Gunnison Country Times, October 19, 2023

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VOL. 142. NO. 42 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023 | $1.00

Little Blue end date pushed to summer 2024 Closures continue through December Bella Biondini Times Editor

PEACE WALK: Western Colorado University Professor Micah Russell, his son CJ Russell-Deschler and wife Danielle Deschler participate in a walk for peace on Oct. 15 meant to acknowledge the escalating conflict in Israel and Palestine. The event was organized by Crested Buttebased synagogue B’nai Butte and attended by community members and various faith leaders throughout the Gunnison Valley. For more, see A22. (Photo by Abby Harrison)

The completion date for the Little Blue Creek Canyon construction project along Hwy. 50 has been pushed back yet again, with road closures scheduled to roll through next spring.

The $40 million safety improvement project began in April of 2021 Little Blue A12

City’s 2024 budget Illicit road laid TODAY reflects pressure in Quartz Creek from looming water meadow plant Property

INSIDE

NEWS: Western faces $1.4 million budget shortfall, A3

COMMUNITY: A lesson in the power of the sun, B1

Utility rates likely to increase across the board

SPORTS: Western football goes 7-0, B8

OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A17-A21 SPORTS B8 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM

Bella Biondini Times Editor

The City of Gunnison will undergo a significant amount of change in the new year as it prepares to welcome an almost entirely new city council and jumpstart a massive water system upgrade. It is also putting another ballot initiative in front of local voters next month, hoping to secure a per-

PAID FOR BY COMMUNITY FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

FOR

Road A6

LEARN MORE AT

SCHOOL BOARD

Marilyn Packer and her husband George have driven Chicago Park Road, a winding dirt path cut through open meadows and pine forests, hundreds of times in the last three decades. It leads to a private family cabin near Quartz Creek, a long-time respite for the working couple who spend most of

SS4SB.COM

VANDERVEER

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

MARK VANDERVEER

COLEMAN

association looking at future permanent protections

DR. JODY COLEMAN

BROOKHART

City budget A6

ANNE BROOKHART

ANNE JODY MARK

manent source of funding for Gunnison’s deteriorating roads.

All of these factors have resulted in adjustments to the city’s proposed 2024 budget, which will be voted on at the end of November.

According to City Manager Amanda Wilson, the city plans to put its energy toward making progress on a new surface water treatment plant — figuring out exactly how to finance the multi-phase project and completing the physical plant’s design. The Public Works Department is also staying focused on improving traffic safety within city limits and updating its land development

the year in Boulder.

But weeks ago when they made their annual pilgrimage to drain the pipes and shutter the cabin for winter, they were shocked to come across a freshly-dug road etched across a portion of their property. Even in the late evening light, Marilyn said she was “flabbergasted” at the sight, even more so the next morning when she saw construction trucks rumbling up the road.

“It was a slam dunk kind of feeling, like ‘no kidding.’ This person has taken it upon himself to just go ahead and do this.

We were enraged,” she said.

At the end of September, a contractor dug a road through a n e x p a n s i v e m e a d ow i n

A2 • NEWS • Thursday, October 19, 2023

QUOTE

of the week “We rely so much on the sun, and sometimes I think we forget.”

— Suzanne Taylor, Gunnison Valley Observatory

See story on B1

BRIEFS County pens name to Thompson Divide partnership Gunnison County Commissioners signed onto an agreement this week that established the county as a formal partner in the proposed Thompson Divide mineral withdrawal. Commissioners will work with the U.S. Forest Service to complete an environmental analysis required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). That analysis will help local leaders understand how the withdrawal will affect the landscape.

The county and other partners have been pushing legislators for an administrative mineral withdrawal from over 200,000 acres in the Thompson Divide for years. The withdrawal would also offer further protection for the lands around Mt. Emmons.

County Commissioner Jonathan Houck was designated as the partnership lead.

Gunnison Country Times

2023 City of Gunnison Community Survey As a community, one of Gunnison’s most important strengths is its residents’ ability to communicate and connect with each other. We live in a community where residents can share their concerns, thoughts, and needs with neighbors, friends, and local officials and be confident that they are being heard and that steps are taken to address areas of concern when possible.

One of the most effective ways that residents can communicate with City staff and Council is through the City’s Community Survey. The 2023 Community Survey is here, and it is time again for residents to formally communicate their thoughts, concerns, and aspirations for the future with City of Gunnison staff and the in-coming Council.

Gunnison’s new City Council will be sworn into office in December and will be presented with the survey results. The feedback and information the new Council receives will help them shape the City of Gunnison’s strategic priorities for the next three to five years.

The survey will be open for approximately the next four weeks. This is an essential opportunity for City leaders to more deeply understand the needs and perspectives of its residents. City leadership asks that you spend 10-15 minutes sharing feedback about current operations across the City. What is going well? What needs improvement? What is missing? From specific City departments and buildings to the services the City offers, how do you feel the City of Gunnison is supporting the community? From the feedback you provide, common themes and priorities will emerge. Your voice and perspective matters to the City, and we need to hear from you.

Historically, the Community Survey results have pushed forward projects that serve the public’s interests. The 2021 Community Survey results emphasized a need for more walkable and bikefriendly pathways for residents of all ages and abilities to move around town. With multimodal transportation identified as a priority, the City completed the Safe-Routes-To-School project and committed to the Ohio Avenue Streetscape project with financial

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contributions from Western and the State of Colorado.

To address the identified priority of Infrastructure and Public Safety, the City also completed the total renovation of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

With a $150,000 grant from Colorado Department of Transportation, the intersection at Spencer and Quartz was realigned. These acts of change occurred because leaders responded to residents’ concerns that were highlighted in the last community survey and sought out ways to address them.

A community is as strong as the people who call it home. When we communicate successes, commendations, and ideas for improvement, the whole City will benefit. When we talk to each other, we work for each other. That is what it means to be a connected community like Gunnison--it is our superpower.

Gunnison residents, your printed survey has likely arrived in the mail. Please mail in one completed survey per household, or use the included QR code to fill out the survey online in English or Spanish.

Paper copies, in English and Spanish, are available at City Hall. The City is asking for input from university students too. Students should look for an emailed invitation to complete the survey online.

The 2021 survey results are available online and to read more about projects the City has completed because of Community Survey input, go to the 2022 State of the City Report. Survey results and State of the City Reports are available at: www.gunnisonco.gov/government/index.php Use this QR code if you have not received your survey in the mail or if you are outside City limits!

Instagram: instagram.com/cityofgunnison

Please stop by City Hall at 201 W. Virginia Avenue Call 970.641.8080 || www.gunnisonco.gov Email City Clerk Erica Boucher at eboucher@gunnisonco.gov

Coloradans can add drivers license to Google Wallet On Oct. 18, the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles announced that the Colorado ID can be added to Google Wallet, providing a fast and secure digital version of their state-issued driver license or ID card.

It is only available to people who have a current, valid Colorado-issued driver license or ID and serves as a companion to the physical, plastic ID. It is not a replacement, and Coloradans must continue to carry their physical card with them.

Usi ng G o o g l e Wa l l e t, Coloradans can easily and s ecurely pres ent their ID with a tap or by showing a QR code on their phone at select Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck security checkpoints, including those within the Denver International Airport.

Colorado is among the first states to implement IDs in Google Wallet.

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Thursday, October 19, 2023 • NEWS • A3

Gunnison Country Times

Western faces $1.4 million budget shortfall

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Short staffing in finance department, new software complicates money management Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

Western Colorado University administrators are facing an unexpected budget discrepancy after discovering that the institution is about $1.4 million over budget in the fund supporting the bulk of its undergraduate programs.

A period of staff shortages within the university’s finance department and difficulties implementing Workday, a new software system that helps organize finance and business operations, led to excess expenditures and revenue shortfalls. The imbalance is forcing administrators to adjust this year’s budget in real time.

Although it is currently unclear how the university plans to absorb the shortfall, adjustments will not include staff salaries, layoffs or hiring freezes, Ian Higgins, Western’s chief financial officer told the Times.

“I know this creates a lot of anxiety on campus … We'll be focusing on operating budgets, so some departments just may have a little less to work with for this year,” President Brad Baca said in a Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 28.

The accounting office was in the process of closing out the 2023 fiscal year when it discovered that the education and general (E&G) fund, which supports undergraduate programs and is funded by tuition and state dollars, was over budget by $1.4 million dollars, or just under 5% of the E&G revenue for 2023. But the current fiscal years’ budget penciled in

PRICE IMPROVEMENT

Taylor Hall on Western’s campus. (Photo by Alex McCrindle)

a positive roll over of just over $600,000, an amount that is no longer available for this years’ expenditures.

Western has faced budget difficulties in the past, but primarily from drops in student enrollment numbers. In a campus-wide email sent on Sept. 27, Baca said the sum total of these issues — Workday integration and staff vacancies — has challenged the finance department “beyond anything I have seen in my 21 years at Western.”

Higgins started his new role last December, meaning there was no sitting CFO for the first six months of the prior fiscal year’s budget. Baca was Western’s prior CFO and started as president in the summer of 2022. In addition to turnover in a few key positions, the department lost the controller, who oversees the accounting department, and had to finish the 2023 fiscal year while that employee was only part-time.

“We've been in a situation where people are wearing multiple hats, and we get bogged down trying to get through …

We have had some projection issues that we are confident are not going to happen again,” Higgins said.

The finance department is working diligently to figure out what went wrong, he said.

So far, those reasons could include expensing payments to the wrong account or even selecting the wrong fiscal year.

Finance staff also did not factor in the transfer of money from the general E&G budget to

the restricted budget for Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering. Not moving this money made it look like there was more in E&G than there really was.

In the last six months, the department has filled the controller position and only has one unfilled role remaining.

Administrators are already training budget managers campus-wide on a Workday feature that will allow them to see realtime expenditures compared to what’s budgeted.

But the university will still have to adjust this year ’s expenses. Staff will look to move some expenses to the auxiliary budget, which supports the “mission” of the university and includes things like residence life, food service and the bookstore. That fund came in $1.7 million in positive net revenue in 2023, so it could possibly support more expenses.

Western launched the public-facing portion of its largest fundraising campaign, Elevate Western, this fall. But donations are restricted to certain parts of the university’s spending, and donors generally aren't meant to backfill shortfalls, Baca said.

The administration w ill engage the student and staff community in the next month to gauge interest in ways to balance the budget before presenting options to the board in November.

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

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023

ALANWARTESMEDIA

OPINION

GUEST COMMENTARY 970.641.1414 © 2023 Gunnison Country Times

Publisher/Owner Alan Wartes publisher@gunnisontimes.com

Proposition HH: Not the long-term fix we need

Office Manager Bonnie Gollhofer bonnie@gunnisontimes.com

William Spicer Special to the Times

Editor Bella Biondini bella@gunnisontimes.com

On Nov. 7, voters will be asked to decide on Proposition HH, which is billed by its proponents as a long-term fix for Colorado’s problem of everincreasing property taxes.

Its opponents counter that it also includes a tax increase, and contains wide-ranging provisions that were hastily conceived without adequate review. Prop. HH is a referred measure, meaning the state legislature already passed a bill containing the necessary statutory language, but voter approval is required before it can take effect.

In each of the previous two years, the legislature has passed bills that lowered at least some property taxes on a shortterm basis. This year, no doubt spurred by the huge statewide increase in 2023 property values, they are attempting to lower property taxes more broadly, and over a 10-year period.

The associated bill runs to nearly 15,000 words, and was introduced, debated, amended and passed in just seven business days at the very end of the legislative session. That compressed timeline is the source of much contention concerning how thoroughly the proposal has been vetted.

At this point, it’s worth tak-

Staff Writer Abby Harrison abby@gunnisontimes.com Photo Editor Jacob Spetzler jacob@gunnisontimes.com Sports Editor Alex McCrindle alex@gunnisontimes.com Advertising Manager Steve Nunn steve@gunnisontimes.com Production Issa Forrest issa@gunnisontimes.com

THE GUNNISON COUNTRY TIMES (ISSN 0892-1113) is published weekly

by Alan Wartes Media LLC., 218 N. Wisconsin St., Gunnison, Colorado 81230. Periodical postage paid at Gunnison, Colorado. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Gunnison Country Times, 218 N. Wisconsin, Gunnison, CO 81230-0240 Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday

ing a moment to understand how changes in property values impact state finances. The state itself receives no property tax revenue. However, school district program budgets are funded in part through local property taxes, and “backfilled” by the state to meet mandated per student funding levels. So, on the one hand, when the state acts to lower property taxes, it increases its own burden to backfill school funding. On the other hand, when property values rise, school funding from local taxes increases, and the state’s burden to backfill diminishes.

So, with the statutory 2023 reappraisal resulting in exceptional property value increases across Colorado, one might think that the legislature would have viewed it as a welcome windfall for state finances and been happy to respond with a modest cut in property tax rates.

Alas, they felt the need for some quid pro quo.

Which brings us to the other contentious element of Prop.

HH, and the reason voter approval is required in the first place. It contains a provision that would allow the state to retain and spend additional sales tax revenue. Under Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) state sales tax revenue is capped. Any amount collected over that cap must be refunded (that’s the origin

of those nice TABOR refund checks you’ve been getting in recent years). Under Prop. HH, the TABOR cap would increase, and future refund checks would get smaller. The legislature giveth, and the legislature taketh away.

To understand the full impact of Prop. HH, it’s important to know about some of its other provisions. For example, it creates a new property classification: owner occupied primary residence. For tax years 2025 onwards, any residential property that doesn’t meet this new definition will lose most of its property tax reduction.

Unfortunately, this includes rental properties, even where the occupant is a local, longterm renter. That seems likely to drive up rents and compound our affordable housing problem.

Another provision, much touted by HH’s supporters, creates a new limit on local authority tax revenue, such that yearon-year increases must not exceed local growth plus inflation. While this sounds like a great way to keep property taxes in check, in reality the provision has no teeth.

In any given year, a local authority can simply ignore the new limit, so long as it holds a public hearing and passes a resolution stating its intention to do so. Perhaps the idea is to embarrass the government into

exercising fiscal restraint? One should not hold out much hope for its success.

It goes without saying that the potential impacts of Prop.

HH could vary widely based on individual circumstances.

None-the-less, a representative example may be informative, so consider a couple that owns a $500,000 home (2023 valuation) in the City of Gunnison, with a combined household income of $75,000. The table below summarizes the net effect of Prop.

HH for tax years 2023 (payable in 2024) and 2024 (payable in 2025)†.

If HH passes, our hypothetical couple would be better off to the tune of $207 the first year. But that amount is exaggerated by the legislature’s decision to give everyone the same TABOR refund for 2023 (only if HH passes). Under the regular, income-related refund scheme, that savings drops to $119 the following year. Either way, somewhat underwhelming benefits given all the fanfare.

In summary, Prop. HH could save you some money, but probably not that much. On the other hand, it falls far short of the well-thought-out, long-term fix that Colorado’s property tax system desperately needs. Vote accordingly!

(William Spicer is a former employee of the Gunnison County Assessor’s Office.)

2023

2023 Member

LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor must be 500 words or less. We favor local topics and discourage argumentative letters addressed to particular people. If you reference data, please include sources for fact-checking.

We will not print letters from candidates for public office.

Email letters to editor@gunnisontimes.com or send to 218 N. Wisconsin St., Gunnison, CO 81230. Include your full name, address and a phone number — for our internal use only.

The deadline is Tuesday at 12 p.m. Letters may be edited for grammar, clarity or length.

Calculations based on valuation and mill levy estimates from the Gunnison County Assessor’s Office, and TABOR refund estimates from the Colorado Legislative Council. (Courtesy William Spicer)

LETTERS It takes courage to run Editor: We would like to thank all school board candidates for putting themselves and their visions for Gunnison RE1J out there for public scrutiny.

We realize that it takes dedication and courage just to run, and we appreciate citizens who are willing to step up for public service … all of you. Thank you!

We have read about and listened to all six candidates and have concluded that the three who would best serve the community of students, faculty, administration and parents are

Anne Brookhart, Jody Coleman and Mark VanderVeer. Each has an impeccable resume and skill set that can serve the public school community in a diverse, yet vital way: library science and school board experience, 40 years of teaching and research and high-level finance management respectively.

As former educators ourselves, we value the protection of and commitment to intellectual freedom and student diversity — for which each of these three candidates demonstrate passion and commitment. We will vote for what we believe to be the education community’s

best interests.

Please join us in supporting VanderVeer, Coleman and Brookhart for our school board.

Hap and Narcissa Channell Gunnison

The right people to represent our community Editor: Community for Student Success was formed a year ago when a diverse group of concerned parents and community members felt it was crucial to get ahead of the growing disre-

spect toward public education and the dismantling of school boards across the country. Our goal was to identify dedicated, passionate and experienced individuals who were ready and willing to serve on our school board — in the upcoming election and beyond.

Over several months, we brainstormed possible candidates and refined what our community and school board needed in a representative. We met with many inspiring people who showed so much drive to protect our public schools. We continued on A5

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • NEWS • A5

Gunnison Country Times

LETTERS ultimately concluded that Anne Brookhart, Dr. Jody Coleman and Mark VanderVeer were the right people to represent our community in this election.

Individually, these three candidates are bright, bold and accomplished. Together, they provide the broad scope of experience and commitment our school board needs. As a current school board member and parent of children in the district, Brookhart understands the role of a board member. She knows how to navigate the complex public education system, and loves our schools.

Coleman understands our school system inside and out, having worked in public education, including in the Gunnison Watershed School District, for over 40 years. Her love for this community and for those in it is palpable.

Finally, Mark VanderVeer has a solutions-oriented perspective, pulling from his extensive financial background and his role as a parent. Mark knows his way around budgets, board meetings and bottom lines.

As our name implies, student success is our priority. Any one of these candidates would be an amazing addition to the GWSD school board. But together Anne, Jody and Mark will deliver a diverse background of ideas, passions and perspectives that will ensure the success of all students.

Community for Student Success

Time for a big election Editor: Each election season, the Gunnison County Election Office begins the amazing process of assuring the accuracy of our elections.

Beginning in early September, the election staff goes through the meticulous creation of the ballot. After the ballot is completed and printed, they schedule the logic and accuracy test (LAT).

Two members from both the Democratic and Republican parties serve as designated representatives of each party for the LAT. The two teams are each given 25 blank test ballots to take home and complete as if they are voting. Then each team hand-counts the two batches.

On Thursday, Oct. 12, the two teams met in the election office with the election staff where they tallied the 50 test ballots through the Dominion Tabulators. The original 50 test ballots were then manually entered into the ImageCast X ballot marking device the same way they were done on paper.

The ballot marking device printed out the ballot as it was voted. It was then reviewed, and moved into tabulation. A total of 100 ballots were run through the tabulator.

The total of the 100 ballots entered into the tabulator must equal the hand-tabulated tally.

On Thursday, the tallies were the same. This is the proof that the machines are accurate.

The four community mem-

bers were the first of many dedicated party representatives and election judges who ensure that we have a fair and honest election this November.

Ballots for this year’s election were sent out this week. Be informed. Make sure you are registered. And vote by Nov. 7.

Democracy depends on it!

Vikki Roach Archuleta, Pitkin

We want to clear up misconceptions Editor: Gunnison County Education Association (GCE A) is the local educators union, a nonpartisan organization. We also have brothers and sisters in the Gunnison Valley Support Staff Association.

While both of these are under the umbrella of the Colorado Education Association (CEA), and therefore the National Education Association (NEA), most of our work revolves around collectively bargaining with the district. We have a healthy working relationship with our district administration and have one of the strongest and longest standing master contracts in the state.

This relationship has helped GWSD retain employees for d e ca d e s a n d re c r u i t n e w employees from other districts.

Unions, and our union specifically, have been talked about in many letters to the editor recently. We want to clear up some of the misconceptions that have been shared.

First, GCEA applied for funding for our school board election back in June. This process involved creating questionnaires for candidates to respond to so that members could then decide whose race to fund. We reached out to all six candidates who were registered with the state. Greg Kruthaupt was not a candidate at that time.

When we asked Cori D o b s o n , L i s a He n r y a n d Bonnie Thompson, we received n o c o m mu n i cat i o n . A n n e Brookhart, Jody Coleman and Mark VanderVeer responded with thoughtful answers regarding the future of Gunnison Watershed School District — which is why they received the funds that were applied for by GCEA. Had the other candidates responded to the questionnaire at all, and with answers that were aligned with the beliefs of GWSD educators, they could have been considered for funding.

Lastly, the funds don’t come from union dues. Rather, the funding comes from the CEA Fund, a voluntary campaign fund that educators from around the state choose to donate to. This fund can support non-partisan or partisan races at all levels of state elections, and has supported both Democratic and Republican candidates.

For example, Republican legislators Ken Chlouber and Lewis Entz were both supported by the CEA Fund. We haven’t had a contested school

board election in recent history to warrant the use of the CEA Fund until this year.

Consequently, Brookhart, Coleman and VanderVe er received campaign support from Colorado educators because they took the time and effort to communicate with educators in our district. Their answers inspired confidence that they value collaboration, support students and will be good stewards of our public schools.

As an association of over 100 district educators, which includes more than 70% of our teachers and special service providers, we represent many different voices. At the end of the day, we value an educated and active voting community.

We ask that you vote your values, while keeping students and teachers in mind this fall.

Gunnison County Education Association

Governance by ideology never works Editor: The school board is a fiduciary job that calls for reasonable, open minded and nonpartisan community members to make policy and financial decisions.

It is not a mission. There is no room in the job to push agendas based on your personal ideology, politics or faith-based beliefs.

Board members are elected representatives of all the people and govern within the law as trustees for the entire community. That’s the beauty and the challenge of it. You work for everybody, for the good of all whatever their persuasion. And you work within parameters to ensure the most effective learning opportunity for kids. All kids. That’s why it’s called public school.

School boards have three areas of authority, period: to manage budget and assets; to create policy; and to hire a superintendent to run things within those policies and budgets.

I had the privilege to serve on the school board for eight years and know from experience the job is to use policy and fiscal prudence to keep the lights on, the doors open and qualified staff to provide the best possible learning for kids. It is not to reshape the district your way.

The upcoming school board election is potentially one of those “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” situations. Let’s not let ideology get in the way of effective governance.

Join me in supporting Anne Brookhart, Jody Coleman and Mark VanderVeer. They know what the job is, and they’ll do it.

Anne Hausler Gunnison

continued on A9

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A6 • NEWS • Thursday, October 19, 2023

City budget from A1 rules, both of which are processes that will heavily involve input from the public.

City council reviewed the draft budget during a work session at City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Although the adoption of the budget will precede the election of the new council, the city will begin working on an updated strategic plan soon after the members are sworn into office — a process that will flesh out the city’s priorities for the next three years.

