter of cost-effective sustainable supplies of energy.

He has had decades of experience in developing, working and managing projects in his industry. He is also a dedicated member of the Gunnison County community and has helped a number of local nonprofit organizations.

I will be voting for Stern.

Laird Cagan Crested Butte

I encourage young GCEA members to vote

Editor:

Gunnison County Electric Association ballots will be avail-

May 14 was Apraxia Awareness Day, a severe speech and language disorder. Children with Apraxia endure an incredible and lengthy struggle to do the one thing that comes effortlessly to most children: speak.

My son has been striving to overcome this disorder for most of his life. He’s made steady progress thanks to his SLP, teachers, friends and extended family.

We are very lucky here in Gunnison as our local school speech-language pathologist, Lindsey Kemmerling, has specialized training in Apraxia. We also have one of the leading experts of Apraxia based in the Denver area.

“From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand. From the inside looking out, it’s hard to explain.” Check out more information on what Apraxia is and what helps by going to apraxiakids.org who have supported tens of thousands families and professionals.

It’s vital to continue to believe in any child’s ability to progress and try to celebrate each positive step along the way.

Maren Eberly Gunnison

foot FedEx distribution center, as well as the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) new field office. Although both buildings are occupied, the rest of the property is still undeveloped. The primary roadways serving phase one are Ute Lane, East New York and eventually Hartman Boulevard, a road that is slightly east of the entrance to I Bar Ranch. This new intersection could eventually include Gunnison’s first traffic roundabout, but the plans are still awaiting approval from the Colorado Department of Transportation. If approved, construction is not scheduled to begin until next year.

The city has needed to overcome major grid capacity issues to make Gunnison Rising possible. This included the expansion of its electric and sewer infrastructure, as well as water line extensions into the subdivision.

According to project manager Jeff Prosapio, the team is gearing up for a “big push” to complete the off-site electric feeds that come down from the city’s substation in town.

The route — which will act as the primarily electrical service for the entire Gunnison Rising development — moves through a mixture of private, state and Western Colorado University lands. The original alignment of the electrical conduit must be moved because it passes through sensitive archaeological sites near the southern end of the route. The team has met Western

Anthropology Professor Mark Stiger in the field to mark off the areas he is most concerned have potential historic value, Prosapio said. The agreement is currently in its final stages.

While the city had enough power capacity to run the new BLM field office, the lengthy process of hooking Gunnison Rising up to electricity has forced the FedEx center to temporarily run on a generator. City Engineer Cody Tusing said it was known prior to the distribution center’s completion that there was not enough electricity in the existing system to feed the development.

FedEx signed an agreement with the developer that said it would operate at its own risk until permanent power was supplied, he said.

“That was their decision outside of our purview,” Tusing said. “We always had enough electric-

ity for the BLM, but that tapped us out.”

Some of the electrical service feeds were also misplaced due to a “slight miscoordination” between the civil and electrical engineer, Prosapio said. The crew’s electrician will have to come out, dismantle some of the electrical boxes, pull up the cable there and reconnect them in the correct location, a fix that will happen early this season. Phase one is not expected to be fully energized until November.

Over the summer, crews will continue installing the utility lines as well as a system of roads and sidewalks at phase two on the north side of Hwy. 50. While some of the streets will be extended, such as College and Georgia, others will have entirely new names such as Lewis, Waunita and Wilson. Prosapio said this work will likely carry

over into 2024.

Phase two, a 52-acre parcel, is set aside for Gunnison Rising’s first, and much anticipated, residential neighborhoods. The final maps and engineering plans are presently under review to make sure they match the city’s code and construction standards. Once the plans are approved by city staff, lots can be sold.

Gunnison senior planner Andie Ruggera said she expects approval within a couple of months.

The city has received a $1.8 million grant to complete Gunnison Rising’s first affordable housing development on the open parcel behind Western. The project will be developed by Archway Partners and contain 64 for-sale units reserved for locals making between 120-140% of Gunnison County’s area median income.

Prosapio described phase two

as an extension of “what is going to look a lot like the rest of downtown” with residential neighborhood blocks, trail connections and the appropriate commercial amenities. Vertical construction is planned for early 2024.

According to local Bluebird Real Estate broker Brian Cooper, Gunnison Rising has generated a high level of regional interest from institutional investors and multi-family developers. Cooper has been officially named as Gunnison Rising’s sales and marketing director. The Bluebird team will represent all of the sales within the development and work closely with the public relations firm Verde Brand Communications.

Phase one is the only portion of Gunnison Rising that is publicly listed for sale, offering larger industrial lots — each approximately 3 acres and priced around $1 million. Four lots are still available for purchase following the BLM and FedEx, which brought two parcels for the distribution center.

Individual lots in phase two are not quite on the market yet, with a significant amount of infrastructure still required to get them there. But Cooper noted there’s still a lot of pent up demand for a variety of housing options in the valley — with the need for more land and more development stronger now than it was in years prior.

“We’re out of land in a sense, and that’s why building has slowed down in Gunnison,” Cooper said. “This is an opportunity to correct that.”

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

ervations and flight bookings for the upcoming summer season are lower than years prior. In contrast to the bustling 202223 winter season, the Gunnison Valley is expected to experience a slowdown in tourism as the weather warms up — with the lingering instability of the economy and the slow lift of pandemic-era restrictions continuing to change the habits of travelers. Tourism and Prosperity and Partnership (TAPP)

Executive Director John Norton gave the Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) a briefing on what to expect this summer at a regular meeting earlier this month.

This summer, Norton said, he expected to see a 20% decline in lodging revenues across the valley. Crested Butte has already reported those numbers for March, while Gunnison County as a whole is down 25%. The number of airline reservations at the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport also fell 28% for the month of May.

“We had a solid air winter until March, where we fell out of bed,” Norton said. “I think skier days also fell out of bed.”

Norton noted that the declining demand for tourism is not isolated to the valley, but is a national trend. The

“West,” defined as destinations in California, Oregon and Washington, is taking the hardest hit, while the Rockies are faring a little better, he said.

“There's no region of the country that's showing positive numbers versus last year … I expect what we're seeing right now in May spells trouble throughout this summer season,” Norton said. “I don't think we're going to have a strong summer either in the drive market, which kind of abandoned us a bit this ski season while the air market didn't.”

The number of visitors traveling to the valley was also lower last summer, but hotels and other lodging providers were able to charge higher prices — keeping revenue levels mostly even. After enjoying “pretty big gains” in daily rates and occupancy over the last five years, that appears to be coming to an end, Norton said.

“They may not be able to push their pricing as much as they have in the face of declining demand even though their operating costs have almost certainly gone up with continued inflation,” he said.

RTA board member Jason MacMillan asked if the numbers TAPP has been recording are similar to those seen prior to the pandemic.

“Are we getting just kind of back to a baseline there?” MacMillan said. “Or is this a real

shift in appetite for tourism in the Rockies?”

After one of the strongest winters yet in terms of lodging revenues, Norton said he still thinks numbers will remain stronger than 2019. The factors driving the potential slowdown are believed to be inflation, large layoffs that have stretched outside of the tech sector and the ability to travel internationally again.

For the first time in years, local rates are beginning to come down to adjust to lower

demand, TAPP Marketing Director Andrew Sandstrom told the Times . He gave local businesses a briefing on what to expect at the Chamber of Commerce’s Spring SwingSummer Forecast on May 12.

“I think we're maybe finding our new normal, post pandemic,” Sandstrom said. “And with the downturn we are generally seeing with the economy, travel is typically one of the first things people cut.”

Summer flight offerings

Air service at the GunnisonCrested Butte Airport is down to one daily flight on United Airlines to Denver. This will jump back to two flights daily beginning on June 2. The airport will reintroduce flights to and from Houston only on weekends during the summer season. JetSuiteX will also resume summer service on May 25.

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

Bookings at the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport for the approaching summer months are down 17% from last year.

Jacob Spetzler

FedEx and the Bureau of Land Management Gunnison Field Office are the first two buildings in the new Gunnison Rising Development east of town.

Bella Biondini

ing two questions: do we want to expand any further, and then how much are we willing to invest in dollars intended for education?” said Superintendent Leslie Nichols.

The district started the housing conversation several years ago and even purchased a duplex in Crested Butte for its employees. But the pandemic put the endeavor on the back burner, and it did not resurface until January of this year, when the board hired Williford to survey the nearly 300 district employees about housing situations and preferences. The survey received a “tremendous response,” Williford said, clocking 273 responses from just district employees — greater than entire counties and cities she’s worked with.

Survey results show mostly unsurprising trends, Williford said. In general, younger employees make less money, so they are more likely to rent, but be more interested in home ownership down the line. Conversely, long-time employees are more likely to own homes and experience greater housing security and housing satisfaction.

Although Williford’s data shows that district employees are paid better on average than the overall valley population, that doesn’t necessarily translate into “enough” for the housing market. About 75% of the renters, and 44% of owners, are not willing to pay more than $1,500 a month. The industry standard defi nition of “a ff ordable” is housing that costs no more than 30% of household income, but district employees have a “lower tolerance,” she said, limited by other costs like car and student loan payments.

“Th ey want something that's more affordable than 30% of their income,” she said. "That's just something we have to keep in mind as we set rents or sale prices at 30% of income. A lot of people are gonna say ‘hey, that's not really affordable to

me.’”

A slew of staffing challenges are visible just years down the line, Williford said, which could result in the GWSD needing to hire 70-80 new employees as soon as 2028. A relatively young employment base — nearly half of district employees have worked for six years or less — means the district’s staff could become unstable as young people are priced out of the valley. That reality, combined with the 30-40 staff members set to retire in the next five years, could create a hiring bind for GWSD down the line, and it’s hard enough to get teachers into the valley now, said Board President Tyler Martineau.

“They're not going to be coming here unless they have some sort of housing arrangement, or they have a family connection,” he said. “There's some way they have managed to arrange housing not in the regular housing market.”

Employees seem to also have adapted to adverse housing conditions, Williford said. While almost half say they experience some type of chronic problem, like being forced to move from high rent or a home being in poor repair, 77% of renters say they are neutral or satisfied while 94% of owners say the same. Owners tend to have fi xed prices and housing security, so “they have control of their fate,” she said.

“When we looked at, ‘do you

YOUR GRADUATION GIFT GIVING HEADQUARTERS!

own or do you rent?’ we saw this extremely strong correlation with time in the district and owning a home,” Williford said. “This is where we start to be concerned about the folks who want to put down roots and stay in the valley but can't move into owning their own home.”

A philosophical question

In Gunnison County, the 2022 median sale price for a single-family home was $738,000, so a household would need an annual income of about $221,500 to swing the sale. Unsurprisingly, rental vacancy rates have been below 1% for a decade, meaning young employees and families are getting pushed out of the ownership market and into a rental one. The question is not employee need, but dis-

trict readiness to participate in the housing industry, Board Treasurer Dave Taylor said.

“I'm skeptical as to whether it's the best use of education money,” he said.

Many organizations in the valley have taken their stab at the housing issue. From Sawtooth to Whetstone to Lazy K, both the city, the county, the hospital, Rural Transit Authority, Western Colorado University and even the Crested Butte Fire District are seeking housing for their employees through master leases or outright purchasing.

Th e duplex in Crested Butte has helped GWSD fill critical positions in the past, but it offers space for only a few employees out of the nearly 300 district-wide. The district owns three parcels of property in Gunnison that could be developed into housing, Nichols said. But Martineau pushed back.

“I don't think we should be looking at the couple of parcels that the school district owns. To me, that's microscopic … we need to be broader and meet a much greater need, a much bigger vision than how we deal with a couple of acres of property.”

Other districts around the state, like Eagle County School District, have already entered the housing market, using district-owned land to increase housing supply for their employees. It ultimately comes

around whether the district wants to get into the housing game, Williford said, or instead support other initiatives happening around the valley.

“Housing is not a silver bullet, but it will help your competitiveness,” Williford said.

Although employees are keen for housing stipends and down payment assistance, those types of interventions would not resolve the supply problem — leaving employees with more money in their pocket but the same limited, pricey housing stock to choose from.

“Philosophically, what do we believe as a school district as far as employee housing?” Taylor said. “Right now, sitting here, I'm saying we shouldn't be in the housing business. I'm not saying we might not be in the stipends business, but I don't think we should be in the housing business.”

All board members agreed that before making any big decisions they wanted more information. Williford will present a housing research report on June 26 that includes basics of the valley housing landscape and what comparable school districts are doing. Later, with board approval, Williford may produce a Housing Action Plan, meant to lay out how the district could engage in solutions.

(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or

— come by and grab and application, talk to Ally!

Gina Pollard takes attendance in a sixth grade physical science class on May 17 at Gunnison Community School.

Abby Harrison

RTA continues its transition to cleaner energy

80% of fleet runs on recaptured CNG

Bella Biondini Times Editor

As bus ridership grows, the Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) has continued its shift to a more environmentally-friendly type of fuel, with the goal of reducing valley-wide emissions.

The RTA’s fuel of choice has been compressed natural gas (CNG), which is essentially recaptured methane. The Authority purchases renewable or “recaptured” CNG credits so the gas it uses is pulled from landfills, wastewater treatment plants and food and animal waste.

“We get methane that would have been otherwise vented out in the atmosphere,” said RTA Executive Director Scott Truex.

This month, the RTA added two more CNG buses to its fleet, 80% of which now runs on the eco-friendly alternative to gasoline and diesel. With the new arrivals, the Authority operates a total of 10 vehicles: two diesel and eight CNG. The RTA estimates that the CNG buses put out about 12% less carbon dioxide per mile and 97% less particle pollution than diesel. With buses that drive hundreds of thousands of miles each year and fuel that costs less, the savings quickly add up.

Natural gas is still best choice for buses

The community’s push to begin lowering emissions in the valley started nearly a decade ago following the Gunnison County Commissioners’ desire to study

the efficacy of alternative fuels. The board examined electric and biodiesel, but eventually landed on CNG — a fuel that county leaders believed would lower emissions and fit easily into existing operations.

To make the transition, Gunnison County needed to build a fuel station, deemed a challenge due to the high cost of compressing gas to extremely high pressures. First the county needed to guarantee a private company that the construction of a station would be worth the investment. The board eventually looked to the RTA for help, drawing inspiration from the Roaring Fork Transit Authority, which had already begun using CNG.

The CNG station, located at Gunnison Tire, went online in 2016, and the RTA started with one bus a year later. Under a twoway agreement, a promise to purchase a minimum amount of fuel resulted in costs that were far lower at the pump. In 2022, the county paid a little more than $2 per gallon equivalent when diesel prices reached almost $5.

Over the years, electricity has become cleaner and may eventually be preferable to other energy types, said John Cattles, assistant county manager for operations and sustainability. But that doesn’t mean going electric is the most feasible option for the valley’s bus system.

“Right now, natural gas is still our best choice … We don't make these decisions, like natural gas is bad, and electricity is good,” Cattles said. “We try to make these decisions based on their use case. For homes, electricity is really good. For vehicles, it depends.”

The RTA system runs all of its buses to a maximum, which means when the bus runs out

of fuel, they refill, change drivers and keep going, Cattles said. With today’s technology, electric buses don’t have the range the RTA needs to run its 36 daily routes. If the buses were all electric, the RTA would likely need to park them for eight hours or more to charge — frequently putting them out of service, he said.

