19 10 03

Because every town needs a park, a library and a newspaper

Carbondale’s weekly

community connector

Volume 11, Number 34 | October 3, 2019

A little camera trickery but no digital manipulation was necessary to capture these ghostly figures in the Thompson House dining room. Photo by Will Grandbois

Meet the ghosts of Potato Days past

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff If the Thompson House isn’t already haunted, it certainly will be on Oct. 5.

In conjunction with the ghostly theme of this year’s Potato Day, The Carbondale Historical Society is jumping right in to October with a ghost walk at the nationally-registered building next to Triangle Park. While Hillcrest Cemetery was long considered and even publicized as the venue (the Town later shut down the plan citing “logistical issues”), Historical Society President Sue Gray thinks the house will prove the right choice.

“I think it adds another dimension that we wouldn’t have had at the cemetery,” she said.

The Thompson House is, after all, one of the oldest and grandest homes in Carbondale, preserved with all its original contents. And while the cast of characters were originally limited to those in the old part of the cemetery (it may still be worth the

trek to visit their graves before or after the event), Hattie and Myron Thompson can now hold court as well.

Guests will circulate through the house at 15-minute intervals between 6 and 8 p.m. on Oct. 5 — tickets are $10 per person at carbondalehistory.org. After hearing from the specters of some of Carbondale’s chief characters, they’ll have a chance to mingle on the enclosed porch. No food, drink or dogs are allowed, although supervised children are welcome. It’s not really intended as a spooky affair, but rather a enjoyable and edifying encounter with history — and a last chance for folks to view the house for the season without making an appointment.

“It’s our only fundraiser of the year, really, but more than the money I think it’s important to connect the community with the historical society and museum,” Gray said. “I had way more fun doing this than I thought it was going to be, just because the people involved are so enthusiastic and really taking on the roles. I think if you know how your town was founded, why and by whom, you have a more complete idea of the character of the community and how it’s evolved.”

These particular characters — Samuel Bowles, Sarah Jane Grubb, William Dinkel, Edna Sweet and the Thompsons — all have connections to potatoes, in particular.

“Potatoes are what put Carbondale on the map originally,” Gray explained. “It’s how we fed the miners. Then our potatoes became famous across the country. That lasted from around 1900 to the 1940s.”

Bowles supposedly grew the area’s first potato crop from peelings in his ranch along the Crystal River (then called Rock Creek) just down from the Grubb place. Eugene Grubb would later literally write the book on potatoes, but Sarah Jane will also tell you about the accomplishments of her other children.

If the event were at the cemetery, William Dinkel’s gravesized tombstone would steal the show. His started his fortune by bringing flour through deep snow over Independence Pass during a shortage in Aspen. He helped run the first stage stop, post office and bank in town and is widely regarded as one of Carbondale’s chief founders.

Continued on page 14.

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OPINION

Ps & Qs

By Jeannie Perry These days people say to me, “It’s too bad you can’t write about the president anymore, what with the political climate being so volatile.”

While it is my dream to be the Ann Coulter of the Left, the truth is, it isn’t the volatile political climate that keeps me from writing about our pussy-grabber-in-chief.

Because The Sopris Sun is a weekly, there is no way I can turn something in on Monday that will still be relevant — much less current — by Thursday.

So be it. Just one more example of how fast our attention span is moving now that we’ve let the little-fingered monster out of his gilded cage.

Trump is like an evil genie who

You can afford to share the pie has been released from his lamp and is running amok, only granting wishes for those who can do something to benefit him directly.

He is the poster child for never having to face the consequences of one’s actions, and without accountability, there can be no selfdiscovery or personal growth.

I recently spent a few days near Fraser, Colorado, where the energy of the place was impressed on me like newsprint on silly putty.

Whenever I travel to new lands (whether it’s another continent or just over the next hill) I try to get a feeling for the new place. I acknowledge that I am a visitor and I do my best to acclimate, rather than bringing my expectations to a place I have never been before. I embrace the unfamiliar for what I can learn, instead of trying to impose what I already know on those around me. And it usually works, as I have fun and interesting travels wherever I go.

Also, I don’t assume that I know more about any subject than those around me. Even if the conversation turns to small mountain towns with a penchant for building new strip malls instead of renovating all the outdated ones already in existence, I try to stay open to hearing new or unique perspectives. My favorites

are the conversations when I have no idea what the other person will say next, even if it’s offensive. In my opinion, offensive is better than mundane.

More often than not, offensive speech simply comes from ignorance. We all stick our foot in our mouth at some point, but if we’re using our words authentically, then it’s usually a forgivable offense and may even create the opportunity to learn something new.

And here’s a little tip from your rural Miss Manners, if you don’t belong to the group that is the butt of the joke, it’s probably not your joke to tell. For instance, I’m cleared to tell blonde jokes and Irish jokes (luckily, two of the funniest joke genres!) Otherwise, like my Gran taught me, if you don’t have anything nice to say, and you like pie, then shut your piehole (cake lovers can substitute cake for pie).

Speaking of pie, I saw a great meme stating that equal rights are not like pie, i.e., when others receive a bigger share, it doesn’t cut into ours. Humans have been slinging heavy ammunition pie (verbal and actual) at each other since the beginning, but isn’t it tired?

It’s high time we stop operating

LETTERS Honoring someone’s story Dear Editor: My name is Estefania Acosta and I was one of the people interviewed for the article “The Silent Trauma of Immigration” published on Sept. 4, 2019.

When I was given the opportunity to share my story as an immigrant, I wasn’t aware of how it would be used in the article.

I was just happy that an article on the trauma of immigration was being written and that I could be part of it.

I shared my story in an interview that took a little over an hour, in which I responded to several questions about the process of coming to this country and how traumatizing it can be. I also described the methods of crossing

John, Marianne and David Ackerman took a break with The Sun at the Russian Memorial in Bratislava, Slovakia.

that I am familiar with by my own lived experience and this brought a lot of pain and memories to me and despite that I kept going with the interview. My coworker who identifies as white Anglo was also interviewed for this article.

When I read the article I was hurt and so disappointed. It hurt to see that despite me telling the reporter my story, what it’s like to cross the border, to be with strangers, to leave your home and everything you know, they still decided to use what the white Anglo person thought it was like even though they don’t have nor will ever experience what it’s like.

Reading this article made me feel devalued — like my story and experience are not enough. I was also able to understand why immigrants do not feel comfortable sharing their stories with the mediA: our stories are used in a way that better suits the media, without taking into consideration how this action affects the person sharing something so private and vulnerable or the impact that it will have on that individual.

I would recommend that if someone is interested in writing an informative article about the immigrant community, they try to connect with us in a way that honors our story.

People think that the media intentions when connecting with the community are to help prevent situations, or provide awareness about a topic. I would also recommend that as media reporters, you all pay special attention to the way you misguide or let people you interview believe you will use or publish their story or information shared by them. Transparency is important and the lack of it can also have a negative impact and/or increase a trauma for a person.

I imagine many others have had similar experiences. These leave us with a bad impression of the media and their intentions when they come to us in search of answers

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

in lizard-brain mode and move on to more sophisticated means. I daydream that that’s Trump’s real purpose: to help us realize our faces are covered in pie and wake up to what we have become: a selfobsessed nation with a screen-time eating disorder.

We are so bloated with our own consumption that we’ve lost sight of the buffet. America used to mean variety: in people, in places, in pie. In fact, some would say our differences were what made us the whole package.

After all, not every country has a dream named after them. But I’m afraid we can no longer see the nuances of our success because our focus has wholly turned to the shiny tray that brings us our daily serving of bigotry and bias.

Personally, if I had three wishes, I would wish for humans to share: their unique stories, their stewardship of other species and this planet, and (of course) their pie.

The views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The community is invited to submit letters of up to 250 words to P.O. Box 399 or 500 words to news@soprissun.com. Longer columns are considered on a case-by-case basis. The deadline for submission is noon on Monday.

that only we have because at the end of the day we are the experts in this. We have the lived experience and that is something that we treasure, value and will always carry with us.

Estefania “Fani” Acosta Advocate Safehouse

A civil debate Dear Editor: As I write this missive, I am looking at the front cover of this week’s issue of The Sopris Sun (Sept. 26).

As I ponder what was written on the sign I am trying to discern what message is being sent.

I realize that "Climate Control" is a sensitive issue and there are many voices on other sides of the debate. Some say that the issue is "settled science." I think that it is good to remember that nothing is settled science just because one of our politicians says it is.

What concerns me more than anything is the possibility of being threatened or bullied. It appears that the idea of dialogue is disappearing from our society. How else are we going to learn about each other if we don't listen as well as speak. When you listen you have a chance to learn, when you speak you get to share what you think you know. Speaking and listening are equally important in healthy dialogue.

I would love to have a discussion with the person holding the sign. Perhaps we would end up agreeing to disagree, but at least we would avoid the violence.

Jim DeBerge Carbondale Resident

Ca-cawphony Dear Editor: Agitated crows Protesting with flaps and caws A murder astir JM Jesse Glenwood Springs Continued on page 26

Sincerest thanks to our

Honorary Publishers for their annual commitment of $1,000+

Email barbara.dills@gmail.com for more information.

Jim Calaway, Honorary Chair Kay Brunnier Scott Gilbert – Habitat for Humanity RFV Bob Young – Alpine Bank Peter Gilbert Umbrella Roofing, Inc. Bill Spence and Sue Edelstein Greg and Kathy Feinsinger Carolyn Nelson Jim Noyes True Nature Healing Arts Nicolette Toussaint Jill and Gary Knaus Megan Tackett

Legacy Givers for including us in their final wishes.

Mary Lilly

And all our SunScribers and community members for your support.

It truly takes a village to keep The Sun shining.

Donate online or by mail.

P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 520 S. Third Street #32 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Editor Will Grandbois • 970-510-0540 news@soprissun.com Advertising: Todd Chamberlin • 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Graphic Designer: Ylice Golden Staff Reporter: Roberta McGowan Delivery: Tom Sands Current Board Members board@soprissun.com Marilyn Murphy, President Raleigh Burleigh, Vice President Linda Criswell, Secretary Klaus Kocher, Treasurer John Colson • Kay Clarke Carol Craven The Sopris Sun Board meets regularly on the second Monday evening of each month at the Third Street Center.

Founding Board Members Allyn Harvey • Becky Young • Colin Laird Barbara New • Elizabeth Phillips Peggy DeVilbiss • Russ Criswell Send us your comments: feedback@soprissun.com The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Donations to The Sun are fully tax deductible.

Domestic violence thrives in the shadows

By Kate Phillips Sopris Sun Correspondent

READER

pets that make it harder to relocate.

Sometimes [the victim] fears that if they leave [their abuser] they will “I was barely 18 years old lose everything.” when we got married,” Carol*, a Additionally, Gordon notes that Carbondale local, recalls about her domestic violence negatively impacts first marriage. “The first time we had Carbondale’s economy. “Part of sex was to consummate the marriage. [economic] abuse is trouble at work He raped me.” because the abuser calls and harasses Carol, who was head of the victim there. Oftentimes the multiple non-profits in the victim will callout sick, miss hours, valley just a few years ago, spoke or even lose their job as a result of candidly about her first marriage the abuser. Women, in particular, and the abuse her husband would often have spotty resumes because regularly put her through. of abuse. The more supportive an Throughout their marriage, This story contains content that may be upsetting — particularly employer can be, the better.”

Carol’s ex-husband would force to those with related trauma. Names have been changed to Sarah Buckley, Community himself on her even during protect the identity and families of the survivors.

Education Advocate for Advocate menstruation. He began whittling Safehouse Project (ASP), agrees. away at her spirit by embarrassing her in front of his co-workers, “Some victims have had their paychecks withheld from them by criticizing her cooking skills, and telling her she could not accept abusers or were unable to leave the house to cash their checks. We a full-time job. “You can’t do that! Who would take care of the have to take into account that when people call us they might not children?” he had said to Carol when she approached him to discuss have any money.” an opportunity to earn income.

“I was so wrapped up in the abuse I started saying it was my A way out fault,” the young mother of two at the time, remembers. “He was ASP is a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors emotionally and physically abusive [to me]. He was not a good father of domestic abuse and sexual assault through education, figure either. He couldn’t be bothered with the children. When he empowerment, advocacy, and safehousing. In 2018, ASP provided didn’t show up for our 3 year old son’s surgery, that’s when I knew it 1,774 nights of safehousing which included people staying in the was enough.” safehouse or emergency hotel shelters, according to Buckley.

Whispers of stories similar to Carol’s can be heard in the “Since each situation is so different, our services are specialized shadows of communities across America. Families that are torn to the needs of the survivor.” Buckley states, “We work hard to apart because of abusive spouses. Teenagers who isolate themselves meet the survivors where they are at. The most important thing is from friends because their partner refuses to let them socialize. empowering the victim to decide what they want to do with their Mothers afraid to leave their abusive husbands because they have life and let them make their own decisions.” no control over their finances.

Specifically, ASP offers gift cards for food and clothing so Carbondale is not immune to this reality and it’s time we the victim can do their own shopping for perhaps the first time. address it.

Advocates also offer victims support with budget planning, job October marks the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness coaching, resume building, and interview prep so the victims can Month, a nationwide initiative dedicated to breaking the cycle of be successful in the workplace. silence and abuse in intimate partnerships.

To support survivors with housing in the valley, ASP applied

DISCRETION

A DV I S E D

Close to home Anna Ramirez, Executive Assistant, Records Manager, and Public Relations Officer for the Carbondale Police, states that, “Domestic violence is anytime the victim is afraid for themselves.

Some examples of domestic violence include grabbing and taking the phone from a victim so they cannot call for help, throwing things, forceful sex, and more.”

Since January 2019, the Carbondale Police Department has received over 40 reported incidents of domestic violence. In the last year nearly 40 Coloradans died at the hands of an abuser, according to the AP News.

Based on the 40 reported incidents this year, the average age of Carbondale locals involved in domestic violence is 38. Of those individuals, 52 percent identify as male and 47 percent identify as female, with the remainder not identifying with either gender.

In terms of ethnicity, 72 percent of the reported incidents are nonhispanic or latino, 18 percent identify as hispanic or latino, and 10 percent are unknown.

Ramirez notes that these reported incidents do not show a full picture of domestic violence in Carbondale.

