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June 24, 2021
ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ElbertCountyNews.net
VOLUME 126 | ISSUE 19
Fee increases will pay for highway projects Polis signs transportation bill that adds to costs of gasoline, rideshares BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
17. Leafstedt, a person in recovery himself, aims to turn his struggle and experience with addiction and recovery into a place for Coloradans and those in nearby states to better their lives and give back to the community. The facility consists of a cabinstyle farmhouse with vaulted ceilings and views of the Front Range.
FLOYD HILL — Shaded by an Interstate 70 bridge that has fueled steering-wheel-pounding rage for generations, Gov. Jared Polis on June 17 signed a transportation fee and spending bill that seeks to inject more than $5 billion into Colorado road and transit projects over the next 11 years. “Everybody knows we need to fix it,” Polis said of Colorado’s road and highway system before signing Senate Bill 260 under the curved I-70 bridge at the bottom of Floyd Hill, a structure over Clear Creek that chokes traffic and ruins the best-laid plans of skiers, snowboarders, hikers and bikers every weekend. “If it was easy it would have been done already.” Colorado lawmakers have been trying to solve the problem of the state’s limited transportation funding for years, proposing tax hikes and bonding and committing more existing money from the state budget to the problem. But the efforts to find money in the couch cushions to supplement a 22-cent gasoline tax that hasn’t increased since 1992 have either not been
SEE RECOVERY, P2
SEE PROJECTS, P17
Healing Pines Recovery has eight beautifully made beds for residents while at the farm.
COURTESY OF PAUL LEAFSTEDT
Addiction recovery center opens doors Healing Pines Recovery offers hope for those seeking better life BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Healing Pines Recovery opened its doors on June 14 after two years
of planning, preparation, and renovation. The 40-acre property located south of downtown Elizabeth is an eight-bed facility designed to provide patients with tools necessary to continue their sobriety through life. Paul Leafstedt, the executive director of the facility, showed the Elbert County News around the farmhouse and property on June
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 15 | SPORTS: PAGE 14
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Enjoying arcade games on the bus P23