Elbert County News 050423

Options eyed for former school

Frontier High closed on short notice in 2020

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

e Elizabeth School Board held a discussion on April 24 to consider potential uses for the unoccupied Frontier High School building, including selling the property, turning it into a preschool, and transforming it into a space for district o ces with an attached community center. e meeting concluded with a direction to convert the building to new uses without selling it.

Frontier High School, originally called the Red Brick School, is located at 589 S. Banner St. in downtown Elizabeth. It opened in 1920 to house an expanding student population and was rst accredited in 1924. e newer portion of Frontier High School was built in 1971. Most recently the space held an alternative high school that was abruptly abandoned in 2020 amid low enrollment numbers.

Currently the Elizabeth School District is faced with a decision as to what to do with the building.

e district’s current insurance carrier will not cover the building next year without 30% of it being in use. If this requirement is not met, the district will need to purchase a separate policy for the building. e district does not yet have a quote for a new policy.

“Frontier High School presents some challenges for us right now,” said Superintendent Dan Snowberger during his presentation to the board. “In 2020 we abandoned the building. We pulled the systems out. We pulled things out of the building. And so, we’re trying to determine what’s the best course of action.”

Bank building noted for history

Elizabeth landmark gets national designation

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

e 1907 First National Bank building in Elizabeth was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places — the rst of Elizabeth’s historic structures to receive the prestigious designation. e bank was added to the Town of Elizabeth local register of historic places on August 12, 2003. e historic Elizabeth structure joins a group of over 1,600 Colorado properties listed on the national register and over 2,100 listed on the state register.

e National Register of Historic Places is the o cial federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects signi cant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture. ese contribute to an understanding of the historical and cultural foundations of the nation.

Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private e orts to identify, evaluate and protect our historic and archeological resources. e National Park Service provides overall program administration and

SEE

Learning the skills to make weeds into tasty treats

The dedication inscription on the old Red Brick School in Elizabeth, which last served as Frontier High School before it closed in 2020. It reads “Elizabeth Consolidated School, Erected AD 1920. Directors Ira Hammond (pres), Evan T. Evans (Secy). M.W.E. Morgan (Tres). Laid by the M.W. Grand Lodge. A.F. & A.M. of Colorado. Sep. 30, AD 1920 A.L. 5920.”

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

the O ce of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP) in History Colorado, the Colorado Historical Society, administers the register in Colorado.

e Town of Elizabeth is holding a celebration of the building’s historic designation. A presentation of the National Register of Historic Places plaque will be held on Saturday, May 6 at 10 a.m. at 188 S. Main St. in Elizabeth. e event is free and open to all who wish to attend.

e 1907 First National Bank building is owned by John and Janet Taylor, both of whom had expressed interest in registering the building for the past several years. In 2022, the Town of Elizabeth Historic Advisory Board (HAB) started to work on the rst phase of the application.

“Aimee Woodall, a preservation architect who we are very fortunate to have on our HAB, did the bulk of the work on the application,” said Zach Higgins, the Elizabeth community development director in an email correspondence from Apr. 25. “Sta and the remainder of the Historic Advisory Board assisted throughout the process.”

e o cial historical designation of the 1907 First National Bank building will likely pave the way for more designation and preservation of Elizabeth’s historic structures in

the future.

“

e town now has a property on the National Register of Historic Places. is means that all levels of government including local, state, and national, believe that this prop-

erty is signi cant and is in a near original state of existence from when it was built,” explained Higgins. “I believe that the bank building’s registration is part of a larger movement in Elizabeth of appreciation and protection of its historic character. is building, and now the Town of Elizabeth, is part of a national network of historic properties that people will want to visit in the future.”

e Historic Advisory Board is currently trying to get more property owners interested in applying to be on the Town of Elizabeth Local Historic Register. Also, the HAB is in the early stages of developing the Town’s rst Historic District and updating the Town’s Historic Design

“ is designation will increase the momentum of preservation in the town. is historic property, and many others in town, many of which are on Main Street, represent the heart and soul of Elizabeth and the HAB is doing what it can to preserve the cultural heritage of Elizabeth,” said Higgins. “ e Historic Advisory Board currently has three open seats that we are actively trying to ll. e HAB is preparing to start the collection of oral histories from residents in the coming months and continue to improve on our annual Walk and Talk event on September 30th.”

For more information on the National Register of Historic Places, visit nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/

The announcement for the National Historic Designation of the 1907 First National Bank building event, set for May 6. COURTESY IMAGE

The 1907 historic First National Bank building is located at 188 S. Main Street in downtown Elizabeth.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

The old Frontier High School is located at 589 S. Banner St. in downtown Elizabeth. The building on the left was constructed in 1920.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

consider is converting the building into a multi-use facility that could include district o ces and a community space. Snowberger is working with the Colorado Department of Local A airs, known as DOLA, to explore possible funding options for overhauling the space. DOLA is an organization that works with government entities and provides support including funding and resources to help old buildings usable for entities in the state of Colorado.

e district has been put in contact with the University of Colorado, Denver University Technical Assistance Program through the Department of Architecture and Planning.

is is the same group working with the Town of Elizabeth to design a new community activity and senior center building. DOLA funding would help support this partnership. “ ey would actually come in, look at the building, look at the structural issues involved, and help us develop some potential plans for the use of the building,” explained Snowberger. “I think there’s some excitement in bringing the community in. e

UCD team would host some community meetings, probably in the gym at the building. ey would invite community members in to look at some options and opportunities for use of that building.”

If converting the space into a multi-use facility, the building could potentially serve many di erent functions. Snowberger said the district could sell the current administrative o ces at 634 S. Elbert St. and move everyone into the old Frontier High School. Part of the building could also serve as a district daycare facility.

“ ere are some grants available for workforce infant toddler care.

ere are million-dollar grants in the state,” said Snowberger. “ ere are grants to cover anyone here in Elizabeth who has an infant/toddler and needs care so they can engage in work.”

Snowberger shared his experience with a similar project in the past. “In my last district we had an old middle school that became a hub of the community because it was renovated into rooms that could be used for nonpro ts, rooms that could be used for community classes, for adults, for childcare. A variety of di erent things.”

