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Commissioners seeking public input on Mount Evans renaming petitions

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The five petitions to rename Mount Evans will likely be considered by state and federal officials later this year, and Clear Creek County has been asked to weigh in on whether and which petitions it supports.

As it did with the Mestaa’ehehe Mountain petition, the Clear Creek Board of County Commissioners plans to host educational and publiccomment meetings before determining its official stance.

Anyone is welcome to send written public comment about the issue at any time, the commissioners clarified.

During a Jan. 18 meeting, Commissioner Randy Wheelock said the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the state naming advisory board, and the U.S. Forest Service have all asked what Clear Creek County’s position is on the five petitions.

Mount Blue Sky would honor the Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples.

The Arapaho were known as the Blue Sky People among other tribes, and the Cheyenne have an annual

renewal of life ceremony called Blue Sky. The Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and conservationfocused nonprofit The Wilderness Society support this petition.

Mount Cheyenne-Arapaho would honor the tribes who once called Colorado home and who were devastated by the Sand Creek Massacre. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe supports this petition, according to Wheelock.

Mount Rosalie was the name Albert Bierstadt, a landscape painter and the peak’s first-known summiter, gave the mountain in honor of his future wife. It was the mountain’s unofficial name until 1895.

The name Rosalie was given to a nearby peak after the mountain was renamed for Evans.

Mount Soule would be in honor of U.S. Army Captain Silas Soule, who refused to participate in the Sand Creek Massacre.

Wheelock added that the fifth petition is to leave the peak as Mount Evans, but to redesignate its namesake as another member of the Evans family.

SEE RENAMING, P4

A marmot crawls along a rock as traffic ascends the Mount Evans Scenic Byway on July 22.

PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

CCHS ski team divides and conquers at Winter Park, Gold Run

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

This year’s Clear Creek ski team is small but mighty.

On Jan. 21, the 12-member ski team had to divide and conquer. Five skiers competed in slalom at Winter JoshSpinner- Broker, Owner Local Expert since1999

Park and five competed in a skate race at Breckenridge’s Gold Run Nordic Center. The remaining two were out sick, coach Brian Inman said.

While he was at Winter Park for the day, he’d heard that the five Nordic skiers did well at Gold Run.

At Winter Park, Clear Creek’s senior Bridget Egan, junior Skylah Inman and sophomore Shea Ryan all placed in the top 70 girls, he continued.

“I thought the girls skied really well,” he said. “They showed real aggression at points during the race

and really attacked the hill.”

For the boys, sophomore Olsen Hoogendoorn and freshman Ayden Mellon both crashed in roughly the same spot on the course, but Inman was still very happy with how they SEE WINTER PARK, P3

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2 Clear Creek Courant

January 27, 2022

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January 27, 2022

WINTER PARK FROM PAGE 1

competed. “(Mellon)’s getting used to varsity-sized race courses,” Inman said of the freshman. “ …

He’s getting better every race.”

The Golddiggers will likely return to Winter Park in mid-February for the state competition, he said, adding that he hopes all 12 skiers will be able to go.

Beyond state, Inman believes that junior Parker Scott has a good chance to win the March 1 Skimeister competition and that his sister, freshman Addyson

Scott, could finish in the top 10.

While Clear Creek typically boasts 16 or 17 skiers each winter, this year’s team is the program’s smallest in 10 years, Inman said. He initially had 25 students sign up this season, but only 12 stuck it out. He wasn’t sure why, wondering if COVID-19 was to blame.

“I know some of the older kids that aren’t competing, they want to get done with school and move on,” he said.

Even so, Inman described this year’s skiers as adaptive, hardworking, and resilient, adding, “I think they’ve been really excited to compete.”

Clear Creek freshman Addyson Scott competes in a Jan. 21 skate race at Breckenridge’s Gold Run Nordic Center.

Clear Creek sophomore Olsen Hoogendoorn competes in a Jan. 21 slalom competiCOURTESY OF BRIAN INMAN tion at Winter Park.

Clear Creek junior Parker Scott poses for a photo earlier this ski team season at Loveland Ski Area.

SPRING 2022

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• Girls teams from 1st through 8th grade.

Spring season runs from late February through May. Teams practice 2-3 times per week with games on Saturday and Sunday.

Clear Creek ski team members Skylah Inman, Ayden Mellon, Shea Ryan, and Addyson PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRIAN INMAN Scott compete earlier this season at Aspen.

Please go to mountainlax.com for more information and to register or email info@mountainlax.com.

4 Clear Creek Courant

January 27, 2022

Clear Creek School District moves forward with four-day school week Enrichment activities planned for the fifth day

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Clear Creek School District is ready to roll out its four-day school week beginning in August, and in response to parent concerns, it has a plan for fifth-day enrichment activities.

The district calls it the COMPASS Day, which will provide time for extended learning, work-based learning and family time.

COMPASS stands for: • Choices in • Outdoor education: dive deeper into the outdoors; • Metro and mountain expeditions: field trips to Denver and the mountains; • Passion projects: extracurricular activities, athletic events, classes and independent projects;

RENAMING FROM PAGE 1

He suggested hosting a meeting in mid-February or early March for each petition’s proponents to explain their stance and answer the commissioners’ questions.

After this educational meeting, Wheelock recommended the county host a town hall for people to submit public comment. He said this meeting should be on a week-

• Academic achievement: tutoring, STEAM activities and college classes; • Student internships/jobs: exploring professional pathways; • Special family time: family excursions and leisure time.

Morning programs on the fifth day will be free for families, paid for by a grant, while afternoon programs will have small costs associated with them. District staff members are still working on the specifics, and students are not required to participate in fifth-day programs.

In addition, the school board will discuss the 2022-23 calendar year, including which day of the week will be the fifth day, at its meeting at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 10. District officials say the school day will be longer, and the school year will be extended by a couple weeks.

Superintendent Karen Quanbeck said at the Jan. 18 school board meeting that instruction time will increase with the four-day school week because educators feel that is a priority.

She noted that the first year of the four-day school week will be the most difficult as families, staff and the community figure out new schedules and routines, adding that the district will find solutions as issues arise.

“We can see the change will be challenging,” said Calvin Berg, a Clear Creek High School teacher who is serving on the four-day task force.

“What I know is that if we open our minds and think about what we are trying to do for children, it will really help with the transition.”

Berg graduated from the Gilpin County School District, which has had a four-day school week for decades, and he quipped that he turned out OK. Clear Creek is tapping into parents who have skills that could be turned into student learning experiences on the fifth day.

“Parents are really excited about designing programs,” said Dacia Kelly, career connections coordinator and fifth day designer. “We hope and expect to engage our community in design sessions. One of the things

that makes Clear Creek unique is our varied residents, and this will let students see what the community has to offer.”

Members of the four-day task force and district officials reiterated that the change is not a move to save the district money or to provide staff with a three-day weekend.

“This will provide a consistent, predictable time for professional learning and planning, which is essential for delivering the highest quality teaching and learning and a more predictable school calendar,” Quanbeck said.

She said it wasn’t fair to ask teachers to do the intensive work to redesign curriculum after a long day at school or during a short planning period.

night to ensure that Evans’ descendants, tribal representatives, people who live near Mount Evans, and other county residents could easily voice their opinions.

Then the commissioners would decide Clear Creek County’s official position at a regular meeting in the spring.

Wheelock said the board could take any of the five stances: • Neutral; • Opposed to change; • Supportive of change; • Supportive of indigenous-based

petitions but not taking sides; or • Supportive of a specific petition.

Based on his discussions with state officials, Wheelock said the state naming advisory board hopes to take up the Mount Evans issue in late summer or early fall.

Commissioner George Marlin thought Wheelock’s outline sounded reasonable, because of its similarity to what Clear Creek did last year for the Mestaa’ehehe Mountain petition.

Commissioner Sean Wood

noted a major difference — the Mestaa’ehehe Mountain petition was the only one to rename that peak. The Mount Evans discussion involves five petitions, and he believed there will be a great amount of public interest in the process.

Wood felt that hosting meetings to educate residents and hear their opinions would be “an exercise worth doing.” He also recommended that educational materials from the county’s Mestaa’ehehe Mountain discussion be shared online before the Mount Evans one.

arrest on Jan. 19, and Martinez turned himself into police a few days later.

Shortly after midnight on Jan. 15, a truck drove into a house in the 1500 block of Idaho Springs’ Colorado Boulevard. The house was occupied at the time, but no one was injured.

The truck had left the scene by the time Idaho Springs officers arrived. Officers determined that the truck veered off the roadway in the 1500 block of Colorado Boulevard,

struck a flower container and then drove into the side of the home. The truck then backed out of the home, struck multiple parked cars and fled the area.

Around 10:30 a.m. that day, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a stolen vehicle call near Empire.

