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Volume 6, Number 12 | May 1, 2014

What’s your carrot?

Michael Lindsay and his “What’s Your Carrot?” sculpture at the 5Point Film Festival drew quite a crowd throughout last weekend’s action at the Carbondale Recreation Center and across the street. Lindsay told The Sopris Sun the carrot is a metaphor for whatever the viewer is striving for. On each of the kayaks were printed the festival’s five points: respect, commitment, humility, purpose and balance. “The branches allowed for the community to hang stuff,” which in this case was mostly prayer flags that started fluttering in spring breezes on Saturday morning.

“The old truck (a 1951 GMC) is about where one might need to go to tie in with this cool old funky town,” he continued.

Lindsay said CCAH Director Amy Kimberly connected him to 5Point organizers. “The response from people was fantastic and I enjoyed hanging out with the sculpture and community, and discussing what it was about … 5Point Film Festival is the most thought-provoking and interesting event Carbondale has to offer in my opinion.

I was honored to be able to play some role in this event.”

Photo by Lynn Burton

Carbondale fire district’s reserves not what they seem

By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Staff Writer

C

arbondale Fire District observers have something new to discuss and keep an eye on.

Rather than a projected $1.85 million reserve at the end of 2014, the functional figure is about $650,000 less than that.

The reason?

The district put up part of its reserves as collateral and borrowed $900,000 from Alpine Bank to buy a 100-foot-ladder truck, an accompanying tender truck and related equipment in May 2012, according to a report by fire district board candidate

Carl Smith and confirmed by Carbondale Fire Chief Ron Leach.

The annual loan payment for the new trucks is $102,036 and two loan payments have been made, Leach confirmed. So, the district’s useable reserves at the end of the year are expected to be about $1.2 million — not the $1.85 million advertised in the 2014 budget.

The 2015 budget, financial reserves, staffing, service levels and related issues are on the mind of many these days, after fire district residents shot down a property tax hike ballot question last November. That vote forced the district board to dip into reserves for the 2014 budget and prompted

it to appoint an advisory task force to meet with the staff and board, learn about how the district works and make comments leading up to a possible ballot question concerning property taxes next November.

The district’s 2004 master plan identifies the “potential” for increased growth in the western part of the district (the CMC turnoff area) and indicated a ladder truck would be needed at the fire station in that area.

Such growth has not occurred, but the district board voted unanimously to buy the new ladder truck in May 2012 after the New Jersey-based Insurance Services Office said it would conduct a new ISO evaluation

in June of that year.

Some insurance companies use ISO ratings as a factor in setting their homeowners/fire insurance rates. The district received the ISO report in March of this year, which gives the district a 5/10 rating.

In related fire district news, five candidates are running for three seats in the May 6 election: incumbents Gene Schilling, Michael Kennedy and Mark Chain, plus challengers Carl Smith and Gary McElwee.

It’s a mail-in ballot; ballots not mailed can be turned in at the Carbondale fire station on Meadwood from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 6.

First Friday is May 2nd!

Lulubelle Fashion Show at 7:00. Family Fun Block Party at 4:00.

Carbondale is Calling!

5-9pm in Historic Carbondale!

Carbondale Commentary The views and opinions expressed on the Commentary page do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The Sopris Sun invites all members of the community to submit letters to the editor or guest columns. For more information, e-mail editor Lynn Burton at news@soprissun.com, or call 510-3003.

Oligarchy in democracy’s clothing Do you want the good news or the bad news? OK. The good news: used to make and 100 percent attendance in philosophy, I found my we can all stop arguing about the safety of fracking because it is no place on the Twister board that is American politics. Surely, I thought longer necessary. The U.S. Navy has turned seawater into fuel in order to myself, there is a happy medium between capitalism and socialism so that hard work is rewarded, yet everyone has a roof to make easier the business of war. Now, they can sail over their heads and food on their table. However, it directly into the fray without the pesky worry of stopwasn’t until my 40s that I learned the name of my poping for gas in the middle of the ocean; fulfilling the litical perversion.

U.S. mission to enforce oligarchy-dressed-up-asTurns out I’m a libertarian socialist and you don’t democracy right up until we decide to bomb the heck see them very often — “like having a gun rack on a out of everything. I’m sure it’s just a matter of fine-tunVolvo.” – Robin Williams. ing the gas-to-liquids process (extracting CO2 and hyWhile it’s none of the government’s business drogen from seawater) until the technology hits the whether or not I have an abortion, I do think they open market, rendering gas and oil impotent. should pay for it. I consider all reproductive issues to Oh wait, the bad news: fall under the umbrella of health care, and along with “American democracy is a sham, no matter how food, water, shelter and education, health care should much it’s pumped by the oligarchs who run the counbe available to any and everyone who needs it. But a try (and who control the nation’s “news” media),” he law that allows the insurance companies to take hardwrites. “The U.S., in other words, is basically similar to

By Jeannie Perry earned money from the average working woman’s Russia or most other dubious ‘electoral,’ ‘democratic’ paycheck? Not the way I would’ve gone. If corporacountries. We weren’t formerly, but we clearly are tions like Apple and Exxon would simply pay their taxes, instead of now.” – Eric Zuess* As much as we all want to live in the Teddy Roosevelt America of hiding their money in off-shore accounts, there’d be more than enough days gone by — the sass and scratch days, as I like to call them — the for everyone to have an abortion.

I mean, we’re talking about taxes, not some elitist concept like fact is that this country is run by a bunch of money-grubbing commoners who buy the law. Proof of this is the campaign by the Koch charity. Taxes are as old as the women I see walking the mall in Aspen brothers to force renewable energy users to pay a surcharge to the oil in their skinny jeans, older even! People have been paying taxes since the black and white days. So, if corporations are going to have the & gas companies.** Like school in the summertime; no class.

I admit it’s been a while since I’ve seen the inside of a classroom. same rights as people, they can start by paying their taxes. The And in my early 20s I was more focused on my job at Wax Trax than unchecked greed has run amok for so long in this country we seem to my studies, but between the mushroom blueberry tea my roommate Ps&Qs page 5

OPINION

Weekly in print; daily online The Sopris Sun keeps you informed all week long with special content on the web; including breaking news, photo galleries, calendar events and much more.

Ps & Qs

We are collecting Mt. Sopris images for our online gallery.

Help us keep the website fresh: Send breaking news tips, photos and suggestions to

970-309-2053 or claird@soprissun.com.

www.soprissun.com

Two important dates: May 29 and June 6 Editor’s note: Carbondale is in the process of updating and consolidating land use regulations into a unified development code (UDC). This column from the Planning & Zoning Commission continues a series of updates that will carry on throughout the 16-month process. Visit www.carbondaleudc.com to sign up for the UDC updates and to view upcoming events.

Did you know that the Roaring Fork High School property is currently zoned Commercial Business Park?

This is just one of the interesting details that has come up in recent Carbondale Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) discussions.

This column in March discussed the work done by P&Z for eight weeks starting in January. The time was spent reviewing, discussing and making changes to the outline. The P&Z reviewed the document with a critical eye, adding clarifying details, commenting on missing topics and ranking priorities. We provided significant revisions to the 60-page outline, which Clarion revised.

The outline is the framework for the UDC and contains all the es-

sential features and changes that will be included in the UDC. This document is an important early step in a major project that includes an analysis of the Carbondale zoning ordinance and consolidation of updated zoning and other land use regulations into a unified development code.

The UDC will regulate how land is developed and used in Carbondale, the standards that apply to new development, and the procedures to follow in considering new development proposals. The UDC will help Carbondale be proactive by allowing development to occur in a form and location that is consistent with the town’s values.

The outline is an important first step in the drafting process and focuses on what we consider to be the most important, big-picture revisions that we recommend making to the current zoning and subdivision regulations. We will be making more detailed suggestions on specific text changes once we get into the actual drafting process. This public version of the outline reflects input received from UDC page 5

Letters

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 400 words. Submit letters via email to news@soprissun.com or via snail mail to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623. The deadline to submit letters to the editor is noon on Monday.