“That would really change how much equipment they would have to own to be able to maintain the service levels we have,” he said. “And If it takes 50% more buses if they're electric, there's an environmental impact to that.”

The county now uses more than 30 CNG vehicles. Cattles said he thinks the shift to CNG is just the first step in what the county does with alternative fuels and foresees a transition to electric vehicles in the future. The county has already begun to

order some electric trucks

But with the goal of reducing emissions, significant progress has already been made, he said.

“The way I think of it is, if we had just kept going with diesel and waited for electric to get to a point where we could convert a lot of vehicles, we would just be starting right now to try and save on our emissions … Now we're starting to see that electric is kind of our next step. But we didn't just sit there twiddling our thumbs,” Cattles said.

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

Bella Biondini

Vicki and Ryan Johnson of Crested Butte’s Sign Guys & Gal apply an RTA decal to a new bus. The RTA hopes to have the new buses in service within the next week.

CNG engines don’t have spark plugs. Instead, the power is made from pressure on the cylinders, said RTA chief mechanic Danny Bartelli. The buses lack a fuel gauge like a car and instead go by pounds per square inch (psi) — similar to what is used to measure tire pressure. While mountain bike tires are typically filled to 15-25 psi, the tanks are filled to approximately 3,600 psi in the summertime when it's hot out.

Each CNG bus, which is manufactured in Canada, has nine gas tanks onboard, located where luggage storage would be found on a regular bus. The buses can do about five laps compared to the buses seven before running out of fuel.

Sinkhole on Hwy. 133 will take months to repair

CDOT estimates a temporary bridge in six weeks

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

On Saturday, April 29, a sinkhole opened along Hwy. 133, just east of Paonia. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), which has jurisdiction over state highways, immediately closed the road in both directions from mile marker 14 to 19. The agency has asked motorists to avoid the area unless absolutely necessary.

CDOT estimated that repairs to the roadway could take one to two months. For now, the highway remains closed for two-way through traffic, but the department is coordinating with partner agencies and local residents to allow limited travel in the area. Th e Fire Mountain Canal access road, just 10-15 feet from the highway, has been opened for Somerset locals, residents on the west side of McClure Pass and emergency vehicles.

The sinkhole formed where Bear Creek filters into the North Fork of the Gunnison River when a culvert sprung a leak, gradually started to fail and ate away at the highway. CDOT officials have said spring runoff is a factor in the conditions leading to the sinkhole developing. It gradually expanded over the first week, starting in the north-bound lane and slowly creeping in the south-bound lane. But this week the expansion has stopped and CDOT officials consider the sinkhole to be stable.

Personnel at West Elk Mine and the Marble Quarry

who live in Delta and Grand Junction must cross Hwy. 133 on foot, and then take shuttles to their workplaces, said Director of Gunnison County Emergency Services Scott Morrill. He asked drivers not to use CR265 and CR12 (Kebler Pass) as detour routes once those roads open for the season.

“Once they open, they're going to be very muddy and they are weight restricted and just not designed for high volumes of traffic,” Morrill said. “We just want to encourage people to stick to the pavement.”

CDOT began a procurement process for a two-way temporary bridge, and has re-issued an RFP for the project after no contractors replied to the fi rst one due to the tight time frame, Morrill said.

“CDOT has been able to manage this issue internally with their own resources,”

County Commissioner Liz Smith said in a regular Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 16. “Th at has led to a quicker procurement process. They did not have to appeal to the federal government or declare a state disaster or emergency.”

Smith visited the sinkhole this week alongside Rep. Marc Catlin, Delta County Commissioner Don Suppes, Rep. Matt Soper and CDOT Director Shoshana Lew. Smith said CDOT officials expect to have the bridge finished by late June, but no contractor has been selected yet. Travelers are encouraged to use COtrip.org for planning an alternate route around the area. All real-time travel impacts will continue to be posted on the site.

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

The sinkhole on Hwy. 133 just east of Paonia. Courtesy Liz Smith

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Lazy K, Gunnison’s newest subdivision has several units still available for purchase by individuals or institutions/businesses! MORE UNITS COMING THIS SPRING. We have 1 unit at 80% AMI units meaning if you make less than $50k-$70k/year depending on household size, you may qualify to purchase this new 2 bedroom/1.5 bath unit at $268,271! Applications to determine your eligibility can be found at GVRHA.org. To arrange a viewing or questions about the property, please contact Gunnison Real Estate & Rentals.

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Western hosts open house for Thompson Divide mineral withdrawal

The U.S Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held a listening session for the proposed Thompson Divide 20-year administrative mineral withdrawal on Wednesday, May 11 at Western Colorado University. The agencies submitted an application to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in September of 2022 requesting the withdrawal.

The pair is working on an environmental analysis and by spring of 2024, will prepare a recommendation to submit to the Interior. Community members and county politicians showed up on Wednesday to voice their support and ask questions about what the withdrawal could mean for current mining leases and public land management.

If approved, the withdrawal would prevent additional gas and oil leasing development and federal mineral interests on approximately 225,000 acres in the White River National Forest in westcentral Colorado. The requested withdrawal would not affect the valid, existing leases — mostly natural gas — within the withdrawal boundaries. Land management activities such as recreation and grazing would not be affected. It’s supporters hope it will protect the headwaters of the Gunnison River Basin and dependent agricultural, ranching, wildlife, recreational and ecological values.

Abby Harrison

Fresh pastries coming soon to Main Street

Cake Me Away set to open new location this summer

Bella Biondini Times Editor

Late this summer, Cake Me Away will open its doors for the first time at its new downtown location — offering the Gunnison Valley community a variety of freshly baked pastries, magical custom cakes and plenty of cookies to share.

Owner Alyssa Atzenbeck began searching for her own storefront approximately a year and a half ago as she looked to expand her business. Just when it seemed like she had exhausted all of her options, she saw a for rent sign pop up at 135 N. Main St. this winter, the former location of Spin a Christmas Tale. By April, she had signed the lease.

After undertaking significant renovations to the building’s interior, so it can accommodate a commercial kitchen and seating area, she hopes to begin welcoming visitors inside the bakery for sweet treats by the beginning of July. Cake Me Away previously operated out of Jermaine’s.

“This community has been so incredible,” she said. “I'm in awe of how supportive everybody has been … There's been a lot of very long nights and 100-plus hour work weeks, and they're the reason I do it.”

Once the remodel is complete, Atzenbeck envisions a spot where the community can convene for a cup of coffee and fresh earlymorning pastries, such as croissants and Danishes. She will continue to offer custom cakes and cookies for any occasion, even if it’s just to satisfy a sweet tooth. In the future, she also plans to give other entrepreneurs the opportunity to use a commissary kitchen.

Atzenbeck, a Colorado native, has been baking since she was young, making cookies, breads and muffins from scratch with her mother and grandmother. To her, baking has always been therapeutic, and when she arrived at Western Colorado University in 2012, she knew she wanted to make it her career.

Pursuing a degree in business management and entrepreneurship, Atzenbeck launched Cake Me Away when she was still in college. During her junior year, her entrepreneurship class took her through all the steps of opening a business.

“And I was like, I’m just going to do it,” she said.

Cake Me Away was originally designed to give college students’ parents a way to buy or send their children a customized dessert for their birthdays or for special events. At the time, the only available option was City Market, and the store didn’t deliver, she said.

Because the Colorado’s

Cottage Foods Act didn’t allow her to bake at home , she first had to hunt for a commercial kitchen.

She visited every restaurant in town, hopeful to find a space to bake her cakes, but no one had room for her. Her last stop was Mario’s, where she finally found a small space in the back.

She refined her skillset over the years, briefly leaving the valley to attend a bakery and pastry arts school in Boulder. She learned the ins and outs of baking through hands-on work at a mom and pop bakery on the Front Range, but much of her education came from trial and error. One of the largest challenges she faced was learning to bake at high altitude.

“I looked up YouTube, tried things and watched them fall,” she said. “And then I said, ‘Okay, well, I’ve got to do that differently next time.’”

Atzenbeck creates cakes in all shapes, sizes and flavors, nothing too outlandish to try. (Chocolate with blueberry filling anyone?)

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Some have been shaped like dragons or Star Wars’ R2-D2, while others celebrate birthdays and retirements or are “just because” cakes. She’s bracing for a busy summer ahead, with more than 70 weddings already on the books.

Longtime customer Andrea Cappy said she is extremely picky about her cakes and has been plagued by some that look lovely, but end up tasting like cardboard. But not Atzenbeck’s cakes, she said. Even when Cappy challenged her to make gluten and dairy-free cupcakes, she wasn’t disappointed.

“Everything she bakes is amazing, and not only can she make the cake, she has a good business mind as well,” Cappy said. “She has what it takes to be successful, and I can’t wait to see where she goes with it.”

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

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Cake Me Away owner Alyssa Atzenbeck stands in front of her new storefront at 135 N. Main St., the former location of Spin a Christmas Tale.

One of Atzenbeck’s cake creations.

Courtesy Alyssa Atzenbeck

YOU'REINVITED

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County signals support for AMI bill

CONGRATS GUNNISON HIGHSCHOOL CLASSOF2023!

Bestwishesonyourfutureendeavorsand adventures!Thankyoustudents,teachers, andfamiliesforanothergreatschoolyear.

Legislation could help corral federal funding for affordable housing

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

Congress may take a stab at affordable housing in resort towns this year, with the coming introduction of a bill by Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse. The bill, tagged the Affordability & Fairness for Mountain Communities Act of 2023, has not yet been introduced to federal legislators, but is meant to help resort communities garner federal funding for affordable housing projects by offering hyper-local area median income (AMI) calculations.

This week, Gunnison County Commissioners directed County Manager Matthew Birnie to draft a letter of support for the bill, at the request of the Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST).

AMI is a familiar acronym in the valley, heard in the halls of every major affordable housing development in town. It is a metric used primarily to set standards for state and federally-funded affordable housing developments. As it stands now, AMI is calculated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which uses data from the U.S. Census-based American Community Survey to determine the limit for every geographic region in the country.

But in mountain resort towns, these federally-calculated numbers don’t always reflect the incomes of working community members, CAST Executive Director Margaret Bowes told the Times

“In mountain communities, some of our teachers are coming in at over 100%, and that’s where our needs are … our officers, teachers and nurses,” she said. “Because we have such high pay scales in the mountains, they are viewed at the federal level as being higher income earners.”

Inflated costs of living and higher wages in mountain and resort communities push those AMI ranges higher, disqualifying entire communities from federal support. This phenomena, now well-known as the “missing middle,” often leaves middleclass earners with dwindling

purchasing power in a period of high inflation and limited housing supply. In Gunnison County, an individual in a one-person household would have to make between $30,000-40,000, or 50-60% AMI, to qualify for federally-subsidized housing, like Anthracite Place in Crested Butte or GardenWalk in Gunnison.

“There are resources for that [60% and below] need, like the LIHTC, [Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program], but it’s much harder to get funding for that missing middle,” Birnie said.

The bill would establish a waiver program for mountain communities that allows AMI calculations to be localized by zip code — in theory, producing more accurate income data to better serve that missing middle through opportunities for federal money.

“I'm actually thrilled to see when someone tries to create a more nuanced tool than the blunt instrument of AMI,” said County Commissioner Laura Puckett Daniels.

The waiver program would also look more closely at factors like how factoring roommates into AMI calculations would impact housing assistance. Text in the bill also suggests that AMI could be restricted or eliminated to make housing more affordable for low-income and seasonal workers.

The bill would also require HUD to produce a report after two years that summarizes the program’s progress. That report would include an assessment of the affordable housing crisis in mountain communities, especially in jurisdictions where a high housing cost adjustment has been applied. That’s an adjustment the federal government can use to increase income limits for areas where the cost of housing is abnormally high.

Once introduced, the bill will face debate from a split congress, and if it passes, HUD will codify the program as the Area Median Income Localization and have two years to produce the study for review by congressional committees.

“We have long known that AMI does not reflect the income of our local households very accurately [The bill] could really open the door to mountain communities being able to take advantage of more federal funding,” Bowes said.

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

Gunnison County’s newest affordable housing development, Sawtooth, has several prefabricated units already on site. The development is located on county-owned land on South 14th Street, just west of the fairgrounds.

Jacob Spetzler

County debates funds for Forest Service position

Who pays for labor on federal lands?

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

Weeks ago, Gunnison County Commissioners debated spending $10,000 of the county’s discretionary fund. That’s a relatively small number compared to the board’s usual approvals, but one that surfaced a question in public lands management: in a National Forest that lies within the boundaries of a county, who foots the bill? At a regular meeting in April, commissioners took a stab at an answer when they considered another round of funding for a forest protection officer (FPO) in the White River National Forest in northern Gunnison County.

Although these officers work on federal lands and are supervised through the U.S. Forest Service, their positions are not fully funded by federal coffers. Instead, the Forest Service relies on partnerships with local governments to bring the officers to each county’s portion of the forest. Gunnison County, along with other counties containing national forest land, has historically paid to keep the officers on site.

“I’m really starting to struggle with the idea that we pay the federal government to do their job … I get this corner of the White River National Forest sits out on the edge, but what they’ve been very clear about is the more you pay, the more you get,” said County Commissioner Jonathan Houck.

This year, the White River National Forest is requesting $10,000 from the county to support its FPOs. These officers can’t arrest or detain visitors and are instead meant to help guide visitors and oversee rules on National Forest lands. The FPO plays an essential role in the public lands ecosystem, especially in a budgetconstrained town like Marble where visitorship is skyrocketing.

The White River National Forest, which borders Marble, welcomes nearly 18 million visitors every year. As more hikers frequent the area, the need for crowd control, safe parking and trail management is more pressing than ever. Just this week, commissioners authorized another seasonal OHV exemption along a portion of CR3 — a road leading visitors to the Lead King Loop and Crystal Mill.

In previous years, the county has partnered with the Town of Marble to split the bill, but this year the county

would be shouldering the cost alone. The primary reason, according to Marble’s Town Administrator Ron Leach, is budget constraints. The town spent more on plowing than expected. Leach told the Times that FPOs are an important part of the recreation management and that he would like to see the role continue.

Other counties containing Forest Service lands, like Eagle and Pitkin, have committed long-term funding for the position, a circumstance that puts Gunnison County “into a pinch,” Houck said. Several municipalities in Eagle County signed on to help fund the positions. Last year, Pitkin County shelled out $100,000 to pay for two officers, and later had private entities sign on to help pay their way.

Each partnership is slightly different, said White River Public Information Officer David Boyd, so contributions from the Forest Service and local governments vary between counties. The partnership also accounts for the reality that visitation levels are driven, in part, by development in resort communities that abut public lands. Forest Service survey data show that most Lead King Loop visitors are not driving around the entire loop, Boyd said, but are instead going right to the Crystal Mill and the Townsite and driving back the same way they came in. The mill, Townsite and Town of Marble are all privately held lands.

Pay to play?

When it comes to managing the increasingly-popular Lead King Loop and Crystal Mill, the Forest Service has shot down many of the initiatives the county has offered through a stakeholder group, Houck said. In the last several years, the group has offered solutions to help mitigate crowding and parking issues, including requests for more Forest Service staff. But these suggestions have not seen real movement, he said.