“The victim often says [the abuse] has been happening for years and they never reported it until it got worse or someone else reported it,” she explains.

For some victims in Carbondale, fear of deportation is a reason that stops them from calling the police. Local police have been working hard to dispel the misconception that they are working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“We are not here to call immigration,” Ramirez emphasizes. ”We are here to help and make sure everybody stays safe. We do everything we can to help the victim. They are our main priority.”

Janet Gordon, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Carbondale, also agrees that “domestic violence is way underreported [in Carbondale]. There are so many facets and pieces as to why a victim stays. The stigma, secrecy, desire to make it work, [inability] to move for economic reasons all make it difficult for a victim to leave.”

Along with deportation, some victims in Carbondale stay with their abusers because they are unable to afford leaving them, according to Gordon. Victims experiencing economic abuse often do not have control over their finances making it challenging for them to move or pay their bills.

“The rental market is incredibly hard here.” Gordon elaborates.

“Trying to find housing is so difficult. Victims sometimes have kids or

and received grant money from the Housing First Program.

“It is essentially a financial kickstart that helps victims with first and last rental deposits in the valley. Since the valley is so expensive, we want to do everything we can to break down barriers [such as financial worries] that prevent survivors from getting the help they need,” Buckley explains.

Although it is not required to get law enforcement involved when contacting ASP, Buckley states that victims who do file reports can receive support for free counseling through the Crime Victims Compensation Fund.

“Our services also expand to kids who are also affected by what’s going on in the household,” Buckley states. “Kids know what is going on. They can sense the energy. Yelling and screaming in front of them does have a negative affect. We’ll see kids with chronic stomach pain due to the stress of the [domestic abuse].”

Currently, statistics indicate that one in three women and one in three men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, according to Buckley. In a small town like Carbondale, the likelihood that someone you know is experiencing abuse is high.

In a seemingly helpless situation, bystanders actually have more power than they realize.

“It is so hard to watch your friend get abused.” Gordon notes, “However, telling a victim to ‘just leave’ their abuser is not simple.

It makes the victim feel more alone. Instead you can say, ‘This doesn’t feel good. How can I support you? What can I do?’”.

“The goal of the abuser is to make the victim dependent upon them. Isolation is complete power and control.” Gordon continues, “Be a supportive friend. Get a cup of coffee with them, regularly check in. Abuse thrives in secrecy. We are giving our consent when we do not speak up.”

When Carol filed for divorce after 15 years of marriage, the first thing she did was take her maiden name back.

“Life is too short to stay with your ex because of the children or money.” Carol passionately states. “I was either going to change or die inside, and I knew I had to change my situation. I didn’t know anyone else who was going through this. A young woman with two kids was an anomaly at the time, but I knew I had to do it.”

Today, Carol is happily remarried and in a job that she describes as her “dream job” — but the trauma is still palpable. “We are all learning we have to speak up to prevent this from happening to someone else. A woman has more power than she thinks, and it is her primary responsibility within herself to change things.”

Domestic violence can happen to anyone at anytime regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or economic status.

If you or someone you love is experiencing abuse, please call the Advocate Safehouse Project 24/7 hotline at 945-4339 or 945-4439.

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 3

SCUTTLEBUTT

Send your scuttlebutt to news@soprissun.com.

Becomes the hunted Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking the public for help identifying two individuals suspected of illegally killing a bull elk last week in Game Management Unit 2, a limited, highquality hunting unit located in northwest Moffat County. A bull elk license in GMU 2 is considered one of Colorado's most coveted for the highquality hunting opportunity it provides. Legal, ethical hunters may wait up to a quarter-century or longer to compile enough points to draw a bull elk license in this unit. When bull elk of this size are poached, fines may include a $10,000 'trophypenalty,' in addition to standard penalties for the illegal taking and possession of wildlife. Anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious on the evening of Sept. 25 should call 877-265-6648. ]

To get more knowledge To encourage more Coloradans to continue their education, Gov. Jared Polis has announced that all 32 public colleges and universities in Colorado­and several private institutions will allow students to apply for free on Tuesday, Oct. 15 as part of the second Colorado Free Application Day. While they’re at it, prospective college students should consider visiting DanielsFund.org to apply for a four-year, annually renewable “last dollar” scholarship by Nov. 15.

Bridge the gap A new duplicate bridge club is forming at Glenwood Springs Community Center. It will meet from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoons starting Nov. 1 and cost $3 for Community Center members and $5 for non-members. All bridge players are welcome, but you'll want a partner and some experience. Email 2llama@ comcast.ne to sign up for the mailing list and register for a table.

The women of Sopris 100 Who Care held their fifth event at the Old Thompson Barn on Sept. 24 and selected Pathfinders for a gift of $9,000. Allison Daily (second from left) accepted the check from Cindy Nett, Cathie Farrar, Jamie Maybon and Bonnie Cretti. The next event is slated for Feb. 24, 2020 — email sopris100whocare@gmail.com for more info. Courtesy photo

Get out on the highway The Colorado Department of Transportation is seeking to hire both permanent and seasonal fulltime and part-time highway maintenance workers and snowplow drivers for the adverse weather ahead.

Most positions begin in November and require a Colorado Class A or B Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and experience operating heavy equipment, such as a forklift or bus, and/or physical labor experience. Visit /bit.ly/TeamCDOT to apply. By the way, Steve Harelson — who served as the West Program Engineer in the Denver metro region since 2013 — has been selected as the CDOT’s next chief engineer.

By the book Submissions are now open for the Colorado Book Awards for work published in 2019 or late 2018. Now in their 29th year, the awards are presented each spring incategories including

anthology/collection, biography, children’s literature, creative nonfiction, fiction, history, nonfiction, pictorial, poetry, and young adult literature. The submission deadline is Jan. 6, 2020; visit coloradohumanities.submittable. com/submit for guidelines and entry forms — or to volunteer as a selector or judge.

Can’t handle the heat

A temporary emergency area closure has been implemented in the vicinity of Granite Lake Fire, 13 miles southeast of Meredith in the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness. Forest Road #504 is closed at the junction of 504/504.1E to the end, and Trail #1940 is closed from the South Fork Trailhead to the top of South Fork Pass.

The fire was ignited by lighting and first detected on Sept. 21. At the time of the latest update, it encompassed 695 acres and wasn’t threatening any nearby structures. Visit inciweb.nwcg.gov/ incident/6611 for up-to-date information.

The stag mural isn't the only new artsy animal in Carbondale — Dos Gringos is sporting a cool new bear shelf. Photo by Lynn Burton

They say it’s your birthday Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Kate Schwerin, Shannon O'Gara, Kevin Steuben, Cole Fenton and Daniella Stanley Kline (Oct. 3); Matt Koenigsknecht and Paul Black (Oct. 4); Tami Stroud (Oct. 5); Matthew Roeser, Christi Couch and Bill Anschuetz (Oct. 6); Camille Vogt and Bob Burns (Oct. 7); Lani Kitching and Jody Ensign (Oct. 8) Melissa Nelson, Sarah Graf and Sarah Morehouse (Oct. 9).

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4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

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Colorful creation New large-scale mural takes shape near Fourth Street

By Trina Ortega Sun Correspondent Two children from the Mountain Momma Preschool stood in the small park at Fourth and Main streets staring at the side of a building where muralist Bunnie Reiss had painted a two-story-tall hoofed animal with a green diamond in its torso. A large orb (perhaps a sun) was sketched out to the right and flowers to the left.

“Is it a deer or an elk,” the two children asked.

A woman in a car drove slowly through the adjacent alleyway and commented: “That’s so beautiful.

It’s going to be amazing, isn’t it?

We’re so lucky.”

Reiss — who was high on a mechanical lift and wearing headphones — couldn’t hear the soft voices. She was in the creative zone and pushing to finish the mural on the west-facing side of the building at 380 Main St., where Batch is located, before First Friday. The official unveiling and a meet-and-greet with Reiss will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at the park.

Later, Reiss would answer: “The animal is whatever the children want it to be.”

Reiss explained: “I wanted to look at things that were familiar to the area. There’s going to be a lot of flowers on it, too. It will have a lot of the wildflowers that you see around

here. I decided that doing wildlife would be the most appropriate.”

She was among 35 international artists who submitted applications to paint a mural commissioned by Carbondale Arts. The nonprofit received a $20,000 grant from the Embrey Family Foundation, which was paired with $25,000 from the Marlene Miller Foundation in hopes of supporting two or three murals. Carbondale Arts formed a committee to review applications, which came from as far as Turin, Italy.

“We looked through all the applications and Bunnie’s just really seemed to fit what we were looking for,” Kimberly said. “It’s colorful and whimsical, yet it has the mule deer, which is an animal from our area. It just had a lot of great elements that we loved.”

Reiss has a Master of Fine Arts in painting from San Francisco Arts Institute. Her brightly colored folk murals are influenced by her Eastern European background. In addition to large public paintings, she does work for gallery shows and installations, and her work can be found throughout the world, including Los Angeles, Mexico, Italy, Paris, India, Philippines, Detroit, Milwaukee, New York and San Francisco.

Reiss, who grew up in Denver but now lives in the Korea Town district of Los Angeles, had been to Carbondale before and looked forward to returning for what would be a busy week. She sat in the Carbondale Arts offices for

The mural on the side of the Batch building has continued to evolve. a short lunch break after working for roughly six hours straight, donning a “Stranger Things” baseball cap, a hoody with custom quilt work on the back, and canvas utility work pants that were covered in paint, likely from previous works of art. (The Carbondale mural is in spray paint, so it’s less messy in terms of paint dripping on her clothes but requires a face mask while working.)

To start the mural, Reiss projected a sketch of her painting onto the twostory-tall wall and roughed in the design elements. Because the mural originally was going to be on a different wall (the historical building that houses the Near New Store at Third and Main), neither Reiss nor Kimberly knew the exact dimensions. Reiss was able to adjust

the mural to fit the new “canvas,” which was prepped at no cost by Dru Handy Custom Painting.

Batch and Roaring Fork Beer Co. owner Aly Sanguily, who lives on the second floor of the building, said she and her family have welcomed the mural.

“It adds value to our business, and we had a hideous orange color on the wall anyways,” Sanguily said. “Plus, I have a little 6-year-old, and she is so excited about it. We love the design.”

Kimberly said Reiss’ mural is the first large-scale work commissioned

by Carbondale Arts. The organization helped fund the Chris Erickson mural on the SAW (Studio for Arts + Works) building, and more large-scale works are being planned, including a community

mural on the CenturyLink building, installation of a kindness-themed painting by Carbondale seventhgraders, and a mural by Greeley artist Armando Silva.

Bunnie Reiss hard at work. Photos by Trina Ortega

You’re proud to call Colorado home. So are we.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 5

REVIEW

Not just a walk in the park

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun As the United States still stands on the brink of nuclear war after the nearly 75 years since the bombing of Hiroshima,Japan, at the end of World War II, live theater in Carbondale rises to the challenge of portraying echoes of history as today's reality.

The production of "A Walk in the Woods" at Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) brings the past, the present, and the future together dramatically. The play, written by Lee Blessing in 1986, is masterfully directed by Corey Simpson, TRTC's executive artistic director.

Set in a forest near Geneva, Switzerland in 1982, this two-actor play keeps the audience riveted by both the dialogue and the cat and mouse game between Russian arms negotiator Andrey Botvinnik (played by Bob Moore) and American arms negotiator Joan Honeyman (played

by Wendy Tennis). These negotiations, the play explains, have been going on for years, perhaps decades, with little or no movement on either side.

Or maybe it's instead a cat and cat game, as both characters appear ready and willing to extend or retract their claws. Walking in the woods calls to mind a peaceful stroll in nature. But, that's certainly not the case here.

As the play begins, Botvinnik seems the jolly, friendly and welcoming antithesis of Honeyman, the stern, no-nonsense American. The bucolic setting is limited to a bench, a few stumps, rocks, dirt and fallen leaves.

That's it. No more, save when Botvinnik describes the surrounding countryside. The only change in this scene is as the characters change outer garments to reflect the changing seasons — except at the end of the play, when Botvinnik finds a lovely white flower representing spring.

Spring flowers are often associated with hope, but that doesn't apply to arms negotiations proposals in this play. The only hope depicted comes from these two individuals learning and growing and, yes, accepting the limits of their missions and their friendship.

If you think back to the ‘80s, you'll remember that 1989 was the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. In November, the Berlin Wall became nothing more than rubble and in December, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena were tried, convicted and executed. The upheaval continued across Europe, as the audience well

knows, but the characters cannot see the political turbulence to come.

Moore and Tennis both shine in this production. They become the characters they are portraying. Each jousts for dominance.

Botvinnik with an obvious quest initially for friendship and frivolity, and Honeyman obsessed with seriousness. The tension between the two adversaries lessens as the play continues. Honeyman softens, while Botvinnik becomes more strident.

Honeyman reveals a character in internal turmoil. She meticulously brushes fallen autumn leaves from a bench and a stump, wherever she plans to sit. She depicts hope slowly dying in the face of reality.

Botvinnik, until the end, seems unaffected by the insurmountable tension between the two countries.

These acting accomplishments also draw in the audience, which may be feeling as if actual history is unfolding before them.

The one difficulty with the production is the use of a theater-in-the round staging, although more appropriately can be called a theaterin-the square. The audience is seated in four separate sections, each facing a different part of the set. Although the actors move around so that each section sees them, people at one of the two short ends can miss many of the facial nuances and body postures. However, the choreographed movements do mimic a film director's careful use of varying focus.

Two themes are woven throughout the play: friendship and vision. Moore's insistence and, often demands, for friendship spar with Honeyman's determination to stay formal and detached from everything except her mission.

While the push by Botvinnik to be Honeyman' friend is very open and apparent, the theme of vision is a little more opaque. Moore uses eye drops for his dry eyes. Yet, his accurate realization of the futility of the situation remains crystal clear.

Honeyman, on the other hand, sees only one straight and narrow path toward the acceptance of a joint arms reduction proposal. Her determination is credited to her newness in her appointed position.

Moore, a seasoned negotiator, has experienced failure and knows he is doomed to repeat this over and over again.

Overall, "A Walk in the Woods" is a well-seasoned play with outstanding performances and direction. The production runs through Saturday, Oct. 12.

