Elbert County News 062223

Elbert Day Festival set for July 8

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

e Elbert Town Committee is hosting its annual Elbert Day Festival on July 8 in downtown Elbert around the historic Russell Gates Mercantile Co. building. e event is free to attend and open to visitors of all ages. is year’s Elbert Day Festival is packed with quaint, small-town fun. e event will kick o with the Elbert Woman’s Club Breakfast and the everpopular small plane yover. e event will also have a parade, numerous food and craft vendors, tractor pull, and games and activities for children.

Dads do their part for family

Nonprofit overhauls stairway to help woman with mobility issues

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

Twelve members of the nonpro t Dads of Elbert County joined forces on June 10 to help a local family achieve home accessibility for their daughter.

Twenty-two-year-old Hannah

Rognmoe su ered a traumatic brain injury when she was found unconscious and unresponsive at the deep end of a swimming pool in 2011. She now uses a wheelchair for mobility and is unable to climb stairs.

To help Hannah and her family with home accessibility, the Dads of Elbert County — or DoEC — did a complete overhaul the Rognmoes’ stairs in their Elbert County home. ey put in an electric stair lift chair that now helps to move Hannah up to the second story of the house when needed. Prior to the installation, Hannah’s father and brother would carry her up the stairs.

“We want to be able to do things for families that will make a di erence in their lives, for those who can’t do it themselves,” said DoEC member Bruce Hicks. “We felt the need here was great. e Rognmoes are a terri c family.”

Hannah’s parents Eric and Beth Ayn Rognmoe work to give back to the community that has helped

them throughout the years. In 2018 they started a nonpro t foundation to help families like theirs.

Hannah’s Hands of Hope is based out of Elbert County and is named for Hannah Rognmoe. e foundation is committed to providing practical and strategic resources for families in traumatic and lifealtering situations.

“As overwhelming and traumatic as the whole experience was, we’ve since seen so many families go through the same thing,” said Beth Ayn Rognmoe. “We knew we had to do something. We started Hannah’s Hands of Hope. We try to help other families any way we can.”

According to their website, the foundation has three practical goals:

“We’re pleased to say that we have two new improvements,” said Lacey Catterton, head organizer for the festival and president of the Elbert Town Committee. “We have expanded our kid attraction zone with new bounce houses, obstacle courses, games, crafts and more.”

Two bands will serve as entertainment for this year’s Elbert Day Festival. WMW is an Elizabeth-based rock band and Lookin’ Back is a Coloradobased classic rock cover band.

“ is year we also added an exclusive sponsorship level that we named ‘Diamond Sponsor.’ Because of the rising costs to host the event, we voted to add this exclusive sponsorship level to help support our larger attractions like our tractor pull and

SEE FESTIVAL, P2

The Dads of Elbert County stand with Eric and Beth Ayn Rognmoe in front of their home.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

music stages,” said Catterton. “HiTest Elbert, Kamerzell Bros. Well & Pump Service, Kiowa Creek Outtters, C Lazy T Tree Movers, and LCM Waterfalls & Ponds donated $750 or more.”

is year’s Elbert Day Festival is planned and coordinated by members of the Elbert Town Committee.

e Elbert Woman’s Club will also help with the event.

“A lot of teamwork, time, passion and dedication is put into an event like this. Our Elbert Town Committee members, who are all volunteers, work year-round planning this event. We begin planning the day after for next year’s event,” said Catterton. “Each member is tasked with di erent aspects such as sponsors, vendors, parade entrants, etc. and will work right up until the night before the event planning and organizing.”

“ is event draws people of all ages from our community as well as surrounding communities,” said Catterton. “ ey come together to shop local vendors, eat great local foods, listen to music, watch the tractor pulls, and spend time among families from all around.”

For more information on the Elbert Day Festival, visit the Elbert Town Committee Facebook page at facebook.com/elberttownco.

Children along the 2022 Elbert Day Festival parade route pick up candy tossed by parade participants.

PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Elbert business Dancing Jaguar Co ee worked to ca einate attendees at the 2022 Elbert Day

Cheryl, a member of the Elbert Woman’s Club, prepares eggs for the 2022 Elbert Day Festival breakfast.

1. To provide care baskets with simple, useful resources that meet immediate needs.

2. To help with home modi cations and longer-term solutions tailored to the family’s particular

3. To be an advocate and voice on behalf of families and make their needs known to those who

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

DADS

To educate and share Hannah’s story, Eric and Beth Ayn Rognmoe speak at conferences and other engagements around the Rocky Mountain Region. Most recently they spoke at the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) National Water Safety Conference in Colorado Springs in February of this year.

Do you have...

Mysterious insects? Trees in trouble? A need for gardening advice?

CSU Extension is here for you. We provide answers and education. For more information call 720-733-6930 or visit https://douglas.extension.colostate.edu

Is yard work on your to-do list?

Warmer weather is ahead, and you can drop off any tree limbs, shrubs, brush or green yard waste that you need to dispose of for free every Saturday through October at Douglas County’s Slash-Mulch site. For more information, visit douglas.co.us and search for Slash Mulch.

Your Douglas County Fair & Rodeo is just around the corner

Looking for unique food options, star-studded country music and vintage cars all in the same place this summer? Visit the Douglas County Fair & Rodeo from July 28 to Aug. 6. To purchase tickets and view the schedule, visit FairandRodeoFun.com

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.

Are you signed up for emergency alerts? Sign up every phone in your household now at douglas.co.us/CodeRED

The Rognmoe family’s livestock guardians look on

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Dads of Elbert County members work to remove the existing stairs before rebuilding and installation of the chair lift.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Dads of Elbert County member Bruce Hicks holds containers of food for the workers brought from Bernie’s Kitchen in Elizabeth by a member of the women’s DoEC chapter.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

DADS

“We told the Dads that this was going to change many things for us. Them coming out to fix the stairs and to install the chair lift will make it so much easier to get Hannah in and out of the house, especially in bad weather,” said Beth Ayn Rognmoe. “Hannah is getting used to the chair. It was scary for her at first, something new and different. She has to get used to it and become comfortable with the change.”

Dads of Elbert County is a 501(c)(3) organization that works to better the lives of people in the area. Together they fundraise and combine their skills to make positive change in Elbert County. They received their 501(c)(3) designation in 2022.

“Getting the official 501(c)(3) designation makes us legit. It makes it so that we can fund-

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The completed stair lift chair and reconstructed stairs at the Rognmoe residence.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE DADS OF ELBERT COUNTY

raise and make the projects seem more worthwhile,” said DoEC president Clink Decker. We’re not just a bunch of guys out here putting in our time. We’re putting in the time for a county that is important to

A Dads of Elbert County member hammers down exposed nails. PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Dads of Elbert County members take the old stairs apart at the Rognmoe home.

Leave deer alone in fawning season, wildlife o cials say

fawns alone and attempt to help them by moving them, a critical error that has irreversible consequences for the young deer.

BY SHEA VANCE SVANCE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As the weather warms, locals and tourists alike ock to Colorado’s state parks, some hoping to catch a glimpse of the abundance of wildlife.

At the same time, fawning season — the time between May and June during which female deer give birth — is currently in full swing.

Although it is a beautiful time of year to observe fawns and other wildlife at a distance, recent human interference with babies in the south metro area, more so than in years past, is posing a serious threat to the young animal families.

When a doe gives birth to — or drops — her fawn, she leaves the newborn alone for a few days to collect food. e mother knows the fawn does not yet have a scent, protecting it from predators for a short period in its infancy.