Booster Club thanks Dear Editor: The Roaring Fork High School Boosters Club would like to thank all the supporters for their generous donations, which in turn benefitted the many clubs and opportunities offered at RFHS. As the school year winds down, the Roaring Fork Rams continue to challenge themselves in their spring sports, academic studies and artistic endeavors. The RFHS Ram Booster

Club is a non-profit parent and community organization whose members volunteer their time for various fundraising activities to create additional funding sources for academic, artistic and athletic advancement at RFHS. Thanks to donor support from: Alpine Bank, Ace Hardware, Amore Realty, The Pour House, DHM Design, R&A Enterprises Inc., Ackerman Log & Timber, Bonfire Coffee, Crystal Valley Dental, Crystal Springs Builders, White House Pizza, CIS Carbondale

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • May 1, 2014

Insurance Service, Inc., Red Rock Diner, Roaring Fork Cabinets, Cowen Center, Your Parts Haus dba Napa Auto Parts, Edward Jones, Excavation Services, Gianinetti Ranch, The Sopris Sun, Holy Cross Energy, TJ Concrete, H-P Geotech, Village Smithy, Peppino’s Pizza, Andrew and Charlene Horn, MG Landscaping, Chris and Terry Chacos, Mountain Pest Control, Inc., M.R. Maintenance & Repair, McDonald’s, B&H General Contractors, Cici LETTERS page 15

To inform, inspire and build community.

Donations accepted online or by mail. For information call 510-3003 Editor/Reporter: Lynn Burton • 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Advertising: Bob Albright • 970-927-2175 bob@soprissun.com Paula Valenti • 970-319-5270 paula@soprissun.com Photographer: Jane Bachrach Ad/Page Production: Terri Ritchie CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS board@soprissun.com Debbie Bruell, President Barbara Dills, Vice President Colin Laird, Treasurer • Frank Zlogar Sue Gray • Denise Barkhurst Honorary Board Members David L. Johnson • Jeannie Perry Trina Ortega • Laura McCormick Founding Board Members Allyn Harvey • Becky Young • Colin Laird Barbara New • Elizabeth Phillips Peggy DeVilbiss • Russ Criswell

Sopris Sun, LLC • P.O. Box 399 520 S. Third Street #35 Carbondale, CO 81623

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www.soprissun.com Send us your comments: feedback@soprissun.com The Sopris Sun is an LLC organized under the 501c3 non-profit structure of the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation.

Town’s water supply apparently safe from TD But one well could be affected John Colson Sopris Sun correspondent As the battle wears on over gas drilling in the Thompson Divide area — a vast, scenic zone southwest of Carbondale that stretches from Sunlight Mountain to McClure Pass — some have expressed concern that the town’s water supplies might be contaminated by spills, seeps or other mishaps if drilling ever starts up on an intensive scale.

“The town has concerns about making sure our water sources are well protected,” Carbondale Town Manager Jay Harrington told The Sopris Sun in a recent interview.

“It’s an issue the town’s raised in our opposition to gas drilling up there,” Harrington added, referring to letters sent by the town government to elected officials and bureaucrats at the local, state and federal levels, urging officials to keep drilling rigs out of the Thompson Divide.

But the town’s head water official, Utility Director Mark O’Meara, told The Sopris Sun that most of Carbondale’s water sources are situated out of the way of any potential water-born contamination from drilling activities in Thompson Divide, and that any threat of contamination has yet to be demonstrated.

“Some of it’s kind of an unknown,” said O’Meara of the potential for contamination of the town’s drinking water supplies.

Carbondale, along with the city of Glenwood Springs, Pitkin County and other entities, has been opposed to the drilling plans of primarily two companies — SG Interests of Texas and URSA Resources of Denver — which have applied for permits to drill wells in Thompson Divide, a 220,000-acre stretch of largely undeveloped land.

The opposition to drilling in the Thompson Divide area, led by a Carbondale-based

Carbondale is somewhat unique when it comes to water. The town has not one, but two treatment plants. The one shown here at the Carbondale Nature Park (aka Delaney dog park) treats water from the nearby Roaring Fork well field. The second plant, located on the shoulder of Mount Sopris, treats Nettle Creek spring water. Photo by Lynn Burton non-profit called the Thompson Divide Coalition, started in 2008. That was when SG and another company, Antero Resources, went to work on plans to drill gas wells in the area. Antero has since sold its holdings to URSA. Among the objections expressed by opponents is the concern that, should widespread drilling begin in the Thompson Divide, there is potential for drilling accidents, spills, and seepage from wells, pipelines or other facilities that might contaminate either surface water resources or the aquifers found beneath the surface of the land.

Drilling companies have responded with assurances that modern techniques for drilling and “fracking” gas wells are safe and will not result in contamination of Carbondale’s water resources. Fracking is a method of injecting massive amounts of water, sand and chemicals deep under-

“The town has concerns about making sure our water sources are well protected.”

Jay Harrington Carbondale Town Manager ground to break up gas-bearing rock formations and free up the gas to travel to the surface.

No affect O’Meara, regardless of industry assurances, noted that two of Carbondale’s three sources of domestic water — the Nettle Creek springs on the lower slopes of Mount Sopris and wells along the Roaring

Fork River — could not be affected by spills or other gas-related mishaps in Thompson Divide.

The Nettle Creek springs, which provide most of the town’s drinking water, are situated well up on the eastern banks of the Crystal River drainage and upstream from the confluence of the Crystal River and Thompson Creek, which flows out of Thompson Divide, O’Meara said.

Any contamination of Thompson Creek, he added, would flow into the Crystal River and northwestward toward the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers, missing any possible connection with Nettle Creek.

The three wells along the Roaring Fork River, O’Meara continued, are upstream from the confluence of the Crystal and Roaring Fork rivers, so that those wells also could not be reached by any contaminating flows from Thompson Creek.

The town does have one well, known as the Crystal Well, that is adjacent to the state Parks and Wildlife fish hatchery along the Crystal River and is downstream from the river’s confluence with Thompson Creek.

The well, known as an “alluvial well,” is at the depth of the Crystal River itself and could be affected by a contaminating spill or leak in Thompson Creek, O’Meara said.

But, O’Meara continued, the fish in the nearby hatchery, who he believed would be sickened and perhaps killed by any such contamination, might perform as “canaries in the coal mine” and warn town officials in time to prevent contaminated water from getting into the town’s water system.

While he is unsure whether drilling in Thompson Divide represents a hazard to Carbondale’s citizens, O’Meara said, “We’ve got it as an area of concern (in the town’s water planning policies)” but added, “I don’t have any really concrete answers” to those worried about the possibility of contamination.

“I don’t think there’s enough information out there to make a determination,” he concluded.

Rancher: Ditch water users are at risk John Colson Sopris Sun correspondent While Carbondale officials are uncertain about whether gas drilling in the Thompson Divide could pose a significant threat to the town's drinking water (see related story), one area rancher is certain that his ditches and his ranch are threatened.

“Absolutely,” said rancher Bill Fales, who has operated his Cold Mountain Ranch southwest of Carbondale since 1973.

He and neighboring landowners own the most senior rights in Thompson Creek, he said, in the form of irrigation water flowing through the Pioneer Ditch. He worries about gas drilling in Thompson Divide because, “I've never seen a fail-safe system to do anything.”

Drilling proponents have assured local landowners, “Don't worry, we've got it all figured out, this is fail-safe,” he told The Sopris Sun this week.

“I always get scared when I hear that,”

he continued. “I think there are documented cases around the country that show that is not the case.”

Fales worries about drilling accidents and spills contaminating surface water courses, he said, as well as the possibility that Western Colorado's geology, with its tendency toward natural underground fault lines and fractures, could result in contamination of underground streams and springs despite the industry's pledges to the contrary.

Fales conceded that, in decades past, there has been some drilling in Thompson Divide, and that a system of natural gas storage wells exists up there today.

But, he maintained, those old wells and even the storage facility are minimal compared to the prospect of dozens of wells being drilled, as companies now plan.

Comparing the potential drilling scenario to his own ranching operation, Fales said, “Nobody minds if I have 30 heifers in my pasture out here. But if I were to have a

big feed-lot operation here, I think the town of Carbondale might have something to say about it.”

Similarly, he explained, a low level of drilling activity in decades past did not raise concerns among the local population.

But the plans currently being contemplated are so much more massive, with so much greater potential for problems, that he and his neighbors are naturally worried.

He noted recent news stories about a reported rise in birth “anomalies” among families living in the area from Rifle to Carbondale, as well as stories about people living near gas wells getting sick, as evidence that drilling may not be as benign as the industry claims.

“Birth defects, respiratory illness, cancers, what you're seeing is what opponents of oil and gas have been predicting for years,” he said, adding that he does not simply accept industry promises to avoid contaminating water resources.