“We brought everyone to the table, we shined a big light on this,” he said. “And the response from the White River is, ‘yeah, that's great, there's an issue, but we're not going to do a permit system and we're not going to change business as usual up there, there's nothing that we can do. And by the way, if you want a presence, pay for it.”

Boyd said the Forest Service is still working with the county on the recommendations included in the stakeholder report. But the permit system is a no-go, he said. Staff did an assessment last summer of the use on Lead King Loop and found that the use numbers did not warrant it.

,

Boyd said it is too late for the Forest Service to change FPO staffing for this upcoming summer, and there is money left in previous years’ agreements that will be used for patrols in the Lead King Loop area.

“The patrols may not be as frequent as the approximately two days a week from the past couple summers, but there will still be a dedicated presence in the area. We hope to continue discussions with the County about staffing levels for next summer,” he wrote.

The county put financial resources into the Lead King Loop stakeholder recommendations, and so it would be unwise to not have a hand in seeing those commitments through to the end, said Commissioner Laura Puckett Daniels. Although she sees the philosophical hold-up, the opportunity to push the enforcement issue forward, by funding the position, may be more important.

“As the whole region is trying to manage Marble — the tourism, the traffic and Crystal Mill — enforcement has come up over and over again, as one of the things that's needed,” Puckett Daniels said “We can put up signs as much as we want, but signs don’t change behavior.”

The precedent already exists, she added. Every year the county contributes money to the multi-jurisdictional Sustainable Tourism and Recreation Committee, which essentially funnels public money to private entities to do work on public lands. The National Forest Foundation partnership and the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership board also use money in the same way. This reflects, at the very least, an annual commitment the county has made to help public lands managers in recognition that they cannot do it alone, she said.

The county’s primary focus is the Gunnison National Forest, Houck countered, adding that in most instances where the county has designated public money for federal lands management, it has brought along funding partners to reduce the financial burden.

“This corner of the White River is just as important as all the public lands are important,” Houck said. “But what we're finding is that we don't have a partner on the other side.”

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

Town, Hinsdale county officials to discuss mobile homes May 21

Notices are up in Lake City of a meeting May 21 at 7:30 between Hinsdale County and town officialto discuss coordination of proposed Trailer Park and Mobile Home regulations. Thepublic is invited.

Preliminary budget set at $137,000 for Region 10

Bill Cliffod, planning coordinator for Region 10, said he will be proposing a budget of $137,000 to the board of directors of the regional planning commission next month.

Cliffod said the basic budget for the operation of the regional officwill be $32,000 with ‘pass-through’ monies to local governments accounting for $63,000. Thecost for the pass-through monies would be $48,000.

The$32,000 basic budget would includesalaries for Cliffod and the regional officsecretary and salary and travel money for commissioners.

He said the salary and travel money might be used as in-kind contributions.

He said he hopes each drainage basin can have a man assigned to it. Th areas would control the person, he said.

He also said if the contract with the forest service is continued, that the local share for the liaison officerill be $12,000.

RETRO BUSINESS

gunnisontimes.com

Classifieds EMPLOYMENT

CITY OF GUNNISON EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Communications Assistant/ Records Manager Full-time, $47,500-$55,500/yr. $22.84-$26.68/hr.

Provides a high level of customer service to both internal and external customers of the City. This position has the important responsibility of records management and invests substantial amount of time in online communication and the implementation of strategic communication through social media, the website, video, photos and print. This position collaborates internally and externally to drive civic engagement through transparent, clear and proactive communications.

Police Officer Full-time, $62,200-$84,000/yr. $29.90-$40.38/hr.

Performs technical, professional, and administrative duties related to maintaining the security of the City, protecting constitutional guarantees of all persons, protecting life and property, preserving public peace and order, preventing, solving and detecting crimes, facilitating the safe movement of people and vehicles and other emergency services as needed. POST Certification not required. The City will pay for the Police Academy if needed and pay a cadet wage while attending the Academy. Includes a $5,000 signing bonus.

Part-time openings: Parking Attendant -up to $25.44/hr.

The City of Gunnison offers a competitive benefit package including 75% of medical, dental and vision premiums paid for the employee and their dependents, 5% of gross wages in a retirement plan, 3 weeks of vacation (increasing based on the years of service), 12 paid holidays and 12 days of sick leave per year.

For more information, including complete job descriptions, benefit packages, required job qualifications and application instructions, please visit GunnisonCO.gov/HR

Need a quality employee? SUBMIT ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM Place your help wanted here.

THURSDAY,

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. And 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

Food Service-CBCS and GCS

ELL Educational Assistant-GMS

Building Manager-CBCS

Assistant Building Manager-CBCS

Lead Custodian-Lake School

Special Education EA- CBSS

Permanent Substitute-CBSS Bus Drivers Substitute Teachers

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

English Language Arts Teacher 6th and 7th grade-CBSS

3rd grade Teacher-GES Counselor-GES-(1 year only)

Counselor-CBES

ELL Teacher-GMS

Special Education TeachersGMS and GHS Newcomer Teacher and Integration Specialist

Coaching: GHS-Speech and Debate

Please contact:

Superintendent’s Office JoAnn Klingsmith 800 N. Boulevard 970-641-7760 jklingsmith@gunnisonschools.net

GUNNISON VALLEY HEALTH

Gunnison Valley Health is hiring.

Please note This is not a complete list of all our open jobs - you can view all open positions at our website, jobs.gunnisonvalleyhealth.org

Logistics Specialist FT $17-$19.55/hr. DOE

Housekeeper, Senior Care Center FT $17-$20.80/hr. DOE Unit Coordinator, Emergency Department FT $19.10-$22.91/hr. DOE

Cook, Hospital FT $18-$20.50/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, and GVH follows all Affordable Health Care Act Eligibility guidelines. 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.

FRONT DESK AVFLIGHT: Full-time position. Benefits and PTO. Qualifications: a willingness to learn and a service oriented personality. We like to have fun so come join the team. Call 970-641-0526 or apply online at Avflight.com.

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

www.ec-electric.com/careers

INFANT TODDLER TEACHER: Tenderfoot Child and Family Development Center is seeking early childhood qualified teachers to work with children aged birth-3 years old. Infant and Toddler program lead teacher positions with part-time ($19.16/hr.) or fulltime ($21.16/hr.) schedules. Tenderfoot will support professional development to earn credentials for these positions. Benefits include flexible scheduling, a supportive team, paid time off, free child care while working and continuing education. Email tfootdirector@gmail.com or call 970-6421949 for more information. EOE

INTERESTED IN A CAREER WITH BENEFITS? The Gunnison Bank and Trust Company has an opening for a full-time teller to join the operations side of our growing ank. Applicants should have strong customer service skills, the ability to multi-task and a willingness to learn. GB&T fosters a learning environment where you will gain exposure to multiple areas of the bank with a strong foundation in operations. Pay starting at $18$18.50 depending on experience. Robust benefits package includes 401(k), medical insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance (ST and LT) and more. Send resume to LBeda@gunnisonbank. com.

KDCB IS LOOKING FOR LEAD CARPENTERS AND CARPENTERS. Call 970-275-6969.

HIGH ALPINE BREWING COMPANY is hiring for all positions for summer an beyond. Join our team and enjoy a fastpaced, fun and positive work environment. No experience necessary. Servers: $10.63/ hr. plus excellent tips. Kitchen staff: $14-$21/hr. dependent upon experience & responsibilities. $500 signing bonus for all kitchen staff after completion of 3 consecutive months of full time employment. Email gm@highalpinebrewing.com or drop off your resume in person.

4 DAY WORK WEEK M-TH (4x10)

AUTOMOTIVE MASTER TECHNICIAN. If you are curious about how your current job compares to Precision Automotive? EMAIL your resume to precisionauto4040@hotmail.com, call or text Steve at 970-596-9999 ALL INQUIRIES ARE STRICKLY CONFIDENTIAL! Benefits include: PAID VACATION, PAID HOLIDAYS, MEDICAL, DENTAL, MATCHING IRA.

AUTOMOTIVE APPRENTICE Do you love cars? Get your start in the well paid and exciting world of Automotive Repair that could turn into your life passion. Work along side your mentor a Master Certified Technician while completing online modules such as: Electrical, Engine mechanical, Transmission, Drive train, Suspension & Steering, Heating & A/C, Engine Performance and Brakes.

quickly, opportunity for benefits. Happy to train the right people. Call Rob at 970-5090851.

HELP THE ARTS and make good money. The Center for the Arts is hiring bartenders, event staff, and security staff positions. Join our team of creative professionals working to bring arts, culture and the community together. All levels of experience and availability invited to apply. $15-$23/hour DOE + tips. EOE. Email resume to melissa@ crestedbuttearts.org. Visit crestedbuttearts. org/about/employment/ for more information.

SIGN ON BONUS WITH ROCKY MOUNTAIN TREES AND LANDSCAPING: Now hiring all positions for the 2023 summer season. Come join a great team. To apply and see what positions we have visit rockymountaintrees.com/employment/ or give us a call at 970-349-6361.

SERVICE PLUMBER TECHNICIAN:

Timberline Mechanical Contracting is looking for a service technician for troubleshooting and plumbing repair. Plumbing and customer service experience preferred. We offer high pay, paid holidays, paid vacation, health insurance and ski pass. Clean driving record is mandatory.

Timberline Mechanical Contracting Crested Butte, CO. Phone: 970-349-5679. Email info@timberlinemech.com.

THE TOWN OF CRESTED BUTTE seeks applicants for a building inspector and efficiency coordinator position to join the Community Development team. The building inspector and efficiency coordinator performs a variety of commercial, industrial, and residential building and safety inspections of new and existing properties for compliance with Town adopted regulations and building codes and coordinates building efficiency and renewable energy programs for the Community Development Department’s responsibilities to the Town of Crested Butte’s Climate Action Plan. This yearround position includes an excellent benefits package with 100% employer paid employee and dependent health, dental, vision, life insurance and matching contributions to a retirement plan after one year of employment.

Starting salary is $50,958 – $60,585 DOQ.

Full job description is available on the Town’s website at townofcrestedbutte. com. Please submit an application, cover letter and resume via email to HR at jobs@ crestedbutte-co.gov. The position is open until filled. The Town of Crested Butte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Don't

newspaper

local

Network at rtoledo@colopress.net

PRECISE PAINTING IS HIRING PAINTERS: Seasonal or year-round full-time. Must be willing to commit for at least Spring/Summer/ Fall. Pay starts at $22/hr. for inexperienced candidates, more with experience. 4 or 4.5 day work week, earn PTO, raises come

GUNNISON COUNTY EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

*Housing is held for Gunnison County employees and may be available for you to rent*

Clinical Case Management Coordinator Juvenile Services: Part-time, 35 hours/week, hourly rate range from $28.78-$40.71 plus full benefits.

Accountant I Treasurer: 40 hours/ week, monthly salary range from $4,440-$6,281 plus full benefits.

Summer Seasonal Facilities: 30+ hours/week, hourly rate range from $15.75-$22.28, depending on experience, plus partial benefits.

Case Management Aide HHS: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $4,707-$6,658 plus full benefits.

Planning Technician Community Development: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $4,440$6,281 plus full benefits.

Eligibility Technician HHS: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $3,764-4,285 plus full benefits.

Summer Seasonal Public Works: Guaranteed 40 hours/week, hourly rate range from $15.75-$22.28, 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.

Building and Environmental Health Inspector and Plans Examiner Community Development: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $5,552-$7,853 plus full benefits.

Health Coalition Coordinator HHS: Part-time, 25 hours/week, hourly rate range from $27.15$38.41 plus partial benefits.

Facilities Maintenance Custodian

Facilities: Full-time, 40 hours/week, hourly rate range from $21.72$30.72 plus full benefits.

Fairgrounds Manager

Fairgrounds: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $5,238$6,537 plus full benefits.

Patrol Deputy Sheriff: Full-time, 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $5,552-$7,853 plus full benefits.

Detention Deputy Sheriff: Fulltime, 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $4,989-$7,057 plus full benefits. Only work 14 days a month

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

WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY

is seeking applicants for the full-time positions below. Benefit package includes a shared contribution retirement plan, health and dental insurance, life insurance, employee and dependent tuition benefits and more.

Human Resources Specialist: Duties include new employee onboarding, benefits administration, compensation and HR information system support. Requires a bachelor’s degree. Successful candidates must have excellent interpersonal skills, a high level of attention to detail, solid computer expertise and work experience in an HR-related field.

Payroll and Liability Accountant: Duties include processing payroll and related liability payments for employees; maintaining records, handling payroll questions and completing other tasks necessary for monitoring and overseeing Western’s payroll processes. A bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field is required. Successful candidates must be technologically savvy, possess strong numerical aptitude and attention to detail, and have excellent communication, collaboration and customer service skills.

To view the full job announcement(s) and apply, visit western.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/western. AA/EOE

CRESTED BUTTE BURGER COMPANY is hiring the following positions: Cooks and cashiers, flexible schedule available, starting pay $16-$18/hr. + gratuity. Assistant manager, full-time seasonal, starting pay $18-$20/hr. + gratuity, pay DOE. For more information or to submit a resume, please email crestedbutteburgerco@gmail.com.

TOAD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT is always looking to add to our amazing team. We are currently looking for maintenance

CLUES ACROSS

1. Relative biological effectiveness (abbr.)

4. Chinese philosophical principle

7. Branch

8. Jewish spiritual leader

10. Slang for requests

12. “So Human An Animal” author

13. Rocker Billy

14. British Air Aces

16. Type of tree

17. “Tough Little Boys” singer Gary

19. State attorneys 20. Goddess of fertility 21. Localities

25. Beloved singer Charles 26. Clue 27. Ridge of jagged rock below sea surface

JOHN ROBERTS MOTOR WORKS SEEKS COLLISON CENTER TECHNICIANS AND AUTOMOTIVE CENTER TECHNICIANS.

Competitive pay, 401K, insurance, paid vacations. 40 hour work week.

Apply at John Roberts Motor Works.

operations, growth and overall leadership of Public House Pub and Tap Room. This position is an integral contributor to daily operations. We are seeking a reliable leader with previous experience in restaurant management and supervisory of a large staff. This is a full-time year-round position with benefits. The salary range is $60,000$90,000/year. For a detailed job description and to apply please visit elevenexperience. com/careers.

HARMELS ON THE TAYLOR busca ocupar los siguientes puestos lo antes posible: Servicio de limpieza, lavanderia, cocineros, y camareros. Todos los puestos pueden ser a tiempo completo o parcial y estacionales o permanentes y comenzar en $ 16/hora. Envie un correo electronico a: stay@ harmels.com con informacion de contacto y tip de trabajo. Puede llamar a 970-641-1740.

DO YOU HAVE MAINTENANCE SKILLS?

Are you looking for a full time year around position in the valley with great pay, health insurance, on-call pay, company vehicle, company phone, paid vacation, ski or health and wellness pass, 5 day work week and more? Iron Horse Property Management is adding another position to our maintenance team and we are looking for the right individual to help maintain our luxury homes. We are looking for someone who has a great work ethic, maintenance skills, is punctual and wants to quit having multiple jobs to make it in the valley. If this sounds like you, and you have a clean driving record, then please send your resume to steve@ ironhorsecb.com and qualified applicants will be contacted for an interview. No phone calls please. Pay DOE.