According to Kara Van Hoose, public information o cer for the northeast branch of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, some people see these

“ e fawns are by themselves for up to two days at a time, and people see these fawns by themselves in the wild and think they’re abandoned or orphaned, and will try to move the fawns themselves, or feed them,” Van Hoose said. “ ey have really good intentions, but it’s actually very harmful to the baby deer.”

A fawn’s main protection from predators is its lack of scent, so when a person touches the animal, or even comes too close to one, it transfers a scent that can leave it vulnerable to other animals, Van Hoose said.  When a fawn is moved from the location where its mother left it, they have a very small chance of ever being safely reunited, Van Hoose added.

Additionally, Van Hoose said a fawn is very unlikely to move when approached, and some people take this as a green light to pick one up or get too close.

“ ere really aren’t any good solutions once the fawn has been picked up,” Van Hoose said.

Unlike other animals, deer and fawns are not easily rehabilitated, and the only way to avoid this risk of safety or separation is to leave them

proceed, according to Van Hoose. Van Hoose said the policy for response to these inquiries is education rst, the necessity for greater public awareness.  is year, Van Hoose said some problem areas have been in Castle

Publication Date: July 6, 2023

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Although fawning season is nearly over, the issue has persisted through the years, and it appears to be escalating. Van Hoose is not quite sure of the reason for the increased number of calls this year, positing a spike in new uninformed residents or a more fruitful fawning season as possible explanations.

Baby deer are left alone for about two days after being born while the mother collects food. COURTESY OF COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE

Some people see normal situation and mistake it for abandonment

Billionaire aids Colorado early education nonprofit

Philanthropist

MacKenzie Scott donates

$1 million to charity

BY SARA MARTIN CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott has awarded $1 million to a small, lowpro le Colorado nonpro t, whose leaders remain a bit stunned. “ e whole thing was very surreal,” said Heather Tritten, executive director of Parent Possible, which provides support for early childhood services. “When I look at who else has been funded in Colorado — organizations that are far bigger than Parent Possible, it feels very unreal that we were funded by MacKenzie Scott and that she wanted to invest in us.”

Parent Possible, which was founded in Colorado in 1991, works to equip parents with tools and education to prepare their children to learn. e nonpro t believes that investing in early childhood systems helps increase literacy and encourages students to graduate high school — which helps break the cycle of poverty.

It serves some of Colorado’s most

low-income residents. According to its 2022 annual report, 87% of its client households earn less than twice the federal poverty limit. at would be less than about $49,720 for a family of three this year.

Tritten said Parent Possible was contacted in December to discuss a possible donation with an anonymous organization. In March, Scott’s foundation, Yield Giving, called to say it would donate $1 million to Parent Possible.

In the 15-minute conversation, they told her, “good luck with your organization and the important work you’re doing,” she said.

Tritten said the foundation will let Parent Possible use the funds for whatever is most important.

Scott, who as of last year was the fth richest woman in the United States, has given away more than

The RidgeGate

$14 billion since 2019. She has a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her divorce settlement with Amazon founder Je Bezos. She has made waves in the world of philanthropy by making large gifts, including to schools and education nonpro ts, with no strings attached. Last year, Scott gave $2.5 million to a Colorado Springs charter school.

e Parent Possibledonation was announced this week.

Parent Possible provides 4,000 families with in-home visiting services and an additional 20,000 families in Colorado with virtual programs, like early learning education software and an app with learning tools and parenting help.

e app, called Vroom, was created with funding from the Bezos Family Foundation. It messages parents with suggestions for activities to

Yoga in the Park

do with their children every day.

Parent Possible provides some of its programs through partnerships with schools, family resource centers, departments of human services, and nonpro ts. Its services are free of charge to Colorado families. e home-visiting programs teach child development, how to promote the social and emotional development of young children and how to prepare 2- to 5-year-old children for preschool and kindergarten.

Parent Possible is still mapping out how to best use Scott’s donation to help the families it serves.

Tritten hopes to advance the group’s work and accomplish more than they had previously thought possible.

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

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, June 27th, 6:30-7:30pm

Tuesday, July 25th, 6:30-7:30pm

Guided Nature Hikes

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

Monday, July 3rd, 8:00-10pm – Buck Moon

Friday, July 21st, 6-7:30pm – Urban Coyotes

Summer Beats Concerts

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.

Thursday, July 20th, 6-8pm – 6 Million Dollar Band

Tunes on the Terrace at the Lone Tree Arts Center

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

Friday, June 23rd, 8pm – Six One Five Collective

Friday, July 7th, 8pm – The Hot Lunch Band

Friday, July 21st, 8pm – Pink Martini Featuring China Forbes

Experience Historic Schweiger Ranch

The restoration of the 38-acre historic Schweiger Ranch, led by the Schweiger Ranch Foundation, gives us a glimpse into settlers’ lives. Today, the ranch is open to the public for self-guided visits and a variety of events throughout the year. Register for or learn more about these events online at SchweigerRanch.org

Saturday, July 15th, 10-11am – Guided Public Tour

Saturday, July 15th, 8:30-10am – Natural Heritage Walking Tours with SSPRD (Geology of the Region)

Saturday, July 15th, 6-7pm – Campfire Storytelling Series (The Story Behind & Beyond “The Sound of Music”)

All events are held within the RidgeGate community, just south of Lincoln Avenue, on both sides of I-25.

phone keys wallet bag

Financial-aid push doesn’t happen

Colorado advocates plan for future action

BY JASON GONZALES CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Colorado made no legislative progress toward getting students more support to complete the federal nancial aid application despite a recommendation last year that the state do so.

A Colorado report last year called for the state to make lling out the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA, a high school graduation requirement by 2025, with a goal to get 80% of students completing the form by 2026. Filling out the form increases the likelihood that students will attend college, studies show.

Despite the inaction this session, advocates of a Colorado requirement for high school students to complete the federal nancial aid application before graduation expect to make a push for future changes after taking a wait-and-see approach this year.

Many advocates believe requiring students to ll out the FAFSA would be an e ective strategy for Colorado to increase the number of students who go to college after high school. Studies have shown that Louisiana, the rst to enact a FAFSA graduation requirement, increased college-going among students. E orts in other states are still new.

In Colorado, legislators have hesitated to place one more burden on high school educators.

Advocate Sarah Staron said lawmakers, along with school ofcials, discussed how a graduation requirement might work but didn’t introduce legislation.

scan to learn more about our collective effort

So advocates of mandating FAFSA completion focused on addressing the concerns they heard.

“I felt like we needed to step back,” said Staron, policy coordinator for Young Invincibles, which works toward giving students a voice in policy debates.

Less than 50% of Colorado high school graduates go to college. Advocates have said increasing Colorado’s ranking near the bottom of FAFSA completion would open up more opportunities for students.

e form unlocks nancial aid and scholarships for college.

e National College Attainment Network has recognized Colorado for seeking more transparency around which school districts help students complete the form. Advocates also have applauded the state for setting the 80% completion goal. e state has reported

that every year Colorado students leave about $30 million in federal nancial aid unclaimed.

Colorado has sought to boost FAFSA completion in other ways.

Last year, the state created grants for districts to increase FAFSA completion, but only a handful of districts applied, Staron said. Despite o ering more nancial literacy for students, training for teachers, and nancial aid planning for students, the state’s FAFSA completion rate remained at about 45%.

e state’s teacher union said there are reasons to be cautious about a push to mandate FAFSA completion.

e Colorado Education Association said it wants to discuss issues such as whetherthe requirement would burden teachers and students, raise privacy issues, and favor four-year colleges over other options, union President Amie Baca-Oehlert said.

