Elbert County News 042122

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Week of April 21, 2022

ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

ElbertCountyNews.net

VOLUME 127 | ISSUE 10

Mom of 10 is pro football player Christie Duffy tackles life on and off the field

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

An aerial view of the fieldhouse / ag building proposed for Elizabeth’s Casey Jones Park is shown in an artist’s rendering. A ballot question on whether to increase property taxes for significant changes to the park will be decided by voters on May 3.

IMAGES COURTESY OF ELIZABETH PARK & RECREATION DISTRICT

Residents share views on tax vote Park overhaul is worth cost to some, while others say answer is no

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

The upcoming May 3 vote on a proposed mill levy increase to help fund Casey Jones Park improvements has drawn split opinions among Elizabeth Park & Recreation District residents.

On April 10, the Elbert County News reached out to residents on the Elizabeth Community & Events Facebook page seeking opinions on the ballot question for this article.

Based on social media public comment, those who plan to “yes” SEE PARK, P2

An artist’s rendering shows the front of the fieldhouse / ag building proposed for Elizabeth’s Casey Jones Park. Elizabeth Park & Recreation District voters will decide May 3 whether to fund a major overhaul of the park with a mill levy increase.

Christie Duffy and her wife Maggie Duffy have been involved with Women’s Professional Tackle Football since 2011. Most recently, Christie Duffy signed with the DC Divas last autumn.

A 35-year-old resident of Elizabeth, Christie Duffy balances being a mother of 10 children while still making time to try out and play for the women’s professional football team.

“My daughter became really fascinated with football and she and I started following Lois Cook, one of the DC Divas, on TikTok,” explained Duffy. “After a lot of engagement on and off social media, several of the DC Divas encouraged me to try out for the team. My wife, Maggie, also heavily encouraged me to play. So, I packed my bags, flew to D.C., and tried out for the team.”

Shortly after her tryout, Duffy was offered a position on the 2022 DC Divas roster. She is currently training for the offensive line, both center and right guard.

The DC Divas are a part of the Women’s Football Alliance and are in the National Conference and Northeast Region of the Women’s Professional Division. There are 67 teams nationwide spanning three divisions.

The mission of the DC Divas is to continue to level the playing field for girls and women in sports.

Their organization teaches women SEE DUFFY, P6

INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12

BUZZING AROUND

Beekeeping popularity grows

P12

2 Elbert County News

April 21, 2022

PARK FROM PAGE 1

generally believe the property tax increase is worth it for the benefits they would receive from the park improvements. They think the improvements will help modernize the town of Elizabeth and that the park improvements would provide amenities for the growing community, covering all demographics of residents (e.g., children, teens, seniors, adults, etc.).

Also based on social media public comment, those who plan to vote “no” generally believe the proposed park improvement would not be worth the cost of the tax hike. Many also think that as written, the ballot language is vague and they are concerned that some of the proposed improvements would not be fulfilled.

Some also don’t want growth or change to come to Elizabeth.

Comments and opinions of residents who plan to vote yes “We have two small boys and would welcome the ability to use a recreation center in Elizabeth. The increase in tax to pay for it seems modest in our situation. So, we will be voting for it.” — Dan Terrill “I think with as fast as the area is growing, we need to take our public facilities up to par. I pay higher property taxes in this county than in any other I have lived. I am a Colorado native with deep roots. I don’t mind paying appropriate taxes as long as I am receiving appropriate services.” — Michelle Lynn “Our taxes in Elbert County have lagged behind inflation and the needs of the community; I don’t mind putting money back into our area and keeping it local. Our taxes will provide improved amenities, beautiful parks and community areas, and valuable services — all good things. I would much rather my money stay in Elizabeth and Elbert County than go towards gas to drive to Parker or Castle Rock and pay for Douglas County amenities.

Elizabeth Park and Recreation Department has done a great job with what they have but the facilities here need improvement and growth to serve the many families and folks who live here. I love the scope of the proposal because I don’t see an age group or demographic who won’t be able to enjoy the proposed improvements — rodeo arena, bathrooms, sports facilities, dog park, recre-

P

F

Artist’s renderings show plans for the Casey Jones Park rodeo grounds and arena space, with covered grandstands that would seat 3,500 spectators.

ation center, walking paths, etc.

It’s about so much more than a rec center.” — Nicky ZQ “Worth every penny. I wish we could have done this years ago when my kids were young. I personally will take advantage of what will be offered. It doesn’t bother me, if accurate, the mill levy/tax won’t sunset.

It means the funding will continue to help maintain and improve the district’s needs.” — EJ Goody “We are voting yes and are excited at the idea of having a community rec center so close. It’s a good thing for kids, families, seniors, teens, everyone! We drive to Castle Rock and Parker often for swimming and sports and would prefer to keep our money in Elizabeth. I think it could create some great job opportunities for teens too. Big believer that sports and community keep kids/ teens out of trouble and that community centers are wonderful for seniors. With all the dense residential developments coming over the next ten years, I think this project is needed.” — Meghan Sweder “I will be voting yes! With the Elizabeth community growing, this will be a wonderful addition for families and all ages. Instead of sending our kids to Parker, we can keep them closer to home. Today

r z t l t t i w l t n s —

t l p t c t l I c A recreation center with pool slides, which is proposed for Casey Jones Park, is shown p IMAGES COURTESY OF ELIZABETH PARK & RECREATION DISTRICT e in an artist’s rendering.

P Elbert County to set the bar for alone, both my daughters used the 1 Parker Fieldhouse (we average 2-4 development for its people and their i trips/week). Also economic driver healthy future!” — Michelle Thomase for local businesses, they’ll stop off n and grab a meal, groceries, etc.” — Comments and opinions of residents Jennifer Bahr t who plan to vote no “It is 2022, and we are in a very n “We as a family are voting NO. bustling and gorgeous home in i It is a blank check with no end in Colorado. We have everything this sight and no accountability. It is too ( beautiful earth has to offer, right extravagant and with the inflation s here! We are blessed to have the ophitting us. We flat cannot afford to a portunity to oversee positive growth pay any more taxes.” — Michelle t in our area, because no matter your Peneton stance, it will come! I would love a “The wording is vague, and they t safe and local place for our children are asking for a mill levy increase s to have community. t I would love for Elizabeth and n SEE PARK, P3

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Elbert County News 3

April 21, 2022

An artist’s rendering shows the rec center proposed for Casey Jones Park.

@douglascountyco

COURTESY OF ELIZABETH PARK & RECREATION DISTRICT

PARK

FROM PAGE 2

rather than a bond. As a senior citizen on a fixed income, our property taxes will be increasing significantly, and this mill levy will increase the taxes forever. I am not saying the concept of a rec center is a bad idea, but they need to look at a bond which will expire after a certain length of time as well as wording of the ballot to what WILL be included not what MAY be included. As it stands now, I am not in favor of it.”

— Diane Varner “There are lots of great projects that would improve our community, like buying land for open space, paving some more roads, public transportation, and a recreation center to name a few. Paying for the recreation center with a mil levy tax is a bureaucrat’s dream.

It’s a forever source of money that continues grow with increasing property assessments. In addition, everyone living in the Elizabeth Park & Recreation District (+/100 square miles) will all pay this increasing forever tax whether you ever use the recreation center or not.” — Ron Korsch “My biggest concern is how they’ve identified the proposed amenities. It says the rec center `... may include ...’ We’ve all seen the plans (artist renderings), but plans can be scrapped. I’ve only been on EC for about 18 months ... and already have trust issues.” — Lorene Thornburg “My family is voting no. The fact that they want more RV and yurt spaces is insane. Who is that going to attract? Why would Elizabeth need that? No more taxes, and the

noise and traffic are going to make that area unbearable. We are a rural community and want to stay that way.” — Nan Mostacciuolo “With the vague amenity suggestions, it is just as likely this is all we will get after voting in an open-ended, perpetual tax increase. This area has 3 gyms available now. We have been promised a pool for the kids in so many different pie in the sky proposals to get the vote and then the pool plans disappear. Let’s get a pool, but let’s get a guarantee for our money and not some vague suggestion.” — Kristi Coffin “I’m on the fence. It’s a much needed thing for our community but I think the improvements are excessive. We’ve needed a pool of some sort out here for years and ever since I was little people have tried to get some sort of rec center in the town. But the wording says ‘may’ include a pool. And then all the other improvements.” — Sarah Patterson

Your voice will help us protect your home and our community

Voting information There are three 24-hour ballot drop-off locations available: One is at Elizabeth Town Hall, 151 S. Banner St. in Elizabeth; another is at Singing Hills Elizabeth Fire Station just north of County Road 166 at 41002 Firehouse St., southeast of Parker; and the third is at the Samuel Elbert Building at 440 Comanche St. in Kiowa. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on May 3 to be counted.

Voters may vote in-person at the Elbert County Elections Office at 440 Comanche St. in Kiowa from April 25 through May 3.

For more information on the election, visit tinyurl.com/EPRDMay3

If you live in unincorporated Douglas County, Flood Insurance Rate Maps and zone information are available by request. Visit douglas.co.us and search for Flood Plain Information. A form may also be requested by calling 303-660-7490 or visiting Public Works, 100 Third St. in Castle Rock.

THINNING FORESTS. STARVING WILDFIRES.

Douglas County is updating its Community Wildfire Protection Plan – a document that defines how we can proactively protect life and property. The first step in updating this plan is your input, by completing a short survey. Visit douglas.co.us/cwpp-survey to complete the survey by April 26.

