News
Elbert Co 10-17-2013
Elbert County
October 17, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourelbertcountynews.com
Elbert County, Colorado • Volume 118, Issue 38
Elections officials gear up for vote Newly appointed manager, clerk prepare for balloting By George Lurie
glurie@ourcoloradonews.com On the job less than two months, both the county’s new elections manager and clerk and recorder say they are prepared for this year’s vote, which begins in earnest this week when ballots are mailed out. “It’s been a challenge,” said Dallas Schroeder, who was appointed Elbert County’s new clerk and recorder in early September. “I’m learning something new every day. But it’s making more and more sense and I feel ready for this election.” Sherry McNeil, the county’s new elections manager, who started just a week before Schroeder on Sept. 1, echoed the clerk’s confidence. “We are absolutely where we need to
be” in terms of preparing for the election, McNeil said. “Jumping in right before major deadlines” has been the biggest challenge, she added, “but we’ve managed to get through it so far.” Ballots will be mailed Oct. 18 to the county’s 18,000 registered voters. In 2012, nearly 80 percent of eligible voters in the county cast a ballot. Officials believe this year’s turnout will likely not be as high because it is not a presidential election. Two of the most controversial issues on the ballot this year are: • Ballot Issue 1C, a proposed mill levy increase of up to four mills, put forth by commissioners to stabilize the county’s depleted coffers; • Ballot Issue 1B, a proposed repeal of a machine and tool tax exemption for energy producers operating in the county, a measure also envisioned to boost county revenues. Election continues on Page 12
Sherry McNeil, Elbert County’s new elections manager, works at her desk recently. Photo by George Lurie
Schools seeking debt hike Move would pay for equipment, repairs in Elizabeth district By George Lurie
glurie@ourcoloradonews.com
Two men in protective gear do remediation work on Oct. 9 at the West Elbert County Landfill. Photo by George Lurie
Repair work underway at landfill Compactor to remain closed indefinitely By George Lurie
glurie@ourcoloradonews. com At the West Elbert County Landfill, once home to a secretive Cold War-era missile site, work is finally underway to repair damage done by an “unauthorized excavation” that took place nearly two years ago. Ed Ehmann, the county’s director of public works, confirmed last week that “restora-
tion work” began at the landfill site in early October. “The process is taking longer than we expected but should be done by the end of the month,” Ehmann told commissioners at their Oct. 9 regular meeting. Under the terms of a “site restoration contract” approved by the Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 25, the unauthorized excavator, Commerce City-based Backhoe Services, has agreed to make a “good faith effort” to repair damage that occurred in 2011 when the company began moving dirt on about five acres
of the old landfill. At the time, Backhoe Services, which specializes in salvaging old missile sites, had been given permission by the BOCC to take soil samples in preparation for dismantling — at no cost to the county — the Cold War-era silos. But in 2011, after Backhoe Services began working at the site, asbestos was found in debris samples and the landfill site was deemed a health hazard to nearby residents and closed. “The asbestos was unearthed by the contractor,” said Commissioner Kurt Schle-
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gel, “who started trying to reclaim rebar before they had a final contract.” Two years later, Schlegel said the county “finally got all of the agreements done” and “they (Backhoe Services) are covering up the holes they created.” The landfill itself, which had not been used since the early 1970s, has had an unusual history. During a brief period in the 1960s, it served as a U.S. Department of Defense Titan missile complex, housing three Cold War-era armed missiles in silos buried beneath the landfill, which is four miles south of Elizabeth on Road 124 — once called `Missile Road’ by local residents. According to Schlegel, a former Marine, the missile installation was decommissioned less than a year after it was made active and the landfill was converted into a trash transfer station and recycling Landfill continues on Page 12
Elizabeth School District officials are hoping voters support Ballot Issue 3B, a proposal to increase the district’s debt in order to acquire needed equipment and repair school facilities. 3B asks voters to OK a district debt increase of $2.7 million — with a repayment cost, including interest, totaling $3.8 million. In order to increase the district’s debt, the bond measure proposes increasing district taxes up to $375,000 annually in order to qualify for matching funds from the state under the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant program. If the ballot initiative is successful, school district officials anticipate receiving a BEST grant totaling $915,404. Funds generated from the proposed tax increase and state grant are earmarked for: • Purchasing and installing new emergency communication systems; • Replacing roofs at Singing Hills Elementary and Elizabeth High School; • Building upgrades at various school facilities related to health and safety needs; • Resurfacing the high school track and modifying the pole vault area; • Buying new school buses and an additional fuel storage tank. “Elizabeth School District C-1 has conducted a long and broad process to identify critical needs within the district,” states a supporting comment from the district at the end of the ballot measure. “3B will address the highest priority needs with smart, long-term solutions.” A summary of written comments opposing the bond measure is also included at the end of the ballot question. Those comments question the $1.1 million in anticipated interest payments Schools continues on Page 12