Elbert County News 051922

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Week of May 19, 2022

ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

ElbertCountyNews.net

VOLUME 127 | ISSUE 14

Preservation survey shares responses Town panel gets input from 130 residents of area

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

Goats spread across the fields behind homes in the Spring Valley Ranch community.

PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Goats munch to lower fire risk

Spring Valley Ranch community brings in 1,200 critters to clear brush

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

The Spring Valley Ranch community in the northern Elizabeth area has adopted a natural approach to fire mitigation this year. Instead of plowing down the tall grasses to reduce the risk of brush fires, the community has hired 1,200 goats to take on the job.

Beginning May 1, the 1,200-goat herd descended upon Spring Valley Ranch and stayed for nearly two weeks to work as much of the open brush land as they could.

SEE GOATS, P2

One of 1200 goats that grazed around Spring Valley Ranch over a two week span.

INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 16

CHOREOGRAPHED COMEBACK Ballet and opera look to begin anew post-COVID

P16

The Town of Elizabeth Historic Advisory Board met on April 18 to discuss the results of the Historic Preservation Survey that took place throughout early April. The survey received 130 responses, about a quarter of them from within the town limits.

“I think overall we had a really good turnout on the survey. I did not expect to get 130 responses,” said Zach Higgins, Main Street Program manager and planner/ project manager for the town.

“This is statistically significant for our population.”

The survey was intended to gauge resident knowledge and interest regarding downtown Elizabeth and its historic sites, which could help shape possible changes to the municipal code and impact the future of a potential historic district in the town.

In an April Elbert County News article, Higgins said that if there was positive feedback from the survey, there is a plan to designate a Town of Elizabeth Historic District around the end of this year, with much opportunity for public comment throughout the process.

Below are the results of the Historic Preservation Survey as discussed at the meeting.

Results include applicable comment from Higgins.

SEE SURVEY, P4

2 Elbert County News

May 19, 2022

Land after the goats have spent 12-16 hours on it. After the goats have finished grazing in one area, the ground is left with reduced fire fuel and richer soil. PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

GOATS FROM PAGE 1

“During our board conversations, our HOA president, Ann Wright, suggested the use of goats,” said Byron McDaniel, Spring Valley Ranch HOA vice president. “After looking into it, we found that using goats far outweighed the use of lawn mowers. It was also more cost effective.”

On April 21, Elbert County issued a Stage II fire ban in response to the low humidity, warmer temperatures, and high winds. Community leaders determined that the use of goats would not only help mitigate the fire risk, but it would also generally improve the land quality of the area.

“After the destructive woodland fires in Superior and Louisville, the HOA board determined that we needed to look closely at our community for fire mitigation,” said McDaniel. “We all agreed that it wouldn’t take much for a fire to start and it would be devastating.

The effort is in coordination with the Goatapelli Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 2020. According to their website, in the face of climate change with less available water and more deadly wildfires, man-

aged goat herds are an effective wildfire prevention tool with a comparably tiny footprint.

In an email blast sent out to Spring Valley Ranch residents, co-founder of the Goatapelli Foundation Lani Malmberg explains that the goats serve multiple functions while grazing the land: “The goats are doing 15 things at the same time. Beyond clearing the fire fuel ladder, the land also benefits from improved soil conditions and better soil health. Unlike the use of chemical applications, goat hooves play an important role in creating soil that is healthy because now it holds air and moisture.

“When goats stomp around, they aerate the soil and trample plant matter aiding the breakdown of nutrients by fungi and bacteria and boosting soil health including its potential for water retention, particularly important when vegetation moisture levels are low.

“Their hoof action prevents erosion and builds soil structure. Simultaneously, the vegetation the goats eat moves through their digestive tract and delivers accessible nutrients to soil microbes.

When goats lay down together to sleep or chew their cud, their body heat warms the soil, helping seeds germinate.”

For more information about the Goatapelli Foundation, please visit www. goatapellifoundation.org

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Goats huddle around a water source. Local resident volunteers have extended hoses from their homes to help keep the goats hydrated during their hard work.

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Elbert County News 3

May 19, 2022

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4 Elbert County News

May 19, 2022

SURVEY FROM PAGE 1

Do you live within the town limits of Elizabeth?

25% said “yes” 75% said “no” “We’re getting a lot of feedback from outside of town,” said Higgins.

“We did ask for respondent zip codes, so we have that data. It gives us an idea of who is coming here.”

How frequently do you visit Main Street?

30% said “a few times a week” 25% said “once a week” 20% said “a few times a month” Less than 10% said “every day” What is your level of knowledge about the purpose of historic preservation in the Town of Elizabeth?

60% of respondents marked themselves as “average” What is your favorite historic district or town within Colorado besides Elizabeth?

“Many of the responders cited Cripple Creek. Survey responders also listed Georgetown many times.

There were several others like Grand Lake, Breckenridge, Silverton, Estes, all the popular ones,” said Higgins.

“All of these towns have preservation codes.”

Independent Order of Odd Fellows Elizabeth Lodge (108) (1897) PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Are you concerned about the potential for exterior update changes to structures in town?

“Nearly 50% of the respondents said `a great deal,’ remarked Higgins.

“Most people are quite concerned, which is a good sign for us in this process.”

Are there any buildings in town which you would like to not see removed?

40% responded “yes” 50% said “yes” and gave the address or name of the building(s) they would like to not see removed.

How would you feel about altering or removing historic structures?

Nearly 70% said they “strongly disapprove” Is the Town of Elizabeth’s history important to teach to future residents?

95% of the respondents said “yes” Do you think Elizabeth would benefit from having an historic district?

80% of respondents said it “definitely would” 20% said it “probably would” Do you think creating an historic district on main street would have a positive impact?

95% said “yes” “Most of these responses were what we wanted to see,” expressed Higgins. “There’s not a lot of opposition to what we’re doing.”

Do you believe that recognizing/listing buildings on the historic register would result in additional financial burden to the owners of the historic buildings?

65% said “no” 30% said “yes” “This is something that we’ll probably have to touch on at some point when we go through the historic district process,” said Higgins. “The new code has a maintenance provision in it, so I expect to get comments on that one.”

SEE SURVEY, P5

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The Huber-Carlson Building in Elizabeth, at left, dates to 1890.

Elbert County News 5

May 19, 2022

SURVEY FROM PAGE 4

Do you own a building that could be considered for inclusion in the historic district?

92% said “no” Do you think the town of Elizabeth would benefit from creating multiple historic districts?

60% said “yes” 40% said “no” Are there any buildings or locations that you feel would benefit from preservation?

“A lot of people said the farmhouse that is being torn down for Legacy Village,” explained Higgins. “There is a provision in the new code we’re looking at that could halt the demolition if someone nominated a property. However, given the time constraints for the development, that can’t happen before scheduled demolition.”

If the town goes ahead with plans to create a historic district, the municipal code would first need to be updated.

The district plan would then require approval from the Planning Commission followed by the Board of Trustees.

This designation allows the town and its Historic Advisory Board to apply for state and federal funding. Funding will allow for maintenance and preservation of historic structures, among other things.

Members of the Town of Elizabeth Historic Advisory Board noted that they would like to thank all those who took the Historic Preservation Survey.

For information on the updated code or information about survey results, please contact Zach Higgins at zhiggins@townofelizabeth.org

The 1907 First National Bank building in Elizabeth.

Antelope Alpacas Fiber Arts Center is housed in a building with an unknown year of construction.

PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Catalina’s Diner, building of unknown significance and date of construction.

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6 Elbert County News

May 19, 2022

Democrats abandon pursuit of wildfire building code State remains one of eight in nation without some kind of uniform building code

BY SHANNON NAJMABADI AND JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

Local or state control?

The idea behind the proposal was to ask people living in

wildfire-prone parts of the state to help address Colorado’s fire vulnerability. The legislature has spent tens of millions of dollars on fire mitigation, response and recovery in recent years, which some see as fiscally unsustainable.

The state has experienced its four largest and most destructive fires in the past two years and state officials recently warned that Colorado could be headed toward its worst wildfire summer in modern history.

“Improved building codes lead to less fire risk and ultimately less damage,” Hansen said. “They have the advantage of lowering insurance costs for homeowners.

From the state budget perspective, the less damage that’s done, the better for the state budget.”

Adopting a statewide building code could also have given Colorado a leg up in applying for federal grant funding. The lack of a statewide building code cost Colorado 20 of 100 points in recent bids for $74 million in FEMA grant money.

But the amendment’s drafting and introduction quickly frustrated opponents of statewide building codes, who saw the proposal as a last-minute attempt to force a broad spectrum of communities to comply with a top-down policy. Particularly irksome to some critics is that Polis’ office pushed the amendment despite recently touting his preference for local control over a statewide ap-

proach on other issues, including a failed proposed statewide ban of flavored tobacco and nicotine products.

“He’s mercurial when it comes to local control,” said House Minority Leader Hugh McKean, a Loveland Republican. “If it’s energy policy, they want state control. If it’s … tobacco, for instance, then that’s a responsibility they don’t want to take on so then they shunt it to local control.”

The amendment would have created a 17-member board tasked with adopting by mid-2024 statewide standards to reduce fire risk for people and property in the state. The board would have then periodically updated the codes, issued rules on how to enforce them and set fees or other charges to defray the anticipated costs of enacting them.

It’s unclear what parts of the state the stricter standards would apply to. The new board would have determined what buildings and what “lands” were subject to the new code; cities or counties could have chosen to adopt stronger standards or petitioned the board for an exemption.

The proposal was based on recent recommendations from a Colorado Fire Commission subcommittee, which is made up of at least two county commissioners.

Polis last year directed the group to look into building and land use SEE LEGISLATURE, P7

PRESENTS

A contentious effort to set stiffer construction standards for homes built in wildfire-prone parts of Colorado was abandoned as the 2022 lawmaking term came to a close with too many other proposals on the legislature’s to-do list.

As the General Assembly neared its end, Republicans in the Colorado Senate threatened to halt the entire legislative process in protest if the policy — which was backed by Gov. Jared Polis and was negotiated in private for weeks — was advanced. With dozens of bills still left to be debated, Democrats backed off the proposal that came in the wake of the 2021 Marshall Fire, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history.

“We got close,” said Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat who was pushing for the policy. “Just didn’t get the right configuration.”

He plans to try again next legislative session, which begins in January 2023, after what officials say will be a dangerous summer for wildfire.

The Democratic majority in the

legislature had to leave a lot of legislation on the cutting room floor as time ran out and Republicans stalled the legislative process.

The “minority is using the only tool they have — which is obstruction,” said state Rep. Chris Kennedy, a Lakewood Democrat.

The fire proposal would have created a board tasked with developing statewide building standards for the wildland-urban interface, the area where development and nature meet. It immediately prompted controversy when it was introduced as a proposed amendment to House Bill 1012, a wildfire mitigation measure.

Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, a Douglas County Republican, threatened to halt the lawmaking process in protest by reading bills at length. A dozen senators clustered on the floor, had a tense exchange and then retreated to Senate President Steve Fenberg’s office to try to resolve the situation.