Building records now available online How often have you wondered where your home’s property line ends, and your neighbor’s begins? Do you need to schedule a building inspection and yet remembered to do it after business hours? To access publicly available records and documents visit https://apps.douglas.co.us/building/services

Need flood zone information?

What’s happening with your County government?

Our commitment to open and transparent government includes online posting of information about public meetings at which the business of government is conducted. To view public meeting agendas, participate in-person or remotely, or watch select meetings via live stream visit douglas.co.us and search for Meetings and Agendas.

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4 Elbert County News

April 21, 2022

State’s fight against high hospital prices is complex Colorado health officials want large hospital systems to reduce their prices and profits

BY JOHN INGOLD THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado’s top health officials think the prices charged by large hospital systems in the state are too high.

This is not exactly news; Kim Bimestefer, the executive director of the state’s Medicaid department, has been making this argument for years. But a new report and new comments made by Bimestefer during a virtual policy summit in recent weeks show the state is preparing to relaunch its fight against hospital prices, after the battle largely fell silent during the COVID pandemic.

“We still have got a lot of work to do,” Bimestefer said.

The report, released late last month, found that Colorado hospitals have some of the highest prices and profits in the country. In 2020, according to the report, the price per patient in Colorado hospitals ranked sixth highest in the nation, while the profit per patient ranked seventh. Total profit was sixth highest, while the cost per patient — a measure of efficiency, reflecting hospitals’ underlying expenses to actually provide care — was the nation’s 10th highest.

“Colorado is one of only two states (along with Alaska) that ranks in the top 10 for all four measures of hospital cost, price and profit, making us one of the most expensive states for hospital care,” the report, produced by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, states.

According to the report, all the large hospital systems operating in Colorado, with the exception of Den-

ver Health, have billions of dollars in reserves, enough cash on hand in some cases to run their hospitals for up to a year.

State health officials have long alleged that Colorado’s largest hospital systems rack up high profits at the expense of their patients’ pocketbooks. Hospitals have often defended the high prices and profits as necessary in an expensive, competitive market. But the response to the new report from the Colorado Hospital Association showed how this debate will be different as a result of the pandemic.

COVID put stress on hospitals COVID stressed hospitals like never before, testing their capacity and, at least for a little while, their finances. The hospital association acknowledged both in their statement on the new report. The argument was essentially: See, this kind of emergency is why we needed to build up such big reserves.

“What the report fails to acknowledge is that it is the very fact of Colorado hospitals’ reserves and funding that enabled such a robust COVID response: allowing hospitals to save lives, provide patient care, step up to deliver testing, vaccines, treatments and other supports when the state asked for help,” the Colorado Hospital Association said in its statement.

Hospitals also face ongoing fallout from the pandemic, mainly in the area of staffing. They have raised pay for nurses and other workers crucial to providing health care and also invested in recruiting and retaining staff. Those new staffing costs may start having an impact on prices, hospitals say.

“Hospitals’ workforce challenges will need significant financial commitment over the next several years, which Colorado hospitals have already started, to both retain current health care workers and build the workforce pipeline for the future,” the hospital association wrote in its statement.

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Centennial Hospital recently expanded from the former Centennial Medical Plaza in FILE PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD 2021.

Finances weathered pandemic State officials push back on this by noting that the balance sheets of the state’s largest hospital systems — such as UCHealth, Centura, Banner, HealthONE and SCL Health — didn’t end up suffering greatly during the pandemic, despite the staffing challenges and disruptions to lucrative elective surgeries.

“Most hospitals increased their reserves during the pandemic instead of spending down their rainy day funds,” Nancy Dolson, HCPF’s special financing division director, said during the virtual policy summit held last month. “Bottom line: Our hospital systems’ reserves and profits exhibited really few lasting substantial effects from COVID-19, at least financial effects.”

Part of this had to do with a roaring stock market delivering gains on investment revenue for big systems.

But hospitals also benefited from federal stimulus money.

The new HCPF report found that Colorado’s hospital systems took in about a billion dollars in federal stimulus money through late 2021.

This doesn’t include the stimulus initially received by HealthONE hospitals. HealthONE’s parent company, HCA Healthcare, decided to return its stimulus funds to the federal government.

A report earlier this year by independent health care consultant Allan Baumgarten found that Denver-area hospitals made nearly

a t t Sending help to rural hospitals t Bimestefer and other state officialsa are keen to note that their campaign w against high hospital prices mostly i does not apply to the state’s rural hospitals.

Those hospitals — often run independently — typically charge less and also have less in reserves.

Federal stimulus money was vital to keeping them afloat during the pandemic.

“Without it,” Dolson said, “our rural hospitals would have barely broken even.”

Bimestefer said, even as the state works to fight high prices in one chunk of the market, it is vital that the state spend money to help smaller hospitals. She pointed to a bipartisan bill introduced in the state legislature last week to create a $10 million grant program to fund advancements in technology and “affordability solutions” at rural health care providers. $1.4 billion in profits in 2020.

Price rankings have been falling There’s one other thing that gives the debate over hospital prices in Colorado a new thorniness. Even as the state continues to push for lower prices, hospitals have already made progress.

In 2018, total profits in Colorado hospitals were the highest in the

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h t t t t

SEE HOSPITALS, P5

Elbert County News 5

April 21, 2022

HOSPITALS FROM PAGE 4

nation and the profit per patient was the third-highest, according to the new HCPF report. Price per patient ranked fifth in the country, while the cost per patient was eighth.

Bimestefer noted this in her remarks at the virtual policy summit.

“I want to give a shout-out to the hospitals,” she said. “Each one of these metrics that we have been tracking as a department … all of them are headed in the right direction.”

The Colorado Hospital Association also alluded to it in its statement on the HCPF report, expressing frustration that state officials would return to criticizing hospitals over prices and profits after working so closely with them to care for patients during the pandemic.

“Hospitals did all that while also

continuing to save Coloradans money on health care, a fact often cited by state officials,” the statement said. “Colorado hospitals’ focus remains on caring for patients with COVID and those who deferred care during the pandemic, continuing to improve health care affordability for Coloradans, supporting Colorado’s health care heroes, and providing for Colorado’s communities.”

It suggests the renewed fight over hospital prices could be a little less abstract this time around, a little more personal.

Or, as Bimestefer put it: “I know this causes some friction. I get it.”

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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6 Elbert County News

April 21, 2022

DUFFY FROM PAGE 1

life lessons through sport while improving their physical and mental health and provides a powerful and positive example to the next generation of young women and girls.

“I enjoy being a part of the DC Divas because when I joined, it immediately felt like family. The goals and desires to grow as a team and unit are evident and can be felt when the women are all together,” said Duffy. “Women supporting women, having a common goal, and the sense of teamwork is amazing.”

Like Duffy, many of the DC Divas players are mothers. Being surrounded by strong mothers and athletes constantly encourages Duffy to pursue her dreams and goals of playing professional football.

Christie and Maggie Duffy have 10 children, eight of whom are adopted from foster care. All 10 children are under the age of 7.

“Juggling being a professional athlete and mother of 10 comes with its challenges,” said Duffy. “But I have the best support system and it has allowed me to feel confident in my role on and off the field.”

Raising girls that play football and playing football herself, Duffy is passionate about reaching more girls and women who are interested in the great sport of football.

Growing up, Christie was interested in wrestling, football, and water polo, traditionally male-

Christie Duffy’s DC Divas player headshot. The DC Divas are a part of the Women’s Football Alliance and are in the National Conference and Northeast Region of the Women’s PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRISTIE DUFFY Professional Division.

dominated sports. Though she had an encouraging family, she found very little support and opportunity within her school system. As an adult, she’s also had struggles like facing a lot of sexism and discrimination online for being a female football player.

“We often get trolled on social media with comments like, ‘you belong in the kitchen,’ said Duffy.

“Comments like this add fuel to my fire. I work harder to prove that women deserve equality when it comes to athletic opportunities.”

Four of the Duffy children play football, including two of their daughters, Charlie (5) and Kyle (7).

Christie and Maggie Duffy continue to support their daughters in their new football endeavors and

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Christie Duffy, middle, with members of the DC Divas football team. Duffy is currently training for the offensive line, both center and right guard.

continue to support equality on the field.

“It’s nice to see two young lady athletes want to compete and want to play the same game I love and competed at. You don’t treat them differently and don’t give them special treatment. Girls want to be just like any other player out there,” said Coach Jacob Westhoven of the Parker Patriots youth athletics organization.

“They just want to play, so let them play. If you are a good coach, you can coach anyone. I have coached multiple young ladies in this sport and to be honest, some of my girls had more heart than most of the boys, and less fear too.”

Duffy says that her young daughters have also faced adversity from

their peers about their choice to play football.

“Charlie (5) has unfortunately been told that football isn’t for girls by her peers,” said Duffy. “But with her big sister out there with her on the field, her moms on the sidelines, and the entire DC Divas team on her side, she knows that she is capable of great things in the sport.”

Duffy is looking forward to a fun, rewarding rookie season and hopes to help the team on their road championships in Canton, Ohio.

ESPN will televise the National Championship on July 10.

To learn more about the DC Divas, visit dcdivas.com For more information about the Women’s Football Alliance, visit wfaprofootball.com

‘... I work harder to prove that women deserve equality when it comes to athletic opportunities.’

Christie Duffy

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Elbert County News 7

April 21, 2022

EPA downgrades Colorado’s ozone problem to ‘severe’ Will force more cuts to pollution

BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN

The EPA has downgraded Colorado’s North Front Range ozone problem to “severe” from “serious,” a long-expected move that requires state and local officials to take stronger runs at cutting the healthdamaging pollution.