SPALLONE CONSTRUCTION has immediate openings for dump truck drivers in the Gunnison, Crested Butte area. Experience of 3-5 years required. Must be able to assist laborer performing physical tasks involved in construction activities. Must have a valid drivers license, references required. $25-$38 depending on experience, benefits available after one year of employment. Please submit resume to: office@spalloneconstruction.com.

the ability to uphold a premium standard of service and guest interaction, and assists in promoting a supportive and cooperative team environment. This is a seasonal position for Summer 2023, starts May 15th, and is based in the Gunnison ValleyPlease submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@ elevenexperience.com.

SAGUACHE COUNTY, COLORADO IS

SEEKING AN ATTORNEY to represent the People of the State of Colorado and Department of Human Services in child protection matters including dependency and neglect cases and in child support matters, as well as other DHS matters that arise. Telecommuting and working remotely may be available. Deadline May 31, 2023.

Description: The special assistant county attorney for the Department of Human Services acts as the attorney representing the Petitioner in Dependency and Neglect matters, and as attorney for the Department of Human Services in child support matters and advises Department of Human Services on legal issues related to all cases. The special assistant county attorney may also represent the State of Colorado or Department of Human Services in administrative hearings and court trials related to collections or over-payments of assistance funds, assists in administrative hearings contesting payments or overpayments of assistance fund to Human Services clients.

CRAFT MOUNTAIN HOMES is hiring mid-level journeyman carpenters and experienced lead carpenters. A fast-paced and professional construction company we are offering full-time, year-round work with good compensation and benefits like paid time off, paid sick leave, a lifestyle spending account (an additional $250 per month toward wellness and lifestyle expenses), and training for career advancement in residential building and more. Work available immediately. Apply online at craftmountainhomes.com/careers.

AUTOMOTIVE PAINT TECHNICIAN: Kaizen Collision Gunnison $23.50 per hr. Full-time. KaizenAutoCare.com/careers Call or Text Luke at 970-812-6609.

THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS seeks a rentals and front desk assistant. Work at the Center’s front desk and be the first face patrons and visitors see when they visit the Center. Assist in our rentals department, scheduling and executing assigned rental events, managing our smaller classroom schedules and working at events in various roles. Year round, hourly, up to 40 hours/ week, $25-$28/hour DOE. Email cover letter and resume with references to melissa@ crestedbuttearts.org. Please put ‘Rentals + Front Desk Assistant’ in the subject line. For more information and a full job description, please visit crestedbuttearts.org.

ICLEAN IN CRESTED BUTTE is looking for cleaners. Pay DOE Please call 970-3312417. Buscamos limpiadores. Por favor, comuníquese con IClean a 970-331-2417. Para trabajar en Crested Butte.

ESTIMATOR: Kaizen Collision Gunnison

$50,000 - $100,000 Full-time. KaizenAutoCare.com/careers. Call or Text Luke at 970-812-6609.

DOS RIOS GOLF CLUB RESAURANT AND BAR: Now hiring for AM/PM line cooks. Starting pay $21 per hour. Rate increase after two months. Please call 979-530-3801 to set up an interview. Free golf. Restaurant opens April 1.

WILD RIVER BUILDERS IS HIRING CARPENTERS both journeyman and lead. We are a small company that works hard and appreciates our employees. Competitive wages with regular pay raise opportunities, $500 signing bonus after 3 months, transportation from Gunnison or mileage reimbursement, retirement match after 1 year and more. Contact Evan 970-596-2897.

ELEVEN IS SEEKING A HOUSEKEEPER in Crested Butte, CO to maintain the Scarp Ridge Lodge, Sopris House and Taylor River Lodge properties. This role is responsible for cleaning guest rooms and common areas throughout the properties and will communicate daily with the housekeeping manager about the needs of guests as well as team members. This is a full-time, seasonal role for Summer 2023. The salary range is $20-$22/hr. Please submit a cover letter and resume to rlayton@elevenexperience.com.

CRESTED BUTTE AUTO REPAIR IS

HIRING: We are looking for a full-time service writer/office assistant for a fastpaced environment. Experience preferred but willing to train. Computer skills and strong attention to detail required. Tasks include communicating with customers, scheduling appointments, answering multiple phone lines, billing and developing cost estimates. Pay starting at $20/hour or more based on experience. We offer health insurance, retirement, vacation and sick pay. Please email resume to crestedbutteauto@ yahoo.com or stop by 301 Belleview to fill out an application.

AVFLIGHT HIRING A FUELING POSITION:

Full-time. Annual bonus, health benefits and PTO. Duties include fueling, parking and towing of private and corporate aircraft. We work with college schedules. Interested in Aviation. Call 970-641-0526 or Apply online at Avflight.com.

FRONT DESK RECEPTIONIST: Tenderfoot

technicians. If you have skills fixing things, solving problems and being awesome we would love to have you. $25/Hour and a $400 starting bonus. Call 970-349-2773 or apply online at ToadPropertyManagement. com.

PUBLIC HOUSE is seeking a general manager in Crested Butte. Public House celebrates local food, drinks and the community of live music. The general manager is responsible for the efficient

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32. Where ballplayers work 39. Unable to hear 41. Cool! 42. Cape Verde capital

43. One point north of due east

44. Kilo yard (abbr.)

45. Middle Eastern nation

46. It yields Manila hemp

48. People operate it (abbr.)

49. Regenerate 50. Not healthy

51. Chinese sword

52. Mild expression of surprise

CLUES DOWN

1. Unit of angle

2. Headgear to control a horse

3. Clots

4. Follows sigma

5. A woman who is the superior of a group of nuns

6. Greek units of weight

8. Radio direction finder (abbr.)

9. Systems, doctrines, theories

11. Stony waste matter

14. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

15. Hostile to others

18. U.S. State

19. Not wet 20. Something one

PINNACLE ORTHOPEDICS is seeking a FT medical assistant to join our thriving practice. This is an excellent opportunity for one looking to develop a skill set in patient care including X-rays, clinical documentation, casting/splinting and medical supply inventory management. Good interpersonal, organization and computer skills while working in a fast paced environment are important. Position is for both our Crested Butte and Gunnison offices. Salary DOE. Please send resume to office@ pinnacleorthocolorado.com.

ELEVEN EXPERIENCE is seeking licensed massage therapists for our Colorado properties. Qualified applicants will possess current Colorado licensure and relevant experience to provide high-end massage and body treatments; yoga teacher certification is a plus. The ideal candidate has strong communication skills, pays attention to detail,

22. Where beer is made

23. Clumsy person

24. Belonging to us

27. Canadian flyers

28. Greek goddess of the dawn

29. Snakelike fish

31. Unhappy

32. Fruit

33. Not good

34. Zero degrees Celsius

35. Goo Goo Dolls’ hit

36. Crawls into the head

CROSSWORD

ANSWERS FOR PREVIOUS WEEK

(folklore)

37. Legally responsible 38. Move in a playful way

GENERAL MANAGER: Kaizen Collision Gunnison $75,000 - $95,000 Full-time KaizenAutoCare.com/careers Call or Text Luke at 970-812-6609.

INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN REAL ESTATE BUT NOT SURE HOW TO GET STARTED? Coldwell Banker is seeking a broker support specialist to join our team. This position a perfect way to learn the business and get paid to do it! We are looking for an individual who works well with all types of people, has a strong attention to detail, will creatively help with marketing and is capable of implementing systems. The job requires strong computer knowledge for work on a PC in Excel, Word and many web based programs. This is a full time, year round position. Email resume to molly@ cbmp.com or call 970-209-4234.

Child and Family Development Center is hiring a front desk receptionist for our large early childhood center. Position includes daily contact with children and families, administrative responsibilities to ensure adherence to licensing requirements, subbing as a classroom teacher and flexible scheduling with shifts Monday-Friday 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at $14.65/hr. with the possibility of full-time at $16.65/hr. Background checks and paid pre-service training required, sick/vacation benefits, free child care and paid professional development. Email tfootdirector@gmail.com or call 970-6421949 to apply or for more information. EOE NATURAL GROCERS is opening a new store in Gunnison, CO! Now hiring manager positions. Join our crew and learn about our great perks and benefits. Text “GROW” to 97211 to Apply Today.

COLORADO MOUNTIAN CLUB is hiring for stewardship crew members based in Salida/ Gunnison. Spend your summer being paid to hike and live outdoor, while giving back to our public lands and maintaining trails! For more information or to apply visit cmc.org/ about/jobs/trail-stewardship.

HIRING CASHIERS AND COOKS: Full and part time pay based on experience. But expect $22+ after tips. Drop resumes at Powerstop.

Engage at gunnisontimes.com

THE NEWS YOU NEED. THE EXCELLENCE YOU DESERVE.

SPALLONE CONSTRUCTION has immediate openings for laborers in the Gunnison, Crested Butte area. Experience required not required, but preferred. Must be able to assist laborer performing physical tasks involved in construction activities. Must have a valid drivers license, references required. $22/hr or higher depending on experience, benefits available after one year of employment. Please submit resume to: office@spalloneconstruction.com.

TEMPORARY LABORERS NEEDED:

Need some cash this off season? The Town of Crested Butte Parks and Recreation Department is hiring temporary laborers for spring prep/cleanup season. Work will begin once the snow is gone from the majority of parks and public areas. Duties include raking, power washing, painting and general cleanup and repairs. Full job description and application available online at townofcrestedbutte.com click on “Careers”. Pay $19/hour. The Town of Crested Butte is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

THE CRESTED BUTTE/MT. CRESTED

BUTTE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is seeking a qualified membership coordinator is responsible for selling Chamber memberships and for building sustainable relationships with new and existing members, for the coordination of accounting for memberships, accurate data capture and entry, invoicing new and existing members. This position is responsible for membership communications and membership sales, renewals and onboarding new members. This position will work to generate new memberships as well as monitor compliance of Chamber responsibilities related to fulfilling memberships. The membership coordinator will document membership sales and report regularly to the director and BOD. Attention to detail is key. Experience in the hospitality or retail industry is preferred. Knowledge of QuickBooks preferred. Must be able to lift at least 30 pounds. This is a contractor position starting in June. Email cover letter and resume with references to director@cbchamber.com Please put ‘Membership Coordinator’ in the subject line. E.O.E. cbchamber.com.

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 in hand with our maintenance, housekeeping and reservation teams to ensure that our guests experience vacation perfection. Pay starts at $22 per hour 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.

HARMELS ON THE TAYLOR is seeking to fill the following positions asap: Cook, housekeeping, and bar tenders. All positions can be full or part time and seasonal or permanent and start at $16/hr. Email terri@ harmels.com with contact information and type of work desired or call 970-641-1740.

THE TOWN OF MT CRESTED BUTTE IS HIRING FOR A FULL-TIME YEAR-ROUND PLANNER II POSITION: The position of Planner II requires professional planning work in planning tasks associated with various aspects of the Town’s Community Development Department, such as processing advanced land use applications, maintaining and creating maps and other planning related graphical information, informing the public of planning regulations and procedures, conducting research and analysis for a variety of planning activities, and drafting town code amendments and regulations.

Qualifications:

-Bachelor’s degree in economic development, urban planning, marketing, business administration, public administration, real estate finance, or related field and three (3) years related experience.

-An equivalent combination of formal education and related work experience, which produces the knowledge, skill and ability required to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of this position.

-Preferred applicants will have experience in rural resort communities.

-Preferred applicants will have experience with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) platforms, including but not limited to ArcGis or ArcGis Pro.

-AICP certification preferred, or ability to obtain certification within one year of start date.

Starting salary range is $62,015 to $84,754, depending on qualifications and experience. Housing is available if needed. The town offers an amazing benefits package, including paid health, vision and dental insurance for you and your dependents, paid life insurance and long term disability insurance, 13 paid holidays a year, vacation time, sick time, and 401(a) retirement account. Applicant must have a seven year clean driving record. Applications will be accepted until a qualified pool of candidates is established, but preference will be given to applicants who apply before April 15, 2023.

For the full job description please go to mtcb. colorado.gov. If you have any questions, please email or call Neal Starkebaum at nstarkebaum@mtcb.colorado.gov or 970349-6632 ext 117. To apply please email your cover letter, resume and three (3) professional references to Tiffany O’Connell at toconnell@mtcb.colorado.gov.

THE CLUB AT CRESTED BUTTE is hiring the following part-time and full-time seasonal positions: Line cooks and dishwasher $20$25/hr. + gratuity; Housekeeping, flexible schedule available, $20-$25/hr.; Swim instructors for both private and small groups, must be CPR/First Aid certified, starting pay $25/hr.; Front desk attendants, $16-$18/hr.; General facility maintenance $18-$20/hr.; Employee benefits include complimentary golf rounds and employee discounts. For more information or to submit a resume, please visit theclubatcrestedbutte.com or email: jobs@clubatcrestedbutte.com.

LOCAL LAWN CARE SERVICE COMPANY looking for a full time seasonal employee, four 10hrs. mon-thur May through Oct. Zero turn mower operation, grass trimming, and general yard maintenance experience necessary. Sprinkler system knowledge and maintenance a plus.Pay DOE. Submit resume or contact j2funke@gmail.com.

AUTO BODY TECHNICIAN: Kaizen Collision Gunnison. $40,000 - $75,000 Fulltime. KaizenAutoCare.com/careers/ Call or Text Luke at 970-812-6609.

GARAGE / YARD SALES

HUGE MOVING SALE: Furniture, housewares, clothes, sporting goods, lawn tools and more. Everything priced to sell. May 20-21. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 145 Chinook Trail, Gunnison.

REAL ESTATE

PRIME OFFICE SPACE on Main St. Five private offices. Client waiting/conference room, reception desk, 12 paved parking spaces. Call or text 970-596-9999 for more info.

HEATED STORAGE: 450 sq ft. 3’X3’ access door. Located in Gunnison. Not suitable for living. Call Evan 970-596-2897.

WANTED

FIREWOOD WANTED: Call Bill at 970-6411524.

Legals AGENDA

Proposed Budget/Regular Meeting

May 22, 2023

Crested Butte Community School Library 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.

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call

III. Pledge of Allegiance

IV. Approval of Agenda ACTION ITEM

V. Commendations, recognition of visitors, and public comment

*Visitors who wish to address the Board, please make known at the beginning of the meeting via Zoom or if in-person, please complete the public participation form.

1.

VI. Administrative Action Summaries

A. Superintendent Summary - Dr. Nichols

1. Successful Students

2. Strong Employees

3. Engaged Community

4. Healthy Finances

• FY24 Proposed Budget-Mrs. Tia Mills, Business Manager

5. Functional Facilities

VII. Action Items

A. Consent Grouping

Note: Items under the consent grouping are considered routine and will be enacted under one motion. There will not be separate discussion of these items prior to the time the board votes unless a Board Member requests an item be clarified or even removed from the grouping for separate consideration.