Wendy Tennis and Bob Moore star in TRTC's A Walk in the Woods." Photo by Will Grandbois

J E W E L RY D E S I G N

6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

Nestler leaves on a sweet note

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent Luke Nestler, KDNK Music Director, says his time at the station has “always felt like a calling, more than anything. And that's what's kept me going for 15 years.”

He began as a volunteer DJ in 1989 and has been a paid staff member since 2004, making his 15year tenure the longest of any staffer in KDNK history.

Nestler decided it fitting that his last day as the station’s music director would be the KDNK Record Sale at Potato Day on Sat, Oct 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Sopris Park.

He will continue his musical DJ duties on Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m., followed by, during football season, Bronco Babble — a confessional of all things good, bad, and ugly with Denver Broncos football, along with co-hosts Jane Bachrach and David Briscoe.

Nestler was born in Grand Junction and was five years old when his father died. That is when Nestler, his mother, and sister moved to Boulder, where his maternal grandparents lived. He would graduate from high school in 1974 and go to college in Durango as an English major. He quit with one semester left, a decision he now calls “the stupidest thing I ever did.”

He moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1979, when his mother was living in Glenwood Springs and lived for 19 years on a mining claim on the backside of Aspen Mountain in a tipi. He reminisces how John Denver’s music and lyrics captured the essence of a Colorado he knows, loves, and sometimes misses, saying “When he talks about [in “Back Home Again”], ‘there's a storm across the valley,’ all that stuff, I lived it. It was right there. And I guess that's why I cry sometimes when I hear that because that ain't happening anymore. That stuff doesn't happen. You have to go to Idaho or Montana, or maybe Nevada or something.”

The ongoing operations of KDNK, with close to 1,300 members and over 100 DJs, requires a lot of detailed behindthe-scenes work.

The nature of the radio business has changed greatly over recent years, and as Nestler says, “Everything's moving too fast. And that's actually one reason why I'm quitting because this place gets very hectic sometimes.”

Nestler told one story that demonstrates the intimate connection of radio: “We got a call one membership drive from a lady who was sitting with her dying mother, and they were listening to KDNK. They were listening

Luke Nestler is spending his last few days at KDNK thumbing through albums for the big record sale. Photo by Will Grandbois to Minnie Moon, the daughter of Amy Kimberly at Carbondale Arts.

Amy's daughter was doing a show, and she was playing Frank Sinatra.

This woman called and said, ‘I'd like to pledge my support to your radio station because you're playing the music that my mother grew up with.’ And she explained that her mother was dying and that it meant a lot to her to turn on the radio and hear Frank Sinatra coming out of the speakers. That’s a beautiful thing. It’s goosebump radio.”

Cody Lee will take over the musical director's duties. As Nestler

says, “The great thing about Cody is that he has got such an evenkeel; he’s one of those people that everybody loves.” He is confident handing the baton over to Lee, “because he's a great guy. And he definitely knows his music — all kinds.”

One of his last duties is sorting through stacks of vinyl albums and CDs to be sold at this weekend’s record sale. The event, ever-popular with devout vinyl collectors, is in its 30th year and is a fundraiser for KDNK. The station receives many record donations, from which they

add to their music library, then the remainder is sold. Last year’s sale raised almost $1,800. Not too shabby when you consider the vinyl records and CDs are sold at $1 and $3 a pop.

Nestler plans to take a one-year break from the hubbub and ease himself into a natural harmony at home. He says, “I live on the Roaring Fork River and I have a really nice grassy beach where we live. I just want to sit by the river and listen to the river sing its sweet song.”

Well played, sir.

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 7

8 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

Roaring Fork keeps students in its halls

Roaring Fork Rams show their pride in May 2018. Photo by Sue Rollyson

By James Steindler Sopris Sun Correspondent Enrollment is up at Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) and the new administration is welcoming the influx with open arms. Lyn Bair, RFHS’s Principal, and Zoe Stern, Assistant Principal, are determined to keep students’ interest up and provide a top notch education for every young person they can.

Let’s take a look at the numbers, of which there is no shortage on the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) website, with per-district enrollment counts dating back to 1995. According to the CDE, 5,311 students were enrolled in Roaring Fork School District in the fall of 2008 compared to 5,455 in 2018.

This increase is not unprecedented.

In 1995 there were 4,688 students enrolled in the District and by 1999 the count increased to 4,844.

In 2008, RFHS was sitting at 321 students. The most recent official count in the fall of 2018 saw an increase to 374 students. Although this year’s count is not yet official, Bair indicated that enrollment is up yet again stating, “a couple of weeks ago we were at 390 [students].”

Looking at the data, RFHS is seeing fewer students transfer to other schools. The CDE shows that RFHS saw 35 transfers in the 2017-2018 school year (the most recent available) compared to 146 in 2007-2008. Clearly there has been a significant decrease in transfer rates.

According to Superintendent Rob Stein there “doesn’t seem to be anything in the enrollment patterns at the school that reflect programmatic choice.” In other words, overall RFHS students are happy with the program options offered at their school.

Bair is proud to say that RFHS offers “some amazing sports programs” and the school has one of “the best traditions of the major high schools in our District.” The soccer program is presently very successful and attracts a lot of young local athletes. Other popular sports programs include baseball, basketball, women's lacrosse, softball, track and field, volleyball and others.

There is not currently a Varsity football team, but Bair would love to see it come back. The reason for its absence is purely lack of interest: not enough students are signing up for the football program to warrant both Junior Varsity ( JV) and Varsity teams.

Currently there are around 18 players on the JV football team and they each get lots of playing time.

The Band Program is one of many popular electives at the school. The school works with Jazz Aspen to bring professional musicians to work

with the band students. There is also a flourishing Drama class that puts on impressive performances. If a student wants to be a rockstar when they grow up they can take Marcia Kuhlman’s guitar class. The options for students at the school are bountiful and they do not have to go searching elsewhere to find their niche.

While upped enrollment is a sign that the school is doing their job to keep students in their halls, it coincides with an associated issue: larger classes. The school incorporates several strategies to address this matter.

Large classes concern teachers because it can become difficult to meet every student’s individual academic needs. Teachers will use a strategy known as “scaffolding” where they use tiers in a lesson plans to accommodate various academic levels within the classroom. Larger classes may require more tiers.

There are teachers’ aides and paraprofessionals who provide backup in some of the larger classes.

Teachers aides are upperclassmen who must apply for the position and are proficient in the subject area. Teachers aides go through a training process and are expected to support students academically within the classroom.

Teachers also run the “resource room” where during the school day students can receive additional “one on one” academic support.

Furthermore, at the end of each day there is “access time” where all teachers are in their classrooms and available to students and parents.

Bair was quick to point out that last year’s junior class had the highest SAT scores in the District. Bair further boasted that RFHS had the highest “growth scores for our English language learners.” Bair accredits good teachers and committed students with these successes.

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Read ‘The Choice’ with Colorado Mountain College Author, Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eger’s memoir this year’s Common Reader

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff What can you learn from Holocast survivor and clinical psychologist Edith Eva Eger, Ph.D.?

Plenty.

You can hear her talk about her memoir “The Choice: Embrace the Possible” 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct.10, at the Colorado Mountain College (CMC) Spring Valley campus. The presentation is free, open to the public and will be live streamed.

Her book encourages people to “tap their full potential and shape their very best destinies.” It was a New York Times best seller and won both the 2017 National Jewish Book Award and 2018 Christopher Award. As the 2019 Common Reader selection at CMC, it is available at local libraries and bookstores and at bit.ly/2OVjh8A online.

The 92-year-old author survived the Auschwitz, Poland concentration camp where the Nazis sent her and her family from their home in Hungary. Her parents were murdered immediately upon arrival. Her sister Magda also survived. Approximately one million people died or were killed there during the years from (1941 to 1945) the camp was operating.

When the camp was finally liberated, she

was pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive.

Asked how she was able to survive Auschwitz, Eger explained, “I said to myself, ‘If I survive today, then tomorrow, I’ll be free.’ So I never really allowed the Nazis, ever, to break my spirit. They beat me, they tortured me, and they could have thrown me in a gas chamber in a minute. But I never allowed them to break my spirit.”

Eger remember the last words her mother spoke; “Just remember, no one can take away from what you've put in your mind.”

After the war, she moved to Czechoslovakia, where she met her future husband. In 1949, they moved to the United States. In 1969 she received her degree in psychology from the University of Texas, El Paso. She then pursued her doctoral internship at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, TX. That stuck with her until today. She maintains a clinical practice in La Jolla, Calif. and holds a faculty appointment at the University of California, San Diego. She urges people to discard their limitations, discover their powers of self-renewal and achieve things they previously thought unattainable.

Eger recently noted, ”I’ve discovered that the process of seeing your challenges as assets, your past as a guide and your future as an opportunity.

Better care for patients.

Better health for all.

“The Choice: Embrace the Possible” by Dr. Edith Eger is the 2019 Common Reader selection at Colorado Mountain College. A Holocaust survivor, Eger will present at CMC's Spring Valley Campus on Oct. 9.

Courtesy photos She has appeared on numerous television programs including CNN and the Oprah Winfrey Show and was the primary subject of a holocaust documentary on Dutch National Television.

Throughout her life and her psychology practice, Eger described finding that her experience living through the horrors of war inspired her to help others deal with trauma and loss. She believes people, despite dire circumstances, have a choice to forgive and to heal.

Additionally, Eger and her team are working on bringing her story to the movies.

Under the CMC Common Reader program, the college's students, faculty and staff vote on a book to read together. The public is encouraged

to participate and attend authors’ presentations.

The talk will be live streamed at the Carbondale Branch Library. Also, you can watch the event from your computer, tablet or smartphone. Go to coloradomtn.edu/ community-partnerships/common-reader just before the event and select the “Live Stream the Talk” icon on the lower left side of the page.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on the National Mall, Washington, D.C. estimates no more than 150,000 survivors remain alive in 2019. That number is diminishing as age and time take their toll.

This may be one of the few remaining public occasions where you can hear survivors’ stories.

Never forget.

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10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

Take a stand for two valleys

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff The Roaring Fork and North Fork Valleys have more in common than simply being neighbors.

Each includes public lands under threat of oil and gas development near Huntsman’s Ridge. Also, the Wilderness Workshop (WW) insists that protection is urgently needed for Thompson Divide and also for a sensible Uncompahgre Resource Management Plan.

You can “Stand at the Summit” of McClure Pass from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 4 to help unite both sides of the pass to ensure responsible use, management and preservation of the land, rivers and habitats. All of these provide clean air, pure water and the many recreational opportunities for locals and visitors. The event is free and open to the public.

The event “Two Valleys, One Landscape” is co-sponsored by WW, Thompson Divide Coalition, Western Slope Conservation Center and High Country Conservation Advocates.

Speakers will include Carbondale Mayor Dan Richardson, North Fork Valley rancher Tony Prendergast and Pitkin County Commissioner George Newman. Representatives

from the offices of U.S. Sen. Michael Bennett and U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton are scheduled to attend.

Wilderness Workshop Community Organizer Alicia Zeringuer explained that the event, now in its second year, is designed to help “prevent oil and gas activity where it doesn’t make sense, especially in roadless areas.”

According to Zeriguer, this is a family-friendly event. People are encouraged to bring a camping chair or a blanket, to mingle around the campfire, enjoy live music by Paonia musician Sam Heart and a sampling of refreshments from both valleys.

Founded in 1967, The Wilderness Workshop is the conservation watchdog of nearly four million acres of public lands in Western Colorado. It’s stated mission is “to protect and conserve the wilderness and natural landscapes of the Roaring Fork Watershed, the White River National Forest, and adjacent public lands.”

Although focused on the White River National Forest region, the work of WW is part of a visionary movement to reconnect wildlife habitats and rewild landscapes on a continental scale. Thus it

In addition to the ceremony on McClure Pass, the event comes with a couple of hiking opportunities. Photo by Jon Mullen frequently partners with other local, state, regional and national groups on projects.

The organizations involved in this event strongly support the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act now pending in the U.S. Congress. This legislation is designed to protect wilderness and recreation areas on public land in Colorado, including the Continental Divide, San Juan and Curecanti legislation.

It provides for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas and conservation areas in the state of Colorado and for other purposes.

Directions

Free guided field trips In advance or at the event, you can sign up for free guided field trips to some of the areas mentioned. Visit wildernessworkshop.org/stand-atthe-summit to RSVP. Call 963-3977 for more information. Field trips are contingent on a minimum number of registrants.

• 10 a.m. to 4p.m. - Hike the Drift Creek Trail into the Huntsman roadless area and visit a site for a proposed gas pad.

Eight miles round trip and steep.

• 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Hike the Huntsman’s Ridge Trail at the top of McClure Pass for a spectacular view of Thompson Divide. Four miles round trip.

From Carbondale, take Highway 133 to the top of McClure Pass. Turn left onto Ragged Mountain Road.

From Paonia, take Highway 133 to the top of McClure Pass. Turn right onto Ragged Mountain Road.

Park at the turn off to Ragged Mountain Road and walk a few hundred feet to the event. Signs will direct you. (Parking on site limited to people with special mobility needs).

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 11

Harvest Party Poster RBR2.pdf 1 Harvest Party Poster RBR2.pdf

9/6/19 4:24 PM 1 9/6/19 4:24 PM

COMMUNITY CALENDAR THURSDAY OCT. 3 STOP THE BLEED At 6 p.m., Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.) offers a presentation as well as hands-on practice of direct pressure application, wound packing, and use of a tourniquet.

GONG BATH Richard Rudis, Sonam Dorje, uses gongs, Himalayan singing bowls and tingsha to orchestrate sacred sound healing rituals that engage not only senses but also soul from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at True Nature Healing Arts (100 N. Third St.).

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HARVEST PARTY PARTY atatRock Bottom Ranch HARVEST Rock Bottom Ranch Saturday, October 12, 12-4 pm Saturday, October 12, 12-4 pm Lunch Live Music with Dancing

Hay RidesLive FarmMusic Tours Ranch Apple CiderDancing Pressing Lunch with Games

Face Pie Baking Contest Carving Hay Rides Painting Farm Tours Ranch Games ApplePumpkin Cider Pressing Vegetable Painting Harvest Art with The ArtContest Base Beer & Wine $5 Face Pie Baking Pumpkin Carving Vegetable Harvest Art with The Art Base Beer & Wine $5 Tickets at aspennature.org No parking available Adults $18 | Kids over 3 years $8 Please bike to 2001 Hooks Spur Road between Tickets at aspennature.org Basalt & Carbondale on available the Rio Grande Trail or No parking ACES Members receive discounted price until 10/7.