Rate increases Utility rates for city electrical, water, sewer and trash and recycling services will rise next year, and are anticipated to cost Gunnison residents an additional $20 per month on average. Five percent increases are proposed for both sewer and electric to account for inflation, according to City Finance Director Ben Cowan. A 12% boost to trash rates will help the city replace garbage trucks on a regular basis instead of leasing them, he said.

The city is proposing another 25% rate hike for water, the second of three that were approved by council in 2021. These large increases will help pay for

Road from A1 Quartz Creek, just a few miles northwest of Pitkin. It was laid without permission from the landowners whose property it touched and without approval from the Quartz Creek Property Owners Association. The property owner who green-lit the road apologized for the oversight, calling it a “grave error” and started to restore the meadow this week. However, the issue has spurred the property owners association board to consider more permanent protections for the meadow in the future.

“I would be just as upset as my neighbors are, to be honest,” said landowner Gary Brecka.

“We made a mistake. We took responsibility for it, and will bear any consequences that come as a result of that mistake.”

A road in the meadow The meandering waters and open meadows of Quartz Creek have drawn second homeowners and families to the area for decades. During the summer season, it’s home to nearly 300 people. Marilyn recalls visiting old mining sites that dot the landscape with her children.

They would imagine the life of a hard rock miner in the era of westward expansion and manifest destiny.

“What a wonderful place to have as a second home. Open, beautiful and blue skies. History that you could sink your mind into for decades … Our grandchildren got the privilege of growing up there from young people to enjoy this beautiful part of Colorado,” Marilyn said.

Brecka is one of the landown-

a roughly $50 million surface water treatment plant that will be built on the Van Tuyl Ranch property. It will take years to fully complete and is likely the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history. Gunnison presently lacks a surface water treatment plant and uses an outdated method to treat its drinking water, raising the risk of contamination.

Although local taxpayers have already begun to absorb a portion of the project’s cost, the city is expecting $3 million congressional earmarks to help finish the plant’s design. Next year, the city plans to launch a water utility rate study, a process that will require public input before more increases are proposed.

Public Works hopes to cover at least half of the project’s cost with a combination of grants and loans.

Over the past 10 years, the cost of city utilities has doubled, rising from an average of $98 per month to $197 (if water, sewer, trash and electric are all in use). This was preceded by a period where rates remained relatively flat and maintenance was deferred, Cowan said.

Gunnison Country Times of a cost burden on the city and its taxpayers. Wilson said she preferred to be proactive so the community can see physical results during the first year if they approve the ballot.

“Anticipating that it may pass is optimistic, however, we are making sure that we're well positioned should it pass to be able to deliver projects within 2024,” Wilson said.

Rec and roads ballot The city has decided to pursue another ballot initiative this fall to relieve its skinny road maintenance budget. Although

each initiative has looked a little different, this will be the third time the city has asked Gunnison voters for additional money to support its street system.

In an attempt to solve two problems at once, the city came up with a new idea that would remove the parks and recreation tax decrease, or “sunset,” in 2032 and redistribute a portion of those funds to its road budget beginning in 2024. Pending voter approval, this would create what is being called a “rec and roads” tax, without putting an immediate sales tax increase on the ballot.

This distribution would maintain a city sales tax of 4%.

The 2024 budget is structured as if the ballot will pass because no new tax revenue source will be created. The Public Works Department is planning an overlay project on North 12th Street between Tomichi and Denver avenues, a project that would cost approximately $900,000. If it doesn’t pass, those dollars can’t be spent on roadwork and will remain in the Parks and Rec Department’s pocket.

Part of the city’s insistent push to secure money for road maintenance has been based on the fact that every year it’s not addressed, labor and material costs rise — putting more

ers who shares in the rich history. He purchased five properties totaling about 50 acres in 2022, with the goal of building a family cabin. He lives in Florida with his wife, Sage Workinger, and four children.

Workinger’s father built a small shack in Quartz Creek back in the 90s so her family has been visiting Gunnison for over three decades.

But when construction started, trucks were unable to navigate 60-foot logs past the many tight switchbacks along Grasshopper Road. For this reason, Brecka instructed his contractor to plow a road from

Grasshopper Road across the meadow to the construction site. But when he staked the path for the road, he used an old mining claim map and misjudged the property boundaries, he said. In the end, the road crossed two other private properties without those landowners’ permission.

When Dave Denison, president of the property owners’ association, returned to Quartz Creek and learned what happened, he immediately closed the road with a blockade. Three of Brecka’s five properties are in the Quartz Creek subdivision, and are subject to its deed

covenants, so the road was laid without a required permit. Had Brecka asked the property owners’ association for permission, it would have been denied,” Denison said.

“We don't want a road to cross that beautiful meadow,” he said.

In conversation with the private landowners, the association board, Brecka and other neighbors, Denison laid out a plan to close the road permanently and begin restoration on the site. Brecka will pay for all restoration, which began on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

Contractors will replace

New full-time employees added In 2024, the city plans to add three new full-time employees to its team with close to $1 million more budgeted to cover salaries. The first is a temporary water treatment plant construction manager, hired specifically to help the city build the water treatment plant and reduce the overall cost of the project.

Although the city will continue to seek guidance from outside consultants, Wilson said she hopes hiring a water manager will allow the city to take more ownership over the project. It will also take pressure off the Public Works Department, which is responsible for maintaining all of Gunnison’s existing public infrastructure and is already stretched thin.

The second is a “procurement and contract officer,” a person who will manage the rising amount of external funding —

The road cuts through Chicago Park Meadow to the Brecka’s home construction site. (Courtesy Dave Denison)

much of it federal — Gunnison has been receiving for large projects. The administrator will make sure Gunnison is compliant with the regulations attached to incoming grant dollars, which could be revoked if mistakes are made.

For much of last year, council remained undecided on hiring a sustainability coordinator that would implement its recently adopted sustainability plan, GunniCARES 2030. The city’s 2023 budget allocated $150,000 to onboard the new position, but no one has been hired. The city is rethinking the position, with plans to incorporate a broader definition of sustainability.

In 2024, Wilson hopes to hire a “systems and special projects coordinator,” who will lead projects that move the city toward some of the goals in GunniCARES. The coordinator will also increase the efficiency of a variety of other internal processes, such as improving the construction permit system or the city’s online utility bill portal.

The public hearing for the City of Gunnison’s 2024 budget is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 24 with a final vote on Nov. 24.

(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.) the soil to its original position, grade the disturbed area to restore original contours of the land and seed it to match the surrounding vegetation.

No road base was added and the original dirt is still on-site, so the process should take no more than a few days. Aleshia Rummel, wildlife biologist with the Gunnison Conservation District, met with the contractors last week to discuss the project and told Denison she expects the meadow to fully recover in two years. continued on A7

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • NEWS • A7

Gunnison Country Times continued from A6 Some landowners are concerned that Brecka, a wellness influencer who does business with well-known investor Grant Cardone and Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White, was planning on building a commercial retreat. But the plot is for family only, he said. In August of this year, Gunnison County Commissioners approved a lot cluster of two of those parcels, which allowed Brecka to build a cabin for residential use only.

“I have no intention of running a business retreat up there.

I have no intention of building a small home community. I have no intention of putting a ski lift … They're not going to see a commercial retreat,” Brecka said.

With the help of Gunnison County Ranchland Conservation Legacy, the board is now looking at a conservation easement or deed covenants on that land that would restrict development on the meadow.

Denison said he’s spoken to most of the landowners who

own a piece of Chicago Park, and all are interested in seeing it protected for future generations.

“I want to do it while it’s on everybody's minds,” he said.

“People are as willing to protect it as they ever will be.”

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A8 • NEWS • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

ELECTION 2023 Colorado Proposition HH Reduce property taxes and retain state revenue

Proposition HH was placed on the ballot by the legislature and a majority vote is needed to pass. Proposition HH, if approved, would: • lower property taxes owed for homes and businesses for at least 10 years, compared to what would be owed under current law; • allow the state to retain money that would otherwise

be refunded to taxpayers under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) through at least 2032; • authorize the state legislature to retain revenue after 2032 without further voter approval, if property tax decreases equivalent to those in the measure are maintained; • allow the retained revenue to be spent on education, reimbursements to local governments for some of their reduced property tax revenue, and rental assistance programs; • distribute TABOR refunds to taxpayers in equal amounts for tax year 2023 only • create a new limit on the growth of property tax revenue

for most local governments.

Ballot language Shall the state reduce property taxes for homes and businesses, including expanding property tax relief for seniors, and backfill counties, water districts, fire districts, ambulance and hospital districts, and other local governments and fund school districts by using a portion of the state surplus up to the proposition HH cap as defined in this measure?

Colorado Proposition II Retain nicotine tax revenue in excess of blue book estimate

Proposition II was placed on the ballot by the legislature and requires a majority vote to pass.

Proposition II, if approved, would: • allow the state to keep and spend $23.65 million in tax revenue that has already been collected from the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products, including

interest, rather than refund it to wholesalers and distributors of these products; and • allow the state to maintain the current tax rates that apply to cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products, rather than reduce the rates in the future, and to keep and spend the revenue collected under these rates on preschool programs.

Ballot language Without raising taxes, may the state retain and spend revenues from taxes on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and maintain tax rates

on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and use these revenues to invest twenty-three million six hundred fifty thousand dollars to enhance the voluntary colorado preschool program and make it widely available for free instead of reducing these tax rates and refunding revenues to cigarette wholesalers, tobacco product distributors, nicotine products distributors, and other taxpayers, for exceeding an estimate included in the ballot information booklet for Proposition EE?

Gunnison Ballot Issue 2B Extend existing sales tax and redistribute

rehabilitate streets and related infrastructure with the remaining proceeds continuing to be allocated to the parks and recreation.

The City of Gunnison City Council referred this ballot issue to the voters. If Ballot Issue 2B passes it would: • extend without an expiration date the existing sales and use tax of 0.75% that is scheduled to sunset (end) on July 1, 2032.

• allow 0.37% of the tax proceeds to be reallocated from the previous voter approved purpose to be used to maintain and

Ballot language Without any increase in the current city tax rate shall the city’s 0.75% sales and use tax approved by voters on May 8, 2007 to construct and equip pool facilities, construct and equip an enclosed refrigerated ice rink facility, construct a non-motorized trail system and acquire trail easements and construct and equip additional park and recreation improvements, which tax is to expire

on July 1, 2032, be extended without an expiration date and, commencing January 1, 2024, following the annual deposit of sufficient amounts to pay outstanding debt obligations currently secured by such tax, shall 0.37% of the proceeds of such tax be permitted to be reallocated for maintaining and rehabilitating existing streets and related infrastructure such as pavement, curb and gutters, alleys, sidewalks and ADA accessibility and drainage, while the remaining proceeds of such tax continue to be allocated to the parks and recreation purposes?

Extend and change consecutive term limits Ballot language

“I am still learning and I’m going to be transparent. If I don’t like something that you’re saying, I’m still going to bring it up [in council]. I want everybody to have the opportunity to say what they need to say.”

Marisela BallesterosCelestino

“With any situation, you never know exactly what you’re in until you’re in it. I’m excited to be on the city council and discover the things that I don’t know, and find out the things that I’m not aware of in the inner workings of the city government.”

Scott Frazier

“I’ve gotten the amazing opportunity to meet so many people within the community that I don’t think I ever would have had the chance to do so otherwise and to represent their ideas and their thoughts and their questions.”

Diego Plata

Mt. Crested Butte Ballot Issue 2A In order to encourage eligible candidates to stand for election to the Town Council, reduce the need for appointment of councilmembers to fill vacancies, reduce the need to cancel elections, and to encourage competitive council races and more robust representation of the citizens of the Town by the elected Town Council, shall the

Although all candidates for Gunnison City Council are running unopposed this year, the Times sat down with each of them for an extended conversation about their vision and goals for the city. Visit gunnisontimes.com or scan the QR code to listen to the unedited Think Radio episodes.

home rule charter of the Town of Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado be amended to extend the consecutive term limit for council members to three (3) terms and to provide that terms are considered consecutive unless separated by a single two-year election cycle?

“I have pretty deep roots in this community. I’ve been on council, I know what is expected. I’m really working hard right now to educate myself on not only the issues, but a big part of government is what are the plans, what has been set forth that are our goals?”

Matt Schwartz

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • NEWS • A9

Gunnison Country Times

LETTERS continued from A5

This cynicism was not born in Gunnison Editor: If there is one takeaway from this letter, please let it be that the school board election should never be a political event. It is neither Republican nor Democrat but, rather, an election of the best representation of candidates who value public education for every child — regardless of race, gender, sexuality and religion.

The Gunnison Valley is facing a new and pernicious challenge. It takes the form of the cynicism inherent in vilifying our students, our teachers and our administrators. It manifests in fear, resentment and anger.

This cynicism was not born in Gunnison. It has arrived via a national political movement whose goal is to take over school boards to revolutionize the economics, curriculum and administration of public education across the nation.

This take-back-the-schools movement is entirely rooted in the brand of national politics that has found its home in the Republican party’s MAGA wing. This isn’t a read-betweenthe-lines interpretation. In May 2021, Steve Bannon, White House chief strategist for the Trump Administration, said “The path to save the nation is very simple — it’s going to go through the school boards.”

The national political action committees that support this movement — groups like Moms for Liberty PAC, the 1776 Project PAC, the America Principles Project PAC — are attempting to divide communities, to undermine consensus and to pit neighbors against neighbors. This tiny minority wants to impose its own curricula, its own budget priorities and its own definition of family, faith and freedom upon the communities it targets.

It does not matter if any of the candidates for the Gunnison school board that espouse the “faith, family, and freedom” mantra have taken money from these PACs; merely following their tactics and having similarly retrograde views of the role of public education is indicative enough.

If the prospect of ceding control to the school board on what students can say, do or think as per the “faith, family, and freedom” coalition strikes you as unwise, then I implore you to vote for Anne Brookhart, Dr. Jody Coleman and Mark VanderVeer in the coming school board election.

Ignoring feedback, imposing curriculum constraints, defunding certain programming: these are not the solutions to the educational challenges our teachers and students face. School boards are not designed to promote a specific religion, family tradition or curriculum in schools. They are meant to be apolitical, achieve a consensus among all stakeholders, be empowered by volunteers that provide their wisdom, experience and passion selflessly to

this most important of community assets.

Coleman, Brookhart and VanderVeer represent the combination of skills, experience and selflessness to deserve your vote for the school board. Not only do they respect the diversity that constitutes a community like ours, they are humble enough to recognize they do not have the right or appetite to impose their personal views on students, parents or teachers.

Scott and Megan Reamer Crested Butte

Three years of house arrest due to Little Blue Editor: I live full time in the small mountain community of Arrowhead. I am writing today to ask for help. The community which has been in existence since the early 70’s has one access road to get in and out of the community. This road is in the middle of the road project zone.

The project began approximately in June 2020 and was originally scheduled to be completed in November 2022. The completion date is now approximately May 2024.

What I ask anyone reading this letter is to think about what you may have done between 7:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday of the last week, the last month, the last three plus years.

If you have children, how many school activities might you have missed? If you have a job that requires hours leaving or returning home between 7:30 p.m and 6:30 a.m. would you have been fired? What if you belonged to a social group that meets in the evening, or just wanted to go to dinner?

Well, the 800 property owners in Arrowhead can tell you what they did. None of those and other things as they were under house arrest during those times.

Now think about that each time you want to leave the community you have to plan on an additional two hours per trip.

An example, my PO Box is in the town of Cimarron, normally a one-hour round trip drive. For the last three years, except on weekends, it has been a threehour trip.

The reason I am writing this now is because I retired for two years and now need to return to work. I have already had to turn down an employment opportunity in Gunnison because it had evening and early morning hours. In speaking with other residents, I have heard stories of missing doctor and physical therapy appointments, having to get hotel rooms and putting off medical attention.

I believe that two statutes that have been violated are: Freedom of Movement — federal, Use and Enjoyment of Property — state and any statute related to a government agency denying a citizen the right to work.

In closing, I would like to thank each and everyone who took the time to read this. If

there is not anyone or agency that is willing to help us, I am prepared to seek legal advice. I am also prepared for civil disobedience including blocking construction traffic, driving through barriers, etc. I would fully expect to be arrested, but as I am retired, over 60, and a widower the threat of jail is not much of a deterrent.

Todd Rodencal Arrowhead

Pretty Paintbrush slums Editor: Te n a n t s h av e r i g h t s i n Colorado. A security deposit is the tenant's property. If it is not returned within 30 days (or 60 days under certain circumstances) of the tenant leaving the property, the tenant has the right to sue the landlord under Colorado revised statute § 38-12-103 (3) for three times the security deposit amount, court costs and attorneys’ fees in small claims court.

This is not only directed towards the owners of Paintbrush Apartments (aka Gatesco, Inc.), it is for all property owners who rent to others.

Unfortunately, in a pinch to build housing during our housing crisis, the City of Gunnison brought slumlords from Texas to our beautiful little town.

Although Paintbrush management says that Gatesco is looking to make a fresh start in Gunnison, the owners of Paintbrush have continued their unethical practices of attempting to keep security deposits from tenants for themselves.

After 70 days and threats of a lawsuit, I finally received my security deposit back from Paintbrush. I left the apartment immaculate as the property manager can attest to.

This was blatant greed on behalf of Gatesco. I caution anyone looking to rent an apartment at Paintbrush. Let this also be a notice to city personnel. Do a little research on the businesses before you bring them to our town. A quick Google search unearths a plethora of information to investigate.

Teresa Golden Gunnison

As a teacher Editor: As a teacher I really appreciate, even crave, parent support and involvement. Parents who make sure students get their homework done, or their instrument practiced. Parents who attend parent-teacher conferences. Parents who volunteer to help out in classrooms.

Parents who chaperone field trips. Parents who will support the school if their child gets into trouble. And, in general, parents who are involved and interested in their child's best interest.

As a teacher, I enjoy students who want to learn and work toward that goal. Students who ask for help if they don't under-

stand something. Students who follow through on commitments that they have made.

Students who are involved in extracurricular activities or sports, and oftentimes multiple of these. I grew up in a small town, and know what it is like to wear many hats. And, especially, students who return years later to seek out teachers and extend their gratitude.

As a teacher, I enjoy other teachers who are supportive.

Teachers who will cover for you if you have to be in two places at the same time. Teachers who will listen to you and your ideas. Teachers who find ways to make things work. And, teachers who offer their support and condolences if a loved one passes away during homecoming week. I was on auto-pilot that week, and in thinking back, I appreciate every one of you who spoke with me back then.

As a teacher, I respect administrators who are supportive. A principal who will talk with a teacher first if a decision has to be made that could affect the teacher's program. A superintendent who skillfully guides the district through a pandemic. A school nurse who was also a rock star during the pandemic. Any administrator who supports a teacher's program through actions, and not just words.

As a teacher, I appreciate a school board who has a vested interest in the local schools.

School board members who currently have children in the public school system. School board members who are former teachers in this school district. School board members who visit the schools and observe classes on a regular basis. School board members who support GCEA and strive to bring our benefits closer to the national average. And, school board members who receive 100% of their campaign donations from within Gunnison County.

Finally, as a teacher, I want to make it until retirement without experiencing an incident such as those in Columbine, Sandy Hook, East High, Uvalde, Nashville or 2,052 other locations since 2000. I feel safe here, but so did teachers at the Stem School. I am ashamed of my own political party for tying together a rifle raffle with anything having to do with our schools.

And I am incredulous that the debate in the letters to the editor over whether that rifle was a type used in any school shootings lasted over a month. I don't care if it was a plastic water pistol. It is extremely bad taste to associate any type of weapon with anything school related.

Keith Koepsel Gunnison

Crucial to address inaccuracies when they arise Editor: Please do not assume anything or print incorrect information as proof of your point of view Tom Warren. I am writ-

ing in response to the recent letter to the editor titled “Henry, Dobson, Kruthaupt are focusing on improving schools.”

While I value and appreciate the diverse perspectives that surround the Gunnison Watershed School District board election this November, I believe it is crucial to address inaccuracies when they arise.

First and foremost, I would like to clarify that I, Amy Van der Veer, am not and have never been a member of the teacher’s union. I resigned at my clinic employment in the summer of 2022 to fill a two-year temporary, but full-time position (available due to a leave of absence) with the GWSD as the occupational therapist. I have always enjoyed school-based work so when this opportunity arose, I applied.

As a fiscally conservative person I did the math and decided that as long as I was in a temporary position, I would not join the union. Do not misunderstand me, I believe that teachers have every right to have a strong union and to advocate for themselves. I do support this in spirit, if not in membership.

I do not appreciate when individuals make assumptions without evidence, I do not appreciate being referenced in a comment that sounds as if my husband, Mark Van der Veer, is not capable of making his own decisions based on his experience, data and facts.

Mark is an amazing man and I applaud his run for the school district, and I know his reasons for wanting to serve our students, teachers and community by being on the board. He has demonstrated a vested interest and love for the community since the day of our arrival.

During COVID, he worked countless hours at GVH to ensure the hospital was solvent.

He made it his mission to find the resources to open an urgent care facility, so families had a choice over the emergency room. He is a wonderful man and would be a great addition to the school board.

I urge Warren to research his opinions before he states them as fact.

Amy VanderVeer Gunnison

Our teachers make the magic happen Editor: T h e G u n n i s o n Va l l e y Education Foundation (GVEF) would like to thank our local businesses and community members who made our 20th anniversary and Teacher Innovation Grant Celebration an event to be remembered. The event was held Oct. 4 and was attended by teachers, administrators, community members and donors — some who have been involved in the organization since its early years.

GVEF has a 20-year history of raising funds to bring expanded innovative teaching and learning opportunities to continued on A10

A10 • NEWS • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

18 CRYSTAL ROAD UNIT #2C, MT. CRESTED BUT TE 492 S.F. 1 Bedroom/1 Bathroom Great primary residence, 2nd home, or short-term rental. Low HOA dues, close to town shuttle, skiing, hiking, and mountain biking. $475,000 MLS# 805594

117 CADDIS FLY L ANE, GUNNISON 1.00 Acre lot in Riverwalk Estates, backs up to open space & pond. Fish along the banks of the Gunnison River & stocked ponds.

Enjoy the private walking trails & guest cabin. Level lot with mature trees & southern exposure with incredible views. $250,000 MLS# 800545 UN-NUMBERED FOREST SERVICE ROAD 7767.1B, PITKIN 10.330 Acres Remote mining claim off of the historic Alpine Tunnel Road. Surrounded by Gunnison National Forest on three sides.