Our mental and emotional health is just as important as our physical health. Now, more than ever, it’s important for us to connect with others. Simply talking with someone can make you, and them, feel better. Visit douglas.co.us and search Mental Health Resources

People who need immediate support due to a mental health crisis should contact Colorado Crisis Services. Call 1.844.493.TALK(8255) or text TALK to 38255

Live Town Hall meetings

Did you know Douglas County offers Live Town Hall meetings, inviting you to engage in the local issues of importance to you and your neighbors? Register at douglas.co.us/townhall to ensure you are contacted about all future Live Town Halls. Registering will also allow you to receive surveys so that you may share what topics YOU want to hear more about.

Do

you own property in Douglas County?

Per Colorado law, Notices of Valuation are mailed to all property owners on May 1. Watch your mailbox for a postcard. Questions? Visit douglas.co.us/assessor.

Interested in becoming a foster parent?

Meetings are open to anyone interested in learning about foster care. Meetings are free and remote via Zoom on May 8 and May 22 from 6-7:30 p.m. For information, call 303.636.1KID or register online at collaborativefostercare.com and select Information Meeting.

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, visit douglas.co.us and search for Business Meetings.

The final signage at the former Frontier High School dates to its closure in 2020.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Need for preschool

A very pointed topic of discussion during the meeting was a need for more preschool space in the district, particularly at Running Creek Elementary.

“We also wanted to look at preschool. ere is a point at which we will continue to grow at both elementary schools, and we may nd we may not have room to continue a preschool program in our elementary schools as we continue to take in more and more students from our community,” explained Snowberger. “I think the reality of a preschool is that it’s a year onboarding. ere’s not a way we could turn that building around and occupy it next year. It’s not realistic.”

Director Heather Booth asked Snowberger if the preschool playgrounds could be moved to a potential new space at the old Frontier High School. He con rmed that they could be moved at a cost to the district.

Inside the front entrance of the abandoned Frontier High School.

PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

The back entrance to the former Frontier High School warns against trespassing.

Board thoughts

After hearing Snowberger’s presentation, the school board generally expressed their interest in renovation and conversion rather than selling the building.

“I think we need to consider the preschool issue and whatever else we can put in there. I would love to see some community-based training or di erent things,” said board member Mary Powell. “I do think we would lose community goodwill if we sold it. We do need preschool. We do need more room at Running Creek.”

Snowberger ended his presentation, explaining that he would move forward with the path to convert, rather than sell. He had a meeting with representatives from the UCD University Technical Assistance Program on Apr. 26 to tour the building and discuss future plans.

To watch the April 24 meeting, visit elizabethschooldistrict.org/ domain/124.

To learn more about the 2020 closure of Frontier High School, please read tinyurl.com/elizfrontierclosure.

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The playground at the back of the Elizabeth school building that last held Frontier High School.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Special ed gets long-awaited funding boost

Help comes from state budget and related bill

BY ERICA MELTZER CHALKBEAT

Tammy Johnson oversees special education services in ve rural school districts in southwest Colorado as the executive director of the Uncompahgre Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

And she also puts in time as a preschool special education teacher — doing assessments, writing student education plans, supervising classroom aides — because there’s no one else to do the job.

Administrators in the districts she serves “know that I’m not available in my o ce to put out res now that I have to leave my o ce to work in Norwood with preschool kids,” she said.

A long overdue boost to Colorado special education funding is buying Johnson some relief soon. By pooling their share of new state funding, the UnBOCES and the ve school districts plan to hire an experienced preschool special education teacher at $56,000 a year.

“And oh my gosh, we might be able to pay our folks a little salary increase, enough for them to stay,” Johnson said.

e additional funding comes from the 2023-24 state budget and a related special education funding bill and enables Colorado to meet funding commitments it made in 2006 but never honored.

e formula developed back then proposed that school districts get $1,250 for every student with an individualized education plan and another $6,000 for students whose needs cost more to meet, such as

students with autism or speci c learning disabilities, students who are deaf or blind, those with traumatic brain injuries or who have signi cant emotional disabilities. But instead of meeting that obligation, Colorado lawmakers essentially funded special education out of budgetary leftovers. As recently as 2018, Colorado was paying school districts less than a third of what lawmakers had promised for special education students.

State Sen. Rachel Zenzinger has pushed to steadily increase special education funding each of the last ve years. In 2019, she argued that increasing special education funding was even more important than paying for full-day kindergarten. Kindergarten, a top priority for Gov. Jared Polis, won out.

Last year, Zenzinger and state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Weld County Republican, secured the rst inationary increase since 2006 for all special education students, for whom districts were reimbursed $1,750 this budget year, a 40% increase.

is year’s budget pledges $6,000 for each higher-needs student, the

amount set in 2006 but never met. All told, special education funding is increasing about 13.4% to $340 million.

Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat and the chair of the Joint Budget Committee, said securing funding was a matter of political will.

“Once we exposed this problem, it was really hard to not x it,” she said. “Our children are entitled to this, and in order to be successful, we need to provide them resources.”

Colorado also has a lot more money to work with thanks to a strong economy, one-time federal dollars, and rising local property values that have taken pressure o the state education budget.

e special education funding bill passed the House and Senate with broad bipartisan support and awaits Polis’ signature. It’s sponsored by Zenzinger, Kirkmeyer, state Rep. Cathy Kipp, a Fort Collins Democrat, and state Rep. Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican.

e extra funding still leaves school districts on the hook for about two-thirds of more than $1 billion in total costs to educate students with disabilities. e federal government promised back in the 1970s to pick up 40% of the cost but only reimburses school districts about 14% of their real costs, with the state picking up about 20%.

Lucinda Hundley, who heads the Consortium of Directors of Special Education, said school districts are grateful for the additional money, but they also need lawmakers to understand it’s a fraction of the cost. School districts are legally required to provide special education services, so unreimbursed costs come out of the general education budget.

A study group last year decided against making major changes to how Colorado funds special education, but Hundley said she hopes the state takes another look at how much it invests in special education and considers what a fair share would be between the state and districts.

Rob Gould, a Denver special education teacher and president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, said low funding has exacerbated a shortage of special ed-

ucation teachers and special service providers such as speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, and school psychologists.

“We do not have enough teachers or support sta to serve our students the way they deserve. At every turn, special education educators rise to the occasion, but the state’s lack of investment has exacerbated the educator shortage,” he told lawmakers this month.

Gould described one teacher who quit after her caseload rose to 40 students because she was the only special education teacher in her building.

“She left the profession entirely so she could spend time with her kids on the weekend,” he said.