“To have that substantial of an amendment, it’s about twice the length of the bill itself,” Holbert said, after lawmakers emerged. “I just think it’s inappropriate that that be sprung on us at the last minute.”

The amendment was withdrawn.

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Elbert County News 7

May 19, 2022

LEGISLATURE FROM PAGE 6

planning policies the state could adopt to ward off fire damage.

Polis and other proponents of the amendment believed they’d devised a statewide policy with enough flexibility to appease localcontrol advocates.

It was “designed specifically with Colorado’s local-control needs in mind,” Polis’ spokeswoman Melissa Dworkin said in a statement.

But despite the memory of the Marshall Fire, and the backing of Polis and the state fire commission subcommittee, the proposal still crumbled — demonstrating how polarizing the issue of state building codes remains in Colorado, a home-rule state with a strong local control ethos.

While some local governments in

Colorado have adopted their own wildfire mitigation programs, the state remains one of eight in the nation without some kind of minimum building code, nonpartisan Joint Budget Committee staff said in a 2021 budget briefing.

Added costs tied to the codes — whether for construction or enforcement — were a sticking point for opponents, especially amid supply chain woes, inflation and a statewide housing shortage.

Some local officials support idea of statewide code Still, advocates for a building code hope that attitudes are changing as fire seasons grow longer and more destructive in the droughtstricken West.

Local officials whose communities were burned by the Marshall fire, for example, expressed support for a wildfire-prevention building code in recent hearings.

The December 2021 fire burned

more than 1,000 homes in Boulder County, many of them near open space.

Ashley Stolzmann, the mayor of Louisville, one of the cities hardest hit by the Marshall fire, said she thought the proposal was “wonderful.”

Underinsurance and lack of private-sector funding meant the state was acting as a backstop for rebuilding efforts, leaving them with a financial incentive to pass the proposal, she said.

Louisville resident Tawnya Somauroo, whose home burned in the Marshall Fire, told lawmakers she was frustrated at the prospect that her neighborhood would rebuild only to end up as vulnerable to fire as before.

“It’s bad enough to lose your home in an urban-mega fire,” she said. “But knowing that you (are rebuilding) in a neighborhood that is going to be set up to burn again catastrophically and ex-

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actly the same way if another fire comes along — that keeps me up at night.”

Mike Morgan, director of the Division of Fire Prevention and Control and a member of the state Fire Commission, said that officials try not to “reinvent the wheel” — as other states have models that could be exported — but they wanted a solution that recognized the uniqueness of Colorado.

“While that is a break from the norm if you will — of the way we’ve done things in the past — we can’t keep doing the same things over and over and expecting different outcomes either,” he said.

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.

8 Elbert County News

May 19, 2022

What’s in fentanyl ‘accountability and prevention’ bill?

HB 1326 was contentious measure in Colorado General Assembly

BY SHANNON NAJMABADI AND JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

With just hours to spare in its 2022 lawmaking term, the Colorado legislature on May 11 sent House Bill 1326, the Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Act, to Gov. Jared Polis to be signed into law.

The contentious legislation, which was still being amended up until its passage, is lawmakers’ response to rising fentanyl overdose deaths in the state. More than 900 Coloradans died from a fentanyl overdose last year, according to state health department data, including four children under the age 1, and 35 people between the ages of 10 and 18.

In 2020, 540 people died from a fentanyl overdose in Colorado.

The bill would increase the penalties for possessing or distributing fentanyl and would pump tens of millions of dollars into efforts to prevent overdose deaths, as well as drug treatment and education campaigns.

Polis has said he will sign the bill into law.

The Colorado Sun pored over the final version of measure to pull out the information you need to know:

A bill that passed the Colorado General Assembly makes possession of 1 to 4 grams of a fentanyl compound for personal use a Level 4 drug felony.

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

What is fentanyl and what’s the background of this bill?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine. It can be lethal in doses of about 2 or 3 milligrams.

The drug was developed to help manage pain for cancer patients but has increasingly been illegally mixed with heroin and other drugs because of its potency and how cheap it is to produce. In fact, law enforcement says fentanyl has become ubiquitous and that it’s mixed into almost all street drugs now.

Some drug users have said they consumed fentanyl unknowingly, thinking they were taking another substance. Authorities believe five people who died in a mass fentanyl overdose in Commerce City earlier this year thought they were con-

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suming cocaine.

A number of Colorado teens and young adults have died of fentanyl overdoses in recent years after consuming what they thought were prescription painkillers.

House Bill 1326 comes after lawmakers passed a bill in 2019 that was signed into law by Polis that made it a misdemeanor to possess up to 4 grams of most drugs, including fentanyl, for personal use. Law enforcement and Republicans have blasted the 2019 law, saying it is responsible for Colorado’s surging fentanyl overdose deaths, a claim rejected by harm reduction advocates.

How would the bill change criminal penalties for possessing fentanyl?

The bill would make possessing between 1 gram and 4 grams of a fentanyl compound for personal use a Level 4 drug felony punishable by up to 180 days in jail and up to two years of probation. If someone is convicted of the offense a third or subsequent time, the sentence would go up to 364 days in jail.

A fentanyl compound means a drug mixture with any amount of fentanyl in it. For instance, 4 grams of heroin combined with a few milligrams of fentanyl would be considered a fentanyl compound.

Since fentanyl is ubiquitous in street drugs, experts say it’s likely that people arrested for possessing more than 1 gram of any drug could be charged with a felony.

Those convicted of the Level 4

F

drug felony can have their convic- p tions dropped to misdemeanors if m they go through treatment. And they can have their criminal record t sealed a few years after completing c their sentence or completing probation. c Possessing 1 gram or less of fen- o tanyl or a fentanyl compound would remain a Level 1 drug misdemeanor.h A person convicted for a fourth or a w subsequent time of possessing 1 gram or less of fentanyl or a fentan- t yl compound could be charged with t a Level 4 drug felony punishable by r between 6 months and two years in m prison. l The bill also would try to crack down on fentanyl dealers by raising t the penalties for possessing the drug 1 with an intent to distribute it. Here l w are the details: • Possessing between 4 grams and w p 50 grams of fentanyl or a fentanyl compound with an intent to distrib- s ute it would become a Level 2 drug felony punishable by a prison term b h of 4 to 16 years.

• Possessing more than 50 grams s c of a fentanyl compound with an intent to distribute it a Level 1 drug c felony punishable by a prison term m p of up to 32 years.

• Other offenses become a Level 1 a drug felony, punishable by a prison p d term of up to 32 years, if it leads to someone’s death, if the drugs originated from outside of Colorado, w or if the person also possessed a pill p t — SEE FENTANYL, P9 w t t

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Elbert County News 9

May 19, 2022

FENTANYL FROM PAGE 8

press or other manufacturing equipment Would a person have to know they were possessing fentanyl to be charged with a felony?

This question is important because fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs.

The answer is no, but they would have an opportunity to argue before a jury that they did not know they were in possession of fentanyl. If the jury sides with the defendant, the defendant’s charge would be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Lawmakers likened the unique legal structure of the bill, a change that was made on the night of May 11, to Colorado’s crime-of-passion law, which allows someone charged with murder to argue the killing was unplanned in the hopes of prompting the jury to lower their sentence.

An earlier version of the fentanyl bill would have required people to have known that they were in possession of fentanyl or a fentanyl compound before they could be charged with a felony for having more than 1 gram of the drug for personal use. Law enforcement and prosecutors were wary of that policy, saying it would make it very difficult to prosecute cases.

Both law enforcement — who wanted to remove any option for people to prove they didn’t know they were in possession of fentanyl — and criminal justice activists were unhappy with where this section of the bill ended up. It was written this way to ensure its passage.

Tom Raynes, executive director of the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council, called the finalized version of the provision a “challenging standard.”

“We will adapt to the decision made by the legislature as they are the ones who make and are responsible for legislation and policy,” he said. “Our job is to enforce their decisions, and we will.”

What about the treatment side?

Anyone convicted of a fentanyl-related offense would have to undergo a substance use assessment and, if appropriate, treatment. They would also have to take a fentanyl education program developed by the state.

The law also would require that some people jailed on fentanyl-related charges be released with naloxone, an opioid reversal drug, or a prescription for other medication to help with opioid-use disorders. It would also give jails money to help provide medication-assisted treatment to their inmates.

Where is the money going?

House Bill 1326 would also allocate about $40 million next year toward trying to prevent fentanyl overdose deaths and toward responding to the opioid epidemic. The spending would include: • $6 million would be set aside next fiscal year, which starts July 1, for a harm-reduction grant program.

Nonprofits, public health or tribal agencies, law enforcement, and various health care organizations could apply for grants, and the funding could be used for training about

preventing overdoses and to helping divert people from the criminal justice system.

• $19.7 million would be used to make a bulk purchase of naloxone.

Under the bill, naloxone and other drugs to counter an opioid overdose could be dispensed through a variety of organizations, including libraries, colleges and universities, jails, probation departments and public health agencies.

• $600,000 would be set aside to purchase tests to detect synthetic opiates. The idea is to help people determine if their drugs contain fentanyl and to prevent them from unknowingly consuming the opioid.

• $10 million would be earmarked for treatment centers where people could stay to detox or stabilize if they’re in crisis.

• The bill would create a grant program to help law enforcement agencies investigate deaths or serious injuries caused by synthetic opiates and for disrupting drug distribution. The bill doesn’t allocate money to the program; it’s subject to available money. Families told lawmakers that the overdose deaths of their loved ones had not been thoroughly investigated by law enforcement. The bill would require law enforcement agencies that respond to a suspected overdose to tell the district attorney’s office if an arrest was made. Those district attorney’s offices then must report when they don’t prosecute someone arrested in connection with a suspected overdose involving fentanyl.

• $3 million would be set aside to help county jails meet a variety of new requirements under the bill, including providing medicationassisted treatment and providing them with a referral to a treatment provider upon their release.

Is there anything else I should know about the bill?

It would require a variety of studies and data-collection programs.

Those include: • An independent study about the bill’s implementation • A study of how the internet is used for trafficking fentanyl and other illicit drugs • An independent study of the health effects of the bill’s criminal penalties Additionally, the bill would require that emergency medical providers, coroners and law enforcement officials participate in a state program mapping overdose deaths.

The measure would also task a new Colorado Overdose Prevention Review Committee with reviewing drug-related overdoses and making policy recommendations to lawmakers.

And the Department of Public Health and Environment would have to develop a statewide prevention and education campaign around fentanyl. The campaign could include TV, radio or digital advertisements, as well as a website with resources about fentanyl, criminal penalties tied to possession of the drug and the immunity granted to those who report an overdose.

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.

Help make our County Fair a success!

Energetic, friendly volunteers age 16 and older are needed during the Douglas County Fair & Rodeo, July 29-Aug. 7. Serve your community, celebrate your County’s history and have fun all at the same time. Visit douglascountyfairandrodeo.com and click on the Get Involved tab, to learn more and sign up.

Funds available to veterans Emergency assistance is available for veterans struggling with housing (mortgage/rent), transportation, employment, healthcare or other emergency needs. To apply for the veteran assistance funds visit douglasveterans.org or call 303-663-6200.