In the upcoming FAFSA cycle, the federal government will launch an application that’s intended to be easier for students to ll out.

e new form, however, will be released in December instead of the previous schedule of October, narrowing the window to complete the form.

Financial aid experts expect the form will have unintended consequences, especially for students whose families own farms or small businesses, but eventually will lead to a better student experience and outcome.

“With the streamlined FAFSA form, our hope is that completion rates go up because it’s easier for students and families to navigate the process. But I certainly think Colorado needs to do more,” said Jen Walmer, whose organization Democrats for Education Reform contributed to the report.

Amelia Federico, a Young Invincibles policy fellow who attends Metropolitan State University of Denver, said the FAFSA process is overly confusing and students often have little support to ll out the support despite there being some resources at schools.

Federico said a FAFSA completion requirement for high schoolers would ensure that educators focus on giving students the support they need to ll out the complicated form. e state would also need to support schools to ensure every student gets what they need, they said.

Too many of their peers don’t know about their nancial options, Federico said. Chalkbeat is

in public schools.

when you shop, bring your bag

Thu 6/29

Advanced Wind, Women, & Water Clinic | Intro to Racing

@ 4:30pm / $55

Cherry Creek Reservoir, 4800 S Dayton St, Greenwood Village. 303-757-7718

Wed 7/05

SUP + Kayak + Sailing Camp | Week 5 *3-Day Camp @ 8am / $280

Jul 5th - Jul 7th

Cherry Creek Reservoir, 4800 S Dayton St, Greenwood Village. 303-757-7718

Advanced Double-Handed Sailing Camp | Week 5 *3-Day Camp @ 8am / $280

Jul 5th - Jul 7th

Cherry Creek Reservoir, 4800 S Dayton St, Greenwood Village. 303-757-7718

Intermediate 1 Sailing Camp | Week 5 *3-Day Week @ 8am / $280

Jenny Shawhan @ 5pm

Blue Island Oyster Bar & Seafood, 10008 Commons St Ste 100, Lone Tree

Denver Twilight 5000 (Race 1) @ 5pm / $35

Englewood High School, 3800 S Logan St, Denver

Before The Fourth 5k @ 7am / $35 7306 W Bowles Ave, Littleton

Rachel Alena Music: The AlleyDuo Gig-QUARTET! @ 7pm

The Alley, 2420 W Main St, Little‐ton

Sun 7/02

Brothers Osborne w/ Niko Moon @ 3pm

Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre, 6350 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., En‐glewood

Eric Golden @ 11am

Takoda Tavern, 12311 Pine Bluffs Way # A, Parker

Tue 7/04

Signs of Tranquility

@ 6pm

Moe's Original BBQ, 3295 S Broadway, Englewood

Fri 6/30

Fleming Mansion Walkthrough (about 45 days before event)

@ 6pm Fleming Mansion, 1510 S. Grant St., Den‐ver. 720-913-0654

Sat 7/01

Kameron Marlowe

@ 3pm Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, 6350 Greenwood Plaza Blvd, Greenwood Village

Castle Rock Band Free Concert in Festival Park July 1 7:00 PM @ 6pm Festival Park, 300 2nd Street, Cas‐tle Rock. ericastull@gmail.com, 303-809-2959

Nortenos De OjinagaTropicalisimo Apache - Marineros de Norte - Andariego @ 7:30pm / $35-$45

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Tropicalisimo Apache @ 7:30pm

Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Parker Hometown 4th of July 5K

@ 7am / $25-$30

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Jul 5th - Jul 7th

Cherry Creek Reservoir, 4800 S Dayton St, Greenwood Village. 303-757-7718

Pandas & People @ 5pm

Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park (formerly Lakewood Heritage Center), 801 S Yarrow St, Lakewood

Dave Mensch - Tailgate TavernParker, CO @ 5pm

Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

Ladies Night @ 5pm / $10

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Thu 7/06

Advanced Keelboat Clinic | Intro to Racing @ 4:30pm / $55

Cherry Creek Reservoir, 4800 S Dayton St, Greenwood Village. 303-757-7718

Union Gray @ 6:30pm

Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

Fox Royale @ SunSET summer concert series, Englewood CO @ 6:30pm

SunSET summer concert series, Engle‐wood

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Appreciating our dads

If I did not already appreciate my dad, and other dads, last week was a good lesson in not taking them for granted.

In what could be labeled as a terrible rotten no good very bad day — my dad was put in the hospital with an infection that is now in his bloodstream. en, later in the day, I learned that a man I grew up around and worked with as a young journalist committed suicide, leaving behind two children and several grandchildren.

While the two of them have completely di erent circumstances – both of them matter to a lot of people, including me.

In both instances — they are good guys who got me thinking about the burdens the dads, especially the old-timers, tend to carry.

Starting with my dad — he’s Mr. Rough and Tough on the outside, but inside — he is a big softie. He spends mornings giving our dogs treats. Believe me, they line up waiting. My kids call him the Sugar King because he’s always got some kind of candy or cake ready for distribution to the grandchildren.

On June 9, I went from planning to write my regular tribute to my dad, with whom I have always had a close relationship, to re ecting on how important he truly is to me, my family and, of course, let’s not forget my dogs.

He does not want to be in the hospital — we have no idea when he will be released. We know it’s serious. We know he’s heavily medicated.

He had pains for several days but did not want to be a burden and, following suit with his generation, didn’t want to get treated or help. We, of course, made him go in.

His spirits are good and as we sit anxiously waiting to know if treatments are taking hold each

day — I pray that on Father’s Day, he will spend it in his recliner at home with me.

For my friend — he won’t be here this year to be appreciated by his children. Instead, he is gone. He was a police o cer with whom I worked with many times. He stepped in and helped on several occasions when my oldest brother did not always make the best decisions in his teenage years.

For my other brother, he gave a bit more insight into why he may have decided to commit suicide. My brother, who used to be a highway patrolman, told a story where he came to a scene to provide backup and there was our friend beaten within an inch of his life. My brother got him help.

After that, his storied career as a police o cer was over, he retired and spent many years dealing with PTSD, trying to overcome depression. A battle too often lost in our society today.

You see, we are so quick to villainize o cers today without knowing what they see and go through daily. My brother, also a father, does not have PTSD from his days serving in the U.S. Air Force. Instead, his demons all come from his days of serving in law enforcement.

ey see the worst of our society, from domestic violence to crimes, fatal car crashes and more. Until recently, they have been taught to tuck feelings away, and hide what they are going through.

After all, most of the dads and grandfathers in our society are taught that they must have some rough, tough exterior to lead their families, work and earn.

For me, this Father’s Day, I say we should all push for them to get help. In my dad’s case, realize it’s not a bother to take you for treatment. For others, it’s not something to be ashamed of to say, “Today, I need help.”

To all fathers — remember we know you are human. Be willing to accept that yourselves.

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

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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

From success to significance to legacy

He worked hard for his whole career, climbed the ladder as he was taught to do, and nally landed in the role that he wanted most, the position he was born to have, he became the CEO of the company. Having experienced plenty of successes along the way, nothing compared to the surge of pride that Brian felt ll his head and heart the day the public announcement was made, Brian

Having nally reached what he believed was the pinnacle of his career, Brian found himself wondering, “What’s next?” As a 52-year-old CEO, he began to think about the impact he could have on the company he was now leading, the e ect he could have on the people who were now in his care. I remember our conversation as we made our way around the golf course. With each passing hole, we dug deeper into his thoughts, and nally Brian asked me what I thought.

e real question he was trying to answer was whether or not he saw this as a huge opportunity to have a signi cant impact on the business and the people or was he already planning for what

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

happens next. At 52, the wheels in his head were spinning fast, so much more to do and so much opportunity in front of him. CEO today, chairman of the board tomorrow. Who knows what the world holds for Brian?