Deputies contacted Martinez, who wanted to report his truck as stolen. He said he had found it severely damaged that morning a few blocks from his home.

After further questioning by

deputies, Martinez reportedly confessed that his truck hadn’t been stolen, and that he was the driver who had struck the Idaho Springs home, according to the release.

According to ISPD Chief Nate Buseck, the Jan. 19 warrant for Martinez’s arrest contained: one count of reckless driving, three counts of reckless endangerment, one count of leaving the scene of an accident without providing information and one count of failure to notify police.

Buseck added that ISPD believes Martinez was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, based on witnesses who saw him leave a bar shortly before the crash. However, because more than 10 hours had passed between the crash and when deputies contacted Martinez, there was insufficient blood-alcohol evidence to include a charge of drunken driving on the warrant.

As to why law enforcement didn’t arrest Martinez during the Jan. 15 contact, Buseck said that ISPD wanted to gather witness testimonies and video evidence to build a solid case before handing it over to the district attorney’s office.

“ISPD empathizes with those that would push for a more timely arrest,” Buseck said in a Jan. 21 email

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CLEAR CREEK NEWS BRIEFS

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Suspect named after truck drives into Idaho Springs home An Empire man has turned himself into police custody after he allegedly drove his truck into an Idaho Springs home on Jan. 15.

Daniel Martinez, 60, was identified as the suspect in the case, according to a Jan. 19 Idaho Springs Police Department press release.

Police issued a warrant for his

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January 27, 2022

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to the Courant. “However, ISPD ... did not want to rush the investigation by making a hasty arrest without first gathering all the evidence.”

Since the accident, the impacted residents have been staying at local hotels, as the home is unlivable until the damage is repaired.

Kristine Marston started a GoFundMe page to raise $10,000 after her family lost both home and drivable vehicle in the accident. As of noon Jan. 24, people had donated almost $1,200. Others online also planned to donate clothes to the family as well.

“This accident is a lot for anyone to handle, let alone a family with medical problems as well,” Marston wrote on the GoFundMe page. “...

Anyone who can donate clothes, maybe a running vehicle for a superreasonable price, or point us to an affordable home near our community would be greatly appreciated.

“I know times are tough for so many people right now,” she continued, “so even a small amount will help us get our life back.”

For more information, visit gofund.me/8ff02d8e.

USFS keeps reservation system for Mount Evans The reservation system at Mount Evans will return this summer, the U.S. Forest Service has confirmed.

Those wanting to park at Mount Goliath, Summit Lake and/or the summit between 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. will need a reservation. Those wanting to drive the highway only can get a

Visitors stand near the Mount Evans Scenic Byway welcome station to purchase reservations before ascending the mountain on July 22. While the U.S. Forest Service does have wireless internet at the welcome station to accommodate visitors who didn’t know about the reservation system before arriving, the agency stresses that this situation can and should be avoided by making reservaPHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN tions online well in advance.

special pass at the entrance station.

The highway between Echo Lake and the summit typically opens on Memorial Day weekend, although that is subject to weather and road conditions.

USFS spokeswoman K. Reid Armstrong said the program last year was an overall success, as it reduced crowds, shortened wait times at the entrance station, and helped preserve the mountain’s flora and fauna.

The agency will be making a few

adjustments based on feedback, such as addressing the lack of cell service at the entrance station. Visitors who didn’t have a reservation needed to go online to make one, and Armstrong described how people had to drive back down Highway 103 to get a signal and reach the website.

Armstrong said the USFS is still determining a specific solution but said people should expect “a better opportunity for people who don’t come prepared.”

She emphasized that, to avoid

this problem, people should make reservations in advance. Armstrong said reservations should be available starting in mid-May and can be made up to a month in advance.

Costs depend on the type of pass visitors want to purchase. Some are $15 plus a $2 processing fee.

For more information on the U.S. Forest Service’s reservation system at Mount Evans and other Front Range sites, visit fs.usda.gov/goto/ arp/knowbefore or recreation.gov.

6 Clear Creek Courant

January 27, 2022

COUNTY BRIEFS

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

County prioritizes contacttracing as COVID-19 cases skyrocket Clear Creek County has experienced hundreds of COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks and has 10 confirmed fatalities since March 2020.

Because of the sheer volume of cases, the county’s public health nurses are only contact-tracing for students in local schools and those older than 60, Public Health Director Tim Ryan said during the Jan. 18 county commissioners meeting.

Ryan recommended that those experiencing symptoms stay home for six days and get tested. He said the at-home antigen tests aren’t very accurate, as they were designed for symptomatic people to take in a serial fashion. For more accurate results, he recommended people find sites with PCR tests.

Clear Creek will continue to host testing sites three days a week around the county, as well as its Wednesday vaccination clinics.

While nationwide case counts were starting to plateau as of Jan. 18, Ryan said Americans need to take the omicron variant seriously.

Even though, as a variant, it’s less severe than delta, U.S. fatalities are approaching 2,000 a day, he said.

Ryan believed that this omicrondriven wave will continue for many, many more weeks.

Regarding whether the current wave will see COVID-19 become more endemic like the flu, Ryan said it’s possible, but he’s still concerned.

“When there’s 1.6 million cases per day in a single country, it

only increases the potential for a new variant to develop,” he said, referring to the United States. “…

It has the potential to get us to the endemic point … but the virus doesn’t really care what we think.

It will continue to change.”

Canyon trail expected to be finished in spring The newest segment of the Peaks to Plains Trail in Clear Creek Canyon should be done this spring, according to county staff.

The segment will be about a quarter-mile long, starting near Tunnel 5 and the Oxbow trailhead.

Martha Tableman, coordinator for Clear Creek County Open Space, explained at the Jan. 18 county commissioners meeting that the project’s original deadline was Dec. 31. However, it was extended to April 28. Open Space, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the contractor are trying to determine whether there are cost implications. However, Tableman felt confident the project will still be within the contracted amount — $3.8 million.

Tableman clarified that the county only paid $12,000 plus staff time, as the bulk of the project was funded by grants from CDOT, Great Outdoors Colorado and Colorado Parks & Wildlife, among others.

While it’s still a steep price tag, Tableman clarified later that this is a very technical section of trail.

It goes under U.S. 6 and had to be built on dozens of micropiles, which she compared to the poles that hold up piers, but on a much smaller scale.

“That allows the water to go underneath (the trail) and not cause

Construction crews have been building the next segment of the Peaks to Plains Trail near Clear Creek Canyon’s Tunnel 5. This quarter-mile segment, which should be finished by April, cost about $3.8 million, most of which was grant funding. COURTESY PHOTO

pressure,” she said on Jan. 19.

Although only a quarter mile, it’s a key trail section that will set up the next segment, Tableman continued. The next one will extend to Tunnel 6, and Open Space is still determining funding mechanisms for it.

I-70 Floyd Hill project estimated at $700 million The Colorado Department of Transportation is gearing up to get the Interstate 70 Floyd Hill project underway.

The agency was scheduled to hire its construction manager and designer this week, so they can start work in April, according to Kurt Kionka, CDOT’s Floyd Hill project director.

During the Jan. 18 county commissioners meeting, Kionka said the project is estimated at $700 million, and CDOT still needs to find

$200 million. The agency hopes to receive grant funding to help close the gap.

Once the designer and construction manager are on board, Kionka hopes CDOT can determine the best alignment and finalize a design.

CDOT’s two potential designs are a tunnel at the bottom of Floyd Hill near the current U.S. Highway 6 junction or a canyon viaduct starting in the same area. The canyon viaduct is still the preferred option at this point, Kionka said.

Either design will take four or five years to complete, CDOT has previously estimated.

The broader project will include wildlife crossings both east and west of Floyd Hill as well as roundabouts along U.S. 40 at the top of Floyd Hill. These smaller projects are expected to be done first, likely starting this summer.

Police Blotter: Crime Calls from Jan. 10-16

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Monday, Jan. 10 — Georgetown police responded to a report of a residence’s broken window. No evidence of unlawful entry was found.

Monday, Jan. 10 — Georgetown police responded to a fire alarm at Georgetown Community School.

Investigation determined that a

student had deliberately pulled it, and the matter was turned over to school staff.

Wednesday, Jan. 12 — Georgetown police responded to a local motel for a theft via phone scam.

The identity of the scammer is unknown.

Friday, Jan. 14 — At the Idaho Springs police station, officers met a man who stated his roommates

had started an altercation with him the previous night. He declined to press charges and asked for officers’ help in retrieving his belongings. He later did so without incident.

Saturday, Jan. 15 — An Idaho Springs officer and Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 1200 block of Miner Street for reports of a man trespassing. Upon arrival, officers found windows to the business ajar

and determined the man entered through them. He was located, escorted off the property, and issued a citation for criminal trespass.