Visit prehistoric times More than 11,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, mammoths roamed Douglas County. Learn all about it by taking a free tour of the world-renowned Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve. Limited dates are available.

Reserve your spot now at lambspring.org/free-tours

Are you prepared for Wildfire?

It only takes one spark to change your life forever – make sure you are ready for wildfire season. Learn about steps you can take today to reduce the risk to your family and property at douglas.co.us/land/wild¬fire-mitigation.

And sign up for free emergency notifications at douglas. co.us/CodeRed to ensure you are aware if a wildfire or other emergency is happening near you.

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.

Memorial Day office closure Douglas County offices will be closed Monday, May 30, 2022.

Many services are available at DoItOnlineDouglas.com

Visit douglas.co.us

10 Elbert County News

May 19, 2022

More Coloradans are vaccinated than ever

BY JOHN DALEY COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

Nearly three out of four Coloradans older than 5 are now fully immunized with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state’s vaccination dashboard. That’s higher than the national average, which is about 66 percent, according to the New York Times, and puts Colorado at 16th highest among the 50 states.

Colorado recently topped a total of 4 million people who had gotten at least two doses, according to the state health department. More than half of all residents got the first two shots, plus a booster.

Colorado’s progress on the vaccination front comes at another uncertain point in the pandemic.

The latest wildly transmissible variant — BA.2.12.1 — has infected increasing numbers of people in the state and around the country. But many of the tools to limit spread have been dropped, and surveillance and reporting of coronavirus trends are less robust than earlier in the pandemic.

Those younger than 5 are still not eligible though approval could come soon. The Food and Drug Administration issued a timetable last month for a decision about authorizing a COVID-19 vaccine for the youngest children in the U.S. It said June 8 is the earliest date it’ll present data to outside advisers for a recommendation.

Getting vaccinated helps prevent severe illness, said Dr. Jon Samet, dean of the CU School of Public Health.

“One thing that’s clear is if you had the first two shots, get the third,” he said. “There’s some data from Israel that that fourth shot helps, at least for a while.”

COVID is ‘mixed bag’ in Colorado The latest COVID-19 data in Colorado is a decidedly mixed bag.

COVID-19 hospitalizations rose to 110 last week — up 33 since mid-

April. But that’s 1,500 fewer than the highest level recorded in the omicron wave.

The positivity rate for COVID-19 test is staying above the key 5 percent threshold as public health officials closely watch. As of Thursday, the positive test rate was 6.3 percent, according to state data. It’s been above 6 percent for the last week and doubled since mid-March. But it’s five times lower than January’s omicron wave peak.

Wastewater surveillance data showed a pronounced spike in virus detected in mid-April and another smaller rise at the end of last month.

“So much of what happens next in this pandemic depends on the next variant or variants,” which is why continuing to encourage Coloradans to get vaccinated and boosted is key, Samet added. “If we had one (variant) with a high degree of immune escape, that is vaccine acquired protection is not great against the variant, that would be a problem.”

Are we flying blind?

Other public health experts worry Colorado and the U.S. may be flying blind. Many governments dropped non-pharmaceutical interventions like masking and contact tracing, while not beefing up surveillance enough to give warning of a potential coming surge, said May Chu, an epidemiologist and clinical professor, also at the Colorado School of Public Health.

“I think the trend away from contact tracing, from not promoting vaccination and boosters and the promotion of at home-testing, whose results are not seen by public health,” because most are not reported to health departments, “all point to an uneasy second half of the year,” Chu said.

“We are far from being ‘endemic,’ the point where the pandemic has become predictable, Chu said. “New variants are rising and most of the world is blind to that.”

Two omicron subvariants, which have emerged since the start of the

Give us a call or visit us for all of your sales, parts, and service needs.

4225 Strasburg Rd. Strasburg, CO (303)-622-4207

year account for nearly all of Colorado’s cases, after first delta, then the original omicron variant swamped the state. In the most recent data posted to the state dashboard, the BA.2 subvariant makes up 74 percent and BA.2.12.1 comprises 14 percent.

But that’s as of the week of April 10, so that data hasn’t been updated in nearly a month, according to the state’s dashboard.

Billions in funding for further COVID-19 prevention and protection is stalled in Congress. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in March urged Congress to approve more money “to secure enough booster vaccine doses for all Americans and invest in variantspecific vaccines or a pan-COVID vaccine.”

It would protect against a range of variants should the science and data demonstrate the need, he said.

Wide disparities in vaccinations in Colorado Though vaccination has grown steadily in Colorado since vaccines first started to become available late in 2020, the pandemic’s first year, there’s wide variability across the state and across populations.

One group has lagged consistently behind when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines: Hispanics. Just 40 percent of that population has been vaccinated with at least one dose, according to the state’s dashboard. State models suggest the actual number may be higher, 48 percent.

Either way it’s measured, that trails all other groups for which the state has recorded information including white Coloradans (78 percent), as well as Black or AfricanAmerican (66 percent), Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (69 percent), American Indian or Alaska Native (73 percent) residents.

“I am still seeing first and second vaccines. We are leaving my community behind,” said Julissa Soto, an independent health equity consultant who works with the state.

Soto said she and others have helped vaccinate some 15,000 Latinos since

last fall, but would like the numbers to be much higher. “Everyone is talking about the fourth booster and my community still struggles to get their first and second dose.”

Where the gaps are Gaps persist as well, comparing the state’s urban, suburban and rural counties.

More than 80 percent of those residents 5 and up have gotten two doses in Denver, several metro counties, and some mountain counties.

The figure is better than 70 percent for other large Front Range counties: Jefferson, Douglas, Arapahoe, Adams and Larimer counties.

For El Paso County it’s 67 percent, Pueblo County is at 61 percent and Mesa County, on the western slope, is at 54 percent.

Fewer than 50 percent of residents are vaccinated in many sparsely populated rural Colorado counties.

In Kiowa, Rio Blanco, Cheyenne, Washington and Dolores counties the rate is below 40 percent.

The spotty coverage leaves undervaccinated areas especially vulnerable to future outbreaks.

Even where vaccination rates are higher, vaccine effectiveness wanes over time and almost half of all Coloradans have yet to get a booster dose, on top of the first two shots.

Chu also worries about another virus taking off in the coming months: the flu. She said Colorado has essentially not had to battle much influenza for two flu seasons now, because COVID-19 precautions also limited the spread of the flu.

But “that could rise sharply this year,” she said.

Chu said work is underway to develop a “global platform” to monitor exposure to COVID-19 and other diseases of public health concern, “but this has many moving pieces.

We cannot let our guard up just yet.”

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

Elbert County News 11

May 19, 2022

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12 Elbert County News

I

LOCAL

May 19, 2022

VOICES

A sign of aging

t recently hit me that a true sign of aging is not about actual age, graying hair or straining a muscle in the back while picking up something as simple as a comb. Instead, what hit me is how much hearing the news of a celebriFROM THE ty dying and being a little sad as you recount the memories from youth.

EDITOR To tell this story, I will have to shine some light on my country roots a little bit. A few weeks ago, when the news of Naomi Judd dying came out, I was saddened.

This news proved I am aging because there was a time when a celebrity died, and my parents and grandparents would react while I kind of sat there wondering what the Thelma Grimes fuss was all about.

Now, it’s me telling my kids stories of how these people brought fond or not-so-fond memories to my life.

After hearing about the sad way Naomi Judd died, I found myself telling my kids about the fact that my first favorite song, that I could recall, was the Judds’ hit “I Know Where I’m Going.” Yeah, it’s a bit of a cheesy song but I loved it.

The Judds were also my very first cassette tape.

Yes, I said cassette tape. I was remembering how the ribbon would get pulled out and I would work to roll it back in with a pencil.

Later, I enjoyed the Judds’ work in songs such as “Grandpa” and “Love Can Build a Bridge.”

I made my kids listen to “Love Can Build a Bridge” in the car after I learned of Naomi Judd’s death, explaining what a lovely song it is and how I always enjoyed listening to it.

As if I needed another example of my age, my children helped that along with the bored looks and, at one point, asking if I could put on the recentlypopular song, “Astronaut in the Ocean.”

Naomi Judd is not the first celebrity where I found myself recalling fond moments from childhood and young adulthood, but this was the first time where I realized it is becoming more routine to hear the news of someone passing and being able to recall some childhood story.

While I am always sad to hear the news of someone I grew up watching or listening to passing – I do enjoy taking a moment to pause and remember. Remembering that tape player being rewound over and over again to play my favorite songs. Today, we have the luxury of a quick push of a button or Google search to find the exact song we want at that moment.

When I was younger you had to practice timing to rewind and replay a good song. Believe me, I got good at that over the years before CDs became the thing.

On a sidenote, as I bring this week’s editor’s ramblings to a close, I will say I hope the passing of Naomi Judd continues even more discussion about mental health in our country.

She has always been an advocate for helping people with mental illness. She has always pushed for the medical industry to do more than just give someone some pills and hope they work well enough.

She has always pushed for more studies on the brain, or more attention to what causes depressing, anxiety and stress.

I hope her passing can bring some more attention and help to those who need it before they do what she ended up doing to end the struggles.

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

Pay attention to tax law changes

N

ow that tax season is over, it is time to start planning for 2022. I know that everyone is probably tax fatigued by now, but we are already well into the second quarter of the year.

FINANCIAL Therefore, any changes that STRATEGIES need to be made to impact your tax liability for this year, need to happen fast.

There are also changes that affect Colorado residents to plan for.

First let’s look at tax planning overall. Make sure if you needed to adjust your tax withholding on your Patricia Kummer paycheck, that you calculate the increase for the remaining pay periods left in 2022. This is also true if you need to increase your 401(k) contribution, the earlier the better.

Next, plan if you will be able to itemize your deductions for this year. Do you have higher mortgage interest, charitable deductions, or medical expenses? If you cannot itemize, think of other ways you can still give to charity and get the deduction while still taking the full standard deduction.

Retirees who are taking their required minimum distributions are eligible to give directly to a charity from their IRA account and be taxed only on the amount you receive.

Ask your advisor about setting up a Qualified Charitable Distribution or QCD, before you take this year’s distribution.

You can still deduct up to $300 per tax filer ($600 for joint filers) of charitable donations on the front of the 1040 without itemizing.

High wage earners may benefit from opening a donor-advised fund and bunching several years of charitable contributions into one year, hence being able to itemize. But Colorado residents beware: There is a new law that limits the amount you can itemize on your state income tax return. Even though you may be eligible to receive the full deduction on your federal return, taxpayers who

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager

lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

LISA SCHLICHTMAN Editor-in-Chief

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant

lschlichtman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

THELMA GRIMES South Metro Editor

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager

tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SCOTT GILBERT Editor

ERIN FRANKS Production Manager

sgilbert@coloradocommunitymedia.com

efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

expect to have joint income over $400,000 will be limited to a $60,000 deduction on the Colorado form.¹ This is also a good time to review your potential investment income for this year.

With current market volatility, you may consider tax loss harvesting on positions that no longer meet your goals in your portfolio. You can deduct 100% of your realized losses up to the amount of capital gains you incur plus another $3,000 per year against earned income. You can carry forward any unused losses to be used up in subsequent years.