I asked Brian if I could share something I heard Zig Ziglar share with so many of us. Of course, he said yes. Zig, and now his son Tom, speak about the fact that we move through our careers and life in cycles. We rst have to be before we can do, and do before we can have. And once we become who we want to become, do all the things we want to do, and have all that we desire to have, we can then give more of who we are, what we do, and what we have. At that point we move from being successful to becoming signi cant, and then to leaving the legacy we want to leave.

Brian remained silent as we drove on to the next tee box and even through our drives on the next hole. I could tell he was processing. As we walked back to the cart, I reminded him that I was only the messenger of that message, but I wished I was the one who thought of the concept. He laughed and then said that it was the best insight and reality check he had heard in a long time. He shared that it made him stop thinking about how high he could climb, and instead start thinking about how high he could

SEE NORTON, P13

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THELMA GRIMES South Metro Editor tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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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

Thelma Grimes

to successto our only the that

Hopeful signs in the economic malaise

FINANCIAL STRATEGIES

It is di cult to see a way out of the current economic malaise. e markets are up, then they are down. ere will be a new debt ceiling but at what cost? We have been hearing about a recession for over a year but now some economists are backpedaling. What is going on and how do investors navigate these clouds?

Oh, and the weather is not helping the mood much either.

We are dealing with one of the rainiest spring seasons on record, one of the highest federal de cits in history and the longest anticipated recession ever. No wonder no one wants to start a new job, buy a house, or invest in virtually anything.

But there are some green shoots. e stock market seems immune to most of the bad news based on the ve tech stocks leading the returns. If you look under the hood, many average stock prices are down in value so far this year despite the broad markets buoyed by a few stocks that were hit hard last year, namely Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet. ese ve stocks are the largest market-cap names in the S&P 500 representing 24.7% of the overall weight of that index.¹

Despite the mixed signals investors are experiencing, it may be helpful to hear some positive facts to lighten the heavy political and economic news lately.²

• In ation has calmed down in 2023.

• Corporate earnings were better than expected in the rst quarter.

• We continue to see strong employ-

ment levels.

• Retirees are bene ting from the previous government payments and the higher interest rates on bond portfolios.

• Capital spending is holding up given the infrastructure spending bills passed to keep our technology sector competitive, restore our infrastructure and incent re-onshoring of companies’ supply chains.

• Consumer spending has increased, especially on travel and entertainment.

• e economy is experiencing pockets of weakness this cycle, unlike the boom-and-bust periods of years past when every industry group seemed to su ocate at the same time. For example, residential housing is soft but multifamily housing is on re, so overall construction employment continues to rise.

• Productivity is troughing follow-

ing an unusually high labor force quit rate. Once workers stay on the job for a while, they will become more productive quickly. Dramatic improvements in technology, like AI, will also drive productivity gains. ese positive indicators could be keeping us from falling into recession, however the debate is still open for a hard versus soft landing. Investors should use this time to update their nancial plans and build a portfolio strategy for the opportunity to take advantage of more green shoots.

1. Ned Davis Research as of May 31, 2023.

2. William Greiner, CFP, Mariner Wealth Advisors chief economist. Je Krumpelman, CFA, Mariner Wealth Advisors chief investment strategist. Patricia Kummer is managing director for Mariner Wealth Advisors.

help others climb.

Last week my column was a tribute to a friend and colleague Jill. In the past 15 years of writing this column I had never received the number of emails, texts, and comments on any previous column. And all of the messages had common themes, “I wish I would have known her,” “She must have been something really special,” “I hope people remember me that way,” or “What a legacy she left behind.”

And now I share Brian’s story above because regardless of our role in life, we all don’t have to be a CEO, we can move from being to doing to having to giving and to leaving a legacy. And it starts with a very simple concept that David H. Sandler, the founder of Sandler Training, introduced us to,

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the idea of focusing on our attitude, our behaviors, and our techniques, in other words building the whole person, to set us on the path to one day moving from success to signi cance and signi cance to legacy.

Is it always about what’s next and how high you can climb? Or is it about how you can help others climb higher faster, and helping them on their own journey of being, doing, giving, and leaving their legacy? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can remember to strive for success so we can move to signi cance and then leave the legacy we would be proud of, it really will be 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.

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BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Search-and-rescue dogs embody the mail carrier motto: “Neither snow, nor rain nor gloom of night” will keep these trusty canines from their appointed rounds — searching for people or items with single-minded purpose.

For the dogs and their trainers who are part of the Colorado branch of SARDUS — Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States — training is a weekly, if not daily, endeavor to prepare dogs to certify in an area of search and rescue or to keep the dog’s skills sharp after certi cation.

“ e training continues for life,” said Cathy Bryarly, a retired Boulder sheri ’s deputy who trains search-and-rescue dogs. “ is has to be part of your life. It goes way beyond a hobby,

or it’s not going to work. It’s a calling.”

SARDUS members agree that it’s a labor a love based in their strong resolve to help others. Not only do the dogs and their handlers train multiple times a week, enlisting family and friends to hide, so the dogs have someone to search for, but handlers also attend seminars on a variety of topics and work together by laying trails for others to follow.

Trainers are always learning, so they can improve their canines’ ability to help in emergency situations.

Search-and-rescue dogs and their handlers are not paid; in fact, handlers spend a lot on the dogs, the equipment, the training and more. e goal is to be certi ed to go on missions, the term for helping law enforcement nd people, bodies or objects needed in an investigation.

Call the people trainers or handlers, but

more importantly, they’re dog lovers who want to work as a team with their pets to help others.

The humility of training

e trainers say it simply: Training their canines is humbling.

“Our dogs don’t make the mistakes,” Anjie Julseth-Crosby of Morrison said. “We do. ere’s so much to remember. e training is about me trying to understand what (the dogs) are saying. e human fails, not the dog.”

In fact, Julseth-Crosby, who started training her bloodhounds two years ago, has compiled a 19-page document called “ ings I wish I knew two years ago.”

Training involves having a dog follow a scent for several miles, helping the dog return to the SEE DOGS, P15

DOGS

scent trail if needed and rewarding the dog when it nds the person or item it is directed to follow.

Training can be messy as canines follow the scent wherever it takes them over all sorts of terrain in all kinds of weather.

food or toys. Once you gure that out, then trainers must convince the dog to do what they want the pup to do for the reward. It begins with what is called a puppy run-away, where you get the pup to run after a person, and when the pup nds the person, the pup gets a reward.

at transitions to following a scent to nd a person.

“It’s just a matter of making it harder and harder to the point where a dog is searching 120 acres for one person or that trailing dog is following a 24-hour-old scent through a subdivision,” Bryarly said.

No matter what or who the dog is nding, it must go to it, stay there, lay down and point its nose, so the handler knows the dog is saying that the item or person is there.

Dogs cannot certify to be search-and-rescue dogs until they are at least 18 months old, but it usually takes two years or more for the rst certi cation, Bryarly said.

“Search-and-rescue dogs that are out in the public have to be just perfect,” Bryarly said. “ ey have to stay focused and not get distracted by other dogs, animals or people.”

Getting involved

irty years ago, Julseth-Crosby made a pledge that she would own a bloodhound and train it to be a search-and-rescue dog. at’s because Ali Berelez, 6, who had been kidnapped and murdered in 1993, was found four days after her abduction by bloodhound Yogi.

