News
Elbert 6-13-13
Elbert County
June 13, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourelbertcountynews.com
Elbert County, Colorado • Volume 118, Issue 20
School board defends action Brief time period to apply for opening stirs criticism By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com
Patrick Geipel of Elbert keeps a tight hold on the rope during his June 7 bull ride at the Elizabeth Stampede. Xtreme Bulls was the Stampede’s opening-night rodeo. It attracted an all-star lineup of rodeo cowboys, including six bull-riding qualifiers from the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
Boots, bulls and big bucks Photos by Deborah GriGsby Outgoing Elizabeth Stampede Queen Caroline Ginn makes one of her final laps around the arena as she carries the American flag during the Stampede’s June 7 opening ceremonies.
In its 49th year, the Elizabeth Stampede rodeo attracts some of the top talent across the country. Nearly 100 of the 287 contestants in the three Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events over the June 7-9 weekend were former world champions, National Finals Rodeo participants, or Circuit Finals challengers. This year’s Stampede again welcomed Xtreme Bulls, a professionally sanctioned bull riding event that pairs up the country’s best riders with the toughest bulls on the circuit, for thousands of dollars in prize money. Winners will go on to the Xtreme Bulls World Finals to be held in Ellensburg, Wash., over the Labor Day weekend. More than 300 volunteers helped make the Stampede possible. See more coverage on Page 11.
Governor signs renewable energy bill Republicans irked at increase in costs for rural Coloradans By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com While Democratic leaders applauded Gov. John Hickenlooper for signing Senate Bill 13-252, which increases renewable energy standards for energy co-ops in the state, Republican lawmakers claimed the bill will hurt rural Coloradans. The bill, signed on June 5, will go into effect July 1 and require Colorado energy cooperatives — including Intermountain
Rural Energy Association — to double their existing requirements for renewable energy from 10 percent of all energy used to 20 percent prior to 2020. IREA currently obtains its renewable energy through a long-term pur- Hickenlooper chase agreement with Xcel Energy, and according to a statement on its website cannot unilaterally increase the amount it requires from Xcel, which creates an issue. IREA says on the site that it is a supporter of renewable energy, but it was opposed
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what the renewable enerGy bill Does • Increases renewable energy standards for cooperative electric associations serving more than 100,000 meters from its current 10 percent by 2020 to 20 percent. • Provides extra credit for new renewable resources acquired through 2015. • Allows both methane capture and pyrolysis of solid waste to count toward the renewable energy standard, as long as the production is greenhouse gas-neutral. • Ensures that no utility bill will increase by more than 2 percent as a result of bill. to the bill because it believes “the arbitrary imposition of a renewable requirement without regard to existing infrastructure and contracts will only lead to costly waste.” IREA serves customers in, among other areas, Elbert and Douglas counties. Hickenlooper stated the bill was “imperfect,” but in an executive order accompanying the signing of it, said an advisory committee was being assembled that will work to address concerns such as the timetable for implementing the new requirements as Energy continues on Page 15
The Elizabeth School District is defending against an allegation that a brief application period to fill a school board vacancy did not allow some to be considered. The board of education says the vacancy was announced May 7, the day after school board member Cindy Miller submitted her resignation because of family health issues. But longtime Elbert County resident Norm Happel says the opening wasn’t announced on the district’s website until May 10, and the May 14 deadline to file letters of intent left only three business days for interested parties to put their name in for consideration. Carol Hinds, who has two children in the district, was appointed to the position May 20. She was one of three applicants. The Colorado Department of Education allows for up to 60 days to replace a board member, but the Elizabeth School District C-1 wanted to appoint a new director as soon as possible for collective decisionmaking on next year’s budget, said Chuck Williams, who has served on the board for nearly four years. Hinds was an ideal candidate because she served on the district accountability committee and has attended multiple school board meetings, Williams said. While Happel does not discredit Hinds as an appropriate replacement for Miller, he questions the integrity of the process and says it appears the board already had its sights set on Hinds. “The thing that’s so disappointing is there were going to be other candidates, but they didn’t get it in,” said Happel, who says he was not among the hopefuls for the position. “They must do their best to announce and advertise the vacancy. I can’t say for sure (the appointment) was preconceived, but it didn’t give others the opportunity.” Williams said the board’s actions were “well within the guidelines” set by the CDE and Colorado Association of School Boards. However, he acknowledged that the duration of the application period was shorter than most. “Looking back on this, we could have maybe extended (the deadline) out,” Williams said. Hinds will fill the position until November, when an election will take place to fill that seat and two others. Those who aren’t appointed or elected to the school board have the opportunity to join committees that help fulfill the district’s mission, Williams said. Williams referred to Happel as a “watchdog of the community” and said his intentions are good, but denied any wrongdoing in the appointment of Hinds and said the district is “trying to be as transparent as we can be.” The board is familiar with Hinds’ background and Williams says she is there to serve students. “I think we made the right decision,” he said.