“The proposed reclassifications would require the State of Colorado to apply more stringent air quality measures to sources across the area,” an EPA release said, in announcing the proposed change after months of pressure from environmental advocates who said the deadlines to do so had already come and gone.

“Under the ‘severe’ reclassification, these requirements include the use of reformulated gasoline in summer months and a reduction of the threshold requiring control measures on emissions sources from 50 tons per year to 25 tons per year,” the EPA said.

In a previous interview that will be published on April 12, Colorado officials said the pending EPA downgrade will require hundreds of companies to get emission permits from a state system already critically backlogged. State health officials say their steep budget request is designed to clear the jam

and improve the air.

It will mean state permits will be required for 473 more sources of pollution that contribute to ozone, as the threshold drops from 50 tons of covered pollutants a year to include all those emitting 25 tons or more, Air Pollution Control Director Michael Ogletree said. That new work will run headlong into a state health permitting system already assailed by courts and environmental groups as years behind, potentially endangering the health of more Coloradans living in highly polluted areas.

One set of permits at a key polluter, the Suncor Energy refinery in Commerce City, expired in 2012, and another in 2018, with a state court judge in January ordering Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials to finish renewing the permits “without delay.” When the state did issue a revised permit that it said put important new restrictions on Suncor, the regional EPA office sent the proposed permit back for tougher revisions in March.

“Our pollution control division is really at a transition point,” CDPHE Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan said in an interview. “It’s been under-resourced for two decades.

We’re changing the way that we fund it. And I’m on a mission to really modernize and rightsize it to meet today’s air quality demands.”

EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker said, “Ground-level ozone remains one of the most challeng-

‘Our pollution control division is really at a transition point. It’s been under-resourced for two decades.’

Jill Hunsaker Ryan, CDPHE Director

ing public health concerns we face, affecting large numbers of Coloradans and their families.” The reclassification “will make sure we are leveraging all available measures and resources as we move forward to reduce ozone pollution” with the state and other partners, she said.

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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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8 Elbert County News

April 21, 2022

Are earthquakes something to fear in Colorado?

Centennial State is far from plate boundaries

BY RYAN WARNER COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

Whether it’s hail, wildfire, or tornadoes, Colorado has its fair share of natural disasters. But what about earthquakes? Louise Watson, of Bailey, is one of several people who reached out through Colorado Public Radio’s Colorado Wonders webpage to ask about seismic activity here. Answers were not far away.

Golden, Colorado is home to the National Earthquake Information Center, which sits on the School of Mines campus. Scientists there monitor seismic activity around the world, around the clock, and take calls from people who feel shaking.

Seismologist William Yeck explained that Colorado is not an epicenter for major earthquakes, nor is it immune to them. And sometimes they are triggered by human activity.

This interview with Colorado Public Radio host Ryan Warner has been edited for clarity and length.

Ryan Warner: In general, are we a shakin’ place?

William Yeck: We don’t have seismicity like you see in some areas. Where we really see high seismic hazard is where we have plate boundaries. So, for example: California. Most people have heard about the San Andreas Fault that marks the plate boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. And it really creates a high seismic hazard. There’s lots of seismicity there. In Colorado, we don’t have any tectonic plate boundaries like that. So, we don’t see that discrete lineation of seismicity that

Earthquake scientist William Yeck holds 1958 seismogram of an earthquake in Japan, recorded in Hobart, Australia at the University of Tasmania, at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center on the Colorado School of Mines Campus in Golden on Dec. PHOTO BY HART VAN DENBURG/CPR NEWS 30, 2021.

you would see in other regions.

Warner: Are all faults related to plates?

Yeck: No, they aren’t. So, we have faults all throughout Colorado. Most of them are really small faults. And that’s true anywhere in the US. There are faults everywhere. Just in most cases, the slip rates are very, very small and those faults might be very, very small. So you don’t see significant earthquakes. When we have earthquakes away from a plate boundary like that, we refer

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to them as interplate earthquakes.

So, in Colorado, we do have those interplate earthquakes, but then really, when we look at seismicity and we record it, we see it’s dispersed throughout the state.

Warner: In layman’s terms, what would trigger a Colorado earthquake? And let’s talk about natural causes first. We’ll get into the idea that people can trigger earthquakes a bit later.

Yeck: So even though we’re away from these tectonic plate boundaries, we still have a stressed crust.

That stress is transmitted far away from the plate boundaries, as well as there can be local changes that change the stress within the subsurface. And anytime there’s stress placed on a fault, it has the potential to slip. So, a fault is just a plane in the earth. And when it slips, we feel an earthquake.

Warner: What is the biggest recorded earthquake in Colorado history?

Yeck: Historically, the largest

earthquake that we have evidence for was in 1882, a magnitude 6.6. But that was before we could actually record seismicity on seismographs and accurately detect the location and the size of the earthquake. So, for that earthquake, we had to rely on felt reports — or what people describe and the shaking — to try to estimate where it occurred.

Warner: Felt reports. That is, what people felt?

Yeck: Exactly. And there’s a large reliance on news for that… what newspapers said about the event.

And from the intensity of shaking, we can tell that it occurred somewhere in north central Colorado.

Warner: What would be the closest town that you could pinpoint?

Yeck: We don’t have a very good location, but it would be west of Fort Collins.

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

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10 Elbert County News

LOCAL

April 21, 2022

VOICES

CodeRed – YES

A

fter the Marshall Fire devastated our region there has been a lot of talk about what we can do to prepare. How can we as citizens protect ourselves and be ready if it FROM THE were to happen to our town or county?

EDITOR While fire officials have emphasized that the conditions that made the Marshall Fire so catastrophic could not have been helped, given the wind and heat, there are ways to better prepare citizens to safely evacuate and prevent fire officials from having to take extra time Thelma Grimes by knocking on doors and spreading the word on foot.

That system is CodeRed. From Douglas County to Arapahoe County to Jefferson County, leaders are stressing the need for more residents to get signed up for this emergency alert system, allowing state and local agencies to deliver geo-targeted, timesensitive information to individuals who have signed up to receive alerts.

In the case of the Marshall Fire, the system allowed authorities to tell citizens who were signed up to evacuate. For those not on the emergency alert system, it required more time to find them and notify all of them.

The CodeRed system allows notifications to be sent via email, SMS, voice, mobile app push notifications, IPAWS and more depending on the severity of the situation. To learn more and see a video explaining the importance of this technology, visit onsolve.com.

In taking the steps myself, I found it is not an overly difficult process to get signed up. It took less than two minutes to enter a username, a password and fill in my address and the method I would like to receive the alerts. I chose texts since, like everyone, my phone is always with me.

On the OnSolve website, registration steps include: Use Google, Facebook or Twitter credentials to create an account for a quick log-in process.

Include multiple points of contact to ensure public safety officials will be able to reach you in an emergency. Opt-in to receive general notifications to receive community bulletins.

Make sure you keep this information up to date, especially in the even to moving.

When a tragedy strikes so close to home, it is important to listen to the emergency response providers on what we can do at home to protect ourselves and assure efficiency in battling whatever the emergency may be.

Firefighters and local authorities will also stress that the more people signed up to get emergency alerts the better, because it will decrease their requirements to go door-to-door to notify residents of an impending disaster.

Their time is better used fighting the source of the emergency rather than notifying residents who could have been told immediately through the CodeRed system.

A publication of

750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: ElbertCountyNews.net To subscribe call 303-566-4100

A look at economic dysfunction

T

he economy appears to be at a crossroads. Is it inflation or recession? There is plenty of commentary to choose from supporting either position. Many wonder if it is possible for the Federal FINANCIAL Reserve to raise interest rates STRATEGIES enough to curb inflation without causing a recession. Then we add in a Russian invasion into Ukraine and higher gas prices along with continued supply chain shortages. The economy is definitely in uncharted territory.

Interest rates have remained low since 2008, fueling the econoPatricia Kummer my. Inflation is at a 40-year high according to Bloomberg. The cure for inflation is to raise rates but doing so could also cause a recession. The Federal Reserve is in a tricky place.

Bill Greiner, Chief Economist with Mariner Wealth Advisors, stated recently that there is only a 40% chance the economy will return to normalcy in 2022. This is due to the growth expectation for GDP (Gross Domestic Product) cooling off. This is based on the Federal Reserve beginning to raise rates, along with continuing economic problems related to COVID-19. But he also believes inflation will come down as well.

The 20-year average is 2.2 percent, and we are currently running close to 8%. As consumer expectations begin to soften and hopefully some supply chains open up, inflation is expected to decline before year end to around four percent.

Mr. Greiner sees other possibilities if the economy does not normalize: Stagflation or recession.

Stagflation is where high inflation continues, and recession is where economic growth declines.

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager

lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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LISA SCHLICHTMAN Editor-in-Chief

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While neither of these are great choices, how the rest of this year unfolds will be telling. If inflation persists and economic growth continues, we may be able to “grow” our way out. If interest rates rise too quickly and the money supply dries up, then GDP will likely decline. It will be difficult to have what the Federal Reserve likes to call a “soft landing,” where interest rates rise but economic growth continues to flourish.

There have been four recessions in the last 30 years¹ and they are considered a normal part of the business cycle. Recessions typically have high unemployment, which is the opposite of our current employment situation. This is why I call this a crossroad. The Fed action could point to a recession, but other economic indicators remain positive.

Currently there remains continued economic growth, solid corporate earnings, and low unemployment. These are all good signs. The stock market may remain volatile as it digests all of these changes, such as continued interest rate hikes this year.