Julseth, at that time a single parent with a 6-yearold, felt kinship with Ali’s family. However, as a full-time teacher, Julseth-Crosby decided to wait to train when she retired in 2021. True to her word, she began training her bloodhounds Bruno and Miley.

Niamh Coleman of Nederland was looking for something to do with her dogs, thinking it was a casual pastime. Now search-and-rescue dog training is closer to an obsession.

a multiple-day-a-week job.

Jayne Zmijewski, who taught outdoor skills to rangers most of her life, said search-and-rescue dogs were a natural progression. She’s had four search-and-rescue dogs in the last 30 years, most recently her chocolate Labrador Kodi.

Teresa Verplanck of Bailey is training Lilo, a border collie mix, for wilderness searches. She called the SARDUS group she trains with wonderful, and trainers and dogs have become a big family.

Jake Udel, who lives near Rustic, Colorado, is a volunteer firefighter and medic, and he trains his dog, Java the Mutt, a Czech shepherd, “for the love of dogs, helping people and the activity.”

Julseth-Crosby said the number of hours can be whatever trainers can put in, but at a minimum eight hours a week, and some weeks, she trains or prepares for training as much as 40 hours a week.

The right breed

While just about any breed of dog can become a search-and-rescue dog, bloodhounds, shepherds and retrievers are the typical dogs people think of, but other breeds — if they have the nose for the work — can be certi ed.

“It works better to start with a breed that is bred to do this,” Bryarly said. “In fact, there are some breeders who breed speci cally search-and-rescue dogs. But sometimes you nd a dog that is good at this, and it’s a breed you never would have guessed could do this work.”

e most important thing, Bryarly said, is the bond that the dog and handler have with each other.

“People have told me over the years that they are amazed at something their dog does,” she said. “People think they are the smart ones, but the dog is the smart one. We are just trying to keep up with them.”

Starting early

Training starts early — when pups are a few weeks old.

“Start with a dog who has a high drive,” Bryarly said. “A high-drive dog is always busy and always wanting something to do. If that energy is not channeled right away, the pup will tear your house apart.”

Most canines prefer one of two types of rewards:

TYPES OF SARDUS CERTIFICATIONS

Melanie Weaver of Lafayette knew her dog, Lego,

Udel figures he’s been on 75 to 100 missions since he certified his first dog in 2005.

SARDUS

SARDUS, one of several search-and-rescue dog organizations in the country, helps smaller organizations test and certify dogs. To get the trailing or air-scent certification, which is usually the first certification a dog earns, the canine must follow a 24-hour-old trail to find a person. SARDUS only works with law enforcement, so a person cannot request a search-andrescue dog.

Bryarly said about 30 dogs in Colorado are certified by SARDUS with most of them trailing dogs — the most of any organization in the country.

Membership in SARDUS is $25, and some people join who don’t own dogs, but they want to help in other ways such as creating tracking trails or hiding from dogs, Bryarly said.

Trainers must be physically fit since they follow their dogs through all sorts of terrain, plus they take classes such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s incident command courses, so they understand the structure of incidents and managing evidence.

For the SARDUS trainers, the work is definitely a passion.

a German shepherd, needed a job to have a ful lling life, and Weaver was looking for something practical. Little did she know that training Lego would be

• Trailing: Dogs who can find scents by putting their noses to the ground.

• Air scenting: Dogs who find scents by putting their noses into the air.

• Avalanche: Some dogs are good at smelling human scents through snow.

• Water: Some dogs are good at smelling human scents through water.

“If you think of it as work, you won’t do it for 20 years,” Udel explained. “You have to adopt the (search-and-rescue) lifestyle. It’s a life-anddeath commitment for some people — certainly the people we are looking for.”

• Disaster search: Dogs can smell through debris to find people.

• Human remains: Dogs can be certified to find human remains.

• Wilderness: A type of trailing in remote areas.

• Urban and suburban: Looking for missing children or older adults in cities.

Jayne Zmijewski and her chocolate Labrador Kodi take a break from training.

PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

Anjie Julseth-Crosby with bloodhound Miley practice trailing at a park in Niwot.

PHOTO BY CATHY BRYARLY

Doug Cummings and German shepherd Rogan trail a scent.

PHOTO BY ANJIE JULSETH-CROSBY

Hard winter for wild herds now limits hunting

State slashed licenses, but towns that rely on hunters hurting

BY TRACY ROSS THE COLORADO SUN

When the storms bearing more snow than people had seen in years came to northwestern Colorado last winter, they were full of promise.

Of creeks and rivers bursting at their seams. Of reservoirs nally full again. Of ground so saturated, res like the ones that had burned the previous summers might not be able to take hold.

But the slow-moving fronts that dropped snow in four-foot increments brought no help for the deer, elk, moose and pronghorn that forage near the towns of Maybell, Meeker, Rangely, Dinosaur and Craig. For them, the precipitation that fell, the winds that blew and the temperatures that hovered below zero for weeks on end meant death in numbers not seen in decades.

Rachael Gonzales, the northwest region public information o cer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, wrote as much in a post on the agency’s website dated March 28:

“It has been a tough winter for

wildlife. … Since the start of the season the National Weather Service’s Maybell weather station has recorded over 80 inches of snow for the area. Prolonged snow combined with strong gusty winds have made an already hard time of year for wildlife even more di cult. Food has been extremely di cult for big game to nd as much of it is covered by deep, hard-packed snow. is has forced thousands of animals to migrate farther west than they typically do, burning much-needed fat and calories they likely won’t replenish.”

She then relayed a story of a bull elk she saw while on a ride-along with District Wildlife Manager Je rey Goncalves in the region:

“…we noticed a mature bull elk that was unable to get up after several attempts. After watching and evaluating the elk for several minutes, the decision was made to euthanize the bull so it would no longer su er from starvation.”

And she said that in addition to mortality from malnutrition, wildlife o cials had seen an increase in animals injured or killed from vehicle collisions.

With normal migration routes di cult for wildlife to navigate, they had resorted to using roadways as they searched for food. Sometimes that food was located on a narrow shoulder along a windy section of

road, Gonzales wrote. On Jan. 14, a semi traveling eastbound from Utah on U.S. 40 hit 35 pronghorn on the road, and on Jan. 19, another driver hit a group of 18 near Craig. Over the course of the winter, district wildlife managers in the northwest region responded to four incidents involving vehicle collisions with groups of 10 or more of the animals.

On April 5, the Rio Blanco Herald Times, a newspaper serving the northwest region, quoted now-retired CPW wildlife manager Bill deVergie as saying deer fawn survival was in the 30% range and heading toward 20%; elk calf survival was 35% to 40% of normal; and only 10% of pronghorn fawns, the hardest hit, were surviving.

CPW said it was one of the worst winters for wildlife it had ever seen, despite massive e orts to help the animals. Area managers had dropped tons of hay for them to eat, and local ranchers had left barn doors open, welcoming them in. But in the end a catastrophic number of Colorado’s healthiest ungulate herds died.

As bad as the winter of 2023 was for wildlife in the corner of Colorado bounded by Wyoming and Utah, however, it could also be bad for thousands of people who live in the same region and rely on the big-game hunting seasons that start in mid August and run through November.

Emails from CPW started going out to hunters who put in for the draw the rst week of June. Once hunters know they’ve scored a tag, many start planning their trips. But Cody Nelson, who owns Moosehead Lodge in Rangely, 13 miles east of the Utah border, in the White River Valley, said she can “already see a dramatic decrease in bookings from previous years.”