Sta ng shortages and high workloads sometimes mean students don’t get the services they’re owed. In just one recent example, the Colorado Department of Education found that Denver violated federal requirements by failing to provide speech therapy to more than 1,000 young students.

Colorado’s educator shortage survey found that 17% of open special service provider positions went unlled last school year, compared to just 8% of classroom teacher openings. Year after year, special education teachers are among the hardest to hire.

Johnson, the BOCES director, cobbles together services uses independent contractors and virtual appointments. If money were no object and she could o er competitive salaries to go with sweeping views of the San Juan Mountains, services would look a little di erent.

“I would have a psychologist in every building,” she said. “I would have a social worker in every building. I would have a speech pathologist in person. I would have release time for my teams to plan. If we could meet some of our students’ needs proactively rather than reactively, it would make a di erence.”

In voting to move the bill out of the House Education Committee, state Rep. Mary Young, a Greeley Democrat, said she started working as a special education teacher before there was even a federal law requiring that schools serve students with disabilities. In all those decades, special education had never been adequately funded, she said.

“ e people who do special ed do it because their heart is in it,” Johnson said. “Growing up, my brother couldn’t come to school with us because they didn’t have a program for him. at’s why I’m doing this.

“But I’m in my 27th year and funding hasn’t come close to catching up, and it’s a travesty that we have to do it on the backs of general education students who are also struggling.”

is story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters

‘Once we exposed this problem, it was really hard to not fix it. Our children are entitled to this, and in order to be successful, we need to provide them resources.’

State Sen. Rachel Zenzinger

Free preschool spots could fall short

BY ANN SCHIMKE CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Since Colorado leaders began planning a major expansion of state-funded preschool more than two years ago, parents and advocates have wondered: Will there be enough seats for everybody who wants one?

e answer: It depends.

On paper, there are plenty of seats. State o cials expect only about half of Colorado’s 4-year-olds —around 31,000 children —to participate in the rst year. Meanwhile, a Chalkbeat analysis found more than 56,000 preschool seats available for next fall.

“Right now, it’s looking really good,” said Dawn Odean, the state’s universal preschool director.

But things get stickier at the county level. Some parts of the state are awash in preschool seats and others don’t have nearly enough. Some families may also struggle to nd preschools with the schedules and programming they want.

“ e physical number of slots versus what parents actually need doesn’t necessarily align,” said Kelly Esch, who’s both the parent of a preschooler and executive director of an organization that provides early childhood coaching and resources in western Colorado’s Gar eld County.

While Chalkbeat’s county-bycounty analysis provides a snapshot of preschool availability across Colorado, there are plenty of factors

it doesn’t account for — families who cross county lines for preschool or the uneven distribution of seats within counties. Plus, it’s possible more providers will join soon, adding new seats to the tally.

Odean said state o cials plan to dig deeper into the data for trouble spots once parents select preschools for the coming year. Families of about 26,000 4-year-olds who applied for seats by the end of February will nd out Wednesday what preschools they matched with and will have two weeks to accept or decline the o ers. (Families can continue to apply through the summer and fall.)

e new preschool program will o er 10 to 15 hours a week of tuition-free preschool to 4-year-olds statewide, 30 hours a week to 4-year-

olds who come from lower-income families or meet other criteria, and 10 hours a week to some 3-yearolds. e program is funded in part with a voter-approved nicotine tax and will be o ered in school district classrooms, private child care centers, church-based preschools, and homes licensed by the state.

Esch, who lives in the small town of Newcastle, is pretty sure her son Oliver will land a universal preschool seat in the home of the beloved child care provider he’s been with since he was 10 weeks old. Not only does she o er hard-to- nd all-day and summertime care, the provider runs a top-notch program, Esch said, and for a while even adjusted Oliver’s nap schedule so she could work with him one-on-one to overcome a speech delay.

Although Oliver should get priority for one of the provider’s two universal preschool spots, Esch still feels uncertain about how things will play out under the state’s new system.

“Are we in? Did it work?” she wondered as she awaited the o cial noti cation email.

While around 1,700 preschools have signed up to o er universal preschool classes next fall, the exact number of seats is still in ux at many programs. In some cases, that’s because of unfolding expansion projects or di culty nding teachers to sta classrooms. In others, preschool providers are still considering whether to o er fulltime or part-time slots or are uncertain about whether they can release un lled seats reserved for students with disabilities or children of employees to the general public.

At Spring eld Preschool, a highly rated school district program in southern Colorado, leaders haven’t yet decided how many hours a week to o er 4-year-olds next year.

Director Debbie Sharpe said the preschool will probably have enough spots for all interested families if it continues with half-day classes. But she knows Baca County is a child care desert and that full-day preschool would be a godsend to many locals. District o cials will decide which schedule to o er in the next few weeks.

If the preschool moves to full-day, there won’t be enough seats for every child, Sharpe said. “Space is going to be a problem.”

Stacy Petty, who heads the group coordinating universal preschool in Gar eld, Pitkin, and Lake counties, and part of Eagle County, expects shortages too.

“We didn’t have enough seats to support everyone in our region before [universal preschool].” she said. “We do have some expansion going on, which is going to help, but we still know we don’t have enough seats for everybody.”

Petty said based on preliminary interest, she expects 80% of eligible

families in the area to seek a universal preschool seat — well above the 50% uptake Colorado leaders anticipate statewide.

In the Gar eld RE-2 school district, based in Ri e, preschool expansion projects are underway at two elementary schools. Together, they’ll add around 80 new preschool seats, some by August and the rest by January.

Emily Kielmeyer, the district’s early childhood coach and coordinator, said she’s hopeful the expansion, which will bring the total number of preschool seats to 300, will be enough to accommodate every family that wants a spot.

“We knew the time was right with universal preschool coming,” she said of the expansion.

District o cials say there’s been lots of residential growth in the area — people who left cities in search of smaller communities and outdoor space during the pandemic or who’ve gradually been priced out of “up-valley” housing in cities like Aspen.

“We have housing starts through the roof out here,” said district spokesperson eresa Hamilton. It’s likely most families who want a universal preschool spot next year have already applied, but providers and advocates say they’re still elding questions from families who are confused about the process.

Kelli Gabehart, the preschool director for the Elbert County school district southeast of Denver, discovered some parents haven’t applied because they erroneously believed universal preschool provides only 15 tuition-free hours a month. (It’s actually 15 hours a week.)

ey’d say, “Oh, it’s not even worth applying for,” she said.