Investors should consider market movements as opportunities with the outlook of continued economic growth and low unemployment. But always have your emergency reserves and a wellbalanced portfolio to help during these unusual times. Interest rates will need to rise to return to normal in the 2% to 2.5% range. These changes usually cause market volatility but that is a small price to pay to avoid recession.

1. The National Bureau of Economic Research Patricia Kummer has been a certified financial planner professional and a fiduciary for over 35 years and is Managing Director for Mariner Wealth Advisors, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser.

Columnists & Guest Commentaries Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Elbert County News.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100) A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday

by Colorado Community Media, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110.

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Elbert County News, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

Elbert County News 11

April 21, 2022

Colorado prepares to give $35 million boost to small nonprofits House Bill 1356 would provide grants up to $100,000

BY MARGARET FLEMING THE COLORADO SUN

Small nonprofits could receive pandemic-assistance grants of up to $100,000 through a bill proposed in the Colorado House.

House Bill 1356, known as the Small Community-based Nonprofit Grant Program, is scheduled to get its first hearing April 13 in the House Transportation and Local Government Committee. The bipartisan measure would give $35 million of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to the Department of Local Affairs to be distributed through five “regional access partners” to at least 350 nonprofits.

The bill has been spearheaded by a multiethnic coalition of nonprofit leaders called Communities Lead, Communities Thrive, or CLCT, that serves Black, Indigenous, Latino, AAPI, LGBTQ+ and rural communities.

“A lot of our organizations don’t have access to working capital to rebuild, they’re usually smaller,” CLCT founder Carlos Martinez said. “Some of these challenges sometimes are even larger when you look at organizations that are in rural communities or in communities where there’s very few organizations.”

Pandemic assistance programs have benefited larger nonprofits, but smaller ones without the infrastructure to compete for grants have often been left behind. These organizations often have deeper connections within communities that lead to a better level of cultural awareness than larger groups.

The proposed bill would support these smaller groups that provide critical services to those most severely impacted by the pandemic.

“We’re looking at (these recovery dollars) to be very strategic dollars to get invested to help rebuild not just nonprofits, but these communities,” said Martinez, who is also the CEO of the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado. “We’re looking at how we are almost shaping the next generation of these communities who are vastly impacted by COVID.” The prime sponsors of the bill are Rep. Leslie Herod and Sen. Julie Gonzales, both Denver Democrats, as well as Rep. Edie Hooton, D-Boulder, and Sen. Bob Rankin, R-Carbondale.

“This legislation will direct urgently needed resources to nonprofits across our state that need a hand in recovering from the pandemic, allowing them to keep their doors open and continue providing the critical services Coloradans depend on to thrive,” Gonzales said.

CLCT member Ricardo Perez is the executive director of the Hispanic Affairs Project or HAP, a small nonprofit serving immigrants in Western Colorado. HAP has served immigrants throughout the pandemic, including translat-

Carlos Martinez, the founder of Communities Lead, Communities Thrive, speaks at a capacity building session with nonprofits COURTESY OF LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF COLORADO throughout Colorado last year.

ing information from Health and Human Services into Spanish and providing assistance in the Western Slope’s “legal desert,” where there are only a few immigration attorneys practice.

HAP doesn’t have the infrastructure to compete for many state or federal grants. Perez said it feels like HAP and other small, rural nonprofits receive 20 cents for every dollar that a traditional nonprofit gets. He supports the bill because it levels the playing field.

“It’s an opportunity for the state of Colorado not only to say that we are promoting equity, but we are putting in practice equity in the way we are doing better investment for small nonprofits,” Perez said.

The Asian Pacific Development Center in Aurora expanded its services in response to the pandemic. Grant funding from the government and different foundations were helpful at the beginning of the pandemic, but have fallen off despite the persistence of the virus and anti-Asian hate crimes, President and CEO Harry Budisidharta said.

“Local nonprofits like APDC, we are often counted on by our community to respond to a lot of hatecrime incidents, difficulties they’re having with COVID, whether that is food delivery or ensuring they have a safe workplace,” said Budisidhartha, who also serves on CLCT. The bill must pass through several committees and votes before it lands on the governor’s desk and is signed into law, but Budisidhartha said organizations could see funding near the end of 2022.

HAP might not be eligible to apply for one of the grants. Still, Perez said it’s about more than money.

“It’s about recognizing the diversity, the cultural diversity, we enjoy in Colorado,” Perez said. “This is the way we are, as a nonprofit, supporting each other.”

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.

OBITUARIES HEXUM

Joyce Waldo Hexum

August 31, 1942 - January 13, 2022

Joyce Waldo Hexum, 79, of Elizabeth, CO passed away in Parker, CO on January 13, 2022. Joyce was born in Nebraska on August 31, 1942 into the Waldo family. After high school, Joyce attended CU Boulder. She worked with Douglas County as a county clerk, and also in San Diego as a county clerk.

She is survived by her son Scott Hexum of Parker, a grandson Jake of Parker, a brother Chuck Waldo of Townville, SC, a sister Chris McMorris of Miami, FL, a sister, Joan Carlson of Longmont, CO and a sister, Sheryl Yeager of Montrose, CO.

Joyce enjoyed reading, her dogs, Buddy and Bebe, attending a bible study, trips with her family especially to the mountains, and most recently a trip to Hawaii with her sister, Chris.

She was married to Bud Hexum for 54 years, and was widowed at the time of passing.

Services are scheduled for May 14, 2022 at 10:00am at Our Lady of Visitation in Kiowa, CO with a reception to follow from 11:30-2:00pm at 35733 Whispering Pines in Elizabeth, CO 80107.

In Loving Memory Place an Obituary for Your Loved One.

303-566-4100 obituaries@coloradocommunitymedia.com Self placement available online at elbertcountynews.net

12 Elbert County News

LOCAL

April 21, 2022

LIFE

The buzz about beekeeping Hobby takes hold across Denver metro area and beyond

BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

B

Beekeeper Susan Bennett stands for a portrait in Wheat Ridge.

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eekeeping has seen its popularity grow in many places across the country in recent years, and the Denver metro area is no exception.

From community gardens to backyard hives, more and more people are keeping honey bees and often selling the luscious, golden liquid reward that comes from this hip hobby.

Honey bees have become the main beneficiaries of the “save the bees” movement. According to researchers, there are around 25,000 different types of bees, but for obvious reasons, the honey bee is the most beneficial for hobbyists to raise. Not native to North America, honey bees came to the continent with the earliest European immigrants.

In recent years, a cottage industry has sprung up around honey bees, with several full-service shops in the Denver area offering nascent beekeepers with all of the supplies and advice they would need to start managing their own hives.

But first, new beekeepers might want to consult one of the many educational organizations that exist locally.

The Denver Bee and the Mile High Bee clubs provide support and education to the Front Range beekeeping community, and the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster offers a Beekeeping Bootcamp, a program with sessions running throughout the year. People can sign up for the whole series or attend individual classes.

Biologist Lorna McCallister manages the Butterfly Pavilion’s hives and serves as the Beekeeping Bootcamp instructor. She said

spreading out the course over five sessions allows her to guide students through the entire beekeeping process.

She said the pavilion also has five apiaries — collections of beehives — in community gardens across the metro area. They serve as great educational tools while also helping pollination around the Denver area. Beekeeping Bootcamp is certified through the Colorado Beekeepers Association, which McCallister said allows students who complete the course to become an apprentice beekeeper if they wish to take their hobby to the next level.

Those interested in the program still have time to join.

McCallister said the first class was archived, so catching up via video would be easy and the live bees used in upcoming courses won’t actually be delivered until the end of April.

“Beekeeping is really big in Colorado — especially around Denver,” McCallister said.

In fact, beekeeping has become so popular that some cities have gotten involved.

Susan Bennett is an environmental interpreter for the City of Wheat Ridge and resident bee expert at Happiness Gardens, a community resource that allows gardening enthusiasts to register for full- or half-sized plots to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers. As a “science nerd,” Bennett said she loves practically everything about the buzzing insects.

Some conservationists have recently begun questioning whether the proliferation of honey bees might in fact be harmful to native bee populations that have to compete for resources with an everincreasing honey bee population.

Bennett said there are many scientific papers on the subject, and she’s keeping an eye on them to see what is ultimately discovered.

But for now, she thinks adhering to best practices can go a long way to benefiting all pollinators.

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Elbert County News 13

April 21, 2022

BEES FROM PAGE 12

She said if people are interested in bees, the best thing they can do is plant a native garden that includes plant varieties that will flower through as much of the season as possible.

“If you do something to support the honey bees, it’s probably going to support the native bees too,” Bennett said. “Because the things that you’re going to be doing for honey bees — planting more plants that have a variety of blooming times, reducing your use of pesticides — those things are going to help all of the pollinators.”

She advises people to be aware of pests, such as the varroa destructor mite, which can have a devastating effect on the honey bee population. Another way to be a good steward of the ecosystem is to make sure diseases don’t transfer over to the native bee population.

For those who want to participate in the process of contributing to pollination and getting their own supply of honey without the work, fear not. There’s a way to get in on the experience of owning a hive without risking the stings or undertaking the learning curve.

Best Bees is a company with professional beekeepers who will come to a person’s home or office, do the work for them to set up a hive and let them keep the honey.

Noah Wilson-Rich founded the company while pursuing his

doctorate in honey bee immunology, and Best Bees now operates in the Denver metro area as well as more than a dozen other cities across the U.S. The company employs more than 50 professional beekeepers who manage hives for corporate and residential clients.

Wilson-Rich said the colony collapse phenomenon that occurred around 2006 raised awareness about the plight of bees.

