November 5, 2015
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VOLUME 120 | ISSUE 40 | 75¢
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Elizabeth, county reach deal on land authority Areas near town are subject to terms of new agreement By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media
Mike Alsop, of Highlands Ranch, watches the movements of a distant deer herd. Photos by Rick Gustafson
Hunt unites area veterans Nonprofit aids those who were wounded serving country By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media James Jordan sweats as he trudges through the brush, up the steep slope toward the top of a rocky plateau. The bleached, fall sun has warmed the chilly morning, and Jordan has already shed one layer. The hillside is neither as steep nor as high as the terrain he climbed in Afghanistan, and the ground here is sandy without the loose shale. The small pack strapped on his back weighs nothing compared with the 125-pound load he humped as a paratrooper. “We had deer sign all over this area Hunt continues on Page 9
The Elbert County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved a cooperative planning agreement with Elizabeth at its meeting on Oct. 28. The intergovernmental agreement (IGA) establishes mutually agreed protocols for communication between the county and the town for planning and development of land falling under the jurisdiction of the county but lying adjacent to or just outside the town limits. “This is a major milestone for us. We tried to do this in 2008, I believe, and we’ve been struggling with it for several years,” said Ed Ehmann, county manager. “This is a document that provides a path for both entities to understand how they will deal with different development scenarios that come into play in and around the area of Elizabeth.” Dick Eason, Elizabeth town administrator, was on hand for the BOCC’s vote on the IGA, which the Elizabeth Board of Trustees had unanimously passed at its scheduled meeting the previous evening. Ehmann and Eason worked together to customize an IGA template provided by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) into an agreement that both the county and town could agree on. District 3 Commissioner Larry Ross, who spoke in favor of the motion to approve the agreement, said, “It’s very
Elbert County Commissioner Robert Rowland, Nathan Henderson, Dave Proffit (Veterans in Action), James Jordan and Mike Alsop during the hunt.
BOCC continues on Page 7
Elizabeth school celebrates Red Ribbon Week in style Students join campaign against violence, substance abuse By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media Elizabeth Middle School celebrated Red Ribbon Week, which ran from Oct. 25-31, as part of the National Family Partnership’s Red Ribbon Campaign against substance abuse and violence. Students began the school week by wearing red on Oct. 26 and decorating classroom doors with the theme: Stay in the Game, Play Drug Free. Events throughout the week included drug-free pledges and hat day, a fundraiser that allowed students to wear a hat
to school on Oct. 30 for a $1 donation. One of the highlights of the week was a visit from the Colorado Joint Counterdrug Task Force (CO-JCDTF) from Buckley Air Force Base. Lt. Col. Rob Soper and his team arrived in grand style, landing a Colorado Army National Guard Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on the athletic field to the cheers of more than 400 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. “We’re the Colorado National Guard, so we come from the communities here,” Soper told the students. “Our families are here. Our kids are in these communities, so it’s really important for us to make sure we get this message out and to keep everybody safe.” Week continues on Page 4
A Colorado Army National Guard UH-60 Helicopter lands at Elizabeth Middle School athletic field. Photo by Rick Gustafson
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. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 12 p.m. | Classifieds: Mon. 10 a.m. | Obits: Mon. 10 a.m. | Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m.