There are other changes in Colorado regarding the College Invest 529 Savings Plan for college education. In the past, taxpayers have been able to deduct the full amount of their 529 contribution against their state income tax liability. Starting in 2022, your deductions will be limited to $20,000 per taxpayer, for each beneficiary for single filers, and $30,000 for joint tax filers.² Be aware that many of the programs put in place last year were forms of stimulus and have expired. There are no monthly stimulus checks, and this year the Child Tax Credit reverts back to $2,000 per child for 2022. Also, the enhanced Child Care and Dependent Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit have reverted back with the exception of minor inflation adjustments.³ Tax planning all year long may provide you with better options and a lower overall tax bill due next April. If you started a business or became a consultant this year, there are good tax savings strategies for you as well. With only seven months left in the year, early planning can provide optimum tax saving strategies.

1. Colorado House Bill 21-1311; 2. College Invest; 3. IRS.gov 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 13

May 19, 2022

Legislature passes HOA foreclosure reform bill Measure limits ability to penalize homeowners over covenant fines

BY BRITTANY FREEMAN ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

Colorado lawmakers passed a bill on May 9 aimed at protecting residents in disputes with their homeowners associations.

House Bill 22-1137 limits HOAs from seeking foreclosure against homeowners who accumulate fines for violating community rules known as covenants. The bill also stops HOAs from assessing those penalties on a daily basis and limits them to $500. The legislation now heads to Gov. Jared Polis, whose office said he plans to sign it into law.

“As it currently stands, Coloradans have little recourse and almost no protections when facing down the endless resources held by associations and the lawyers they may hire,” bill cosponsor Sen. James Coleman, D-Denver, told his colleagues at a committee hearing on May 6.

The bill went through numerous changes after its first House committee hearing. Supporters said lawmakers removed a provision that would have limited the amount of legal fees that HOAs can charge residents in court cases but added provisions that specifically prohibited foreclosure on liens that only contain fines or the costs of collecting them.

Coleman said the changes were driven by hours of meetings with representatives of HOAs and their advocates. “We really took our time,” he said, “so that we ultimately make it so that our communities continue to be safe and beautiful, but at the same time folks aren’t losing their homes because they had weeds in their grass.”

Coleman represents Green Valley Ranch, a community that has become the subject of months of publicity after one of the HOAs there filed dozens of foreclosure cases against residents in the past year. Rep. Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora, was the bill’s initial sponsor.

An analysis of court case data by Rocky Mountain PBS and ProPublica found that Colorado HOAs have filed at least 2,400 foreclosure cases against residents since 2018. HOAs in the state have the legal right to seek foreclosure against homeowners who are at the equivalent of six months behind on their routine dues, but that total can also include fees, fines and collection costs, such as legal fees.

Many homeowners who faced foreclosure have told Rocky Mountain PBS and ProPublica that they ultimately ended up paying thousands of dollars more than their original debts to save their homes because the HOA billed them legal fees after they fell behind. Residents of one HOA community in Aurora, the Timbers Homeowners Association I, told the news organizations that they were surprised to learn their HOA has filed 41 foreclosure cases since 2018.

The newly passed legislation contains several measures that supporters said would give homeowners due process before delinquencies end up in court. It requires several notifications to residents about delinquencies and fines, requires those notices to be provided in the native language designated by homeowners and allows them the opportunity to seek longer payment plans of 18 months to repay debts to the HOA. Representatives from the HOA industry told lawmakers they opposed the legislation. They said it would make it harder to enforce their rules, especially when homeowners are defiant, and would push more costs onto others who are compliant.

Effort to ban sale of flavored tobacco, nicotine products fails State Senate committee rejects measure, moving issue back to local control

“This bill is going to harm the people who keep their promises and cause expenses for those people.

It’s been through so many different amendments and variations, and it’s still so messy,” testified Lindsay Smith, an HOA attorney who heads Colorado’s legislative action committee for the Community Associations Institute.

The bill’s supporters said a provision that opens up small claims court as a venue for disputes could also make a big difference for homeowners who cannot afford to hire an

attorney to fight their HOA. “The disputes that are creating all of the heat within HOAs finally have a place to go,” said Andrew Mowery, an HOA homeowner advocate whose group helped craft the original legislation.

This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online.

Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.

OBITUARIES BENNETT

Timothy James Bennett August 21, 1971 - May 7, 2022

Timothy James Bennett age 50, of Clifton, Texas passed away on May 7, 2022 at his residence. Per his wishes he will be cremated.

Arrangements were entrusted to Lawson Funeral Home, Meridian, Texas 254-4352792

In Loving Memory Place an Obituary for Your Loved One.

BY JESSE PAUL AND SHANNON NAJMABADI THE COLORADO SUN

A heavily lobbied, bipartisan effort to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products, including menthol cigarettes, in Colorado was rejected by a state Senate committee on May 10, punting the issue back to cities and counties.

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 5-2 to reject House Bill 1064, with Democratic Sens. Robert Rodriguez and Rachel Zenzinger joining the three Republicans on the committee in voting against the measure.

The legislation, which was aimed at reducing teen tobacco

Lawmakers and lobbyists are seen at the Capitol on Jan. 12 in Denver at the start of PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN/THE COLORADO SUN Colorado’s General Assembly’s 2022 session.

303-566-4100 obituaries@coloradocommunitymedia.com JCPH has been encouraged by the slow but steady progress in declining tobacco and vape use across the state. But some evidence suggests the county may have experienced an uptick in use during the SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE pandemic.

and nicotine use, faced slim odds of becoming law due to opposition SEE NICOTINE, P14

Self placement available online at elbertcountynews.net

14 Elbert County News

May 19, 2022

Free school meal program on November ballot Costs for program would come from limiting tax deductions for high-income earners

BY ERICA MELTZER CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Colorado voters will decide this November whether to cover the cost of school meals for all students.

All Colorado students have had access to free lunch over the last two years thanks to pandemic-related federal waivers that are set to expire this summer. During that time, many school districts reported more students eating lunch, sometimes as many as 40% more than in pre-pandemic times.

Lawmakers have sent a measure to the voters that would bring in an additional $101 million a year by limiting tax deductions for high-income earners. Those new state funds would supplement additional federal dollars that schools can claim by participating in the community eligibility program.

Rather than relying on families filling out applications for subsidized lunches, school districts could use eligibility for programs like Medicaid and food stamps to count children in poverty and get more meals covered.

In addition to covering the costs of school meals, participating school districts could also get money to buy healthy local foods, raise wages for food service workers, upgrade equipment, and train workers to prepare healthy meals.

The proposal would create the Healthy School Meals for All program.

House Bill 1414 passed both chambers with bipartisan support, though many Republicans voted no. By getting lawmakers to place the measure on the ballot, supporters save time and money they would have spent gathering signatures.

However, there would be a gap year before the program starts. Schools wouldn’t have access to any extra money for the 2022-23 school year. The Democratic sponsors of the measure had originally backed a bill that would have used state money to fill in that gap, but it stalled due to concerns about ongoing costs.

Backers of the initiative, such as Hunger Free Colorado, say offering free lunch to all students reduces stigma and shame and encourages participation, while relieving cash-strapped families of one more expense.

Some Republican lawmakers objected to asking a small percentage of taxpayers to pay for something that families should be providing and that many parents can afford.

The proposal would limit state income tax deductions for taxpayers earning $300,000 or more. Individuals would be limited to $12,000 and joint filers to $16,000.

The measure does not require the governor’s signature to appear on the ballot. The referred measure only requires a simple majority to become law.

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat Colorado. More at chalkbeat. org.

A Centennial Elementary School staff member wheels lunches through the cafeteria on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, at the Harrison School District 2 school PHOTO BY MARK REIS/SPECIAL TO THE COLORADO SUN in Colorado Springs.

NICOTINE Connect with CORE. Learn more about your electric cooperative at our open house event: 5 – 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 7 Douglas County Fairgrounds 500 Fairgrounds Rd., Castle Rock Visit www.CORE.coop for info on additional open house events.

FROM PAGE 13

from Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who said that he would prefer the issue to be regulated at the local level. The bill also was projected to siphon some $25 million annually from Polis’ fledgling free preschool program, a Polis campaign promise which is funded through taxes on tobacco and nicotine products.

The demise of House Bill 1064 comes about 36 hours before Colorado’s 2022 legislative session ends. It also comes after the Biden administration last month announced it would be trying to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

“Smoking in schools have been going on since before I was born,” Rodriguez said before voting “no” on the bill. “And I don’t know if this is going to stop that.”

A number of cities and towns in Colorado have passed flavored nicotine and tobacco bans, but several mayors have requested state action because they say a patchwork of policies wouldn’t be effective.

“It is not a prohibitive enough barrier if our youth are simply able to travel across Denver’s border to the nearest convenience store and obtain flavored tobacco products,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who vetoed a flavored tobacco ban in the Mile High City last year, wrote in a letter explaining his thinking.

State Rep. Kyle Mullica, a Fed-

eral Heights Democrat who was a prime sponsor of the bill, said the measure’s demise was “incredibly disappointing” and that he would continue to push for a ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine products.

“We ran House Bill 1064 because we wanted to fight for the health of our communities and kids,” he said. “The science and data is on our side. This is an epidemic our state is facing.”

He said the well-funded tobacco industry was, at least in part, responsible for the bill’s failure.

They had “business on the line,” he said. “But when we look at policy down here, I don’t know how we don’t put the health of our kids first.”

Altria and another tobacco giant, Reynolds American, respectively spent $149,000 and $173,000 on lobbying in Colorado from July 2021 through the end of March.

The national nonprofit Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which was leading the charge to pass the bill, spent nearly $181,000 on lobbying through the end of March. It had 25 lobbyists and lobbying firms working on the measure.

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.

Elbert County News 15

May 19, 2022

Look — up in the sky!

O

n a summer night long ago, we happened to be at the top of Independence Pass at midnight, after a gully-washer soaked our tent and sleeping bags at Maroon Bells Campground and it became necessary to load sleepy kids in the car and head home. The sky was absolutely dazzling and we stood there for a long time, just gobsmacked!

When I opened the new edition of 5280 magazine and saw a story about “Stars Bright” by Jessica Larusso, I was moved to encourage our readers to seek out a similar experience with families this summer.

Several of my nature-oriented magazines have focused on seeking out the dark sky experience as a travel trend and this story is clear and helpful, listing Dark Sky Parks and Communities.

Kids will enjoy having their own sky maps and learn a pleasurable skill that lasts a lifetime.

Pack the guide books, binoculars and cameras with the camping equipment and look for a dark hiking spot.

Westcliffe and Silver Cliff in southern Colorado make up Colorado’s first certified International Dark Sky Community, which involves shielded light fixtures in limited numbers, with warm light bulbs that won’t glare.

The Smokey Jack Observatory there is also available to

t

visitors. An active nonprofit organization is called Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley.

Norwood, Ridgeway, Crestone, Nucla and Naturita are also International Dark Sky Communities.

Colorado also Sonya Ellingboe has 10 International Dark Sky Parks families can seek out. Since this is a growing trend, reservations are probably in order.