The Superintendent recommends approval of the following:

1. Board of Education Minutes

a. May 8, 2023 Regular meeting

2. Finance Approve for payment, as presented by the Business Manager, warrants as indicated:

a. General Account Last update

5-8-2023

b. Payroll Direct Deposit Last update 5-8-2023

3. Personnel*

a. Emily Motsinger-.5 SPED/.5

Intervention-CBES

b. Kelly Piccaro-.5 Kindergarten teacherCBES

c. Matt Shugert-Secondary Music-CBSS

d. Tessa Helmle-Occupational Therapist

.(.5 FTE) – District

e. Chase Starman-Health/PE teacherGMS

f. Lucas Gerlock-Technology DirectorDistrict

4. Correspondence

B. New Business ACTION ITEM

1. Consider Ratification of the 2023-24 Agreement between Gunnison Watershed School District RE1J and Gunnison County Education Association

C. Old Business

ITEM

1. Second reading of policy: ACTION

a. ADD-Safe Schools

b. DJE-Bidding

Procedures

2. Consider directing Superintendent to engage Colorado Education Initiative to guide GWSD in strategic planning

VIII. Comments from the public *Visitors who wish to address the Board, please make known via Zoom or if in-person, please complete the public participation form.

IX. Items introduced by Board Members

a.

X. Board Committee assignments for the 2022-23 school year

District Accountability Committee-

Mrs. Roberts School Accountability Committees-

Mr. Martineau, Mrs. Mick, Mrs. Brookhart Gunnison County Education Association Negotiations- Mr. Taylor Gunnison County Education Association 3X3- Mr. Martineau Fund 26- Mrs. Mick Gunnison Valley Community Foundation- Mrs. Mick Gunnison Memorial ScholarshipMrs. Roberts Health Insurance Committee- Mr. Taylor

XI. Forthcoming Agendas/ Meeting Dates and Times

Monday, June 5, 2023 Regular meeting/ Budget Hearing Gunnison/Lake School

Monday, June 26, 2023 Regular meeting/Budget Adoption Gunnison/Lake School

XII. Executive Session

C.R.S. 24-6-402 (4)(f) that the Board enter executive session to discuss a personnel matter. The particular matter that is to be discussed behind closed doors is the superintendent evaluation.

XIII. Adjournment Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado

Publication date of May 18, 2023

9074

NOTICE OF NAME CHANGE

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME

Public Notice is given on MAY 3, 2023 that a Petition for a Change of Name of an Adult has been filed with the Gunnison County, Colorado Court.

The Petition requests that the name of ALLA RUBINSTEIN be changed to ALLA FUTTERMAN

Joy Case Clerk of Court/Deputy Clerk /s/ Joy Case

Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison, Colorado

Publication dates of May 11,18, and 25, 2023

8929

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Christopher M. Schodorf, Deceased Case Number 2023PR030012

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Ouray, County, Colorado on or before September 4, 2023, or said claims may be forever barred.

Brian Muth, PR

c/o James E. Plumhoff III Devor & Plumhoff LLC PO Box 3310

Montrose, CO 81402 Tel: 970-249-7000

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado.

Publication dates of May 4, 11, and 18, 2023

8802

ORDINANCE

ORDINANCE NO. 5, SERIES 2023:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GUNNISON, COLORADO, REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 7 SERIES 1992

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 May 18, 2023.

8995

PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

CONCERNING A MARIJUANA CULTIVATION AND PRODUCT MANUFACTURING FACILITY LICENSE FOR ALPINE ALCHEMY, LLC -LOCATED AT260 GRIFFING ROAD, GUNNISON, CO. LOT 5, VISTA BUISNESS CENTER, COUNTY OF GUNNISON, STATE OF COLORADO

HEARING DATE, TIME AND LOCATION:

The Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners on June 6, 2023 at 8:50 am, in the Board of County Commissioners meeting room 2nd floor of the Gunnison County Court House, 200 W. Virginia Ave., Gunnison, Co. will hold a public hearing to hear public comment concerning a Marijuana Facility License application for a new marijuana cultivation and product manufacturing facility to be located in a building at 260 Griffing Road, Gunnison, Co.

APPLICANT: The applicant is Alpine Alchemy, LLC represented by Darin Slattengren.

PARCEL LOCATION: The parcel on which the Marijuana Facility License is proposed is located at 260 Griffing Road, Gunnison, Co. Lot 5, Vista Business Center, County of Gunnison, State of Colorado.

PROPOSAL: The applicant is proposing to locate a Marijuana Cultivation and product manufacturing Facility in a building located at 260 Griffing Road, Gunnison, Co.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: The public is invited to submit verbal or written comments at the hearing, or to submit written comment by planning@gunnisoncounty.org; or letter (Community Development , 221 N. Wisconsin , Suite D, Gunnison, Co. 81230), so long as they are received by 5 P.M. the afternoon before the hearing. The application can be viewed at the County’s web site at: http://204.132.78.100/citizenaccess/ application # MJ-20-00162. For more information regarding this application please call or email Sean Pope at 970-641-7981 or spope@gunnisoncounty.org

ADA ACCOMODATIONS: Anyone needing special accommodations as determined by the American with Disabilities Act may contact the Community Development Department prior to the day of the hearing.

/s/ Sean Pope Gunnison County Community Development Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado

Publication date of May 18, 2023 9093

PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE AS TO PROPOSED BUDGET

MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING

Lake San Cristobal Water Activity Enterprise

At the Lake City Firehouse Conference Room, 131 Henson St., Lake City, CO 81235 And Via Zoom Video/Teleconference Monday, May 22, 2023 3:00 P.M.

Notice is hereby given that a proposed Budget for the year beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2024, will be considered by the Board of Directors of the Lake San Cristobal Water Activity Enterprise. Adoption of the proposed Budget will be discussed at a public hearing during the regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors on May 22, 2023 commencing at 3:00 p.m. Any interested party may file objections to the proposed budget at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget. The Budget will be available for inspection prior to the meeting.

For information on the Zoom video/ teleconferencing option, please contact the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District at (970)641-6065.

Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison, Colorado.

Publication date of May 18, 2023

8984

PUBLIC HEARING

The Board of County Commissioners will hold a Public Hearing at the Saguache County Commissioners meeting Room located at 501 – 4th Street, Saguache, Colorado, on the following date:

TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2023 at 1:00 PM

to consider proposed “Resolution Designating Site Selection and Construction of Major New Domestic Water Systems and Major Extensions of Existing Domestic Water Systems and Municipal and Industrial Water Projects as Activities of State Interest”.

To view the proposed resolution Thursday, May 4, 2023, you may contact the Saguache County Land Use Department – PO Box 326, Saguache, CO 81149 or atorrez@ saguachecounty-co.gov, or by calling 719655-2321 or you may also view the changes on our website at www.saguachecounty. colorado.gov .

Written comments will be accepted until Friday, JUNE 2, 2023 at 3pm, and may be sent to Saguache County Land Use Department at PO Box 326, Saguache, CO 81149 or email to atorrez@saguachecountyco.gov.

By: Tom McCracken, Chairman Saguache County Board of Commissioners

Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison, Colorado.

Publication dates of May 11, 18, 25 and June

1, 2023

8909

PUBLIC NOTICE

MEETING NOTICE

Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy

District Board of Directors Meeting

Monday, May 22, 2023

1:00 PM

The Board of Directors of the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District (UGRWCD) will conduct a regular board meeting on Monday, May 22, 2023 at 1:00 PM at the Lake City Firehouse Conference

Room, 131 Henson Street, Lake City, CO

81235 and via video/teleconferencing.

Please contact the UGRWCD at (970)6416065 for more information on attending via Zoom video/teleconferencing. A meeting agenda will be posted at the District Office prior to the meeting.

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado.

Publication date of May 18, 2023

8985

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Saguache County Land Use Office will be holding a series of education / outreach for the public on the passage of the Saguache County Nuisance Ordinance that was recently passed by the Board of County Commissioners. Dates, time, and location will be as follows;

June 20, 2023 – 5:00PM Center Kiwanis

Club of Center – 510 S Broadway St., Center, CO 81125

June 21, 2023 – 5:00PM KV Homeowners Association – 26415 Woodward Ave., Moffat, CO 81143

June 26, 2023 – 5:00PM Tomichi Creek Trading Post – 71420 US-50, Sargents, CO 81248

June 27, 2023 – 5:00PM Baca Grande

Property Owners Association – 68575 Co. Rd. T, Crestone, CO 81131

June 28, 2023 – 5:00PM Saguache County Road and Bridge – 305 3rd Street, Saguache, CO 81149

To view the Saguache County Nuisance Ordinance that was passed, you can go on the Saguache County Website at www. saguachecounty-co.gov or pick up a copy at the Saguache County Land Use Office, 505 3rd Street, Saguache, CO 81149.

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado.

Publication dates of May 18, 25, June 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, 2023

9041

REQUEST FOR BIDS

Request for Bids for a concrete project at the GVTA’s bus facility located at 905 W. Evans, Gunnison, CO 81230

The Gunnison Valley Transportation Authority (GVTA) is seeking bids from qualified concrete contractors for constructing an approximately 21,000 square feet concrete apron around its bus maintenance facility. The project will include removal and stockpiling six (6) inches of road base, excavating six (6) inches of ground below the road base, replacing the road base and compacting it, removal and disposal of any excess material, and pouring and finishing a concrete pad using a 12” grid of #4 rebar and a broom finish.

The time schedule for the selection of a contractor for this project is as follows, but is subject to change:

RFP issue date: May 19,

2023

Mandatory pre-bid walkthrough: June 5,

2023

Questions and clarifications due: June 9,

2023

Questions answered: June 13, 2023

Bids due: June 23, 2023

Target award date: June 30, 2023

Project completion date: October 31, 2023

To receive a copy of the full Request for Bids and submission requirements, please contact GVTA Executive Director, Scott Truex at struex@gunnisonvalleyrta.org.

Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison, Colorado.

Publication dates of May 18 and 25, 2023 9036

REQUEST FOR BIDS

REQUEST FOR BIDS

The City of Gunnison is requesting bids from qualified contractors to install two 20’ wide by 6’ tall chain link pivot gates at the City of Gunnison Public Works facility. The contractor will be responsible for removing the old gates and concrete and installing new gates and concrete; hooking up control pads, loops, safety edges, and heaters. Contractor must supply the equipment and labor for the work. All contractors must schedule a pre-bid onsite visit. For additional information and to schedule a pre-bid onsite visit please contact Chris Green at 970-6418342, cgreen@gunnisonco.gov .

Please submit sealed bids, clearly marked “2023 Public Works Access Gates Bid” on

Bethany Church

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

Summer schedule, One service at 9am! gunnisonbethany.com

9 am: 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 www.bnaibutte.org

Jewish communities of Crested Butte, Gunnison and the East River Valley in Colorado PO Box 2537 Crested, Butte CO 81224 bnaibutte@gmail.com

Spiritual Leader: Rabbi Mark Kula; available for you at RabbiMarkKula@gmail.com (805) 803-3648

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.

the outside of the envelope, to the City of Gunnison, Public Works Department, 1100 W. Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, CO 81230. Emailed bids may be submitted to cgreen@ gunnisonco.gov with “2023 Public Works Access Gates Bid” in the subject line. All bids are due and at 1:30 p.m. on June 1, 2023.

Late bids will not be accepted.

Copies of RFB 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.

The City of Gunnison has a local preference policy. For details, please refer to section 20.20.170 of the City of Gunnison Purchase Policy in the web link below. http://cms5. revize.com/revize/gunnisonco/docs/ Finance/Purchasing%20Policy%20Rewr ite%2018.10.09.pdf The City of Gunnison will select the bid deemed to be in the best interest of the City. The City reserves the right not to proceed with the project if necessary.

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication date of May 18, 2023

9094

SUMMONS

DISTRICT COURT, GUNNISON COUNTY, COLORADO Court Address: 200 E. Virginia Avenue Gunnison, CO 81230 (970) 642-8300

Plaintiff: LAND JACK LLC, a New Mexico limited liability company

v.

Defendants:

JAMES N. CLARK; CHRISTINE M. CLARK; MIRIAM BETULA LEPORE; NICOLE C. CLARK; RACHEL GRACE LAPORE A/K/A RACHEL G. LAPORE A/K/A APRIL GRACE ASTA A/K/A APRIL G. ASTA A/K/A APRIL G. ASTA-HORNER; WILLIAM G. HORLBECK, P.C.; ABRIL MEADOWS HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION; THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF THE COUNTY OF GUNNISON; and ALL UNKNOWN PERSONS WHO CLAIM UNDER OR THROUGH THE NAMED DEFENDANTS AND ALL UNKNOWN PERSONS WHO

Faith Directory

Community Church of Gunnison

107 N. Iowa • 970-641- 0925

Pastor Larry Nelson

Sunday Morning Worship 9:30 a.m.

Nursery & Age-Graded Ministry Weekly Student Ministry Weekly Adult LifeGroups

Office Hours: Mon-Thurs, 9:00-4:00

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 PM - Children's Patch Club

Gunnison Bible Institute

Thursday 7 PM - College & Career Christian Fellowship www.firstbaptistgunnison.org.

THE Good Samaritan Episcopal Church

307 W. Virginia Ave. • 970-641-0429

Rev. Laura Osborne, Vicar

Sunday Morning Holy Eucharist, Rite II 9 a.m.

Children's Sunday school 9 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.

Office Hours: M-Th 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

www.goodsamaritangunnison.com

Visit our partnership church: All Saints in the Mountains, Crested Butte Holy Eucharist, Rite II, Sunday 5 p.m. Union Congregational Church, 407 Maroon Ave., Crested Butte.

Gunnison

Congregational Church

United Church of Christ

317 N. Main St. • 970-641-3203

Open and Affirming

Whole Earth · Just Peace

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.

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

Grace Covenant Church Gunnison

101 N. 8th St. Gunnison

Meeting at the Historic 8th St School House

Reformed, Confessional & committed to Expository preaching Sundays 10:00 a.m.

Thursdays 1:00 p.m.

Women's Bible Study gracegunnison.com

Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church

711 N. Main • 970-641-1860

Bible Study and Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays

Church Service at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays

Pastor Robert Carabotta, Pastor Jacob With

New Song

Christian Fellowship

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 10am / Wednesday 7pm www.newsonggunnison.net

Attorneys for Plaintiffs:

Zachary A. Grey, Atty. Reg. 49269

Frascona, Joiner, Goodman and Greenstein

P.C. 4750 Table Mesa Drive

Boulder, CO 80305

Telephone: 303-494-3000

Facsimile: 303-494-6309

Email: zac@frascona.com

case number: 2023CV030011

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANT(S):

You are hereby summoned and required to appear and defend against the claims of the complaint filed with the court in this action, by filing with the clerk of this court an answer or other response. You are required to file your answer or other response within 21 or 35 days after the service of this summons upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete on the day of the last publication. A copy of the complaint may be obtained from the clerk of the court.

If you fail to file your answer or other response to the complaint in writing within 21 or 35 days after the date of the last publication, judgment by default may be rendered against you by the court for the relief demanded in the complaint without further notice.

Dated: April 27, 2023

Frascona, Joiner, Goodman and Greenstein, P.C.

/s/Zachary A. Grey Attorney for Plaintiff

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado.