Saturday, Jan. 15 — Idaho Springs police responded to an assault in the 2300 block of Virginia Street. One person was arrested for harassment and domestic violence for reportedly slapping their spouse across the face.

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Clear Creek Courant 7

January 27, 2022

Georgetown gives back Businesses offering specials to help Marshall Fire victims

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Buy a drink and help victims of the Dec. 30 Marshall Fire in Boulder County.

Through the Feb. 12 Winterfest event, some Georgetown businesses are donating proceeds from special items toward relief efforts.

The Georgetown Visitor Center and GT Workspace are donating a portion of their sales, and Cabin Creek Brewing and Cooper’s on the Creek are donating proceeds from specific drinks.

Marc Vitelli, Cabin Creek Brewing’s brand manager, said the brewery also has point-of-sale donations for its patrons, who have donated more than $1,300 as of Jan. 19. This allows patrons to donate to relief efforts whenever they pay for their food and drinks, he explained.

The brewery is donating all its January proceeds from the Pounder beer to the fire victims, he described.

Whether that will continue into February hasn’t been determined yet, but he said point-of-sale donations will go through Feb. 28.

The point-of-sale donations typically go to the nearby Easterseals camp, and Pounder proceeds are donated to the Wildland Firefighter

Foundation. However, because two of the brewery’s owners are full-time Denver firefighters, helping those impacted by the fire was near and dear to Cabin Creek, Vitelli explained.

“We talked about it the day after it happened, and we were all on board,” he continued. “… Every little bit helps.”

Likewise, Cooper’s co-owner Amanda Cooper decided to donate proceeds from the Superior Spritzer — called Santa Fe Spritzer on the menu — to relief efforts.

The $10 cocktail is made with green chili-infused vodka, a mintbasil simple syrup, lemon juice and a champagne floater. The result is a mix of sweet and spicy — a taste that’s mild, warm and bubbly.

Cooper used to work in Louisville and said she knew several people — friends and friends of friends — who lost their homes.

“I feel heartbroken,” Cooper said. “… It’s a helpless feeling. I have a hard time not doing something.”

All proceeds from Cabin Creek Brewing’s Pounder beer, through at least the end of January, will go toward the Marshall Fire victims. The brewery is also doing a pointof-sale donation option, and has collected $1,300 thus far for relief efforts.

Everything you erything verything you you Everything erything you you need for your home ed eed for for your your home home need edright for for your your home home in your ht ght in in your your ght ight in in your your neighborhood!

Larry Meraz, bar manager at Cabin Creek Brewing, pours a beer on Jan. 18. All proceeds from the brewery’s Pounder beer, through at least the end of January, will go toward the Marshall Fire victims.

Megan Burns, a bartender at Cooper’s on the Creek, prepares a Superior Spritzer on Jan. 18. The drink is $10 and all of the proceeds, through Feb. 12, will go toward the PHOTOS BY CORINNE WESTEMAN Marshall Fire victims.

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8 Clear Creek Courant

LOCAL

VOICES

January 27, 2022

Check it out! Clear Creek Library information for February

T

he Clear Creek County Library District empowers the community through literacy, human connection and equal access to resources. Library programs are always free. Connect with a librarian today to learn more.

You can learn more by emailing hello@cccld.org or visiting cccld.org.

FEBRUARY STAFF BOOK PICK Team Member: Michelle Recommendation: “Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology, and Climate” by M.K. Reed Genre: juvenile nonfiction Michelle says: This book explains weather and climate concepts in a way that everyone can appreciate.

Science can seem scary and technical, but this book makes science fun, interesting, and accessible to everyday people.

Meteorology was my major in college. In fact, a climatology internship is what originally brought me to Colorado back in 1998. When I started working for CCCLD, I noticed there were graphic novels devoted to science and I had to experience it for myself firsthand. There were so many interesting books in Science Comics Series to choose from at JTML, but this one about meteorology was an obvious no-brainer for me.

I really hope little kids (and big kids, too!) pick up this book and catch the weather bug!

STORYTIMES Share stories, play games and get creative with us! Due to rising COVID cases, we have shifted our weekly Tuesday/Thursday storytimes to a virtual platform for the month of February.

Virtual Story Garden * 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays This is a live, interactive virtual storytime! Please email holly@cccld. org to learn more, get the link, and reserve your materials.

Virtual Starlight Stories * 7 p.m. Thursdays This is a live, interactive virtual storytime! Please email holly@cccld. org to learn more, get the link, and

reserve your materials.

Virtual Storytime with Miss Honeybun Find storytime videos on demand 24/7 on our Facebook page at facebook.com/clearcreeklibrarydistrict VIRTUAL BOOK GROUPS Connect with other Clear Creek County readers at our virtual book groups.

Idaho Springs Book Group 4 p.m. Feb. 14 My Dear Hamilton Email libby@cccld.org for information.

Georgetown Book Group 3 p.m. Feb. 17 American Dirt Email libby@cccld.org for information.

CRAFTS Virtual Creative Connection (Adult Craft) 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17 Craft unique beverage coasters using Scrabble game pieces! Please email chris@cccld.org to learn more and reserve your supplies.

LIBRARY SERVICES Check out books, movies, laptops, hotspots, tablets and more. Our Library of Things includes nontraditional items like cookware, kids’ science kits, a therapy lamp and even an Oculus Quest!

Explore our book and movie collection at cccld.org View our Library of Things at cccld.org/library-of-things/ Or, call your Clear Creek County library to learn more and request items.

Do you have the Libby App? Download the Libby App by Overdrive to your smart device to access thousands of e-books and audiobooks, available for checkout with your library card. Visit cccld.org/libraryresources/ and click on the Overdrive/Libby icon to get started.

Masks are required for all persons aged two years and older inside the library.

Idaho Springs Public Library and John Tomay Memorial Library — appointments are not necessary at this time.

HOME DELIVERY Snowy weather = snowy roads! Do you need library materials, but are unable to leave your home? Let us bring the library to you! Call us for details.

FEBRUARY HOURS All branches will be closed on Monday, February 21 – Presidents’ Day Idaho Springs Public Library Monday * 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tuesday * 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Wednesday * 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Thursday * 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Friday * 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Saturday * 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sunday * CLOSED John Tomay Memorial Library Monday * 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tuesday * 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Wednesday * 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Thursday * 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Friday * 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Saturday * 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Local History Archives (in the Georgetown Heritage Center) — visitors are welcome with appointment.

Curbside pickup services — available by appointment; please contact your library branch to schedule your pickup.

Idaho Springs Public Library * 303-567-2020 John Tomay Memorial Library * 303-569-2620 Local History Archives * 303-5692403 OTHER SERVICES

303-567-2020 to make your reservation.

Tech assistance Did you know that you can book a librarian for technical assistance?

Our library staff can assist you with a variety of tasks –– using a tablet or smartphone, navigating the internet, setting up an email account, posting a resume online, accessing information, and more. Contact your Clear Creek County Library branch or email heather@cccld.org for more information.

Prints, copies and faxes Email printcccld@gmail.com or call your Clear Creek County Library branch to request prints, copies, and faxes — or, just come in and use our equipment during our hours of operation!

Notary Notary services are FREE! Please contact your Clear Creek County Library branch to book your appointment.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES Help yourself to free, gently-loved books from our Little Free Libraries at these Clear Creek County locations.

Idaho Springs Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District Clear Creek Health and Wellness Center Edelweiss Pastry Shop Scraps-to-Soil Community Garden Georgetown Georgetown Market Georgetown Visitors Center Loveland Ski Area Loveland Valley Base Lodge Loveland Basin Base Lodge Ptarmigan Roost Cafe DONATIONS Are you seeking a new home for your gently-used books? Please consider donating them to Clear Creek County Library District for use in our programs, book sales, and Little Free Libraries. Email kate@ cccld.org or call 303-567-2020 for more information.

VISITING AND CURBSIDE PICKUP HOURS The library branches are open, and we are excited to see you in person!

Tech access and study space Enjoy access to computers, WiFi, and study spaces at your Clear Creek County Library.

Book our conference room at Idaho Springs Public Library for a quiet space to meet or work. Please call

the other one story half if the school cannot find qualified occupants that can be mixed with kids. Can you think of suitable uses to fill the other 40,000 square foot half attached to the elementary school?

The School plans to put the Bus Barn on the track above the building area and the Playfields and Skateboard Park near the building. But then there will not be not enough

area for parking to meet code requirements for the other half of the building. The Bus Barn there is just the path of least resistance since the School owns the property, near the Rec Center baseball fields would be better.

Another alternative may be about 80 housing units enabled by the parking freed up by demolition of the other building half and better Bus Barn

location. It would be irresponsible for the School to just leave the 83,000 square foot building half empty with only unqualified prospects now for people to deal with later. The school should study alternatives now, hold a live public forum in Carlson School gym and be accountable to the kids, citizens and taxpayers.