“By having this beekeeping service that’s connected to research, we’re able to make maps of people’s home gardens, beehives and rooftop beehives in downtown Denver and Boulder and say ‘OK, where are hot spots for bee health? Where are bees doing really well?’” Wilson-Rich said. “And then ask, ‘why? Why is that? What flowers are around there? What’s the pesticide use?

What diseases are we seeing?’ So, it’s been a really fun approach.

We call it citizen science.”

Wilson-Rich said the data his company collects is helpful in several ways. One is connected to NASA’s Earth observation program that utilizes satellites aimed at Earth to collect information about things like weather patterns and land use. The partnership allows Best Bees to use that data to create maps that factor in things like climate change in relation to the health of their clients’ hive health.

Best Bees also recently launched The Urban Beekeeping Lab, a nonprofit that uses genomics — think 23andMe — to further its mission to improve bee health.

Aspiring beekeepers learn about the craft from environmental interpreter Susan BenPHOTO BY BOB WOOLEY nett at Happiness Gardens in Wheat Ridge.

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COLORADO’S POWER PATHWAY PUBLIC OPEN HOUSES Please join us to provide input on the preferred Segment 5 transmission line route and substation locations

If approved, construction could begin in 2023 and the first transmission segments could be in service in 2025, with other segments completed in 2026 and 2027.

Tuesday, May 3 3-7 p.m.

Elbert County Fairgrounds Exhibit Building 95 Ute Ave Kiowa, CO 80117 Wednesday, May 4 5-7:30 p.m.

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Visit ColoradosPowerPathway.com to learn more.

Note about COVID-19: If local, state or corporate guidance prevents in-person meetings or affects venue capacity, these open houses may be rescheduled or moved to an online format. Please check ColoradosPowerPathway.com or call 855-858-9037 for up-to-date information.

xcelenergy.com | © 2022 Xcel Energy Inc. | Xcel Energy is a registered trademark of Xcel Energy Inc.

Contact us at 855-858-9037 or ColoradosPowerPathway@xcelenergy.com if you have questions or need assistance.

Si necesita asistencia o información en español, por favor contáctenos directamente al 855-858-9037 o ColoradosPowerPathway@xcelenergy.com.

21-08-410

• Four new and four expanded substations.

LARIMER

Monday, May 2 4-7 p.m.

Arapahoe County Fairgrounds Main Hall 25690 East Quincy Ave Aurora, CO 80016

WELD

KANSAS

• Approximately 560 to 650 miles of new 345-kilovolt electric transmission lines in eastern Colorado.

LOGAN

Greeley

Fort St. Vrain

COLORADO

No formal presentation is planned, so please attend at any time during the open house. If you are unable to attend, meeting materials and an electronic comment form will be available on the project website.

Colorado’s Power Pathway is a $1.7 to $2 billion investment proposed by Xcel Energy to improve the state’s electric grid and enable future renewable energy development around the state. This project will increase electric reliability, boost the regional economy and create jobs during construction. We estimate the system will cross more than a dozen counties and include:

SEGMENT 5 OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE

NEBRASKA

Please join us at one of our upcoming Segment 5 in-person public open houses to provide input on our preferred route and substation locations. Project staff will be available to provide information about transmission line routing activities and answer questions about the new transmission line project, including the overall timeline and construction process, and topics related to easements and right-of-way. We want to hear from you about this important project and any factors we should consider in your area.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

COLORADO

Xcel Energy continues to make progress identifying the preferred transmission line route for Segment 5 of Colorado’s Power Pathway.

Final route selection will incorporate link-specific feedback received from landowners, community members and other project stakeholders.

Updated project maps showing the preferred transmission line route will be available at ColoradosPowerPathway.com by the end of April.

14 Elbert County News

April 21, 2022

Colorado will have hundreds more air pollution sources to permit How the state is gearing up

BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN

The EPA downgrade of Northern Front Range ozone pollution to “severe” from “serious” on April 12 will require hundreds of Colorado companies to get emission permits from a critically backlogged state system, but health officials say their request for a steep budget increase from lawmakers will clear the jam and improve the air.

State health officials April 12 said they welcomed the EPA’s announcement knocking the Denver metro area and other major U.S. cities into a tougher enforcement category for ozone, saying the long-anticipated move would “help build upon Colorado’s strategies to protect and improve the air we breathe.”

The move means state permits will be required for 473 more sources of pollution that contribute to ozone, as the threshold drops from 50 tons of covered pollutants a year to include all those sources emitting 25 tons or more, Air Pollution Control Director Michael Ogletree said. That will nearly triple the “major source” locations that need to be permitted, to a total of 730, state officials said.

Previously, the environmental nonprofit WildEarth Guardians had said many of the sites now required to get permits would

Colorado Department of Public Safety Ozone Alert Day.

include the oil and gas industry, at drilling and collection locations.

That new work will run headlong into a state health permitting system already assailed by courts and environmental groups as years behind, potentially endangering

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the health of more Coloradans living in highly polluted areas.

One set of permits at a key polluter, the Suncor Energy refinery in Commerce City, expired in 2012, and another in 2018, with a state court judge in January ordering

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials to finish renewing the permits “without delay.” When the state did issue a revised permit that it said SEE EPA, P15

Elbert County News 15

April 21, 2022

EPA

database from the 1990s, and we have a request for several million dollars to be able to upgrade that,” Ryan added.

put important new restrictions on Suncor, the regional EPA office sent the proposed permit back for tougher revisions in March.

State officials said April 12 they have 52 major source polluters backlogged for review of new permits or renewals. They say that is a significant reduction from the 143 permits overdue in 2015.

“Our pollution control division is really at a transition point,” CDPHE Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan said in an interview. “It’s been under-resourced for two decades.

We’re changing the way that we fund it. And I’m on a mission to really modernize and rightsized it to meet today’s air quality demands.”

Gov. Jared Polis and the health department are asking the legislature to approve more than $40 million in new general fund spending to quickly beef up the air pollution division with new permit engineers, experts who will model expected pollution, and experts to monitor existing pollution, according to Ryan and Ogletree.

The boost in spending is aimed at clearing the backlog of overdue permit renewals and preparing for the onslaught of newly permitted sources, they said.

The boost will add more than 100 full-time positions to the understaffed division and will allow for expanded technology including aerial monitoring of pollution sites, Ogletree said.

“We right now have a permitting

A budget with whistleblowers in mind?

Lack of pollution modeling staff and permitting procedures too friendly to industrial polluters were among the criticisms leveled at the health department by internal whistleblowers in 2021.

The whistleblowers, from the Air Pollution Control Division’s modeling staff, asked the EPA Office of Inspector General to investigate, and the EPA’s detailed objection to the Suncor permit indicated federal officials are listening closely.

Environmental groups that have been demanding stronger, faster action by state health officials say they are cautiously optimistic about the bigger budget and change in emphasis by CDPHE leadership. They add that they are not about to let down their guard.

“Health professionals in our state see and treat the real health impacts of poor air quality everyday. They are unequivocal about the dire impacts that air pollution has on community health,” said Sabrina Pacha, director of the nonprofit Healthy Air & Water Colorado. Her group and others want the state to look at the cumulative effects of other area polluters when considering whether to approve each new permit.

“We also need an expansion of community-based monitoring so that we know what is in the air we are breathing, not just at polluting facilities but in our neighbor-

FROM PAGE 14

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hoods, too,” she said.

The 2022-23 budget proposal “is an important first-step investment” toward better air quality, said Jared Bynum, communities and justice advocate at Conservation Colorado.

Environmental advocates also point to some of the same state budget elements touted by air pollution officials, including millions of dollars in spending to replace high-polluting diesel school buses with clean electric models in coming years. Better buses for school children, “so quiet and clean,” are important for communities highly impacted by past pollution, Bynum said.

A state health department release on the EPA’s ozone announcement noted the other cities whose problems are now being reclassified as severe: Chicago-Naperville; Dallas-Fort Worth; HoustonGalveston-Brazoria; Morongo Band of Mission Indians, in the Coachella Valley area east of Los Angeles; and New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island.

Colorado air experts have said the Denver metro area’s ongoing ozone problems arise from a few major contributors: industrial and auto emissions that have not been cut as quickly as necessary; hotter summers that increase pollution volatility; and ozone-contributing wildfire smoke blowing east from a sharply increasing number of superfires in states to the west and northwest.

Part of the Colorado shortfall on ozone comes from changing EPA

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16 Elbert County News

April 21, 2022

C R O S S W O R D EPA P U Z Z L E FROM PAGE 15

standards. While metro area ozone levels are stubborn and creeping up, they are also hitting the increasingly rigorous recommendations of scientists and doctors. The 2008 EPA standard of an average 75 parts per billion fell to 70 parts per billion in a 2015 revision. Many Front Range pollution monitors frequently registered over 80 parts per billion in the heat of 2021, state records show.

Cutting ozone-causing pollutants often goes hand-in-hand with efforts to trim Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions — mitigation policies can cut both forms of pollutants at the same time. Yet state moves to cut vehicle-based emissions, for example, are resisted by drivers and many businesses, and criticized by environmental groups as too slow.

An “Advanced Clean Trucks” rule to require gradual replacement of fossil fuel engines with cleaner electric and hydrogen models has been delayed until 2023, though community and environmental advocates are now petitioning the Air Quality Control Commission to get it done

sooner. In 2021, state air pollution officials proposed a set of commuting rules for large employers aimed at cutting miles driven but withdrew the proposal after sharp opposition from employers and trade groups.

While promoting changes in the new budget, state health officials say they also anticipate air quality improvements from a recent list of legislation and department rules that did pass. They cite new limits on emissions from oil and gas operations, the continuing closures of coal-fired power plants that are the biggest polluters in the state, increasing electric vehicle sales, and new Colorado Department of Transportation rules on reducing emissions when planning major road projects.