Some providers say they’ve provided computers and on-the-spot help for parents lling out the universal preschool application after nding that some longtime clients hadn’t signed up.

at’s the case at Family Star Montessori, which will o er a total of 36 universal preschool slots at its two Denver locations next year. Most are reserved for children from low-income families, but private pay families can enroll too.

Julia McConnaughey, the program’s senior director of community partnerships, said Family Star still has a few open spots for next year, and had even more earlier in the application process.

“I don’t think there was enough outreach to the public without schools doing the heavy lifting,” she said. “We had to personally ask every parent, ‘Hey did you apply? Did you choose Family Star as your rst choice?’”

Chalkbeat is a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools.

A Chalkbeat analysis found more than 56,000 preschool seats available for next fall. FILE PHOTO

Some counties could struggle to meet terms of Colorado law

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New design, same commitment

To our valued readers:

If you have made it to this article, you already know that something feels a little different about this publication. We have redesigned our nameplate atop the front page, or the “ ag” as we call it in the newsroom.

As the primary symbol of our publication, our ags represent our values and mission. From time to time, we believe it’s important to update and refresh our identity to re ect the evolution of our company. But be con dent that the reliable and quality news you have come to expect has not changed; in fact, we’re working to make it better than ever.

e change to our nearly two dozen publications gives them a cohesive feel, and combined with a change to a more compact size in printing, allows the news content to take center stage, as it should.

Two years ago this week, our publications became owned by a new company, the Colorado News Conservancy. Its mission and purpose are right there in its name: to conserve local news, keep it in local hands and keep it vibrant. We recognized that folks get their news in di erent forms, not just in print, so this is just the rst stage in a project to demonstrate our commitment to innovation and progress.

We want you to feel proud and connected to whichever of our publications you receive. We hope you will appreciate the e ort and attention to detail that went into this redesign. We welcome your feedback and comments on our new look, and any part of our newsgathering. Your opinion matters to us, and we always strive to improve to meet your expectations.

ank you for your continued support and loyalty to our publication. We believe there are better days ahead.

— Linda Shapley, publisher, Colorado Community Media

Hope, purpose, passion, performance

We all learn life lessons as we go along. None of us were born knowing everything we needed to know to get us through our time here on earth. We all learn in di erent ways, some by watching, some by listening, and some by doing or experiencing. I have been blessed by so many people in this world who have taught me so many life lessons, and I am grateful for each person and every lesson learned.

May your journey be lled with people who inspire you, teach you, and keep you on a path of continuous learning.

One of the rst life lessons I would like to share is about hope.

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Hope for me is the genesis of inspiration and motivation. When we have hope, we have power. Hope is certainly not a strategy, but hope is a foundation on which we build our goals and dreams. “ e doors of hope swing widest on the hinges of encouragement” - Zig Ziglar. When we feel hopeful, encouraged, and motivated, that leads to a better understanding of our purpose. ere are still many who share with me that they really do not know what their purpose is, as they say they haven’t found it yet. I struggled with this for a long time too, and some days I still wrestle with it, wondering if I am doing what the good Lord has placed me on this earth to do. For me, I have come to appreciate that we were put here to serve others with the gifts that we have been given. I love this quote by Nelson DeMille, “ e problem with doing nothing is that you never know when you

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

are done.”

We were not put here to do nothing, and that very thought should inspire our purpose daily, fueling our passion to live and serve. Hope drive’s purpose, and purpose fuels passion. When our hearts and minds are lled with hope, it helps us to identify our purpose, and when that happens, the passion inside of us comes to life. Nelson Mandela put it perfectly when he said, “ ere is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” It has been debated that nding passion can lead to discovering purpose instead of purpose leading to passion, whatever way it works, let hope be the spark of both purpose and passion.

When the spark of hope ignites the purpose and passion within us,

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.

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NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Linda Shapley

FROM THE EDITOR

The Douglas County School District recently settled a yearlong battle with former superintendent Corey Wise. e district agreed to pay more than $800,000 to settle the legal dispute Wise led shortly after being red without cause in early 2022.

I am not going to rehash how and why he was red. I think those discussions have been extensive. However, I will talk about a statement Wise made in concluding the battle. Wise told reporters he hoped the settlement would push more school districts and boards to stop putting politics ahead of students.

I doubt if the message he is pushing can even be considered in today’s political world. I would bet I’m not alone in thinking that political views have invaded every aspect of our lives — the toxic problem is not

NORTON

FROM PAGE 12

we are now in a perfect position to act. Again, never sitting back and doing nothing, it’s about performance and getting things done. And when we are hopeful, purpose driven, and passion fueled, we cannot help ourselves at this point, we must take action. “Having a vision for what you want is not enough. Vision without execution is hallucination.” — omas Edison. Well said, Mr. Edison. The fifth lesson for today is this one, hope drives purpose, purpose fuels passion, passion primes the pump of performance, and performance delivered equals results. At the end of the day, it is about what we accomplished. What was the outcome of our efforts? Who did we serve? Who did we help? The definition of success differs for everyone, yet every definition of success will have some form of measurement of results. Earl Nightingale teaches a lesson in his program The Strangest Secret, he says that we do not achieve suc-

Politics above all

just about our students.

I will start with students and schools. No one can say politics are not in our schools. One could argue that school boards are more about politics than ever.

Look at the Elizabeth School District. Board members resigned even though all of them had conservative political views. However, fear and rumors brought the makeup of the elected board down.

In Douglas County, several of the current board members received voter support because they promised to be against mask mandates during the COVID-19 shutdowns. Gone are the days where school boards are looking at test scores and seeing what measures need to be taken to improve reading and math scores. Instead, it’s the trigger words that lead to battles over critical race theory, social-emotional learning and masks.

As a parent, I want an emphasis placed on reading, writing, math and good student-to-teacher ratios. All the shouting, bickering and politics has me agreeing with the

cess when we become rich, we achieve success first by believing, doing the behaviors, and having the right attitude that leads us to our success.

e best way to get started on your way to getting things done is to create a list of all the things you are hoping for. Make room for hope, give hope a chance, and watch what happens.

How about you? Are there areas of your own life, personally or professionally, that can bene t from an infusion of hope, purpose, passion, performance, and achieving greater results? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can begin with a little spark of hope, to ignite the res of purpose and passion, to elevate our performance, results will happen and that really will make it a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE

The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself.