Located in GMU 551, could make a great base camp for hunting. $27,590 MLS# 805359 340 TOMICHI TRAIL, GUNNISON 3,032 S.F., 4 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths Located on the 17th tee of the Dos Rios Golf Club. Hardwood floors, gas fireplace, wraparound deck. Heated 2 Car Garage. $1,600,000 MLS# 805280 970.641.0077 137 W. Tomichi Ave., Suite A Gunnison, CO

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970.349.1394 315 Sixth St., Crested Butte, CO

1203 Van Tuyl Circle, MLS #805249, $769,000, 4-Bedroom 3.25 Bathrooms 1766 sqft built in 2017. This quaint contemporary single family home is surrounded by magnificent views of the Palisades in the quiet neighborhood of Van Tuyl Village. This 4-bedroom 3.25-bathroom property, a primary bedroom with full bathroom on the ground floor and half bedroom by the utility room that is easily accessible by guests and friends when entertaining. The living room is equipped with a pellet stove, moving into an open kitchen area with granite countertops, a deep sink and dining area nearby. The upstairs consists of a second primary bedroom with 3/4 bathroom and two large bedrooms with a full bathroom in the hallway. The natural sunlight from the expansive windows throughout the property provides views and sun exposure. The huge fenced in front yard will enable you to garden and play with your pet(s) and/or entertain your family and friends during the beautiful sunny summers in Gunnison. The irrigation ditch is available during spring/summer/fall months to water the yard and provide you with ambient noise to enjoy during the pleasant Gunnison evenings. Call the listing agent for further questions and to schedule a showing.

PRICE ADJUSTMENT

216 Lochleven Lane, MLS #804508, $$990,000, 3-Bedroom 2-Bathroom 1,988 sqft, built in 1985, and with1.056 acres with attached car garage. Well built home situated in the beautiful little Homestead Subdivision in Almont. Sit on your large front deck and revel in the views up the East River Valley. Located just 10 min from Gunnison and 20 min from CB, you are centrally located to enjoy the activities the area has to offer from world class fishing, rafting and hiking to snowmobiling and skiing. This 2 story home has its main living area on the top floor with a large open kitchen/ dining living room area with a wood stove that keeps the top floor nice and warm.

This area is a great space to gather and entertain as you take in the views surrounding the property. The property also has a sunroom that can be accessed from the second level or has 2 separate entrances from the exterior. There is a 1 car oversized attached garage and located next to the garage is a very large storage room/closet for all of your storage needs. The home has a lot of deck area on the outside for outdoor entertaining or to casually relax and take in the many different views. Almont is a quaint small town with 2 restaurants/bars located within minutes from the property. There is a free bus that runs up and down the valley from Gunnison to CB with a stop located in Almont.

PRICE ADJUSTMENT

PRICE ADJUSTMENT

459 Fairway Lane MLS #806172 $850,00 4-bedroom 3-bathroom 2291sqft. built in 1979 This contemporary quaint rustic house is within a profoundly well known subdivision, Dos Rios III. Close vicinity to the back 9 of the Dos Rios Golf Course. On a .46 of an acre, has 4-bedrooms and 3-bathrooms, the house features hardwood/tile floors, kitchen fully equipped with stainless appliances, kitchen cabinets and an open concept living room with a wood burning stove and second living room or/an office has a pellet stove. On the first floor you have a half bathroom that is easily accessible. On the second floor the master suite has an oversized bedroom with a full bathroom and a walk-in closet with a sliding barn door. The other full bathroom is down the hallway between the other two oversized bedrooms. The enormous backyard has a shed and plenty of sun exposure to plant/seed flowers, play with your pets and have get-togethers with friends. The two car garage is attached to the house and is very spacious and heated by a wood burning stove. There is sufficient amount of parking in the driveway and along the east side of the house. This home is magnificent so don’t miss out and schedule a showing by contacting the agent.

413 W New York MLS #805945 2125 sqft 1 bathroom Commercial Retail $525,000 Perfect Opportunity to Move a Business and/or a Start a New Business with great past history of tenants using the retail storefront i.e for nail/salon, daycare, mechanical auto body, pet/animal feed and accessories-retail and granite-retail/distribution to name a few. The property consists of about 1500 sqft of retail space with storefront access to New York and a half bathroom that is easily accessible for staff and customers to use. An added bonus is having an attached garage with about 625 sqft with an overhead garage bay. The garage could be a storage facility or part of business operations. The property has 5 parking spaces and close to Safeway and the new location of 5 Bs. A growing and upcoming neighborhood. Don’t miss this opportunity contact the listing agent to schedule a showing.

KELLY

MCKINNIS

970.641.4880

AJ

MANI

129 EAST TOMICHI AVENUE

LETTERS continued from A9 our students in the Gunnison Watershed School District and is a component fund of the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley.

This year, GVEF awarded nine innovative learning grants to amazing teachers from Gunnison, Crested Butte and Marble. A few of the grants awarded for this school year will fund the following projects: purchasing plant lighthouses to help students observe all phases of plant growth in a shorter amount of time; bringing the Guinea West African dancers and drummers to our schools for experience-based projects, and culminating in school-wide performances ; creating a bilingual classroom library; adding materials and expanding a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) lab.

We are already looking forward to our Teacher Innovation G ra n t Aw a rd C e l e b ra t i o n next year. Our teachers really make the magic happen for this event. It is a true pleasure to honor them for their outstanding efforts, commitment to our kids and innovative teaching endeavors.

Sandy O’Banion Gunnison Valley Education Foundation

Being an informed voter more important than ever Editor: I was compelled to write about a right I deeply appreciate: the right to participate in local elections. These elections are often overshadowed by our feelings about national ones. But they have a profound impact on our daily lives and the well-being of our communities.

When we vote in local elections, we choose leaders who make decisions about the things that affect us most directly: our schools, our neighborhoods and our local services. These leaders decide where resources go and the policies that shape our daily lives. It's in these elections that we have the power to make choices that authentically reflect our values and needs.

If our vote is to be truly representative of our values, we must take time to know who we are voting for and what a vote for that candidate means.

In the face of misinformation and moral panics, being an informed voter is more important than ever.

Voting in local elections — voting in the upcoming election for school board vacancies — is an act of resistance against the spread of false narratives. It's about making choices based on facts and dependability, rather than fears or falsehoods. This is why I will be voting for Jody, Anne and Mark. They have embraced transparency and nonpartisan ideals and will lead our school district with a spirit of integrity, not anxiety.

In these uncertain and even contentious times, I urge you

to participate in the upcoming local election and to vote for the candidates who are dedicated to student success. It's not just a civic duty, it's an opportunity to actively shape the future of our schools, our children and our community. Your voice matters, and your participation is absolutely crucial.

Kimberly Yadon Gunnison

Rewet the sponge Editor: High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) invites community members to volunteer at our last stewardship event of the season this Saturday, Oct. 21, at Centennial State Wildlife Area, just west of Gunnison.

HCCA is partnering with the Upper Gunnison River Water Cons er vanc y Distr ict and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to restore critical wildlife habitat for the threatened Gunnison sage-grouse and other wildlife that depend on wet meadows for their livelihoods.

Vo l u n t e e r s w i l l re s t o re degraded wet meadows by building rock structures to “rewet the sponge.” This helps the landscape retain more water and spread it out, allowing plant and insect life to flourish — which is vital to wildlife survival. No experience is necessary, and we will provide on-site training.

This simple and innovative method of restoration will improve these unique geographic features the Gunnison sage-grouse depend on for habitat, feeding, nesting and the survivability of their young.

Other species in Gunnison County benefit from healthy wet meadows including neo-tropical birds, elk, mule deer and livestock.

By protecting these areas and the continuation of the local wet meadows restoration projects — spearheaded with collaboration between the Upper Gunnison, local, state and federal agencies, nonprofits and devoted volunteers — we join the movement to combat drought, erosion and the degradation of our public lands.

It has been a memorable and exceptional season serving as HCCA’s environmental stewardship coordinator and working for the betterment of natural and human communities alike.

I am grateful for this experience that allowed me to give back to my home. I will take these teachings and continue advocating for the conservation of this valley’s beauty and natural resources.

Thank you to this community for the relationships I have created throughout my time at HCCA. I look forward to seeing you all, and new faces, in the field again.

We look forward to spending another beautiful day outside with you this Saturday.

Isabel Lucas High Country Conservation Advocates

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • NEWS • A11

Gunnison Country Times

LETTERS Anne will be that representative Editor: I am writing in support of Anne Brookhart for Gunnison school board. Her election will ensure a continued commitment to education excellence.

I am especially impressed with her support of expertise in curriculum development. She has stated that she would “avoid irrational and politically motivated changes that do not align with the state standards and are not in the best interest of children.” The proliferation of ‘’fake news” and pseudoscience in our current political climate requires representation that recognizes the need for professionalism and avoids quackery.

Anne will be that representative.

Peter Gauss Gunnison

Here are differences

Jim and Annie Starr, Jim Schmidt Dan Jones, Bob and Maureen Hall Sonda Donovan, Roxie Lypps Fran Wickenhauser, Kay Peterson Cook Mandy and Bob Gillie, Katie Long Sue and Tim Williamson, Susan Kerns Alice Jennison

Jody has experience and integrity

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518 E Georgia Avenue | Gunnison

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710 Hawk Drive | Gunnison 3 Bed | 3.5 Bath | 3,435 SF | 35 Acres | $2,200,000

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Editor: This letter is an endorsement of Jody Coleman who is running for a seat on the Gunnison Watershed School District school board.

I have known Coleman for over 23 years and believe that she is more than qualified to professionally respond to the duties inherent to a public school board seat. Having worked in the school district as well as Western's education department, I am quite familiar with the role of school board members in our valley. It is imperative that those who willingly take on such a position, be free of agendas of any kind and willing to "do their homework" when it comes to both policy and budget.

I am confident Jody will do the work to make sure that the decisions made by the school board put children first. As someone who grew up in Gunnison and taught in the district, Jody understands our community and our school district. After retiring from teaching at Gunnison High School, Jody volunteered, or was repeatedly sought out, to participate in several projects which have all led to positive outcomes for students up and down valley. Jody has experience and she has integrity.

I appreciate the fact that Jody found common ground with both Anne Brookhart and Mark VanderVeer. And, having spent time with each one of these candidates, I will vote for them because of how they talk about students and the work of the school district.

I have read several letters to the editor which attempt to paint an ugly picture of our school system. Nothing could be further from the truth. While no school system works perfectly every day for every student, the staff who work with the students in our schools are professional, intelligent and caring.

After speaking with Jody, Anne and Mark, I am certain that they each want to support the work that is taking place and find additional ways to ensure student success.

I will cast my school board v o t e s f o r Jo d y C o l e m a n , Anne Brookhart and Mark VanderVeer.

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Editor: Election ballots were mailed this week and we’re writing to urge all voters to please return your ballot now.

The most contested election is for the school board and there are very real differences between the slate of candidates, Anne, Jody and Mark, and the others. These differences come out most clearly if you read the comments from supporters of the two groups.

While supporters of the named group point out their respective histories of current tenure on the school board — long-time teaching and educational research experience, and executive-level financial experience — supporters of the other candidates have clearly different priorities for their candidates.

They’ve published comments such as: “We need to focus our schools on education and not indoctrinating.” “The things that they put into our libraries (public or school) are disturbing and not always educational.” “The children are … becoming victims to a lost society of things such as: freedom of knowledge which really means teaching social values not education, equal access which is special treatment, mental and emotional wellness which is saying that parents lack the ability to raise their own children.”

These statements in support of the other candidates seem borne of mistrust of our current teachers and administrators and fear of freedom of speech, diversity and inclusion. They also mirror the talking points of the current national Republican agenda to take control of local school boards and other elected bodies.

There are hidden agendas at play in this school board election, but thankfully in our school district we have informed voters and a great slate of candidates with no hidden agendas in Anne Brookhart, Jody Coleman and Mark VanderVeer. Let’s continue to trust our current teachers and administrators and contin-

ue the good and trusted work of the current and past school boards. Vote now for Anne, Jody and Mark.

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A12 • NEWS • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

Open House Sat. Oct. 21, 1-3 pm

1304 HWY 135 2,516 sq ft 1.58 acres MLS # 806162 • $745,000

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Little Blue from A1 and includes the realignment and widening of what is considered a dangerous and narrow section of the busy throughway between Gunnison and Montrose. As the construction season prepares to wrap up for the year, Federal Highway Administration project manager Ian Johnson gave an update during a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 11.

The project was originally supposed to be finished by November of 2022, and is now nearly a year and a half behind schedule. The impacts to nearby communities from rolling road closures in the canyon have been significant. Some who need to frequently travel through the construction zone have logged hundreds of hours stopped in traffic over the last three years. The construction work has also blocked access to the small community of Arrowhead. Its entrance is situated right in the middle of the project, making it difficult for residents to travel to work and catch flights and has stymied the flow of tourists to the area.

Construction crews plan to continue into December as the weather allows, with work to cease during the winter months.

Johnson said he anticipates three months of worth of work through March, April and May of next year, pushing the completion date to June of 2024 if all goes as planned.

“November is right around the corner, and we're not going to hit it,” Johnson said. “We've run into delays, and things haven't always gone our way.

But we've been working through the issues.”

Construction crews have finished blasting the rock and are stabilizing the walls that surround the highway. Next year, they will finish paving and striping the highway and installing guardrails, concrete barriers and permanent signage — all work that can be done mostly off the main road, he said.

Crews will also install “mumble strips,” which are similar to classic rumble strips. These are grooves in the asphalt along the edges of lane lines that are designed to slow drivers down when they are traveling around a tight corner.

The traffic impacts for next year have not yet been deter-

mined. Johnson said limited closures and some one-lane alternating traffic will likely be needed to finish up the remaining work.

Numerous community members from Montrose, Gunnison and Arrowhead attended the meeting. Marcella Tarantino, a Gunnison-based senior wildlife biologist with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, asked when treatments will start for all of the noxious weeds and invasive species that have been introduced to the project site, such as thistles and cheatgrass.

“The reality is that everywhere we’ve disturbed ground, we’ve got those weeds …

Unfortunately we don’t have any plan to address the weeds that have grown in the areas we’ve already seeded,” Johnson replied.

Montrose County Emergency Manager Scott Hawkins said miles of traffic have been hitting the cities of Gunnison and Montrose because of lengthy one-lane closures. Both communities don’t have light or traffic systems that are built to handle the influx, he said.

“It is really causing huge public safety issues and also frustrating motorists,” Hawkins said.

“Why do you have to hold if it's alternating traffic? Why can't it be 20 minutes? I've talked to Gunnison. You're overloading our towns. It is totally gridlocking Montrose when we get these huge, long lines of traffic.”

Johnson said the project team will be in communication with the contractor to try and find a way to reduce wait times on either side of the project. It is still unclear if and when any changes will be made to traffic flows through the canyon.

During the week, alternating traffic closures result in wait times often between one and two hours.

Full roadways closures will continue through the night Monday through Thursday.

Hwy. 50 is open to two-way traffic with no delays from Friday at 5:30 p.m. to Monday at 8:30 a.m. For more information, visit us50info.com.

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

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ALAN WA RT ES MEDI A Send a resume with references to publisher@gunnisontimes.com

A retaining wall allows construction crews to maximize the width of the road through the canyon even though it’s situated on a steep rock face.

(Courtesy Federal Highway Administration)

Gunnison Country Times

Gottorff sentenced to 8 years in prison

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • NEWS • A13

Still liable for over $100,000 to Gunnison County Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

Irwin property owner David Gottorff was found liable for nearly $100,000 in attorneys fees in a lawsuit brought against him by Gunnison County. But he has now been sentenced to eight years in prison for unrelated charges in Ouray County.

Gottorff’s incarceration does not change the county’s fundamental position in the lawsuit, Deputy County Attorney Alex San Filippo-Rosser wrote in a statement to the Times.

“I do recognize that this case is unique,” San Filippo-Rosser said. “In my experience, I have never had a code enforcement case where the property owner was sentenced to the Department of Corrections. Mr. Gottorff ’s incarceration does present some practical difficulties, such as the ability to timely communicate.”

Over the last six years, the Gunnison County Community and Economic Development Department attempted to remedy what it deemed a deficient wastewater treatment system owned by Gottorff. The county filed a civil lawsuit in district court in 2021, alleging that he maintained an “inadequate and unpermitted” wastewater system on the parcel of land he owns near Lake Irwin.

According to the complaint, that system leaked raw sewage out of a holding tank and into the front yard.

Irwin is located about 10 miles west of Crested Butte, and property owners in the area

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Maggie Dethloff

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(Courtesy Erin McIntyre/Ouray County Plaindealer)

maintain on-site wastewater treatment systems, all located in the Crested Butte watershed.

The lawsuit is a code enforcement action meant to bring Gottorff’s system in compliance with the law and protect the watershed from contamination.

Gottorff has maintained in previous court filings that he would be unable to pay the cost of a new septic system, which he estimates at over $100,000.

His ability to pay the county is also unknown at this time because the county does not have a clear statement of his financial resources, San FilippoRosser said.

According to reporting from the Ouray County Plaindealer, a Seventh Judicial District judge sentenced Gottorff to eight years in prison in mid-September. A jury convicted him of attempting to influence and harass police officers and public officials in Ouray. Gottorff said during sentencing that he had not broken the law and was instead trying to expose injustice.

Gottorff has also threatened public officials in Gunnison County. In fall of 2021, a staff member in the Community and Economic Development obtained a permanent protection order against Gottorff after he told a Gunnison County Public Works official that he “had a noose” for that person.

The possible outcomes for the wastewater treatment system on Gottorff ’s property remain undecided. Despite being in jail, he may still be able to comply with the judge’s order and improve the system. The County Attorney’s office will continue to work with Community Development to monitor the lot and move it toward compliance, San Filippo-Rosser said.

ENVISION BUILDING YOUR DREAM HOME

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

WE HELP YOU GET THERE! Your vision has been our vision for 112 years!

Stick season upon us The landscape from a viewpoint on Kebler Pass showed signs of a waning fall season as the gold leaves gave way to bare trees.

Janice English | Senior Vice President 970.641.2177 | NMLS# 491776 Kim Fahey | Loan Officer 970.642.4644 | NMLS# 1221750

VISIT US AT GUNNISONSL.COM • 303 N. MAIN ST., GUNNISON

NMLS # 483354 We would love your support!

Consider making a donation to help keep independent locally owned journalism alive.

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A14 • NEWS • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

BUY OF THE WEEK

Everything you’ve been looking for is at 403 S. 14th Street. As you enter the front door you’re welcomed by an inviting and spacious mud room with storage that leads you through to the kitchen that features open beams. One level, 3 bdrm/2 bath, over 1600 square foot home has been fully remodeled in 2017 that features a master steam shower, vintage claw foot tub in the guest bath and a fantastic backyard that is fully xeriscaped with area for utility trailer parking, fire pit, patio, and a detached 2 car garage. Plenty of space in the fully fenced backyard that’s ready for your pets. This modern home is move in ready, so set up your showing today!

403 S. 14th St. $649,000

Pitch Mine permit to limit uranium in waters Saguache County bans some well drilling near mine Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

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An old mine just under 40 miles east of Gunnison has been leaking uranium into the Gunnison River Watershed for decades. Now, mine officials are nearing the end of a neardecade long process that will set a new limit on the amount of pollutants that can enter local waters.

The Pitch Mine is owned by Homestake Mining Company and sits just seven miles east o f Sa rg e nt s o n Gu n n i s o n National Forest land. Miners extracted uranium from the heavily timbered region for nearly 20 years before reclamation started in the early 80s. Although the mine is in Saguache County, Gunnison County Commissioners have weighed in on the process for years because all the streams in question eventually flow into the Gunnison River.

Last year, the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission, tasked with monitoring and enforcing water quality standards around the state, extended Homestake’s timeline to discharge pollutants above the legal limits for a short period of time, while the company works on pollution mitigation and water quality studies. Homestake also worked with Saguache officials to pass an ordinance at the end of 2022 that banned the drilling of any new shallow wells near Marshall Creek — a move that some local leaders believe to be a bandaid, while the mine avoids long-term accountability.

Gunnison County Commissioners received an update on Sept. 26 from local water quality consultant Ashley Bembenek.

How much uranium is in the water?

For the last decade, Homestake has been working with the state and local conservation agencies on a new discharge permit, which sets limits on the amount of pollutants that can enter the watershed.

Irrigation records show that there are 200-300 diversions on the Tomichi Creek between Sargents and Gunnison, meaning many homes pull domestic well water from that reach.

In 2015, the state issued Homestake a new draft permit. But data showed that uranium levels downstream of the mine were nowhere near the Gunnison Basin’s uranium

standard for water supplies of 16-30 micrograms per liter (µg/l). Levels at the headwater of Indian Creek, right below the mine, were measured up 1,500 µg/l.

Acknowledging that it would take time for the mine to reduce uranium levels enough to meet the standard, Homestake was granted three additional years in 2022 to study the water and devise new uranium limits.

Homestake claims these waters have always been heavy with uranium. Company representatives reported that they found a 70s-era memo from the Atomic Energy Commission suggesting elevated levels of uranium (200-1,300 µg/l) in Indian Creek prior to any mining operations.

But Bembenek said Homestake is using “limited” datasets to claim that the mining impacts are minimal or have already been fully mitigated.

“We need additional evidence to fully characterize premining conditions, if it's possible at all,” she said. “We don't know if that range was characterized by two samples or 200 samples. The number of samples, the timing of sample collection, the location of sample collection, and so on, provide important context about what these data can tell us.”

In 2022, the Gunnison Basin Water Quality group, composed of local leaders and water managers, added flow gauges and water quality sampling in Marshall Creek and Tomichi Creek near Sargents to boost the level of independent analysis on the water.

No more wells allowed Homestake has been collecting water quality data from water and wells in Sargents for years. The most recent data show that uranium measured in Sargent’s wells range from 3-8 µg/l, below the Basin lower limit of 16 µg/l. But Homestake’s water testing revealed something else — septic waste has been leaking from the town’s septic field and into residential wells. The company’s data show elevated levels of E. Coli, which can cause cramps, fever and bloody diarrhea.

In 2022, Homestake proposed that Saguache County pass an ordinance that not only states the company will work with interested well-owners to drill existing wells deeper, but also prevent drilling of all new shallow wells near Marshall Creek.

Private wells, unlike municipal water supplies, are not regulated by the state, so the new ordinance gives some private well owners recourse to make their systems safer.

“This mine would not be investing the money in redrilling wells for anybody in Marshall Creek alluvium if there weren't some concerns about uranium contamination,” Saguache County

Commissioner Liza Marron told the Times. “I'm very thankful that they're taking the high road and doing this voluntary drilling.”

T h e c o u nt y p a s s e d t h e o rd i n a n c e l a t e l a s t y e a r.