“We have so much on our plate from past legislation,” Ryan said.

“We’re going really fast, and we will get it all done. It just takes time.”

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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April 21, 2022

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18 Elbert County News

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April 21, 2022

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

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Propane Cylinder Delivery Driver Valley Wide Cooperative is coming to Colorado. Join a quickly growing company. Hiring propane cylinder exchange drivers and an Operations/Sales Lead. visit www. valleywidecoop.com for information and to apply.

Contact info: Shane.McConnell@valleywidecoop. com 208-995-5507

School Psychologist or Intern East Central BOCES is seeking a Full-Time School Psychologist or Intern to join our dynamic, multidisciplinary team of professionals for the 2022-23 school year.

Educational Specialist (Ed.S.), Colorado certified. Provide PreK-12 intervention including assessment, development of IEP’s & consultation services. Competitive salaries: ED.S $51,450-60,900 & Intern $47,600$52,400, both commensurate upon experience. excellent benefits including dental, vision, and medical insurance. May be eligible for Sign On Bonus! May also be eligible for loan forgiveness. Flexible schedule. Use of a car or mileage reimbursement. Questions contact Tracy (719) 775-2342, ext. 101.

To apply for this position, please complete the Certified Application for Employment available on the East Central BOCES website www. ecboces.org under “Jobs”. EOE

Special Education Paraprofessionals Full & Part-Time Special Education Paraprofessionals needed for our West Area Center-based Learning Program located in Strasburg.

Competitive pay and benefits including individual health insurance . $13-$17 per hour depending on experience. May be eligible for Sign On Bonus! To apply for this position, please complete the Classified Application for Employment available for download on the ecboces.org website under “Jobs” or contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101.

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Registered Occupational Therapist Full-Time and part-time Registered Occupational Therapist. OTR must have, or be eligible for appropriate Colorado licensure. Provide Pre-12 intervention, assessment, direct & indirect services just east of Denver on I-70, Bennett, Strasburg Byers & Kiowa areas. Support from an experienced COTA is available.

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Access to a company vehicle or mileage reimbursement. May be eligible for a loan forgiveness program and signing bonus. To apply for this position, please complete the Certified Application for Employment available on the East Central BOCES website www. ecboces.org under “Jobs”. EOE Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101 or email tracyg@ ecboces.org

Full-Time Early Childhood Special Education Teacher and Child Find Coordinator For East Central BOCES for the 2022-2023 school year. Complete assessment & provide direct and indirect services with preschool children in rural school settings.

Requires a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education. Can be hired with a Bachelor’s Degree in a Related Field if willing to enter into a Master’s degree program in Early Childhood Special Education upon hire. Salary Range BA-$34,650 to $42,350 and MA $39,900-$47,600 dependent on experience. Excellent benefits, including full health benefits, and use of a car or mileage reimbursement. May be eligible for loan forgiveness. Financial support may be available through grants if required to enroll in a Master’s degree program. Questions contact Tracy (719) 775-2342 ext. 101.

To apply for this position, please complete the Certified Application for Employment available on the East Central BOCES website ecboces. org under “Jobs”.

WANTED Oil Field Labor Roustabouts NEEDED! General oil field labor, including repairing, maintaining, and transporting equipment and parts as needed. FT + benefits. $19+/hr to start. Previous experience a plus, will train. Apply at 10137 WCR 19, Fort Lupton, 80621 or call 303-833-5670 Contact info: Christina Ling cling@kpk.com K.P. Kauffman Company, Inc

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Elbert County News 19

April 21, 2022

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PUBLIC NOTICES

sumable, and therefore, available for use, reuse, sion in the NE1/4 of the SW1/4 of Section 26, 303-941-1315 on Phase II, which will allow ACWWA to deliver Public Notices call80138, Sheree 303.566.4088 legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com and successive use. Prior to reuse and successive Township 4 North, Range 67 West of the 6th P.M., scott.cochran.met@gmail.com up to 5.25 million gallons of renewable water to Legals

Summons and Sheriff Sale Public Notice District Court , Elbert County, Colorado Court Address: 751 Ute Avenue P.O. Box 232, Kiowa, Colorado 80117 In re the Parental Responsibilities concerning: Matthew Stephen Wood Jr. Petitioner: Janae Nicole Eason and Respondent: Matthew Stephen Wood Jr. Party Without Attorney: Janae Eason 7781 Shenandoah Drive Elizabeth Colorado 80107 Phone Number: 1 720 753 2149 E-mail: janaekiva77@gmail.com Case Number: 21DR54 SUMMONS FOR ALLOCATION OF PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES To the Respondent named above this Summons serves as a notice to appear in this case.

If you were served in the State of Colorado, you must file your Response with the clerk of this Court within 21 days after this Summons is served on you to participate in this action.

If you were served outside of the State of Colorado or you were served by publication, you must file your Response with the clerk of this Court within 35 days after this Summons is served on you to participate in this action.

You may be required to pay a filing fee with your Response. The Response form (JDF 1420) can be found at www.courts.state.co.us by clicking on the “Self Help/Forms” tab.

The Petition requests that the Court enter a Order addressing issues involving the children such as, child support, allocation of parental responsibilities, (decision-making and parenting time), attorney fees, and costs to the extent the Court has jurisdiction.

Notice: Colorado Revised Statutes §14-10-123, provides that upon the filing of a Petition for Allocation of Parental Responsibilities by the Petitioner and Co-Petitioner, or upon personal service of the Petition and Summons on the Respondent, or upon waiver and acceptance of service by the Respondent, an automatic temporary injunction shall be in effect against both parties until the Final Order is entered, or the Petition is dismissed, or until further Order of the Court. Either party may apply to the Court for further temporary orders, an expanded automatic temporary injunction, or modification or revocation under §14-10-125, C.R.S. A request for genetic tests shall not prejudice the requesting party in matters concerning allocation of parental responsibilities pursuant to §14-10124(1.5), C.R.S. If genetic tests are not obtained prior to a legal establishment of paternity and submitted into evidence prior to the entry of the final order, the genetic tests may not be allowed into evidence at a later date.

Automatic Temporary Injunction – By Order of Colorado law, you and the other parties: 1. Are enjoined from molesting or disturbing the peace of the other party; and 2. Are restrained from removing the minor child(ren) from the state without the consent of all parties or an Order of the Court modifying the injunction; and 3. Are restrained, without at least 14 days advance notification and the written consent of all other parties or an Order of the Court, from cancelling, modifying, terminating, or allowing to lapse for nonpayment of premiums, any policy of health insurance or life insurance that provides coverage to the minor child(ren) as a beneficiary of a policy.

If you fail to file a Response in this case, any or all of the matters above, or any related matters which come before this Court, may be decided without further notice to you.

Date: February 18, 2022 /s/ Gary Michael Kramer Signature of the District Court Judge Legal Notice No. 24810 First Publication: April 14, 2022 Last Publication: May 12, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

Water Court Public Notice DISTRICT COURT, WATER DIVISION 1, COLORADO MARCH 2022 WATER RESUME PUBLICATION TO: ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN WATER APPLICATIONS IN WATER DIV. 1 Pursuant to C.R.S. 37-92-302, you are notified that the following is a resume of all water right applications and certain amendments filed in the Office of the Water Clerk during the month of MARCH 2022 for each County affected.

22CW2 SCOTT COCHRAN and CAITLIN PURSLEY, 45921 Coal Creek Drive, Parker, CO

APPLICATION FOR UNDERGROUND WATER RIGHTS IN THE DENVER BASIN AQUIFERS IN ELBERT COUNTY. Name of Structure: Domestic Well located NW 1/4, NE 1/4, S13, T6S, R65W of the 6th PM in Elbert County, distances from section lines 450 Ft from North Section line and 1960 ft from East Section line. One well located on property; Parcel of land consists of 8.32 acres of land; Well Permit 191805 Depth to bottom of well 390 ft; pumping Rate 10 gpm; amount claimed in acre-fee annually 1, single family dwelling; watering domestic animals, recreational, lawn and garden irrigation on 2 acres.

THE WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED BY THESE APPLICATIONS MAY AFFECT IN PRIORITY ANY WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED OR HERETOFORE ADJUDICATED WITHIN THIS DIVISION AND OWNERS OF AFFECTED RIGHTS MUST APPEAR TO OBJECT WITHIN THE TIME PROVIDED BY STATUTE OR BE FOREVER BARRED. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that any party who wishes to oppose an application, or an amended application, may file with the Water Clerk, P. O. Box 2038, Greeley, CO 80632, a verified Statement of Opposition, setting forth facts as to why the application should not be granted, or why it should be granted only in part or on certain conditions. Such Statement of Opposition must be filed by the last day of MAY 31, 2022 (forms available on www.courts.state.co.us or in the Clerk’s office), and must be filed as an Original and include $192.00 filing fee. A copy of each Statement of Opposition must also be served upon the Applicant or Applicant’s Attorney and an affidavit or certificate of such service of mailing shall be filed with the Water Clerk.

Legal Notice No. 24826 First Publication: April 21, 2022 Last Publication: April 21, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News Public Notice DISTRICT COURT, WATER DIVISION 1, COLORADO MARCH 2022 WATER RESUME PUBLICATION TO: ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN WATER APPLICATIONS IN WATER DIV. 1 Pursuant to C.R.S. 37-92-302, you are notified that the following is a resume of all water right applications and certain amendments filed in the Office of the Water Clerk during the month of MARCH 2022 for each County affected.