In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and non-partisan journalism. It covers everything from politics

and culture to the outdoor industry and education.

Now, The Colorado Sun co-owns this and other Colorado Community Media newspapers as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. The Sun is CCM’s partner for statewide news.

For Colorado Sun stories, opinions and more, and to support The Sun’s misssion as a member or subscriber, visit coloradosun.com.

parents who pull their kids out of public schools for home schooling or other options.

Wise’s point goes far beyond schools. Political bickering from our two major parties has gone to extremes that most Americans are sick of.

Political ghting prevents this country’s lawmakers from compromising to produce sensible legislation in key areas. Homelessness, a ordable housing, in ation, crime — all of these need focus and attention.

However, one side will introduce legislation only to have the other vehemently hate it. Compromise may happen in some areas — but it’s rare.

Our lawmakers are threatened by party leaders from voting for bills

introduced by the other side. Sensible gun control should be discussed and debated. What is good for this country? What might stop some of these mass shootings? However, it won’t happen because every time a tragedy takes place the left screams gun control while the right barks about the Second Amendment. What if they came together, talked and discussed true solutions?

In the end, “politics” is like slime, spreading all over, leaving residue, stains and permanent marks that will never be resolved without true e ort.

elma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.

Thelma Grimes

Local foragers teach students to cook with wild foods

ere some see weeds, Erica Davis sees ingredients for delicious soups and salads.

“In urban areas, there are a lot of plants that we call weeds that spring up everywhere, that are widely available to people, that are edible and good,” she said.

Foraging is the act of gathering wild plants from nature, generally to be used for food, and sometimes to make other products. For Davis and other foragers, spring means plants are starting to grow –which means kitchens will soon be full of wild foods ready to be prepared in creative

ways.

Across the Front Range and in the mountains, several foragers share their knowledge through cooking classes based on

wild foods.

Why cook with wild food?

Davis, who runs a blog called Wild Food Girl, has upcoming classes in Ramah and Fairplay. Her Arvada class this spring has

already sold out.

“I think one of the biggest challenges with edible wild plants is that people don’t always know how to prepare them,” she said. “We all know how to cook spinach, we all know how to make broccoli — but we don’t all know how to cook tumble mustard so that it tastes good. So in my classes, I like to give students that experience of preparing an edible wild plant — or three — in a way that I think they are going to

like best.”

Davis’ classes begin with an hourlong plant walk where students learn the names of plants and safety and sustainability guidelines for foraging. Afterward, she teaches them how to prepare several of the plants they have foraged. In the spring, dandelions and wild mustard greens are common staples in her

classes, Davis said.

“People sometimes picture foraging as going out into the forest and picking plants

— and that’s part of it — but I would really encourage people to learn the weeds and make use of them,” she said. “A lot of them are non-native species, so there really aren’t as many ecological considerations with picking them.”

Davis teaches her students to make dandelion green soup from a recipe passed down by an Italian relative. Musk mustard is great in salads, and tumble mustard and field pennycress are fun to ferment, she said.

Beyond the creative and flavorful uses of foraged foods, research from 2019 suggests that wild edible greens harvested in urban areas can be abundant and highly nutritious. The study dubbed wild edible plants “open-source food.”

“This idea that open-source food is out there for anybody to eat and make use of — and then furthermore, it’s organic, it’s free, it’s fresh — I just think that’s a great concept,” Davis said.

Safety precautions

Despite their affordability and freshness, wild plants are not all safe to eat. Crystal Baldwin, who teaches wild plant-based classes at her Golden business, Earth Sweet Boutique, said it’s always important to triple-check plants before you eat them.

“I don’t like to frighten people away from… foraged foods because there’s a lot of very safe ones,” Baldwin said. “But I like them to be aware that there are dangerous, poisonous ones that will kill you, and so it’s important to kind of have an idea of what those might be and what to look out for.”

Baldwin encourages those interested in foraging to start by taking classes, working with local experts and reading about which plants are safe to eat.

She also said it’s important to check if plants are near old buildings that could be contributing lead to soil or if plants have been sprayed with pesticides.

‘Part of human history’

In addition to cooking, Baldwin said wild foods can be used to make skincare products, tinctures, infused honey, medicines and more.

“There’s many different things you can do with foraged foods, and the great thing about it is that we have tons of free, wonderful, wild foods here in Colorado,” she said.

Some of Baldwin’s favorite plants to forage are pine and conifer needles, which are high in vitamin C. She uses the needles to make a simple syrup that she drinks with seltzer water and fresh lemon.

“It’s extremely refreshing and has a lot of minerals, so it’s very hydrating in the summertime when it’s hot,” she said.

When foraging, it’s important to do so in a way that does not damage plants or plant populations, Baldwin said. When gathering pine needles, for example, she takes about an inch or two from each branch and moves around to different branches so as to not damage the plant.

Davis agreed that sustainability is an important part of foraging process, and it’s something foragers need to be mindful of in order to do correctly.

“Sometimes people think ‘Foraging must be bad for the environment because you’re picking the plants!’ But I think the actual truth is much more nuanced than that,” she said. “Foraging is part of human history, I mean, we have been foraging since time immemorial, and we can do it in ways that don’t harm the plant populations if we’re mindful.”

Beyond freshness and accessibility, Davis said foraging offers health benefits and a range of flavors that are not available in grocery stores.

And perhaps best of all, wild food offers a way to get close to nature.

“For me, also, they o er a connection to nature,” Davis said. “ ey invite time spent outdoors, getting to know plants, working with my hands.”

Davis has available spots in her classes in Ramah and Fairplay this spring and summer. Her classes can be found at https://wildfoodgirl.com/wfg-events/.

On her webpage, people who

want to learn more about foraging can also sign up for the Colorado foragers email list.

In May, Baldwin is hosting a wild food cooking class at her shop, taught by veteran forager Wendy Petty. Students can sign up at https:// earthsweetboutique.com/ products/wild-foraged-food-cooking-class and see future classes at https:// earthsweetboutique.com/ pages/classes-events.

Dandelion greens can be used to make a delicious Italian soup.

Erica Davis foraging pu ball mushrooms in the fall.

Erica Davis hunting feral parsnips in the Midwest. These root vegetables can also be found in Colorado.

PHOTOS BY GREGG DAVIS

Conservative dark-money group wins in court

Unite for

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

An in uential, conservative dark-money political group doesn’t have to reveal its donors and pay a $40,000 campaign nance ne levied by state elections o cials stemming from the $4 million it spent on 2020 ballot initiatives, a Denver District Court judge ruled in late April.