Bill Fales at the recent BLM open house on Thompson Divide drilling. Photo by Lynn Burton

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • May 1, 2014 • 3

Students, teachers and others feted Crystal River Elementary School art teacher Julie Hawkins (right) during the school’s annual art show on April 24. There was a surprise cake, stories from staff and lots of laughs. Hawkins is retiring after 31 years with the RE-1 school district. Photo by Marty Madsen

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Ps&Qs continued om page 2 have forgotten that we’re not the English; we don’t have to love the one who takes our money. And, in defense of the British, at least the kings and queens left their loyal subjects with enough to cover basic needs (with the possible exception of dentistry).

Personally, I’m OK with a at tax for every one/corporation who/that makes more than $24,000 a year. And I’m OK with subsidizing those who don’t, because while I understand the selling points of capitalism, we have created a monster. A huge Bilderberger beast who stays behind the curtain pushing buttons and pulling levers, testing the thresh-

old to see how hard Americans will work for nothing but the promise of a dream; a dream in which we are all free and equal to consume as much oil and gas as possible. For now anyway, I’m sure those Koch boys are busy working on a plan to patent seawater. * http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echo chambers-27074746 ** http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-koch-brothers-and-solarpower-20140422,0,1087398.story#axzz2z oEj6QL8

UDC continued om page 2 the Planning & Zoning Commission and Carbondale staff on an initial internal draft.

What’s next? The Outline is being distributed for review to Carbondale boards and commissions, and elected ofďŹ cials. It is also posted at the project website www.carbondaleudc.com. Paper copies are available at Carbondale Town Hall. You should consider the document with questions such as these in mind: • Does the Outline align with Carbondale’s new Comprehensive Plan? • Does the Outline represent a new code that will be user-friendly, streamlined and tailored to Carbondale and our collective goals? • Does the Outline address all the important topics that the new UDC will need to address?

The next stage of public input on the Outline is about to begin. The Planning & Zon-

ing Commission would appreciate your input on the updated document. We ask that stakeholders submit written comments on the Annotated Outline by June 6, using either the form provided on the project website or in an email to tisrael@carbondaleco.net. The document will be presented at a public meeting in Carbondale, tentatively scheduled for May 29.

After the public comment, our consultants will start to write the UDC. Town staff and the P&Z will review the code and then solicit your comments in short, manageable sections. Thanks for your continued involvement, feedback, and support as we work through this important update. – Carbondale Planning & Zoning Commission

UPCOMING EVENTS AT THIRD STREET CENTER

May Schedule May 7 ECLECTIC ACOUSTIC AMERICANA With April Moon & Don Paine — Sharing the

love of making music for over 35 years, April plays guitar and stand up bass and Don plays fiddle, mandolin and clawhammer banjo, both singing a blend of vocal harmonies. Don makes custom mandolins and fiddles and many of the instruments they play.

May 14 LARRY GOTTLIEB author of The Seer’s Explanation — The former Mayor of Basalt, Larry has been a “techie,� a musician, a politician, and now an author and public speaker. An incident occurred leading him to inquire into the nature of consciousness and its relationship to the world we live in, forev-

Missouri Heights resident Linda Lafferty read from her best-selling novel “The Bloodletter’s Daughter� to an adoring crowd at the Carbondale Branch Library on April 26. After 27 years and over 200 rejections, the former Carbondale and Aspen school teacher is enjoying great success doing what she loves best: writing. Photo by Jane Bachrach

The Perfect MotherÂ’s Day Gift MayÂ’s Special

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Purchase Instant Gift ,.$3 . - !,)' )/, -$. er altering his view and leading him to explore that shift in perspective.

May 21 VID WEATHERWAX, Bluesy singer/songwriter/pianist – Vid will feature songs from

Tom Waites, Randy Newman, John Hiatt and his own catalog of originals

May 28 RACHEL CONNOR, Program Director for (co) Studio Education - Connecting the Hand and the Mind — As Program

Director for (co)studio , an educational initiative of Houses For Higher Education, Rachel participates in a vocational revolution within our local high schools. By breaking the mold of the traditional woodshop classroom, (co)studio is a design/build curriculum that engages both the hand and the mind.

The Culture Club meets every Wednesday from noon – 1:00 pm in the Calaway Room CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY WITH EDUCATION, ENTERTAINMENT & ENLIGHTENMENT

Third Street Center • 520 S. Third St, Carbondale CO 963-3221

www.thirdstreetcenter.net for details on all tenant organizations and additional events

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Carbondale Police Department is now accepting applications for the position of POLICE OFFICER

We are looking for a highly motivated individual who will enjoy working in a TEAM / Community Policing environment. Starting salary is $45,731. Ability to work shift work, weekends and holidays a must. We offer an excellent benefit package.

Spanish speaking preferred.

Must possess a Colorado POST certification or be POST certifiable. Applicants must be at least 21 years old, have or ability to obtain a valid Colorado driver’s license and no felony convictions. Applicants must complete background checks, complete physical agility test, and participate in a ride-along program.

Send application, resume and references to Carbondale Police Department, 511 Colorado Ave., #911, Carbondale, CO 81623 or to Lt. Chris Wurtsmith, cwurtsmith@carbondaleco.net. Deadline is May 9, 2014 at 5:00 p.m.

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • May 1, 2014 • 5

Scuttlebutt

Send your scuttlebutt to news@SoprisSun.com. have happened. I’m grateful for everything it’s brought me.” Fischer and his wife Lari also own Phat Thai in Carbondale, the Pullman in Glenwood Springs and Harmon’s Eat & Drink in Denver. The Crossfit games will be broadcast on ESPN.

Love those bees Carbondale beekeeper Mark Burrows recently zapped The Sun an e-mail that reads as follows: I have to write to say thank you to all the people who have chosen to call a beekeeper to get help in removing a hive in their home.

It’s bee swarming season for the next few months and I want to encourage all ya’all to help our favorite pollinator’s survival by not killing them off. Call your favorite local beekeeper for advice or help on removing them from your home. If you don’t know of one, call me and I’ll help you in any way I can. I’m at 379-4581.

Majid paints in desert Marcel Majid will create live paintings on stage during Desert Lexus Jazz in Indian Wells, Calif. on May 3. You can also see Majid paint live in his Dinkel Building studio during First Friday on May 2.

For-profit 501’s heading out

Drop some coin

Anderson’s Clothing on Grand Avenue in Glenwood Springs will soon close, which is sad news for guys who knew exactly where to grab their yearly one or two pair of Levi’s shrink-tofit 501 jeans. For more than 30 years, those 501s took up the back part of the store in floor-toceiling cubbyholes. Some guys had to thumb through different groupings as their waist-line expanded from 33 then 34 then 35 inches over the years – but the jeans were always right there.

Anderson’s will be missed.

Have you noticed that Project Graduation collection buckets are sitting atop sales counters and other locations around town? Project Graduation provides a safe place for graduating RFHS seniors to party after receiving their diplomas, slaps on back, hugs, kisses and hand shakes. FYI: Roaring Fork’s gradation is at 1 p.m. on May 31; Basalt’s is 10 a.m. on May 31; Bridges High School’s graduation is at 4 p.m. on May 30.

Town. owner makes games Town. restaurant owner Mark Fischer will be heading to Carson, Calif. to compete in the Crossfit Games in July after finishing eighth in his age group in last week’s qualifier, according to a press release. Fischer trains with Jon Lipp at Sopris Crossfit. Said Fischer: “It’s really a collective effort. Were it not for the support, the coaching and the sheer fun that comes with the community of Sopris Crossfit, I doubt this could

They say it’s your birthday Roaring Fork High School senior Talia Howe is enjoying quite the year, competing in the long-jump and notching two first and two seconds in four invitational track meets. She holds the school record with a jump of 17-feetone-and-one-quarter inch and will compete in the Grand Junction Tiger Invitational on May 3. Photo by Sue Rollyson

Gary L. McElwee

Candidate for the Board of Directors of the Carbondale And Rural Fire Protection District

Ha Have ve P Paint aint Q Questions? uestions?

Gary McElwee and Carl Smith “Experienced Leadership for Change”

Ask A sk Y Your our Neighbor Neighborhood hood Expert Ace! Expert aatt A ce!

WHY AM I RUNNING FOR THE FIRE DISTRICT BOARD?

Cody Adams Ace Hardware of Carbondale Paint Expert Since 1999

MINDFUL LIFE PROGRAM Carbondale Events Meditation Retreat, Saturday, 4/19 Mindfulness in Recovery 11th Step Retreat, Saturday, 4/26 Mindful Life Program Course, 5/15 - 7/7 Weekly Mindfulness Group, Tuesdays 7:30-8:30 pm s at see u y e m Co Da elion Dand 10th May k s Par Sopri

Folks celebrating their birthday this week include: Jeff Leahy and Pixie Byrne (May 1); Kathy Goudy and Maura Masters (May 3); Aaron Laemmel and Zoe Kimberly (May 4); Jeremy Heiman, Frank Betts, Rabbit and Sandy Kaplan (May 5); Stephen Olson (May 6); and Amanda Leahy (May 7).