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INTUITION TALK Certified clairvoyant medium Michelle DesPres discusses how to use your core instincts to find personal balance, discern truth and right action and create peace in the world in a 7 to 8:30 p.m. presentation at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.) — a free preview of her Saturday workshop.

Temranillo, Toklat and Starbucks — throughout the evening.

SPIRITUAL HEALING Misha brings his own method of working with bioenergetic field of the body to the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.) from 6:30 to 8 p.m. — visit davinikent.org for more information.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT The Black Nugget hosts a 21+ event for the ladies beginning at 9 p.m. — visit girlsnightouttheshow. com tickets and more information.

SUNDAY OCT. 6 ARTWAY CELEBRATION Carbondale Arts dedicates the arch in DeRail Park a 2:30 p.m. with live music and activities all along the trail after.

MONDAY OCT. 7

COMMUNITY CONCERT Catch the Annie Moses Band from Nashville FRIDAY OCT. 4 at 7 p.m. at Glenwood Springs High School STAND AT THE SUMMIT The Roaring Fork and North Fork communities (1521 Grand Ave.) with admission by meet on McClure Pass in defense of public membership ticket — $50 for five concerts lands with short and long hike options before with family and student discounts. the 5 p.m. event. More info and registration at TUESDAY OCT. 8 wildernessworkshop.org.

MEDICARE INFO KIDS MOVIE Learn how to estimate your retirement, disability, Kids ages 6 to 12 are invited to drop by KDNK and survivor’s benefits, create an online account, (76 S. Second St.) from 5:30 to 8 p.m. for a film, check your benefit and payment information and popcorn and pizza while the grown-ups cruise first more from 9 a.m. to noon at Colorado Mountain Friday. Admission is $20 for one child and $5 per College’s Glenwood Center (1402 Blake Ave.). The additional sibling. Space is limited; contact beth@ class is free but there is a $5 requested donation for azyep.org to register. copied materials. Register at any CMC location.

CULTURED CLAY AVALANCHE AWARENESS The Carbondale Clay Center (135 Main St.) Learn how people get in trouble in the snow and hosts contemporary Latin American ceramics the basics of how to stay safe from 6 to 7 p.m. at the — including works by Louise Deroualle, Diego Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.).

Madero, Alan Madero, Paulina Suarez, and Camila MUSIC TRIVIA Pereira — with a 6 to 8 p.m. opening.

Name that tune and answer questions in age 21+ HOMECOMING teams of up to six as you compete for a $50 gift The queen, king and other royalty will be crowned at certificate at Carbondale Beer Works (647 Main half time during the 6:30 p.m. home volleyball game St.). It starts a 7 p.m. but get there early to save your at Roaring Fork High School (2270 Highway 133). seat; $5 per player benefits the Andy Zanca Youth Empowerment Program.

SKA The Know Bodies take the stage at 9 p.m. at WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9 Carbondale Beer Works (647 Main St.).

EMPLOYMENT LAW ALT ROCK Attorney Michael Santo shares updates on Equal Join Echo Monday at The Black Nugget (403 Main Pay Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and St.) from 9 p.m. ‘til midnight with no cover charge. the National Labor Relations Act among other HR SINGER SONGWRITERS topics from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hotel Colorado The Carsie Blanton Band kicks things off at (526 Pine St., Glenwood Springs). Registration is $55 8:30 p.m. at Steve's Guitars (19 N. Third St.), at businessasap.com/seminar and includes lunch.

followed by The Suitcase Junket later in the ENERGY HEALING evening.

FRI OCT. 4 - THU OCT. 10 MOVIES The Crystal Theatre (427 Main St.) presents “Downton Abbey� (PG) at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4-10 and “The Peanut Butter Falcon� (PG13) at 5:15 p.m. Oct. 6.

Laura Barton takes you through the basics from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.). Free, but visit davinikent.org to RSVP.

FURTHER OUT FRI OCT. 11

CELTICFEST Join your neighbors and friends and toast the SATURDAY OCT. 5 Emerald Isle with an evening of bagpipes, beer, and FUN RUN the “Best Legs in a Kilt Contest� beginning at 5 p.m.

Ross Montessori (109 Lewies Ln.) feeds you breakfast at the Fourth Street Plaza. at 7 a.m. before sending you on a 5K or mile loop with prizes and plenty of community engagement.

SAT OCT. 12 POTATO DAY Carbondale celebrates the crop that put the town on the map with a parade, lunch, games and live music around a theme of “Ghosts of Potatoes Past.�

12 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

OPEN FIREHOUSE From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District invites grown-ups and kids to tour the facility, ride on the trucks and enjoy food, fun and face painting.

SKI SWAP Score some great deals on outerwear, equipment, OKTOBERFEST accessories and more from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dust off last year’s stein and fill it full with this year’s Willits Town Center. beer — not to mention Liter Holding, Nail Driving and Cornhole — with music beginning at noon at PUMPKIN JAZZ the Fourth Street Plaza.

The Arts Campus at Willits brings performances to venues all over Basalt — The Ann Korologos HARVEST PARTY Gallery, Art Base, Capitol Creek Brewery, Free ACES holds its annual Harvest Party from noon Range, Gordon Keating Gallery, Mezzaluna, to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Rock Bottom

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Carbondale Middle and Ross Montessori School students participated in a cross country meet in Glenwood Springs over the weekend. Now it's homecoming, with Roaring Fork hosting soccer on Oct. 3 and volleyball Oct. 4. Photo by Jennifer Johnson Ranch. Lunch, pumpkin carving, apple cider pressing, vegetable harvest, hay rides, face painting, pie baking contest, arts with The Art Base, photo booth, live music from A Band Called Alexis, ranch games, and more.

RING IN SKI SEASON Cripple Creek Backcountry throws a ski season opening party 3-8 p.m. Oct. 12 at the shop (582 Highway 133). Food, live music.

SUNDAY OCT. 13 ART HEIST Steal artwork right off the walls of the Launchpad (76 S. Third St.) in a night of high-jinks beginning at 4:30 p.m. with an after party at The Way Home.

Visit launchpadcarbondale.com for tickets.

ONGOING A WALK IN THE WOODS Thunder River Theatre (67 Promenade) presents the story of a Soviet diplomat and an American negotiator who develop a friendship while navigating the intricacies of nuclear arms reduction. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26-28, Oct. 3, 4 and 10-12 with a 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 6.

KIDS’ COOKING CLASS Kids get to eat the dishes they make and work with other children in a fun, hands-on environment in this Fork & Pan Cooking Class for Kids. Ages 8-12. Wednesdays, Oct. 2 through Nov. 20. Cost: $15/day. Information: https://www.forkandpan. com/classes.

STORYTIME Young children (accompanied by an adult) are invited for stories, songs, and more beginning at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays at the Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.) — please use the side entrance to the Calaway Room.

TEEN ADVISORY GROUP The Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.) invites seventh through twelfth graders to discuss plan and sponsor events with planning at 4 p.m. on the second Friday of each month.

WRITERS GROUP Wordsmiths of all experience and abilities gather at the Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.) at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of the month.

HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION Free opportunities include a PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Greg Feinsinger about the science behind plant-based nutrition at 7 p.m. the first Monday of the month, free one-hour consultations for heart attack and other chronic illness prevention by appointment Monday mornings (call 379-5718) and a plant-based wholefoods potluck at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month — all at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

WALK WITH A DOC Aspen Valley Hospital (401 Castle Creek Rd.) invites you to meet in the cafeteria at 10 a.m. the first Saturday of the month for a short discussion on health-related topics, such as high blood pressure, asthma, anxiety, etc.

ROTARY The Carbondale Rotary Club meets at the Carbondale Fire Station (300 Meadowood Dr.) at 6:45 a.m. Wednesdays.

PING PONG Senior Matters (520 S. Third St. Suite 33) offers a table tennis club for adults from 4 to 6 p.m.

Tuesdays. Contact Marcel Kahhak at 963-5901 for more information.

PUNCH PARKINSON’S Rising Crane Training Center (768 Highway 133) offers free boxing / fitness classes for folks with Parkinson’s from 11 to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays. More info at 274-8473.

TAI CHI All levels are welcome to participate a gentle path to health and flexibility from 9 to 10 a.m.

Mondays and Wednesdays with John Norton.

Marty Finkelstein offers a 5 to 5:30 course for beginners before his 5:30 to 7 p.m. class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both classes take place at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

YOGA Get a donation-based introduction to Hatha Yoga from 8 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays at The Launchpad (76 S. Fourth St.).

LOVE ADDICTS Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, a 12-step group will meet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Holland Hills United Methodist Church (167 Holland Hills Rd., Basalt).

MINDFULNESS IN RECOVERY An inclusive, peer-led recovery support group open to anyone with a desire for recovery — independent of faith and regardless of race, gender or orientation — meets Tuesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. in room 36 of the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.) MINDFULNESS The Mindful Life Program in the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.) offers group sessions Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Admission is by donation and registration is not necessary. Info: mindfullifeprogram.org and 970-633-0163.

AVALANCHE CREEK MEMBERS

Alpine Animal Hospital Always Mountain Time (KSPN, LIFT) Ascent Group, Inc. Aspen Snowmass Sotheby’s International Realty Bank of Colorado Carbondale Comfort Inn & Suites Carbondale Family Dental Cedar Networks Coldwell Banker Mason Morse Real Estate The Colorado Health Foundation Comcast Business COMPASS For Lifelong Discovery COVENTURE Cornerstone Home Lending Courtyard by Marriott Glenwood Springs DHM Design Corporation Double Diamond Moving & Storage Durgin Electric, LLC ECOS Environmental & Disaster Restoration Element by Westin Basalt Aspen Valley The Fireplace Company, Inc. Gran Farnum Printing Integrated Mountain Group KDNK KSNO Mountain Family Health Centers

Mountain Valley Developmental Services Pacific Sheet Metal, Inc. Personal Rehabilitation Center, PC Post Independent Premier Party Rental ProVelocity RB Insurance Group Red Hill Animal Health Center Residence Inn by Marriott Glenwood Spring Roaring Fork Engineering Roaring Fork School District Roaring Fork Transportation Authority Silver Mountain Properties Sopris Sun State Farm Insurance/Todd Fugate Agency Sunlight Mountain Resort Timbers Resorts US Bank – Carbondale Valley View Hospital Village Smithy Restaurant, Inc. Waste Management, Inc. Western Slope Communications (The River, Drive 105) White House Pizza Wilderness Workshop

PRESENTERS

Jill Corbin – Director of Destination Development at Colorado Tourism Office Tom Jankovsky – Garfield County Commissioner Dan Richardson – Town of Carbondale Mayor Tyler Moebius – FastG8 CEO

BUSINESS PANEL

Mike Lowe – COVENTURE Angela Bruno – Carbondale Clay Center Laura Kirk – DHM Design Corporation Mark Fisher – Phat Thai & The Pullman Adam Miller – Why Cycles & Revel Bikes

EXPO VENDORS

Always Mountain Time (KSPN, LIFT) Carbondale Creative District Cedar Networks CLEER COVENTURE FirstBank Hot Jobs KDNK LIFT-UP Post Independent Sopris Sun Western Slope Communications (The River, Drive 105)

VOLUNTEERS & SPECIAL THANKS

Carbondale Chamber Staff Third Street Center KDNK Promotional Concepts Charla Combest Bob Albright Donni Cochran Kristin Garwood Sarah Murray

Blue Spruce Coffee Carbondale Beer Works Izakaya Carbondale Peppino’s Pizza Senor Taco Show presents AXKAWA Sopris Liquor & Wine The Village Smithy

CHAMBER BOARD PRESIDENT: Darren Broome, Aloha Mountain Cyclery TREASURER: Erkko Alm, Alpine Bank SECRETARY: Mike Hinkley, Mountain Waste & Recycling PAST PRESIDENT: Kristin Garwood, Brilliant Life Solutions

Marianne Ackerman Colorado Mountain College Donni Cochran Donni Cochran Insurance Services Sal Lopez Glenwood Insurance

Frosty Merriott J. Frost Merriott, Inc. CPA Sarah Murray Coldwell Banker/ Mason Morse Real Estate Kelcey Nichols Wood Nichols, LLC

Brittney Rippy Bonfire Coffee John Runne Runne & Associates, Inc. Tony Spires ANB Bank

DHARMA TOURISM COUNCIL OF CARBONDALE LIAISON: Eaden Shantay The Way of Compassion Dharma Center TOWN OF CARBONDALE TRUSTEE/LIAISON: Erica Sparhawk & Heather Henry holds a Dharma talk and meditation from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and a silent meditation and Buddha of Compassion practice at 8 a.m. Saturdays at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 13

www.Carbondale.com • 970.963.1890

Ghosts from cover Sweet managed the Dinkel Mercantile Company, helped form the Carbondale Study Club for women and authored the book that informed most of the ghost scripts: “Carbondale Pioneers – 1879 to 1890.”

Myron will give the scripted overview of the Thompsons themselves, starting with the cabin that now acts as the Historical Society headquarters and moving through the stages of house construction, though it will likely be up to Hattie to finish the tale.

Or, well, that chapter. Many of the characters’ descendents are still here and active, and there’s a whole new crop of farmers, as well.

“We’re sort of experiencing an agricultural revival here,” Gray noted.

Indeed, the Potato Day Committee has partnered with Sustainable Settings in hopes of bringing local potatoes to the big barbecue lunch — assuming the harvest is successful.

Folks will have a chance to start the day off early with the Marmot Mile at 7:30 a.m., with cowboy coffee and vendors in the park beginning at 9 a.m., the parade down Main Street at 10:30 a.m. and lunch and games in the park beginning at 11:30 a.m. with live music until 3 p.m. and including several school bands. The Youth Gymkhana originally planned for the afternoon has been canceled.

Gray hopes the whole range of events will continue to engage multiple generations with the Historical Society.

“We have children up to retired people in our parade, as well as the ghost party,” she noted.

“I’m pleased that the younger generations are becoming interested in the history of Carbondale and participating in our events. I think they just add a new energy.”

To get involved as a volunteer, member, or board member, email info@carbondalehistory. org. You can also register for Gray’s Colorado Mountain College class from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Lappala Center.