“To be honest, there was a little bit of worry even before the reductions

were announced,” she said. “I totally understand why CPW is doing what they’re doing, but I don’t know what it’ll mean for the area as a whole.”

Even over-the-counter tags, which are set by the Colorado state legislature and available in August to any hunter for a certain price after the limited draw is over, were a ected. While CPW didn’t reduce the number, it did shorten two seasons in which hunters could use over-thecounter tags for elk in the severe-winter zone — downsizing one season to ve days from nine and another to ve days from seven.

Rooms at Nelson’s lodge range from $85 to $105 per night and she says she books up during hunting season. With nine lodge rooms and seven cabins booked seven days a week at an average of $95 per night, Nelson could lose more than $100,000 between the start of the deer, elk, and pronghorn hunting seasons, in midAugust, and the end, in December.

Hunters also need to eat, buy lastminute supplies and maybe treat themselves to a few shots of whiskey after their hunts, so that’s more money they spend and more tax revenue for the town of 2,200.

Dylan LeBleu, a dispatcher for the Rangely Police Department, says that while Rangely isn’t a “hunting town,” he’s part of a community of hunters who rely on game meat to ll their freezers. “We have a market here, but not anything big, and it’s a little expensive,” he says, “and the nearest Walmart is an hour away.”

A pound of “all natural” 97% lean ground beef at Walmart currently costs around $7. is multiplied by the estimated 160 pounds of meat a hunter can typically harvest from an average-size 500-pound elk equates to $1,120. Add the cost of gas to drive

100 in subtract counter no a is store.  several their likely due enterprise. hoods on going them,” sors, ed just sad,” at. in and many road, guide in son, with preference the ates with and bear prices per economic season others hunts permits as

HUNTING

100 miles round trip to the Walmart in Vernal, Utah, and back, and subtract the $63 cost of an over-thecounter license to hunt for an elk, and no matter how you look at it, it’s more a ordable for a local to hunt than it is to buy their meat from a grocery store.

Debbie Fitch and her family own several businesses associated with their Fitch Ranch in Parshall, so they likely won’t be as impacted as some due to the size and diversity of their enterprise. “But a lot of people’s livelihoods in this part of the country rely on hunting revenue and I think it’s going to be a tough year for a lot of them,” she said.

“For restaurants, out tters, processors, taxidermists. ey’ll be impacted in multiple ways. And then there’s just … the wildlife out here. It’s so sad,” she added. “It was hard to look at. We had one elk that just laid down in our yard next to our hay bales and that was it. You’ve never seen so many dead animals on the side of the road, either.”

en there are the out tters who guide hunters who’ve either won a tag in the lottery, purchased one in person, or paid a landowner equipped with a specialized CPW “landowner preference program” voucher to hunt the landowner’s property.

Tyler Emrick, who owns and operates CJ Out tters outside of Craig with his wife, Michelle, o ers fully and semiguided deer, elk, moose, bear and mountain lion hunts for prices ranging from $3,500 to $10,000 per person. Like Fitch, he says the economic impacts he’ll endure this season will be limited compared with others because he has diversi ed his hunts geographically and now has permits to guide in Wyoming as well as Colorado.

But the Colorado towns of Craig,

Meeker, Rangely, Maybell and “maybe, especially Dinosaur,” near the Utah border, “will be hurt because each of these places depend on the hunter harvest for their economy,”

Emrick said. He knows an out tter participating in CPW’s landowner program who “normally gets 12 to 14 licenses, and this year he’s getting three to ve. It’s those small guys that depend on that $15,000 to $30,000 to pay for hay that are going to be hit hard. I do believe Meeker County will feel it hardest because even though it’s a rich county because of oil, there’s still all those restaurants. And a new brewery that just moved in. And I don’t know how many public hunters will come.”

Public lands hunters often purchase over-the-counter tags if they came up empty-handed in the lottery. But Emrick wonders if OTC hunters will avoid traveling to units in the severewinter zone given the new shorter seasons.

“I don’t know if anyone will come out for ve days or hit some other places out of state that weren’t hit like we were,” he says.

e Colorado Wildlife Council says hunting is a $843 million industry in Colorado. And, combined with shing, hunters contribute $3.25 billion and 25,000 jobs to the state economy.

ose potentially 32,000 hunters who could have purchased the eliminated tags? eir absence and the revenue associated with it could impact CPW’s annual budget by as much as $8 million, the agency says.

CPW employs a “user pays” model of funding in which hunting and shing licenses, federal excise taxes on hunting and shing equipment and license applications contribute millions of dollars to the agency’s budget.

“But statistics do show that nonresident hunters are gone from home for eight to nine days on average including travel time and that they hunt ve days,” Emrick said. “So with those numbers, it could either be really good or really, really bad. Easier to say

hindsight is 20/20, we don’t know yet. I hope everyone can make it through, but I’m sure some out tters could go under this year.”

No matter what happens to the humans, the CPW commission stands by its reductions, saying they are the only way to bring the decimated herds back to healthy numbers.

But at its May 3 meeting to discuss license reductions, Emrick and a handful of other hunters, ranchers and out tters said they wished the agency would do more.

In a letter to the commission beforehand, the Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project, consisting of 11 members representing tens of thousands of hunters, anglers, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts, said it was willing to take “further reductions to limited licenses and/ or temporary suspensions or caps on over-the-counter licenses” to address the problem, while recognizing “fewer hunting opportunities would mean fewer trips and lost revenue for the state and rural communities on multiple fronts.”

Others who spoke during the public comment period asked the commission to add a mandatory hunter harvest survey to get a clearer picture of what’s happening with various species in the severe-winter zone, adding that a penalty that revokes hunters’ privileges to apply for a license the next year if the hunter doesn’t complete the survey would round out the deal.

Emrick asked CPW to make “an im-

mediate emergency declaration and end cow hunting in (units a ected by the severe winter) along with the whole northwest, or o er a minimum of 10 tags.” He also asked the commission to limit either-sex elk hunting in certain months because “when a hunter harvests a cow they could be killing three elk with one bullet.”

But as managers had pointed out earlier in the meeting, the average success rate among elk hunters is just 20%, which means with a limit of 10 licenses there’s a good possibility only two elk in one of the severe-winter zone units would be killed.  CPW manages its herds for the health of the population as well as for hunters. is means it keeps hunters in mind when making “sex ratio” decisions — how many antlerless deer to make available for hunting and how many antlered deer, for instance. And the agency expects the lowered number of licenses to help herd health start improving immediately. So maybe the decision to stick with the reductions rather than make further cuts will take some of the sting out of the deadliest winter for wildlife CPW can remember, at least for humans.

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.

State adding mental health bed options

New hospital coming amid ‘near crisis’

BY JENNIFER BROWN THE COLORADO SUN

e only stabilization unit in the state’s crisis services system that’s solely for adolescents used to help about 2,000 kids each year.

Now, because of a shortage of mental health workers, it can take only 1,000.

e other half of the children and teens in mental health crises are sent elsewhere, or more likely, left to wait in emergency rooms at hospitals across Colorado.