Boiled down, it could permit Homestake to discharge more uranium into Marshall Creek, under the guise that no water is being drawn along that reach via wells, Bembenek said. She worried the ordinance could set a state-wide precedent of sidestepping true mitigation.

Saguache County has yet to conduct any independent study of the water in Sargents and “wholly relies” on Homestake’s representations, according to the ordinance.

“That’s not a solution I would have recommended. It is, in my opinion, kicking the can down the road,” she said. “It's not addressing E. coli and pathogen pollution attributed to failing septics, and it may not fully address uranium problems.”

Water treatment options At the 2022 rulemaking, t h e C o m m i s s i o n d i re c t e d Homestake to explore potential water treatment options.

Chosen treatments will help the company find an alternate uranium limit for the new permit, and bears down on the amount of reclamation done at the site, Bembenek said.

Homestake released a draft in May of this year, and CDPHE, the Environmental Protection Agency and local parties have been reviewing it since.

In that draft analysis, Homestake identified seven alternatives, two of which involve doing nothing further than they’re doing now. The company proposed physical water management — grading and lining rock dumps — to reduce contaminated water.

But that treatment is projected to reduce the uranium load by only 5-10%.

Homestake piloted an ion exchange treatment, which is powered by gravity and solar power. This treatment is projected to reduce the uranium load by up to 53%. But ion exchange creates a concentrated uranium resin that has to be transported for disposal and the company claims this would be cost-prohibitive and too dangerous.

“The alternative is letting the uranium flow through the entire Colorado River Watershed without treatment. So consolidating waste seems like an option that warrants further exploration,” Bembenek said.

Through 2024, stakeholders will revise the analysis and eventually participate in a hearing with the Commission to decide if the proposal is sufficient before Homestake presents a final version in 2025.

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

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • NEWS • A15

Gunnison Country Times

In pursuit of the perfect fly

2024 Grant Cycle Information

Locals and visitors took advantage of a perfect fall afternoon on Sunday, Oct. 15 by fly fishing at the Gunnison Whitewater Park.

Bruce Nyblom from Montrose stopped at the park to break up his drive from Denver home to Montrose. From the comfort of their tree hammocks, locals Dylan Frazier and Nicole Lewis offered Denverites Brodie Sullivan and Grace Poggemeyer advice on their fly selection.

Need funding for your event or marketing campaign?

Tourism and Prosperity Partnership (TAPP)

Apply for a 2024 TAPP grant.

Grants are awarded for events and marketing projects that meet the criteria in the rubric, which can be found online. The goal of the TAPP grant program is to fund events that will increase lodging revenues during non-peak visitation times, so we do not fund grant projects that have event dates between July 1 and Aug. 14.

(Photos by Jacob Spetzler)

DUE DATE: Nov. 3, 2023 at 5 p.m.

AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS: Nov. 17, 2023 FOR QUESTIONS CONACT:

Andrew Sandstrom at 720-220-5700 or andrew@gunnisoncrestedbutte.com or visit gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/grants for more info.

Library honored with state award The Gunnison County Public Library and Gunnison Valley community have been recognized for their recent collaborative work to erect the new public library. The library received the 2023 Library Partnership of the Year Award last week, which recognizes its recent achievements in working with community partners to get the project off the ground. Gunnison County County Commissioner Jonathan Houck and library director Drew Brookhart accepted the award, given by the Colorado Association of Libraries.

BUsinesS District GUNNISON BUSINESSES INVITE TRICK OR TREATERS

KIDS: Come Trick or Treat and do the Sidewalk Shuffle to the area merchants!

TUESDAY, OcT 31

bEtweEn 3:30 - 5:00 pm Main Street will be closed to traffic to allow for trick or treaters to safely navigate the street from Highway 50 north to Ohio Street.

(Courtesy Drew Brookhart)

This event is made possible, in part, with the assistance of the public service grant program of the City of Gunnison.

A16 • NEWS • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

Oregon to supply first wolves for reintroduction Releases near I-70 corridor to begin this winter

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In a one-year agreement announced on Oct. 6, Oregon will be a source for up to 10 wolves for the Colorado gray wolf reintroduction effort.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission approved the state’s final wolf restoration and management plan in May. This cleared the way for CPW biologists to introduce gray wolves in the Western Slope before the voter-approved deadline of Dec. 31, 2023.

These wolves will be captured and translocated between this upcoming December and March of 2024 under an agreement between Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). It is anticipated that wolf reintroduction efforts will require the transfer of about 30 to 50 wolves in total over a three- to five-year time frame.

CPW is still targeting the northern portion of its habitat suitability maps for the first round of wolf releases. The management plan flagged locations that would have minimal risk of human-wolf conflict as well as ample prey and space to roam west of the Continental Divide. The plan further constrained release areas by creating a 60-mile buffer from neighboring states so that animals are more likely to remain in Colorado.

The northern area falls along the I-70 corridor between Glenwood Springs and Vail and extends into the Roaring Fork Valley. The management plan earmarks the Gunnison Valley and Hwy. 50 corridor as a probable location for releases in the coming years.

These initial wolves will come from northeast Oregon, where the predators are most abundant and the move will not impact any of that state’s own conservation goals, said ODFW Director Curt Melcher.

“Oregon has a long history of helping other states meet their conservation goals by provid-

ing animals for translocation efforts,” he said. “Some of our wildlife populations were also restored thanks to other states doing the same for us, including Rocky Mountain elk, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat.”

CPW will begin capture operations this December, with ODFW providing some assistance by sharing wolf location information and best practices for wolf capture. CPW will be responsible for all costs associated with capture and transport of wolves.

CPW staff will work with contracted helicopter crews and spotter planes to capture wolves, which will be tested and treated for disease at the source sites. Collars will be placed on the wolves and physical measurements will be done in the field in Oregon. Wolves will then be placed in sturdy aluminum crates and transported to Colorado either by truck or airplane.

Animals with major injuries — things like having several broken canines, missing eyes, fractured or missing limbs, mange or lice infection — will not be chosen for reintroduction. CPW will make efforts to transplant wolves that have not been involved in repeated depredations.

According to CP W Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell, the wolves will be released at select sites in Colorado as soon as possible once they arrive in the state to minimize stress on the animals.

“CPW will aim to capture and reintroduce an equal number of males and females,” he said.

“We anticipate that the majority of animals will be in the 1- to 5-year-old range, which is the age that animals would typically disperse from the pack they were born in.”

Visit CPW’s Stay Informed page and sign up for the Wolf Reintroduction eNews to stay up to date with the wolf restoration in Colorado.

(Source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife.)

The gray wolf is set to be reintroduced to Colorado starting this December. (Envato)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023

LISTINGS TODAY

54 641.1414 Stop by: Gunnison Country Times 218 North Wisconsin Gunnison, CO 81230 Email: classifieds@ gunnisontimes.com Ad policy & Rates:

• $7 for 20 words or less, 20¢ each additional word.

• Display Classified rate is $9.40 per column inch.

• Deadline is NOON SHARP TUESDAY.

gunnisontimes.com SCAN TO PLACE AN AD

Classifieds BUSINESS SERVICES SKI LOCKER RENTALS: Tired of carrying your frozen ski boots and heavy skis to the base area? Skip the hassle this year and rent a ski locker in the newly renovated Axtel Locker Room, adjacent to the Silver Queen chairlift. Contact 970-349-2773 or Alex@ toadpropertymanagement.com for details.

EMPLOYMENT

WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY

invites applications for the following positions: Office Manager for the Center for Learning and Innovation (full time, on-campus) Center for Learning and Innovation Budget Analyst (full time, on-campus) Western’s benefit package includes a retirement plan, generous employer contributions to medical/dental/ vision insurance, employee and dependent tuition benefits, paid vacation, paid sick leave and paid holidays. Employees receive basic life insurance and disability insurance at no cost.

Employee wellness programs are available for FREE. To view the full job announcement(s) and apply, visit western.edu/jobs and click on “View Careers” (AA/ EOE).

EMPLOYMENT REAL ESTATE RENTALS

A17 A19 A19

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

NOTICES

A19

Apply at John Roberts Motor Works.

CROSSWORD

A18

CLASSIFIEDS

LEGALS

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

COMMUNITY

HERE IS WHAT'S

Coming Up

Friday, October 20 from 5-7 pm

TEEN Gaming Guild

Learn to play Dungeons & Dragons and embark on a new campaign!

For ages 10-18

Refreshments provided, free and open to all.

Gunnison Library Teen Lounge

GunnisonCountyLibraries.org

IRWING GUIDES IS SEEKING OFFICE/ SALES ASSOCIATES, SEASONAL, FULL AND PART-TIME: The position will be responsible for assisting the Irwin Guides administrator with day-to-day operations including, but not limited to, data entry, completing and filing paperwork, interacting with guests face-to-face or via phone/ email, booking trips and assisting with walk-in traffic and retail inquires/purchases.

A strong candidate will have knowledge of the outdoor industry and local activities, strong administrative skills, effective communication, both oral and written, and is detail-oriented, responsive to delegation and comfortable working both independently and in a fast-paced team environment. During the operational seasons this position will be required to work some early mornings and late afternoons, at least one weekend day per week and some holidays as necessary.

This is a winter seasonal position starting at $19-$22 per hour depending on experience and qualifications. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience.com/ careers/.

CAREGIVER: Tom Morton’s family is looking for a caregiver. Position pay: $30 an hour and 5 days a week. Duties include companionship, light housekeeping, errand services and grocery shopping. Email tommy.mortom11@gmail.com for more details.

DO YOU HAVE MAINTENANCE SKILLS? Are you looking for a full-time, year-round 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. Qualified applicants will be contacted for an interview. No phone calls please. Pay DOE. LAKE CITY AREA MEDICAL CENTER IS HIRING: Medical director, PT (2 days in clinic), retirement, conference/CE allowance of up to $2,500/year, use of an on-site apartment if needed, $130-$140/hr.

Advanced practice provider (PA, NP, FNP): FT (3-4 days in clinic plus 3-4 nights afterhours triage service), benefit package includes health, dental, vision and life, retirement, tenure-tired PTO program, conference/CE allowance of up to $2,000/ year, health savings account, use of an onsite apartment if needed, $93,500-$98,000/ yr.

Dental assistant: must have proficient computing and communication skills, 40+ hrs/mo, $18-20 to start, training provided.

EOE. Send resume/CV to lcmedcenter@ lcamc.net or request job descriptions.

EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSITANT TEACHERS: Tenderfoot Child and Family Development Center is seeking assistant teachers to join our early childhood team with children birth-5 years old. Must be at least 16 years of age. Full ($16.65/hr) or parttime ($14.65/hr) with flexible scheduling.

Background checks and paid pre-service training required, sick/vacation benefits, possible free child care. Paid professional development and a great opportunity to grow as an educator. Call 970-642-1949 or email tfootdirector@gmail.com for more information. EOE. PINNACLE ORTHOPEDICS is seeking a FT medical assistant to join our team. Duties include clinical documentation, x-rays, medical supply inventory management and casting/splinting. Good organization and computer skills while working in a fast-paced environment are important. Position is for both our Crested Butte and Gunnison offices. $22-$24/hr DOE. Please send resume to office@pinnacleorthocolorado.com.

LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE is hiring a part-time preschool teacher to work Monday and Friday, full days starting in November. This is a great opportunity to become part of an awesome team in a super rewarding career. Very stable opportunity, paid educational opportunities to further your knowledge and pay, and great pay and benefits offered. Please submit resume and interest email to Jessica at lilredschoolhouse1@gmail.com.

TOAD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT is seeking a full-time maintenance technician for a large condominium building in Mt. Crested Butte. This position provides housing, competitive pay, ski pass and more. We are seeking a fun, hardworking, detailed-oriented, responsible and experienced individual to join our team. To submit your resume, please go to ToadPropertyManagement.com/ employment or give us a call at 970-3492773.

ARE YOU TIRED OF WORKING MULTIPLE JOBS TO MAKE IT IN THE VALLEY? Iron Horse is looking for the right individual to join our expanding property care team.

This individual is responsible for property inspections, inventories and the overall quality and presentation of vacation rentals in our luxury inventory. You will work hand-inhand with our maintenance, housekeeping and reservation teams to ensure that our guests experience vacation perfection. 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.

THE CRESTED BUTTE/MT. CRESTED BUTTE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is seeking an information specialist to help staff our visitor centers in Crested Butte and in Mt. Crested Butte. You will meet and greet visitors coming into the visitor centers, answering questions, providing key information and education. Candidates should be outgoing, personable, organized and resourceful, a team player, able to work independently. Additional duties include keeping brochures neat and orderly, ordering supplies, answering phone calls and emails. Additional duties or projects may

GUNNISON WATERSHED SCHOOL DISTRICT See GWSD website for details gunnisonschools.net Gunnison Watershed School District believes that students thrive when they are connected to something bigger than themselves.

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

HOURLY OPPORTUNITIES Bus Drivers Food Service-CBCS Special Needs Educational Assistants SPED Educational Assistant-GMS ELL Educational Assistant-CBCS Building Manager-CBCS Assistant Building Manager-CBCS Lead Custodian-Lake School Permanent Substitute-CBSS, GHS, GES and GMS Substitute Teachers PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES Counselor-CBES COACHING GHS-Speech and Debate GHS-Assistant Girls Basketball Coach CBHS-Girls Head Basketball Coach Please contact: Superintendent’s Office JoAnn Klingsmith 800 N. Boulevard 970-641-7760 jklingsmith@gunnisonschools.net

be assigned. Hours are flexible, including weekends and holidays. Experience in the hospitality or retail industry is helpful. Must be able to lift at least 30 pounds. Position is parttime seasonal or year-round. Competitive hourly rate D.O.E. Eligible for health care/ health share. Email cover letter and resume with references to david@cbchamber.com.

Please put ‘Information Specialist’ in the subject line. E.O.E. cbchamber.com.

THE TOWN OF MT. CRESTED BUTTE is hiring a maintenance worker: Maintenance duties vary from season to season and will include but are not limited to snow shoveling, plowing of the Mt. Crested Butte roads and various parking lots, maintaining town equipment and vehicles, emptying trash cans, repairing fence lines, building maintenance, road maintenance including sweeping, flagging, filling potholes, maintaining the town’s ditches and culverts.

Class B commercial driver’s license or the ability to obtain one is required for this position. This position is subject to preemployment and random drug testing as per federal law regarding the Class B commercial driver’s license. Starting pay range is $48,590-$56,436 for entry level and up to $65,311 for highly accredited, qualified and experienced applicants.

This position is full-time, year-round. The Town offers a generous benefits package: full health, vision and dental insurance premiums paid for you and your immediately family, paid life insurance, retirement plan through PERA, 12 paid holidays, generous vacation time, wellness program, Aflac and more. All positions require a clean, sevenyear driving record.

For the full job description and more information please visit mtcb.colorado. gov/employment. To apply for a position please email your resume, cover letter and three references to Tiffany O’Connell at toconnell@mtcb.colorado.gov.

SAGUACHE COUNTY LAND USE DEPARTMENT is accepting applications for a full-time third code enforcement officer position. Salary to be determined on experience starting at $35,000/year.

Applicants must have a valid Colorado drivers license, must pass a criminal background check as well as a preemployment drug test. The county employee benefit package includes vision, dental and health insurance coverage, paid time off and a generous 401k retirement plan. The employment application and job description can be found on saguachecounty.colorado. gov, picked up at the Saguache County Administration Office, 505 3rd Street, Saguache, CO or can be emailed to you, please contact April Quintana at 719-6552231. Completed applications can be handdelivered to the Saguache County Land Use Department, Attention Amber Wilson, 505 3rd Street, mailed to P.O. Box 326, Saguache, CO 81149 or emailed to atorrez@ saguachecounty-co.gov. Applications will be accepted until filled. Saguache County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

BOOKEEPER: Responsibilities would include payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable and general office clerical duties.

Qualifications in accounting, QuickBooks experience, Microsoft Word and Outlook.

Vacation and benefit packages included.

Salary and wage are negotiable. Please call 970-209-5525.

THE TOWN OF CRESTED BUTTE seeks applicants for a planning technician to join the community development team. The planning technician is responsible for a wide variety of administrative and clerical duties to support the activities, operations, methods and processes of the community development department. This year-round position includes an excellent benefits package with 100% employer paid health, dental, vision, life insurance and contribution to retirement plan after one year of employment. Starting salary is $47,221-$57,507 DOQ. Full job description is available on the town’s website at townofcrestedbutte.com/jobs.

Please submit application, cover letter, and resume via email to jobs@crestedbutte-co. gov. Position is open until filled. The Town of Crested Butte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

THE ELEVATION HOTEL AND SPA and José Crested Butte are hiring for the winter season. The following roles are available to high quality candidates: night auditor $21/hour, bellperson $17/hour + tips, guest service agent $20.25/hour, front desk supervisor $22/hr, lead server $19/hr + tips, bartender $17/hour + tips, barback $16/hour + tips, server $15/hour + tips, barista $15/ hr + tips, host $18/hour + tips, cook $19/ hour, dishwasher/steward $17/hour, room attendant $18/hour, engineer 1-3 $21 - $24/ hour. Full-time team members are eligible for full benefits including medical, dental, vision, PTO, 401k, gym membership, room night discounts and housing. For details and to apply, please visit highgate.com/careers.

THE TOWN OF CRESTED BUTTE seeks applicants for a planner I or planner II (seeking most qualified) to join the community development team. The planner I/ II assists with the processing of development applications to BOZAR, the development and amendment of long-range plans and regulations and supports case work for the housing division. This year-round position includes an excellent benefits package with 100% employer paid health, dental, vision, life insurance and contribution to retirement plan after one year of employment. Starting salary is $50,529-$61,146 for planner I or $55,297-$67,653 for planner II DOQ. Full job descriptions are available on the town’s website at townofcrestedbutte.com/jobs.

Please submit application, cover letter, and resume via email to jobs@crestedbutte-co. gov. Position is open until filled. The Town of Crested Butte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY invites applications for the full-time position of program coordinator for the Graduate Program in Creative Writing. The GPCW is a partially-remote graduate program offering M.A. and M.F.A. graduate degrees in Creative Writing with a choice of emphasis in one of five concentrations, Genre Fiction, Nature Writing, Poetry, Publishing or Screenwriting. The program coordinator provides broad administrative and analytical support to the GPCW and works closely with the associate program director on projects related to program management, especially recruiting, admissions, advising, registration and event planning. Minimum qualifications: bachelor’s degree, proficiency in Office365, excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills with the ability to disseminate complex information.

Self-motivated to own and complete time-sensitive tasks. Preferably resides in the Gunnison Valley. View the full job announcement and apply at western.edu/ jobs.

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • CLASSIFIEDS • A18

Gunnison Country Times

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.

CAR WASH/DETAILER/SHOP MAINTENANCE. Call or text 970-596-9999 for interview.

PRECISIONAUTO.NET

EC ELECTRIC IS SEEKING

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

Top pay & Benefits.

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

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

THE TOWN OF CRESTED BUTTE is looking for a public works maintenance worker/heavy equipment operator to fill an open position. Qualifications: Colorado Commercial Drivers License (CDL) or ability to obtain one within thirty (30) days of date of employment. Experience driving loaders, rollers, backhoes and other heavy equipment required. This is a fulltime position with benefits. Starting pay is $47,220-$57,500 DOQ. Benefits include fully subsidized medical, dental and vision insurance. Paid holidays, vacation time, sick time, disability insurance. Life insurance and retirement are also position benefits. Full job description is available on the town’s website at townofcrestedbutte.com. Please submit

CLUES ACROSS

1. A device to disengage without a key 5. Subdivision 8. Network of nerves 12. Lounge chair 14. Ocean 15. C. European river 16. Bowl-shaped cavity 18. __ Caesar, comedian 19. Lyric poems 20. Tia’s sister 21. A way to develop 22. Cows collectively 23. Areas close by 26. Slightly disreputable 30. Made a mistake 31. One who cites 32. Food stall: __ pai dong 33. Narrow valley between hills 34. Members of people living mainly in the Congo 39. More (Spanish) 42. Classroom implements 44. Cognizant of 46. One who tells on others 47. Free from slavery 49. Thick piece of something

CITY OF GUNNISON EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Accountant Full-time, $64,700-$76,000/yr $31.11-$36.54/hr Performs professional level accounting work in the maintenance of city financial records, accounts, statements and the general ledger. This position is responsible for the management of the accounts payable and sales tax systems and reporting requirements for various grants.

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.

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 application via email to jobs@crestedbutteco.gov. Position is open until filled. The Town of Crested Butte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

GUNNISON COUNTY EMPLOYMENT

*Housing is held for Gunnison County employees and may be available to rent* Accounting Operations Manager Finance: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $8,309-$9,838, plus full benefits.

Airport Duty Officer I Airport: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $3,990-$4,368, plus full benefits.

Caseworker I HHS: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $4,989-$6,065, plus full benefits.

Public Health Nurse II – Child Care Health Consultant HHS: 6 hours/week, hourly rate range from $32.03-$36.47, plus partial benefits.

Public Health Nurse II – Substance Abuse Prevention, Juvenile Services: 20 hours/week, hourly rate range from $32.03-$38.94, plus partial benefits.

Airport Operations Manager Airport: 40 hours/week, monthly salary range from $6,238-$8,194, 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.

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

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

LOOKING FOR A HIGH PERFORMING FABRICATOR AND WELDER for a structural steel business. Top pay. Call Mason at 970-901-6600.

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

50. Containing two nitrogen atoms between carbon atoms 51. Removed entirely 56. Late rocker Turner 57. Appreciated 58. Observation expedition 59. Opposite of subtracts 60. Unit of work 61. Wreckage on the sea bed 62. Affirmative! (slang) 63. Witness 64. River in England

CLUES DOWN

1. A dissenting clique 2. Japanese city 3. Spiritual leader 4. Second letter of Greek alphabet 5. Musical term 6. Ruled over 7. Fortified wine 8. First year player 9. Moved in a circular way 10. Adolescents 11. Scottish or Irish Gaelic language

INTERESTED IN A CAREER WITH BENEFITS? The Crested Butte Bank, a branch of the Gunnison Bank and Trust Company, has an opening for a full-time teller to join the operations side of our growing bank. Applicants should have strong customer service skills, the ability to multitask, and a willingness to learn. GB&T fosters

13. Someone who serves in the armed forces 17. Bring up 24. Factual written account (abbr.)

25. Having three sides 26. Annoy 27. Hustle 28. American WW2 leader 29. Stale atmosphere 35. US Treasury 36. Sound unit 37. They __ 38. Soviet Socialist Republic 40. Places to play video games 41. Medical event

CROSSWORD ANSWERS FOR PREVIOUS WEEK

42. When you hope to arrive 43. Fixed prices 44. Popular Boston song 45. Valley in Indiana and Illinois 47. Omit when speaking 48. German explorer of the Congo Basin 49. Stick around 52. From a distance 53. Heroic tale 54. Amounts of time 55. Eat

a learning environment where you will gain exposure to multiple areas of the bank with a strong foundation in operations. Pay starting at $18. Robust benefits package includes 401(k), medical insurance, vision insurance, life insurance and disability insurance (ST and LT). Pooled transportation is available.