• Letters must be no longer than 250 words.

• Letters should be exclusively submitted to Colorado Community Media and should not submitted to other outlets or previously posted on websites or social media.

Submitted letters become the property of CCM and should not be republished elsewhere.

• Letters advocating for a political

candidate should focus on that candidate’s qualifications for office. We cannot publish letters that contain unverified negative information about a candidate’s opponent.

Letters advocating for or against a political candidate or ballot issue will not be published within 30 days of an election.

• Publication of any given letter is at our discretion. Letters are published as space is available.

• We will edit letters for clarity, grammar, punctuation and length and write headlines (titles) for letters at our discretion.

• Please don’t send us more than one letter per month. First priority for publication will be given to writers who have not submitted letters to us recently.

• Submit your letter in a Word document or in the body of an email. No PDFs or Google Docs, please.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR New School Half Empty The new elementary school to be built in the vacant 83,000 square foot Old Middle School needs only about 40,000 square feet for the school, and as of now the other half will be empty. One alternative is partial demolition of the about 40,000 square feet multi story half of the 83,000 square foot building, which is unfeasible to demolish into subareas, and renovate

Mike Caistor, Idaho Springs

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules: • Email your letter to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com. Do not send via postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line.

• Submit your letter by 5 p.m. on Wednesday in order to have it considered for publication in the following week’s newspaper.

Clear Creek Courant 9

January 27, 2022

W

Take care in the Winter air

inter can be a beautiful time, but it can also be a dangerous time.

Although we value the beauty that SENIOR comes with the CONNECTION snow-covered trees and the sun twinkling through the icicles, it is a time where those of us who are getting up there in years need to take particular care of ourselves.

Christy Recke The bright and warm sun can be misleading and create the illusion that it is warmer outside than it is. As we age, our metabolism slows down, and it becomes harder for our bodies to react to changing temperatures. We lose layers of adipose that help to insulate our body, we cannot retain heat and multiple health issues challenge our bodies in the ability to deal effectively with the colder temperatures. The slowing down of our body along with sensation changes can also make it hard to sense that you are getting colder.

Older individuals are at a higher

risk of getting hypothermia.

Here are a few tips to remember during the winter months whether at home or out and about: Be aware of the temperature outside where you are. Check the weather, your phone or ask a neighbor how cold it is outside before venturing out to ensure you put on the appropriate outerwear and/or layers.

Keep warm inside. Set your thermostat somewhere between 68-70.

Close doors to rooms you are not using. Dress warmly even if you are not going outside. Lay a blanket over your legs and wear socks or slippers.

Eat a balanced diet. Eating poorly, skipping meals and too much snacking can cause weight loss and contribute to lose of fat that can insulate your body.

Do your research before using space heaters. Consumer Product Safety Commission has a link to review heaters that are safe: cpsc. gov/s3fs-public/heaters.pdf cpsc.gov/safety-education/safetyguides/home/seven-highly-effective-portable-heater-safety-habits If you go out dress for the colder temperatures by layering your clothes. It is much easier to take off a layer to cool off than it is to

add layers and increase your body temperature. Wearing a hat and scarf is an easy, effective way to hold heat in your body.

Wear a jacket that is waterproof if it is actively snowing. If you become damp or wet, change clothes immediately. Certain medical conditions and medications can be a contributing factor in cold weather. Thyroid issues, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and arthritis are just a few of the health issues that can increase your risk for hypothermia. Be sure to talk with your doctor/nurse practitioner about your medications and chronic conditions that can make you at higher risk for danger in the colder weather.

Limit your alcohol and nicotine intake. Alcohol and smoking can influence your blood vessels by constricting them and making it harder to get and stay warm.

It is important to look out for signs of hypothermia. If you live alone, touch base with a neighbor or friend to check in on you during the colder months. Here are some signs of hypothermia to look out for and if you experience these warning signs, immediately call 911.

• Cold feet or hands

• Swollen or puffy face • Shivering • Slurred speech or inability to find the right words • Lethargic or suddenly very sleepy • A sudden change in mood to angry or agitate If you are on a limited income and need assistance with your heating bills, there is help. It is vitally important to stay warm as the temperatures drop. Here are a few agencies that can help: National Energy Assistance Referral Service: Low Income Energy Assistance Program 1-866-674-6327 (TTY 1-866-367-6228 liheapch.acf.hhs.gov/referral. htm Colorado Low-Income Energy Assistance Program 1-866-432-8435 cdhs.colorado.gov/leap Property Tax, Rent, and Heat Rebate 303-238-3278 tax.colorado.gov/PTC-rebate Clear Creek County Resource Center 303-670-7540 co.clear-creek.co.us/253/Resource-Center Reference: nia.nih.gov/health/cold-weathersafety-older-adults

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10 Clear Creek Courant

January 27, 2022

January Wildlife Photo Page: Elk

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In honor of Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s 125th anniversary this year, the Clear Creek Courant will have a monthly photo page celebrating the state’s amazing wildlife and parks.

Each page will celebrate a different local animal or group of animals, including fun facts provided by CPW. For January, the Courant is celebrating Colorado’s elk population.

ELK FUN FACTS: While commonly called “elk” in the United States, wapiti is the preferred name, according to Colorado

Parks & Wildlife. Elsewhere in the world, “elk” is used to describe the animal Americans call moose. Wapiti are also found in Eurasia, where it is known as the red deer.

Colorado is home to more than 280,000 elk, which is the largest population in the world, CPW’s website states.

The elk often seen in the Evergreen area are part of a larger Mount Evans herd that extends from Morrison to the Continental Divide. That herd is an estimated 2,500 elk, CPW staff confirmed.

In the early 1900s, only 40,000 elk remained in North America, mostly

because of unregulated market hunting, CPW’s website describes.

In 1916, Colorado imported 50 elk from Wyoming to reestablish its dwindling herds. The elk were transported and released in Idaho Springs and Pueblo County’s Greenhorn Mountains. From these limited transplants, and through decades of trapping and relocation efforts by wildlife managers, the elk population has grown to the abundant herds for which Colorado is now famous. CPW states that the elk’s return is among Colorado’s greatest conservation success stories.

A mature bull elk will weigh

around 600-800 pounds, while a cow elk will be about 500 pounds. A set of antlers on a mature bull elk can weigh up to 40 pounds.

GOT WILDLIFE PHOTOS? The February wildlife photo page will celebrate Colorado’s birds of prey — eagles, falcons, hawks, owls and vultures. To contribute to the Feb. 24 page, email photos to cwesteman@coloradocommunitymedia. com before Feb. 18. Include the photographer’s name and the date and location the photo was taken. The photo can be of wildlife anywhere in Colorado and doesn’t have to be recent.

A trio of young bull elk graze along Evergreen’s South Blue Creek Road in June 2018.

A pair of elk run through a parking lot near Evergreen’s Meadow Drive in May 2016.

An elk herd, background, visits an elk statue, foreground, along Golden’s Heritage Road in May 2019.

A bull elk watches out for competitors during the Sept. 2017 rut at Rocky Mountain PHOTOS BY CORINNE WESTEMAN National Park.

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Clear Creek Courant 11

January 27, 2022

CURRENTS We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www.clearcreekcourant. com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email dbrobst@ coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the print version of the paper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.

FEB. 1 AARP is sponsoring a free tax program at the Evergreen Library on Tuesday afternoons and every other Saturday afternoon starting on Feb. 1. Call 303-2355275 to make an appointment.

Pick up the intake forms before your appointment. All taxpayers are welcome. Appointments are required this year, and all clients will need to wear a mask inside the library.

FEB. 16 Resilience1220 will offer a workshop on the impacts of chronic ailments on lifespan and development from 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 16 via Zoom. Speaker Art Ginley will discuss the skills, perspectives and approaches necessary in working with the vast array of symptoms that come up with chronic illness. Lear more and register at r1220.org.

FEB. 25

Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice will host its benefit gala — a Hawaiian luau — at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25 at Mount Vernon Canyon Club in Genesee.

Individual tickets for the costume party are $100, a table of eight is $1,000 and a table of 10 $1,200.

Purchase tickets at mtevans.org/ support-mount-evans/gala/.

ONGOING THE PROJECT SUPPORT SENIOR CENTER offers chair yoga the first and third Wednesday of the month at the center, 1402 Miner St., Idaho Springs. A $3 donation is suggested.

COVID-19 TESTING is available from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays in the dirt lot by Mount Buzz near the corner of Argentine and 11th Street in Georgetown, and from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Clear Creek Health and Wellness Center, 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs. Appointments are recommended by visiting covidcheckcolorado.org/find-oursites.

VOA TRANSPORTATION is available on Fridays to the Idaho Springs Safeway and the post office. The van leaves at 12:30 p.m. from 1402 Miner St., Idaho Springs.