There are currently 196 Dark Sky Places in the world and Colorado claims 15 of them. In addition to the communities above, There are 10 Dark Sky Parks: Hovenweep National Monument; Black Canyon of the Gunnison; Dinosaur National Monument; Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve; Jackson Area as one explores ...

(Sensibly, the writer suggests exploring an area well during the day first, and research what will be showing at a particular time

SONYA’S SAMPLER

The RidgeGate calendar of fun starts here.

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Yoga in the Park Join RidgeGate and South Suburban Parks and Recreation for free community yoga classes on the grass at the south end of Belvedere Park, at the corner of RidgeGate Circle and Belvedere Lane. Please bring your own mat, water bottle and towel to all classes. In case of heavy rain or lightning, class will be cancelled.

Tuesday, May 31st, 6:30-7:30pm Tuesday, June 28th, 6:30-7:30pm

Each year, RidgeGate teams up with the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District to provide free, guided nature hikes. These hikes are led by professional naturalists from the district, and offer insight and education into the natural ecosystems within the open space at RidgeGate. Registration is required and available at RidgeGate.com.

Sunday, May 15th, 7:30-9pm – Flower Moon Thursday, May 26th, 6:30-8pm – Birds at Sunset Saturday, May 28th, 10-11:30am – Spring Wildflowers Thursday, June 9th, 6-7:30pm – Magical Magpies Monday, June 13th, 7-9pm – Strawberry Moon Tuesday, June 21st, 6:30-8pm – Celebrating the Solstice

Summer Beats Concerts JUNE S 5

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Enjoy these summertime concerts out on the grass with free live music, food trucks and activities for kids. It’s all happening in Prairie Sky Park, just west of the Lone Tree Recreation Center, courtesy of the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District.

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RidgeGate is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the Lone Tree Arts Center’s ‘Tunes on the Terrace’—an outdoor evening concert series that will bring your summer nights to life.

Check out the full schedule and buy tickets at LoneTreeArtsCenter.org.

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and season ... Photographers are warned that there are limitations on camera equipment, such as flashes, that would disturb area wildlife, so investigate the rules and regulations.

Travelers speculate over archaeological sites and possible connections to the night skies, where often interpretations are questioned. I personally think learning about a variety of myths and legends is highly desirable for visitors of all ages.

Families may want to research star-related events in communities they plan to visit this summer. Crestone will celebrate the second anniversary of its Experience the Night Festival this weekend, for example, with performance artists, readings and more...

Music, food and storytelling may be involved, with a distinctive flair at each location. In September, the 12-year-old Black Canyon Astronomy Festival and the Mesa Verde Dark Sky Festival are planned. Park Point, the highest spot in Mesa Verde, is newly open after dark.

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16 Elbert County News

LOCAL

May 19, 2022

LIFE

however, were back on for everyone, including the audience, at Boettcher Concert Hall when singer-songwriter earing a mask Ben Folds performed with the may be good proColorado Symphony on April tection from 23. “It was a specific request COVID-19, but from the artist,” said Nick Doit makes it really tough breff, the symphony’s commuto sing the rousing “La nications and creative director.

Chanson Bohème.”Yet that “We had to comply because he was precisely the challenge wouldn’t perform without it.” soprano Kate Aldrich faced Such is the symphony in at a rehearsal of Opera Colothe time of pandemic. rado’s upcoming production of Still, after the darkest “Carmen.” days — and dark they Aldrich, from time to time, were, for all the theaters tugged at her mask for extra were shuttered — Denair as she sang of tambourines, ver’s major performing frenzied guitars and redarts companies have, striped dresses floating in the in fits and starts, wind. “You can’t get behind been on a comeback in your breathing,” she season. It is proving explained. “I have sung this to be a long climb so many times I know how back. many breaths I need.”

Such is opera in the time of pandemic.

The banner year that Come the stage could’ve been rehearsals and the The performperformances, which ing arts were start May 7 at the Ellie Caulkins SEE DANCE, P17 Opera House, the masks come off.

The masks,

BY MARK JAFFE THE COLORADO SUN

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Elbert County News 17

May 19, 2022

DANCE FROM PAGE 16

flourishing in the city as 2020 began. The Colorado Ballet had completed a record run for “The Nutcracker,” with a new $1.5 million production. The Colorado Symphony was also on pace to set record attendance and its fifth straight year with a healthy operating reserve.

The Opera was finishing “Pagliacci,” with more than $367,000 in ticket sales for three performances, and “The Lion King,” with strong advance sales, was coming to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in May. Then on March 13 everything came to a dead stop. The music, the dance, the plays were all victims of the pandemic.

“Twenty-nineteen was a blockbuster year, one of the highest years of attendance ever,” said Meredith Badler, deputy director of the Colorado Business Community for the Arts, a nonprofit promoting the arts.

“Denver had been on this incredible growth trajectory; 2020 set everyone back,” she said.

“The pandemic set back every one of our key indicators.” Attendance for the year was down nearly 50% to 8 million for cultural and arts organizations in the greater metro area, and more than 3,700 jobs in the arts were lost, according to the CBCA. “Performing arts operations are operating on really thin margins so if you can’t get enough people into a performance, you aren’t making your costs,” Badler said.

The previous body blow to the

Denver performing arts was the 2008 recession. “Bouncing back from the recession took 10 years.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take another decade to get back,” Badler said.

Learning how to improvise When rehearsals vanished and theaters were closed, the different arts companies began to improvise.

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts usually has 40 to 50 shows running through its eight theaters in a season. At the same time, it was in the middle of a $41 million renovation project. The center used the pause to its advantage to complete the project.

“The silver lining of our experience was that we were renovating theaters,” said Janice Sinden, DCPA’s president and CEO. The Colorado Ballet started doing its daily ballet class for its dancers over Zoom and dancers began making “Virtual Ballet” videos dancing in the parking garage at the performing arts center or along the Platte River, as bicyclists whizzed by.

The company also teamed up with Rocky Mountain PBS to air performances of “The Nutcracker” and “Alice,” a ballet based on the Lewis Carroll character.

The Colorado Symphony never stopped playing. “Our mantra was play on,” Dobrff said.

Within days of the shutdown, the symphony produced an online performance of the Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, each orchestra member playing his or her part at home.

Symphony musicians kept posting videos under the rubric #PlayOn, including the horn section’s soulful rendition of “All

By Myself.” A handful of small, masked and socially distanced

ensembles popped up at places like Civic Center park and the Colorado State Capitol.

In July 2020, the symphony became the first group to play at Red Rocks since the start of the pandemic, with a series of 18 concerts by 20 musicians before audiences of 175 spread out across the huge amphitheater. “It was eerie,” Dobreff said. “You just never see Red Rocks like that.”

Looking at the numbers While audiences largely disappeared, one thing that did not vanish was philanthropic and government backing for the arts.

In fact, private donations to arts and cultural groups in 2020 rose 5.5% to $225 million compared to 2019, according to the CBCA. “We are a nonprofit organization. We are used to raising money to meet our goals,” Dobreff said. “It isn’t something a restaurant or a store can do. …

Donations became very important during that time and our support helped in a massive way to help us keep playing on.”

Pre-pandemic donations to performing arts organizations

ranged on average from one-fifth to more than two-thirds of total revenue, based on their 990 federal tax forms.

DCPA had a 30,000-person subscriber base and the organization sought to have subscribers contribute their tickets. This helped boost donations to $4.5 million. Tickets could also be held as credits for future performances. Still, the center lost about 5,000 subscribers during the pandemic.

Subscribers also donated tickets for opera performances the company could not perform.

“We saw a tremendous amount of support in contributions,” Carpenter said.

The opera was expecting about a 30% drop-off in contributions and while donations of $500 or less did decrease, pledges from major donors swelled. “So, it all balanced out,” Carpenter said.

Opera Colorado logged an 8% increase in contributions in fiscal year 2021 to $3.9 million, compared to a year earlier, while ticket sales were a tenth — just $1,400 — of what they were SEE DANCE, P18

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18 Elbert County News

May 19, 2022

DANCE FROM PAGE 17

before the pandemic. More than half of the symphony’s $13.3 million 2020 budget was covered by contributions.

“I was concerned whether dollars would shift from the private sector, but they kept it up,” said Deborah Jordy, executive director of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. The SCFD channels designated sales tax revenue to 320 arts and cultural organizations in Denver and six surrounding counties.

“Philanthropy stayed strong particularly in the performing arts where there was no earned income, no ticket sales,” Jordy said.

The SCFD also increased its grants rising to $75.3 million in 2021 from $66 million in 2019, as sales tax revenue grew in the region.

“It really demonstrates generally consistent year-over-year support for cultural institutions and that is what they needed during the pandemic,” Jordy said.

There was one unexpected source of aid — the federal government’s COVID relief funds.

Like other employers with fewer than 500 workers, performing arts organizations were able to access the Paycheck Protection Program and the employee retention tax credit, and then there was the $16.2 billion shuttered venue operator grant program.

“All those things were a bonus,” the Opera’s Carpenter said.

“We never expected to be on the receiving end of that kind of federal government support.”

The opera received $518,000 in federal help over 2020 and 2021.

The ballet — carrying a full company of dancers — received

a total of nearly $6.4 million in federal backing over two years.

The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, which suffered a crippling string of performance cancellations as members in its productions came down with COVID-19, saw donations reach a record $1 million. “From small donors to corporations, everyone stepped up,” said Phillip Sneed, the center’s CEO and president.

The center also received $5.2 million in federal aid over two years, helping to offset $3.6 million in losses.

“At first we thought it was more than we needed,” Sneed said. But the aid became vital as losses mounted — the most recent, $130,000 in ticket returns from the cancellation of the last seven performances of the musical “Kinky Boots.”

Over the two years DCPA garnered about $16 million in federal aid, according to Sinden. DCPA depends heavily on ticket sales — contributions made up just 20% of its pre-pandemic budget of $75 million. “It was really, really tough to come back. We lost $100 million in 18 months,” she said.

The comeback Still, as the summer of 2021 came to a close, everyone was preparing for that comeback.

One decision all these performing arts groups made was that patrons would have to wear masks and have proof of vaccination or negative COVID tests to attend performances.

“We wanted to be in lockstep because we knew it was going to be hard,” Dobreff said. “We did what was collectively best.”

The symphony began Sept. 17 with pianist Emmanuel Ax playing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 at Boettcher. The ballet took the stage in October with “Giselle” — with special precautions back-

Colorado Ballet principal dancers Jennifer Grace and Mario Labrador rehearse a pas de deux as they prepare for George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations.

PHOTO BY KATHRYN SCOTT

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stage at the Ellie Caulkins to sequester hard-breathing dancers.

The opera, which was dormant during the 18-month lacuna, had managed to keep all its contracts for its production of “Tosca,” a casualty of the 2020 shutdown, and was able to stage Giacomo Puccini’s tale of love and betrayal at the Ellie Caulkins in November.

When the shutdown came, DPCA just left the set for the Improvised Shakespeare Company on the stage of its Garner Galleria Theater and shut the doors.

“Eighteen months later we dusted everything off, cleaned the theater and we were back,” Sinden said.