Judge David H. Goldberg found that Unite for Colorado, which has since disbanded, didn’t violate a state law requiring political nonpro ts to register as issue committees and reveal their funders when their spending on a ballot initiative is their “major purpose.”

e Colorado Sun refers to political nonpro ts as darkmoney groups because they don’t have to disclose their donors.

Goldberg’s ruling resolves

Unite for Colorado spent more than $17 million on policy matters in 2020. at means the $4 million it dedicated to supporting the passage of two ballot initiatives and opposing a third accounted for only about 24% of Unite’s overall spending that year.

Additionally, the group’s individual spending on none of the three initiatives surpassed 10.5%, far below the 30% and 50% “major purpose” thresholds used by judges deciding previous similar cases.

of Proposition 117, which requires voter approval for some new fee-funded enterprises

- $965,000 in support of Proposition 116, which lowered Colorado’s income tax rate

- $1.5 million in opposition to Proposition 113, which signed Colorado onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Goldberg said it was clear that none of the spending on the initiatives individually constituted a “major purpose” and that the Colorado

Secretary of State’s O ce erred in ruling otherwise.

Jason Dunn, a former U.S. attorney in Colorado who represented Unite in the case, called the decision by the Secretary of State’s O ce to pursue campaign nance sanctions against Unite for Colorado an “attempt to create a new administrative standard.” Goldberg agreed.

“ e secretary of state decided to waste time and money going after a conservative organization,” said Michael Fields, who led Unite for Colorado. He called the entire case “frivolous.”

e Secretary of State’s O ce said that it was weighing whether to appeal the decision.

“ e Secretary of State’s O ce is reviewing Judge Goldberg’s ruling and discussing the matter with the department’s legal counsel at the (Colorado Attorney General’s O ce),” said Annie Orlo , a spokeswoman for Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat.

Unite for Colorado, which was formed in 2019 and bankrolled almost every

major Republican e ort in Colorado in 2020, has since dissolved and transformed into Advance Colorado, another dark-money conservative political nonpro t that is also led by Fields.

In 2022, the legislature passed Senate Bill 237, which changed the campaign nance rules for dark-money groups by requiring them to disclose their donors only when their spending on a single ballot measure exceeds 20% of their total spending in a calendar year and as long as their spending on multiple measures doesn’t exceed 30%.

e law change wasn’t retroactive, however, so it didn’t a ect the 2020 Unite for Colorado case.

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

Colorado Joint Replacement reunites

with the activities

Judge David H. Goldberg found that Unite for Colorado, which has disbanded, didn’t violate a state law requiring political nonprofits to reveal their funders. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Colorado doesn’t have to reveal its donors, judge rules

Week highlights work of town clerks

Municipal role touches many facets of citizens’ lives

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

A proclamation issued by the Town of Elizabeth on April 25 designates the week of April 30-May 6, 2023 as “Professional Municipal Clerks Week.”

Unanimously adopted by the Town of Elizabeth Board of Trustees, the proclamation extends appreciation to all municipal and deputy clerks for the services they provide their communities. Speci cally, the proclamation cites that the clerk “serves as the professional link between the citizens, the local governing bodies and agencies of government at other levels.”

e proclamation was presented to Municipal Clerk Michelle Oeser and signed by Mayor Nick Snively. It also honors Municipal and Deputy Clerk Harmony Malakowski for “continually striving to improve the administration of their duties through participation in education programs, seminars, workshops

D I R E CT V H A S T H E M O ST L O C A L M L B G A ME S

and province, professional other. aspects municipal, that not mented spondence up lenging time.” nicipal association village, clerks, Week. throughout Canada MMC, tor municipal light and Municipal public. a stopped are on ute liaison, coming tive hats so thrive directions most a teams to opportunities nett municipal shares, pal serves the tive

her

Kiowa Town Clerk Tasha Chevarria, with her horse, Mojo. Chevarria competes in cowboy mounted shooting.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS GORTZIG

and annual meetings of their state, province, county and international professional organizations.”

“Being a town clerk is a job like no other. ere are so many di erent aspects to being a clerk. ere are municipal, state and federal laws that need to be adhered to which are not always fun or popular,” commented Oeser in an email correspondence from Apr. 21. “Keeping up with changes in laws is challenging and has you learning all the time.”

e International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), a professional association of city, town, township, village, borough, deputy, and county clerks, sponsors Municipal Clerks Week. IIMC has 14,700 members throughout the United States, Canada and 15 other countries.

IIMC President Pamela Smith, MMC, the legislative administrator for Lee County, Florida, urges municipal and deputy clerks to highlight the importance of their roles and functions and the impact the Municipal Clerk’s o ce has on the public.

“In a smaller Town like Elizabeth a clerk wears so many hats I have stopped counting. One minute you are processing licenses or working on a board packet, the next minute you are working with a student liaison, planning a town event, or coming up with new and innovative ideas,” explained Oeser. “All the hats are part of what makes this job so worthwhile, fun, and ful lling. I thrive on multitasking and changing directions at the drop of a hat. e most ful lling part of my job is being a part of all the Town of Elizabeth’s teams striving and working together to provide excellence services and opportunities to the community.”

Quoting professor William Bennett Munro — author of one of the rst textbooks written on the topic of municipal administration — Pierce shares, “No other o ce in municipal service has so many contacts. It serves the mayor, the city council, the city manager, and all administrative departments, without exception. All of them call upon it, almost daily, for some service or information.”

Tasha Chevarria, the Town of Kiowa clerk, also weighed in with her thoughts on the job.

“ e clerk position in Kiowa is important because the clerk is generally the rst person anyone sees or talks to when they call or come in the o ce,” explained Chevarria.

“ e variety of work is what I love most about being the town clerk. Every day is a little di erent and I’m constantly learning new things.”

“ ere are many things I love about my job,” Oeser said. “First, I love the people I work with. We share the same passion and goals which makes coming to work enjoyable. As my duties have grown, I have been given the opportunity to

do more town events/projects and to work more closely with my board and the local business owners. Hearing citizens say that they like the changes we are making is very satisfying. e citizens are our customers, improving things a little at a time to make them proud to live in Elizabeth and to enjoy what it has to o er is a delightful perk to my job. I can’t say there is just one thing I love about my job; I like the opportunity to learn and grow while helping others do the same. I like when I make a di erence, even if it is just a little difference for citizens, employees, and our public in general. I am appreciative that people have trust in me to take on projects both big and small. I love that I am a part of creating positive things for Elizabeth.”