Transform Your Life www.mindfullifeprogram.org 970-633-0163

6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • May 1, 2014

Where Do I Stand?

• I believe the current Board of Directors has lost our trust.

• To propose doubling the Fire District mill levy (November, 2013) when a majority of our citi­ zens are still feeling the impact of the reces­ sion clearly indicates that the current Board is out of touch with the economic climate of the District.

• In 2011, (as a way to sell that year's Mill Levy increase) we were promised a Master Plan, that would ensure our money was being appropriately spent. This did not happen.

• The current Master Plan is ten years old and became obsolete when the economy it was based on failed. No effort has been made in the last five years to bring the Fire Department in line with the region's changed economic reality.

• Recent efforts by the current Board to respond to criticism have all been reactionary, demonstrating an attempt to retain the status quo, rather than providing real leadership that will position the department to meet the chal­ lenges of the next five to 10 years.

• While the recently appointed Citizen Advisory Committee is a step in the right direction, a proactive Board would have taken this step several years ago when it became apparent that property values would fall, as would District revenues as a result.

• I believe the the paid staff and volunteers that make up Carbondale Fire are the finest men and women it's been my privilege to work with during my professional career. They deserve leadership equal to the quality of their efforts.

• I believe that a comprehensive Master Plan is necessary before the Board can make any kind of informed decision on the variety of issues that face the District, from levels of service, equipment needs, staffing levels, to a hard, hard look at where and how our money is cur­ rently being spent.

• I am not opposed to a tax increase, but it should be the last resort, and proposed only after the Board has done the tough work necessary to ensure we are spending your money responsibly (I do not support using taxpayer money to feed Board members at meetings and will forgo any salary earmarked for Board members.

• Leadership is proactive, not reactive. I pledge to provide that proactive leadership if elected.

I ask for your (mail­in) vote in the May 6th Election

Paid for by Gary McElwee

Thank you Gary L. McElwee

Questions? Contact me at glmcelwee@gmail.com

After 25 years, Carbondale postal worker Lisa Gebert delivered her last mail on Wednesday.

Gebert worked mostly in the back of the post office but many patrons knew her as someone willing to cheerfully help when they had a question or request.

Gebert told The Sopris Sun she was feeling mixed emotions on her last day but plans to stay in Carbondale.

Photo by Jane Bachrach

Non-profit highlight

ROTARY CORNER

ROTARY CLUB OF CARBONDALE May with Carbondale Rotary 2013-14 Rotary International Theme

“Engage Rotary… Change Lives” “SERVICE ABOVE SELF”

Carbondale Rotary Practicing Service Above Self, at home and around the world …

Rotary scholarship recipients Congratulations to our club’s 2014 student scholarship recipients: Roaring Fork High School: Alexa Maes, Jane (Toni) Gross, Zack Ritchie, Yaritza Zarate, Kimberly Vega Terrazas Bridges High School: William Kelly Basalt High School: Ivano Del Piccolo, Kade Cheatham, Hunter Ash, Berta Rivera, Shion Reilly •••

Happening tickets on sale now!

Carbondale Rotary’s annual Happening fundraiser takes on an international theme this year. The big event is Saturday, June 14 at The Orchard. Tickets are $125, and proceeds go to support our community grants and student scholarship programs.

See any club member for tickets, or send an email request to: thehappening@carbondalerotary.com.

PURINA PRODUCTS

DOGWASH $15 EVERYDAY

AVAILABLE NOW!

Strategy, Omolene, Impact, Equine Sr. & More!

The Carbondale Rotary Club meets at 6:50 a.m. on Wednesdays at the Carbondale Firehouse. Visitors are welcome to come enjoy our weekly program and learn about the wonderful work Rotary does in the community and around the world.

VAL DELLEY-W IVE IDE RY!

Next to City Market in El Jebel, 400 E Valley Rd. Ste I/J 963.1700 Open M-F 10-6:30pm | Sat/Sun 11-5pm

Open seven days a week

UPCOMING PROGRAMS May 7 – Scholarship recipient presentations May 14 – Artist James Surls will speak about plans for a local art museum May 21 – Sharon Raggio and Jackie Skramstadt, Mind Springs Health, will talk about mental health issues in the Roaring Fork Valley May 28 – Dr. Aki, Valley View Hospital, lung cancer facts

presents its premier production of

For program suggestions, contact Amy Barr, amy@amybarr.com, or Herb Feinzig, hf99@sopris.net

A rollicking cavalcade of animated animals

For membership and other Rotary Club information, visit www.rotarycarbondale.org

“Carnival of the Animals” Ballet Saturday, May 3 2pm and 6pm at Coredination $10 adults, $5 kids, in advance or at the door (cash or check please). (970) 379-2187

455 South Third Street, located just west of the new library parking lot in Bonedale Ballet studios and performance space (follow signs).

OFFERING PILATES, BALLET AND YOGA FOR KIDS, TEENS AND ADULTS.

www.bonedaleballet.com | Mindfully crafted core movement THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • May 1, 2014 • 7

Fun. Unique. Local.

Carbondale’s women’s clothing boutique.

lulubelle’s 4th Annual Main Street fashion show

Spring Into Fun FAMILY BLOCK PARTY for all ages

4 to 8 p.m. at the Village Smithy Restaurant, Main & 3rd St.

Friday, May 2nd

Music by DJ Mayfly

LULUBELLE'S FASHION SHOW

6 to 8 p.m. in front of Lulubelle's Shop on Main Street

Shop, eat and see all things Carbondale!

Don’t forget Mother’s Day Sunday, May 11th 320 main street #100 | carbondale p. 510.5141 www.lulubellecarbondale.com mon-sat 10:00 to 6:00 & sun 10:00 to 3:00

CHILDREN S ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for the 2014-2015 School Year

A truly unique preschool that offers small class sizes and a teacher/student ratio of 1:6

Call 970-963-2524 for more information or to schedule a tour.

8 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • May 1, 2014

First Friday fashions, kids festivities abound Sopris Sun Staff Report The Carbondale Recreation Center, Colorado Animal Rescue and the Children’s Rocky Mountain School are teaming up to host a community block party at the Village Smithy from 4 to 8 p.m. during First Friday on May 2, according to a press release.

There will be food and drink, live music by the Hell Roaring String Band, prize drawings and a kid-zone featuring a bounce house, games (soccer kick, ring toss and minihoops), arts and crafts and face-painting. Carnival-style tickets will be sold ($1 per ticket) for food, drink and activities.

Sponsors include: The town of Carbondale, Village Smithy, Rainy Day Designs, Premier Party Rental, Handmakery, CarbondaleMomsforMoms.com, Hell Roaring String Band, Miller Ranch, Colorado Air Technologies, Alpine Bank, Pediatric Partners, Valley View Hospital Foundation, BabyGearLab.com, Marble Distilling Co., Aspen iTech Consulting, Aspen Medical Care, P.C., Koru, Divide Creek Builders, Nunn Construction Inc., Key Elements Construction, Smith Robert & Associates, Studio 360, Amore Realty, Drs. Verheul & Covello, DDS., The Bevington Family, The Heath Family, The Roth Family, The Smith Family and The Spencer Family.

For more information on the First Friday block party, call 948-1334. Proceeds benefit Colorado Animal Rescue, valley youth recreation programs through the Carbondale Recreation Center and early childhood education at Children’s Rocky Mountain School.

As usual, Main Street in downtown is closed to vehicular traffic, which allows pedestrians, bikers, unicylers, skateboarders, pogo-stickers, hand-walkers, cart-wheelers, equestrians and others to wander about freely.

In other First Friday action:

• Lulubelle stages its annual Main Street fashion show (see ad on page 8).

• Main Street Gallery presents Frank Norwood and his etching techniques.

• True Nature Healing Arts at the north end of Third Street does gong and singing-bowl meditation with David Avalos and Pam Davis at 7:30 p.m. (admission is $21); • The American Legion Post 100 (across from True Nature) offers Mexican food for $7 per plate starting at 6 p.m. Jello shots and a swing at the piñata are optional.

• The Crystal Theatre presents “The Grand Budapest Hotel” at 7:30 p.m.