COVID-19 VACCINES for adults and children 5-17, flu vaccines and other children’s vaccines are available from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays at the Clear Creek Health and Wellness Center, 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs.

Appointments are encouraged for COVID vaccines and boosters at comassvax.org/clinic/search, enter CLEAR CREEK in the Location Box, and there is no need to add any other information. No appointments required for flu and childhood vaccines.

THE PROJECT SUPPORT SENIOR CENTER offers free bingo from 12:30-2 p.m. the first and third Tuesday and a monthly birthday celebration at noon the second Tuesday of the month.

YOUNG PEOPLE 12 TO 20 can get free counseling through an Evergreen-based organization called Resilience1220. Comprised of licensed therapists, Resilience1220 serves individuals and groups in the foothills including Clear Creek County. They also facilitate school and community groups to build life skills in wellness and resilience among youth.

For more information or to schedule a counseling session, visit www.Resilience1220.org, email

Resilience1220@gmail.com or call 720-282-1164.

RESILIENCE120 HAS STARTED a support group called College Age Community that meets from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For information and the Zoom link, email lior@wisetreewellness.com.

WELLNESS CHECK TUESDAYS are the last Tuesday of the month from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for free blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol screenings at the Clear Creek Health and Wellness Center, 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs. For more information, additional help or a ride to the clinic, call 303-670-7528.

MOUNT EVANS HOME HEALTH CARE & HOSPICE offers two monthly groups to provide emotional support services for caregivers helping ill, disabled or elderly loved ones. An in-person support group meets every third Monday from 4-6 p.m. at 3081 Bergen Peak Road, Evergreen, and a virtual support group meets every first Tuesday from 10 a.m.-noon via Zoom. Call 303-674-6400 to learn how to connect to the group virtual call. For more information visit mtevans. org/services/emotional-support/.

‘Personal choices’ behind surge in traffic deaths Officials study statewide increase, with total for 2021 likely to top 700

BY PAOLO ZIALCITA CPR NEWS

Preliminary data from the Colorado Department of Transportation shows 672 people died on Colorado roads in 2021, the state’s most since 2002.

That number is expected to exceed 700 once final tallies come in, according to Colorado State Patrol chief Matthew Packard.

During a Jan. 19 press conference announcing the record, Packard urged people to take personal responsibility for reducing traffic deaths. He said too many people get behind the wheel while impaired, or are distracted when on the road.

“It’s appalling to me to think that that many people senselessly lose their lives in something that we do every day,” Packard said.

Overall, the state has seen a 50 percent increase in traffic deaths since 2011, and deaths on Colorado roadways increased by 8 percent last year compared to 2020. The early count shows 432 crashes involved people in cars and trucks, while 145 were motorcycle or bicycle riders. In addition, 87 pedestrians were killed by incoming traffic.

Colorado Springs and greater El Paso County had the most road

fatalities in the state last year, with 77. Denver reported 65 fatal crashes during the same period.

Police officials from around the state said they plan to expand enforcement in areas with a disproportionate share of fatalities.

But they argued during Tuesday’s briefing that a systemic crackdown on traffic safety is not the solution.

“The causations we’ve talked about today that cause accidents, those are personal choices,” Colorado Springs Police Department chief Vincent Niski said.

“It’s not infrastructure, a lot of it’s not infrastructure. A lot of it’s not about public transit. It is about a personal choice to run a red light.”

CDOT director of maintenance and operations John Lorme acknowledged asking Coloradans to be more careful does not guarantee change, but he reminded people worried about road safety that improving other transportation options would make residents less dependent on driving.

“CDOT knows that we can’t grow out of this problem,” he said. “One of the ways that we can [improve] is to increase transit availability to everybody within the state.”

This story is from CPR News, a nonprofit news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.

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12 Clear Creek Courant

January 27, 2022

REGIONAL NEWS

Colo. teacher shortage highlights need for more school funding, union boss says Lawmakers to start debating how much state money to give school districts next year

BY DANIEL DUCASSI AND ERICA BREUNLIN COLORADO SUN

Colorado will continue to face a critical teacher shortage unless state leaders make good on their constitutional obligation to increase education funding, the head of Colorado’s largest teacher union says.

“We’re at a crisis point that requires bold action by our legislature,” Colorado Education Association President Amie BacaOehlert told The Colorado Sun in an interview ahead of the 2022 legislative session, which began Jan. 12.

The union is asking for a major investment in schools and it plans to lobby school districts to spend their share of any budgetary increase on improving teacher pay, Baca-Oehlert said.

The push to restore education funding and improve pay for teachers comes as lawmakers are gearing up to debate in the coming months just how much state money to give school districts next year.

Colorado lawmakers have not kept up with increasing education funding at the level the constitution requires, leaving districts shortchanged and holding a nearly $10 billion IOU from the state.

The state’s coffers are flush with cash at the moment – so much so that taxpayers are expected to receive refunds for each of the next three fiscal years. And the state also has billions more in one-time

Adam Williams teaches an 8th grade social studies inside a classroom at Options PHOTO BY ROBERT TANN Secondary Program in Littleton.

extra flexibility with spending this year.

While the governor wants to chip away at the state’s funding obligation to school districts — known as the budget stabilization factor — with $150 million a year for the next three years, Republicans want to commit to paying the state’s entire annual funding obligation to schools going forward, which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars more each year.

Two Republican state senators, Barbara Kirkmeyer of Brighton and Paul Lundeen of Monument, have drafted a bill – set to be introduced this week – that aims to do just that, providing more than $700 million to wipe out the budget stabilization factor.

“The bill itself would eliminate the budget stabilization factor, would take $723 million and completely buy it down,” Lundeen

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can commit to that higher level of funding for education long term.

Sen. Bob Rankin, a Carbondale Republican who sits on the Joint Budget Committee, thinks that increasing property tax revenue amid appreciating real estate values will help the state get there.

But Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, argues relying on increasing property tax revenues is less than ideal, and offered a more cautious approach.

“Getting rid of [the budget stabilization factor] for one year doesn’t do a whole lot of good,” he said.

The constitution requires the state to increase base per-student school funding by at least the rate of inflation each year, so the funding obligation is a perennial problem.

“We have to get rid of it in a way that is sustainable so that it goes away forever,” Fenberg added.

The Republican proposal, if adopted, could have implications for Democrats’ spending priorities as more money for K-12 education means less money for other initiatives.

Baca-Oehlert described the governor’s plan as “a good start” but thinks state leaders can up that figure.

“We do believe that there is an ability to do more than $150 million this year,” Baca-Oehlert said.

“And with a over half-a-billiondollar hole in education funding, we think that doing more than $150 million would be just a better way to support our struggling schools and students in this time of significant need.”

Teacher shortage hits districts Whatever lawmakers decide, Baca-Oehlert worries that without substantial new funding schools will struggle to recruit new teachers and keep them in classrooms.

“Our districts need an ability to

cial resources to provide those things that are going to impact people’s work life, that can lead to the district’s ability to recruit and retain.”

Baca-Oehlert said the union also has a parallel strategy of convincing districts to prioritize teacher pay in spending any new money they may receive from the state.

She observed that a double whammy of low pay and pandemic stresses are forcing school districts statewide to grapple with a teacher shortage.

CEA recently conducted a survey and found that 67% of its members were thinking about leaving the teaching field in the near future. That’s a 27 percentage point increase from the 40% of members who indicated they were considering leaving when surveyed in December 2020.

Meanwhile, it’s become harder for school districts to retain educators as they struggle to compete against the wages in other industries. Some full-time teachers have left the classroom in pursuit of jobs that pay better and are lower stress.

Baca-Oehlert cited the example of an early career teacher who chose to leave the classroom and work in a coffee shop in pursuit of higher pay and less hassle.

Another teacher, veteran educator Diane Santorico, taught for nearly 30 years before deciding to call it quits last year. She often came home at the end of the day in tears after being forced to teach in a 95-degree classroom while wearing a mask and being unable to use school water fountains.

“There’s no doubt that the classroom is the center point for pressures generated by this pandemic,” House Speaker Alec Garnett, a Denver Democrat, told reporters Monday. “Students and teachers and parents have felt a lot of those pressures. We need to do everything we can to invest as much as we can in the classroom.”

But House Minority Leader Hugh McKean, R-Loveland, said the General Assembly has been “terrible at prioritizing” education funding. “But yet we all say that we prioritize education and we want to make sure that teachers can get more pay, we want to make sure that students can have more materials in the classroom.”

However, if the state doesn’t make good on its constitutional spending obligations, he added, “then what we’re really doing is saying we’re going to continually fund education at a lower level.”