In addition to the long-gone ghosts portrayed by the Historical Society, there are many characters that played pivitol roles in Potato Days past.

Miners used to show off their drilling skills in competition (top) while the RFHS marching band strutted its stuff (center right) and the Holdens kept CRMS in the mix (bottom right). The parade could get political around election season (center left), but everyone came together for the big barbecue under the watchful eye of Marion Jacobs (bottom left).

Valley Journal file photos

We offer lessons & help for everything from smart phones & computers to email, the internet & more.

Linda Criswell has what she thinks may be the only actual photo of a ghost in Carbondale — a 23-year-old snapshot take in a house built in the 1880s. What do you think it is? Do you have an unexplained image to share? Send it to news@ soprissun.com

Mentor one child, change two lives Become a Mentor Today!

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Tuesday, October 15, 5:00-7:00p.m.

Capitol Creek Brewery 371 Market Street, in Willits, Basalt Complimentary Food & Drinks THIS COMMUNITY AD SPACE DONATED BY COOL BRICK STUDIOS.

14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

Preparing for fall Photos by Laurel Smith

Participants spent the last week of summer at Sustainable Settings’ three-day Biodynamic farming workshop learning how building a more intimate relationship with the land can enhance more traditional permaculture practices.

Plant, animal, and mineral materials from the farm including 144 horns are used in crafting next year’s fertilizers.

Biodynamic instructor Pat Frasier prepares one of several biodynamic fertilizers by stuffing dandelion into a cow mesentery, (the membrane that attaches the intestines to the abdominal wall). The material will be buried and composted for approximately one year or until it is ready to be used as fertilizer.

Students bury soil preps to be used as next year’s fertilizers.

Co-founder and Executive Director Brook LeVan demonstrates how dowsing rods, which are traditionally used in finding ground water for well drilling, can be used as a tool to assess the readiness of their organic fertilizers.

The dedicated space Sustainable Settings uses to prepare the fertilizers for the farm is nicknamed the Super Organism.

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 15

Main Street menagerie Mister Kitty and Mushu go out on the town

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff When Eloise Clark moved into town after living in a rural section of County Road 115, she worried a bit about how her cat, Mister Kitty, might adapt. She needn’t have.

Clark and her sister got the stub-tailed tabby as a kitten from Brett Varr, one of two men who drowned in Ruedi Reservoir last summer, and trained him to come sprinting back to the sound of a cat food tin opening.

But her new living situation a block off Main Street was a very different environment for the now two-year-old tomcat.

“He was very skeptical at first,” Clark recalled of the first month or so. “He’d never been around so many cars passing by, loud noises and neighbors close by. Slowly I would let him play outside on his own and he'd follow Donna’s cat, Miss Kitty.”

He soon began to expand his travels.

“I’ve lost him a few times ‘cause he sleeps in other people's homes and they don’t notice till the next day that he’s there,” Clark explained. “I got calls on him daily, sometimes five times a day, I always had to repeat myself: ‘just let him out, he'll find his way.’ I wrote ‘do not feed’ on his collar, I have his name, my number and address saying ‘I know where I live, thanks.’ Thats cut down the calls quite a bit but that could be mainly because everyone is starting to get familiar with him.”

Indeed, Mr. Kitty has become something of a fixture downtown, and is well known to the folks businesses several blocks away.

Mushu the cockatoo, was slightly less well known before he popped up at the Near New a few weeks ago, prompting a social media hunt that ultimately led back to Clark. He also goes out in public under escort.

“It’s like having another person living with you. I go on bike rides with him, take him to friends’ homes to hangout with, Robert has skateboarded with him… I’m sure I surprised a few people but I’d walk around town with Mushu on my shoulder and Mister Kitty following me like a dog,” Clark said. “I only have him in the cage when I'm not home or I’m cleaning the house and can’t keep my eye on him… You leave the room for a second he starts screaming. He’s like living with a toddler.

If he’s out of sught and quiet that means he’s destroying something by chewing it to bits.”

With plans to start a family on the horizon, Clark recently gave Mushu away to a friend who lives near Catherine Store.

“Natasha lives on a ranch and is always home,” she explained. “She’s always wanted a big bird. Mushu and she are perfect together.

I don’t have to think twice about her care for him and I can see him anytime.”

As for Mister Kitty, while he got along with Mushu and will likely miss him, there are plenty of other friends around for company.

Join the Rebekahs and the Near New volunteers in celebrating the harvest season with stone soup, pumpkin carving, and costumes!

Oct. 17 2:30-5:00 FREE!

Mister Kitty sees nothing wrong with wandering into a liquor store and taking a nap on a random shelf. Photo by Will Grandbois Mushu caused some consternation when he showed up at the Near New last month.

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Tree House Artist Haven 302 Main Street, Carbondale | 970.963.0340 We welcome contributions to the Vegetarian Soup and donations to our on going fundraising. We welcome everyone and especially invite folks who are interested in signing up with a fun and important volunteer organization.

¡Únete a Rebekahs y los voluntarios del Near New para celebrar la temporada de cosecha con sopa de piedra, tallado de calabaza y disfraces!

17 de octubre 2: 30-5: 00 GRATIS! Damos la bienvenida a las contribuciones a la sopa vegetariana y donaciones a nuestra recaudación de fondos en curso. Damos la bienvenida a todos y especialmente invitamos a personas que estén interesadas en inscribirse en una organización voluntaria divertida e importante.

16 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

Mountain home has 2 bedrooms, art studio and a 2-car garage with a workshop.

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CARBONDALE POTATO DAY • October 5, 2019 SOPRIS PARK SCHEDULE 2019 7:30 am 8:00 am 9:00 am 10:30 am 11:00 am 11:30 am

Ross Montessori 5K & Marmot Mile Cowboy Coffee and donuts in Sopris Park Farmers & Artisan Market opens in Sopris Park Potato Day Parade on Main Street (theme: “ Ghosts of Potato Days Past”) Announcements from Main Stage Sopris Park Kids' Zone in the Park. Bounce House, Carnival Games, Traditional Games, Rosybelle Mobile Maker Art Bus 11:30-12:30 pm Live Music Wes Engstrom 11:30-1:30 pm BBQ Lunch and Veggie Potato Bar 12:30 pm Announcements of Parade Winners 1:00-2:00 pm Live Music Dan & Pam Rosenthal 2:00-3:00 pm School Youth Bands 6:00-8:00 pm Carbondale Historical Society Ghost Party at the ompson House Museum

WITH THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS ALPINE BANK • COLDWELL BANKER MASON MORSE • REBEKAH’S LODGE #91 AMORE REALTY • ANB BANK • ASPEN SKIING COMPANY • B&H GENERAL CONTRACTORS • BONFIRE COFFEE CARBONDALE CAR CARE • CARBONDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • CASTLE VALLEY CHIDREN'S CLINIC JERRY & SUSIE CHENEY • THE ROARING FORK VALLEY COOP • COWEN CENTER • CRYSTAL RIVER RANCH CRYSTAL RIVER SPAS • CRYSTAL SPRINGS BUILDERS INC. • CRYSTAL VALLEY DENTAL ASSOCIATES DAYS INN CARBONDALE • DISTINGUISHED BOARDS & BEAMS • ERNIE & CAROL GIANINETTI • EVERGREEN ZEROWASTE • EVOLVE STRUCTURAL DESIGN • GLENWOOD CAVERNS ADVENTURE PARK IRON MOUNTAIN HOT SPRINGS MAIN STREET GALLERY AND THE FRAMER • MARK & ANN GIANINETTI ERNIE & CAROL GIANINETTI • MIKE & EVA CERISE • NIESLANIK BEEF • PEPPINO'S PIZZA • POP'S LIQUOR THE POUR HOUSE • PREMIER PARTY RENTALS • LANCE & LISA QUINT • RED ROCK DINER RIVERSTONE REAL ESTATE • ROADSIDE GALLERY • ROARING FORK RENTALS • ROSS MONTESSORI SCHOOL RIVERS RICHARD SICKERT • MARTY SILVERSTEIN • ST. MARYS ALTAR & ROSARY SOCIETY • SUNSENSE SOLAR • SUSTAINABLE SETTINGS • THE ORCHARD • THE QUILT GUILD • TJ CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS CONSULTANTS • THE VILLAGE SMITHY RESTAURANT • THE WAY HOME TJ CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION • WHITE HOUSE PIZZA • WHITTSIT GROSS ROWBERRY ATTORNEYS REBECCA YOUNG • WILD ROSE GARDENING • YOUR PARTS HAUS THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 17

The Lake Christine Fire ignited dangerously close to the electrical substations that provide power to the Roaring Fork Valley. Now, Holy Cross Energy is working on building resilience in the power system before another disaster. Photo by Elizabeth Stewart-Severy/Aspen Journalism

Holy Cross looks to build energy resilience post-Lake Christine Fire

By Elizabeth Stewart-Severy Aspen Journalism The summer of 2018’s Lake Christine wildfire not only destroyed three homes and torched thousands of acres of forest, it also came dangerously close to taking out the power lines for the upper Roaring Fork Valley. After this close call, Holy Cross Energy partnered with Rocky Mountain Institute, or RMI, to find ways to keep the lights on if there’s another disaster.

On a recent walk through the burn area, Holy Cross Energy vice president David Bleakley remembered watching the Lake Christine fire raging above Basalt. He stood at Holy Cross Energy’s distribution substation — a few hundred yards from where the fire ignited — and kept a close eye on the

planes and helicopters dropping thick lines of fire retardant between the flames and the homes and businesses.

“They were protecting the town, but it was also keeping the fire away from the lines, too, so that was my main concern,” Bleakley said.

On July 4, 2018, the fire burned through one of two wooden poles holding up the power lines as they leave the substation — and Bleakley and others were concerned about the other pole.

“If it were to come down, it might’ve taken the entire loop out, just because both lines are on the same circuit, or same structure,” Bleakley said. That would have meant no lights, no refrigerators, no air conditioning in the upper Roaring Fork Valley during the busiest week of the summer. Pitkin County sent emergency alerts telling residents to prepare for up to

Sept.

NOW13 GOING THROUGH throUgh ON OCT.19 Now19 oct.

a week of power outages.

The winds shifted, the firefighters persisted and the lights stayed on, but the fire illuminated a weakness in the valley’s electrical grid.

Electricity runs through the Roaring Fork Valley from point to point, like a child’s game of connectthe-dots. There are two transmission lines that carry the current, which offers some backup if one is damaged for a stretch. But both lines sit on the same wooden poles, and all the lines run out of the same distribution station.

“We realized this was the single point of vulnerability,” said Mark Dyson, who leads electricity research efforts at RMI. “We wondered if there were projects that could be done upvalley of Basalt that would provide some energy services if this line were to be disabled in the future.”

Holy Cross Energy this past summer teamed up with RMI to look at ways to make the local energy grid more resilient and to prepare for any sort of disaster that might affect the power system. They convened several working groups to explore longterm, creative solutions.

In a disaster such as a wildfire, buildings such as schools and town halls can be critical communication hubs or evacuation centers. These places need reliable power sources. One ideA: electric school buses that integrate with school buildings.

“If the grid were to go down, you could then use these mobile batteries to discharge into the building to provide power,” said Emily Goldfield, who is with RMI. So, during a disaster, the lights, heat and refrigerators could run in key parts of the building — and the school’s daily transportation system goes green.

Other groups looked into creating microgrids that still provide energy if the main power lines go down. A microgrid sits outside that point-to-point, connect-the-dots drawing; it’s still a part of the picture, but it can operate independently.

RMI and Holy Cross think Snowmass Village and the Airport Business Center are possible spots

for microgrids. In these places, solar panels that are connected to battery storage could provide power without relying on the larger system.

“One of the things we did in this project was look at ways in which batteries or other resources could provide value every single day,” Dyson said. The goal was to look beyond diesel generators, which sit unused except in rare emergencies.

Many of the same strategies to keep power on during a disaster could potentially help both consumers and the utility year-round. Take rooftop solar with battery storage, for example. If homeowners use these systems to generate and store electricity, they can avoid tapping into the grid when everyone needs electricity — like on cold, dark winter nights.

“That can save Holy Cross money because it lowers peak demand in those peak hours,” Dyson said. “But it also helps those folks keep some lights on if the grid does go down, if we have another fire.”

If there is another fire, the Holy Cross Energy system is already a bit more resilient, Bleakley said.

The collaborative has painted the bottom of the poles with fire-proofing and cut back any flammable vegetation to provide a buffer around the lines. And there’s new smart technology to help the company prevent any fires from igniting on Holy Cross’ equipment.

But there are some things that Holy Cross just can’t change.

“Having two transmission lines in the same corridor, that’s just going to be a bottleneck,” Bleakley said.

While fireproofing can help in the shortterm, true resiliency will mean moving from connect-the-dots to a more complex, multidimensional picture of electricity.

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18 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

Crystal River study on backup supply plan being floated by conservation districts

By Heather Sackett Aspen Journalism Two water conservation districts are working to find solutions to a longsimmering problem on the Crystal River: In dry years, there may not be enough water for both irrigators and some residential subdivisions.

The Colorado River Water Conservation District and the West Divide Water Conservancy District plan to submit a state grant request for a feasibility study on a basinwide augmentation plan, or backup water supply plan, for the Crystal. The study would look at water demands and augmentation strategies, including the potential for a reservoir in or near the town of Marble.

The historic drought late in the summer of 2018 illustrated some long-acknowledged problems with water rights on the Crystal. In August and again in September, the Ella Ditch, which irrigates agricultural land south of Carbondale, placed a call on the river for the first time ever.

This means, in theory, that juniorrights holders upstream have to stop taking water so that the Ella Ditch can receive its full decreed amount.

No back-up water supply Most junior-rights holders have what’s known as an augmentation plan, which lets them continue using

water during a call by replacing the called-for water with water from another source, such as a pond, a reservoir or an exchange.

The problem on the Crystal is that several subdivisions don’t have augmentation plans.

“This hasn’t been a surprise for at least 30 years,” said John Currier, chief engineer for the river district. “This is a well-known problem. The issue has been out there all the time, but the call is potentially becoming more frequent in those kind of dry years.”

The entities that were out of priority in 2018 — and therefore could potentially have water to homes shut off to satisfy a downstream call — include the town of Carbondale, the Marble Water Company, Chair Mountain Ranch, Crystal River Resort, Crystal View Heights and Seven Oaks Commons.