22CW3039 ARAPAHOE COUNTY WATER AND WASTEWATER AUTHORITY (“ACWWA”), c/o Steve Witter, 13031 East Caley Avenue, Centennial, Colorado 80111, Telephone: (303) 790-4830; United Water and Sanitation District (“United”), c/o Robert Lembke, 8301 E. Prentice Ave., Suite 100, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111, Telephone: (303) 773-1005. APPLICATION FOR FINDING OF REASONABLE DILIGENCE AND TO MAKE AMOUNT ABSOLUTE IN ADAMS, ARAPAHOE, DENVER, DOUGLAS, ELBERT, MORGAN AND WELD COUNTIES. All correspondence and communications should be addressed to: Brian M. Nazarenus, Esq., Sheela S. Stack, Esq., William D. Wombacher, Esq., Stacy L. Brownhill, Esq., Nazarenus Stack & Wombacher LLC, 5299 DTC Blvd., Suite 610, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111, Telephone: (720) 6475661, (Attorneys for ACWWA), and Tod J. Smith, Esq., The Law Office of Tod J. Smith, 5777 Central Avenue., Suite 228, Boulder, Colorado 80301, Telephone: (303) 444-4203, (Attorney for United).

2. Original Decree. The original decree was entered by the Water Court, Water Division 1, on March 29, 2016, in Case No 13CW3173 (“3173 Decree”). 2.1. Subsequent Case. On November 30, 2017, Applicants filed a Second Amended Application in Case No. 16CW3195 to change the Subject Water Right to allow ACWWA to use the Subject Water Right for additional beneficial purposes. The decree in Case No. 16CW3195 was entered on October 21, 2021 (“3195 Decree”).

3. Description of the Water Storage Right (“Subject Water Right”). 3.1. Name of Structure. Gilcrest Reservoir n/k/a Milliken Reservoir. 3.2. Legal Description and Location. Milliken Reservoir is an off-channel gravel pit reservoir located in Section 2, Township 3 North, Range 67 West and Sections 23, 26, 34, and 35, Township 4 North, Range 67 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado.

Milliken Reservoir is a gravel pit consisting of several cells, a portion of which is currently lined.

A map showing the location of Milliken Reservoir is attached as Exhibit 1. ACWWA has an interest in 500 acre-feet of storage capacity in the northern portion of the site. The northern portion of the site refers to cells C1, C2, D1, D2, and the Sharkey Pit as shown on Exhibit 2. The following amounts relate to the northern portion of the site only. 3.3.

Surface Area. Approximately 417 acres when completed. 3.4. Maximum Diversion Rate. 260 cfs. 3.5. Capacity. When completed, Milliken Reservoir’s capacity will be approximately 27,000 acre-feet. 3.6. Legal Description of Point of Diversion Filling the Structure and Outlets. 3.6.1. South Diversion. A point of diversion for Milliken Reservoir may be located adjacent to the Jay Thomas Ditch Diversion Dam, on the East bank of the South Platte River, in the NW1/4 of the NW1/4 of Section 11, Township 3 North, Range 67 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado (referred to as the “South Diversion”). The Jay Thomas Ditch Diversion Dam is owned by Public Service Company of Colorado. 3.6.2. North Diversion. A second point of diversion may be located on the South Platte River, downstream of the confluence with the St. Vrain Creek, in the NE1/4 of the SW1/4 of Section 26, Township 4 North, Range 67 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado (referred to as the “North Diversion”). 3.6.3. Milliken Pump(s).

A pump is currently installed near the North Diver-

Weld County, Colorado. A pump was formerly located and operated in the SW1/4 of the SW1/4 of Section 35, Township 4 North, Range 67 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado (Pump Station No. 1). A pump may also be installed near the confluence of the South Platte River and the St. Vrain Creek, in Section 34, Township 4 North, Range 67 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado (Pump Station No. 2). The Milliken Pump(s) diverts surface water only to storage in Milliken Reservoir. Water shall be conveyed to Milliken Reservoir in sealed pipelines. The measurement for each of these diversions shall be a totalizing meter located on the pipeline between the point of diversion and the point of discharge into Milliken Reservoir. 3.7. Source. South Platte River. 3.8. Date of Appropriation. September 13, 2013. 3.9. Decreed Amount. 500 acre feet, conditional, with one refill in the amount of 500 acrefeet per year, conditional. 3.10. Uses. ACWWA will use the Subject Water Right, after storage, as follows: 3.10.1. Use in ACWWA’s Plans for Augmentation. ACWWA will use the Subject Water Right as a source of replacement water in the ACWWA Augmentation Plan decreed in Case No. 10CW306 (“306 Decree”) to replace depletions from pumping of water from the ACWWA/East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District (“ECCV”) Well Field for delivery to ACWWA’s service area. ACWWA will also use the Subject Water Right as a source of replacement water pursuant to the ACWWA 70 Ranch Augmentation Plan in the 306 Decree. The Subject Water Right was added as an additional source of replacement water in Case No. 10CW306 on June 29, 2018.

Use of the Subject Water Right in the augmentation plan decreed in Case No. 13CW3026 and in other augmentation plans if such use is approved in a separate Water Court decree or SWSP approved by the State Engineer pursuant to C.R.S. § 37-92-308(4), or successor statute, will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the 3195 Decree. 3.10.2. Use in ACWWA’s Recharge Projects. ACWWA will use the Subject Water Right for recharge by delivering the water to the recharge facilities located in the Beebe Draw and on 70 Ranch pursuant to the terms and conditions of the 306 Decree. Storage of excess recharge accretion credits by ACWWA in any reservoir available to ACWWA will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the 3195 Decree. In addition, the 3195 Decree allows ACWWA to deliver the Subject Water Right to the recharge sites described therein, and any existing or future recharge facility to which ACWWA is legally permitted to recharge water, including use in an aquifer storage and recovery (“ASR”) project and/or an aquifer recharge and recovery (“ARR”) project pursuant to a subsequent decree authorizing the recharge of the Subject Water Right in such facility and for ASR and/or ARR uses, so long as the Subject Water Right is listed as a source of recharge water in that decree. 3.10.3. Use in ACWWA’s Exchanges. ACWWA will use the Subject Water Right as a source of substitute supply for the substitution and exchange decreed in Case No. 09CW283 and any subsequent decrees authorizing the use of the Subject Water Right as a substitute supply for exchange. In addition, pursuant to the 3195 Decree, ACWWA may use the Subject Water Right, including excess recharge accretions generated by the Subject Water Right that have accrued to the Beebe Seep Canal, as sources of substitute supply in the 2016 Exchanges and the 2017 Greeley Canal No. 2 Headgate Exchange decreed therein, and any future exchange operated or decreed by ACWWA. 3.10.4. All Municipal Uses. Water stored in Milliken Reservoir under the Subject Water Right may be delivered directly to ECCV’s surface water treatment plant located in the Beebe Draw for treatment and subsequent direct delivery for all municipal uses, including but not limited to, domestic, mechanical, manufacturing, commercial, and industrial uses within ACWWA’s service area, as it exists now or may exist in the future. 3.10.5.

Places of Storage. Pursuant to the 3195 Decree, ACWWA may store the Subject Water Right in the following surface storage structures for use as a source of augmentation, replacement, recharge, or substitute supply: 3.10.5.1. 70 Ranch Reservoir, a lined off-channel reservoir to be located in the S1/2 of Section 3, Township 4 North, Range 63 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado, and a portion of the NE1/4 of Section 10, Township 4 North, Range 63 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado. 3.10.5.2. United Reservoir No. 3, an off-channel reservoir located on the East side of the South Platte River, in the S1/2 of Section 26 and the N1/2 of Section 35, Township 1 South, Range 67 West of the 6th P.M., Adams County, Colorado. 3.10.5.3. Barr Lake, an offchannel reservoir located in Sections 15, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, and 33, Township 1 South, Range 66 West of the 6th P.M., Adams County, Colorado.

Barr Lake is an enlargement of the original Oasis Reservoir. 3.10.5.4. Binder Reservoir, an offchannel reservoir located in the N1/2 of Section 15, Township 1 North, Range 66 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado. 3.10.5.5. Serfer Pit, an off-channel reservoir located in the NE1/4 of the NE1/4 of Section 24, Township 6 North, Range 68 West of the 6th P.M., Larimer County, Colorado. 3.10.5.6. Holton Lake, an off-channel reservoir located in portions of the SE1/4 of the SW1/4, the SW1/4 of the SW1/4, and the SW1/4 of the SE1/4 of Section 6, and the NE1/4 of the NW1/4, the NW1/4 of the NW1/4, and the NW1/4 of the NE1/4 of Section 7, Township 1 North, Range 66 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado.

3.10.5.7. Other Storage Facilities. Any future storage facility to which ACWWA is legally permitted to store water pursuant to a subsequent Water Court decree approving storage of the Subject Water Right in that storage facility. 3.10.6. Right of Reuse and Successive Use. The use of the Subject Water Right to replace depletions from ACWWA’s pumping of water from the Beebe Draw alluvial aquifer through the ACWWA/ECCV Well Field for municipal uses in ACWWA’s present and future service area results in an equivalent volume of water delivered from the ACWWA/ECCV Well Field to ACWWA’s service area being fully con-

use, ACWWA must obtain a decree quantifying the rate, timing, and location of water available for such reuse and successive use and approving the points of diversion or re-diversion for the water available for such use and successive use. 3.10.7.

