75 CENTS
November 23, 2017
ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
SPECIAL HOLIDAY SECTION INSIDE THIS ISSUE!
Public works chief talks about the road ahead Q&A with Rory Hale BY JODI HORNER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Garret Strain, son of owner Shawn Strain, talks about some of the items on sale at Barnwood Vintage at 166 Main St. in Elizabeth. The shop carries antiques but features vintage and rustic items the Strains have collected over the years. PHOTOS BY TOM MUNDS
An array of classic merchandise
Barnwood Vintage, a store offering vintage and rustic items for sale or rent, is at 166 Main St. in Elizabeth.
Elizabeth store filled with items gathered during owner’s years of collecting BY TOM MUNDS TMUNDS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Rory Hale began working as the Elbert County public works director in August. He brought with him 25 years of experience in municipal and county governments, including time in Kansas as an environmental sanitarian and as a director in public works for several cities and towns, most recently for Silt, Colorado. Hale is a Denver native. He and his wife live in Parker and have four children and five Hale grandchildren. When he has free time, he likes to spend it with his family. He recently agreed to a Q&A session with the Elbert County News.
Shawn Strain admits being bitten by the collecting bug at an early age, and about two years ago decided to open Barnwood Vintage at 166 Main St. in Elizabeth to offer items from his collection to new owners. “I grew up with my grandparents and I went with my grandfather who liked to poke around at antique shops, garage sales and auctions where he bought items to add to his collection,” he said. “I guess that is when I decided to start a collection of my own and I am still collecting.
How does your role as a county public works director differ from that of a city or town’s public works director, and how are they similar? Staffing and the day-to-day operations are very similar, but the level of responsibility in a county government is on a much larger scale. There are other types of infrastructure that one is responsible for when working for a municipality: water,
SEE BARNWOOD, P12
SEE HALE, P9
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
‘Christmas music in November is wrong. I can avoid it in my home. I can’t avoid it in stores.’ Craig Marshall Smith | columnist, Page 10 INSIDE
VOICES: PAGE 10 | CALENDAR: PAGE 2
ElbertCountyNews.net
VOLUME 122 | ISSUE 43