The Colorado Division of Water Resources, which administers the calls, sent these entities letters encouraging them to create an augmentation plan. Otherwise, their water could be shut off or they could be fined for every day they are using water out of priority when there is a future call by a downstream seniorrights holder.

Division 5 Water Engineer Alan Martellaro hopes it won’t come to that. Issuing fines won’t do anyone any good, he said.

“We basically told everybody: As

long as we are moving forward and not dragging our feet, we are not going to issue any orders, especially since we are searching for regional answers,” Martellaro said.

Basinwide cooperation West Divide, which is based in Rifle, with its boundary extending up the Crystal River Valley nearly to McClure Pass, sees the situation as an opportunity for basinwide cooperation to find what will probably be a multi-faceted solution.

But that will require groups that were once at odds to work together.

“At this point, we are just getting back into this to see what’s feasible, and at this point we want to, and are open to, working with any interested parties up there,” said Bruce Wampler, a West Divide board member.

In 2011, the West Divide district and the Colorado River district abandoned their conditional water rights for nearly 200,000 acre-feet of water storage in the Crystal River drainage after local groups — Crystal River Caucus, Pitkin County Healthy Rivers and Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association — opposed the reservoirs included in the conditional rights.

At the Gunnison Basin Roundtable meeting in Montrose on Sept. 16, Wendy Ryan, project manager for Colorado River

The Crystal River ran as low as 7 cfs near the fish hatchery in 2018 — the third driest year on record in terms of how much water flowed into Lake Powell from the Upper Colorado River Basin. Photo by Heather Sackett / Aspen Journalism Engineering, an engineering firm that works with West Divide, asked roundtable members for a letter of support for the grant application.

(The town of Marble, which could be the site of storage, is in Gunnison County, but not in the Gunnison River basin.) Some roundtable members said they want to see the involvement of environmental groups before they would offer a letter of support.

“It’s going to be a hard nut to crack,” said Gunnison County Commissioner Jonathan Houck, a roundtable member.

As of Thursday, no members of the Pitkin County Healthy Rivers board said they had been informed of the grant application or the

augmentation-plan study. The group officially opposes the construction of new storage facilities in the Crystal River watershed.

To get the state money from the Water Supply Reserve Fund, the feasibility study request must be approved first by the Colorado River Basin Roundtable and then the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The request, though not yet finalized, will probably be for roughly $100,000, Currier said.

West Divide introduced the proposal to the CBRT on Monday, and plans on putting forth a formal grant request in November.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 19

THIS LAND... is your land.

Colorado River District backs Prop. DD The Colorado River District’s Board of Directors is supporting Proposition DD, a referred measure that will appear on the Colorado ballot this November. The Board, which consists of 15 western Colorado counties covering more than a quarter of the state, moved unanimously to support the waterrelated ballot measure at its annual budget meeting in Grand Junction.

If approved by voters, Proposition DD would legalize sports betting in Colorado and direct a majority of the proceeds toward implementation of the Colorado Water Plan, including a potential water demand management program that might be created to address Colorado River Compact challenges. Colorado’s Water Plan has an estimated funding gap of $100 million per year over 30 years, and revenues from Proposition DD are only projected to generate between $10 million and $15 million annually. With that gap in mind, the Directors’ noted that “the funds generated by Proposition DD will only be a start toward fully funding Colorado’s water supply needs and it is the expectation of this Board that the General Assembly will fund the additional needs from the General Fund.”

Medicare reduces firstdollar coverage The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, (MACRA) referred to as MACRA

law, will change Medicare Supplement plans in all states starting Jan. 1, 2020 and impact newly eligible Medicare members heavily. If you turn 65 or otherwise become eligible for Medicare after that date, you won’t be able to purchase a Medicare Supplement Plan C or F, though those already with coverage will not lose it.

While the loss of first-dollar coverage may seem detrimental, most Medicare members actually save money by choosing Plan G. Plan G covers everything a Plan F does except Part B deductible. The Part B deductible is $185 for 2019. The Open Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage and Part D Prescription Drug starts Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7 every year.

Bennet looks to curb Pendley’s authority Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet headed a letter with 11 additional Senate Democrats urging U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to terminate William Perry Pendley’s authority as acting director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

In the letter, the senators outline their concerns with Pendley’s advocacy for the widespread sale of public lands, his efforts to roll back key conservation laws, and his long-held disregard for the important role BLM plays in managing our public lands. “As the BLM considers a major reorganization, there is no reason for this effort to be led by an Acting Director who spent his career attempting to dismantle the agency. Keeping Mr. Pendley atop the

BLM is an affront to all Americans who believe in the balanced, multiple use and sustained yield mission of the agency,” wrote the senators.

Gardner introduces Consumer Privacy Protection Bill Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, recently introduced legislation to require that technology companies who manufacture Internet-connected devices disclose to consumers whether those devices contain any microphones or cameras.

Earlier this year, it became public that numerous products contained microphones previously undisclosed to consumers. While some companies argued that these microphones were “never intended to be a secret,” this oversight and lack of transparency with consumers leaves Americans rightly questioning the privacy of their devices.

“Consumers face a number of challenges when it comes to their privacy, but they shouldn’t have a challenge figuring out if a device they buy has a camera or microphone imbedded into it,” said Senator Gardner.

Gardner named ‘Clean Energy Champion’ Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, was named a Clean Energy Champion by the Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) for his leadership promoting clean energy policies

and responsible stewardship of the environment. This is the latest award recognizing Senator Gardner for his record promoting clean energy. In February, Senator Gardner was named a ‘Champion of Science’ by The Science Coalition. Last year, Senator Gardner received the U.S. Wind Champion Award from the American Wind Energy Association and the Solar Champion Award from the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Want to get involved?

Contact your elected officials about the issues that matter to you

U.S. to remain in Universal Postal Union This week, the Universal Postal Union Extraordinary Congress voted in favor of a compromise proposal that allows the United States to set its own inbound postage rates. The U.S. has decided to remain in the Universal Postal Union, reversing an announcement by the Administration last year. At that time, Colorado Secretary of State Jenna Griswold raised concerns about the proposed withdrawal, sending a letter to the administration requesting a reversal. She spoke directly with the White House about her concerns and encouraged other Secretaries of State to do the same. Colorado’s County Clerks mailed military and overseas ballots for the 2019 election on Sept.

21, 2019. With the United States remaining in the Universal Postal Union, military and overseas voters will be able to return their ballots by mail, if they wish, without concern.

Colorado also has a secure electronic ballot file sharing system available for returning voted ballots.

Bears are back!

Senator Michael Bennet 261 Russell Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5852

Senator Cory Gardner 354 Russell Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5941

Congressman Scott Tipton 218 Cannon HOB Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4761

CO Senator Bob Rankin 200 E Colfax, 346 Denver, CO 80203 (303)866-5292

CO Rep Perry Will 200 E Colfax, 07 Denver, CO 80203 (303)866-2949

Fire Truck Rides Tour the Fire Station and Trucks with Your Local Heroes Check out the Classic Air Helicopter d

Meet Sparky the Fire Dog & Explore the Fire Safety House

All garbage or refuse containers must be stored in a secured enclosed area or own a bear resistant container.

(Except on collection day between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.)

Up to $1,000 fine for violating trash/bear ordinance!

Warnings will not be issued!

Help keep the bears out of town and Carbondale safe.

Contact the Carbondale Police Department for more information at (970) 963-2662.

Carbondale Town Ordinance:

Sec. 7-3-60 (b) No person, including but not limited to an owner, occupant, lessee, person in possession or control, homeowners’ association officer, property manager or agent of a given premises, shall place any refuse or garbage container in any street, alley or other public place or upon any private property, whether or not owned by such person, within the Town, except in proper containers for collection, as provided in Section 7-3-50 above. No person shall place any such refuse or garbage container in any public street right-of-way for trash collection purposes by the Town or a private trash hauler, except for on the day collection occurs. For purposes of determining compliance with this requirement, refuse and garbage containers may be stored in a public street right-of-way only between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on the day of collection. Placement of refuse or garbage containers outside of this time period shall result in the levying of fines, pursuant to Subsection (g) below. Except for between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on the day of collection, and except in the instance that a refuse or garbage container is bear-resistant, as defined in Section 7-3-10 above, all refuse and garbage containers must be stored in secure enclosures when not out for collection.

20 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

Saturday, October 12, 2019 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Carbondale Fire District invites you to come to our Community Open House. It will be a great time with something for the entire family. Enjoy station tours, fire truck rides, a chance to meet Sparky the Fire Dog and prizes for grown-ups and kids! Join us for lunch and get to know your friends at Carbondale Fire.

Giveaways & Door Prizes Hot

FOOD, FUN & FACE PAINTING! CARBONDALE & RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT 300 Meadowood Drive Carbondale, CO www.carbondalefire.org Saturday, October 12 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Parked: Half the American Dream The Colorado Sun recently assembled a coalition of more than a dozen newsrooms across the state to produce a collaborative project that would have been unthinkable in the old days of cutthroat competition.

Journalists fanned out across the state to look at what for many is the last form of affordable housing: mobile homes.

While The Sopris Sun wasn’t involved in their effort, we feel the topic is relevant to our readers. Visit coloradosun.com/parked for the whole series — including an entry from the Aspen Times. In the meantime, here’s a summary of the findings: More than 100,000 people live in more than 900 mobile home parks across Colorado. But the number of parks is declining and ownership is consolidating as mom-and-pop operations sell out to large investors, sometimes leading to displacement and redevelopment.

In Adams County, which has the state’s largest concentration of mobile homes, the number of both homes and parks has dropped to 11,300 homes in 66 parks today, from more than 13,000 mobile homes in 71 parks 20 years ago, according to assessor records.

About a third of Weld County’s mobile homes were built from 1960 to 1979, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That means many homes don’t meet modern safety standards. Some homes continue to have aluminum wiring, which increases the fire hazard.

About 1,300 households live in 45 mobile home parks across La Plata County, and residents in the Durango area say they have seen lot rents increase by 50% to 100% in parks owned by corporations.

The 2013 floods continue to reverberate for many mobile home residents in northern Colorado. In just three communities — Lyons, Evans and Milliken — researchers tracked the destruction of 273 mobile homes, most of which were not rebuilt or replaced because parks failed to reopen.

Aspen first took steps in the early 1980s to preserve a mobile home park in the middle of town that still exists today as a cherished affordable housing neighborhood. Pitkin County has since bought or helped preserve four more mobile home parks in the upper Roaring Fork Valley for affordable housing.

In Telluride, the last nearby mobile home park — in unincorporated San Miguel County — closed in the early 1990s.

In Ouray, one woman discovered how her investment in a single-wide for her aging mother quickly turned into a near-total loss for her as a result of park rules that demanded the unit be moved if it changed hands.

In Steamboat Springs, developers had designs on the attractive real estate where a mobile home park sat, but once residents moved and the recession hit,

The Eagle River Village mobile home park is shown in Edwards on Aug. 28, 2019. The park is less than 10 miles from world-class skiing at Beaver Creek Resort and represents one of the last bastions of affordable housing in the area. (AP Photo/ Thomas Peipert) the land remained vacant for years.

And in the last decade, the number of mobile home units in Routt County has been reduced nearly by half.

Not far from Greeley, the Hill-NPark community provided a low-cost option where you could invest in a mobile home and actually own the land beneath it. But now, the oncepromising place feels abandoned by Weld County officials, “like the redheaded stepchild,” in the words of one resident.

The Aspens Mobile Home Village in Avon is home for many workers in the hospitality, service and construction industries — an economic necessity in a notoriously pricey area. It’s also a home-away-from-home for the many

immigrants who fill those jobs.

More than a year ago, Aurora seemed poised to become a national model with its moratorium on redeveloping mobile home parks. But since then it has struggled like many areas to address parks’ role in providing affordable housing.

Even Durango’s middle class is finding mobile homes — the “affordable” option — too pricey in a town where the median home goes for $500,000. So they’re moving.

In Fort Collins, the city council has put a moratorium on redevelopment of mobile home parks until August 2020. The city is considering increasing the current six months’ notice for redevelopment

of a mobile home park and giving residents or nonprofits the option to buy the land if it goes up for sale.

An Adams County mobile home park is among the latest to shut down due to redevelopment. The Crestville Mobile Home Park, near Federal Boulevard and West 56th Avenue, is filled with abandoned homes and at times, neighbors say, animals and vagrants. The owner would not say what’s next for the property.

The Colorado Sun is a readersupported news organization that covers people, places and issues of statewide interest. To sign up for free newsletters, subscribe or learn more, visit ColoradoSun.com.

Town of Carbondale Trash and Recycling Service Day Calendar 2020

2019

Su 6 13 20 27

Su 3 10 17 24

Mo 7 14 21 28

Mo 4 11 18 25

October Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 25 26 29 30 31

November Tu We Th 5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

Fr Sa 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30

December Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 29

23 30

24 31

25

26

27

28

Su

Mo

5 12 19 26

Su

6 13 20 27

Mo

2 9 16 23

3 10 17 24

January Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 7 8 9 10 11 14 15 16 17 18 21 22 23 24 25 28 29 30 31

February Tu We Th 4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

Fr 7 14 21 28

Sa 1 8 15 22 29

March Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 29

23 30

24 31

25

26

27

28

Recycling Service Day (Zone -A)

Su

Mo

5 12 19 26

Su

6 13 20 27

Mo

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

Tu 7 14 21 28

Tu 5 12 19 26

April We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 18 22 23 24 25 29 30

May We Th 6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

Fr Sa 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30

June Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Su

21 28

22 29

23 30

24

25

26

27

Recycling Service Day (Zone -B)

RECYCLING ZONE A (GREEN) IS EAST OF 133

Su 5 12 19 26

Su 2 9 16 23 30

Mo 6 13 20 27

Mo

Tu 7 14 21 28

Tu

3 10 17 24 31

July We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 18 22 23 24 25 29 30 31

August We Th

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

Fr 7 14 21 28

Sa 1 8 15 22 29

6 13

September Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 27

21 28

Su

Mo

22 29

23 30

24

25

26

Su 4 11 18 25

Mo 5 12 19 26

October We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 17 20 21 22 23 24 27 28 29 30 31

Tu

November Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

6 13

December Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 27

21 28

Su

Mo

22 29

23 30

24 31

25

26

Holiday

RECYCLING ZONE B (YELLOW) IS WEST OF 133

All Town of Carbondale Trash Collection is Weekly on Tuesdays, and Recycling Collection is Every Other Week If you have chosen the Super Saver option, your trash collection day is the same as your recycle collection day For information, questions or concerns call: 510-1202 THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 21

Can Western states afford to break the boom-and-bust cycle?