Oeser has served as the Town of Elizabeth’s municipal clerk since August 28, 2018. She started her career as deputy clerk in April 2006, and has been a member of IIMC since 2006. Oeser is also very active in the Colorado Municipal Clerks Association, Colorado Association for Municipal Court Administration, and Society for Human Resource Management.

Malakowski has served as the Town of Elizabeth’s deputy municipal clerk since May 11, 2019, and has been a member of IIMC since 2019. Malakowski is also very active in Colorado Municipal Clerks Association, Colorado Association for Municipal Court Administration and specializes in records management.

Chevarria has worked at the Town of Kiowa clerk for one year and seven months. She is an active competitor in cowboy mounted shooting. She competes both locally and around the United States.

“My job wouldn’t be possible without all the people around me that work hard who are incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated,” said Oeser. “ is is the team I have the privilege to work with and am very proud of.”

For more information on Professional Municipal Clerks Week, visit iimc.com/156/Municipal-ClerksWeek.

Town of Elizabeth Clerk Michelle Oeser, left, and Deputy Clerk Harmony Malakowski. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE OESER

Assessors predict sticker shock for homeowners

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Homeowners around the Denver metro area are staring at numbers that might have come as a shock: eir property values may have jumped by up to 45% — or even higher.

“We do ask property owners to take a good look at the notices they receive,” said Denver Assessor Keith Er meyer, urging homeowners to let their local assessor’s o ces know if they dispute the value they receive.

Driven by a costly real-estate market, home values — as calculated for property tax purposes — have spiked since the last time homeowners received notices of value two years ago. Since then, residential properties in the Denver metro area typically saw value increases between 35% and 45%, a group of assessors from across the Front Range announced April 26.

For owners selling their homes these days, the bump in home prices has been good news. But it also means owners are on the hook for higher property tax bills, Er meyer noted.

Public o cials are openly hoping homeowners will get relief from the state legislature, where lawmakers are expected to take action to lower prop-

erty tax bills this year.

It’s a fraught equation, though, because local governments depend on property tax revenue, and too much adjustment could threaten cuts to their services.

Property taxes partly fund county governments, but they also fund school districts, re and library districts, and other local entities.

Toby Damisch, who heads Douglas County’s property tax o ce, emphasized the urgent nature of the situation for homeowners and a ordability.

“If the state lawmakers don’t act immediately on this, then it will be a crisis, in my opinion,” Damisch, the Douglas County assessor, told reporters.

Not an isolated problem

Across Colorado, property values have risen signi cantly, Damisch said. In notably a uent Douglas County, residential properties saw increases between 30% and 60%, with a median of 47%.

Other metro-area counties have seen high spikes as well:

• In Denver, the median increase in single-family home property values is 33%, Er meyer said.

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ASSESSORS

• In Je erson County, median single-family residential values increased by 37%, the county said in a news release.

• Arapahoe County’s assessor, PK Kaiser, announced the county will see almost a 42% increase in residential values.

• Broom eld saw a median value increase for single-family residential of 41%, according to Broom eld County’s assessor.

How does that all stack up with property value jumps in recent years?

Er meyer recalls talking about median increases that were “largely in the 20s” in Denver in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

“Douglas County, we had 30% increases in the 1997 reappraisal as well as the 1999 appraisal. at felt monumental at the time,” Damisch said. “What we’re looking at this year is that’s at the low end.”

Apartment renters e ected

While property tax discussions often focus on homeowners, the spike in values could also a ect renters in apartments — sometimes

called “multifamily” buildings — though it’s unclear by how much.

Asked whether apartment landlords will raise rent because of increases in property tax bills, Damisch said they may try, “but they can only do what the market allows.”

“And taxes is just one of their cost streams,” Damisch said, adding that landlords have seen increased labor and insurance costs as well.

Er meyer noted: “We’ve seen some historic increases in multifamily in the past that haven’t been met with immediate rent spikes.”

e median total property value change for apartment buildings is 20% in Je erson County, according to a news release.

In Douglas County, the median increase in multifamily property values is 25%. “Multifamily” includes fourplexes and above in Douglas’ data, Damisch said.

Growing pains

In an expensive real-estate market, it seems like new property developments pop up constantly around metro Denver.

A common concern from

existing residents is that new developments will cause their property values to drop. But market forces keeping property values high can also elicit fears of high property tax bills.

Asked about the tension between those two concerns, Damisch acknowledged it’s a di cult question.

“Growth has always been, in Douglas County, one of the hottest topics. We’ve had thousands of people moving in for a few decades,” Damisch said. “Once they get here — myself included — they don’t like the growth.”

Er meyer pointed to the shortage of housing in general around the state.

“I don’t think you could disconnect what we’re talking about today from that particular fact,” Er meyer said. “ at’s one of many, many things that contribute to property (values).”

Lawmakers may step in It’s the job of county assessors’ o ces to establish accurate values of homes and other properties to determine how much property owners will owe government entities in taxes — a process meant to ensure that the amount of

taxes people pay is fair and equitable.

( e assessor doesn’t set the tax rate but determines the value of the property that the tax rate then gets applied to. Local government entities like counties and school districts set the tax rates. Property tax rates are o cially called “mill levies.”)

e law requires the assessors to value properties every two years in June. e property valuation homeowners will soon receive is based on June 2022 data, near the recent peak in the real-estate market.

So even though home prices have declined since then, property values re ect last year’s exceptional highs.

Also at play is a number called the “assessment rate,” another factor that helps determine how much in property taxes a person owes. The state legislature sets the assessment rate.

JoAnn Gro , Colorado property tax administrator, said she “can pretty well guarantee” that the property tax information homeowners receive next week won’t be accurate.

“It’s because your legislature isn’t immune to what’s going on right now,” Gro said. “ ere’ve been lots of discus-

sions … about providing some additional property value adjustment.”

“I truly expect to see some adjustments and some relief in 2023,” she added.

She also advised the public “to watch every one of your taxing jurisdictions that’s going to have conversations about setting their mill levy.”

Colorado ranks lower

Despite the public concerns over property taxes, Gro noted that “we still have one of the lowest obligations of property taxes of any state.”