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Clear Creek Courant 13

January 27, 2022

State to distribute free surgical grade masks Polis says program builds on state efforts to protect Coloradans

have agreed to be local redistribution points will have KN95 and surgical-grade masks for those who ask.

In a press statement, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said that this is part of the state’s ongoing effort to provide high-quality personal protective equipment to Coloradans who might be especially at risk during the pandemic and future public health emergencies.

With the COVID-19 omicron variant surge, the state recommends

BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY DGRIGSBY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Starting later this week, public libraries, fire stations, recreation centers, VFWs, YMCAs and hightraffic community centers that

upgrading from cloth masks to medical-grade masks like the KN95.

“We are on a mission to help Coloradans keep themselves safe, and free medical-grade masks are far more effective in preventing infection than cloth masks,” Polis said. ”By making free medicalgrade masks available at libraries across our state and soon for home delivery, we are giving Coloradans a powerful tool to avoid infection.

In addition, he said, the state will continue to meet Coloradans where

they are at when it comes to accessing doctor-approved vaccines, free testing at community sites, and free COVID tests delivered to homes.

While masks are free, the distribution is limited to select locations that have agreed to participate in the state program.

Some libraries may not be participating in the program.

Check this link to find a participating library near you: covid19. colorado.gov/freemasks

The 7 biggest lines from Polis’ 2022 State of the State address Governor discusses focus on saving people money and reducing crime

BY JESSE PAUL AND DANIEL DUCASSI COLORADO SUN

Gov. Jared Polis on Jan. 13, delivered the final State of the State address of his first term, focusing mostly on the ways in which his administration and fellow Democrats plan to drive down the cost of living in Colorado.

Polis also discussed his plans to combat rising crime and gaps in children’s mental health care, while briefly delving into his climate and environmental priorities.

Here are the biggest lines from Polis’ speech along with an examination of why they are so notable: 1. “If it isn’t clear, saving Coloradans money and keeping our state affordable is my top priority this session.”

About a third of the governor’s speech was spent on ways he feels he has or can save Coloradans money.

That tracks with what Democratic leadership at the Capitol focused on Jan. 12 as the lawmaking term began. House Speaker Alec Garnett said affordability was also his top issue at the Capitol this year.

It makes political sense. Polling has shown Democrats’ numbers slumping across the nation amid rising inflation. Members of both major parties say they hear from voters that the cost of living is a top-of-mind issue.

“We promise to use every single tool at our disposal to save hardworking Coloradans the money you need to live the life you want,” Polis said.

The governor said he plans this

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year to push through affordable housing initiatives and fee relief, including by delaying implementation of programs backed and passed by Democrats in recent years.

“My administration will work with both parties to continue cutting taxes and fees wherever we can,” the governor said.

Republicans argue that Polis and Democratic state lawmakers are responsible for rising consumer costs and find it ironic that they are now so focused on bringing them down.

“He identified a lot of the right problems,” said state Rep. Colin Larson, a Ken Caryl Republican.

“It’s just that he failed to acknowledge that he created them.”

State Sen. Dominick Moreno, a Commerce City Democrat, worries that the governor’s proposals won’t benefit the right Coloradans.

“I think the key is, how can we target assistance to the people that actually need it?” said Moreno, who is vice chairman of the legislature’s powerful Joint Budget Committee. “Some of the proposals I’m seeing are a lot more broad-based. It would provide relief to, frankly, businesses and folks that don’t need it, didn’t have any impact during this pandemic, maybe even made record income and profits throughout it.”

Moreno said he wants to better tailor affordability measures to help “the people who need it the most: the low-income folks, the restaurants that were decimated during the pandemic.”

2. “Because our revenues as a state are strong, families will also receive a refund.”

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006131

Gov. Jared Polis delivered the annual State of the State address on Jan. 13.

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14 Clear Creek Courant

January 27, 2022

ADDRESS FROM PAGE 13

government growth will mean Coloradans are forecast to get refund checks and an income tax reduction for the next several years.

That position clashes with some of his fellow Democrats, who are exploring how to keep some of the excess and direct it toward priorities such as education. It also bucks the general Democratic opposition to TABOR, a Republican mainstay in Colorado that liberals complain has led to fiscal issues in the state for nearly three decades.

It was also interesting to hear Polis celebrate in his speech the 2020 passage of a ballot measure slashing Colorado’s income tax rate.

The governor said the move “is saving families about $100 per year on average, while helping businesses hire more and pay more.” But most Democrats opposed the ballot measure.

Another Republican-backed, income-tax-reduction measure is headed for the 2022 ballot.

3. “I’ve never been one to shy away from ambitious goals, which is why I want to spend the next five years making Colorado one of the top 10 safest states in the country.”

The governor first introduced this objective last week during a Colorado Sun event ahead of the 2022 lawmaking term. It’s a lofty goal given that Polis says the state is in the middle of the national pack when it comes to the state’s crime rates.

The objective is yet another nod to political realities heading into the November election, as Republicans accuse Democrats of being weak on crime.

Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, R-Douglas County, said crime is just another area where Democrats are shifting their stance to meet changing public perception.

“They have pushed very hard

to let people out of jail, out of prison, be softer on sentencing,” Holbert said. “Now, it seems like their focus is trying to, again, retreat from where they’ve been.”

After Polis’ speech, the County Sheriffs of Colorado, Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police and Colorado Fraternal Order of Police released a joint statement thanking the governor for his focus on public safety but called on the legislature to focus on “sustainable, renewable funding.”

4. “Data and common sense tell us that preventing a crime does more to keep people safe than solving a crime after it’s committed.”

This is an area where Democrats and Republicans disagree on how to tackle the crime wave in Colorado.

While the GOP is pursuing some stiffer policies, Democrats want to invest in behavioral health and housing as ways to improve public safety. The idea is to create a social and economic environment where people are dissuaded from breaking the law.

But there are some exceptions.

“We also know that there are times when the swift arm of justice is the best solution,” Polis said, “which is why I look forward to legislation to strengthen penalties for drug dealers peddling fentanyl in our communities.”

State Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat who has worked extensively on criminal justice reform issues in Colorado in recent years, said she thinks the governor’s approach is correct.

“We can’t go back to the punitive policies of the 90s,” Herod said. “Instead, we need to prevent crimes of desperation before they happen, which means bringing down the cost of living, ensuring that people can live in their homes and feed their children.

But we also need better trained officers and more mental health first responders in the field in our communities.”

As for Republicans blaming Democrats for rising crime, “we know that that’s not true,” Herod said.

“There’s not one single bill they could point to say that is what has caused crime to go up.” she said.

“COVID or economic climate, depression and despair is the reason why crime is up. And we have to address that. This is not a political talking point. This is people’s lives.”

5. “Building safer, healthier communities also means improving our air quality and meeting the climate crisis head on.”

The governor mentioned the word “climate” in his speech only three times. Environmental protesters outside of the Capitol, urging Polis to take more action to address climate change, could be heard throughout his speech.

The activists held signs that spelled out the message, “OUT OF TIME.” Some fellow Democrats, like state Rep. Emily Sirota, a Denver Democrat, wanted to hear Polis focus on the issue more.

“The state is literally on fire.

The world is on fire,” she said.

“There should be more attention paid to the climate emergency.

I think that we can both do that and help save people money.”

Garnett, the House speaker, said Democrats will definitely be focused on climate and environmental issues at the Capitol this year.

“I think climate is a priority,” Garnett said, noting that cleaning up Colorado’s air will be a particular emphasis in 2022. “You’ll see us leaning in on that and trying to figure out the best way forward.”

Polis said at a news conference after his speech that “we look forward to engaging with legislators in an aggressive way to reduce emissions.”

6. “We are tougher than anything thrown our way.”

Colorado’s resiliency was also a big theme in the governor’s speech as he noted the recent wildfire in Boulder County, the Table Mesa King Soopers shooting, and a gunman’s recent rampage through Denver and Lakewood. He also nodded to the state’s COVID-19 deaths.

Polis said during his speech

that “we are tougher than anything thrown our way. I’ve seen it myself.” He thanked those who have stepped up during crises over the past year, saying they embody the “Colorado spirit.”

This is how the governor ended his speech: “The state of our state, just like the people of Colorado, is strong, it is steadfast, and, in spite of everything, we are boldly moving forward.”

7. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 2022.”

Polis often injects his nerdy humor into his speeches, and his 2022 State of the State address was no exception. He referenced Star Trek by giving a shout out to certain Democratic lawmakers whose work, he said, will help communities “live long and prosper.”

He also sprinkled in music references, invoking lyrics by pop singer Taylor Swift to describe his optimism: “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 2022, everything will be all right, because we know what we gotta do.”

And the governor wrote his own version of Paul Simon’s hit song from 1975, “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” saying, “there must be at least 50 ways to save Coloradans money.”