PRESENTS

Analysis by Carl Segerstrom High Country News

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In 2018, record-setting federal oil and gas lease sales in the booming Permian Basin helped pump more than $600 million into New Mexico’s state coffers.With that cash burning a hole in its pockets, New Mexico upped education spending by nearly half a billion dollars the following year.

Even as New Mexico’s oil and gas economy booms, Wyoming’s once-vital mineral economy is convulsing, as demand for coal wanes and operators consolidate and go bankrupt — leaving counties owed tens of millions of dollars and hundreds out of work. So it goes for Western states riding the boom-and-bust cycles of mineral dependence.

But this fossil-fueled rollercoaster ride could come to a shuddering halt under recent climate action proposals. Several Democratic presidential hopefuls propose to end new federal fossil fuel leasing and phase out drilling on public lands. While any such moves would be met with legal challenges from the fossil fuel industry and energy-dependent states, recent federal court decisions show a way for federal agencies to deny development based on the public’s long-term interest.

Leasing moratoriums and drilling restrictions would send shockwaves around the West and require a massive restructuring of local, state and national programs. But with states and utility companies setting ambitious emissionreduction goals, and climate scientists issuing dire warnings about the rapidly closing window to avert even grimmer scenarios, states that aren’t preparing for the changing energy economy could be left behind in the shift from fossil fuels to renewables.

MORE THAN HALF of Wyoming’s annual revenue comes from fossil fuel extraction. This robust cash flow has enabled the state to forgo income or corporate taxes despite having low property taxes and a sales tax rate so low that job growth in industries other than extraction actually costs the state. When times are good, this tax structure has allowed Wyoming to keep living costs

low and attract businesses while pouring money into services like education — it has long paid teachers far better than its neighbors — and infrastructure.

With its angled metal roofs, floor-toceiling windows, water slide, lazy river and rock-climbing wall, the Pinedale Aquatic Center in Pinedale, Wyoming, would be at home in any upscale Western suburb.

But this is no swanky suburb; Pinedale, a town of about 2,000, was at the epicenter of a natural gas boom in the early 2000s.

With tens of millions of dollars flowing into Sublette County, the county put $17 million into the facility in Pinedale, its county seat, while also making local teachers the highest-paid in the state.

Now, it’s getting harder and harder to keep the recreation center up and running.

Over the last five years, shrinking oil and gas revenues have siphoned more than a million dollars from the facility’s annual budget, resulting in staff cuts and an end to free passes for senior citizens.

And the current pangs aren’t confined to recreation centers and budgets for government programs, which face ongoing cuts and calls for privatization. Wyoming lags behind other Western states in terms of personal income growth, higher education attainment, and employment in high-value sectors like manufacturing.

To a large extent, those lagging economic indicators can be traced to fossil fuel reliance. A recent Headwaters Economics report states the problem: “Wyoming’s decision to be dependent on energy commodity taxes has caused an economic and political ‘mineral tax trap’ wherein a political culture and commitment has developed around protecting the self-interest of low taxes and the status quo.” That commitment to coal was in full force this March, when Wyoming passed a law making it harder for utilities to decommission unprofitable coal-fired power plants.

Over the last few years, Wyoming has studied ways to diversify its economy.

Some of those ideas could capitalize on climate action: The Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming (ENDOW) initiative, started by thenGov. Matt Mead in 2016, cited a tenfold

CRMS is a boarding + day school serving students in grades 9 - 12.

Prospective families are invited to tour campus, meet Head of School, Jeff Leahy, hear from current students and parents, and learn about the admission process.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 15 9 - 11 AM

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8 9:30 - 11:30 AM

THURSDAY DECEMBER 12 9 - 11 AM

500 Holden Way, Carbondale | 970.963.2562

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www.crms.org/admissions/open-house/

22 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

Infographic by Luna Anna Archey / U.S. Department of the Interior

Continued on page 23

AS PEN VAL L EY HOS PITAL

2019

FALL HEALTH FAIR

TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH! Pinedale Aquatic Center in Wyoming was originally built using oil and gas revenue. With decreases in payouts, the $17 billion facility is struggling to stay open. Photo by Arnie Brokling Continued from page 22

increase in wind generation as one way to improve the state’s economy in the next 20 years. Increased wind development could utilize public land in the state and pair well with any federal climate action plans.

A Bureau of Land Management report found that more than 14.5 million acres of federal lands in the state are suitable for wind development.

Still, public-lands wind development won’t generate the same kind of royalties as fossil fuel extraction anytime soon. And Wyoming lags behind other states in taxing wind power; while it collects over $500 million in severance taxes per year from minerals, it gets less than $4 million from wind generation. Economist and former state legislator Michael Madden pins this policy gap on “the perceived conflict between wind and the state’s primary breadwinner — the mineral industry.”

Wyoming’s woes go far beyond shrinking budgets at the state level. Entire towns and counties have economies and government budgets that rely on fossil fuel extraction, and are in danger of collapsing as the industries fade without plans to transition plans in place. For inspiration on how to create a just transition, Wyoming could look to recently passed legislation in New Mexico that funnels money from utility ratepayers to communities hit by coal-plant shutdowns. That bill, which also includes a mandate for 100% carbon emission-free electricity by 2045, sets aside tens of millions of dollars for site cleanups and job retraining in affected communities.

But the Cowboy State’s situation makes it harder to fund such a transition. In New Mexico, the utility that’s shutting down coal plants and charging ratepayers to finance a just transition will survive, even as it ditches coal and moves to less-carbon polluting energy sources. In Wyoming, the mining and drilling operations that pumped money into the economy can pack up their rigs and dozers and go, leaving the state to sort out the messes they leave behind.

But with the downfall of coal already underway, and the cost of renewables plunging to compete with natural gas, Wyoming’s dependence on minerals and the federal lands they come from will eventually be broken. Asking citizens and businesses to pony up for government services like road and education won’t be easy in a state where low tax and smallgovernment ideologies reign supreme.

RAMPING DOWN federal fossil fuel leasing and extraction would require a monumental policy shift from the drillAmerica-first priorities of the Trump administration. And any discussion about that shift should be informed by a full accounting of the federal subsidies that prop up the industry in the United States and by proxy the states that rake in its revenue. According to a recent study by economists at the International Monetary Fund, the United States spent $649 billion in 2015 subsidizing the fossil fuel industry.

That accounting measures the actual cost of consumption against an “efficient” pricing of fossil fuels, which considers the public health and environmental costs of burning fossil fuels.

While that eye-popping number includes factors that could be debated, such as how to account for the costs of climate change and air pollution, the federal government spent on average more than $14 billion in direct subsidies to oil and gas in 2015 and 2016, according to an analysis by the climate advocacy group Oil Change International.

That $14 billion — which comes from sources like tax loopholes, distorted royalty rates, and below-market lease and rental rates on public lands — amounts to billions less than fossil fuel companies return in production revenue from public lands and waters and is considerably more than the federal government spent subsidizing renewable energy during the same time period.

Climate action in the form of federal oil and gas reform will have a disproportionate impact on Wyoming, as it continues to rely on fossil fuels and lags behind other states in transition planning. But swapping federal subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy could be a major boon for job growth across the West, creating jobs and opportunities for innovation through renewable installations, grid improvements and new storage technology. In states like New Mexico, plans to capture this growing economy — and rejuvenate coal communities in the process — are already underway. With the cost of renewable plus storage projects dipping below the cost of natural gas generation, the sun will shine brightly on states prepared to capture the winds of change blowing across the energy landscape.

This story was originally published in High Country News (hcn.org) on Aug. 7, 2019.

MIDVALLEY HEALTH FAIR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12

8:00 – 11:00 AM El Jebel Community Center

Blood draw*, flu shots, plus other screenings Bring proof of insurance or cash for flu shot.

SENIOR HEALTH FAIR AGE 60+ ONLY

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1

8:00 – 11:00 AM Aspen Valley Hospital

Lab Tests Offered

• Health Fair Profile - $65 • Cardio CRP - $35 • Hemoglobin A1c - $30 – NEW for 2019!

• PSA - $35 • Vitamin D - $45 • Colorectal Cancer Screening Kit - $25 Payment accepted at this event, CASH OR CHECK ONLY. There is an ATM available at Aspen Valley Hospital. There is NOT an ATM available at the El Jebel Community Center.

Full test descriptions at aspenhospital.org

Blood draw*, flu shots, plus other BOOK YOUR BLOOD DRAW APPOINTMENT! screenings Visit aspenvalleyhospital.org/health-fairs *Please arrive an hour prior to closing.

0401 Castle Creek Road, Aspen, CO 81611 | 970.925.1120 aspenhospital.org | AspenValleyHospital

COME CELEBRATE First Friday in October!

October 4, 5-9pm

Stroll Main Street, in the heart of Carbondale’s Creative District, and check out the many gallery openings, live music, and much more!

WWW.CARBONDALE.COM PC: Lewis Cooper

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 23

TOWN REPORT

From Town Manager Jay Harrington's weekly report to trustees, staff and others.

A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT on the old Stein property on the south side of Colorado Avenue and Highway 133 is under review for a major site plan. Planning and Zoning will consider the package on Oct. 12, as well as a Condominium Exemption and a minor site plan review for an Accessory Dwelling unit.

THE 2020 TOWN BUDGET will be presented to trustees on Oct. 8, then be available for public comment until it is adopted in December.

THE FIRST TRASH PICK UP under the new single hauler took place on Tuesday.

Recycling and trash cans should have been delivered by Monday.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES include part-time, year-round recreation assistants (call 510-1279) and climbing instructors (510-1214).

MARK NERSESIAN was hired to fill a fulltime Parks Maintenance position.

COP SHOP From Sept. 20 through 26, Carbondale Police responded to 231 calls for service, including 62 traffic issues, 10 pet problems, three accidents, two weapons calls, two cases of theft or larceny, one missing person and the following cases of note: SATURDAY SEPT. 21 AT 2:04 P.M. Police explained the process to apply for a restraining order after being called to address harassment.

SUNDAY SEPT. 22 AT 9:14 P.M. Following a traffic stop for weaving and driving in the wrong lane, officers arrested a 42-year-old man for driving under the influence and under restraint.

TUESDAY SEPT. 24 AT 10 A.M. A local high school called police to deal with a student caught with a vape device, which tested positive for marijuana.

DEMOLITION is underway on the Miners Park playground, with a closure in effect as of Sept. 30. The majority of the pieces will be repurposed and a replacement is scheduled for Oct. 21.

COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSES have been issued to the two newest members of the Streets crew, as well as a new member of the Utilities crew.

NEW MANHOLES were installed on the corner of Hendrick and Main, with a new pipe under the Rockford Ditch. Crews are continuing to work west.

50 AMP SERVICE is being installed in the power pedestals at Gateway RV Park.

BIOMETRIC SCREENING and flu shots were administered to Town employees and dependents on Oct. 1.

POLICE RECRUITMENT sent Lieutenant Wurtsmith to police academies near Cortez, Delta and Grand Junction.

Meanwhile, Ordinance Officer Terrazas attended the Colorado Animal Wellness Conference.

MEADOWOOD DRIVE reclamation was completed last week, with exceptional cooperation from residents. The trail on the east side of Highway 133 also received an overlay, and a substantial portion of the new curb and gutter along the west side of the new Shorty Pabst Way was poured.

THE DITCHES will be shut off on Oct. 15.

With Sgt. Scott Wilhelm moving to Florida to be a fly fishing guide at the end of the week, folks at the Town and beyond took the opportunity to say their goodbyes and wish him well.

Chief Schilling and Lieutenant Wurtsmith recognized his 20 nonconsecutive years of service before the party moved outside to tackle a PAW Patrol piñata. Photo by Will Grandbois

EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2019

RATES FOR AIRPORT PARKING

2 to 12 HOURS WILL INCREASE TO $6 PER HOUR ($40 MAXIMUM)

Longer term parking rates (more than 12 hours) remain unchanged. The first half hour is free in all airport parking lots. Visit aspenairport.com for a complete list of airport parking rates.

NOW HIRING POLICE OFFICER | STARTING SALARY $50,000 | LATERALS WELCOME Information & application at www.carbondalegov.org Open until filled.

24 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

OUR TOWN

If you know of someone who should be featured in “Our Town,” email news@soprissun.com or call 510-3003.

Anna Ramirez, a fixture at the Carbondale PD

By John Colson Sopris Sun Correspondent The Sopris Sun is conducting a series of interviews with folks you may not have seen in the paper before — a sort of introduction to your neighbors. This week we sat down with Anna Ramirez, a native of the town and a graduate of the local schools who, at 25 is a working mom with shared custody of her two sons, and who has been at the Carbondale Police Department for several years in different roles.

Q: If someone recognizes you on the street, where is it that they typically have seen you?

A: Usually, two places: either they know my family, or from the police department (where) I’m the executive assistant to the chief of police and records manager.

Q: So, you’re Gene Schilling's righthand gal, so to speak?

A: Yes (laughs) you could say that.

Q: How did you come to be in the Roaring Fork Valley?

A: I was born in Glenwood and was raised here in Carbondale.

Q: Describe for us your family, your heritage.

A: I have two sisters, an older sister and a younger sister, they're both here.

My older sister has two boys about the same age as my boys, so they hang out.

And my parents are here, they’ve been

here for a very long time, they immigrated here from Chihuahua, Mexico. We had family here already, so my dad decided to come here. I have two boys, one two year old and one five years. I have them every other weekend (sharing custody with their father).

Q: What was it like growing up here for you?

A: I’ve seen lots of changes in the community, with the students, and also environmental and other changes that have happened in the town, and it’s very interesting how everything is evolving every year; seeing it first hand.

Q: Have it been a positive or negative evolution, or neutral, in your view?

A: It’s neutral, just watching everything going on.

Q: What have you been doing for work?

A: I was a bank teller, and before that I was in retail — and I had one other job, the chief helped me get it, doing compliance (enforcement, concerning tobacco and alcohol regulations) for the state, before coming here (to the Police Department.) I did not go to college, I graduated from Roaring Fork High School and went straight into working, I got married.