Kids strut their own unofficial, spontaneous stuff at lulubelle’s annual Main Street fashion show during First Friday. Photo by Jane Bachrach

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • May 1, 2014 • 9

Community Calendar THURSDAY May 1 RUNNING • Independence Run & Hike hosts Ladies Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

It’s free. Events include a presentation by elite endurance runner Darcy Africa, and Elinor Fish (of Wild Retreats). The first 50 women to arrive will receive a goody bag with products from Moving Comfort, Brooks, Balega, Gu and more. There will be a fashion show, running clinic and raffle, as well as food catered by The Goat. Vendor booths will include Smartwool, Moving Comfort, CW-X, Hoka and more. The store is located in La Fontana Plaza on Highway 133. Info: 704-0909 or independencerunhike.com.

JOy • Davi Nikent presents Elizabeth Hare and “Steps to Transformation: An Experiential Journey to Joy” at the Third Street Center at 6:30 p.m.

THEaTRE • Aspen Community School’s production of “Pinocchio” takes place at the Wheeler Opera House at 7 p.m. on May 1-2. Tickets are $12 and $18. Info: aspenshowtix.com.

LIBRaRy BOaRD • The Garfield County Library Board holds its monthly meeting at the Parachute Branch Library at 6 p.m.

Info: 625-4270.

ROTaRy • The Mt. Sopris Rotary meets at Mi Casita at noon every Thursday.

FRIDAY May 2 FIRST FRIDay • Tonight is the monthly First Friday, with various events, gallery

To list your event, email information to news@soprissun.com. Deadline is noon on Monday. Events take place in Carbondale unless noted. For up-to-the-minute valley-wide event listings, check out the Community Calendar online at soprissun.com. View events online at soprissun.com/calendar.

openings and music around town. Info: 963-1890.

MOVIES • The Crystal Theatre presents “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (R) at 7:30 p.m. May 28 except on May 4 showing is at 5 p.m. only.

LIVE MUSIC • Steve’s Guitars in the old part of the Dinkel Building presents live music every Friday night. Info: 963-3304.

LIVE MUSIC • The Black Nugget on Main Street presents Betty Ford Explorer at 9 p.m. No cover.

TNHa • True Nature Healing Arts hosts First Friday gong and singing bowl medition with David Avalos and Pam Davis from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The cost is $21.

Info: 963-9900.

GOOD FOOD • The American Legion Post 100 at the north end of Third Street serves up Cindy and Julie’s Mexican food at 6 p.m. It’s $7 per plate.

Info: 963-2381.

BUILDING BOaRDS • JVA Consulting and HighLife Unlimited present “Transform Your Organizational Culture” at the Third Street Center at 9 a.m. Info: 963-9182.

SATURDAY May 3 CaRNEVaL BaLLET • Coredination, A Movement Studio presents the ballet “Carnival of the Animals” at the Bridges Center

on Sopris Avenue at 2 and 6 p.m. Info: bonedaleballet.com and the ad in this week’s Sopris Sun. MayFaIRE • The Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork holds its annual Mayfaire from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Info: 963-1960.

RED HILL WORK • The Red Hill Council holds a work day at Red Hill. The hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. No dogs.

GaLLERy SaLE • Eclectic Studio in Willits (near Whole Foods) concludes its “moving on” sale today.

Info: 390-5110.

SUNDAY May 4 TNHa • True Nature Healing Arts offers yoga for kids with Shannon Jones at 11 a.m. Info: 963-9900. aSC • A Spiritual Center in the Third Street Center holds an open discussion at 10 a.m.

Upcoming speakers are: Ellen Stepenhorst (May 11), Tanai Starra (May 18) and Sandy Haber (May 25). Info: 963-5516.

MONDAY May 5 INTERN DEaDLINE • Today is the deadline for RFHS and Bridges High School students to apply for The Sopris Sun’s summer intern program. For details, go to soprissun.com or call Debbie Bruell at 379-0214.

TUESDAY May 6 SOCIaL SKETCHING • CCAH hosts a social sketching night at Phat Thai from 7 to 9 p.m. A donation of $5 is asked. Info: carbondalearts.com.

MaRIONETTE • The Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork presents a marionette performance for all ages at the Third Street Center at 5:30 p.m. It’s free. Info: 9631680.

TWO-STEP TUESDay • The Roaring Fork Social Dancers present Two-Step Tuesdays from 7:45 to 9:45 p.m. at the Third Street Center. Admission is $7 and partners or experience are not necessary.

Info: jaeg1@comcast.net.

WEDNESDAY May 7 CULTURE CLUB • The Carbondale Culture Club presents April Moon and Don Paine (Americana) at the Third Street Center at noon. Admission is free.

ROTaRy • The Rotary Club of Carbondale meets at the fire station at 7 a.m. Info: amy@amybarr.com.

LIVE MUSIC • Rivers restaurant in Glenwood hosts open mic nights with Dan Rosenthal from 8 to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays. Info: 928-8813.

POT WORKSHOP • YouthZone holds a parents’ workshop on pot and the teenage brain at Basalt High School at 6 p.m.

CALENDAR page 11

Whimsical Women of the West

FIRST FRIDAY FUN!

Gong & Singing Bowl Meditation

Celebrate Mom and Spring Mother’s Day Weekend

MAY 2 7:30 – 9 pm $21 Pre-registration suggested as class size is limited

Yard Art Please join David Avalos and Pam Davis as they share the gift of sound meditation. This collective vibration inspires deep, transcendent meditation.

Fiber Art Plants Jewelry truenatureheals.com

100 N 3RD S T • C ARBONDALE • 970.963.9900

Vintage Fabric

Folk Art

NON-PROFIT 501(c)(3)

Collectibles

Container Gardens Baskets

Food Goodies

Pottery

Fine Art

Opening Reception Friday, May 9th 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 10th 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

A percentage of sales will benefit Literacy Outreach

On the grounds of Four Mile Creek Bed & Breakfast 5 miles up Four Mile Road on the way to Sunlight.

For more Information Call (970) 945-4004 10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • May 1, 2014

Community Calendar

continued from page 10

Ongoing SCHOOL TOURS • Children’s Rocky Mountain School hosts enrollment tours through May. To set up a tour, call Debbie Condello at 963-2524. The school is located at 1493 County Road 106.

CaNDIDaTES MEET • Carbondale Fire Board candidates Gary McElwee and Carl Smith meet the public at Bonfire at 7 a.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Further Out THURSDAY May 8 JOHNSON OPENING • CCAH hosts an opening reception for furniture maker Bob Johnson from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Third Street Center. The show is a 45-year retrospective of Johnson’s work and includes water color artist Annette Roberts-Gray. Info: 963-1680.

POT WORKSHOP • YouthZone Carbondale holds a “Marijuana and the Teenage Brain” workshop at the Third Street Center starting at 6 p.m.

FRI.-SAT. May 9-10 DaNDELION DayS • Carbondale’s days to celebrate all things dandelion returns to Sopris Park and other venues. For details, see the advertisement below.

SATURDAY May 10 BaSaLT LIBRaRy • The Basalt Regional Library Foundation presents the Hudson Reed Ensemble’s production of Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever” at the Library starting at 7

LINX • The Linx Networking group meets each Tuesdays at 7 a.m. in the Aspen-Sotheby’s real estate office on Midland Avenue in Basalt.

Info: Keith Edquist at 928-8428.

VaUDEVILLE RETURNS • Glenwood Vaudeville Review returns with a spring show on Friday and Saturday nights. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. There’s a full bar and pub style menu from Juicy Lucy’s, Daily Bread and 19th Street Diner. Tickets are $24 for adults,

p.m. Refreshments will be served at intermission. Tickets are $35 in advance or at the door. Info: 927-4311.

MONDAY May 12 133 OPEN HOUSE • The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce hosts an open house to explain upcoming Highway 133 construction at Sopris Shopping Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. There’ll also be music and light appetizers. Info: 963-1890.

THURSDAY May 15 MLP • The five-week Mindful Life program course is held at the Third Street Center from 6 to 8 p.m. on May 15, 22, 29 and June 5, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 7. The fee is $250. Info: 970-633-0163.

THURSDAY May 22 OPERa • CCAH presents the Colorado Opera production of “The Barber of Seville” at the Third Street Center at 8 p.m.

$22 for seniors and $16 for kids (show only).

Reservations at 945-9699 or gvrshow.com.

Carbondale Mayor Stacey Bernot on Tuesdays from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Village Smithy.