“It breaks my heart to talk about the kids we are having to turn away,” said Kiara Kuenzler, CEO of the Jefferson Center, a community mental health center that oversees the 24/7 crisis stabilization unit in Lakewood. “We track every single person that we are not able to serve. It’s almost always due to not having the workforce capacity.”

e unit, called New Vistas, has 16 beds for kids ages 5 to 18, but much of the time, there are only enough doctors and therapists to keep eight or 10 of those beds in use, Kuenzler said.

at’s where new funding from Colorado’s portion of the federal pandemic relief package is supposed to help. Je erson Center is receiving $2 million to hire additional sta and o er incentives to keep current clinicians on the payroll in what has long been a high-burnout career.

e grant is part of more than $400 million in American Recovery Act funds that Colorado lawmakers divided up for mental health care.

e state Behavioral Health Administration has awarded 80 grants to local governments, hospitals and community organizations to ll gaps in mental health care. ose include the Stride Sober Living, the Naloxone Project, Young People in Recovery and the Aspen E ect. Some grants are to create more psychiatric beds or residential beds that are one step down from a hospital, while others are to build up therapy and

substance abuse programs.

e administration also doled out 29 other grants to address mental health spe cally for people in the criminal justice system.

Hospitals make investments

At the same time, a few hospital systems in the state are making new investments in mental health care, raising hope that Colorado will make progress on its severe lack of services. e latest report from the Treatment Advocacy Center, which ranks states on behavioral health services, placed Colorado at 34th in the nation and counted 543 beds in this state.

at was about 10 beds per 100,000 people, far fewer than the 50 beds per 100,000 people that mental health experts say is needed.

e Denver area alone needs about 1,000 more beds, said Dr. Je rey Woods, operations group president for Acadia Healthcare.

“ at is a level of near crisis,” he said.

Construction of a new 144-bed behavioral health hospital in Westminster began this month, a joint partnership between Acadia Healthcare and Intermountain Health, which was SCL Health.

West Pines Hospital will have inpatient psychiatric beds, as well as step-down programs for people who

will live at home but spend several hours each day in treatment at the hospital. It’s expected to open in fall 2024.

“For too long there has been this dearth of behavioral health services available, because of stigma and lack of public will to lower that stigma,” Woods said.

It’s not a net gain of 144 beds for the north Denver area, however. As the new hospital opens, SCL Intermountain is expected to close its current 96-bed behavioral health unit at Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, which is constructing a new hospital building.

While state and federal laws have attempted to create insurance parity by requiring that insurance plans cover mental health care similar to other medical care, that’s not what’s driving the new construction, Woods said.

“I would not say that there is a rush to build hospitals because of pro tability, but rather because the need is there,” he said. “We care for the whole person — body, mind and spirit.”

Units planned for children

e new West Pines will have units for children as young as 5, teenagers, adults and seniors. One unit will specialize in treating older people dealing with dementia along with grief, depression and mood disorders. Future units, similar to Acadia’s hospitals in other states, might focus on mothers with postpartum depression or people with intellectual disabilities and co-occurring mental health issues.

e groundbreaking for the new hospital comes as UC Health University of Colorado Hospital prepares to open a new 40-bed psychiatric unit

SEE HEALTH, P19

‘It breaks my heart to talk about the kids we are having to turn away.’

Kiara Kuenzler, CEO of the Je erson Center

Mobile home parks water to be tested

State law comes in response to complaints

BY SAM TABACHNIK THE DENVER POST

Residents in Colorado’s mobile home parks have long sco ed when asked if they drink the community’s water.

It’s hardly even a question to think about. e answer: No, never. e liquid smells bad or looks like rust, they say. It stains dishes and sheets. State lawmakers listened to these concerns — and now Colorado will embark on a multiyear e ort to address them.

HB23-1257, signed into law by

HEALTH

this summer.

Even with the $2 million grant, the adolescent crisis stabilization unit in Lakewood will struggle, Kuenzler said.

e unit lost $2.5 million last year, and when accounting for the grant and the costs of increasing capacity, the unit will lose between $1 million and $2 million, she said. Plus, the funding from the American Rescue Plan Act is one-time money.

“We are still struggling to gure out the sustainable funding model,” she said, noting that a 24/7 crisis center has to stay open whether it has two kids or all 16 beds are full on a given day. “We’re hoping there will be more state-level funding over time.

“It would pay o in so many lives saved and so much money saved in

Gov. Jared Polis in June, will launch a statewide e ort to test the water quality in mobile home parks that fall through the cracks of existing testing mechanisms. If testing reveals an issue, the park operator will need to complete a remediation plan and provide safe water for residents.

“It feels very empowering,” said Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, and one of the bill’s cosponsors. “We’re nally listening to our communities and supporting working families.”

e legislation — co-sponsored by Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, and Sens. Lisa Cutter, DJe erson County, and Kevin Priola, D-Henderson — also addresses concerns that go beyond federally

the long run.”

New Vistas is a not-for-pro t residential facility for children and teens that has operated under a subsidiary of the Je erson Center called Je erson Hills. e mental health center is now absorbing the subsidiary and trying to create a seamless system so kids could easily transition between the crisis stabilization unit and the therapy programs o ered at the mental health center.

e stabilization unit in 2015 became part of Colorado Crisis Services, a statewide network of walk-in crisis centers, mobile units and a hotline. e system was created in response to the 2012 mass shooting at an Aurora movie theater. People can access the services regardless of their ability to pay.

Expansion of services, particularly for young people, has never been needed more, Kuenzler said.

In 2021, 53 young people ages 1518 and 19 people ages 10-14 died by

mandated testing for contaminants, including the water’s color, odor and taste.

It will be enforced by the Water Quality Control Division inside the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the state attorney general.

On top of the testing requirements, the legislation also creates a $3.6 million grant program to help park owners, nonpro t entities and local governments address water quality issues.

Water quality issues will be added to the database created by the Mobile Home Park Oversight Program, which tracks complaints against park owners.

Velasco, who grew up in mobile home parks in Colorado’s high

suicide in Colorado, according to the Je erson Center.

e crisis stabilization unit is seeing younger patients, including a “dramatic increase” in the number of children ages 5-11. e proportion of kids ages 5-11 was once 1020%. Now, it’s 40-60%.

And children and teens referred to the unit have more acute issues than in the past, including more dangerous suicide attempts, Kuenzler said.

“ ese are really young kiddos,”

country, notes that this bill is just the beginning.

“We want to make sure there is clean water everywhere,” she said.

e bill marks the fth year in a row that the state legislature approved a bill concerning mobile home parks and residents. Previous legislation sought to make it easier for residents to purchase the land on which their homes sit, allowed the attorney general to enforce provisions of the Mobile Home Park Act and limited the number of times park owners could increase rent per year.

is Denver Post story via e Associated Press’ Storyshare, of which Colorado Community Media is a member.

she said. “We need to do a lot more to invest early and often and with the right resources for behavioral health.

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.

Highway 83 to undergo major changes amid crash concerns

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A large stretch of a major state highway known for dangerous driving conditions will see several safety improvements in the coming years, with some projects already completed.

“I don’t think that Highway 83 has changed much from when I was a state trooper patrolling it, and it was dangerous then,” Commissioner Lora omas, one of Douglas County’s elected leaders, said in April. “So when people slow and make a left turn, whether they use their turn signals or not, that’s a recipe for disaster.”

A main tra c artery that runs through Douglas County, State Highway 83 — known in at least some areas as Parker Road — is set to see a laundry list of changes.

“ e safety analysis shows portions of this roadway that experience crash rates above average for this type of corridor,” a planning document for the improvements says.

Improvements will be made between Bayou Gulch Road — a short drive south of the Town of Parker — to Palmer Divide Avenue, the border between Douglas and El Paso counties.

at includes changes near Franktown Elementary School and many other locations along the highway corridor.