Send resume to abrown@crestedbuttebank. com or lbeda@gunnisonbank.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 CLUB AT CRESTED BUTTE is hiring the following part-time and full-time seasonal position: housekeeping, flexible schedule available, $20-$25/hr. Employee benefits include employee discounts. For more information or to submit a resume, please visit theclubatcrestedbutte.com or email jobs@clubatcrestedbutte.com.

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.

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

TOAD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT is seeking dynamic individuals to join our property management and maintenance team.

Year-round and seasonal maintenance positions available for someone with a strong attention to detail, hard work ethic and passionate about career growth. Maintenance duties are subject, but not limited to, operating our snow cats, shoveling, irrigation, lawn care and general maintenance. Toad offers competitive pay, ski

passes and housing. To submit your resume, please go to ToadPropertyManagement. com/employment.

THE ELEVATION HOTEL AND SPA and José Crested Butte have exciting leadership opportunities available: Restaurant manager at José, $60k-$70k/year and guest services manager, $50k-$55k/year. Our team enjoys career advancement opportunities and full-time team members are eligible for full benefits including medical, dental, vision, PTO, 401k, gym membership, room night discounts and housing. For details and to apply, please visit highgate.com/careers.

DAVID GROSS GENERAL CONTRACTOR, a high-volume, professional, residential contractor, seeks full-time experienced accountant with 5-plus years experience.

Duties include but not limited to processing sub-contractor invoices and A/P, preparing bank draws for funding and A/R, budget reporting, payroll preparation. Successful candidate will be detail-oriented and proactive in our fast-paced environment with proficiency in Quickbooks and experience in ProCore a bonus. Competitive base salary and benefits. Please submit resume to david@davidgrossgc.com or call 970-9011798.

DRIVERS WANTED for the best job in Crested Butte. Part-time and full-time positions available. Join Downtowner. We’re a growing transit company focused on technology, a fun work environment and, of course, moving people. We are looking for friendly and safe drivers to help us provide fare free rides in Crested Butte. Drivers will utilize company vehicles and equipment while on the job. Job Info: Starting at $24/ hour, health benefits, 401k. Grow long-term with our company. Estimated start date: November 17, 2023. Requirements: Must be at least 25 years old, clean driving record, valid driver’s license (no CDL needed), comfortable driving in winter conditions.

Please go to cb.transitjobs.net to apply and we’ll get in touch ASAP. Questions?

Please call 561-573-9767 or email mfisher@ ridedowntowner.com.

NOTICE WILDERNESS PURSUITS GEAR SWAP: Nov. 8, 12-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Upstairs at the University Center Ballroom. Cash only sellers may drop-off gear/sale items on Nov. 3, 6-7 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Lowest price, $5.

A 20% commission goes toward fundraising and the rest goes back to you.

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AMERIGLIDE Don't let the stairs limit your mobility!

Discover the ideal solution for anyone who struggles on the stairs, is concerned about a fall or wants to regain access to their entire home. Call AmeriGlide today! 1-877-418-1883

Portable Oxygen Concentrator May be Covered by Medicare!

Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free Information Kit! Call: 844-823-0293 FREE HIGH SPEED INTERNET Free High Speed Internet for those that qualify.

Goverment program for recipients of select programs incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15GB Internet Service.

Bonus offer: Android Tablet FREE with one-time $20 copay. Free Shipping & Handling.

Call Maxsip Telecom Today: 7-866-654-9429

A19 • LEGALS • Thursday, October 19, 2023 REAL ESTATE FOR RENT IN GUNNISON: 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, brand-new townhomes. 427 S. Boulevard Ave. No pets, no smoking. First, last and security deposit. Previous rental references required. Available Nov. 1st. $3,250. Please call 970-901-1798.

OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE: Two units available immediately at 210 W. Spencer Ave., Suite A, Gunnison, CO. Approximately 200 square feet each with fresh paint, newly cleaned carpets, exterior windows and individually-keyed doors. Office complex includes off-street private parking, snow removal and yard care and access to a conference room. Rent is $450 per month for each unit and includes utilities. (Internet and phone service are not included.) $500 security deposit due at signing. Call the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District at 970-641-6065 for tour.

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.

CONDO FOR RENT: Ground level, two bedroom, one bath, 860 sq. ft. Open kitchen/ living room. Preferably no pets. Available immediately. $1,450. 970-765-4381.

SPORTING GOODS FOUR PLACE SNOWMOBILE TRAILER: 18’x7.3’, electric brakes, ramp for front offloading, rear on-loading, solid wood deck, steel frame, includes four new tires plus spare. $2,500. Call 970-256-9125.

thetownofpitkin@gmail.com. Such budget will be considered at regular meetings of the Town of Pitkin Board of Trustees to be held at the Newcomb Community Center, 801 State Street, Pitkin, CO on November 13, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. and December 11, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. A Public Hearing and Adoption of the 2023 Budget are scheduled for December 11, 2023 during the regular monthly meeting.

Any interested elector of the Town of Pitkin may inspect the proposed budget and file or register any objections thereto at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget.

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of October 12, 19, 2023 11059

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of NOLA BETH WOLFE, a/k/a NOLA BETH BLACKWELL and BETH BLACKWELL, Deceased, Case Number 2023PR30039 All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Charles H. Jacobs, Attorney for Personal Representative, 950 S. Cherry Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado, 80246, or the District Court of Gunnison County, Colorado on or before February 26, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of October 12, 19, 26, 2023 11033

Legals

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE OF BUDGET NOTICE OF BUDGET NOTICE is hereby given that a proposed budget has been submitted to the Board of Directors of the Arrowhead Fire Protection District for the ensuing year 2024. A copy of such proposed budget may be examined or obtained for public inspection at the Arrowhead fire station located at 2069 Spruce Road, Cimarron, CO 81220 or at www.arrowhead fire. org. That such proposed budget will be considered at a Special Meeting of the Arrowhead Fire Protection District Board of Directors to be held on Friday, November 17, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at the Arrowhead fire station at 2069 Spruce Road, Cimarron, CO 81220.

Any interested elector of such Arrowhead Fire Protection District may inspect the proposed budget and file or register any objections thereto at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget.

Notice and draft budget for 2024 were posted on the AFPD website at www.arrowhead fire.org as well as at the Arrowhead Firehouse on October 16, 2023.

James E. Matteson Chairman AFPD Board of Directors Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication date of October 19, 2023 11110

NOTICE OF BUDGET GUNNISON CEMETERY DISTRICT #1 Notice is hereby given that a proposed budget has been submitted to the Board of Directors of the Gunnison Cemetery District #1 for the ensuing year of 2024; a copy of such proposed budget has been filed in the office of the Gunnison Cemetery District #1, 118 N. Wisconsin, where the same is open for public inspection; such proposed budget will be considered at a Public Hearing at the Gunnison Cemetery District #1 office at 118 N. Wisconsin on November 15, 2023 at 9:00 A.M. Any interested elector of the Gunnison Cemetery District #1 may inspect the proposed budget and file or register any objections thereto at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget.

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication date of October 19, 2023 11090

NOTICE OF BUDGET of

Pitkin

Notice

of

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Gunnison County, Colorado on or before January 3, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Gary Calkins 7 Private Drive 1142 Espanola, NM 87532 Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of October 5, 12, 19, 2023 10899

PUBLIC HEARING City of Gunnison NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT, pursuant to Sections 6.7 and 7.2 of the Land Development Code of the City of Gunnison, Colorado, a public hearing will be held at the hour of 7:00 PM on the 8th day of November, 2023, in the City Council Chambers, Gunnison Municipal Building, 201 West Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, Colorado on the merits of Conditional Use Application CU 23-5 submitted by Joshua Hoppstadter, for outdoor storage in the Commercial (C) zone district.

The real property for which the conditional use is sought is legally described as follows:

NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING

Town

Donald Eugene Calkins, Deceased

Case Number 2023PR4

Budget

Notice is hereby given that the Town of Pitkin Board of Trustees has received a proposed budget for the ensuing Fiscal Year of 2024 on October 9, 2023; a copy of such proposed budget is on file at the Pitkin Town Hall and is open for public inspection by appointment or may be obtained by emailing a request to

Lots 8 – 11, Block 26, West Gunnison, City and County of Gunnison, State of Colorado.

More commonly known as 122 South Boulevard Street, Gunnison, Colorado.

AT WHICH TIME AND PLACE you may attend and give testimony, if you so desire.

CITY OF GUNNISON PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION The public may attend Public Hearings and Regular and Special Sessions in person or remotely. To attend the meeting remotely go to: us02web.zoom.us/j/81878123659?pwd=V TJDL2MwZmQ5NGRaayt1WXJIMlBrUT09 /s/Caree Musick, Planning Technician Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication date of October 19, 2023 11142

PUBLIC HEARING Notice of Public Hearing 2024 Budget - December 13, 2023 Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District Notice is hereby given that the proposed 2024 budget has been submitted to the

Gunnison Country Times Board of Directors of the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District. A copy of said budget has been filed at the District office, 710 S. 9th Street, Gunnison, CO 81230, where the same is open for public inspection. Or a copy may be obtained by emailing a request to admin@gcmetrec. com. That said proposed 2024 budget will be considered at a regular meeting of the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District Board of Directors to be held on Tuesday, the 13th day of December 2023, at 1:00 P.M. at the District office. The Board will hold a public hearing at such meeting during which all interested parties may be heard. A remote video communications link may also be obtained by contacting Derrick Nehrenberg, District Manager, via the phone number below. Any interested elector of the District may inspect the proposed budget and file or register any objections thereto at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget on December 13th, 2023.

Derrick Nehrenberg, District Manager, (970) 641-8725

50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK

OCT. 19, 1973

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication date of October 19, 2023 11065

PUBLIC HEARING The Town of Pitkin A Public Hearing will be held during the Regular Town Meeting on Monday, November 13, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. at the Newcomb Community Center located at 801 State Street, Pitkin, CO regarding the adoption of the following amendments to the Town of Pitkin 2022 Zoning Code: a change to the definition of “fence;” the addition of language to specify that above ground markers for OWTS are exempt from a permit fee; and removal of the option for anonymous complaints to be filed with the Board of Zoning Adjustment. The Town of Pitkin Zoning Code of 2022 is designed to promote the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the present and future inhabitants of the municipality by lessening congestion in the streets, securing safety from fire, snow, panic and other dangers, promoting health and general welfare of the community; providing adequate light and air; preventing the overcrowding of land, avoidance of undue concentration of population; and facilitating the adequate provision of transportation, water, parks, and other public requirements.

Turning the symbolic first shovelful of earth was B.H. Jorgensen during the groundbreaking ceremony for Gunnison’s new nursing home. At left is his wife, Alberta, who took her turn with a smaller ‘Ladies size’ spade.

The Town of Pitkin 2022 Zoning Code was approved by the Board of Trustees of Pitkin, Colorado on September 12, 2022 following a public hearing which was noticed in the Gunnison Country Times on Thursday, September 1, 2022. Copies of the 2022 Zoning Code are on file with the Town Clerk and open to public inspection. thetownofpitkin@gmail.com Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of October 12, 19, 2023 11060

PUBLIC HEARING

MOVIE ROLE - Larry Swartz of Gunnison is shown perfiming as a policeman in Benji, a movie telling a story from a dog’s point of view.

RETRO BUSINESS

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING APPLICATION FOR TAVERN LIQUOR LICENSE CRESTED BUCHA CO, LLC DBA CRESTED BUCHA PURSUANT TO THE LIQUOR LAWS OF THE STATE OF COLORADO AND THE CITY OF GUNNISON, COLORADO, Crested Bucha CO, LLC, dba Crested Bucha, 315 ½ N Main Street, Gunnison, Colorado 81230 has requested that the licensing officials of the City of Gunnison grant a Tavern Liquor License for dispensing malt, vinous and spirituous liquor by the drink for on-premises consumption in the City of Gunnison.

A Public Hearing on the application will be held in the City Council Chambers located on the second floor of City Hall, 201 West Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, Colorado at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at which time and place you may give testimony on the application. This public hearing may also be attended remotely by phone or computer by registering at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yKrRIEbQRO5ETsvyIAYqw Application Date: September 14, 2023 Principals: Todd Girand, 342 White Stallion Circle, Crested Butte, CO 81224 Written comments may be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office located in City Hall, 201 West Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, Colorado; mailed to the City Clerk at PO Box 239, Gunnison, CO 81230; or emailed to eboucher@gunnisonco.gov until 12:00 noon, on November 13, 2023.

A LOOK BACK IN TIME SPONSORED BY:

NESBITT & COMPANY LLC

By order of Erica Boucher, City Clerk /s/ Erica Boucher, City Clerk, City of Gunnison Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication date of October 19, 2023 11058

Bill Nesbitt

104 E. Tomichi Ave. | 641-2235 | gunnisonhomes.com WANT TO SPONSOR? CONTACT STEVE@GUNNISONTIMES.COM

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • CLASSIFIEDS • A20

Gunnison Country Times PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED 2024 CITY BUDGET TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: PLEASE TAKE NOTE, that a public hearing will be held at the hour of 5:30 P.M. on Tuesday, the 24th day of October, 2023, in the City Council Chambers, Gunnison Municipal Building, 201 West Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, Colorado, on the Proposed 2024 City Budget.

AT WHICH TIME AND PLACE you may attend and give testimony, if you so desire.

Copies of the Proposed Budget are available at the City Finance Director’s Office in City Hall and on the City website gunnisonco. gov on October 12, 2023. Written comments on the Proposed 2024 City Budget may be submitted prior to the public hearing to: City Clerk, P.O. Box 239, Gunnison, CO 81230, hand delivered to City Hall, Office of the City Clerk, 201 W. Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, CO, or e-mailed to the City Clerk at eboucher@gunnisonco.gov Published in the Gunnison Country Times October 12, 2023 and October 19, 2023. /s/ Erica Boucher, City Clerk Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of October 12, 19, 2023

Sweeten up Halloween Parties

PUBLIC HEARING GUNNISON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2023 - 5:30 P.M. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Meeting Room at the Gunnison County Courthouse 200 E. Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, CO 81230 Public Hearing; Proposed 2024 Gunnison County Budget IMPORTANT: The proposed budget is available for inspection in the Gunnison County Finance Office located at 200 E. Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, CO 81230. The proposed budget is also available on the Gunnison County website at: gunnisoncounty.org/budget. Any elector may inspect the budget and file objections at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget scheduled to take place on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.

Gunnison Country Times Gunnison, Colorado Publication date of October 19, 2023 11169

Everybody knows that Halloween dishes up sweets galore. Trick-or-treaters come home with bounties of chocolate bars, candy, gum, licorice, and much more inside of their bags and buckets.

Even though trick-or-treat treasures are the stars of the show, when hosting Halloween parties, desserts also can be top notch, and guests often look forward to chocolate treats on the dessert table.

This year, Halloween hosts can serve up a slice of “Chocolate Fudge Pie” from “Real Simple: Dinner Tonight Done!” (Time Home Entertainment) from the editors of Real Simple.

Chocolate Fudge Pie Serves 8 1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade), fitted into a 9-inch pie plate 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, plus more shaved, for topping 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 3 large eggs 1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 11⁄2 cups heavy cream Heat oven to 375 F. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet. Prick the crust with a fork and line with foil. Fill to the top with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until just golden, 8 to 10 minutes more. Reduce oven temperature to 325 F. Meanwhile, in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring often, until smooth; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, salt, and 1⁄2 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold one-third of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder.

Pour the mixture into the crust and bake until puffed and beginning to crack, 20 to 25 minutes. Cook for 1 hour, then chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Beat the cream with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar on medium high-speed until soft peaks form. Spread over the pie and sprinkle with the shaved chocolate.

11018

AWM | STORYLAB Don't SELL them. Tell them a great STORY. STORY STRATEGY

Bethany Church 909 N Wisconsin St.

(behind Powerstop) • 970-641-2144 Two services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

FREE lunch for college students following the 10:30 a.m. service gunnisonbethany.com 9 a.m.: Family Service with nursery & children’s church Check out our website for updates!

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

B'nai Butte Congregation

PO Box 2537 Crested, Butte CO 81224 305-803-3648 Spiritual Leader: Rabbi Mark Kula; available for you at RabbiMarkKula@gmail.com (305) 803-3648 www.bnaibutte.org

Church of Christ

600 E. Virginia • 970-641-1588 Sunday Morning Bible Class: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship: 6 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Class: 7 p.m.

Church in the Barn

8007 County Road 887 Waunita Hot Springs Ranch • 970-641-8741 Sundays, 10:30 a.m.

Non Denominational Come as you are

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

STORY DEVELOPMENT

CONTENT CREATION

STORY MARKETING

Faith Directory

Community Church of Gunnison

The Good Samaritan Episcopal Church

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, 9-4 For more info: ccgunnison.com or email info@ ccgunnison.com Join us in-person, listen to our broadcast on 98.3 FM, or view online stream on YouTube Transforming Lives • Building Community

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, 403 Maroon Ave., Crested Butte.

First Baptist Church

Gunnison Congregational Church United Church of Christ

120 N. Pine St. • 970-641-2240 Pastor Jonathan Jones 9:30 a.m. Share & Prayer Fellowship 10 a.m. Sunday School Classes 11 a.m. Morning Worship Service 6 p.m. Evening Service Wednesday 7 p.m. - Children's Patch Club Gunnison Bible Institute Thursday 7 p.m. - College & Career Christian Fellowship www.firstbaptistgunnison.org.

Trinity Baptist Church

523 N. Pine St. • 970-641-1813 Senior Pastor - Joe Ricks Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.

Adult Bible Study 8 a.m. www.trinitybaptistsgunnison.com

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

The Rising Church

92 C.R. 17 • 970-444-1545 Service times: Sundays @ 9:30 a.m., Men’s and Women’s group, Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.

Rising Gen (youth ministry) Thursdays @ 6 p.m.

Gunnisonrising.church for more details!

Rocky Mountain Christian Ministries

1040 Highway 135 (1/4 mile N. of Spencer Ave.) • 970-641-0158 Sunday Morning Worship 9:30 a.m.

Nursery and Children’s ministry through Middle School “Remedy” Worship Nights Small Group Ministries 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 5 p.m. & Sun 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m. (Spanish) Mass First Sunday of every month bilingual Mass 11 a.m.

Queen of All Saints - Crested Butte, 401 Sopris Sun 8:30 a.m. Mass St. Rose of Lima - Lake City Mass Service, Sun. at 10 a.m.

A22 • NEWS • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

A walk for peace in the Middle East On Sunday, Oct. 15, the Crested Butte-based synagogue B’nai Butte led an interfaith demonstration and vigil for peace in acknowledgement of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Participants gathered at Church of the Good Samaritan, lit candles and walked to IOOF Park for speeches and to pen messages of peace. B’nai Butte member and event organizer Stephen Secofsky said the goal wasn’t political debate, but a way for those feeling angry and hurt about the current situation in Israel and Palestine to come together through prayer, good intention and kindness. Vicar Laura Osborne of Church of the Good Samaritan, Reverend Timothy Clark of Crested Butte UCC Congregational Church and Pastor Ian Wrisley of the Gunnison Congregational Church shared short messages.

(Photos by Jacob Spetzler, Abby Harrison and Aric Olson)

YES ON 2B equals healthy recreation facilities and quality streets

WHAT—

2B asks City of Gunnison voters to change Gunnison’s sale tax allocations.

2B reallocates 0.38% (or 38 cents on a $100 purchase) to parks and recreation to maintain recreation facilities, such as, the pool and ice rink, and 0.37% (or 37 cents on a $100 purchase) to maintaining and rehabilitating our existing streets and related infrastructure (including sidewalks and alleys).

2B DOES NOT increase the City of Gunnison’s sales and use tax rate.

WHY—

Ongoing costs to maintain recreation facilities and continue affordable fees is exceeding projections from 20 years ago.

Costs for asphalt, cement, building materials and equipment are growing 3 times faster than the city’s revenue. $1 spent now will cost $8 if our existing streets deteriorate.

RESULT—

Passing 2B ends uncertainty in funding Gunnison’s recreation facilities, such as, the pool and ice rink.

Allows for an asphalt overlay on North 12th to be included in the 2024 budget. With additional projects to follow.

- Paid for by Jim Gelwicks

VOTE MARK VANDERVEER VANDERVEER FOR SCHOOL BOARD BOARD I’m a dedicated parent and and experienced experienced financial financial leader, leader, committed to student success, success, fiscal fiscal responsibility, responsibility, and and teacher support. Your vote vote shapes shapes our our children's children's future. future.

WHO WHO II AM: AM: Independent Independent Thinker Thinker Experienced Financial Financial Leader Leader Advocate for Accountability Accountability A Dad Passionate About About Public Public Schools Schools I STAND STAND FOR: FOR: Bullying Prevention Prevention No Hidden Hidden Agenda Agenda Community-Inclusive Community-Inclusive Decision Decision Making Making Teacher Teacher Support Support Fair Fair Compensation Compensation

Mark VanderVeer VanderVeer Ensuring Ensuring aa better better education education for for our our kids. kids.

Mark4SB.com Mark4SB.com

Paid Paid for for by

by Mark Mark VanderVeer VanderVeer for for Student Student Success Success

Gunnison Country Times

CITY OF GUNNISON OCT. 12 POLICE REPORT OCT. 10 THEFT: INTENDS TO PERMANENTLY DEPRIVE — 1099 N. 11TH ST. HARASSMENT: STRIKE, SHOVE, KICK — S. SPRUCE ST. ANIMAL - VICIOUS/DANGEROUS - MUNICIPAL — 1136 N. COLORADO ST. PROPERTY - FOUND — 200 S. ADAMS ST.

OCT. 11 THEFT - UNDER $100 MUNICIPAL — 900 N. MAIN ST. NUISANCE CODE VIOLATION — 200 N. TAYLOR ST. THEFT - UNDER $100 MUNICIPAL — 900 N. MAIN ST. THEFT - UNDER $100 MUNICIPAL — 900 N. MAIN ST. THEFT - UNDER $100 MUNICIPAL — 900 N. MAIN ST. THEFT - UNDER $100 MUNICIPAL — 900 N. MAIN ST. THEFT - UNDER $100 MUNICIPAL — 900 N. MAIN ST. ACCIDENT — 711 N. TAYLOR ST. THEFT — 900 N. MAIN ST. WELFARE ASSIST — N. COLORADO ST. JUVENILE PROBLEM — REED ST. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE - ALCOHOL — 1000 W. TOMICHI AVE.