MINDFULNESS GROUP • The Mindfulness Group is a casual gathering that supports meditation and mindful practice, and builds a community to connect with it. Each evening begins with a meditation, followed by a group dialogue to share experiences in living a mindful life. Donations are accepted. The weekly group meets from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 1154 Highway 133 (next to the Blend). Info: 970633-0163, laura@mindfulllifeprogram.org or mindfullifeprogram.org.

CaNCER CONSULTaTIONS • Valley View Hospital offers free lung cancer evaluations on Thursdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

Info: 384-7707.

BRIDGE • The Carbondale Bridge Club meets in the Third Street Center’s Senior Matters room from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Wednesday. All duplicate bridge players are welcome but you must bring a partner. Admission is $3.

Info: Diane Morgan at 963-0425.

LIVE MUSIC • Carbondale Beer Works hosts open mic nights with Patrick Fagan Mondays at 7:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC • The Hotel Colorado hosts a Monday night jazz jam in its lobby at 7 p.m.

The sessions are open to jazz musicians of all levels, semi-formal attire encouraged. Spectators welcome. For more information visit the Monday Night Jazz Facebook page or contact Zack Ritchie at 987-9277.

DaVI NIKENT • Weekly meditation and dharma talks with John Chophel Bruna continue Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the Third Street Center. Info: wayofcompassion.org.

MayOR’S COFFEE HOUR • Chat with

MUSIC TOGETHER • All Valley Music Together classes are under way. For details, go to allvalleymusic.com or call 963-1482.

TaI CHI • Martin Finkelstein presents “Tai Chi Principles and Theory” at the Third Street Center a 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Info: 948-7379.

DaVI NIKENT • The women’s empowerment through creative expression 2014 Women’s Circle is now taking place. Info: 618-8334.

CaRBONDaLE LIBRaRy • The following programs and events take place at the Carbondale Library: – Musical Storytime • With Sue Schnitzer every Monday at 4 p.m. Kids must be accompanied by adults at all times.

– Bilingual Storytime • With Alejandra at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. It’s for kids 1-5.

– T&I Storytime • With Jeannine Stickle at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays.

– Bilingual Book Club • Held every Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Info: Alejandra at 963-2889.

– Writer’s Group • With Sue Schnitzer on the second Monday of the month at 6 p.m.

A Creative Community Celebration of Sustainability and Spring

May 9th & 10th, 2014

Carbondale, Colorado

Free Bulb & Battery Recycling Homeowners bring your used light bulbs and batteries to the Brite Ideas booth Sunshine Sponsors: Dandelion Day/Arbor Day is put on by the Town of Carbondale, Environmental Board, and Tree Board

Visit www.dandelionday.org for the full schedule THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • May 1, 2014 • 11

Community Briefs aspen Glen watch returns The Roaring Fork Conservancy offers a heron, eagle and osprey guided viewing opportunity at Aspen Glen from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on May 8. “This area is nest heaven for these birds: over 20 nesting pairs of herons, one pair of bald eagles, and in 2005, the first recorded pair of ospreys fledged an offspring near this site,” said a RFC spokeswoman. The group will tour two properties (off-limits to the public) in search of these large avian predators.

There’s a $10 fee and registration is required at roaringfork.org/events. For details, call 927-1290. Wildlife biologist Jonathan Lowsky will lead the tour.

TSC garden time The Third Street Center Partnership Garden continues leasing plots for the 2014 season. Prices start at $40 and gardeners must live in the town limits. For details, call 618-3117.

RFTa, CDOT surveys Over the next 10 days, The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) continues its transportation needs survey, which covers an area from Aspen to Parachute. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and is available at transportationsurvey.net. For details, call 384-4364.

attention lit crawlers The Carbondale Branch Library is looking for performers for the First Friday “Lit

Please submit your community briefs to news@soprissun.com by noon on Monday.

Crawl” on June 6. Crawling is open to writers, poets and musicians. To sign up for a slot, call Adriana Pevec Brown 618-0013 or the library at 963-2889.

Torch runners head out On May 3 beginning at 6 a.m., police officers from Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, Silt and Rifle, along with deputies from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, take part in the 44-mile Special Olympics Torch Run. The run starts at Carbondale Town Hall and ends in Rifle. Special Olympians and the general public are invited to run or walk the last mile from the CMC campus on Airport Road to the Garfield County Annex at about 1:30 p.m.

Parents’ pot talks continue YouthZone’s parent workshops “Marijuana and the Teenage Brain” continue at Basalt High School at 6 p.m. on May 7, and the Third Street Center at 6 p.m. on May 8. For details, call 945-9300.

Prince Creek clean-up returns Volunteers are needed for the BLM’s 15th annual Prince Creek clean-up, slated for 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on May 10. Volunteers will meet at the McIntyre’s red barn on Prince Creek Road south of Carbondale and should be dressed in long pants, work shoes and gloves. Trash bags and soft drinks will be provided. For details, call Roz or Tom Turnbull at 963-2888.

GET DOWN!!! GET DIRTY!!!

Wake up those Worms!!!

They have Work to Do!

Lift and Rejuvenate Your Microbes!

Breakfast in the Garden?

Don't Forget to Planted Earth Include your Soil!

Garden Center

GET YOUR GARDEN ON!

Great Selection of Seeds and Veggie Starts!

Color up with Hardy Pansies!

CARBONDALE 12744 Highway 82 • 963-1731 Open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Basalt Recreation 2014 Spring/Summer Activities Guide is NOW AVAILABLE. Wehavesomefunactivities foryouththroughadult.

Youcancheckitoutonline,pickyour copyupatBasaltTownHall,orwe wouldbehappytodropone inthemailforyou.

Justcallusat 970-927-8214x400 oryoucanvisitourwebsiteat

www.basaltexpressrec.org.

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STARTPLANNINGYOURSUMMERACTIVITIESTODAY!

12 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • May 1, 2014

Carbondale Middle School fifth-grader Grace Jardine enjoys her climbing session during an ACCESS Roaring Fork Second Shift program on a recent Tuesday afternoon.

Dozens of students participated in a variety of classes in the past eight weeks. Courtesy photo

Reflections on 5Point Film Festival 2014

By Amy Hadden Marsh Sopris Sun Correspondent The feelings I had after the seventh annual 5Point Film Festival are the same feelings I usually have after the blessing of Carbondale’s Mountain Fair: blissful, hopeful, open and connected. Amidst the daily news onslaught of drought, killer storms, climate change, over-population and oil spills, 5Point Film is an alternate universe.

At the Carbondale Recreation Center last weekend, over 50 films portrayed people of all ages from all over the world, celebrating their natural talents and the beauty of the natural world with an unfettered joie de vivre.

Roaring Fork Valley resident Dave Munk said this year’s offerings had more depth. “It’s not as much adventure porn,” he said. “(The filmmakers) convey how sport and being in nature affects them and how it’s a part of their lives.” That makes sense since each film must convey the five points of 5Points: respect, commitment, humility, purpose and balance.

Munk also said that new technology grabs the audience and brings them along for the ride. “(The GoPro camera) has elevated the adrenaline norm,” he said. “The technology and resolution quality is good and it’s like you’re there.”

So, for four days, we all went skiing through deep powder in Japan and off cliffs in Alaska, walking slacklines over deep gorges, climbing impossible routes, fishing, running, surfing, skating, boating, ‘boarding, and monkey-wrenching along the Snake River until we were breathless and slack-jawed.

At least I was, particularly off the coast of Angola while zooming through a tunnel of blue-green water during the film, “Under Desert Sun.” I’m glad someone else was doing the surfing because I would have been too mesmerized by the wave, like I was while body-surfing in the Bahamas decades ago. I can still see that wave, towering above me just before I was slammed face-first into the sand.

adventures past Yes, 5Point took me back to adventures past and memories of environmental activism on land and at sea. But, it also clarified the perspective that comes with age. When the late Floyd Dominy, notorious Bureau of Reclamation commissioner from 1959-1969, showed up in “DamNation,” defending dams as “controlling nature for the good of man,” I could see where he was coming from.

In his time, it was all about controlling nature for human benefit. Dams produced elec-

tricity and water for a growing, post-war nation. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told the American public that wild rivers were “dangerous,” as if they were a threat to national security.

The people who built the dams believed in what they were doing, just like the scientists at the Hanford nuclear facility in Washington state or at Los Alamos, New Mexico believed that producing plutonium for nuclear bombs was patriotic. That was the rationale in those days. There was no thought given to the impacts on the natural world or that what befalls nature, befalls humankind. But, from the viewpoint of 5Point, I believe that times have finally changed.