Publication dates of April 27 and May 4, 11, 18, 25, 2023

8718

Rocky Mountain Christian Ministries

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

Sunday Morning Worship 9:30am

Nursery and Children’s ministry through Middle School

“Remedy” Worship Nights

Small Group Ministries www.rmcmchurch.org

St. Peter’s Catholic Church

300 N. Wisconsin • 970-641-0808

Fr. Andres Ayala-Santiago www.gunnisoncatholic.org www.crestedbuttecatholic.org or call the Parish Office.

St. Peter's - Gunnison Sat 8:30 am, 5 pm & Sun 10:30 am, 12:00 pm (Spanish) Mass

First Sunday of every month

bilingual Mass at 11am

Queen of All Saints - Crested Butte, 401 Sopris Sun 8:30am Mass

St. Rose of Lima - Lake City Communion Service, Sat 4:00pm

Trinity Baptist Church

523 N. Pine St. • 970-641-1813

Senior Pastor - Joe Ricks

Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.

Adult Bible Study 8:00 AM www.trinitybaptistsgunnison.com

Don't SELL them. Tell them a great STORY.

Supper for the sportspeople

The Gunnison World Record chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation held its annual banquet on May 13 at the Fred Field Center. Local vendors set up booths and attendees wandered from table to table, admiring the auction items before sitting down for dinner.

LIGHTS&SIRENS

CITY OF GUNNISON POLICE REPORT

MAY 8

INFORMATION — 600 E. VIRGINIA

AVE.

ACCIDENT — 901 N. MAIN ST.

PROPERTY - FOUND — 800 N.

COLORADO ST.

PROPERTY - FOUND — 201 W.

VIRGINIA AVE.

ACCIDENT — 400 N. IOWA ST.

HARASSMENT:

INSULTS,TAUNTS, CHALLENGES

— 600 N. COLORADO ST.

AGENCY ASSIST — W. HWY. 50

MAY 9

ASSAULT: FIRST DEGREE WITH

DEADLY WEAPON — 1800 W.

TOMICHI AVE.

WARRANT SERVICE - OTHER

JURISDICTION — 404 W. RIO

GRANDE AVE.

JUVENILE PROBLEM — 720 N.

COLORADO ST.

MUNICIPAL CODE VIOLATION — 604 CARBON CT.

ADMIN - UNASSIGNED INCIDENT

— 404 W. RIO GRANDE AVE.

MUNICIPAL CODE VIOLATION — 100 N. TELLER ST.

MAY 10

HARASSMENT:

COMMUNICATIONS — 600 N.

COLORADO ST.

ANIMAL - RUNNING AT LARGE

- MUNICIPAL — 820 W. TOMICHI AVE.

ANIMAL - RUNNING AT LARGE

- MUNICIPAL — 808 W. DENVER AVE.

ANIMAL - RUNNING AT LARGE -

MUNICIPAL — 320 W. LEROY AVE.

WELFARE ASSIST — E. VIRGINIA AVE.

FRAUD — 1 WESTERN WY.

AGENCY ASSIST — 127 EVELYN

108

PROPERTY - FOUND — 275 S. SPRUCE ST.

JUVENILE PROBLEM — 600 N. COLORADO ST.

JUVENILE PROBLEM — 234 N.

MAIN ST.

VIOLATION OF PROTECTION

ORDER: CRIMINAL ORDER — 1202 W. NEW YORK AVE.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

- DRUGS — W. BIDWELL AVE.

MAY 11

CRIMINAL TRESPASS -

MUNICIPAL — 226 N. MAIN ST.

DISTURBING THE PEACE — 213 N. LOVELAND ST.

NUISANCE CODE VIOLATION — 219 N. 11TH ST.

JUVENILE PROBLEM — N. 11TH ST.

THEFT - UNDER $100 -

MUNICIPAL — 1160 N. MAIN ST.

WELFARE ASSIST — REED ST.

continued on A20

Jacob Spetzler

(Left to right) Rodeo Queens Maddie Renfroe, Jaycee Herrera and Allison Hughes pose for a photo.

(Left to right) Montana Wiggins, Riley Sanchez and Dominic DiGregorio enjoy a drink before dinner.

ST.

MAY 13

HARASSMENT: STRIKE/SHOVE/

KICK — 709 W. NEW YORK AVE.

WARRANT SERVICE - OTHER

JURISDICTION — 614 W.

GUNNISON AVE.

ANIMAL - RUNNING AT LARGE -

MUNICIPAL — E. GEORGIA AVE.

MENTAL HEALTH — N. COLORADO ST.

MAY 14

ACCIDENT — 310 W. TOMICHI

AVE.

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE:

UNLAWFUL DISTRIBUTION, MANUFACTURE, SALE- EXCEPT MARIJUANA — 999 E. TOMICHI AVE.

ANIMAL - RUNNING AT LARGE - MUNICIPAL — 1100 N. COLORADO ST.

WELFARE ASSIST — 701 W. HWY. 50

GUNNISON COUNTY SHERIFF’S REPORT

MAY 9

-Damaged vehicle report

-Agency assist to the Gunnison Police Department with a search warrant

-Trespass call

-Agency assist to National Park Service with a traffic stop

-Paper service

-Vin inspection

MAY 10

-Agency assist to CBI with a search warrant

-Identity theft report

-Cruelty to animals arrest

-Agency assist to GPD on a welfare check

-Information report on suspicious person/activity

MAY 11

-Information report on a boulder on road

-In-county warrant arrest

-In-county warrant arrest

-Arrest for careless driving, DUI, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and three warrants

-911 hang up call

-Civil standby

-Information report

-OHV accident

-Information report

MAY 12

-911 hang up

-Agency assist to GPD with an arrest

-Warning issue for speeding

-Paper service

-Information report

-Agency assist to GPD with a juvenile out of control

-Information report regarding issuing a Health and Human Services voucher

MAY 13

-911 hang up – unfounded

-Agency assist to CSP with suspicious debris on shoulder of highway

-Unlawful conduct on public property

-Welfare check on a person hallucinating

-Agency assist to GPD with a warrant arrest

-Information report on a possible suicidal subject

MAY 14

-Information report – assisted with a dog that had been hit on the highway

-Verbal warning issues for an unattended controlled burn

-Arrest for felony menacing, harassment and domestic violence

-Trespass call

-Driving under suspension, warning for improper passing

MAY 15

-Information report – suspicious person/activity

-Information report on a civil agreement

-Agency assist to GPD with a noninjury traffic accident

-Agency assist to GPD with an non-compliant juvenile fighting with officers

-Criminal mischief, person known to abuse drugs

-Agency assist to GPD for an assault

-Dog at large call

Local flower farmer prepares for second season

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

It all started with five acres of gold in southern Illinois. Annie Amrich loved those marigolds, a hardy and remarkably ornamental flower that stretched far into the corners of her mother’s garden. And her grandmother was there too, seeding her own African violets in a backyard garden. Although Amrich would grow up and leave her hometown, the smells and sights of that childhood garden had been made permanent.

Forty years later, she huddled near a bed of soil along South Main Street in Gunnison, carefully digging small holes for her delphinium starts — now, as owner of Janniebird Farm, an organic flower farm. Her hands were caked in soil but her overalls, bandana and hat, were covered in var-

TULIPS From the ground up

(Top) Annie Amrich plants delphiniums in her garden plot off South Main Street, next to the box cars. Delphiniums are hardier plants and can grow in drier, less nutrient-dense soil.

Her no-till, temporary flower bed will sprout nearly 1,000 tulips in the coming months.

At her Mother’s Day pop-up at Tributary Coffee Roasters, Amrich sold Silver Parrot tulips.

Tulips B2

Abby Harrison

AGRICULTURE: Kersting named new CSU extension director, B3

SPORTS: GHS girls golf hosts final tournament,

GUNNISON COUNTRY TIMES • THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023

Crested Butte Mountain Theatre Presents

Tigers Be Still

A comedy written by Kim Rosenstock

Directed by Kristen Joyce

Thursday Friday Saturday

May 25-27June 1-3

To All GCEA Members:

I am running for re-election and would like your vote! If your name is on the power bill you can vote and not just within your district.

I am a 40 year resident of Gunnison County. My wife Kathy and I have owned and operated PR Property Management since 1986. Our two sons graduated from Crested Butte Community School. I know the county and I know the electric business.

If you like what GCEA has been doing and what we will be doing in the future to provide excellence in service, reduce carbon emissions, get Taylor Hydro producing, and all the while at a fair price, I would like your vote.

If you think the GCEA Board needs change, vote for my opponent who has moved from Boulder.

GCEA is one of the best run CO-OP's in the state and I would like to help keep it that way.

Get out and vote. Ballots will be available starting May 22 and the annual meeting on June 20.

Best to you all! Greg Wiggins

ious floral designs and somehow, not yet dirtied. And just inside the fence line was a temporary bed where, in no more than 20 square feet, over 1,000 tulips will spring up in the coming months.

In the intervening time, Amrich completed her masters in exercise physiology and traveled the world as an athletic trainer with USA Track and Field. But the athletic trainer’s salary wasn’t going to cut it long term, Amrich said, so she shifted to medical sales — where she would stay for 16 years, selling oxygen and CPAP medical devices. But the industry changed over the years, she said, and she wanted out.

“I got online, and I started thinking and googling jobs where my hands are in the dirt, because I loved being outside and planting and doing all those kinds of things,” she said.

After taking a class from Washington-based flower grower Erin Benzakein, Amrich started talking to local florists and, in 2019, established her own company. Janniebird is a hybrid of her name and her husband’s nickname, “J-Bird.” When the pandemic arrived, the business thrived. With farmers markets shut down and contactless delivery established, she delivered flowers to families, friends and frontline workers in Louisville, Colorado.

“I love when people tell me they're flower people or flowers bring them happiness. I mean, who doesn't get a bundle of flowers and think, ‘oh my god, thank you!’” she said.

When she and her husband

Jason moved to Gunnison in 2022, their new home didn’t have much flower garden real estate. But she soon spied a plot next to the box cars on South Main Street, and, months later, she was putting her delphiniums, tulips and ranunculus in the ground. At first, the soil was dry and sandy, but with patience and help from a natural

fertilizer made of alfalfa pellets, water and sugar, it grew softer and ready to support hardier plants like zinnias, sunflowers and cosmos.

“I was prepping [the soil] the other day. And I saw a worm. I mean, people don't get excited about worms. But I was jumping up and down for the worm,” she said.

Although Amrich’s growing season was short last year— she didn’t start planting until the beginning of June — she was able to serve Wilder’s Organic Market, Tough Enough to Wear Pink, local florists and Gunnison Valley Hospital with fresh flowers.

Gunnison presents a unique challenge for Amrich, who has mostly farmed in zone 5 and zone 6 climates, which are much milder than Gunnison’s zone 4. To help navigate the new climate, Amrich connected with friends and fellow farmers Sue Wyman and Alexis Taylor, and joined the Gunnison Valley Producers Guild.

“They're so welcoming. I love having a group where everyone is super supportive instead of competitive. I think the more awareness we bring to growing anything in the valley, whether it's flowers or vegetables, the more people start to say, ‘hey, I can get that stuff locally.’”

To learn more visit janniebirdfarm.com.

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

Tulips from B1

Amrich stands next to her no-till, temporary tulip bed. She rents the growing plots from local JoeBob Merritt.

The soil in the flower bed is enriched with an alfalfa mix that acts as a natural fertilizer.

Annie Amrich, owner of Janniebird Farms.

Abby Harrison

Kersting named new CSU extension director

Local rancher continues lifelong passion for agriculture

Bella Biondini Times Editor

Hannah Cranor Kersting has been selected as the Gunnison County CSU Extension Office’s new director, furthering her dedication to agriculture and youth education.

After leading the local extension office for more than 15 years, former director Eric McPhail moved on to oversee most of the offices across Colorado’s western region last September. After two failed searches, Kersting, with deep roots in the Gunnison Valley’s ranching community, emerged as a natural fit for the role. She also serves as the president of the Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association. Her first day in the office was April 17.

Kersting, who was born and raised in Gunnison, is a thirdgeneration cattle rancher. She left Gunnison briefly to attend the University of Wyoming where she majored in agricultural business. Since she moved back in 2016, Kersting has worked for Gunnison County and Gunnison Valley Health, but stayed employed full time on the ranch — spending most of her nights and weekends with her animals.

Although Kersting has always been passionate about agriculture education, she didn't think McPhail’s position would open at the right time.

“I wanted to be in ag and give back to the community,” she said. “This is my dream job … this is literally what I

worked my whole life for and now it's here.”

After spending just over a decade as an active member of the local 4-H program, she said she knows how important it is to the community’s youth. But as she gets settled into her new role, there’s still a lot to learn. An extension office staff is the common source of knowledge on “anything and everything,” from small acreage ownership and gardening, to trees and water wells, she said.

A portion of her time will be dedicated to directly supporting Gunnison County’s thriving 4-H program, with a focus on livestock projects. The program has approximately 150 members this year and has continued to rebuild following the pandemic. She said she wants to help it keep expanding.

“It's so important that the next generation understands where their food comes from,” she said. “And then the cool thing about 4-H is it's not just animals, it doesn't stop there. It doesn't matter what your interests are, there's probably a program for it.”

Kersting will be working alongside Perri Pelletier, Gunnison County’s 4-H youth development agent. Pelletier said she’s thrilled to have Kersting in the office due to her familiarity with the community and extensive knowledge about livestock. She is also hopeful Kersting’s digital marketing experience will continue to help the 4-H program reach more local youth.

“We think she'll be a wonderful addition to our office team,” Pelletier said.

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

SAGUACHE COUNTY SEEKS BOARD OF EQUALIZATION REFEREES

hearings for Saguache County Board of Equalization and make recommendations to the SCBOE. The Saguache County Board of Equalization is accepting resumes for the appointment to the Board of

INTERESTED PARTIES MAY SUBMIT THEIR RESUMES TO:

Saguache County Board of Commissioners

Courtesy Hannah Cranor Kersting

SAGUACHE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SITS AS THE SAGUACHE COUNTY BOARD OF County Assessor.

This week at the Pioneer Museum “A Paragon of Excellence”

Back in the race — and chasing new finish lines

Susan Powers Special to the Times

This April marked the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon fi nish line bombing, which for non-runners, was most likely a milestone that slid silently by.

But it was one I watched closely, wishing safety from afar for all of the participants. April is also the annual running of the Paris Marathon. I was at the finish line of the Boston bombing 10 years ago, and had the great fortune to go to Paris this spring to run the city’s marathon. Another finish line.

Submitted by Larry McDonald

It was a small article buried on page 3 of the July 17, 1880, edition of the Gunnison News that announced that a petition of the taxpayers was presented to the School Board asking them to appoint a date for the meeting of the qualified voters to decide and purchase of grounds for a schoolhouse for District No. 1. The Board granted the petition and appointed August 7, as the day on which the voting would take place. The article concluded with this statement, “Now that the Board has begun to move, we will not be long without a public school.”

That was an understatement! It would be a very difficult and timeconsuming task to put together a complete history of all the schools that existed in Gunnison County over the past 140 or so years, but thanks to Ruth Dolezal, Laura Easeley, and our Historic Preservation Commission, we have a pretty good record that can be found on their website page.

