August 20, 2015 VOLUME 120 | ISSUE 29 | 75¢
ElbertCountyNews.net E L B E R T C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Term limits for sheriff will be up to voters
Commissioners allow question to be placed on November ballot By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media Elbert County commissioners have approved a resolution that will let voters decide in November whether to eliminate term limits for the office of Elbert County sheriff. Chris Richardson, committee chairman for the Citizens for Free Elections, the group proposing the question, made an initial presentation to the commissioners in July, citing the limited pool of qualified candidates in the county. He also asserted that voters should decide what is best for Elbert County when it Sheriff continues on Page 9
Singing Hills Principal Regina Montera addresses new teachers and staff at teacher orientation at Elizabeth High School. Photos by Rick Gustafson
It’s back to school in Elizabeth By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media
POSTAL ADDRESS
ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100)
OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ELIZABETH, COLORADO and additional mailing offices.
The Elizabeth School District welcomed new faculty and staff at an orientation at Elizabeth High School on Aug. 10. More than 30 of the district’s 45 new teachers and administrators attended the orientation day. The morning session included introductions, overviews of mentoring programs and evaluations, along with answers to general questions that teachers may have had ahead of the school year. Following lunch, sponsored by the Elizabeth Federation of Teachers, the teachers returned to their individual schools for breakout sessions to become familiar with the individual nuances of each school. According to Superintendent Douglas Bissonette, the district’s newest crop of teachers hail from as far away as Boston. Nearly half are beginning new careers as teachers right out of college, and the remainder are either bringing their expertise from other school districts or launching second careers as educators. The prelude to the 2015-16 school year continued throughout the week with freshmen and new student orientation, boys golf tryouts, and booster meetings at EHS. The school year began at Elizabeth High School and Legacy Academy on Aug. 17, but some district schools, like Frontier High School, began classes a week earlier.
Wayne Otte, president of the Elizabeth Federation of Teachers, speaks to new staff and faculty.
Officials assess storm damage around county May, June weather could result in federal assistance By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media
POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m. Classifieds: Mon. 10 a.m.
PL E ASE RECYCLE T HI S C OPY
Brandon Lenderink, director of the emergency management office. Photo by Rick Gustafson
The Elbert County Office of Public Works and the Office of Emergency Management joined Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives in surveying parts of the county during the week of Aug. 10. The teams have been taking pictures, making measurements, and fixing the GPS coordinates required to document and assess the damage to the county’s infrastructure resulting from the heavy rains during the months of May and June. “They are about 90 percent complete. They have visited a total of 40 sites across the county,” Brandon Lenderink, director of the Elbert County Office of Emergency Management, told the county commissioners at
a meeting on Aug. 12. Lenderink and FEMA have identified two priorities for the immediate future: first, identifying areas where the county made its emergency response, and second, debris removal. The debris will be collected, staged and eventually processed. After reviewing the program, Lenderink told the commissioners that he was 90 percent sure that the county would participate in FEMA’s debris removal program. “The whole purpose of this is to bring things back to where they were before or make them better than they were before,” he said. Lenderink estimates that the damage to the county’s infrastructure, especially to roads, from the spring storms could easily exceed $1.2 million, which is significantly higher than the $86,000 threshold for the county to apply for disaster relief. Storm continues on Page 9