When long-time activists and stars of “DamNation” Katie Lee and Mikal Jakubal took the stage Saturday afternoon to reflect on the film and their work, I realized that all the crazy back-country actions that took shape in the 1970s and 1980s — when Earth First! spiked trees and sugared bulldozer gas tanks, and Greenpeace activists with video cameras put themselves between whales and whalers or stood at Ground Zero at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site to stop a nuclear test — were not in vain. The next generation, like “DamNation’s” Ben Knight, Travis Rummel and Matt Stoecker, now carry the torch. In fact, Knight dedicated his Best of Festival award to Lee. 5Point volunteer Mona Newton was excited about “DamNation.” She said, “I think we’re seeing a resurgence of environmentalism. It seems like there has been a void for the past 10 years.” Newton partially attributes that void to a collective focus on electronic gadgets but Jakubal believes today’s video technology has strengthened activism. “In the old days, you took a picture, saw it once and then it [went] into a scrapbook,” he said.

“Now, we can put photos of actions on the web and it goes viral.”

Or it gets made into a film and shown at 5Point.

In his book, “At Play in the Fields of the Lord,” the late Peter Matthiessen suggests that wild instincts and wild nature cannot be tamed. Nor is nature waiting to be saved or

5 Point Film Festival awards

5Point now has six award categories.

The five-person jury added a new one called Pure Joy. Here’s the list of this year’s winners: Spirit of Adventure Winner: “Nobody’s River” (Skip Armstrong) Runner-Up: “El Sendero Luminoso” (Renan Ozturk) Most Inspiring Story Winner: “14.c” (George Knowles) Runner-Up: “Slomo” (Joshua Izenberg) Best Cinematography Winner: “The Revenge of the Beasts” (Sebastian Linda) Runner-Up: “The Explorer” (Anson Fogel) Creative Excellence Winner: Forest ski segment from “Valhalla” (Nick Waggoner, Zac Ramras) Runner-Up: Surf/snowboard segment from “Into the Mind” (Malcolm Sangster) Pure Joy Winner: “Dream” (Skip Armstrong) Runner-Up: Wedge (Brecht Vanthof) Best of Festival “DamNation” (Ben Knight, Travis Rummel, Matt Stoecker); it will be available for download on June 6 and plays at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen on June 8. All other festival films go live at 5pointfilm.org this month.

controlled by humankind. It is not god-less or heathen; it is life itself. And, in the alternate universe of 5Point, nature becomes a playmate.

And, don’t worry: Millenials and Gen Xers, in their plaid shirts and blue jeans, aren’t sitting around whining about how the Boomers have left them a dying planet. In Travis Pitcher’s film “Highline Slackline,” Josh Beaudain says “The sky isn’t falling.

We’re just rising.”

Counterclockwise from upper left: In Saturday’s action, world-renowned climber Lauren Lee McCormick (center) signs a copy of Chris Nobel’s book “Women Who Dare” as Lynn Hill (left) and Kate Rutherford (right) look on; Kai Lightner (left) is the 14-year-old star of “14.c” and took a turn at the Carbondale Recreation Center climbing wall; Filmmaker Joey Schusler, whose film “Huayhuash” screened on Friday night. Photos by Amy Hadden Marsh

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • May 1, 2014 • 13

Shopping | Dining | Culture | Recreation

VISIT BASALT & EL JEBEL At the confluence of Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Rivers

New group wants to cover CMP tennis courts Sopris Sun Staff Report A new organization calling itself the Advantage Indoor tennis group (AD-IN) is raising funds to cover the four tennis courts at Crown Mountain Park, according to a press release.

“These four courts will be the only public indoor tennis courts in the Roaring Fork Valley,” said spokeswoman Diana CordovaElliott.

The building structure will allow the courts to be opened up in the summer by use of a garage door-like opening and closed in the winter for indoor play.

The AD-IN group wants to stress that its fund-raising effort is in no way associated with the recreation group that was looking for support to build a recreational facility at Crown Mountain.

“This is strictly to cover the four courts at Crown Mountain and no tax dollars will be used for construction of

the building,” CordovaElliott continued.

“This is a grassroots effort to raise money similar to the BMX group that raised the money for the BMX park at Crown Mountain.”

CordovaElliott said that by having indoor courts, the park will be able to serve players with tennis programs year round.

“Our after-school tennis programs will continue through the winter and offer our youth another sport in which to participate. This will include junior team tennis as well as other adult programs.

The facility would revert to covered outdoor courts in the summer.

There are various sponsor and donation levels. One of the main sponsorships is a Naming Sponsorship at $500,000.

Ranges for donations and sponsorships begin at $100.

For more information, call Diana CordovaElliott at 927-4693.

Participants from Mountain Valley Development and Ready for the World create paintings at the Wyly Community Art Center for their upcoming show at Alpine Bank-Carbondale. The show runs May 7-23. Photo by Holly Gressett

LEMONADE STAND BUILDING WORKSHOP JUN 9 13

Coffee with the

Mayor

JUN 30 JUL 2 JUL 7 10

wylyarts.org 970.927.4123

the

wyly community art center

BASALT, COLORADO

927-6488 Mon-Sat 10-5 Sun 12-5 Down the Block k frrom Big O T Tiiress, Basalt Business Center "Non-Pro ofit Supporting Local Sustainable Agriculture e"

The next Coffee with the Mayor is:

14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • May 1, 2014

JUN 23 27

tuition assistance available

This is a great opportunity to share your thoughts, make comments and catch up on what’s happening in Basalt.

All issues and topics welcome.

Wednesday, May 14 – Starbuck’s in Willits - from 7 to 8 AM And at Saxy’s in downtown Basalt from 8:15 to to 9:15 AM.

ART OF BOOKS & WORDS

sCREATURES: art & nature

970-927-4384 144 Midland Avenue, Basalt, Colorado 81621

• Ideas for downtown redevelopment?

• Thoughts on marijuana laws?

• Questions on the river project?

JUN 16 19

PRINTMAKING: art, t-shirts & more

SPRING/SUMMER CLEANING? Now accepting all spring treasures...

Clothing, housewares, furniture, etc!

On the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, meet in an informal setting with Basalt Mayor Jacque Whitsitt for coffee and a chat.

SCULPTURE IS EASY: found objects

for children

SUMMER art CAMPS

+

Letters continued om page 2 Kinney, Nieslanik Horses, Crystal Glass Studio, Roaring Forge, LLC, Frank Taverna Real Estate, Shelton Drilling Corp., Frosty, Carly and Shiloh Merriott, Sopris Furniture Repair, Grand Junction Pipe/Carbondale Branch, Sunburst Car Care, George and Jenny Tempest, Toni Cerise of Roaring Fork Realty and M3 Marketing, LLC. This school year the Boosters Club distributed close to $20,000 to various sports teams and non-sports extracurricular activities such as the arts within Roaring Fork High School for a new silver-smithing project and new robes for the choir. We have expanded the technological opportunities with a new Chromebooks lab and video cameras offered to students. We were able to offer three scholarships to graduating seniors in addition to supporting Project Graduation and the LINKS mentor program.

We invite you to come to Roaring Fork High School and see how your donations have enriched the lives of our student body.

Thank you generous sponsors, concession customers and parent volunteers for your support!

Roaring Fork High School Booster Club Laura and Tim Nieslanik, co-presidents Fiona O’Donnell Pax, vice-president Jane Gross, treasurer Cathy Derby, secretary Terri Ritchie, program manager

Thanks to 5Point Dear Editor: I feel so grateful to the 5Point Film Festival for once again inspiring community, activism, passion and wonderful conversation. I love this festival and I am amazed that we are lucky enough to host it right here in Carbondale. I am also grateful that the organizers believe in me enough to invite me to create a giant puppet show for their Youth Program every year and I would like to send a heartfelt thanks to all the people involved with this year’s show: puppeteers Donna Riley, Missy Elzey, Eli Sweeterman, Adriana Pevec, Ruthie Pevec, Ticah Burrows, Saffron Burrows, Melissa Sumera, Charley Abernathy, Jenny Johnson, Bailey Haines, Olivia Pevec, Rebecca Segal and Suzanne Luck; marimba players Eric Baumheier, Morgan Williams, Shanti Baumangelis, Aja McAdams, Matty McIntire; and singers Aja McAdams and Charlie Abernathy.

Last but not least, I thank CLEER for donating use of their space to create the show and CCAH for their continuous loving support of the puppet theater.

Soozie Lindbloom Artistic Director, Out of the Mud Theatre Carbondale

Vote in fire election Dear Editor: Is your Carbondale Fire District ballot for the board member election still lying around the house?