The Pioneer Museum displays two of our wonderful rural schools, Doyleville and the Paragon, with initial discussions regarding moving the Fairview School down from Ohio Creek valley taking place recently. During an earlier era, our County saw dozens of school districts with schools located in places like Vulcan, Aberdeen, Spencer, Vader, Peanut, Sillsville, Rimrock, Crookton, Chance, Gothic, Halls Gulch and so many more. Some of these early schools still exist and have been repurposed, such as the ones in Ohio City and Sargents that serve as community museums and meeting halls today.

The Doyleville School that resides on the east end of our campus was built in 1920 and includes a separate very small room that was used as the teacher’s residence and today holds hundreds of historic educational publications. The first school there was built in 1881, and it is said that the teacher rang a cowbell to call students to class as they had no regular school bell. Records indicate the last classes taught at the Doyleville School were in 1966 and the building was used as a community hall until it was moved to the museum grounds and restored in 2003.

The original Paragon School was not the beautiful one you see today on our grounds, as a log cabin served the students beginning in 1890 and was built by J. H. Philips at a cost of $307.50. In 1900 the school board requested plans be drawn up for a new schoolhouse and John Outcalt presented some rough sketches that were approved by the voters in 1905 with the stipulation it would not be an ordinary one, but be “a school that was a paragon of excellence!”. It served local students up until 1948 before being used as a meeting place by the Hoof and Horn 4-H Club and other groups. In 1967 the school board voted to give the school to the Pioneer Museum where it has been a popular attraction for decades now.

With the end of another school year upon us, and the Pioneer Museum exhibiting so much of our local educational history, we’d like to invite you to make plans to visit us and learn more about our schools being “a Paragon of Excellence!”

MUSEUM OPEN DAILY 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.

FROM MAY 15 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30.

Admission $15 ages 13+, $5 for ages 6-12, Free for 5 and under. Follow us on Facebook for current information and amazing local history!

Ten years is a lot of time. Prior to the bombing I would run one or two “big city” marathons each year. As someone who spends a lot of time in the wilderness, choosing an annual race (or two) was my excuse to visit amazing cities that I might not otherwise see. From these races, I can create a montage of memories and beauty.

Since Boston 2013, I haven’t run in a big city race, until Paris. I have continued running, lots. Everything from our annual family 5K Thanksgiving Turkey Trot to 50-mile trail races and every distance in between.

I wake up early every morning and run, to see the sunrise, to get quiet time, to watch the moon rise or set, to hear the owls or to process the world. Running is my time and I love it. And after 10 years of solitude, wilderness and small events, I decided to revisit the joys of a big city marathon.

I had visited Paris once before, and while there for just a couple of days, decided it was one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen. I learned long ago that the best way to see a city is on foot, when the roads are closed, the crowds are cheering you on and the race directors highlighting all that the city has to offer.

The Paris Marathon course starts on the Champs Élysées, with the Arc de Triomphe at your back. It winds through every conceivable Paris landmark, before turning up Avenue Foch and finishing back at the Arc de Triomphe. It is quite a course.

Boston is iconic. It is the oldest continuously running marathon in the U.S. It is the only major run for which participants need to qualify. It is run on Patriot’s Day and it draws the top runners in the world.

For years when I ran, if I was tired and needed something to motivate a strong finish, I would visualize the finish line at Boston, making the turn onto the famed Boylston Street, hearing the crowd and seeing the painted yellow and blue stripe across the road.

2013 was my second Boston Marathon. After the bombing, my images of the finish line

were ruined and replaced by the tragedy of that day. I had other strategies for finishing strong, but nothing replaced the iconic imagery of Boston’s finish line, until now.

To be clear, I am solidly a middle-of-the-pack runner. I have never experienced a big race from the front. I watch, in awe, as the elite runners start and disappear into the distance. Then I think of them finishing as I am still midcourse, getting their medals, heading home, showering and eating all before I hit the finish line. And yet, many crowds stick around until every runner finishes, and the best of them cheer for the mid-packers and latecomers with as much enthusiasm as for the champions.

Paris was exceptional. The course takes runners through neighborhoods of limestone buildings with wrought-iron balconies, past the Opera House, the Louvre, through parks, along the Seine with views of Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, before turning onto Avenue Foch for the last few kilometers.

The barricades, hung with sponsor signs, hold the crowds back, line the course on both sides and squeeze the runners almost shoulder to shoulder, keeping pace with one another as they approach the finish.

This year, as I imagine all years, the spectators were packed in, leaning over the barricades and pounding on the sponsor signs creating a

rhythmic thunder. At the same time, they all screamed “ allez, allez, allez ,” or “go, go, go” to every runner. It was deafening and magical. I will forever remember the view of the Arc de Triomphe looming ahead past the finish line and hearing the French chant.

Before I left for Paris, the world was conspiring to make the trip a challenge: passport issues, the French pension protests, workers on strike, delayed flights and missed connections. At the outset they seemed significant, but now in retrospect, so small.

Runners are the best group I know at meeting challenges and maintaining forward motion, even if just one step at a time. Distance running is hard work. After Boston, runners rallied around “Boston Strong” and kept running, moving forward and preparing for the next finish line.

Everyone has a lifetime of different finish lines, but all require moving ahead. We all choose the imagery to get us there, wherever there is. For me, the destinations change, but in my mind, they will now end with an Arc de Triomphe on the horizon and thousands of voices chanting, “ allez, allez, allez .”

(Susan Powers is a marathon runner, high school teacher and head coach of the GHS soccer team.)

Susan Powers runs at the Paris Marathon this year. Courtesy

PEOPLE & HAPPENINGS

Crested Butte Museum camp and tour

Join The Crested Butte Museum June 11-15 for a five-day journey throughout the San Juans for a tour exploring historic and geologic sites with historian Duane Vandenbusche and geologist Steve Jenkins. This tour includes all transportation leaving from Gunnison, all accommodations, all tour and activity fees, a field note booklet and select meals throughout the trip. Register by May 10 by visiting crestedbuttemuseum.com/san-juan-tour or call 970.349.1880 for more information.

Garden Club plant sale

The Top o’ The World Garden Club annual perennial plant sale will be held at the fairgrounds covered area on May 26 from 1-5 p.m. and May 27 from 9 a.m.-noon. Plants are $6 each, plus tax. Checks and cash only please. Pre-orders can be placed now on our Facebook page and must be picked up by 9 a.m. on Saturday, unless other arrangements have been made.

Signal Peak run

The Crested Butte Mountain Runners are holding a run on Duane’s World at Signal Peak on Sunday, May 21 at 9 a.m. The run covers 7 miles (+1033’), all on single track trail. Meet at the Duane’s World trailhead at Signal Peak. For trail maps and registration please visit cbmountainrunners.org.

Plant sale

Need plant starts for your garden this year? The Gunnison Valley Producers guild will be holding a plant sale on May 20 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the at 513 S. Main in Gunnison. Come support local agriculture and growers.

Volunteers needed

Seeking tech hands, bartenders and ticket takers for “Tigers Be Still” at the CB Mountain Theatre. Show runs May 25-27 and June 1-3 from 6:30-9 p.m. All volunteers receive a free beverage and admission. Contact office@ cbmountaintheatre.org for more information.

GUNNISON ARTS CENTER BRIEFS

Live music

Join us May 26 at 7 p.m. for live music with Roma Ransom. Great music should do three things: connect you to the past, inspire you to envision the future and find you wholly in the present moment. Roma Ransom does all three. Tickets are $22.50 for members and $25 for non-members.

Charcuterie & Clay

On May 20 from 12-3 p.m., enjoy charcuterie while making your very own charcuterie set up. This class will focus on slab rolling, hand building and coil building techniques to create a multi-piece charcuterie board. Registration fee includes clay, tools, slip, glaze, kiln firing, instruction and charcuterie. The instructor is Abra Karbin and the cost is $68 for members and $80 for non-members.

Intro to Hand Building

If you don’t want to commit to a multi-week class, this is the hand building class for

you! In this class, May 22 from 6-9 p.m., students will get introduced to hand building to shape their own masterpiece. All ability ranges are welcome. The instructor is Rachel Cottingham and the cost is $64 for members and $75 for nonmembers.

Chinese cooking demo

In this class, May 23 from 5-8 p.m., you will be instructed on Chinese cooking techniques as well as the use of ingredients. Students will prepare scallion pancakes for an appetizer and Kung Pao chicken. Don't forget to bring your notebooks to take notes of the recipe's tips and tricks. The instructor is Elaine Emrick and the cost is $80.75 for members and $95 for nonmembers.

Hip hop fitness

Stay motivated this summer and join us for high energy hip hop sequences focusing on breaking a sweat in a fun way. This class, Tuesdays from 12:45-1:30 p.m., May 23-June

Free legal help

Get free legal advice on the second Wednesday of every month from 2-5 p.m. at the Gunnison County Library at 1 Quartz St in Gunnison and at the Old Rock Community Library in Crested Butte. Volunteer attorneys will offer assistance one-on-one, via computer link. In Gunnison call 970.641.3485 or in Crested Butte call 970.349.6535 to be added to the sign-up sheet.

Living Journeys

Living Journeys hosts free and confidential monthly support groups — open to all Gunnison County residents.

-Caregivers Support Group: 1st Monday of each month.

-Bereavement Support Group: 2nd Monday of each month.

-Cancer Support Group: 1st Thursday and 3rd Monday of each month.

Professional therapists facilitate in-person and zoom meetings, no RSVP necessary. Get details at livingjourneys. org/Calendar.

27, is beginner friendly but enjoyable for all levels of experience. Purchase all six classes for the best deal, or drop in whenever you’re feeling an itch. The instructor is Sakara Sullivan and the cost is $59.50 for members and $70 for nonmembers or $13 for drop-ins.

Astro tarot and woodblock printing

Are you drawn to tarot card reading, herbal tea, creative interpretations-expressions or any combination of the three? All skill levels are welcome and encouraged to attend from 6-8 p.m. on May 22-23. While enjoying some localorganic tea, we will astrologically determine our individual tarot cards of the year and collaboratively discuss the many possible meanings this may dictate. Day one will primarily entail tarot reading and preparing your woodblock drawing to carve. Day two will involve carving and printing your tarot card. The instructor is Ashley Favor and the cost is $55.25 for members and $65 for non-members.

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FOR VIRTUAL TOUR: BHHSTODAYREALTY.COM

Spring cleaning

Stellar students

week,

Middle

Community members gathered at the Gunnison Whitewater Park for a little spring cleaning along the river on Saturday morning, May 13. The event was followed by surfing.

Last

Gunnison

School announced the April students of the month. Not pictured are Katie Vallejo, Peysli Nelson and Kayden McDonough.

Courtesy Andy Dunda

6th:Topher Lamar, Katie Vallejo, Peysli Nelson, Tytus Williams 7th: Keaton Mickelson, Kodi Church, Roman Loken, Genesis Carcamo 8th: Penelope Kuelhorn, Ian Busby, Riego Koepsel, Kayden McDonough

Jacob Spetzler

Keith Stevens wheels brush.

Keith Steven takes a quick break from raking.

Garret Strauss carries an armload of branches

Seniors say goodbye on home turf

GHS hosts final regular season golf tournament at Dos Rios

Jacob Spetzler

Photo and Sports Editor

Dos Rios Golf Course hosted the Gunnison High School Invitational on Monday, May 15, the only home golf tournament of the season for the girls golf team.

It also turned out to be the final farewell tournament for the graduating seniors. Blue Noble, Elaina Dillard and Sam Brown have opted to forgo the regional and state tournaments due to conflicts with their high school graduation ceremony. The team was slated to play again on Tuesday, in Aspen, but McClure Pass was closed and the Cowboys were forced to sit it out. That has meant the Dos Rios tournament was the final round of competitive golf for the seniors.

“It was nice to see the seniors play their final round of their [high school] career at home on our own course,” said Head Coach Kevin Mickelson.

Noble, who is headed to Western Colorado University reflected on their time as a golfer. They played all four of the past four years and said it made for great friendships and great memories.

“I’ve loved playing golf these last four years,” Noble said. “It’s been a ton of fun … I learned

Cowboy track and field to peak at state meet

PRs, first place spots continue to roll in at Pueblo

Jacob Spetzler

Photo and Sports Editor

The GHS track and field teams competed in their final regular season meet last Friday, May 12, — Friday Night Lights at Pueblo West.

With the state meet set for next week, the girls team showed no signs of slowing

down, earning a series of podium spots particularly among the distance runners and jumpers. The boys team saw fewer placements, but put together PRs across the board — proving the team is continuing to improve up until the very last minute.

On the girls side, both Angela Hindes and Madelyn Stice earned first place spots. Stice finished in the first 1600-meter run with PR of 5:15.66 and Hindes in the high jump with a 4-11.

Two other Cowboys podiumed. Jemma Petrie came in second in the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:24:22, just shy of a 12:17.94 PR she set

last week during the league championship. Eden Williams took third in the triple jump, while Aubrey Welfelt and Lee Brunsting came in close behind in the same event. Welfelt finished fifth with a 31-8, and Brunsting earned ninth with 30-5.5. Both were PRs.

Caroline Sudderth held down the hurdle races, finishing eighth in the 100-meter and ninth in the 300-meter. The two girls relay teams finished in the top 10. The 4x800 squad, composed of Stice, Petrie, Justine Mowery and Izabella Hartzel finished fourth. The 4x200 group, which consists of Caroline Sudderth, Williams, Sienna Gomez and Hindes,

came in seventh.

For the boys team, none of the Cowboys came in top 10 but a few earned PRs. Nicholas Ferraro saw the highest placements: 11th in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 17.84, and 13th in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.17. Both races were PRs. Julian Ryter put together a 10:38.71 PR in the 3200-meter run and Rowen Downum earned PRs in the 800- and 1600-meter runs. Freshman Arno Mortenson ran a PR of 24.58 in the 200-meter dash.

The state meet is set for this weekend and will take place at the Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood, May 19-21. To quali-

fy for the state competition, athletes must rank in the top 16.

Rankings were released Tuesday afternoon and four individuals plus both relay teams from the girls team made the cut. Stice qualified for the 800-meter, 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs. Hindes made it in both the high jump and long jump, while Gomez and Williams each qualified for the triple jump.

(Jacob Spetzler can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or jacob@gunnisontimes.com.)

Golf B10

Blue Noble grins after a put on the back nine.

SOCCER: U15 team wins tournament, B8

BASEBALL: GHS baseball make playoffs, B9

GUNNISON COUNTRY TIMES • THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023

Gunnison gymnasts show off their skills at home

Four competitions set for this summer

Jacob Spetzler

and Sports Editor

The Gunnison Rec Center gym filled with cheers as the town gymnastics team performed its routines for a crowd of peers, parents and grandparents during the annual exhibition Wednesday, May 10.

Twenty-four gymnasts are on the roster this year, ranging from ages 8 to 16. Each athlete performed a routine on the beam, bars and floor to great applause.

The early season exhibition has become tradition in recent years and is a way for the gymnastics team to perform at home. The Gunnison team competes in the Colorado Association of Recreation Athletics (CARA) League which is organized through the Colorado Parks and Recreation Association. It ncludes primarily Front Range teams.

Due to how far Gunnison is from the metro area and the size of the Rec Center gym, the team is rarely awarded a home meet during competition season, said Recreation Supervisor Ginny Baylor. So the this preseason home exhibition

“The home exhibition is a good opportunity for our gymnasts to do a run through of their routines in front of spectators and get the pre-season jitters out,” Baylor said. “It also gives our new families a sneak peak at what to expect when they travel to a meet.”

