May 7, 2015 VOLU M E 1 2 0 | I S S UE 1 4 | 7 5 ¢
ElbertCountyNews.net E L B E R T C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Volunteers clean up two towns Residents, officials turn out for Elizabeth and Elbert events By Rick Gustafson
Special to Colorado Community Media
Kelly Sweigart, an Elizabeth High School junior, was named the 2016 Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo queen May 2. Photos by Rick Gustafson
Stampede royalty crowned Elizabeth High student will be the 2016 queen By Rick Gustafson
Special to Colorado Community Media
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ELBERT COUNTY NEWS
With the Royalty Clinics attended and the application deadlines met, it came down to the competition at Casey Jones Park on May 2 to determine the Royal Court for the 2016 Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo. Following a daylong competition, Kelly Sweigart, of Elizabeth, was named the 2016 Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo queen and Taylor Braun, of Englewood, 2016 attendant. Sweigart will be starting her senior year at Elizabeth High School in the fall. Her family has been involved with the Elizabeth Stampede for nearly 12 years, and she hopes to share her positive experiences with the Stampede. She is a member of the National Honor Society, lettered in basketball, and will apply to college with the goal of becoming a dermatologist. Braun is a freshman at Cherry Creek High School. She began riding at the age of 7, initially riding English. Her parents took her to her first Elizabeth Stampede when she was 5.
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Royalty continues on Page 7
With winter weather yielding to spring, sunshine and warm temperatures greeted volunteers in two Elbert County communities on May 2 who gathered to clean up their towns. In Elizabeth, residents met at the town hall at 7:30 a.m. for the annual Elizabeth Town Cleanup, and by 8 a.m. groups of volunteers were hard at work. While Elizabeth Trustee Rachel White mobilized her group of volunteers to sweep the gravel and other debris from the sidewalks along Highway 86, Trustee Steve Gaither worked alongside Public Works Director Michael Gibbs, helping residents unload trash into dumpsters provided to the town at a discount by Greenleaf Waste Solutions. The Elizabeth cleanup centered on four projects: trash pickup and general maintenance of paths in Shepherd Memorial Park, sidewalk sweeping along Highway 86, a trash collection point on Garland Street, and the instillation of privacy slats to the fence surrounding Elizabeth Public Works. The annual Elizabeth cleanup drew individual volunteers, 4-H members and church groups, such as Creekside Community Church Youth Group and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Following the cleanup, the volunteers returned to the town hall for a barbecue. Gibbs, who has been working with the cleanup for nine years, said fewer residents took advantage of the opportunity to drop off trash this year than in previous years, but they still managed to fill two dumpsters. The Town of Elbert also held a cleanup day on May 2 sponsored by the Elbert Town Committee and Elbert Fire Protection District. Students from Elbert High School and Middle School got an early start to the work by picking up trash along Cleanup continues on Page 7
Taylor Braun, a Cherry Creek High School freshman, was named the 2016 Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo attendant.
County Road 29 paving work complete Work will provide benefit in northwestern part of county By Rick Gustafson
Special to Colorado Community Media With the lack of moisture in Colorado early in March, contractors and Elbert County Road and Bridge made an early start on road repairs and construction throughout the county this spring. This news is especially good for residents who have been dealing with the construction along County Road 29 since last fall. Despite heavy rain during last weekend in April, crews were able to complete paving on April 29. Workers will add the finishing touches during the first two weeks in May, such as striping, signage and seeding, so drivers can anticipate most of the cones being removed by midMay. The four-mile segment of new paving was designed with a 20-year life cycle, and in addition to asphalt resurfacing, the project includes tilled cement mixtures in subgrade soils and water
drainage improvements. The project, however, has not proceeded without some setbacks. “We’ve experienced a lot of trouble with traffic control,” said County Manager Ed Ehmann. “We’ve had multiple people driving through the area ignoring our traffic control, cutting through the construction zones and driving into our construction work area.” On the final day of paving, a driver cut through the construction area where workers were prepping for new pavement, forcing crews to stop work to repair the damage before paving. Though there were no accidents reported during the construction, Ehmann said the damage done by drivers who ignored signaling delayed the project and increased the overall cost to taxpayers. “We would like to ask that residents comply with the traffic rules in all construction zones for the safety of the public and the construction workers,” Ehmann said. County Road 29 is a major thoroughfare in northwestern Elbert County, and Ehmann CR 29 continues on Page 7
Volunteer Janell Heirendt, with daughter Ada, trims branches near Shepherd Memorial Park during the Elizabeth Town Cleanup on May 2. Photo by Rick Gustafson