Disposition of the Subject Water Right. The Subject Water Right is dedicated to use for augmentation, replacement, and use in ACWWA’s present and future service area, and shall not be sold or leased for a period exceeding five years (“longterm lease”), or otherwise permanently disposed of by ACWWA for uses other than those authorized under this Decree, except under the conditions set forth in the 3173 Decree and paragraph 17.4 of the 306 Decree. ACWWA may also utilize water diverted pursuant to the Subject Water Right to fulfill contractual obligations to other municipalities and water users subject to the following conditions: (a) the contractual obligation exists at the time this Decree is entered; (b) the contractual obligation is met by use of a metered treated water tap supplied by ACWWA; (c) the contractual obligation is of limited duration and is for use in a decreed augmentation plan or in a substitute water supply plan approved by the State Engineer pursuant to C.R.S. § 37-92-308 or successor statutes; or (d) the contractual obligation is pursuant to a water trade agreement whereby ACWWA is obligated to deliver water to a party in return for deliveries by said party to ACWWA of an equivalent amount of water from alternate sources.

3.10.8. Use by ECCV. ACWWA may lease and/or trade water attributable to the Subject Water Right to ECCV for use in ECCV’s augmentation plans and delivery to recharge projects approved in Case Nos. 02CW403 and 02CW404/03CW442, as amended by the 306 Decree, as well as the recharge projects and exchanges decreed in Case No. 16CW3196, including use to replace return flow obligations associated with ECCV’s changed water rights. This water may also be used by ECCV, by lease or trade with ACWWA, pursuant to a subsequent Water Court decree, so long as the Subject Water Right is listed as a source of supply or replacement water in that decree. 4.

Detailed outline of work done for the completion of the conditional appropriation for reasonable diligence. ACWWA’s unified, integrated system for the diversion, accretion, collection, storage, transmission, and treatment of water rights (the “Water Supply Project” or “Flow Project”) was originally designed to provide ACWWA with a long-term, sustainable municipal water supply for its present and future service area. The conditional water rights decreed herein are part of the Water Supply Project, which will provide water within ACWWA’s present and future service area.

Pursuant to C.R.S. §37-92-301(4)(b), for purposes of demonstrating diligence, work on one feature of the project or system shall be considered in finding that reasonable diligence has been shown in the development of all water rights conditionally decreed herein and shall constitute diligence toward the development of each of the conditional water rights decreed herein. During the diligence period ACWWA has done, at a minimum, the following work towards completion or for completion of the appropriations and application of water to a beneficial use as conditionally decreed (expenditure numbers are rounded to the nearest $1,000): 4.1. Legal Fees. Legal fees in the amount of $3,200,000.00 were expended during the diligence period in ACWWA’s adjudicatory proceedings for the appropriation of new water rights and changes to existing water rights for ACWWA’s Flow Project, and water rights protection and opposition. 4.2. Engineering Costs.

Engineering costs in the amount of $1,930,488.00 were expended during the diligence period in connection with ACWWA’s Flow Project, to perform water rights modeling, exchange potential modeling, appropriation of new water rights, changes to existing water rights, water rights protection and opposition, and water rights accounting. 4.3. Additional Replacement Water.

ACWWA has filed applications and obtained decrees in the cases listed below to increase the replacement supplies available under its augmentation plan decrees and facilitate increased diversions in the ACWWA/ECCV Well Field, to add storage facilities and recharge locations, and to add exchanges to aid in moving its replacement water to it places of beneficial use. 4.3.1. Case No. 11CW151, original application filed August 31, 2011; decree entered November 26, 2018. 4.3.2.

Case No. 13CW3026, original application filed April 26, 2013; decree entered October 31, 2017.

4.3.3. Case No. 13CW3171, application filed December 30, 2013; decree entered June 20, 2017. 4.3.4. Case No. 16CW3195, application filed December 29, 2016; decree entered October 21, 2021. 4.3.5. Case No. 16CW3200, application filed December 29, 2016; decree entered March 28, 2021. 4.3.6. Case No. 19CW3074, application filed April 27, 2019;decree entered September 27, 2021. 4.3.7. Case No. 19CW3084, application filed May 15, 2019; decree entered May 10, 2021.

4.3.8. Case No. 20CW3117, application filed August 21, 2020; case currently pending. 4.3.9. Case No. 20CW3142, application filed September 30, 2020; case currently pending. 4.3.10. Case No. 20CW3146, application filed September 30, 2020; case currently pending. 4.3.11. Case No. 20CW3160, application filed October 30, 2020; case currently pending. 4.3.12. Case No. 20CW3188, application filed on November 30, 2020; case currently pending. 4.3.13. Case No. 21CW3094, application filed on June 29, 2021; case currently pending. 4.3.14. Case No. 21CW3234, application filed on December 30, 2021; case currently pending. 4.3.15. Case No. 22CW3010, application filed on January 31, 2022; case currently pending. 4.4. Water System Development. During the diligence period, United, on behalf of ACWWA, developed and acquired infrastructure for Phase II of the Water Supply Project (“Phase II”), including but not limited to mining United Reservoir No. 3; acquiring Milliken Reservoir in August 2015; completing construction of 70 Ranch Reservoir in July 2019; and securing easement deeds and agreements for structures necessary to deliver water to ACWWA. During this diligence period ACWWA has been working

customers each day, whereby reducing dependency on non-renewable wells. Phase II also included expansion of the Northern Water Treatment RO Plant (2018-2020) and the North and South Booster Pump Stations (2018-2019), and construction of Deep Injection Well II (2018). The total estimated cost of the Phase II infrastructure is $60 million for an additional 10 million gallons of pumping and treatment capacity. The Booster Pump Stations are approximately $25 million and the NWTP Expansion is approximately $35 million.

ACWWA has purchased an additional 3 million gallons of capacity from these facilities, totaling about $18 million in capital expenditure. 4.5.

Substitute Water Supply Plans. During this diligence period, ACWWA has filed joint substitute water supply plans (“SWSP”) with ECCV in order to use additional replacement supplies to replace out-of-priority depletions from the ACWWA/ECCV Well Field to facilitate the efficient operation of the Water Supply Project. SWSPs were filed in 2014 (approved April 15, 2015), 2015 (approved April 6, 2016), 2016 (approved May 19, 2017), 2017 (approved March 30, 2018), 2018 (approved March 27, 2019), 2019 (approved April 6, 2020), and 2020 (approved April 28, 2021 and April 29, 2021). 4.6. Protection of Water Rights. ACWWA has regularly monitored the filings of other water users. It has filed statements of opposition to, and has incurred legal and engineering costs, in connection with numerous cases to protect its water rights. Legal fees in the amount of $150,000.00 were expended during the diligence period in water rights protection and opposition on behalf of ACWWA for its Flow Project. 4.7. Opposition of Detrimental Legislation. ACWWA has been actively involved in opposing Colorado State legislation that would negatively impact the operation of its augmentation plans and exchanges. 4.8. ACWWA continues to rely upon and develop the conditional water right described herein and has no intent to abandon them. 5. Claim to Make Absolute. During this diligence period, in Water Year 2021, of the 500 acre-feet conditional water right decreed to the Subject Water Right, ACWWA stored water in priority a total of 234.7 acre-feet.

The 265.3 acre-feet not made absolute by this claim remains conditional. Of the 260 cfs diversion rate at decreed for the Subject Water Right, 5.3 cfs has been made absolute, and the 247.7 cfs not made absolute remains conditional. 6. Names and addresses of owners of the land on which the structures are or will be located, upon which water is or will be stored, or upon which water is or will be placed to beneficial use. 6.1. Milliken Reservoir is owned by United Milliken Reservoir Enterprise, LLC, 8301 East Prentice Avenue, Suite 100, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111; and Scout Investments, LLC, whose address is the same.

6.2. The Jay Thomas Diversion Dam and the land at the point of diversion for Milliken Reservoir are owned by Public Service Company, d/b/a Xcel Energy, Inc., 1800 Larimer Street, Denver, Colorado, 80202-1414. WHEREFORE, Applicants respectfully request that this Court enter an order finding that (1) 234.7 acre-feet is made absolute; and (2) reasonable diligence has been exercised in the development of this water storage right and that 265.3 acre-feet of the Subject Water Right be continued as conditional. (11 pages, 2 exhibits).

THE WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED BY THESE APPLICATIONS MAY AFFECT IN PRIORITY ANY WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED OR HERETOFORE ADJUDICATED WITHIN THIS DIVISION AND OWNERS OF AFFECTED RIGHTS MUST APPEAR TO OBJECT WITHIN THE TIME PROVIDED BY STATUTE OR BE FOREVER BARRED. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that any party who wishes to oppose an application, or an amended application, may file with the Water Clerk, P. O. Box 2038, Greeley, CO 80632, a verified Statement of Opposition, setting forth facts as to why the application should not be granted, or why it should be granted only in part or on certain conditions. Such Statement of Opposition must be filed by the last day of MAY 31, 2022 (forms available on www.courts.state.co.us or in the Clerk’s office), and must be filed as an Original and include $192.00 filing fee. A copy of each Statement of Opposition must also be served upon the Applicant or Applicant’s Attorney and an affidavit or certificate of such service of mailing shall be filed with the Water Clerk.

Legal Notice No. 24827 First Publication: April 21, 2022 Last Publication: April 21, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

Notice to Creditors PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Leo Ruben Salas, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR2 All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before August 28, 2022, or the claims may be forever barred.

LuAnn Lynn Leeder Personal Representative 23509 Jasper Trail Deer Trail, CO 80105 Legal Notice No. 24822 First Publication: April 7, 2022 Last Publication: April 21, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

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Elbert County Legals 4.21.22 * 1

20 Elbert County News

April 21, 2022

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