Q: And when did you come to the Police Department?

A: I was hired as a research technician, at the end of 2013, and then

later on I was promoted to the executive assistant.

Q: Is there a question or statement that you encounter frequently, and that you’re sick of hearing?

A: That I’m racist (as contended by people of Hispanic origin, who encounter her at work), that I'm on the police side of things, not theirs. It doesn't happen often.

Q: And how do you handle that?

A: I don’t say anything, it’s their opinion, and they’re entitled to have it.

But back to things I hear some times, the one that I get the most, it’s not annoying but it’s like, I’ve heard that before — and it’s that my sister and I look just alike, like twins. I get that a lot, people get us confused a lot. She’s six years older then me, I guess I look older than I am, and she looks younger than she is (laughing).

Q: How do you spend whatever free time you might have?

A: With my kids, mostly. I do have some kid-free time. What do I do? I usually run errands when I don’t have the kids, some self-care time, I get my nails done, my hair done (laughing), and once in a while I’ll go out with friends. Outdoor kind of stuff, I’ll go on walks, swimming, mostly with my boys. I usually try to get the boys out somewhere, I have them every other weekend, so I’ll try to plan something for them, go somewhere, take them to an event somewhere.

Anna Ramirez welcomes you to the police department. Photo by John Colson Q: Who has been the biggest influence on your life?

A: I would say my mom, and the chief.

Schilling still performs), and he has always always pushed me to do more, and supported me, and he’s always given me great advice.

Q: Police Chief Gene Schilling?

How is that?

A:He was my (school) bus driver when I was in school (a job that

Q: What has been the most satisfying thing in your life so far?

A: Having my kids. They grounded me. I do everything for them.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 25

OPINION

By Ryan Mahoney Basalt Town Manager After more than six months of hard work, community engagement, research and public meetings, I am pleased that the Town of Basalt is nearing a resolution on its mill levy error.

I would like to thank Town

Basalt is addressing the TABOR issue Council, staff and community members who helped us understand this issue more clearly and to then formulate a practical, two-part resolution — a tax refund for existing property owners combined with a request from Council for Town voters to set our mill levy at its current 5.957.

As you probably know, over the past decade, the Town had adjusted its property tax mill levy rate up and down for both commercial and residential property within Basalt’s boundaries.

In the end, this action violated the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), although past Councils and staff believed they could do this after a 1994 “deBrucing” vote

by Basalt residents.

Town staff discovered this error while preparing the 2019 budget and quickly brought it to the attention of Council and the public.

The Town has worked over the past few months to legally resolve this TABOR issue with minimal impact to the Town and its residents. In doing so, Council has decided on two steps: First, Basalt will issue a refund to current property owners totaling about $2.1 million, representing the amount of “over-collected” property taxes over the past four years.

Second, Council has placed a question on the November 2019 ballot for voter approval to set the Town’s mill levy at its current rate of 5.957 to maintain Town services such as public safety and police services; fire and flood mitigation; road maintenance, sidewalk repairs, street plowing and sweeping ; park maintenance and recreational programs.

In accordance with TABOR, refunds will be issued to current

property owners for the amount of over- collected property taxes during the past four years.

TABOR contains a four-year statute of limitations, meaning the Town should refund the past four years of over-collected property taxes consistent with this legal liability.

In addition, TABOR recognizes that a refund may be provided through any reasonable method, and the Town of Basalt has determined that refunding current property owners is the most reasonable and legally sound basis for distributing the refund. This approach has been used in other communities and is supported by Colorado case law.

Moving forward, the Town will identify current property owners within its boundaries, utilizing the most current databases held

by Eagle and Pitkin counties.

The Town will utilize Sept. 5, 2019 as the effective date for the determination of current ownership. These property owners will be issued checks. The Town of Basalt is planning to send checks in mid to late-October.

On behalf of Council and Town staff, we look forward to resolving this issue and continuing to ensure that our Town’s budget and finances are responsibly managed and made transparent to all community members.

We will continue to operate the Town’s fiscal management and services with the same level of accountability and transparency that we have used through this process.

If you have any questions, please contact either me or Christy Hamrick, Town Finance Director, at 927-4701.

LETTERS Our green grocer

Become a Big Buddy

Dear Editor: Dear Editor: What’s all this fuss about a plastic bag ban?

Just out of curiosity, I’m wondering if anyone in All plastic isn’t evil, just like all cars aren’t. It’s only this town likes fun? petroleum-based plastic that wads up into a black I’m asking because that’s what a Big Buddy ball when burned and never goes away. Plastic made mentor has when they spend time with their Little of soybean, rape, or hemp oil is biodegradable.

Buddy a few times per month. I’ve been a Big Buddy It’s just that Big Oil has done such a devious job for nearly five years and my “Little” (who’s not so of marketing. They’ve convinced the plastic industry little anymore) and I have loads of fun together: they must make their product with petroleum oil, Behind-the-scenes tour of the X-Games, a pottery just as they persuaded the automobile industry class, a painting class, Nutcracker performance the only way to propel their vehicles is the internal (her first time to see it!), a gondola ride and lunch combustion engine. Big Oil certainly seems hell- with killer views, Glenwood Caverns Adventure bent on destroying the planet.

Park (she made me ride that horrifying swing four Mana Foods doesn’t hafta worry about a plastic times!), and sometimes just a quick cheeseburger on bag ban. Sontantar provides plastic bags to anyone a weeknight. who needs them, but they’re made of soybean oil.

Most people think they are just too busy to have That’s not the only way Mana Foods contributes a Little Buddy, but everyone has time for fun a few to the environment. All their produce is organic and times each month, right? There are Big Buddies who mostly locally grown, usually in Colorado’s largest are parents and bankers and teachers and lawyers organic farming area near Paonia. and other super busy people. They still want to make That means their produce doesn’t carry all kindsa a difference (they are!) and they want to give their pesticides and herbicides that kill lotsa living things time to an actual human in our community (and we we shouldn’t be killing. And it’s not shipped in from are so grateful!). Nothing is more impactful than California or Chile. It’s insane to truck in food we making a connection with a child who really needs can grow locally. it.

Then there’s the fact Mana Foods is locally Still not sure? How about you join the Buddy owned. I went to the customer service counter at Program for a sip and a few bites at Capitol Creek City Market recently and told them Mana Foods Brewery (at Willits) from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. had two products that were vastly superior to theirs. 15? You can talk to Big Buddies, learn more and Mana Foods’ kefir has the consistency of a milk decide for yourself. Bring a friend or two. We’d love shake. City Market’s is no thicker than milk. You to see you there! could hold up a carton on Mana Foods’ cottage Laura Seay cheese upside down with the top off and the product The Buddy Program wouldn’t fall out. If you did that to a City Market cottage cheese carton, you’d have a mess to clean up. CVEPA condemns closure “Tell Cincinnati,” I was told, “We don’t decide Dear Editor: what we sell.”

In early September a group of homeowners On the other hand, if I can’t find an item I want under the name of the Rock Creek Association on Mana Foods’ shelves, I’ll tell whoever’s on duty installed a private gate and closed public access to and they’ll order it. public property in Redstone.

Kroger’s recent imperious no free newspapers The Crystal Valley Environmental Protection edict is another example of how big national Association thanks and commends the Pitkin corporations can’t serve local needs. Some cigar County Board of Commissioners and the County chomping CEO in Cincinnati doesn’t know or Attorney for their swift response to the unlawful care what the impact of such a ban will have on the closure of the Filoha Nature Preserve Public Access. readers of The Sopris Sun. Mana Foods has, and will Through extensive public process, Pitkin County continue to have a Sopris Sun newsstand.

Open Space and Trails has designated The Wildrose I don’t care what Citizens United says, Easement (Dorais Way) as the only public access corporations aren’t people. Kroger doesn’t give us the route to Filoha Meadows. The annual three month food we want, is making it more difficult to obtain public access period is already extremely restrictive. our local newspaper, and is giving us a Starbucks and Earlier attempts to disallow all public access a gas station we don’t want. It’s time for a boycott. were predicated on wildlife sensitivity. These efforts Don’t worry, Mana Foods will take care of us. emanated from the residents who bought or built Fred Malo Jr. their homes in the midst of the area they declared Carbondale 26 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019

as sensitive.

CVEPA condemns the illegal closure of public access by the Rock Creek Association. The closure is clearly an effort at exclusivity by the Rock Creek Association. The installation of a locked gate and the closure of the more than one hundred year old public right of way was brazen. The Association’s theft of numerous County signs shows a total disregard for the law.

CVEPA supports the Commissioners in their commitment to maintain public access in Pitkin County.

John B. Armstrong, President Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association

Are we the third world?

Dear Editor: This weekend the Colorado Mission of Mercy will hold a free dental clinic in Glenwood Springs. This charity puts on a two-day clinic each year, serving around 1300 patients at each annual event. This is their first visit to the Western Slope.

This effort by 200 dentists and hundreds of supporting volunteers serves a huge unmet need. I admire their generosity.

At the same time, it disturbs me that the wealthiest country on earth depends on a patchwork of altruistic volunteers and complex logistics to provide sporadic healthcare. Tennessee’s Remote Area Medical provides free medical and dental care to hundreds of thousands of people through their mobile medical clinics. Some of their clinics are held at county fairgrounds, where desperate patients travel hundreds of miles to line up at midnight with no guarantee of getting a chance to be evaluated in a livestock pen.

Is this the best we can do? Charitable doctors and dentists have long enjoyed taking brief expeditions to exotic third-world countries to share their first-world skills. So now they’re doing this in a Colorado tourism capital and Tennessee animal stalls?

If you want to help people, then provide comprehensive and continuous medical and dental care to everyone, in established private clinics, during reasonable hours. Medicare for All can do this, spend less, and our volunteers can spread American values abroad. It’s what we should have done decades ago. These free clinics are a pathetic indictment of our failed healthcare system. We can do better.

George Bohmfalk Carbondale

100 Who Care thanks Dear Editor: We would like to thank all of those who made the fifth Sopris 100 Who Care event so successful last Tuesday evening.

We are so grateful to those who attended, those who couldn't attend but donated, those who helped, and those whose causes were nominated.

The winner this time was Pathfinders, a wellknown valley-wide grief counseling organization.

The "runners-up" were Sacred Cycles and Team Addie. If anyone would like to know more about these or the other groups who spoke during the information part of the evening, please visit our Facebook page. It is always a tough choice when all the nominees are so deserving!

We would also like to profusely thank Brian Leasure and his colleagues for the generous use of the Old Thompson Barn for the event, and Philip Kendzior for his dedication to our cause and his delicious food and beverage service as well. We couldn't pull this off without these generous folks.

We'd love to hear from anyone who isn't on the evite list but would like to be included for the next event, tentatively scheduled for Monday, Feb. 24. Just get in touch with one of the committee members listed below, go to our Facebook page, or email us at sopris100whocare@gmail.com.

We are so fortunate to live in a community that has so many worthy organizations and causes as well as so many generous people willing to support them.

Bonnie Cretti Cathie Farrar Cindy Nett Jamie Maybon Rachel Menke Marilyn Murphy

Middle elevation Dear Editor: Oh middle-elevation westside Colorado paradise, mature long before Ute travel. Evolving biodiversity. Eons undisturbed. Nuche under the mountain, watching over us now.

Current neighbors wrestling perfection from greed. So close to honoring our vision for protection.

Oh you current representatives shake yourselves out of politics and honor your constituents. We will continue to push you to honor our collective wisdom.

R. Vottero Carbondale

PARTING SHOTS

SUNSHINE & RAIN This porta-potty lived up to its name by being blown away from its original location off of CR 112 on Sunday night (photo by Jane Bachrach).

Strong winds also caused problems up Thompson Creek, too, blocking the main road and trapping some campers in their sites. Luckily, folks were packing saws and cooperation made quick work of the obstacles (photo by Will Grandbois) and we were all rewarded with a lovely rainbow (photo by Roberta McGowan). Since you've made it all the way to the end of this edition, you've probably noticed it's quite a bit more robust than usual (in fact, the only other 28-pager ran on June 3, 2010). What you may not know is that the number of pages is defined by our ads, not the amount of news we have to cover, so be sure to thank our advertisers for making it possible!

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission for the purpose of considering a condominiumization application to divide an existing commercial building into five commercial and one residential condominium units.

The property is located at 311 Main Street.

The applicant and Owner is Joe Scofield.

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 7:00 p.m. on October 24, 2019.

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined by interested persons during regular working hours, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The application may also be reviewed on the Town’s website at www. carbondalegov.org John Leybourne Planner

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PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Board of Trustees for the purpose of considering an application to amend the Crystal Acres Planned Unit Development to Amend Section 12, Regulations for the Riparian Zone to better clarify trail/path construction standards in the Riparian Zone.

The Applicants are Jerome Dayton and Donna Dayton.

Said Property is reflected by the Crystal Acres PUD Subdivision Plat, Reception Number 432413 at the Garfield County Clerk and Recorder.

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale

Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:00 p.m. on October 22, 2019.

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined by interested persons during regular working hours, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The application may also be reviewed on the Town’s website at www. carbondalegov.org John Leybourne Planner NOTICE PURSUANT TO THE LIQUOR LAWS OF COLORADO BORDERTOWN, LLC DBA MI CASITA 580 MAIN STREET, SUITE 100 CARBONDALE, CO 81623 HAS REQUESTED THE LIQUOR LICENSING OFFICIALS OF CARBONDALETO GRANT A TRANSFER OF A LIQUOR LICENSE TO SELL MALT, VINOUS, AND SPIRITUOUS LIQUORS FOR CONSUMPTION ON THE PREMISE AT 580 MAIN STREET, SUITE 100, CARBONDALE, CO 81623 THE HEARING FOR THIS APPLICATION WILL BE HELD AT: CARBONDALE TOWN HALL, 511 COLORADO AVENUE CARBONDALE, COLORADO DATE AND TIME: NOVEMBER 12, 2019 AT 6:00 P.M. DATE OF APPLICATION: SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

BY ORDER OF: DAN RICHARDSON, MAYOR APPLICANT: HOGAN HOEFFNER Information may be obtained from, and Petitions or Remonstrance’s may be filed with the Town Clerk, Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO 81623

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • OCTOBER 3, 2019 - OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 27