Nationally, Colorado has relatively low residential property taxes, according to an analysis by the conservative Tax Foundation. Colorado ranked 47th in property taxes paid as a percentage of owner-occupied housing value in 2020, according to the foundation.

And while businesses pay more, their taxes still appear to be lower than the national average, according to the Colorado Sun. Colorado had the 17th best “State Business Tax Climate” for 2020, according to the Tax Foundation. Colorado had the 14th best “property tax rank” for businesses in 2020, according to the foundation.

Richard J. Maxcy and Jennifer Maxcy 26895 County Road 21 Elizabeth, Colorado 80107

Property: A parcel located in the NE¼ of Section 20, Township 9 South, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M., LSP 220486, Parcel 2, Elbert County, Colorado, and also known as 26895 County Road 21, Elizabeth, Colorado, and Parcel No. 9420100366

Property Owner/Address: Joel C. Wendler P.O. Box 1357 Elizabeth, Colorado 80107

Property: A parcel located in the E½ SW¼ NW¼ and SE¼ NW¼ of Section 20, Township 9 South, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M., Elbert County, Colorado, and also known as 3631 Lonesome Rock Road, Elizabeth, Colorado, and Parcel No. 9420200022, containing 60 acres more or less

Property Owner/Address: Jason M. Karren 2171 Summit Street Franklin, Colorado 80116

Property: A parcel located in the NE¼ of Section 20, Township 9 South, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M., LSP 220486, Parcel 1, Elbert County, Colorado, and also known as 26707 County Road 21, Elizabeth, Colorado, and Parcel No. 9420100365

Property Owner/Address: Koehler Family Living Trust P.O. Box 1615 Elizabeth, Colorado 80107

Property: A parcel located in the NE¼ of Section 20, Township 9 South, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M., LSP 220486, Parcel 3, Elbert County, Colorado, and also known as 26703 County Road 21, Elizabeth, Colorado, and Parcel No. 9420100367

All interested parties may appear at such hearing to show cause in writing why such

Petitions should not be granted.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ELBERT FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT. ELBERT FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

By: /s/ John Wood, Chair

Legal Notice No. 24995

First Publication: May 4, 2023

Last Publication: May 4, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Bids and Settlements

Public Notice

Kiowa Water & Wastewater Rate Study

Kiowa Water and Wastewater Authority (Authority) is seeking a professional water rate consultant to design a progressive and defensible water rate study for a small customer service base of 357 metered accounts (314 single family, 27 commercial, 13 government, and 3 school). Goals of the rate study are to ensure the Authority continues to have the financial resources needed to meet their budget, maintain their infrastructure, grow their distribution system, explore new technologies and implement a capital improvement plan through conducting a study of its current service fees.

Bidders may obtain the Request for Proposal packets at the Kiowa Town Hall located at 404 Comanche Street, Kiowa, CO 80117 or at https:// townofkiowa.colorado.gov/projects

Legal Notice No. 24997

First Publication: May 4, 2023

Last Publication: May 4, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Public Notice

TOWN OF KIOWA, Colorado

Comprehensive Plan Update

Request for Proposals (RFP)

The TOWN OF KIOWA, CO is seeking the assistance of a professional economic development or management consultant for the development of a comprehensive plan for the Town’s economic development and capital improvement efforts.

Bidders may obtain the Request for Proposal packets at the Kiowa Town Hall or at https://townofkiowa.colorado.gov/projects.

Legal Notice No. 24996

First Publication: May 4, 2023

Last Publication: May 4, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Notice to Creditors

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of PEGGY JEAN CRAIG, a/k/a PEGGY J. CRAIG, a/k/a PEGGY CRAIG, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30025

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before August 27, 2023 or the claims may be forever barred.

Donald J. Craig, Personal Representative 24400 County Road 77 Calhan, CO 80808

Legal Notice No. 24992

First Publication: April 27, 2023

Last Publication: May 11, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Alice Anna Chrisco, Deceased Case Number 2023PR30015

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before August 27, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Dwane A. Chrisco, Personal Representative 9512 Rockingham Drive Peyton, CO 80831

Legal Notice No. 24993

First Publication: April 27, 2023

Last Publication: May 11, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Marlene Leona Reynolds, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 9

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before August 28, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Dennis A Reynolds Personal Representative 330 Apache Road Gunnison CO 81230

Legal Notice No. ECN1000

First Publication: April 27, 2023

Last Publication: May 11, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News ###

JUNE 8-11, 2023 FREE ADMISSION

Carnival Rides: Open Thursday, June 8 from 4:00 pm – 10:30 pm

Festival and Carnival Rides:

Friday 4 pm – 10:30 pm

Saturday 10 am – 10:30 pm

Sunday 10 am – 8:30 pm

PARKER’S FAVORITE WEEKEND!

FUN THINGS TO DO:

• Enjoy your Favorite Festival Food

• Shopping Marketplace

• Music on Four Stages

• Culinary Demonstrations

• Street Performers

• Carnival Rides for the Whole Family

• Free Kids Crafts

• Artisan Demonstrations: Pottery, Painting, Weaving, Decorative Furniture, and Lacemaking

• Silent Disco – Dance, Dance, Dance!

• Get Dizzy in a Water Bubble

• Bungy Jumping

• Jump and Slide on the In atables

• Nurf Terf Battles (Nurf version of Paintball)

• All Aboard! Ride the Sunshine Express Train on Mainstreet

Groove Mazda MAIN STAGE

– Live Music ALL Day HEADLINERS:

Friday, June 9 presented by 8:15 pm: Still They Ride (Journey Tribute Band)

Saturday, June 10 presented by 8:30 pm: Chris Daniels and The Kings

Sunday, June 11 presented by 5:15 pm: That Eighties Band

THANK

®

CARNIVAL RIDES & GAMES:

BUY DISCOUNTED UNLIMITED CARNIVAL RIDE WRISTBANDS ONLINE

Thursday Friends & Family Special

4 wristbands for $99

Only available for use on Thursday, June 8

Sold online through 12 noon Wed. May 31

Single-Day Unlimited Carnival Rides

$35 each

Good any one day during the festival

Sold online through 12 noon Wed. June 7

4-Day MEGA Unlimited Carnival Rides

$89 each

Good all 4 days of the festival

PURCHASE DURING THE FESTIVAL

Single-Day Unlimited Carnival Rides

$40 each

TICKETS FOR INDIVIDUAL RIDES