Lights & Sirens OCT. 15

PROPERTY - FOUND — 540 ESCALANTE DR. INFORMATION — 880 N. MAIN ST. ACCIDENT — 700 W. DENVER AVE. ASSAULT - MUNICIPAL — W. TOMICHI AVE. ASSAULT: THIRD DEGREE - BODILY INJURY — W. NEW YORK AVE.

AGENCY ASSIST — 2388 HWY. 135

OCT. 13

-Agency assist to the Colorado State Patrol with a two-vehicle accident -Agency assist to the Gunnison Police Department with a harassment complaint -Found cat taken to Gunnison Valley Animal Welfare League by reporting party - male, approximately 1 year old, white with gray spots, missing an ear tip -Agency assist to the CSP with a single-vehicle accident

AGENCY ASSIST — 1010 W. VIRGINIA AVE. ANIMAL - RUNNING AT LARGE MUNICIPAL — 1010 W. VIRGINIA AVE. UNLAWFUL SEXUAL CONTACT: NON-CONSENSUAL — W. OHIO AVE. HARASSMENT — N. WISCONSIN ST. HARASSMENT: MUNICIPAL — N. MAIN ST. ILLEGAL USE OF EMERGENCY LIGHTS (BLUE LIGHTS) — W. HWY. 50 FRONTAGE RD. CRIMINAL MISCHIEF - DAMAGE TO PROPERTY — 215 S. 12TH ST. THEFT: INTENDS TO PERMANENTLY DEPRIVE — 108 S. 12TH ST.

OCT. 14 HARASSMENT — N. MAIN ST. ASSAULT: THIRD DEGREE - BODILY INJURY — N. TAYLOR ST. PROPERTY - FOUND — 1800 W. TOMICHI AVE.

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • NEWS • A23

-Theft of a firearm report -Possible illegal sale of firearms -Welfare check -Domestic violence report - under investigation

GUNNISON COUNTY OCT. 9 SHERIFF’S REPORT OCT. 6

OCT. 7 -Gunnison County Ordinance #5 vicious dog/bite report -Criminal exploitation report -Information report - gunshots heard in Marble -Under age possession/consumption of alcohol report - unfounded -Civil assist - courtesy ride to a juvenile - released to relative

OCT. 8 -Agency assist to the GPD with juveniles -Illegal sale of a firearm -Information report - civil eviction questions

-Search and rescue by Western Mountain Rescue Team -Traffic infraction -Information report -Agency assist for the GPD with a disturbance call

OCT. 10 -Lost property report - wallet -Driving under the influence arrest -Welfare check -In-county warrant arrest -Agency assist to the CSP with a car crash

OCT. 11 -Dog at large - taken to GVAWL found at Hartman Rocks area - retrieved by owner

OCT. 12 -Agency assist to the CSP with a slide-off -Motorist assists -Agency assist to the GPD with a possible assault -Information report - found wallet message left for owner Press release Late afternoon on Oct. 16, 2023, a Gunnison Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to contact a vehicle that

was stolen out of the City of Gunnison earlier on this day. The driver/ suspect of the stolen vehicle attempted to ram the fully-marked patrol unit as it sped off toward Hwy. 92 on Hwy. 50 in Gunnison County.

The deputy pursued the suspect, at which time entered through Montrose County and into Delta County on Hwy. 92. Delta County deputies deployed tire deflating devices near Crawford, Colorado. The vehicle continued through Hotchkiss, where Delta deputies deployed another set of tire deflation devices. Both tires on the driver’s side were successfully deflated by this time, but the vehicle continued on the back roads of Delta County.

The suspect attempted to ram numerous Delta and Montrose deputies during the incident. The vehicle was later located unoccupied near the Delta/Montrose County line just east of Hwy.50.

With the purposeful driving actions of the suspect, it was clear that he was attempting to utilize his vehicle as a weapon to injure not only law enforcement but members of the public as well.

A great appreciation goes out to the Delta County Sheriff’s Office, Delta Police Department and Montrose County Sheriff’s Office for the assistance given in this case.

We will continue to investigate in order to find this person who has no regard for people’s lives or the safety of others.

HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE

THANK YOU

SPONSORS OF THE 11TH ANNUAL CHARITY SCRAMBLE Alpine Lumber Co. Butterfield Fireplaces Crested Butte RV Park Dietrich Dirtworks Dolly’s Shuttle Dunk Enterprises LLC Nations Best Romp Skis Secret Creek Spirits Skyhigh Offroad Western Slope Fire & Safety Inc. 5 B’s BBQ Acli-Mate Acme Liquor Alley Hat Alpine Getaways Back Country Cafe Betty Crabtree Birdies Golf Bar Blackstock Bistro Blue Valley Carpentry Bonez Buckel Family Wine Camp 4 Coffee Casa Bella Center for the Arts

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Mario’s Pizza & Pasta Mark and Staci Bennett McGill’s Montanya Distillers Mountain Spirits Liquors Mountain Windows Niyol Jewlery NuVista Odell Brewery OffCenter Designs Ol’ Miner Steakhouse Old Town Inn Palisades Restaurant Paradise Cafe Pawsitively Native

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Talk of the Town The Dive The Turquoise Junction Three Rivers Rafting Toggery ELEVATED Treads ‘n’ Threads Treasury Liquors Ventura Builders W Cafe Wasted Wedge Will Crim Zacchariah Zypp

A24 • NEWS • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

VOTE FOR STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS THIS FALL DID YOU KNOW? School boards nationwide are being targeted by national partisan agendas.

Our focus is on students valley-wide and the conditions necessary for student and teacher success, not politics.

A VOTE FOR US IS A VOTE FOR Longstanding community values All students, all teachers & all staff Education and balance over ideology No hidden agendas Safe schools Student success in academics AND life beyond the classroom

Scan to learn more or visit SS4SB.com.

WE SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS IN THE GUNNISON VALLEY

ANNE

JODY

Anne is a mother of three children enrolled in the school district. She holds a Master’s Degree in Library & Information Science.

Anne has served on the school board since 2019 and is presently the board secretary.

Dr. Coleman is a retired researcher and Gunnison Watershed School District teacher.

She has over 40 years of teaching experience and holds a degree in Psychometrics. Calling Gunnison home for decades, Jody is actively involved in the community.

BROOKHART

BALLOTS WERE MAILED!

Paid for by Community for Student Success.

VOTE ANNE JODY MARK BALLOTS ARE DUE BY 7PM 11/7/23

MEET & GREET TUESDAY, 10/24 5-7 PM MONTANYA DISTILLERS 204 ELK AVE.

COLEMAN

MARK

VANDERVEER Mark has extensive executive-level financial experience. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Public Accounting.

He is the Gunnison County Electric Assn. Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and formerly served as CFO of Gunnison Valley Health. Mark has two children enrolled in the school district.

THREE SEATS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION PLEASE VOTE FOR: DR. JODY COLEMAN (LISTED 2ND) MARK VANDERVEER (LISTED 4TH) ANNE BROOKHART (LISTED 6TH)

YOUR VOTE MATTERS! THANKS FOR VOTING BALLOTS ARE DUE BY 7 PM ON TUESDAY, 11/7/23. DROPPING YOUR BALLOT OFF IN ONE OF THE MANY GUNNISON COUNTY ELECTION DROP BOXES IS RECCOMMENDED.

PHOTOS: GCS hosts seventh annual color run, B6

COMMUNITY: A look at Firebrands history, B7

SPORTS: GHS volleyball extends winning run, B8

GUNNISON COUNTRY TIMES • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023

Eclipse, a lesson in the power of the sun

Observers gaze at the solar eclipse on Saturday, Oct. 14. (Photos by Jacob Spetzler)

Library and observatory host viewing party Jacob Spetzler Photo Editor

The daylight dimmed in Gunnison and the temperature suddenly dropped about 10 degrees at around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14. The sudden change did not herald the early arrival of winter, but was the effect of a partial solar eclipse as the moon moved in front of the sun. Despite a few shivers, the mood among the people gathered outside of the Gunnison County Library was boisterous — a combination of awe at the astrological phenomenon and a general good time from being outside, surrounded by community on a beautiful fall day.

The viewing party was a collaboration between the library a n d t h e Gu n n i s o n Va l l e y

Observatory (GBO), which supplied solar viewing glasses and a variety of educational materials relating to the event. Local volunteer GBO astronomers and eclipse enthusiasts set up a variety of telescopes so attendees could get a closer look.

Seen from Gunnison, the eclipse was only partial. Even in the most direct path, which p a s s e d t h ro u g h t h e Fo u r Corners area west of the city, the moon never completely covered the sun. At its peak, the moon moved into the center of the sun, like a dark spot obscuring everything but the bright edges, making it an “annular” eclipse as opposed to a total one. This effect, known as the “Ring of Fire,” is due to the moon being slightly farther from the earth than it is during a total eclipse.

The last time an eclipse was visible in North America was in 2017 and the next one will take place on April 8, 2024.

The path of totality will again miss Colorado, moving through Eclipse B2

An observatory volunteer holds up a piece of paper with the word “Eclipse” spelled out in dots which show the shape of the eclipse when the sun shines through.

B2 • ROUNDUP • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Eclipse from B1 central Texas and up into the Midwest. That eclipse will be the last chance to experience the event in North America until 2044.

Locally, the community made the best of this year’s opportunity. The turnout was excellent for the Gunnison viewing party on Saturday. Suzanne Taylor, observatory president and professor of physics and astronomy at Western Colorado University, said humanity’s interest in eclipses is profound and has evolved over time.

“Historically, something like this would have been potentially terrifying,” she said. “Not knowing, ‘Is the sun going to come back? Are the gods angry, have w e d o n e s o m e t h i ng wrong?’”

Now that modern science has let us in on what is happening during an eclipse, it’s a dramatic reminder and moment of connection with two forces that are omnipresent, Taylor said.

“You notice how cold it got there for a little while,” she said, referring to the temperature drop during the peak of the eclipse. “We rely so much on the sun, and sometimes I think we forget.”

There were a variety of ways to view the eclipse on Saturday.

Included among the telescopes set up by observatory volunteers were solar telescopes which are specifically designed

for sun gazing with extra filters to cut out superfluous light and make it safe for human eyes.

On the edge of the crowd, Christopher Ashford, an astrophotographer who volunteers with the GBO, had fitted his astro camera with extra filters and trained it on the overhead phenomenon. The camera transmitted the images to an iPad he held for everyone to see. Those not crouching down to peer through the telescopes wore darkened solar viewing glasses which were handed out free by the library.

For some it wasn't the first time witnessing an eclipse, but for others, it was a brand new experience. Alison Antony came with her husband, Anil, and their three kids. Alison said she had tried to explain an eclipse to her kids in the days leading up to the event, but the actual experience was a better teacher.

“We tried to use objects to show what was going to happen, but it's also kind of hard to explain,” she said. “But [then] we get some special solar glasses so we can actually look up at the sun and see it, and it's totally different to see it. You can really understand what's going on.”

Gunnison Country Times

Jeff Lazo (right), an observatory volunteer, helps Nora Hunt (left) look through a solar telescope.

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

Viewing party attendees laugh while looking up at the eclipse.

THANK YOU TOUGH ENOUGH TO WEAR PINK! Thanks to a generous donation from Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough to Wear Pink, Gunnison Valley Health is one of the only hospitals on the Western Slope to offer automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) screenings for women with dense breast tissue. This breast cancer screening is specifically developed to help doctors find cancers hidden in dense breast tissue, which may be missed by mammography.

We are fortunate to have a strong partnership with Tough Enough to Wear Pink; their support of local healthcare enriches available services. They are a tremendous resource for everyone in our community.”

Excellence IN CANCER CARE is right here at Gunnison Valley Health

WWW.GUNNISONVALLEYHEALTH.ORG

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • ROUNDUP • B3

Gunnison Country Times

Western scholarship program grows with $6.6 million gift Full-rides offered to Gunnison and Crested Butte high school students Seth Mensing Special to the Times

T h i s m o nt h, We s t e r n Colorado University announced an expansion of its Geiman Scholars Program through a generous commitment of $6.6 million from Dave and Jeanne Geiman — which will support the program in perpetuity.

“Dave, through his vision and generosity, has been a transformational figure at Western.

First, his support launched the Geiman Fellows, which is an immersive learning experience for Western students focused on global affairs that includes an international study trip, allowing students to further their learning abroad,” said Western President Brad Baca. “Now, for years to come, the Geiman Scholars Program will strengthen our Valley by illuminating a pathway to a Western education for our most underserved students, making possible what might otherwise have seemed unreachable.”

The Geiman Scholars Program provides low-income, first-generation students who demonstrate academic potential and motivation in high school the opportunity to attend Western with their full cost of attendance covered.

In addition to financial support, the heart of the Geiman Scholars is a mentoring experience that supports high school students as they learn about and prepare for a university education.

The Geiman Scholars Program was launched at Gunnison High School and Crested Butte Community School and currently has eight students in the first cohort. The next program application will open Oct. 31 and close Nov. 17, with participation beginning in 2024.

The latest commitment from the Geiman family will allow the program to grow to as many as 20 students per year with the goal of growing the number of Gunnison Watershed School District graduates attending college, which currently stands at around 60%.

Dave Geiman grew up on a farm in Virginia and received a Bachelor of Science in History and Political Science from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He later received his MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia before embarking on a successful career in agriculture. Dave became engaged with Western after a visit with a former adjunct professor in Crested Butte. Dave and Jeanne reside in Kansas City.

“Jeanne and I are really pleased to be able to do this. We are both first-generation college graduates and were guided and supported by mentors and advisors who knew more about the opportunities than we did,” Dave Geiman said. “We hope the program can do the same for students here and possibly further afield. Western is a unique and welcoming place that can make a huge difference in their lives.”

Election Information You Need

YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE! VOTER REGISTRATION Register To Vote if You: - Are a United States citizen, - Are 16 years of age; however must be 18 to vote in an election.

- Are a Colorado resident for 22 days immediately before the election at which you intend to vote, - Are not serving a term of imprisonment for a felony conviction.

Ballots Mailed to Registered Voters -

-

Voters may complete the ballot and return it by mail or take it to a drop-off location. You do not have to vote on every race or question; the rest of your votes will still be counted.

Completed mail ballots must be received by the county clerk no later than 7PM on Election Day If you do not receive a mail ballot or spoil yours, you may request a replacement from your County Clerk, or vote in person at a Voter Service and Polling Center.

Register and Verify Your Voter Registration at

GoVoteColorado.gov

.org VOTE411 is the nation’s premier online election resource that provides voters with the resources they need to make an informed vote.

The League offers the nonpartisan election ONLINE resource VOTE411.org. This “one-stop shop” for election information provides all voters with simple, accessible tools to help them navigate the voting process.

ACCESS PERSONALIZED VOTING INFORMATION: 1. Go to VOTE411.org 2. Enter your residential address 3. Click SUBMIT to build your sample ballot.* VOTE411 provides personalized candidate information, voter registration details and polling place locations for all voters nationwide including all League sponsored candidate forums and election events.

lwvcolorado.org

lwvcolorado.org

Cafeteria Team Members Needed in Gunnison & Crested Butte We work as a team in a fun environment!

Typical Schedule: 6 AM – 2:30 PM M– F. Part time shifts available.

(Seth Mensing is the media and communications manager at Western Colorado University.)

Necesitamos personal para el equipo de la Cafeteria de Gunnison & Crested Butte ¡ Trabajamos en equipo y en un ambiente divertido !

Horario típico: 6 AM – 2:30 PM de lunes a viernes Hay disponibilidad para jornadas de medio tiempo.

Dave Geiman gives a speech at Western’s Celebration of Giving banquet. (Courtesy Kate Wasson/Western Colorado University)

www.gunnisonschools.net/jobs

B4 • ROUNDUP • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

PEOPLE & HAPPENINGS

Drivers Wanted For The Best Job in Crested Butte!

Part time and full time positions available.

JOIN DOWNTOWNER: we’re a growing transit company focused on technology, a fun work environment and, of course, moving people!

We are looking for friendly and safe drivers to help us provide fare free rides inCrested Butte. Drivers will utilize company vehicles and equipment while on the job.

JOB INFO: • Starting at $24 / hour + health benefits + 401k • Grow long-term with our company • Estimated start date: November 17, 2023 REQUIREMENTS: • Must be at least 25 years old • Clean driving record • Valid driver’s license (no CDL needed) • Comfortable driving in winter conditions Please go to cb.transitjobs.net to apply and we’ll get in touch ASAP! Questions?

Please call 561-573-9767 or email Mfisher@ridedowntowner.com

THE GUNNISON ANGLING SOCIETY Thanks to Donors & Participants for their support of the 2023 Superfly Fishing Tournament DONORS Almont Resort

Umpqua Feather Merchants

CB Mountain Resort / VAIL

Mayfly Outdoors (Abel, Ross, Airflo)

Mochas Mountain Liquor Gunnison Liquor Store Precision Auto Gene Taylors Ace Hardware Dragonfly Anglers The Fly Fishing Show Simms Mountain Sports Products Patagonia Orvis Fishpond

TFO Yeti Smith Optics Howler Brothers Grundens Prois Dan’s Fly Shop Gunnison River Fly Shop Three Rivers Resort Chris DeBow Crested Butte Angler Eleven Angling

The date for the 2024 Superfly Tournament is scheduled for August 23 & 24, 2024

Maui fires fundraiser

Living Journeys

The Asian and Pacific Islander Club at Western Colorado University will host a fundraiser screening of Disney's "Moana" in the WCU campus theater to support those who have suffered from the fires in Maui on Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The event is free and will offer concessions.

Donations are encouraged but not required.

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.

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

Professional therapists facilitate in-person and zoom meetings, no RSVP necessary. Learn more at livingjourneys.org.

Alcoholicos Anonimos Cada semana, lunes y miércoles. 8-9:30 p.m. 101 N. 8th Street, Gunnison. Si tiene alguna pregunta, por favor póngase en contacto 970.275.2241.

Adult Degree Program meeting The American Association of University Women (AAUW) will host an event with Dr. Terry Schliesman on Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Gunnison Library to learn more about Western Colorado University’s newest online venture, an adult degree completion program for returning students.

For more information, contact Sharon Schlegel at 970.641.2883 or Ronda Connaway at 970.641.2638.

Hartman Castle slide show Join Duane Vandenbusche for a slide show highlighting Hartman Castle at the Gunnison Library on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., featuring never before seen photos of Gunnison, Hartman Castle and early ranching, many coming from the Alonzo Hartman scrapbook. The presentation is part of the Hartman Castle preservation effort.

Free legal support The 7th Judicial District will host free volunteer attorney consults and mediation sessions during the week of Oct. 23–27 at the Montrose County Combined Court. Free parenting education workshops will be offered in Spanish on Oct. 27, and in English on Oct. 26-27. Space for mediators and attorneys is limited. Register early. Call 970.252.4312 for more information and to register.

Eating disorder recovery group If you or someone you love is working toward recovery from an eating disorder, this group can offer support. We meet on the second Tuesday of the month (Nov. 14, Dec. 12) from 5:45-6:45 p.m. at the Gunnison Library in Conference Room C. Email Katherine Melland with questions at edrecoverygunni@gmail. com.

Flu shot clinic The Crested Butte Center for the Arts will host a Gunnison County flu shot clinic on Oct. 25. Regular and high dose flu vaccines are available. Please bring a hard copy of insurance cards with IDs to confirm information. The cost is $25 for the vaccine if you are uninsured.

Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted.

Health educator talk Informational talks for families of middle and high school students with sexual health educator Cindy Pierce will be held on Oct. 24 at the Fred Field Center in Gunnison and Oct. 23 and 25 in the Crested Butte Community School cafeteria. Combining years of research with her comedic storytelling skills, Cindy engages audiences with a message supporting adults to help young people make healthy choices and navigate cultural pressures, both online and off.

All talks begin at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be provided. Please RSVP to jjohnson@gunnisoncounty.org.

Rocky Horror Picture Show The Crested Butte Center for the Arts and Firebird Theater will present an outrageously fun screening of the 1975 cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Oct. 27 at the Center.

Featuring an interactive shadow cast starring some of Crested Butte’s brightest stars, this lively event encourages unbridled audience participation.

Costumes are strongly encouraged. Doors open at 7 p.m and the show begins at 8 p.m. $35 entry includes a prop bag with basic callbacks. This event is for those aged 18 and up unless accompanied by an adult.

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • ROUNDUP • B5

Gunnison Country Times

GUEST COMMENTARY

HERE IS WHAT'S

How to choose a dog trainer Coming Up

Dan Estep and Suzanne Hetts Special to the Times

As applied animal behaviorists, for decades now we’ve been working with people whose pets are displaying a variety of problem behaviors.

This includes relieving themselves in the house, fighting with other family pets, getting into trouble when left alone, threatening or biting people, and being afraid of noises, people or unfamiliar environments.

Although our educational and experiential backgrounds are quite different, what we do sometimes overlaps with the work of dog trainers. Dog training has never been subjected to any nationwide — or in most cases — even state standards or licensing requirements.

There are a myriad of professional certifications for trainers, with some more robust and credible than others. The “alphabet soup” of credentialing initials after someone’s name is meaningless unless one takes the time to determine who the certifying body is, and the requirements for certification.

The process of selecting a dog trainer who is going to be effective, relatively efficient, treats both people and dogs with respect and most importantly won’t cause any physical or emotional harm to our canine family members, pretty much places the consumer in a “buyer beware” situation.

Ever y so often self-proclaimed “expert dog trainers” make a particularly big splash on social and mainstream media. A new such individual has surfaced recently and generated lots of controversy and angst among certified trainers and behaviorists, and rightly so.

Unfortunately, more often than not these folks have no professional certifications, their methods are completely disconnected from the sciences of animal learning and behavior and are extremely harsh. It’s difficult for us to watch these sorts of training videos online because we see the fear and stress the dogs are experiencing.

Even well-meaning people who clearly love their dogs are taken in because they see rapid changes in their dogs’ behaviors. These are usually highly aroused, threatening or aggressive dogs who are sometimes also quite fearful. It seems worth it to folks for their dogs to undergo pretty rough handling if the result is swift suppression of the uncontrollable behaviors they’ve been struggling with.

This suppression is usually temporary and comes at a cost.

The costs can be greater unpredictability when dangerous behaviors reappear. And when they do, they can be even more intense. Dogs handled harshly can learn to associate previously benign and/or subtle cues from people — such as quick movements toward them or picking up a leash — and react with threats, aggression and fear. Quick results can result in long-term problems that are worse than the initial ones.