Reacting to the governor’s pop culture references, House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, noted she’s “more of a Paul Simon fan, not quite into the Taylor Swift thing, but you know, I thought it was quirky. It was the governor.”

While the pop culture references did get some laughs, Polis mentioned Taylor Swift twice compared to his three uses of the word “climate.” That raised some eyebrows.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

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Clear Creek Courant 15

January 27, 2022

C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E

© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

Solution

TRIVIA 1. ANATOMY: How many ribs are in the human body?

2. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What kind of animal is a flying fox?

3. GEOGRAPHY: In which body of water does the island of Malta lie?

10. SCIENCE: What weather condition is measured in millibars?

Answers

4. U.S. STATES: What animal is featured on the state flag of Louisiana?

1. 24

5. TELEVISION: What was the name of the fictional airline whose jet crashed on an island in “Lost”?

3. Mediterranean Sea

6. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president ran on the slogan “Vote Yourself a Farm and Horses”?

7. MOVIES: What is the name of Thor’s hammer in the earlier “Avengers” movies?

8. FOOD & DRINK: The “Iron Chef ” TV cooking show originated in which country?

9. HISTORY: In what year did the Cold War end?

2. A type of bat

4. A pelican 5. Oceanic Airlines 6. Abraham Lincoln 7. Mjolnir 8. Japan 9. 1989 10. Atmospheric pressure

(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

Crossword Solution

16 Clear Creek Courant

January 27, 2022

State Legislature argues over Jan. 6, election integrity Democrats introduce resolution

BY ANDREW KENNEY CPR NEWS

When Colorado Democrats introduced a resolution to support their party’s national push for new voting rights laws, House Republicans responded with a mixed set of their own messages.

On one hand, Republican leaders accused Democrats of trying to relitigate the 2020 election for political purposes. On the other, some Republican rank-andfile representatives introduced amendments that again attempted to undermine the 2020 elections.

In a debate that lasted more than two hours, right-wing members of the House GOP caucus proposed a series of amendments to question the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s election; support Tina Peters, the Mesa County Clerk being investigated over a security breach in her office; and thank some of the people who marched on Washington, D.C. last January 6th.

“We all could agree — those that didn’t break the law, those who acted honorably, we should thank ‘em, even if we disagree with them,” said Rep. Dave Williams, arguing that protesters were exercising their First Amendment rights. Williams’ amendment specifically mentioned Rep. Ron Hanks, who attended the rally but says he did not participate in the

Capitol breach.

The Republican amendments were doomed to fail, since Democrats control the chamber, and instead were meant to send a message. They won the backing of most but not all of the House Republicans.

One failed amendment would have flatly declared that the state legislature “call(s) into question the legitimacy of Joseph R. Biden to be President.” The various counter-proposals also called for more auditing of election results and the removal of dead voters from election rolls. Colorado already requires county clerks to conduct risk-limiting audits after each election, in which they check random paper ballots against the machine tallies.

The leader of the House Republicans, Rep. Hugh McKean, took a different approach from most of his caucus. While speaking on the resolution, he underlined that Biden won the election, while arguing Democrats were unnecessarily drawing the state into federal politics.

“Our election systems here in Colorado work — let’s not turn how we run our elections in Colorado into yet another partisan issue,” he said.

Republicans also argued that the election laws being debated in Congress amount to a federal takeover of state election procedures.

Democrats said that the federal proposal was important because it responds to bills proposed in Colorado and elsewhere that would reduce polling sites, voting hours

The Colorado state Capitol in Denver.

and mail-in voting.

The Democratic resolution reads, in part, that lawmakers “(o) ffer Colorado’s premier electoral system as a model for states across the country to adopt in order to increase voter participation while ensuring electoral integrity; and (call) on the United States Congress… to protect the fundamental right to vote, which has been the cornerstone of our democracy since the founding of our republic.”

House Majority Leader Alec Garnett said the amendments from Republicans showed the need for federal action.

“Your ability to vote is under

PHOTO BY MARK HARDEN

threat. Go pull those records of who voted for those amendments.

This couldn’t be more serious,” he said in a speech that at times had him shouting from the lectern.

The resolutions in support of the federal voting legislation passed in both chambers along largely party lines. Colorado’s U.S. Senators, Democrats John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, already support the bills up for debate.

This story is from CPR News, a nonprofit news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr. org.

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Public Notices call Marley 303-566-4123 Legals

Legal Notice No. CCC280 First Publication: January 20, 2022 Last Publication: January 27, 2022 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

City and County

Metropolitan Districts

Public Notice

A CALL FOR NOMINATIONS (NOTICE BY PUBLICATION OF)

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS CLEAR CREEK COUNTY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS Clear Creek County advisory boards and commissions offer an opportunity for citizen participation in local government. Service on boards is voluntary and appointments are made by the County Commissioners.

Letters of Application for vacancy on the board listed below should be submitted to the Board of County Commissioners, P.O. Box 2000, Georgetown, CO 80444 OR Email: bluther@ clearcreekcounty.us. Position open until filled.

OPEN SPACE COMMISSION: 9 members and 2 associate members, 3-year terms, and meets once a month. The most important criteria for selection will be an interest in and dedication to preserving open space and protecting the environment. The Commissioners are looking for 1 associate member who must be a resident of Clear Creek County and have the ability and commitment to become an active board member for three years. The commission requests that interested applicants attend one meeting to familiarize themselves with the organization.

The commission meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Idaho Springs City Hall in Idaho Springs.

CENTRAL CLEAR CREEK SANITATION DISTRICT TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and, particularly, to the electors of the Central Clear Creek Sanitation District of Clear Creek County, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election will be held on the 3rd day of May, 2022, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, two (2) directors will be elected to serve 3-year terms and two (2) directors will be elected to serve one-year terms. Eligible electors of the Central Clear Creek Sanitation District interested in serving on the board of directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance form from the District Designated Election Official (DEO): Catherine T. Bright 7400 East Orchard Road, Suite 3300 Greenwood Village, CO 80111 cbright@svwpc.com 303-770-2700 The Office of the DEO is open on the following days: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The deadline to submit a Self-Nomination and Acceptance is close of business on February 25,

2022 (not less than 67 days before the election).

Affidavit of Intent To Be A Write-In-Candidate forms must be submitted to the office of the designated election official by the close of business on Monday, February 28, 2022 (the sixty-fourth day before the election).

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, an application for an absentee ballot shall be filed with the designated election official no later than the close of business on Tuesday preceding the election, April 26, 2022.

Catherine Bright Designated Election Official Signature Legal Notice No. CCC274 First Publication: January 27, 2022 Last Publication: January 27, 2022 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR ST. MARY’S GLACIER METROPOLITAN DISTRICT TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly to the electors of the St. Mary’s Glacier Metropolitan District of Clear Creek County, Colorado.

80228, or email: cschott@cogovlaw.com. SelfNomination and Acceptance forms must be filed with the Designated Election Official for the District at the above email address not less than 67 days prior to the election (Friday, February 25, 2022).

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that applications for absentee ballots may be filed with the Designated Election Official of the District at the above address during normal business hours, until the close of business on the Tuesday immediately preceding the election (Tuesday, April 26, 2022).

All absentee ballots must be returned to the Designated Election Official by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

ST. MARY’S GLACIER METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

13, 2022, or the claims may be forever barred.

Charley Wilson, Personal Representative 223 Hillside Drive Evergreen, CO 80439 Legal Notice No. CCC269 First Publication: January 13, 2022 Last Publication: January 27, 2022 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Krystofik, Inger Christine, Deceased Case Number 2021PR30025 All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Clear County, Colorado on or before May 20, 2022 or the claims may be forever barred.

By:/s/ Crystal Schott Designated Election Official Legal Notice No.CCC276 First Publication: January 27, 2022 Last Publication: January 27, 2022 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Michael Krystofik, /s/ John C Hugger Attorney for the Personal Representative PO Box 877 Evergreen, CO 80437 303-670-1043 huggerlaw@aol.com

Notice to Creditors Public Notice

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a regular election will be held on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

At that time, three (3) directors will be elected to serve a three-year term and one (1) director will be elected to serve a one-year term.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of GWENN ELIZABETH WILSON a/k/a GWENN E. WILSON a/k/a GWENN WILSON, Deceased Case Number: 2021PR30026

Self-Nomination and Acceptance forms are available from Crystal Schott, the Designated Election Official for the District, at 165 Union Boulevard, Suite 785, Lakewood, Colorado

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Clear Creek, County, Colorado on or before May

Legal Ad No.: CCC279 First Publication: January 20, 2022 Last Publication: February 3, 2022 Published In: Clear Creek Courant

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LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB? CLEAR CREEK COUNTY WANTS YOU!!!