Please help direct the use of your tax money for your essential emergency services. Have a voice, vote to be represented.

In my opinion, Carl Smith and Gary McElwee with their extensive back grounds in business management and emergency services experience will as fire district board members respectfully balance the existing system with a strong commitment to new ideas and new energy with regard to our economical situation.

Master planning is a strong asset they will both bring to the board for the purpose of future budgeting and financial issues.

Carl Smith and Gary McElwee as board members are gold nuggets we should add to the great multi-talented assets of our fire district’s toolbox for a strong future.

Please vote for Carl Smith and Gary McElwee.

Jeff Wadley Carbondale

Keep CR 106 Editor’s note: This letter was addressed to the Garfield County commissioners.

Dear Editor: I am a former pre-school teacher and a current nanny that lives in Satank at 1161 County Road 106. I am an alum of CRMS class of 1989 and grew up in Carbondale. I oppose any decision to vacate County Road 106.

I want to address the root concern of safety that has influenced CRMS to apply to vacate County Road 106 through cam-

pus. I understand the concern, as I am an advocate for the safety of all children in my care and on the campuses of all schools.

Prevention of disaster is key but resolution should be made, one that benefits both communities and not burn the bridge between the two. It may carry some weight to be able to tell an unwanted outsider to leave the whole of campus versus just part of campus but if the outsider refuses there is the call for outside support that must be made. Closing the road does not prevent an unwanted outsider from entering campus using various wide-open entrances.

There have been encounters with outsiders late night that have spooked faculty to the point of calling urgency to safety matters of campus. The decision to apply to vacate the county road is made from a place of fear. I understand the strong desire on behalf of CRMS to secure the campus in order to provide a home away from home to boarding students and faculty that live on campus. I strongly suggest CRMS find ways to secure the campus from within and build relations with the town of Carbondale cops and Garfield County Sheriff offices in order to be prepared for any future late night disturbances.

The current solution that CRMS has given in exchange of closure of County Road 106 is to finish the bike path along Dolores Way, which is not the safest solution, as it will only contribute to the potential fatal accident at the intersection of LETTERS page 16

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Join the Mt. Sopris Historical Society for a special talk by

Colorado Master Gardener,

Sue Gray

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Carbondale Library Learn the way Carbondale’s pioneer families sustained themselves and the importance of growing heirloom vegetables today!

Mt. Sopris Historical Society 499 Weant - PO Box 2 Carbondale, CO 81623 970-963-7041 mtsoprishistoricalsociety.org

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • May 1, 2014 • 15

Letters continued om page 15 County Road 106 and Dolores Way. The unfriendly “No Trespassing� signs at the boat put-in under the bridge on the Crystal River puts out an unfriendly vibe and dampers the deep affection that I had for my high school. I can only imagine the future “No Trespassing� signs that will appear if you as commissioners grant CRMS their request.

The town Of Carbondale board of trustees and the GarďŹ eld County Planning and Zoning board members have both recommended denial of CRMS’s application. If you choose to allow CRMS to vacate County Road 106, I would consider that a ďŹ shy decision that will affect the safety of all humans traveling on Dolores way, whether on the bike path or not.

Andrea Marsh Satank

Don’t vacate 106 Dear Editor: I am writing on behalf of myself and disabled father to strongly oppose the vacation of right away of County Road 106 through Colorado Rocky Mountain School property.

My dad has lived in Satank since 1977 and has multiple sclerosis with spastic quadriplegia. He manages to navigate the roads of Satank and CRMS via a head controlled power wheelchair. We often take walks through CRMS to visit CRMS students and faculty or access the Rio Grande Trail along County Road 108 to get to Carbondale.

County Road 106 is currently closed to through motorized trafďŹ c, which I think is a great idea for the safety of CRMS students,

Legal Notice NOTICE

PURSUANT TO THE LIQUOR LAWS OF COLORADO SOPRIS LIQUOR & WINE 1026 HWY. 133 CARBONDALE, CO 81623

HAS REQUESTED THE LIQUOR LICENSING OFFICIALS OF CARBONDALE TO GRANT A TRANSFER OF LIQUOR LICENSE

Classifieds

but I think it is important for the residents of Satank to have the potential to reopen it if CRMS tries to develop the six acre parcel north of Delores Way. In May of 2007 CRMS tried to get this land rezoned from residential to commercial with a proposal that would have put over 30 buildings and 100 parking spaces.  You can view the proposal by going to www.landandshelter.com/development/scor.  I believe there have been no safety issues involving CRMS students clashing with foot trafďŹ c along the County Road 106 right-ofway. The biggest safety issue that I believe needs urgent attention is the extension of the Rio Grande Trail along County Road 108 to CRMS with a road barrier. As it stands now there is a 75-yard section where the Rio Grande Trail ends to where CRMS property begins that is very exposed to an inevitable pedestrian versus automobile accident. This section of road is heavily used by bicycles, pedestrians, baby strollers and wheelchairs. I hope that GarďŹ eld County and CRMS address this problem immediately. We shouldn’t have to wait for a tragic fatality to occur before we ďŹ x this dangerous section of road/bike path.

There also needs to be improvement for wheelchair access to get to County Road 106.

Right now there is a narrow rudimentary bridge that crosses over an irrigation ditch and is absolutely wheelchair inaccessible.

We look forward to a continuing bond with the outstanding students and faculty of CRMS and Satank residents.

Jake and Pat Menke Satank

TO SELL MALT, VINOUS, AND SPIRITUOUS LIQUORS FOR CONSUMPTION ON THE PREMISE AT 1026 HWY. 133 CARBONDALE, CO 81623

HEARING ON APPLICATION TO BE HELD AT: CARBONDALE TOWN HALL 511 COLORADO AVENUE CARBONDALE, COLORADO DATE AND TIME: MAY 13, 2014, AT 6:00 P.M.

OC,OS thanks

Dear Editor: We want to offer a huge thank you to the people who made the Our Children, Our Schools’ teacher-to-teacher Expeditionary Learning conversation a great success! On April 17 a handful of Glenwood Springs Elementary School teachers sat down with a room full of Carbondale teachers to ďŹ eld questions and convey their impressions of their ongoing transition to Expeditionary Learning. The excitement in the room was palpable. After reviewing our school district’s newly-formed vision, teachers delved into deep conversations around building relationships, creating community and challenging and inspiring kids.

We want to appreciate GSES teachers Stephanie Pollender, Lora Smith, Crystal Garrison, Sara Erickson, Kim Worline and Jen Hamilton for sharing with Carbondale teachers about the EL transition experience.

We’d also like to thank all of the Carbondale teachers who came out with eager questions and open minds.  Thank you to Charlie Chacos and BonďŹ re Coffee for providing a venue for our conversation and a delicious meal.  Thank you to Jeff Dahl at Carbondale Beer Works for donating the local ale to wash it down. We appreciate George Stranahan for generously covering food and child care costs.

Lastly, we want to thank our child care providers from the Valley Settlement Project who made it much easier for teacher-parents to participate in the event knowing their kids were in good hands. Â Thank you again to everyone involved.

Angela Hanley (parent) Our Children, Our Schools DATE OF APPLICATION: APRIL 1, 2014

BY ORDER OF: STACEY BERNOT, MAYOR Carbondale APPLICANT: FEDERICO PENA

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 Published in The Sopris Sun on May 1, 2014.

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FOR SALE BY OWNER. Carbondale Condo. 2 BR, 1.5 baths. Clean, modern, new carpet. W/D, A/C, 2 sunny decks. $261,900. 970-9639371. branch.lrc@gmail.com.

HELP WANTED. Coordinator for KDNK Labor of Love Auction. Organized, outgoing, motivated team player to help organize and solicit donations and help plan the event in November. KDNK is committed to the principle of diversity and is particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of people, including minorities, protected veterans, individuals with disabilities, including disabled veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals. Interested applicants should contact steve@kdnk.org or call Steve Skinner at 963-0139.

HELP WANTED. Town of Carbondale, Accounting Clerk II/HR Assist. $20.74-$28.00/hr. DOQ. For application and job description visit www.carbondalegov.org. Deadline 5/9/2014.

MISSING since 04/24/14, Siamese Cat – 11 yr. old neutered male, gray points, short hair. Thompson Creek Road (CR 108) Carbondale, Crystal River Ranch. Reward! Please call Ginny Harrington 970-318-0076.

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Contact #PC "MCSJHIU at 970- or CPC@soprissun.com 16 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • May 1, 2014

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