If you are seeking training or behavior help for your dog, remember that rapidness of behavior change should not be your primary criteria. Neither should the marketing or media skills of the trainer. Dogs with behavior problems are often struggling to cope with their

surroundings and need help making better choices about how to do that. The German shepherd, Commander, who was just removed from the White House is a good case in point.

Any sort of training program must focus on how to elicit and reward the behavior you want. Rewards are in the eye of the beholder, but most often the best ones are food or toys.

This should be accompanied by non-harmful, and the least stressful ways to make it harder for the dog to do the wrong thing. Simply stepping on the leash is a better way, for example, to prevent jumping up, than jerking on the leash or raising your knee to hit the dog in the chest. It’s then easy to reinforce the dog for having all four feet on the ground.

No dog should ever be terrified while being trained. No harm, either physical or emotional, should ever come to dogs during training. Learning should be a fun and enjoyable experience, even if it’s sometimes a little frustrating for both dog and owner.

“Dominance” and “pack leadership” are not the foundations of a successful relationship with your dog. Cooperation is the key. Good marketing and a charismatic persona does not a good dog trainer make!

If you’d like more detailed recommendations about how to choose a dog trainer, we have a free download on our website: animalbehaviorassociates. com/guidelines-for-choosinga-dog-trainer-or-behavior-consultant/.

Friday, October 20 from 5-7 pm

TEEN Gaming Guild

Learn to play Dungeons & Dragons and embark on a new campaign!

For ages 10-18

Refreshments provided, free and open to all.

Gunnison Library Teen Lounge

GunnisonCountyLibraries.org

(Suzanne Hetts and Daniel Estep are certified animal behaviorists and part-time residents of the Gunnison Valley.)

N

EE

N O A D

RTHODON

TIS

T?

Dr Matt Caspersen has 20 yrs experience as a board certified Orthodontist

He visits CB Dental every 6-8wks and monitors all his patients remotely decreasing the amount of missed school or work for appointments! *call to schedule a virtual consult* 80 Glacier St Crested Butte South 970-349-5880 www.crestedbuttedentist.com office@crestedbuttedentist.com (Envato)

B6 • ROUNDUP • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

A splash of color The Western Colorado University cross country team doused close to 200 elementary and middle schools in bright colors during the Gunnison Community School’s seventh annual color run two weeks ago. The line of students bottlenecked on the race course as the crowd paused to make sure they got splattered with bursts of blue, purple, orange and green. So many students attended that the GCS crew ran out of white T-shirts, which were donated by OffCenter DeSIGNS. The Gunnison Valley Parent Teacher Association sponsored the event.

(Photos by Bella Biondini)

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • ROUNDUP • B7

Gunnison Country Times

A LOOK BACK IN HISTORY

The Firebrand family turns 21 George Sibley Special to the Times

(This article ran in the Times to celebrate Firebrand’s 21st birthday. It is a look back in history as it prepares to close its door next week. It has been edited for length and republished with permission.)

It is easier to go into a place like the Firebrand Deli than it is to get out. There's always someone there you need to talk with — or someone you'd rather talk with than go do what you should be doing. And the quick breakfast can stretch into, whoops, where did the morning go. And if you go there certain times, like Sunday morning, when the tables of what pass for adults in the valley lack only a small element of formality to resemble an unusually open Unitarian service, you know going in that you're going to be there a while.

A s c o -p ro p r i e t o r H e i d i Magnus says, “More is exchanged here than money for food.” The Firebrand is not the only place in town where people gather to exchange more than money for more than food, drink, or whatever, but a couple things do make it stand out among such places.

For one thing, this Memorial Day weekend just past the Firebrand finished 21 years under its original partnership, the Magnus Sisters, Heidi and Kate. Opening a “deli” emphasizing the vegetarian in cattle country seemed like a strange venture in 1995, but they have made it work for two decades plus. That's a good run for a pair of strong-minded independent women, especially sisters. And there's no evident slowing down now.

But there's another thing ab ou t t h e Fi reb ra n d t hat intrigues this writer, and that is a unique role the Firebrand seems to play for transient young people new to this town — what one such “Firebrand grad,” Stephen Pierotti, called “individuals who are not fully developed and need time and space and freedom to explore just what the hell is going on.”

Frequently young people who consider themselves to be “misfits” in the world. They disappear into Kate's kitchen for a few months or years, and then emerge with a developing sense of who and where they are, and some ideas for what they want to do here — specifically here.

And they start doing it.

This article is about the Firebrand from the perspective of some of those young people –— actually most of them approaching middle-age now — who were “incubated” in the Firebrand.

Leia Morrison, for example: currently a city councilwoman, yoga teacher running her own studio and a consultant on social media marketing. She came here in 1996 to attend Western. The following year she began a three-year stint at the

PEOPLE TRAINING FOR DOGS

Clicking with your dog

Be safe this Halloween!

The boys are watch ing out for you!

Call, text or message me on Facebook for more information!

Kate Magnus points at a wall of memories that has grown over the years inside Firebrand. (Photo by Bella Biondini)

Firebrand.

“I learned about the value of a community there,” she said.

Bu t w hat re a l l y c au g ht Morrison's imagination working at the Firebrand was the “eclectic mix of people in Gunnison,” both on the Firebrand staff and in the customers that she came to know — the base from the ranching part of the community, the gradual influx of people priced out of the upper valley, the ever-changing influx of college students and faculty, young and old professionals, outdoor people, retirees.

“This was why I decided to stay in Gunnison,” she said.

One didn't have to work directly for the sisters to be folded into the Firebrand “family of misfits.” In 2001 climber-writer Luke Mehall was living in a tent at Hartman Rocks, “a full-on hippie, a hobo with a purpose to climb. When I first got into writing here, I would go to the Firebrand and write poetry on napkins. I could have been written off as a vagabond cheapskate but Heidi took a liking to me — like the simple act of giving me a reusable tea container and trusting I would not throw it away.

“I loved the feel of The Firebrand,” Mehall continued, “The Polaroid pictures on the wall, and the sense of community in this very Gunny gathering place. It was a home more than anything I had in those vagabond days. Hartman could get lonely all by myself, but I always had the Firebrand whenever I didn’t want to be alone.”

Another “misfit,” Stephen Pierotti, gained something a little different from watching the sisters as an occasional employee in their first decade.

“As a 20-something it was reassuring to see first hand that one doesn't have to know how to do something to do it.”

A week or two after Pierotti went to work for them, he went on trial for a situation involving an automobile, alcohol and an injured friend. He was sentenced to a month in jail, with work release, but he assumed, when he went in to tell the sisters, that he would probably be quickly terminated. Instead, he said, “What I got was hours, space and support. No judgment. No reminder that my life had become a spiraling bag of you-know-what. I was welcomed into the world of Firebrand misfits.”

Delaney Keating, a compact bundle of positive and exploratory energy, had a bad spell in the late 1990s when “my life fell apart,” a combination of family problems and difficulties at Western (mostly in trying to remain interested). Having sunk into a dark depression, she was actually advised by a friend to go seek work at the Firebrand, somewhat the way one might advise a friend to seek counseling. The sisters don't do counseling, but they did give her some shifts where she said she “washed dishes and cried a lot,” but gradually began to pull her life together in that “merry band of misfits.”

She “graduated” from the Firebrand after three years there, finished college, and has since been self-employed in what looks like an expanding personal universe of evermultiplying interests — almost always with Pierotti's Firebrand sensibility that “one doesn't have to know how to do something to do it.”

Mehall observed that at the Firebrand “the employees always changed, such is the nature of the restaurant industry.” But Jefe Branham was an exception there. He went to work for the sisters a year or so after they opened. He worked his way out of the sink into other responsibilities, until the sisters trusted him to take on the “muffin shift,” which begins at 3:30 a.m. — the early opener who gets everything turned on and warming up, makes the muffins and cookies for the day, and does other prep work. Kate and Heidi and the rest of the morning shift would come in before the sun was up, but the muffin shift required real discipline. Branham did it for 17 years.

Except, that is, when his other life took him away. He became interested in mountain biking, and began disappearing for weeks at a time to compete in long-distance trail events, like the grueling Canada-to-Mexico “Tour Divide.”

Branham finally left the sisters and the muffin shift a few years ago and went to work at Rock and Roll Sports as their bike man, but even though he gets to sleep later, he still sees the Firebrand as a centering point in his life. “The Firebrand is always there; go away and come back, and the Firebrand is the Firebrand.”

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SOCCER: Cowboys hold on to postseason hope, B7

FOOTBALL: GHS steamrolls Meeker, B11

Mountaineers defeat Yellow Jackets 7-0 record marks best season start in 44 years Brenna Barkley Special to the Times

Western Colorado football defeated Black Hills State 35-20 at home on Oct. 14. The victory improves the Mountaineers’ record to 7-0, marking the team’s best start since 1979.

Western opened the game strong as Deyvon Butler scored twice in the first quarter. In the second, Butler completed an 82-yard touchdown run to register three of the Mountaineers’ four touchdowns in the first half.

The Mountaineer defense held Black Hills State to a total of 92 yards in the first. The Yellow Jackets were held to only two field goals in the first half, going into the break 28-3.

Neither team scored in the third, but the Yellow Jackets scored twice in the fourth

including a 50-yard pass to put pressure on the Crimson and Slate late in the game.

The Western lead proved too daunting, and the Mountaine ers accelerate d to victory with a 35-20 win.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Drew Nash contributed to the Mountaineer win with 129 passing yards and one touchdown. He also registered 49 rushing yards with 14 completions on the day.

Butler also had a stellar day with 130 rushing yards over 17 attempts, three touchdowns and three punt returns for a total of 84 yards. On defense, Kendall Lightfoot, Wyatt Buhr and Ricky Freymond each registered one sack for a total of 22 yards.

The Mountaineers return to action at Katy O. Rady Field on Oct. 21 to take on New Mexico Highlands at 1 p.m.

(Brenna Barkley is the Assistant Athletics Communications Director at Western, and can be reached at bbarkley@western.edu.)

(Photo by Jacob Spetzler)

Cowboy volleyball surges into final games After rebuild, Hart is excited for postseason play Alex McCrindle Times Sports Editor

The Cowboy volleyball team extended its winning streak to four after a 3-0 shutout against Telluride on Oct. 13.

The win notched GHS’s season record to 14-1 overall, while the team sits second in the 3A Western Slope League at 4-1.

The girls haven’t dropped a set since the loss to Delta last month. Now, the Cowboys await four remaining regular season games and the possibility of an exciting postseason.

After missing out on regionals

last year, Head Coach Lindsay D a k o t a S a h a g u n , R y a n n Hart worked with Athletic Nordberg and Clara Trezise for Director Kevin Mickelson and their pivotal roles in rebuilding Principal Jim Woytek to revamp the program. t h e t e a m s’ g ro u n d r u l e s.

“I’ve received a lot of comTogether, they implemented pliments this season, but truly team cuts, and a behavior and it’s not me, it's these kids,” attendance policy to hold ath- Hart said. “They do everything, letes to higher standards. they’re willing to work hard, I’m “Last year, I wasn’t able to just here to push them a little give those girls the experience bit. Our seniors are working to I wanted to give them, and I leave a legacy. They’re changwill forever regret that — but ing the outcomes of games, the you can’t change the past.” Hart outlook of our team and going said. “Since then, we’ve intro- above and beyond to reform Gomez at attacks the net. (Photo by Jacob Spetzler) duced a new policy. It came this team.” down to ‘Follow the rules or you The Cowboys traveled on won’t be on the team.’ Some felt Tuesday, Oct. 17 to face the 8-4 The final regular season said. “These girls are super talit was too harsh, but it’s been Rifle Bears in a league match- results will determine the ented, they really want it and crucial to growing our strong up. Scores were not available Cowboys’ seed in the upcoming they care about each other. Now team culture.” by press time. The final regu- regional tournament. If placed we just need to finish the reguBehind the coaching staff lar season home game is slated in the top 12, GHS will host the lar season strong.”

FRIDAY FEB. 10 SATURDAY FEB. 11 are six senior leaders who have for Oct. 20 at 5 p.m., followed first postseason game.

Basketball v Fort WCU Basketball stepped up big this WCU season.

by Lewis competitions againstv Adams Coal “Our ultimate goal has always (Alex McCrindle can be conWomen 5:30 pm | Men 7:30pm Women 5 pm | Men 7 pm Hart credited Lily Wild, Ania Ridge and Crested Butte away been to win regionals and make tacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@ GHS Basketball von Meeker GHS Basketball v Roaring Fork the state tournament,” Hart Bryniarski, Addie Frymoyer, Oct. 21 and 26. gunnisontimes.com.)

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Thursday, October 19, 2023 • ROUNDUP • B9

Gunnison Country Times

GHS softball falls to Lamar at regionals Emotional finale Brooke Rickert, Nicola Roberts, themselves,” DiLorenzo said.

Ricks and Taylor Grosse, “That mindset is the only way for senior class Grace the loss marks the last time they to build a winning tradition and Alex McCrindle Times Sports Editor

For the second consecutive season, the GHS softball season came to a devastating end against the Lamar Thunder. The Cowboys fell 15-3 in the first round of the regional tournament on Oct. 14, ending the season with a 13-10 overall record.

“We made some uncharacteristic errors, and struggled to loosen up throughout the day,” said Head Coach Leslie DiLorenzo. “But we’ve had some younger girls step up in leadership positions this year, and that’s a really positive takeaway.”

For seniors Hannah Elfenbein, Mallor y Kowal,

will lace up their cleats for the Gunnison Cowboys.

“The game was very disappointing for myself and for the team,” Ricks said. “There were a lot of tears all around, and it was tough for our seniors, knowing it was our last game.

We all believed we could make it to state. It hurt to fall short of that.”

Despite the heaviness of an early postseason exit, the coaches and players are already sharing their excitement about the promising junior and sophomore classes. DiLorenzo said the program will continue to aim for a top-16 seed and the goal of hosting a regional contest.

“We want our girls to keep pushing hard and learning to play for something bigger than

keep improving this program.”

Upon graduation, R icks shared her plans of embarking on a gap year mission trip to the Pacific Rim countries of the Philippines or Thailand.

The senior catcher said she has made so many memories playing softball at GHS. “I'm going to miss the team so much, we’ve really grown together throughout the past four years,” she said. “The team dynamic we’ve made is really special. I’m excited to watch next year's team. We have a lot of strong players moving up, and I think they will go far.”

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

‘The Magnificent 13’ The Gunnison High School JV football team capped off its final home game of the season with a 24-22 victory over the Salida Spartans. Armed with only 13 players, the small program has left an impression on coaching staff as being one of the “hardest-hitting and grittiest teams” in recent memory. “With the small team that we have, a lot of our guys are taking every single rep on both offense and defense,” said JV coach Chase Starman. “They were firing on all cylinders against Salida, and flew around and made plays.” With freshman quarterback Jorge Perez in pocket, the Cowboys have relied on sophomore running back Cody Casebolt and wide receivers Ryder Vincent and Everett Maxwell for a productive offense. The JV boys close out the season away with a face-off against Buena Vista on Oct. 24.

Isabella Crown is waved home by Coach DiLorenzo. (Photo by Jacob Spetzler)

All Stars are softball champions The Six Points All Stars softball team was crowned the champion of the 2023 fall adult softball league on Oct. 10. The All Stars pulled through in a nail-biting championship finale, finishing 16-11. After the final pitch, the team celebrated at home plate with the winner’s trophy.

Jorge Perez fights through a legion of Spartans. (Photos by Jacob Spetzler)

The Cowboys defense attempts to block the field goal.

(Courtesy Daniel Bruce)

B10 • ROUNDUP • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

WELCOME! FAMILY WEEKEND THE MUSIC MIX OF WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 7:30PM @ KINCAID CONCERT HALL

The WCU Drum Line The Western Calypso Steel Band

Soccer season depends on ‘must-win’ game at Aspen Hope for a postseason hangs by a thread for the GHS soccer team. The boys tied Basalt 2-2 and Delta 1-1 in crucial league matches, before falling 4-0 to Rifle on Oct. 14. Now, the season comes down to a final away league game against Aspen on Thursday, Oct. 19. The result will largely decide if GHS can finish in the top 32 teams and qualify for postseason play. Results were not available by press time.

Western Chamber Singers

Faculty Members, Dr. Darkson Magrinelli, Dr. Benjamin Justis, Dr. Brett Keating, and Dr. Martha Violet

Plus:

Flute Guest Artist Dr. Fabiana Magrinelli and The Mountaineers Jazz Band

Thank you! Sponsored by Teresa Anderson Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices

Sponsor a concert or become a member at: westernUp.org\music Western Music Partners panderson@western.edu Alonso Garcia takes a corner kick. (Photos by Jacob Spetzler)

Ladies Spa Night

AT GUNNISON VALLEY HEALTH

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Coach Powers talks to the team during a break.

Mocktails & Appetizers Mini Ortho-Bionomy Sessions

MAMMOGRAM SLOTS ARE AVAILABLE!

Mammograms are free for the uninsured courtesy of Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough To Wear Pink.

A limited number of slots are available, pre-registration required.

Call 970-641-7253

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Junior Evaristo Medina throws the ball into play.

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • ROUNDUP • B11

Gunnison Country Times

Cowboys win gunfight against Meeker The GHS football team walked away victorious from the Cowboy vs. Cowboy duel on Oct. 13. At home against the Meeker Cowboys, GHS put together a dominant performance on both sides of the football to win 30-26. Defense notched five interceptions, while quarterback Mason Williams and running back Grady Buckhanan led the offense. The Cowboys were dealt another setback when Williams left in the second quarter with a collarbone injury. Ethan Pierce replaced him and put together a promising showing to seal the victory. The Cowboys return home on Oct. 20 to play their final home game of the season against the 5-2 North Fork Miners.

GUNNISON VALLEY HEALTH

WOMEN’S HEALTH CLINIC COMPREHENSIVE GYNECOLOGICAL CARE TO SUPPORT THE HEALTH OF WOMEN OF ALL AGES. Services Include: • Hormone Replacement Therapy • Menopause Care • Infertility Evaluation • Evaluation and Treatment of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding & Irregular Menstruation

Grady Buckhanan runs the ball. (Photos by Jacob Spetzler)

• Endometriosis Evaluation & Treatment • Ovarian Cyst Evaluation & Treatment • Hysterectomy

Dr. Deborah Tozer, MD

Joy McElyea, WHNP

The clinic is open on Mondays and Wednesdays and is located in the specialty clinic at the hospital.

Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling 970-641-3927. More information about the specific services offered is available at WWW.GUNNISONVALLEYHEALTH.ORG/WOMENSHEALTH.

WOUND CARE CLINIC

AT GUNNISON VALLEY HEALTH Specialized Care To Help You Heal Tate Tarmarcaz blocks a Bruins defender.

Our skilled team are all experts in both acute and chronic wound healing.

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All Wounds Heal Differently The precise timeline for a wound to heal depends on many factors and differs from person to person. However, if your wound had not healed after 30 days, it is time to seek treatment.

For more information or to schedule please call 970-641-3927 Ryder Vincent watches the game.

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B12 • ROUNDUP • Thursday, October 19, 2023 GUNNISON CO

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Gunnison Country Times

Gunnison riders rip into postseason Cowboy mountain biking finishes regular season strong Lisa Wishard Special to the Times

The GHS mountain bike team finished its regular season last weekend at the Haymaker Classic in Eagle.

The course was a 6-mile loop with 600 feet of climbing per lap. Riders competed across two laps, while varsity athletes rode three. The team finished the year second overall for Division Two teams in the Cr ystal region by a mere 21 points. The Crested Butte Devo finished first in the region for Division Three.

The temperature and races heated up during the first race of the day for JV, sophomore and freshman girls. JV girls Olivia Neyman (1:01:45), Nora L e e (1:04:41), Abby Cattles (1:05:35) and Megan VanderVeer (1:16:40) all had excellent races. Sophomore girls Ava Baer (1:11:50), Emily Cattles (1:12:51), Jacey Jones (1:13:02), June Ebbot (1:15:16) and Aya Hausdoerffer (1:17:55) also had stellar rides. The Gunnison team has no freshman girls, but CB Devo rider Brie Bender (1:04:01) finished second overall in the region.

As the dust rose and settled on the course, the sophomore and freshman boys brought the heat. Owen Frazier (51:09) again dominated the field, finishing first and taking the points leader jersey from second-place finisher Temple Roberston ( 5 2 : 1 7 ) o f C re s t e d Bu tt e.

Fellow freshman riders Kyle Mason (54:54) and Bruce Lafoe (1:03:06) both finished strong.

Sophomore Collin Bloomer

CB Devo rider Conner Knight and GHS rider Allie Schwartz earned the prestigious Slingshot award. (Courtesy Lisa Wishard)

(59:46) posted an excellent time with big grins.

Before the JV boys raced, senior and legacy riders (bikers who have ridden all four years of their high school careers) received a ceremonial and emotional send-off. Then, the JV boys raced hard and stirred up some dust and powerful finishes from Liam Tullous (54:23), Rowen Downum (57:30), Porter Houck (57:32) and Raiden Janelle (1:13:09).

The varsity boys and girls had the last race of the day.

Gunnison varsity rider Allie Schwartz (1:35:57) led the team in points earned and also won the prestigious Slingshot award for female riders in the region — honoring riders who show the most improvement for their individual placing.

"Everybody worked hard and improved each race throughout the season,” said sophomore

Ava Baer. “It was great to see the payoff celebrating together with our second place overall finish for the Crystal Region, our senior legacy rider and captain Allie Swartz winning the slingshot award, and our freshman rider, Owen Frazier, taking the leader and regional champion jerseys with his win."

"It has been inspiring to watch the riders and program grow and improve over this season,” said parent Kelley Baer.

“They support and push one another to be their very best. It has been a true team effort."

Next up, the Cowboys head to the state championship race Oct. 21-22 in Glenwood Springs.

For complete results visit my.raceresult.com/265285/ results.

(Lisa Wishard is a parent and proud supporter of the GHS mountain biking team.)

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The GHS mountain bike team took second place for Division 2 teams in the Crystal Region for the season.

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • ROUNDUP • B13

Gunnison Country Times

The Tenderfoot tour In late September, sixth graders from Gunnison Middle School completed their annual field trip up Tenderfoot or “W” Mountain.

Professor Lynn Sikkink from Western Colorado University’s anthropology department and Landan Schaller, a graduate of Western's anthropology department and the Masters in Environmental Management program, led the tour. The pair met the sixth graders on top for a short discussion about the Folsom people, ancient inhabitants of Tenderfoot Mountain.

(Courtesy Andy Dunda)

GMS announces students of the month Gunnison Middle School recently honored its September students of the month. The Mustang focus for September was “I treat myself and others with kindness and dignity.” These students were nominated by their teachers with this focus in mind.