This season, the gymnastics team will compete in four league meets. The first will take

Photo

place in Frederick at the Carbon Valley Gymnastics Center on June 10. The schedule will culminate at the state meet which is slated for July 22 and 23. location still to be determined.

Compulsory and optional gymnasts watch Kailyn Japuntich jump onto the bars.

The compulsory gymnasts talk with coach Kailyn Japuntich.

Jacob Spetzler

Alia Cohen performs on the beam.

Courtsey

GHS baseball makes playoffs

As the end of the season grew near, the Cowboy varsity baseball team put together a series of wins over the course of the last week that would narrowly earn a postseason run. On May 12, Gunnison traveled to Moffat to play a neutral turf doubleheader against Moffat County, pulling off a spectacular couple of wins. The first game ended 6-5 and the second, 14-7. Then, on Monday, May 16, the Cowboys took on the North Fork Miners to round out the season, winning 17-7. The games brought Gunnison’s final season record to 10-12, and a 3A Western Slope record of 4-5. The Cowboys are now slated to compete in the first round of the playoffs against the Panthers at Montezuma-Cortez High School this Friday. Game time has yet to be determined.

Thisyearthereisacontestedelection forDistrict1,andallGCEAmembersare encouragedtovote.ScantheQRcode totherighttolearnmoreaboutthe candidatesandvotinginstructions.

Mason Williams slides into home.

Jacob Spetzler

Duke Sloan leads off base.

Talon Kibler pitches

Hospice 2023

Celebration Life

Our memorial celebration will include a light brunch, music and the release of lotus flowers in honor of your loved ones.

that you need to bring extra socks for rainy tournaments and your favorite snacks for those tough holes. I loved the girls I played with this year and I hope more people will join golf.”

As a team, the Cowboys finished fourth at Dos Rios with a cumulative score of 330. Noble finished the highest on the leaderboard for the team, shooting a 106 for the day. Junior Allie Schwartz and freshman Aiden Tomlin came in second and third with scores of 109 and 111, respectively. Madison Vollendorf finished fourth with a 115, and Dillard shot a 119. Mickelson said he was happy with his golfer’s performances

and highlighted that scores were higher across the board than usual.

“All of the girls pieced together good rounds, and all of our players improved over the course of our short season,” Mickelson said. “We were only a few strokes from first through third place. Dos Rios was playing hard and fast yesterday which made scoring difficult.”

GHS will still send a team to compete at the regional tournament which is slated for next Monday, May 22, in Craig. Seniors Schwartz, Vollendorf andTomlin, along with freshman Kaylee Vincent will compete.

(Jacob Spetzler can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or jacob@gunnisontimes.com.)

Golf from B7

Jacob Spetzler Sam Brown tees off.

Gunnison golfers approach the green.

¡INFÓRMATE! en español

D' Luna Mexican Store, cerca de sus 10 años

Marisol Luna es una de las empresarias líderes de la comunidad hispana, madre y mujer ejemplar

Laura Cardozo

Especial

para los Times

La tienda mexicana es conocida por toda la comunidad de Gunnison, es un lugar de un intercambio cultural donde colombianos, salvadoreños, peruanos y por supuesto mexicanos por nombrar algunas nacionalidades, convergen en el mismo espacio para encontrar un poco de su identidad y privilegiarse de los servicios que ofrece la tienda.

Dulce Marisol Luna García, la mujer que lidera y es corazón y cabeza del éxito de D' Luna cuenta cómo a través de estos casi 10 años, ha logrado el crecimiento comercial de su negocio y se ha ganado el título como una de las hispanas referente por su capacidad de emprender y su participación al servicio a la comunidad en Gunnison.

Marisol, como es conocida por los hispanos, dejó su natal México en busca de un mejor futuro en Estados Unidos. Así fue como hace más de 12 años, llegó a Gunnison de visita sin la mayor intención de quedarse a vivir rodeada del encantador paisaje del valle, pero nunca se imaginó que encontraría el amor y se quedaría a formar un hogar con su actual esposo.

“Tenía solo 19 años cuando me casé, empecé a hacer mi vida junto a mi esposo con muchos sueños. Comenzamos desde abajo, yo inicié mi primer trabajo como housekeep-

ing en un hotel en Gunnison”, comentó Marisol. Su anhelo de superación la llevó a trabajar en limpieza durante 4 años hasta que un buen día el antiguo dueño de la tienda que hoy conocemos como D' Luna le ofreció a Marisol y su esposo Orlando comprar el negocio.

Con las ilusiones puestas en su nueva empresa llega también a la vida de Marisol el nacimiento de su primer hijo. El reto se hizo aún mayor, pero el apoyo de su esposo y teniendo las metas claras logró dar inicio a su proyecto.

“Empezamos poco a poco, la tienda tenía aspectos por mejo-

rar, en ese momento no teníamos muchos clientes. Viajaba con mi bebé y aún a espera de mi segundo hijo, me iba hasta Denver en tiempo de invierno y verano para poder traer alimentos hasta las montañas para mi comunidad hispana”, contó Marisol.

D' Luna fue creciendo gracias al apoyo de los clientes y el arduo trabajo de sus propietarios. Su primera ubicación en el corazón de la avenida Tomichi permitió que la tienda mexicana se hiciera popular. Durante 6 años, D' Luna mantuvo su ubicación hasta que un día de forma irremedi-

able una orden de desocupar el lugar por problemas de riesgo en la infraestructura del edificio obligó a desalojar las instalaciones.

Según Marisol fue un momento de mucha dificultad, no sabía dónde podría reubicar su empresa. “Mi urgencia era encontrar un buen lugar lo más rápido posible, no podía dejar a mis clientes, a mi comunidad hispana sin su lugar para enviar dinero a sus familias”. Señaló Marisol.

La empresaria, dice estar agradecida por el apoyo que recibió de diferentes organizaciones públicas del conda-

do, así como de la comunidad hispana. “Muchas personas se sumaron en apoyarnos para la reapertura de D' Luna, gracias a sus donaciones pudimos rentar este nuevo espacio” , comentó.

D' Luna Mexican Store, le dio la bienvenida en su nueva ubicación a sus clientes en febrero de 2022 y sorprendió con la también inauguración de “Antojito” , una nueva apuesta de Marisol para crecer en su negocio con la venta de helados que les recuerden a los hispanos los exquisitos sabores de las frutas de sus lugares de origen.

A casi 10 años del nacimiento de D' Luna, su propietaria Marisol dice sentirse orgullosa del crecimiento que ha tiendo tanto como empresaria, madre y mujer. “Yo abandoné mis estudios escolares cuando me vine de México, me propuse terminar mis estudios y continuar mi preparación para administrar mis empresas y la empresa de mi esposo”

Marisol, tiene una gran responsabilidad en la administración y planificación de sus proyectos empresariales. Su instinto y toma de buenas decisiones la convierten en una de las hispanas más influyentes de Gunnison y desde ya apunta a crear una cadena de su tienda mexicana en diferentes lugares de Colorado. Además, contribuye con su labor social hacia la comunidad permitiendo empoderar a las mujeres que emplea y con las que ha formado un destacable servicio al cliente, lo que ella considera el éxito de sus negocios.

“Tenemos personas que vienen desde otros lugares a visitarnos porque dicen sentirse en casa” , expresó la empresaria, quien también resaltó lo agradecido que está su equipo de trabajo por la ayuda voluntaria que recibe de sus clientes y la fidelidad que tienen a D' Luna.

(Se puede contactar Laura Cardozo llamando al 970.641.1414.)

Laura Cardozo

(Izquierda a derecha) Mayra Carcamo, Rocio Neri, Lucero Marlem Lopez, Dulce Marisol Luna, Ana Cecilia Godina, Ariana Godina

The Gunnison Country Times monthly Spanish language and culture page is produced in partnership with Inmigrantes Unidos.

D' Luna Mexican Store approaches 10-year anniversary

Owner Marisol Luna is entrepreneur, leader and mother

Laura Cardozo Special to the Times

from Spanish by Ricardo Esqueda..)

(Translated

The D' Luna Mexican Store is known by the Gunnison community as a place of cultural exchange — one where Colombians, Salvadoreans, Peruvians and Mexicans converge to find identity and to benefit from everything the store has to offer.

Owner Dulce Marisol Luna García is at the head and heart of the success of D' Luna since it opened 10 years ago. Her business has continued to grow and she has become a leader due to her strength as an entrepreneur and her participation in and service to the Gunnison community.

Marisol left her native land of Mexico in search of a better future in the U.S.. Twelve years ago she visited Gunnison without any intention of staying in the valley. She never imagined that she would find love and stay and form a home with her current husband.

“I was only 19 years old when I got married,” Marisol said. “I started to create a life with my husband filled with many dreams. We started from the bottom, and I started my first job with housekeeping in a hotel in Gunnison.”

Her longing for betterment led her to work in cleaning services for four years until the former owner of the store now known as D’ Luna offered Marisol and her husband, Orlando, the opportunity to purchase the business. Around the same time as her dreams of her new business became clear, Marisol also gave birth to her first son. The added responsibility meant the challenge became more difficult, but with the support of her husband and by establishing clear goals she began the project.

“We started little by little,” Marisol said. “There were parts of the store that we needed to improve, and during that time we didn’t have many clients. I would travel with my baby and even while waiting for the birth of my second son, I would travel to Denver during the wintertime and summer months to bring groceries to the mountains for my Hispanic community.”

D’ Luna continued to grow due to the support of clients and the continuous effort of its owners. Its first location in the heart of Gunnison on Tomichi Avenue allowed the Mexican store to become popular. For six years,

D’ Luna maintained its location until she received the order that she would have to cease occupying the location due to risks and problems in infrastructure.

According to Marisol it was a very difficult time, and she did not know where she could relocate her business.

“It was urgent to find a good space as soon as possible,” Marisol said. “I could not leave my clients and my Hispanic community without a way to send money to their families.”

Marisol said she is grateful for the support she received from different public organizations in Gunnison County and from the Hispanic community.

“Many people gathered around us to support the reopening of D’ Luna, and thanks to their donations we

were able to rent this new space,” she said.

D' Luna Mexican Store welcomed its clients to its new location in February of 2022. She then extended her business by opening the “Antojito” — an ice cream parlor. It’s a new wager for Marisol. She hopes it will grow her business by selling ice creams that remind Hispanics about the exquisite flavors of the fruits from their places of origin.

Almost 10 years after the birth of D’ Luna, Marisol said she is proud of the growth she has experienced as an entrepreneur, mother and woman.

“I abandoned my academic studies when I left Mexico, and I was determined to finish my studies and continue preparing myself to manage my businesses and also my husband’s busi-

ness,” she said.

Her instinct and good decision-making skills have made her into one of the most influential Hispanic women in Gunnison and from this point she has a vision to create a chain of Mexican stores in different places in Colorado. Marisol contributes social work to her community by creating a space to empower women that she employs and with whom she has developed an excellent service to her clients, something that she considers a success of her businesses.

“We have people that come and visit from other places because they say they feel like they are at home,” she said.

(Laura Cardozo can be contacted at 970.641.1414.)

We have people that come and visit from other places because they say they feel like they are at home.

Dulce Marisol Luna García

Owner of D’luna Mexican Store

Dulce Marisol Luna poses for a photo during the ribbon cutting of the ice-cream side of the D’Luna last December.

Community members enjoy a meal during the opening.

Jacob Spetzler

ELDER BEAT

Upcoming eventS

• May 18 (RSVP Required): Bird-Watching Walk with Arden Anderson. This will be an early adventure at McCabe’s Wetlands, Neversink & Blue Mesa. Transportation provided. Costs: Rec or Senior Center membership + $10 per hike or $35 for 4 hikes/walks.

• May 23 (RSVP Required): Hike – Dillon Pinnacles. Rated Easy. Explore one of our local geological wonders!

• May 25 (RSVP Required): Bird-Watching Walk with Arden Anderson. We will explore the Ponderosa Pine habitat along Highway 149.

• May 30 (RSVP Required): Hike - Signal Peak. Rated Intermediate. Sagebrush hills wildflowers will be booming!!

FITNESS at THE REC CENTER -

Mondays

Tuesdays in the Leisure Pool Silver Sneakers Splash @ 10:00 a.m.

SENIOR MEALS -

NEXT WEEK’S MENU:

Mon., May 22: Meatloaf, roasted potatoes, spinach, homemade rolls

Weds., May 24: Baked Fish, rice, broccoli, fruit, homemade bread

Fri., May 26: Shepherd’s Pie, cheesy biscuits, salad

A helping hand

Weekly

Gunnison Senior Center Calendar, Savvy Advice & More!

‘Story Time for Three’

A block of Yule marble from Marble, Colorado was placed at the Gunnison County Public Library on Tuesday May 16. A sculpture titled “Story Time for Three” by Rosalind Cook will be placed on the block in early July. A dedication event is planned for Saturday July 15. The public art piece is made possible by generous donations from the Gunnison Friends of the Library, Rosalind Cook, Colorado Stone

Gettin’ into the swing of things

I Bar Ranch hosted the annual Spring Swing - Summer Forecast on May 12 in cooperation with the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership and the Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte Chambers of Commerce. Local businesses set up booths and while residents of all ages danced to music from Evelyn Roper and Opal Moon.

Courtesy Taylor Worsham

Jacob Spetzler

Karolina Suzmilas tables for the Gunnison Arts Center.

Cattlemen’s Days representatives sit at their table.

Gun safety Saturday

On Saturday, May 13, shots rang out at the Gunnison Sportsman’s Association Gun Club, a gun range situated in the hills just west of town. Daniel Strasbaugh, a certified U.S. Concealed Carry Association Instructor and owner of Carbon Limb LLC, was overseeing a group of nearly 15 women who had gathered to learn the basics of gun safety. The first portion of the event, held in a classroom, covered firearm safety, basic handling and shooting fundamentals like stance, grip and trigger manipulation. Then the ladies moved to the indoor range where they took turns shooting at paper targets. The event was a collaboration between Carbon Limb and the Gunnison Valley Women’s Network, a group that regularly holds business and leisure events for local women.

2023 GUNNISON VALLEY HEALTH LOW-COST BLOOD TESTING

GUNNISON

June 7, 8 & 9, 2023 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Fred Field Center

CRESTED BUTTE

June 13, 14 & 15, 2023 6:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Queen of All Saints Parish Hall

Register online at: WWW.GUNNISONVALLEYHEALTH ORG/WELLNESS

Phone registration is available by calling 1-800-217-5866. Phone registration is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

BuildingManager-FullTime CrestedButteCommunitySchool

JointheCrestedButteCommunitySchool teamasournextBuildingManager!

Positionincludes,butisnotlimitedto,hiring, training,supervising,andevaluatingcustodialstaff andcontractservices,assistancewithfacilityand groundsmaintenance,andcustodialservices. Includesexcellentbenefits,includingpaidtimeoff, paidindividualhealthcarepremium,alifeinsurance policy,andmore.Startsat$20.31/hourbasedon experience.WeareanEqualOpportunityEmployer. LearnmoreandapplyatGunnisonSchools.net/Jobs.

WELLNE SS E V EN TS

Abby Harrison