• • • • • •

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY is accepting applications for the following jobs: • Control Tech: Hiring wage is $20.14 - $22.15/hr DOQ • Deputy Clerk/Treasurer and Public Trustee: Hiring wage is $17.64 $19.40/hr DOQ • Deputy Sheriff - Patrol: Hiring wage is $33.94 - $34.96/hr DOQ • Detentions Deputy: Hiring wage is $29.23 - $30.11/hr DOQ • Dispatcher: Hiring wage is $24.62 - $25.35/hr DOQ • Equipment Operator I for the Transfer Station: CDL; Hiring wage is $18.00 - $19.80/hr DOQ • Equipment Operator II for Road and Bridge: CDL; Hiring wage is $21.00 - $23.10/hr DOQ • Kitchen Manager: Hiring wage is $22.40 - $24.64/hr DOQ • Mechanic Entry Level R&B: Hiring wage is $20.14 - $22.15/hr DOQ • Nurse Confinement: Hiring wage is $77,200 - $84,920 annually DOQ • Part Time EMT: Hiring wage is $20.14 - $22.15/hr DOQ • Part Time Paramedic: Hiring wage is $23.27 - $25.60/hr DOQ • Public Health Nurse (PRN & Temp.): Hiring wage is $28.75 - $31.63/hr DOQ • Recreation Facilities Manager: Hiring wage is $29.66 - $32.63/hr DOQ • Senior Accountant: Hiring wage is $65,000 - $75,000 annually DOQ • Trails Supervisor (Seasonal): Hiring wage is $25.24 - $27.76/hr DOQ • Transit Supervisor: Hiring wage is $50,400 - $55,440 annually DOQ Taking applications until positions are filled. See benefits, full job descriptions and applications at: https://www.clearcreekcounty.us Under “I Want to…” in the left-hand column of the drop down, click on “Jobs in Clear Creek County”. This will take you to the job posting site where you can complete an application.

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• THIS IS NOW A VIRTUAL EVENT! •

Coach / MS Track Guest Teachers Visit our Website to View All Open Positions Apply at: www.ccsdre1.org Clear Creek School District RE1, does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, marital status, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its educational programs or activities.

Inquiries may be referred to the Director of Human Resources, Robin Payne, robin.payne@ccsdre1.org 303-567-3851

BEAT THE RUSH! Place Your Classified Ad Early!

Help Wanted The Holly Berry Florist needs a part time floral designer and delivery driver, flexible hours. Fun team of people to work with. Call Pam at 303-674-4821.

Warehouse Associate / Order Filler (Full Time) Elizabeth Craft Designs is currently looking for a Full-Time Warehouse Associate / Order Filler for our location in Evergreen, CO. Flexible hours.. Pay: $16.00 - $18.00 P/H. Contact info: 805 228-4667 or info@ ecraftdesigns.com Registered Nurses $66.41/Hr! R.N.s are needed for psych, veteran, corrections & IDD/ICF units in Denver and statewide. All shifts are available. Fully employer-paid medical & dental. 401(k) with 6% employer contribution and immediate vesting. Call Mark at Worldwide Travel Staffing, 866-633-3700 ext. 106 or email mdepasquale@ WorldwideTravelStaffing.com

Driver CDL HAZMAT DRIVER WANTED

by Spring Valley Gas, Inc., family owned; 20 year old company, seeking local propane delivery driver with customer service experience.

Join our team! Salary based on certification and experience. Class A or B with hazmat endorsements. Full time position. Propane experience preferred but not required. Clean MVR with no DUI or drug history. On call pay, holiday pay, paid industrial training, and paid time off. Call for interview: 303-660-8810.

Keys on the Green is seeking a Host/Hostess We are seeking someone who is warm, welcoming and engaging.

Someone who will greet all guests into our cozy, upscale, but casual restaurant. This individual must have forward thinking. We are seeking someone who is a part of the team.

Someone who can notice there is a need and make the decision to help.

If this sounds like you, please relay your resume. We look forward to speaking with you.

Must be available: Monday-Saturday 4:30PM-8:00PM. Keys is closed Sunday.

We’re seeking to hire immediately.

Contact info: Krystal@BardCapital. com RHB@BardCapital.com psb@bardcapital.com Warehouse Associate/Order Filler Full-Time/Part-Time Elizabeth Craft Designs is currently looking for a FT/PT Warehouse Associate / Order Filler for our location in Evergreen, CO. Flexible hours. Pay: $16.00 - $18.00 P/H Contact info: 7203529703 or Mark@ ecraftdesigns.com

CLASSIFIEDS

Clear Creek Courant 19

January 27, 2022

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

CAREERS

MARKETPLACE

REAL ESTATE

CLASSIFIED AD SALES & SERVICE DIRECTORY ADS

Contact Ruth, 303-566-4113 rdaniels@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Careers

Careers

DEADLINES CLASSIFIED LINE ADS: MONDAY, 11 A.M. SERVICE DIRECTORY: THURSDAY, 5 P.M. LEGALS: THURSDAY, 3 P.M.

Pets Dogs

Intake Coordinator IT Services Manager CUSTOMER SERVICE/PROJECT MANAGER WELL PUMP/WATER TREATMENT SERVICE TECHNICIAN These positions are an excellent opportunity for candidates looking to establish themselves with a family-owned and operated company that places value in fostering an individual’s career growth.

A Successful Candidate will be: • Desiring Full Time/Long Term Employment and Industry Development.

• Reliable and a Self Starter.

• Ethical and Displaying a Consistent Work History.

• Attentive to Detail and Customer Focused.

• Computer Proficient with Excellent Communication Skills • Able to Multi-task in a Fast-paced Environment • Mechanically Inclined with a Clean Driving Record (Technician) GeoWater Services, LCC, an established, successful, Well Pump Service and Water Treatment Company, is offering competitive salary and fringe benefits, including a 401k, profit sharing, medical, dental, paid holidays and vacation/sick time.

Extensive on the job training provided.

If interested, please send cover letter and resume to: cs@geowaterusa.com

Licensed Practical Nurse

is hiring!

Manager of Nursing Services

We’re looking for compassionate health care professionals to join our amazing care team serving the mountain communities of Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Park Counties.

Registered Nurse Social Worker/ Bereavement Coordinator Speech-Language Pathologist

French Bulldog Female. Date of Birth:10/12/21 Vaccinated, dewormed and vet checked.

AKC available Contact for Pricing 720-292-7066

Find out more about these positions at: mtevans.org/careers

Transportation

Miscellaneous

Idaho Springs

•Seeking POST certified officers OR non-certified individuals to attend an academy •$60,000/yr. starting pay (lateral officers may qualify for higher pay depending on experience) •Outstanding retirement through Fire Police Pension of Colorado (vested in 5 years) •Take home vehicle if residing within 25 miles •Free Recreation Center membership •Includes exceptional medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage •Paid time off Check out our website at https://cityofidahosprings.colorado.gov/ departments/idaho-springs-police-department or contact Corporal Ryan Frost directly (rfrost@idahospringsco.com , 303-956-5064) Our creed…

“Commitment to Integrity and Safety through constitutional Policing and Dedication to our community.”

Wanted

Colorado Statewide

Police Department is Hiring!

Nestled in Clear Creek County surrounded by beautiful mountains (25 miles west of Denver), the city of Idaho Springs is the first stop for outdoor and skiing enthusiasts. Idaho Springs has approximately 1,800 residents and hosts tens of thousands of visitors each year.

Doodle Puppies

Golden Doodles and Bernedoodles Home-Raised Heath Tested and Guaranteed Standard and Mini Size available Schedule a visit today!

(970)215-6860 www.puppylovedoodles.com

Network To place a 25-word COSCAN Network ad in 91 Colorado newspapers for only $300, contact your local newspaper or email Colorado Press Association Network at rtoledo@colopress.net

Donate Your Car to Veterans Today! Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up.

100% tax deductible. Call 1-800245-0398

AT&T WIRELESS

DIRECTV

DIRECTV for $69.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Watch your favorite live sports, news & entertainment anywhere.

One Year of HBO Max FREE. Directv is #1 Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.)

Some Restrictions apply Call for more details! 1-888-725-0897

Great New Offer from AT&T Wireless ! Ask How to get the new iPhone 12 mini for as low as $0 with trade in. While supplies last!

Call: 1-877-384-5339

CBD PAIN RELIEF

COLORADO PRESS NETWORK

Green Roads Pain Relief Cream. Great for backaches, arthritis, muscle aches & more.

Get pain relief exactly where you need it most. Use code PAIN to get three FREE Gifts!

Visit: http://greencbdtoday.com/colorado

To Place a 25 word COSCAN Network ad in 91 Colorado Newspapers for only $300, contact your local newspaper or email Colorado Press Association at rtoledo@colopress.net

DINE LOCAL Support Neighborhood Restaurants

To advertise your business, call us at 303-566-4113

20 Clear Creek Courant

January 27, 2022

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