6th grade: Penny Tidwell, Miguel Lopez Rodriguez 7th grade: Adan Estrada, Rowan Seward 8th grade: Kodi Church, Bennett Miramon Elective team: 6th: Luka Olmstead 7th: Kasen Bruton 8th: Mirabelle Bodin (not pictured). (Courtesy Andy Dunda)

www.gunnisontimes.com ONLINE ALL THE TIME!

B14 • ROUNDUP • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

VETERANS’VOICE

Stories, news and resources for those who have served.

The Air Force way — part two Bob Wojtko Special to the Times

I was discharged from the Air Force in August 1970. My electronics training and experience gained made me a valuable employee in the civilian job market. As proof, I got a job as an electronics repairman with Sony three days after returning home. The goal of employees during that time was to constantly ‘move up’ in the job market. I did.

My next job was as manager of Rockwell International’s power tool service center in lower Manhattan. Five years after that I became the manager of the Panasonic repair facility in Hempstead, New York.

These jobs were all a step up in responsibility and compensation.

Next came a job at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York working with three other people to computerize the savings bond section. After that, I became the assistant supervisor in the government bond division at the Federal Reserve, but decided that commuting seven hours a day from Long Island was not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. While working these full time jobs, I completed college at Pace University at night while married and raising a family. It’s amazing what you can do when you’re young and full of energy!

The commute did enable me to complete my college assignments on the train and read the entire New York Times every day. However, seven hours a day was as long as I spent at work. I decided to look elsewhere for my next career and, especially, spend more time with my growing family. I was hired as a mainframe computer operator at IBM in Fishkill, New York.

The data center was about 100,000 square feet. Remember, computers and their peripher-

(Courtesy Bob Wojtko)

als were physically much bigger 40 years ago. Sometimes the job and computer operator become as one — and I did. I knew where each job was running and what jobs I would queue up next. Quite a trip!

After five years as an operator, they asked me if I’d like to be an instructor in Boulder, Colorado.

I accepted the assignment and IBM moved us to Colorado. This was a wonderful move for the family. The four kids’ ear infections stopped, like magic. As important was that I enjoyed

teaching computer operations to the dozens of employees who were in my department. I taught for about three years, and IBM offered me a job as a programmer.

I graduated from boot camp — I mean the 16-week prog ra m m e r ’s s ch o o l — a n d became a system programmer in the federal systems division of IBM working with the Department of Defense and U. S. Air Force on the satellite surveillance system. This was the system used

to monitor ICBM launches in the event of nuclear war. Our department was able to modify the existing system to detect the launch of SCUD missiles during Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. We designed and tested mobile detection vehicles which were sent to protect our assets in the Middle East. SCUD launch information that was obtained through satellites and processed by our system was relayed to our Patriot Missile installations in Kuwait, which we all know from the news, suc-

cessfully intercepted 99% of the SCUDS. Perhaps we prevented WWIII! Needless to say, I’m very proud of our contribution to the success of the war effort.

Just think, this all happened because of my enlisting in the Air Force and getting my start in their tech schools. It was a blessing for me — and perhaps for the whole world.

(Bob Wojtko is a Gunnison resident and veteran of the U.S. Air Force.)

PROUD TO SUPPORT GUNNISON VALLEY VETERANS VETERAN EVENTS & LOCAL INFORMATION WED. OCT 18TH: AMERICAN LEGION POST 54 MONTHLY MEETING, DINNER AT 5PM, MEETING STARTS AT 6PM. ALL VETERANS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. SAT. NOV 4TH: VETERAN BREAKFAST AT THE AMERICAN LEGION, 9AM-11AM. ALL VETERANS, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS PLEASE JOIN US! FRI. NOV 10TH IS THE MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY! SAT. NOV 11TH IS VETERANS DAY! EVERYONE IS INVITED TO THE BIG FLAGPOLE IN LEGION PARK FOR OUR ANNUAL CEREMONY AT 11AM. CHILI AND CORNBREAD AT THE LEGION POST AFTERWARD. COME CHECK OUT OUR REMODELED BATHROOM AND HANDICAP ACCESS!

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Interested in sponsoring this page? Contact Steve to learn more, steve@gunnisontimes.com or 970.641.1414

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • ROUNDUP • B15

Gunnison Country Times

Hitting the target The Gunnison Sportsmen’s Association Gun Club hosted the first of three sight-in sessions last week, Oct. 12-14, preparing both visiting and local hunters for the coming season.

The next session is scheduled to begin on Oct. 25.

GUNNISON VALLEY SENIORS CALENDAR THANK YOU!!!! To all of our Senior Meals sponsors, partners & donors. You feed our community!! City of Gunnison, Gunnison County, Gunnison Savings & Loan Association, Gunnison Home Association, Colorado Housing & Finance Authority, Mountain Roots Food Project, Dos Rios Golf Course, Gunnison Country Food Pantry, Region 10, RSVP & many individual donors and volunteers. We you!

Delivery Assistance Hotline: (970) 641-7959 - assistance withlove ordering,

Ongoing Senior Services

pick-up and delivery of groceries and prescription medications.

SENIOR CENTER PROGRAMS This includes deliveries from the Food Bank.

• Stay Tuned! Fall & Winter workshops will be announced soon. To put in a request for a

Senior Meals:or(970) 641-8272 orders OR (970) 641-2107 for workshop special event, sendfor anadvance email to: egillis@gunnisonco.gov. same-day service. Pick-up or delivery only! Meals served Mondays, this@time.

Wednesdays, & Fridays.

Please note: all(2nd, days3rd, are& $4 Regular Activities: Mondays – Bridge @ 1 all pm;meals, Tuesdays 4th)during – Canasta 2pm;inWednesdays Book Club @ 1 pm on 1stmenu: Weds. of month; Thursdays – Bridge @ 1 pm; Order advance if– possible!

Upcoming Fridays – Art Club @ 12:30 pm & Mahjong @ 1 pm • March 27: Lasagna, green beans, salad, garlic bread, dessert All RSVPs and more info on Senior Center programs: egillis@gunnisonco.gov or 970-641• March 8272. 30: Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, fruit, dessert • April 1: Stew, carrot/raisin salad, Mandarin oranges, rolls, dessert (Photos by Jacob Spetzler)

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

Mondays & Wednesdays in the Gym Senior Shopping Hours: • Silver Sneakers Boom Muscle @ 9:30 am • City• Market – Mondays, Fridays (7AM – 8AM) Silver Sneakers Classic @Wednesdays, 10:15 am

• Safeway – Tuesdays & Thursdays (7AM – 9AM) Tuesdays @ 10am in the Leisure Pool (6AM 7AM) • Walmart Tuesdays • Silver –Sneakers Splash Class–(all levels) • Gunnison Vitamin & Health Food Store – Monday - Saturday (8AM – 9AM) SENIORMarket MEALS (Crested Butte) – Every day (8AM – 9AM) • Clark’s Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 11:30 am. $5.00 per meals. Advanced orders appreciate (24 hours). Pick-ups between 11 – 11:15 am (advanced orders only).

ORDER MEALS:Form: 970-641-8272 Self-reporting www.gunnisoncounty.org/covid19.

MENU: (all meals come with are dessert!)

If you have symptoms but otherwise OK, please fill out the form.

Mon., Oct. 16: Beef Stroganoff, spinach, cucumber salad, homemade rolls, fruit If you•• cannot fill out the form, call the Call Center (970) 641-7660.

Weds., Oct. 18: Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, Jello with fruit, homemade

bread.

• Fri., Oct. 20: Potato Soup with hamare & Grilled Cheese sandwich,cannot peas, fruit Call Center: (970) 641-7660.

If you having symptoms, fill out the

Boy Scouts honor Western professor Western Colorado University biology professor Shan Hays was honored on Oct. 5 with the Elbert K. Fretwell Outstanding Educator Award from Scouts BSA. Hays was selected after a slate of interviews and letters of support from Western faculty and students. The Fretwell Award is given to educators who exemplify the principles of the Scout Oath and Law: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent within their classrooms. Clay Campbell, assistant council commissioner of the Greater Colorado Council, and Margaret Cranor, from the local Scout Troop 476, presented the award.

(Courtesy Margaret Cranor)

online form, or your symptoms areadults worsening, the Call Walk-in & visitors welcome!

Homebound ages 55 &call up eligible for Center. delivery. IfDO youNOT need go a GVH Senior 970-596-6700 in advance). toride, yourcalldoctor’s orBus the@hospital.

If it(call is an emergency, call 911.

ONGOING SERVICES Please social isolation. feet or more fromThursdays othersforwhen Gunnisonpractice Country Food Pantry – Mondays Remain (1 – 4 pm),6Wednesdays (1 – 7 pm), 60+ (10 am – 2 pm). Contact: 970-641-4156, Located on the SW Corner of Main St. & Ohio Ave. needing to be out, but staying at home if at all possible.

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

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

The Gunnison Senior Office: Center Gunnison County HHS Senior Resource Call&forCommunity appointments.Recreation 970-641-3244.Center NEW COVID Vaccine – now available!isCheck withuntil City Market closed AprilPharmacy 30th. (970-641-6379); WalMart Pharmacy (970-641-1145); Public Health (970-641-3244)

GIDDYUP LULAC celebrates Spanish Heritage Month

GHS students learn wilderness response

Kleber Flores Giddyup Staff Writer

Ryder Church Giddyup Staff Writer

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month at Gunnis on High School (GHS).

The main events began on Sept. 18 and went through the whole week with a lot of fun activities happening each day.

LULAC sold all kinds of food during breakfast and at lunch time. On Thursday, Sept. 21, LULAC performed a special dance that illustrated the different kinds of unique culture and displayed their heritage.

City of Gunnison Mayor Diego Plata came to GHS and read the promplication of Hispanic Heritage Month during the assembly.

Gunnison High School is offering a new course for Wilderness First Response (WFR) certification. WFR is a program designed to teach people how to give basic medical care in the wilderness or in other situations where medical care is not available. This course is often required for any person interested in working in the outdoor recreation field.

Taking WFR through the school is free. Tuition for other available courses range from $450-$2,400. WFR also counts as a school elective credit, with 30 hours online and 50 hours in person. Deakun Summer, Rylee Berry and Dakota Redden

Last Year’s LULAC members celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. (Photo

by Kleber Flores)

LULAC raffle tickets were sold all throughout the week.

The winners of the piñata raffle on Sept. 22 were Mckenzie Singer and Cesar Marmolejo.

On Sept. 19 LULAC gave away Mexican bread with hot chocolate to share cultural foods with the school.

LULAC is a small club created almost fifteen years ago

for Hispanics students to come closer and just have fun together. The goal is to learn new information about each other and to embrace newculture.

are the first students to take the course.

“I take the course because it is useful to know the skills involved,” Berry said.

Anyone interested in taking the course can contact Austin Gibney, the Pathways school counselor.

“I hope to expand the program,” Gibney said.

(Left to right): Deakun Summers, Rylee Berry and Dakota Redden.

(Photo by Ryder Church)

GHS struggles with school spirit Cooper Imel Giddyup Staff Writer

People in the community have noticed the low level of energy at GHS sports events and are hoping for that to change. Gunnison High School Principal Jim Woytek plans to make sure students have the classic high school experience by improving school spirit.

At the volleyball games and football game held on Friday, Aug. 25, people noticed how low the energy levels were from the student sections. When this was brought to Woytek’s attention, he started to brainstorm ways to fix that problem.

Woytek’s plans include promoting the newly founded “G Club,” increasing the number of assemblies and encouraging upperclassmen to be good lead-

ers for the underclassmen.

In order to get the freshmen more involved, the now mandatory class, Cowboy 101, is focusing on building a better school community. In this class, freshmen learn about GHS culture and basic high school skills.

“Being in Cowboy 101 has taught me what it means to be a Cowboy,” said freshman Althea Stansbery. “From what the culture of the high school is to the support people need to give so they can receive, this class has taught me a lot. I feel like my grade is picking up organization skills with the help of my teacher’s motivation.”

The G Club is a student-led group that is pushing for students to support all GHS sports and extracurricular activities. This club was founded by coaches Dave Uhrig and Leslie

DiLorenzo. Students who have lettered in academics or athletics can take part.

More frequent assemblies will include all grades. By doing this, Woytek said that he hopes to bring the students closer and get them to be more of a community. As the school year goes on, younger students will learn chants and cheers that students do in the bullpen at games.

Energy levels will rise, games will be more fun to attend and the players will feel more support from their fellow classmates.

Woytek also said that enforcing seniority in the bullpen, placing older students closer to the competition while younger students are closer to the back, will be a step in the process. By doing this, the student leaders are in the front of the Bullpen so

Students watch the GHS volleyball team in a recent game. (Photo by Cooper Imel)

younger kids can see them and be encouraged to do the same things as them.

© 2023 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 39, No. 46

Practice writing in runes. Rewrite each of the following words with runes. Then spell each of your spelling words in runes!

The most ferocious Viking warriors were called Berserkers. (That’s where the phrase “going berserk” comes from.)

Standards Link: Language Arts: Vocabulary: Understand the origins and meaning of words in English.

Long ago, a people called Vikings lived in what is now Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Rocks and thin soil In 1016, a Viking became king of England. His name was King Cnut. He was a wise ruler who brought peace.

made it difficult for Vikings to grow crops or raise animals for food. The people were often hungry.

I put the king back in Viking!

Viking men built ships and sailed to England and France. There they attacked towns, robbed them of food and took prisoners. Sometimes they stayed and took over the towns. At one time, the Vikings ruled most of what is now England and the Normandy area of France.

Some Vikings even tried to live in America. In 1002 (more than 400 years before Columbus), a Viking called Leif (pronounced “leaf”) Ericson landed with a group of people and set up a village in North America.

They stayed about two years. Difficult conditions forced them to leave.

Standards Link: History: Explain the aims, obstacles and accomplishments of the explorers.

Give yourself a point for each word you translate into runes.

How many silly things can you find in this bunch of Berserkers?

The letters in the Viking alphabet are called runes.

The word rune means secret in their language. Use the runes to find out why the letters were called secret.

A

B

C

D E

IJ K

L

M

R

T

UVW

S

F

N

G

O

X

H

P Q

Y

Z

Vikings didn’t have paper and ink. Messages were carved in wood or stone. That is why the runes are made of straight lines only; curves are hard to carve.

3

4

15

13

12

5 6 11

10

9

8

7

Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Follow simple written directions.

Newspaper Time Travel Select three pages from the newspaper. Be sure each page is from a different section.

Recreate each page as if it was written in Viking times.

Standards Link: History: Detect different historical points of view.

You have probably seen comic strips or movies that show Viking helmets with horns. But most Viking experts doubt that Viking helmets actually had horns.

Can you find the two Vikings that are identical?

11-15 Words: WORD WARRIOR 16 -25 Words: TOTALLY BERSERK! Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Answer questions based on information in text.

Search through the newspaper to find: • Something a Viking might have had.

• Something ferocious.

• Something that means the opposite of ferocious.

Standards Link: Language Arts/Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.

This animal was brought along on many Viking sea journeys.

If the captain of the ship lost his way, he would let this animal go.

It always headed toward land, showing the 18 19 Vikings which way to go. A Viking ship 17 1 often had a flag with this animal’s picture.

What was it? Connect the dots and use 16 the runes to find out.

2

14

SCORE: Write 5 -10 Words: JUNIOR VIKING

BERSERKERS VIKING CNUT S U B M U L O C M E RUNES S R E K R E S R E B SECRET HORNS Y H E L M E T S S S FRANCE M L F E C E G T E N SYMBOL B O I R C N O N T R HELMETS O S E T I N U H E O STONE L T L K E R A T E H COLUMBUS B L I O S E V R U C CURVES LOST R V S E R L E I F K LEIF Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical SOIL words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

With hundreds of topics, every Kid Scoop printable activity pack features six-to-seven pages of high-interest extra learning activities for home and school! Get your free sample today at:

This week’s word:

BERSERK

The adjective berserk means to go wild or act out of control.

Jason went berserk opening his birthday presents, ripping the paper to shreds.

Use the word berserk in a sentence today when talking with your friends and family members.

Explorer Report

Pretend you are a news reporter on a trip with a group of explorers. Write a news report about what you are exploring.

Be sure to tell who, what, when, where, why and how.

B18 • ROUNDUP • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

Farmers market heads into final week

FAMILY MEDICINE CLINIC

Local vendors set up tents next to IOOF Park on Saturday, Oct. 14, for the second-to-last Gunnison Farmer’s Market of the 2023 season. The final market will take place this coming Saturday, Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

PRIMARY CARE IN GUNNISON & CRESTED BUTTE Whether it’s family medicine, internal medicine or pediatric care, our highly qualified and personable providers are your partners in health.

Primary care for the whole family including: • Routine wellness check for children and adults • Diagnosis of medical conditions

• Treatment of injury & illness • Vaccines & flu shots • Medicare annual visits

In Gunnison: Monday - Friday In Crested Butte: Tuesday - Thursday To schedule an appointment, contact: 970-642-8413 WWW.GUNNISONVALLEYHEALTH.ORG

(Photos by Jacob Spetzler)

Thursday, October 19, 2023 • ROUNDUP • B19

Gunnison Country Times

Healthy Halloween snack options Celebrate with less sugar this year Halloween is a magical time of year. Homes are adorned with festive fall accouterments, including hay bails, pumpkins and mums as well as the black, purple and orange decorations that are unique to a season of ghouls and goblins.

Although decorating is a large part of the fun of Halloween, the sweet treats that are distributed to trick-or-treaters and presented at Halloween parties are arguably the most popular component of this beloved holiday. Candy is everywhere come Halloween. The National Confectioners’ Association reports that Halloween is the largest confectionery holiday, followed by Easter and Christmas. The National Retail Federation and NCA indicate the average American consumes 3.4 pounds of candy around Halloween, and 600 million pounds of candy are purchased across the country for the holiday.

Is it possible to escape the Halloween sugar overload? For those who want to enjoy some healthier options than candy corns and other sweet staples, these ideas are not so frightening.

Pizza mummy Use slices of toasted sandwich bread or English muffins to make some spooktacular fare.

Coat the bread with pizza sauce.

Then place thin vertical slices of mozzarella cheese in a haphazard pattern to replicate the look of gauze on a mummy.

Two pieces of sliced black olives serve as the eyes.

White, orange and yellow platter Simulate the look of candy corn white, orange and yellow with healthier offerings. Stack cauliflower, or another white food like monterey jack cheese, baby carrots and yellow bell peppers on a platter. Serve with your favorite dip.

Healthy Halloween snacks are easy and fun for the whole family. (Metro Creative)

Deviled brains Turn regular deviled eggs into something more sinister for Halloween buffet tables. Simply add food coloring to the filling to create a pinkish-brown hue that resembles a human brain.

Then use a piping bag fitted with a thin icing tip to pipe the shape of brains onto the hard boiled egg halves.

Veggie skeleton Use assorted vegetable slices,

cheese sticks, fruits, nuts and more to create a Halloweeninspired charcuterie board.

Arrange everything to resemble a skeleton on the platter.

to make the eyes of the ghosts.

Place in the refrigerator to harden.

Ghostly bananas

Use buttery crackers or something similar for this recipe.

Spread a relatively thick layer of cream cheese (or peanut butter if allergies are not a concern) on one cracker. Cut thin pretzel sticks in half and use four on each side to make spider legs, sticking them into the cream

Insert popsicle sticks into the bottoms of bananas and freeze until solid. Prepare white melting chocolate according to directions, then dip the frozen bananas into it. While wet, stick on two mini chocolate chips

Spider crackers

cheese. Top with another cracker and secure it to the cream cheese. Raisins connected with more cream cheese complete the eyes of the spiders.

Anyone can use imagination to make delectable and healthy Halloween offerings instead of more sweets.

(Source: Metro Creative.)

RECREATION SURVEY RESULTS IMPROVED MORE SPACE TRANSIT TO FOR GAMES TRAILHEADS

SPORTS & PRACTICE

MORE RECREATION PATHS IMPROVED

MORE SPACE SUMMER FOR SWIMMING TRAILS

B20 • ROUNDUP • Thursday, October 19, 2023

Gunnison Country Times

VOTE ANNE BROOKHART FOR SCHOOL BOARD

WHO I AM!

WHO I’M NOT

I am an experienced, incumbent candidate who cares about student success (health, engagement, and achievement).

I am not driven by political ideology, personal gain, or a national agenda.

I am a parent of 3 students in the district. I am working to improve parent-school communication.

I am in favor of a new district-wide strategic plan, made with great community involvement.

Paid for by Anne Brookhart for Student Success / Agent: Lynn Cudlip

I am not trying to control access to books and curriculum for other people’s children.

I am not in favor of a school board that micromanages or takes on the role of the superintendent.

I am supportive of safe and inclusive schools where every child feels they belong.

I am not supportive of a school environment where LGBTQ+ students feel unwelcome and unacknowledged.

I am confident in the expertise of our professional staff. They deserve a board that supports their work, compensation, and continued development.

I am not behind candidates at odds with Gunnison County Education Association—an organization that supports over 70% of district teachers.

Learn More About Anne Brookhart at Anne4SB.com

VOTE DR. JODY COLEMAN FOR SCHOOL BOARD Thank you to all for your interest in our public schools. I am humbled by those of you who have financially supported my campaign for school board. A vote for me is a vote for a hard worker who communicates well and who understands public finance, education and educational research. We have very committed educators in our schools, and we can continue to work together toward higher student success.

Ballots have been mailed out, so please mark your ballot for three of your choices for the three open school board seats. If you have moved or are new to town, please register to vote here in Gunnison County at the County Clerk's office in the Blackstock Building at 221 N. Wisconsin, or online at Vote411.o4g. Voting must be complete by Tuesday, 11/7 at 7 p.m.

About me: I grew up in Gunnison and graduated from our public school system. I have taught in a private Swiss boarding school, but I yearned to return stateside to public education because of the remarkable scope our US public education system attempts. I am honored to have worked in our local Gunnison school district for 23 years of my 45-year career in education. I have taught 7th grade through university levels. I am a researcher. We have improvements to make locally, and as a team, our schools can support not only student success, but our wider community.

EXPERIENCE INTEGRITY ACCOMPLISHED

I am committed to lead with the truth.

I am frugal and will attend to the budget with a whetted eye.

Every one of us has our own story, our own journey -- I respect each person.

I reach out to bring people together to solve problems.

I will not ban books nor limit knowledge.

I measure a person by the size of their heart.

Please vote for Jody Coleman: Composed. Frugal. Thoughtful.

Paid for by Jody Coleman for Student Success

Learn More About Dr. Jody Coleman at Jody4SB.com