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Elbert County News 19

May 19, 2022

DANCE

presents three musicals and four plays during a normal season — the musicals are the moneymakers, but this season the Christmas musical “Elf” was forced to scratch nine performances and “Kinky Boots” lost seven.

That added up to $360,000 in ticket refunds, Sneed said.

FROM PAGE 18

The question was: Would audiences be back as well?

“Our comeback is a little slower, ticket sales have been a little softer,” Sinden said. “There are single ticket buyers making decisions closer to the event date, because they are not sure what the situation will be.”

The opera had one of highest subscription rates in the county, Carpenter said, with almost half of the performances covered by subscribers. “We’ve seen a dropoff from that,” he said. “Some patrons are not quite ready to come back. We are selling a lot more single tickets.”

“We budgeted based on 50% of the house being sold. We weren’t sure if we’d have to limit capacity for social distancing,” Carpenter said. But for “Tosca” and the following production, “The Shining,” the house was more than 70% full.

The ballet on average saw its performances drawing threequarters of a regular season, save for the Christmas run of “The Nutcracker” where attendance was off just 5%.

“What was really important was getting our dancers back on stage and back to their careers … and we’ve been able to put on a full season,” said Gil Boggs, the ballet’s artistic director.

The ballet, like the opera, also

Colorado Ballet principal dancer Mario Labrador pauses for a short rest while rehearsing a pas de deux with fellow principal Jennifer Grace as the two prepare for George PHOTO BY KATHRYN SCOTT BalanchineÕs Theme and Variations.

saw more single and last-minute ticket sales. “We are still living in an era where it is hard to plan ahead,” Badler said.

The size of symphony audiences depended upon the performance, Dobreff said. Some concerts were sellouts or near sellouts, such as performances with Leslie Odom Jr. and Ben Folds.

The symphony, ballet and the opera — if there are no pitfalls with “Carmen” — will all have

gotten through their seasons without canceling any shows.

Others haven’t been that lucky.

In the midst of DCPA’s December-January run of “The Lion King” (which had been canceled in May 2020), 13 performances had to be scrapped because of COVID-positive cast members.

“Some folks were canceled twice, in May and December,” Sinden said.

At the Arvada Center — which

The looming question The question that now looms over the region’s performing arts is how long it will take for audiences to return and for the organizations to recover. “We went into this season as a year of rebuilding after COVID, but we didn’t really know what rebuilding would mean,” Carpenter said.

“Next season will still be a rebuilding season.”

The Arvada Center’s Sneed said it might take three to five years to recover.

There is also another worry that there may have been a fundamental shift in theatergoers’ behavior as a result of the pandemic.

“The big question is: Have we lost some patrons permanently?”

Sneed said. “Have some people decided it is easier to stay home and watch virtual content?”

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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20 Elbert County News

May 19, 2022

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

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CLASSIFIEDS

Elbert County News 21

May 19, 2022

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

CAREERS

MARKETPLACE

REAL ESTATE

Market Place

SERVICE DIRECTORY

CLASSIFIED AD SALES

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

303-566-4100 classifieds@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY ADS

Contact Erin, 303-566-4074 eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Painting

Roofing

Merchandise Firewood • Benjamin Moore Paints • Labor and Materials Warranty • Free Estimates • Color Consultation Included • Kind/Highly Communicative Staff

Split & Delivered $350 a cord Delivery $50. Stacking $50 Call 303-647-2475 or 720-323-2173

Helpful Ace Hardware Pro Painters is a residential painting company which specializes in exterior and interior painting. Our core values are honesty, integrity, service, quality and beauty and our focus is on delivering an outstanding customer experience. We currently include a full color consult, test pints and a detailed walkthrough with all of our paint jobs.

Give us a call to set up a free estimate! (720) 432-6125 helpfulacehardwarepropainters.com

Lawn & Garden

Pets

Craftsman lawn mower Starts on the 1st pull every time period $60.Call 720-314-0319

Dogs

Concrete/Paving

Miscellaneous Put on your TV Ears & hear TV w/ unmatched clarity. TV Ears Original - originally $129.95 - now w/this special offer only $59.95 w/code MCB59! 1-833-530-1955 Looking for assisted living, memory care, or independent living? A Place for Mom simplifies the process of finding senior living at no cost to your family. Call 1-833386-1995 today!

Paying top cash for men’s sportwatches!

Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Day-tona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. Call 833-603-3236

Doodle Puppies

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

(970)215-6860 www.puppylovedoodles.com

Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Down + Low Monthly Pmt Request a free Quote. Call before the next power outage: 1-844-334-8353

303-888-7595

Wanted

Chunky’s Towing

Driveways Tear Outs & Replace

• patios • sidewalks • garage floors • • porches • stamped/colored • exposed agregate • lic.& ins. free estimates

720-218-8849 www.delsolconcrete.com

720-560-6763 1- Service Directory Carpet/Flooring

Scrap Metal, Batteries, Appliances, Wiring, Scrap Plumbing/Heating, Cars/Parts, Clean out Garages/Yards, Rake, Yard work done w/chainsaw, Certified Auto Mechanical / Body Work & paint available Also can do inside or outside cleaning 303-647-2475 / 720-323-2173

Become a published author. We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920.

Consultation, production, promotion & distribution. Call for free author`s guide 833-719-3029 or visit dorranceinfo.com/acp

•Curb & Gutter •Walls •Anything Concrete

Transportation

Hero takes stress out of managing medications. Hero sorts & dispenses meds, sends alerts at dose times & handles prescription refill & delivery for you. Starting at $24.99/month.

No initiation fee. 90-day risk-free trial! 1-888-684-0280 Aloe Care Health medical alert system. Most advanced medical alert product on the market. Voiceactivated! No wi-fi needed! Special offer w/code CARE20 for $20 off Mobile Companion. 1-855-521-5138

•All Concrete •Tear Out •Patios •Driveways

On The Level Concrete All types of Concrete Work

·

Driveways

·

Patios

·

Foundations

·

Walkways

Daniel Ordonez 720.363.6004 DanielOrdonezOTL@gmail.com Colorado, USA

Carpet Solutions

• CARPET REPAIRS •RE-STRETCHING • PET DAMAGE

n:

Call Ke

720-244-3623

TLLC Concrete Ty Barrett

303-646-2355 Specialize in barn floors, Driveways, Remove and replacement Any job over 400 SF give us a call!

Hail & Storm Damage Repairs & Replacements Insurance Claims Roof Financing Options

303-425-7531 Lawn/Garden Services

Tree Service

Landscape & Garden

A-1 Stump Removal

Sod, Rock, Mulch, Retaining Walls, Sprinklers, Sprinkler Repair, Flagstone, Fence Repair, Power Rake, Fertilize, Aeration, Yard Clean-Ups, Shrub Trimming/Removal, Rock Removal, Weed Control, Trash Hauling and Much More!

Senior Discounts Year Round!

720-982-9155 lawnservice9155@q.com

Alpine Landscape Management

Stump grinding specialist

Most stumps $75.00 and up $55 Minimum.

Free estimates. Call or Licensed & Insured. Text 41 years experience.

10% off when coupon presented A father and son team!

Terry 303-424-7357 Corey 720-949-8373

Weekly Mowing, Aerate, Fertilize, Spring Clean-up, Trim Bushes & Small Trees, Senior Discounts

720-329-9732 Sprinklers

Columbine Custom Contracting • Sprinkler Start Up $40

• Gutter Clean ups $40 • Fertilization $30 • Fence Repair & Painting • Aerations $40 • Fence Posts • Power wash decks & houses • Clean Up / Tree service • Garage Doors • Interior/Exterior Painting • Licensed Plumber

Tony 720-210-4304 Tile

ANYTHING TILE

● Marble ● Repairs ● Granite Counter Tops Remodeling is my specialty!

Call now for free estimate

(303) 646-0140

Advertise here 303-566-4100

22 Elbert County News

CLASSIFIEDS

May 19, 2022

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

CAREERS

MARKETPLACE

REAL ESTATE

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Careers

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Speech-Language Pathologist or SLPA Positions Full-Time & Part-Time Open to School Internships. Able to provide supervision for CFY hours. Join our dynamic, multidisciplinary team of professionals for the 2022-23 school year. Administer assessments, provide direct, indirect & consultation services for students PreK-12th grades.

Competitive salaries: SLP - $44,100-$56,000 & SLPA- $36,050- $44,450, both commensurate upon experience.

May be eligible for a Sign On Bonus! May also be eligible for loan forgiveness. Excellent benefits, including full health benefits & mileage reimbursement. Flexible schedule. Questions contact Tracy at (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

Night Time Inspection Tech / Part-Time Position inspects all exterior lighting for retail and commercial properties documenting all outages.

• Drive Company vehicle to specific locations and indicate all outages on provided site map •This position is part-time - (3) nights per week averaging 25-30 hours •Night Shift Flexible Schedule - Great second job •Must have clean driving record and must pass drug screening test.

Contact info: Jobs@ coloradolighting.com

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 Teacher for a significant needs program located at the Strasburg Elementary School. Current Colorado Special Education Teacher license required.

BA salary range $34,650-$40,950 & MA salary range $39,900$46,200, based on experience.

May be eligible for Sign On Bonus!

Excellent benefits. Collaborative work environment with lots of free continuing education opportunities available. May be eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness.

Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101 or tracyg@ecboces. org. Please complete a Certified application located at the bottom of the “Jobs” page on ecboces.org or email tracyg@ecboces.org. Equal Opportunity Employer.

Drivers

WE NEED DRIVERS! 40 year company, great pay!

Start from home and drive your car!

Day or night shifts. $3,000 sign on bonus, paid training, paid time off and benefits! Interview today!

Contact info: Quicksilver Express Courier 303-350-4189 www.qec.com

Driver CDL HAZMAT DRIVER WANTED

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

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

School Social Worker East Central BOCES is seeking a Full-Time and 2.5 Day a week School Social Worker to join our dynamic, multi-disciplinary team of professionals for the 2022-23 school year. Colorado licensed or eligible for a license. Grades Pre12 assessment, direct counseling & consultation services in our East and Central Areas. May be eligible for loan forgiveness, benefits include a signing bonus and full coverage insurance. Flexible scheduling with the opportunity to complete some work at home. Questions contact Tracy (719) 775-2342, ext. 101. To apply for this position, please visit our website at ecboces.org and click on the “Jobs” page, & follow instructions to create an account or login. 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.

Please fax completed application to 719-771-4001 or email it to tracyg@ ecboces.org Equal Opportunity Employer

TO ADVERTISE CALL 303-566-4100

Teacher of the Visually Impaired/ Orientation and Mobility Specialist East Central BOCES is seeking a Part-Time (3.5 days/wk) Teacher of the Visually Impaired/Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the 202223 school year. This position requires working with multiple administrative units including East Central BOCES, Ft. Morgan, Santa Fe Trails BOCES, South East BOCES, North East BOCES and Sterling. Option to work 1 day a week for East Central BOCES only, if preferred. Requires Colorado Teaching License with an endorsement in Visual Impairment and Orientation and Mobility Specialist. Responsibilities include completing assessments, providing direct and indirect service & attending IEP meetings as needed.