“ e key goal is to improve safety, and by improving safety, this helps to ease tra c,” said Tamara Rollison, a spokesperson with the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Here’s a look at what changes drivers will see and what’s already been completed.

Addressing problems

What the 2022 planning documents for highway improvements call early packages 1 through 3 are already done, according to CDOT.

Project 1, for updates to tra c signs, was to increase the size of existing signs and add ashing beacons near schools, among other changes.

“Alerting drivers to (the) location of access points, road curvatures, and potential school zones will improve the safety of the corridor,” a planning document says.

Project 2 was to take a look at “signalized intersections” on the corridor amid increasing tra c volumes. It was planned to collect tra c counts at some locations to make recommendations for tra c signal timing improvements.

Project 3 aimed to address areas where drivers may be making “risky maneuvers,” by changing road striping, the planning document says.

e project was to install striped left-turn lane divider lines near the Castlewood Canyon entrance and revise passing striping near the Prairie Canyon Ranch entrance.

Concerns over ‘head-on crashes’

Other projects are named with letters, and package A recently started construction, CDOT said in midMay.

“ is corridor generated many comments and concerns regarding head-on crashes and vehicles crossing the centerline” of the road, the planning document says.

Package A was to add rumble strips in the center of the roadway to help address the issue.

SEE HIGHWAY, P23

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HIGHWAY

Updates to come

As of mid-May, CDOT was expecting to have several other projects completed by 2027.

ose include the following:

• Package C to improve access to and from Hidden Mesa Open Space by adding left- and right-turn lanes, acceleration and deceleration lanes, along with widening shoulders and adding centerline and shoulder rumble strips.

• Package D to improve access to and from Lost Lake Drive in the Franktown area by adding left- and right-turn lanes, acceleration and de-

celeration lanes, along with widening shoulders and adding centerline and shoulder rumble strips.

• Package E to widen shoulders and add shoulder rumble strips on both sides of state Highway 83, also in a part of the north Franktown area.

• Package G to add a two-way leftturn lane, acceleration and deceleration lanes, along with widening shoulders and adding centerline and shoulder rumble strips in the south Franktown area.

• Package J to add left- and rightturn lanes, acceleration and deceleration lanes, widen shoulders, and add centerline and shoulder rumble strips.

e improvements will cover both the intersection with Gillian Road and the entrance to Cherry Valley Elementary School, the planning document says.

• Package L to add rumble strips in the center of state Highway 83 and widen shoulders and add shoulder rumble strips on both sides of the highway in an area close to the south end of Douglas County.

• Package M to add left- and rightturn lanes, acceleration and deceleration lanes, widen shoulders, and add centerline and shoulder rumble strips, also in an area close to the south end of Douglas County.

Other potential projects

Packages B, H, I and K are not currently funded, but CDOT is “planning to deliver once funding is identi ed,” Rollison said in mid-May.

For a look at those proposed projects, see CDOT’s website at tinyurl. com/SH83plans.

Funding for projects

Douglas County has pitched in funding to prioritize safety improvements for state Highway 83.

e Douglas County commissioners at their April 11 meeting voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement with CDOT for improvements on state Highway 83.

Funding for that IGA totals $14.7 million, according to Douglas County’s website, and includes the following contributions:

• $4.2 million from Douglas County;

• $5.9 million from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, often referred to as “Dr. Cog,” a partnership where local governments collaborate to allocate funding on issues such as transportation;

• And $4.6 million from CDOT.

Legals

AMENDED NOTICE

APPLICATION FOR

NO. 230400116

ALL INTERESTED PARTIES

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Pursuant to Rules 503.g.(11). and 707.a.(2)., the Director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (“Commission” or “COGCC”) hereby applies to the Commission requesting the Commission enter an order requiring Impetro Resources LLC (Operator No. 10690) to implement the plan as submitted in Form 3, Financial Assurance Plan (Doc. No. 403187038), without Demonstrated Costs.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to: 1) the general jurisdiction of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission of the State of Colorado under § 34-60-105, C.R.S.; 2) specific powers granted pursuant to § 34-60-106, C.R.S.; 3) the Colorado Administrative Procedures Act at § 24-4-105, C.R.S.; and 4) the Commission’s Series 500 Rules at 2 C.C.R. 404-1, that the Commission has scheduled this matter for hearing before the Commission at the following date, time, and location (subject to change):

Date: August 16, 2023

Time: 9:00 a.m.

Place: Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 Denver, CO 80203

The Notice and documents related to this matter can be found on our “Hearing eFiling System Document Search” page here: https://oitco.hylandcloud.com/DNRCOGPublicAccess/index.html.

Select “Search for Docket Related Documents” from the pull-down menu, use the above “Docket Number”, and select “Search”.

Legal Notice No. 25009

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Last Publication: June 22 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Public Notice

BEFORE THE OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION BY RENEGADE OIL & GAS COMPANY, LLC FOR A RULE 502.A VARIANCE FROM RULE 903.D.(3) AND (5) TO PERMIT COMBUSTION OF NATURAL GAS FOR CERTAIN WELLS, WATTENBERG FIELD, ADAMS, ARAPAHOE, AND ELBERT COUNTIES, COLORADO

CAUSE NO. 1

DOCKET NO. 230500177

TYPE: VARIANCE

NOTICE OF HEARING

Renegade Oil & Gas Company, LLC (Operator

No. 74165) (“Applicant”), filed an Application for a Rule 502.a Variance from Rule 903.d.(3) and (5) to permit combustion of natural gas for certain wells located in the below-described lands (the “Application Lands”). This Notice was sent to you because the Applicant believes you may be an interested party in the Application Lands.

APPLICATION LANDS

Township 2 South, Range 62 West, 6th P.M.

Section 25:NW¼SE¼, SE¼NW¼, SE¼SE¼, SE¼SW¼, NW¼SW¼, NW¼NW¼, SW¼SE¼,

Township 4 South, Range 62 West, 6th P.M.

Section 24:SW¼SW¼

Township 5 South, Range 62 West, 6th P.M.

Section 5:SW¼SE¼, NE¼SE¼, SW¼NE¼, NE¼NE¼, SW¼SW¼,

Section 29:NE¼NW¼

Township 6 South, Range 62 West, 6th P.M.

Section 4:NE¼SW¼

Township 2 South, Range 64 West, 6th P.M.

Section 16:NE¼NE¼

Township 5 South, Range 64 West, 6th P.M.

Section 28:NE¼SW¼, SE¼SW¼

Township 1 South, Range 65 West, 6th P.M.

Section 36:NW¼SW¼, SE¼NW¼, SE¼NE¼

Township 5 South, Range 65 West, 6th P.M.

Section 24:NE¼NE¼, NE¼SW¼, SW¼NE¼

Section 25:NE¼SW¼, SW¼SE¼, SW¼NE¼, NE¼NE¼

DATE, TIME, AND LOCATION OF HEARING (Subject to change)

The Commission will hold a hearing only on the above referenced docket number at the following date, time, and location:

Date: August 9, 2023

Time:9:00 a.m.

Place:Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission

The Chancery Building 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 Denver, CO 80203

PETITIONS

DEADLINE FOR PETITIONS BY AFFECTED

PERSONS: July 10, 2023

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 https://cogcc.state.co.us/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 July 10, 2023, 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.

COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

By: Mimi C. Larsen, Secretary

Dated: June 2, 2023

Renegade Oil & Gas Company, LLC

c/o Scott M. Campbell Robert A. Willis Poulson, Odell & Peterson LLC 1660 Lincoln St., Suite 1500 Denver, CO 80264 303-861-4400 scampbell@popllc.com

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