Opportunity for some services to be provided remotely. Salary: 3.5 days/wk-$31,018-$38,505, 1 day/wk $8,120-$10,080. Excellent Benefits including mileage reimbursement or use of a car. May be eligible for loan forgiveness and sign on bonus.

To apply please complete a Certified Application, located on our website at ecboces.org under “Jobs” at the bottom of the page. Once completed, application can be sent to Tracy at tracyg@ecboces.org,.

Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext.

101. EOE

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.

Full Time Salary range for OTD: $49,350-$60,550. Part-Time Salary prorated based on the number of days employed. Excellent benefits.

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

CLASSIFIED AD SALES

303-566-4100 classifieds@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY ADS

Contact Erin, 303-566-4074 eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

NOW HIRING

Accounting Assistant and Legal Advertising Specialist Colorado Community Media is hiring a detail-oriented administrative specialist to assist in posting receivables and to schedule legal notices. The job would be full time in our business office reporting to the Business Manager.

Job responsibilities include: • Post payments in our ad management software (will train in Account Scout).

Create and maintain daily files.

•Assist customers with questions on their balances and/or payments.

•Take in orders for legal notices to publish in our weekly publications. Format and schedule orders properly for production and record-keeping purposes using ad management software.

•Flow ad files onto pages for insertion into weekly publications using design software (will train in InDesign) •Proof pages to ensure accuracy •Act as customer service representative for both AR and legal notice publishing process Preferred skills: •Experience in accounts receivable preferable •Superior attention to detail •Ability to build and maintain solid customer relationships with professionalism and speed •Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs Once the candidate is fully trained this job can be performed part in-office (in Englewood) and part remote. Starting pay $14.50-$16.50/hour.

Applicants please send your resume to Audrey Brooks at abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES

May 19, 2022

complaint in writing within 35 days after the Public Notices callthe 303.566.4088 dateSheree of the last publication, judgment by default Legals

Bids and Settlements Public Notice NOTICE OF FINAL PAYMENT NOTICE is hereby given that Spring Valley Metropolitan District No. 1 of Elbert County, Colorado, will make final payment at Special District Management Services, Inc., 141 Union Boulevard, Suite 150, Lakewood, Colorado 80228, on May 31, 2022, at the hour of 5:00 p.m. to Bemas Construction, Inc. for all work done by said Contractor(s) in construction or work on County Roads 174 and 13.

Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has furnished labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender, or other supplies used or consumed by such contractors or their subcontractors, in or about the performance of the work contracted to be done or that supplies rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of the work, and whose claim therefor has not been paid by the contractors or their subcontractors, at any time up to and including the time of final settlement for the work contracted to be done, is required to file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid, and an account of such claim to David Solin, District Manager, c/o Special District Management Services, Inc., 141 Union Boulevard, Suite 150, Lakewood, Colorado 80228 on behalf of the Spring Valley Metropolitan District No. 1, on or before the date and time hereinabove shown for final payment. Failure on the part of any claimant to file such verified statement of claim prior to such final settlement will release Spring Valley Metropolitan District No. 1, its directors, officers, agents, and employees, of and from any and all liability for such claim.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SPRING VALLEY METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1 By:/s/ David Solin, Secretary Legal Notice No. 24837 First Publication: May 12, 2022 Last Publication: May 19, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF FINAL PAYMENT NOTICE is hereby given that Spring Valley Metropolitan District No. 1 of Elbert County, Colorado, will make final payment at Special District Management Services, Inc., 141 Union Boulevard, Suite 150, Lakewood, Colorado 80228, on May 31, 2022, at the hour of 5:00 p.m. to Sun Valley Electric, Inc. for all work done by said Contractor(s) in construction or work on the Arapahoe Well (A-2) Pump and Denver Well (D-1) Pump.

Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has furnished labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender, or other supplies used or consumed by such contractors or their subcontractors, in or about the performance of the work contracted to be done or that supplies rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of the work, and whose claim therefor has not been paid by the contractors or their subcontractors, at any time up to and including the time of final settlement for the work contracted to be done, is required to file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid, and an account of such claim to David Solin, District Manager, c/o Special District Management Services, Inc., 141 Union Boulevard, Suite 150, Lakewood, Colorado 80228 on behalf of the Spring Valley Metropolitan District No. 1, on or before the date and time hereinabove shown for final payment. Failure on the part of any claimant to file such verified statement of claim prior to such final settlement will release Spring Valley Metropolitan District No. 1, its directors, officers, agents, and employees, of and from any and all liability for such claim.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SPRING VALLEY METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1 By:/s/ David Solin, Secretary Legal Notice No. 24836 First Publication: May 12, 2022 Last Publication: May 19, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

Summons and Sheriff Sale PUBLIC NOTICE DISTRICT COURT, COUNTY OF ELBERT, STATE OF COLORADO Case No. 2022CV30018 Plaintiff: Lincoln, LTD Defendants: HGT Enterprises; REB Development RLLLP; REB Investments, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company; and all unknown persons who claim any interest in the subject matter of this action To the Defendants named above: You are hereby summoned and required to appear and defend against the claims of the complaint filed with the court in this action, by filing with the clerk of this court an answer or other response. You are required to file your answer or other response within 35 days after the service of this Summons upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete on the day of the last publication.

A copy of the complaint may be obtained from the clerk of the court.

If you fail to file your answer or other response to

may be rendered against you by the court for the relief demanded in the complaint without further notice.

This is an action to quiet title regarding the real property located in Elbert County, Colorado, legally described as follows: PARCEL A: A PARCEL OF PROPERTY LOCATED IN SECTION 25, TOWNSHIP 7 SOUTH, RANGE 63 WEST OF THE 6TH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN SHOWN AS "TRACT A" IN AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF COVENANTS, CONDITIONS, EASEMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS FOR SKY VIEW RANCH RECORDED FEBRUARY 20, 2013 IN BOOK 742 AT PAGE 803, ELBERT COUNTY COLORADO, BEING MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: COMMENCING AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SAID SECTION 25 AND CONSIDERING THE WEST LINE OF SAID NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SAID SECTION 25 TO BEAR SOUTH 00°14'00" EAST WITH ALL BEARINGS CONTAINED HEREIN RELATIVE THERETO; THENCE SOUTH 00°14'00” EAST, ALONG SAID WEST LINE, A DISTANCE OF 2629.35 FEET TO THE WEST 1/4 CORNER OF SAID SECTION 25; THENCE SOUTH 00°31'12" EAST, A DISTANCE OF 2629.08 FEET TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SAID SECTION 25; THENCE NORTH 88°14'23" EAST, ALONG THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID SECTION 25, A DISTANCE OF 3900.02 FEET TO THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE EAST 1/2 OF SAID SECTION 25; THENCE NORTH 00°17'55" WEST, ALONG THE EAST LINE OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE EAST 1/2 OF SAID SECTION 25, A DISTANCE OF 4224.00 FEET; THENCE NORTH 78°57'25" WEST, A DISTANCE OF 1145.57 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING; THENCE SOUTH 11°02'35" WEST A DISTANCE OF 684.77 FEET; THENCE SOUTH 86°36'33" WEST A DISTANCE OF 880.26 FEET; THENCE NORTH 11°336'22" EAST A DISTANCE OF 182.86 FEET TO A POINT OF CURVE; THENCE ALONG THE ARC OF A CURVE TO THE RIGHT, HAVING A RADIUS OF 250.00 FEET, A CENTRAL ANGLE OF 13°36'24", AN ARC LENGTH OF 59.37 FEET; THENCE NORTH 25°12'49" EAST, A DISTANCE OF 530.72 FEET TO A POINT OF CURVE; THENCE ALONG THE ARC OF A CURVE TO THE LEFT, HAVING A RADIUS OF 160.00 FEET, A CENTRAL ANGLE OF 09°04'51", AN ARC LENGTH OF 25.36 FEET; THENCE NORTH 16°07'58" EAST A DISTANCE OF 123.54 FEET; THENCE SOUTH 78°57'25" EAST A DISTANCE OF 697.96 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, COUNTY OF ELBERT, STATE OF COLORADO. ALSO KNOWN AS: OUTLOT 15 ON SKY VIEW RANCH A TO A1 REZONE MAP RECORDED AUGUST 30, 2004 UNDER RECEPTION NO. 201099, AND RECORDED OCTOBER 24, 2005 AT RECEPTION NO. 201155, COUNTY OF ELBERT, STATE OF COLORADO (the “Property”).

You may receive copies of pleadings filed in the above-referenced matter from the Clerk of the Elbert County, Colorado, District Court or from Plaintiff’s counsel: Troy A. Sandberg, Sandberg Law LLC, 17011 Lincoln Ave., #348, Parker, Colorado 80134, (720) 940-5058.

Legal Notice No. 24832 First Publication: April 28, 2022 Last Publication: May 26, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

Misc. Private Legals Public Notice BEFORE THE OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO IN THE MATTER OF THE PROMULGATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF FIELD RULES TO GOVERN OPERATIONS FOR THE NIOBRARA FORMATION, WILDCAT FIELD, ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO CAUSE NO. 535 DOCKET NO. 220400077 TYPE: POOLING NOTICE OF HEARING GMT Exploration Company LLC, (Operator No. 10243) (“Applicant”) filed an Application with the Commission for an order to pool all oil and gas (“mineral”) interests in lands identified below. This Notice was sent to you because the Applicant believes you may own mineral interests that will be pooled if the Commission approves the Application. Pooling is the consolidation and combining of mineral interests so that all mineral interest owners receive payment for their just and equitable share of produced oil and gas. For more information about the Commission’s pooling process, please see a brochure on the Commission’s website here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14QaK0JG6G35g vqwq5pp5t1psF0fDil0M/view APPLICATION LANDS Township 6 South, Range 65 West, 6th P.M. Section 11: All Section 14: All Section 23: N½ DATE, TIME, AND LOCATION OF HEARING (Subject to change) The assigned Hearing Officer will hold a hearing only on the above referenced docket number at the following date, time, and location: Date: July 18, 2022 Time: 9:00 a.m.

Place:Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission The Chancery Building 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 Denver, CO 80203

PETITIONS

Elbert County News 23

son Aquifer groundwater is 12.6 acre-feet per year. the special warranty deed recorded at Reception legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com 2.99 acre-feet per year is reserved for exempt No. 612426 on September 27, 2021 at the Elbert

DEADLINE FOR PETITIONS BY AFFECTED PERSONS: June 17, 2022

Any interested party who wishes to participate formally must file a written petition with the Commission no later than the deadline provided above.

Please see Commission Rule 507 at https:// cogcc.state.co.us, under “Regulation,” then select “Rules.” Please note that, under Commission Rule 510.l, the deadline for petitions may only be continued for good cause, even if the hearing is continued beyond the date that is stated above.

Pursuant to Commission Rule 507, if you do not file a proper petition, the Hearing Officer will not know that you wish to formally participate in this matter and the date and time of the hearing may change without additional notice to you. Parties wishing to file a petition must register online at https://oitco.hylandcloud.com/DNRCOGExternalAccess/Account/Login.aspx and select “Request Access to Site.” Please refer to our “eFiling Users Guidebook” at http://cogcc/documents/reg/Hearings/External_Efiling_System_Handbook_December_2021_Final.pdf for more information.

Under Commission Rule 508, if no petition is filed, the Application may be approved administratively without a formal hearing.

Any Affected Person who files a petition must be able to participate in a prehearing conference during the week of June 17, 2022, if a prehearing conference is requested by the Applicant or by any person who has filed a petition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION For more information, you may review the Application, which was sent to you with this Notice.

You may also contact the Applicant at the phone number or email address listed below.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if any party requires special accommodations as a result of a disability for this hearing, please contact Margaret Humecki at Cogcc.

Hearings_Unit@state.co.us, prior to the hearing and arrangements will be made.

OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO By: Mimi C. Larsen, Commission Secretary Dated: May 3, 2022 GMT Exploration Company LLC c/o Jamie L. Jost Kelsey H. Wasylenky Jost Energy Law, P.C. 3511 Ringsby Court, Unit 103 Denver, CO 80216 720-446-5620 jjost@jostenergylaw.com kwasylenky@jostenergylaw.com Legal Notice No. 24840 First Publication: May 19, 2022 Last Publication: May 19, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

Water Court Public Notice DISTRICT COURT, WATER DIVISION 1, COLORADO APRIL 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 APRIL 2022 for each County affected.

2022CW3059 ERIK JENSEN AND MARY JENSEN, 2072 Summit St, Franktown, CO, 80116.

James J. Petrock, Eric K. Trout, Hayes Poznanovic Korver LLC, 700 17th Street, Suite 1800, Denver, CO, 80202. APPLICATION FOR PLAN FOR AUGMENTATION IN THE NONTRIBUTARY LOWER DAWSON, DENVER, ARAPAHOE AND LARAMIE-FOX HILLS AQUIFERS, AND THE NOT-NONTRIBUTARY UPPER DAWSON AQUIFER IN ELBERT COUNTY. Subject Property: Approximately 120 acres on 3 contiguous parcels located in the SW1/4 of the NW1/4, the SE1/4 of the NW1/4, and the NE1/4 of the SW1/4, all in Section 27, Township 8 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M., Elbert County, State of Colorado, as shown on Exhibit A (“Subject Property”). Applicants are the sole owners of the Subject Property, therefore notice to any mortgage and lien holders was not required under C.R.S. 37-92-302(2)(b).

Well Permits: There are currently no wells on the Subject Property. Well permits will be applied for prior to construction of any wells. Source of Water Rights: The Upper Dawson Aquifer is not-nontributary as defined in C.R.S. § 37-90-103(10.7), and the Lower Dawson, Denver, Arapahoe, and Laramie-Fox Hills aquifers are nontributary as defined in C.R.S. § 37-90-103(10.5). Previously Decreed Amounts: Applicants own the following annual amounts of groundwater as decreed in Case No. 95CW120, District Court, Water Division 1, on June 25, 1996, and as amended on August 27, 1997 (the “95CW120 Decree”). The groundwater was conveyed to the Applicants via the special warranty deed recorded at Reception No. 388723 on February 15, 2000 and the warranty deed recorded at Reception No. 436627 on July 2, 2003, at the Elbert County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. The volumes below are based on a 300-year withdrawal period: Aquifer Annual Amount (acre-feet) Upper Dawson (NNT)* 9.61 Lower Dawson (NT) 9.21 Denver (NT) 12.92 Arapahoe (NT) 17.34 Laramie-Fox Hills (NT) 13.51 * The total annual amount of available Upper Daw-

purposes under the 95CW120 Decree. 95CW120 Decreed Uses: The water withdrawn from any well may be used, reused, and successively used and, after use, leased, sold or otherwise disposed of for municipal, domestic, industrial, commercial, irrigation, stock watering, recreational, fish and wildlife, and any other beneficial purpose, to be used on or off the land. Said water will be produced for immediate application to said uses, for storage and subsequent application to said uses, for exchange purposes, for replacement of depletions resulting from the use of water from other sources, and for augmentation purposes. Jurisdiction: The Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this application pursuant to C.R.S. §§ 37-90-137(6), 37-92-203(1), 37-92-302(2). Summary of Plan for Augmentation: Groundwater to be Augmented: Up to 9 acre-feet per year for 300 years of notnontributary Upper Dawson Aquifer groundwater.

Water Rights to be Used for Augmentation: Return flows from the use of not nontributary and nontributary groundwater and direct discharge of nontributary groundwater. Statement of Plan for Augmentation: The Upper Dawson Aquifer groundwater will be used on up to twelve (12) lots, in up to twelve (12) individual wells (0.75 acre-feet per well), for in-house use (0.3 acre-feet per year per well, 3.6 acre-feet per year total), irrigation, including home lawn, garden, and trees, of up to 7,000 square-feet per lot (0.35 acre-feet per lot, 4.2 acre-feet per year total), stockwatering for up to 8 large domestic animals per lot (0.1 acre-feet per lot, 1.2 acre-feet total), and fire protection, on the Subject Property. Applicant reserves the right to amend the amount and uses without amending the application or republishing the same. Sewage treatment for in-house use will be provided by non-evaporative septic systems. Return flow from in-house use will be approximately 90% of that use, and return flow from irrigation use will be approximately 15% of that use. During pumping Applicants will replace actual depletions pursuant to C.R.S. § 37-90-137(9)(c.5). Depletions occur to the Cherry Creek stream system and return flows accrue to that stream system and are sufficient to replace actual depletions while the subject groundwater is being pumped. Applicant will reserve an equal amount of nontributary groundwater underlying the Subject Property to meet post-pumping augmentation requirements.

Applicants request the Court approve the above augmentation plan, find that Applicants have complied with C.R.S. § 37-90-137(4) and water is legally available for withdrawal, find there will be no material injury to the owners of or persons entitled to use water under any vested water right or decreed conditional water right, and grant such other and further relief as is appropriate. 4 pages.

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 JUNE 30, 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. 24841 First Publication: May 19, 2022 Last Publication: May 19, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News Public Notice DISTRICT COURT, WATER DIVISION 1, COLORADO APRIL 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 APRIL 2022 for each County affected.

2022CW3060 DANIEL KAUFFMAN, PO Box 18571, Fountain Hills, AZ 85269. James J. Petrock, Eric K. Trout, Hayes Poznanovic Korver LLC, 700 17th Street, Suite 1800, Denver, CO 80202. APPLICATION FOR PLAN FOR AUGMENTATION IN THE NONTRIBUTARY LOWER DAWSON, DENVER, ARAPAHOE AND LARAMIE-FOX HILLS AQUIFERS, AND THE NOT-NONTRIBUTARY UPPER DAWSON AQUIFER IN ELBERT COUNTY. Subject Property: Approximately 80 acres located in the N1/2 of the NW1/4 of Section 27, Township 8 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M., also known as 2074 Summit Road, Elizabeth, Elbert County, State of Colorado, as shown on Exhibit A (“Subject Property”). Applicant is the sole owner of the Subject Property, therefore notice to any mortgage and lien holders was not required under C.R.S. 37-92-302(2)(b).

Well Permits: There is currently one exempt well on the Subject Property under Well Permit No. 233627. It will be re-permitted under the augmentation plan within 60 days of issuance of a decree in this case. Additional well permits will be applied for prior to construction of any wells.

Source of Water Rights: The Upper Dawson Aquifer is not-nontributary as defined in C.R.S. § 37-90-103(10.7), and the Lower Dawson, Denver, Arapahoe, and Laramie-Fox Hills aquifers are nontributary as defined in C.R.S. § 37-90-103(10.5).

Previously Decreed Amounts: Applicant owns the following annual amounts of groundwater as decreed in Case No. 95CW120, District Court, Water Division 1, on June 25, 1996, and as amended on August 27, 1997 (the “95CW120 Decree”). The groundwater was conveyed to the Applicant via

County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. The volumes below are based on a 300-year withdrawal period: Aquifer Annual Amount (acre-feet) Upper Dawson (NNT)* 8.73 Lower Dawson (NT) 6.13 Denver (NT) 8.6 Arapahoe (NT) 11.53 Laramie-Fox Hills (NT) 9

* The total annual amount of available Upper Dawson Aquifer groundwater is 10.40 acre-feet per year. 1.67 acre-feet per year is reserved for exempt purposes under the 95CW120 Decree.

95CW120 Decreed Uses: The water withdrawn from any well may be used, reused, and successively used and, after use, leased, sold or otherwise disposed of for municipal, domestic, industrial, commercial, irrigation, stock watering, recreational, fish and wildlife, and any other beneficial purpose, to be used on or off the land. Said water will be produced for immediate application to said uses, for storage and subsequent application to said uses, for exchange purposes, for replacement of depletions resulting from the use of water from other sources, and for augmentation purposes. Jurisdiction: The Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this application pursuant to C.R.S. §§ 37-90-137(6), 37-92-203(1), 3792-302(2). Summary of Plan for Augmentation: Groundwater to be Augmented: Up to 6 acre-feet per year for 300 years of not-nontributary Upper Dawson Aquifer groundwater. Water Rights to be Used for Augmentation: Return flows from the use of not nontributary and nontributary groundwater and direct discharge of nontributary groundwater.

Statement of Plan for Augmentation: The Upper Dawson Aquifer groundwater will be used on up to eight (8) lots, in up to eight (8) individual wells (0.75 acre-feet per well), for in-house use (0.3 acre-feet per year per well, 2.4 acre-feet per year total), irrigation, including home lawn, garden, and trees, of up to 7,000 square-feet per lot (0.35 acre-feet per lot, 2.8 acre-feet per year total), stockwatering for up to 8 large domestic animals per lot (0.1 acre-feet per lot, 0.8 acre-feet total), and fire protection, on the Subject Property. Applicant reserves the right to amend the amount and uses without amending the application or republishing the same. Sewage treatment for in-house use will be provided by non-evaporative septic systems. Return flow from in-house use will be approximately 90% of that use, and return flow from irrigation use will be approximately 15% of that use. During pumping Applicants will replace actual depletions pursuant to C.R.S. § 37-90-137(9)(c.5). Depletions occur to the Cherry Creek stream system and return flows accrue to that stream system and are sufficient to replace actual depletions while the subject groundwater is being pumped. Applicant will reserve an equal amount of nontributary groundwater underlying the Subject Property to meet post-pumping augmentation requirements. Applicants request the Court approve the above augmentation plan, find that Applicants have complied with C.R.S. § 37-90-137(4) and water is legally available for withdrawal, find there will be no material injury to the owners of or persons entitled to use water under any vested water right or decreed conditional water right, and grant such other and further relief as is appropriate. 4 pages.

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 JUNE 30, 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. 24842 First Publication: May 19, 2022 Last Publication: May 19, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

Notice to Creditors PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of MICHAEL JOHN KING, a/k/a Michael J. King, and Mike King, Deceased Case Number: 22PR30017 All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before September 12 2022, or the claims may be forever barred.

Jenna H. Keller, Esq., Attorney for Personal Representative 584 Yampa Avenue Craig, CO 81625 Legal Notice No. 24838 First publication: May 12, 2022 Last publication: May 26, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

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Elbert County Legals 5.19.22 * 1

24 Elbert County News

May 19, 2022

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