2009 08 20

Sopris Sun THE

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 28 • AUGUST 20, 2009

Main Street, Carbondale, 1975: when the roads were rough and the people were tougher. Such memories might make you wonder if Carbondale is growing into anonymity.

Photo by Becky Young

Too much too fast:

I

f Carbondale continues to grow at a rate of 2 percent to 3 percent a year it will be built out in approximately 20 years, Community Development Director Doug Dotson reported last week.

The equation is not precise but“gives a little bit of an idea of what can exist within the Carbondale box,” Dotson said.

With those figures in mind, along with statements from the town’s Comprehensive Plan and other community objectives, Carbondale’s Planning & Zoning Commission hopes to spend more time planning and less time zoning over the next several meetings.

To that end, on Aug. 13, P&Z launched a dialogue about long-term growth for this Colorado town.

The discussion will include an important question: Will the growth embodied in the final three large developments currently under consideration kill Carbondale’s smalltown character?

Change is inevitable, but town officials and some P&Z members say Carbondale can keep that Mayberry feel as long as the community plans for it.

Mayor Michael Hassig was weighing in on land use issues long before he was elected mayor in 2002. He moved to Carbondale in 1991 and joined the planning commission within a couple of years after relocating.

“There were extraordinary growth pressures on Carbondale starting in the late eighties, early nineties,” he said. In his 17 years serving as a town representative, he has seen River Valley Ranch, Crystal Acres and Hendrick Ranch come online, among other projects.

Carbondale’s population has more than doubled over 20 years. In 1990, the population was 3,000; in 2000, Carbondale reached 5,200; and the 2010 census is estimated to come in at about 6,500.

Hassig said that when it comes to growth,

Will growth squash Carbondale’s small town character? By Trina Ortega

it’s hard to apply strict mathematical rules on what feels comfortable. To him, 10 percent is excessive but 3.5 percent over 20 years is not problematic.

“I think that the town has seen accelerations and decelerations in growth and has weathered it pretty well,” he said, acknowledging citizen concerns about restraining growth and curbing high-density projects.

But he doesn’t subscribe to the notion that it all comes down to land use approvals. The market is too powerful a force in the equation, and the community should also think about what drives the town’s economy.

Hassig is among fellow architects — in addition to real estate agents, bankers, builders and planners — who predict that Carbondale will not experience the boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was an unsustainable model; too much too fast.

Still, Carbondale is an attractive place.

Dotson describes a wide-open valley: two

rivers meet inside it and two highways intersect just on its border. Hassig notes the layout of Highway 133 and Main Street, allowing for a quaint downtown that slows people down and allows them to engage with neighbors.

On the contrary, places like Steamboat Springs, Glenwood Springs, and Lander, Wyo., have major highways cutting through the heart of town.

Dotson and other town representatives believe that’s where smart planning comes into play. If we preserve the characteristics — such as open space, pedestrian paths, a thriving downtown, social, spiritual and artistic outlets (from churches to Mountain Fair) — that set our town apart from anonymous places across the country, we can preserve that small town feel.

Hassig says that’s as achievable in a town of 10,000 as it is in a town of 5,000.

GROWTH page 7

Carbondale Commentary

Help e Sun Shine After six months of hustling every week to get The Sopris Sun, Carbondale’s newspaper, out on the streets each Thursday, the board members and staff members at The Sun are about to begin a fund raising campaign.

This is an important time in The Sun’s short life. The founding board members and the staff have stepped up to put out, week after week, a great publication with relevant news and sharp advertising. Now we’ll be asking the residents of Carbondale and our neighboring communities to step up and support the paper and its mission to provide a forum for the community.

Newspapers serve an important role. They keep citizens abreast of events, small and large.

They give businesses a way to get their message out to loyal and new customers. They hire professional journalists to follow important developments at City Hall, to keep an ear to the ground for interesting stories about all of us who live here, to show up at any hour of the day when something remarkable happens. They let citizens have a place to speak their mind and share their experiences. Newspapers are the place where we tell our story.

The Sun is set up as a nonprofit. The founding board at The Sun thought this organizational model offered the best chance for this community to have its own paper over the long term. All of the money The Sun makes is reinvested in the staff and the product.

Circulation has grown from 3,000 to 3,500 in six short months. That’s the exact opposite of what’s happening everywhere else. Carbondale and surrounding communities have embraced The Sun. Thank you to all our readers. Thank you to all our advertisers. And thank you to all the readers who patronize those advertisers.

We’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go. Volunteers still help design the ads, lay out the paper, manage the books and write many of the stories you read. The board meets weekly to dole out whatever tasks need doing to get the next issue out. We hardly have time to talk about next steps, like how we might raise our profile for our advertisers, or where we might put our next newsbox, or all the potential that a nonprofit newspaper offers.

That’s where you all come in. The need for a newspaper here is real, and The Sun has filled it. But it has started up at the worst time in history for American newspapers. Volunteer labor is good for a while, but not forever. Your financial support will help us add staff, establish our brand with readers and advertisers and sustain The Sun through this first, very challenging year.

So please, don’t be afraid to say “Yes” if one of us asks you for a donation, one on one or at some event we host in the coming month or two. We’ll do our best not to take your generosity for granted, just as we hope you don’t take The Sopris Sun and all the work behind it for granted either.

Letters

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 400 words. Letters exceeding that length may be edited or returned for revisions. Include your name and residence (for publication) and a contact email and phone number. Submit letters via email to letters@soprissun.com or via snail mail to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623.

For the record Dear Editor: This letter responds to the article written by Trina Ortega in the August 6 issue regarding the Planning & Zoning meeting held on July 30 regarding the proposed The Village at Crystal River mixed-use development. I am the managing partner of the partnership that owns the land, and which is processing the plan through Carbondale’s Planning & Zoning Commission at this time. I have also been involved with this parcel for over four years, which includes my active participation in the Roadmap Group. This group was formed to, among other reasons, give the town some direction on what type of development a cross section of residents of the town who were respected by their peers would recommend for the old Crystal River Marketplace property. I was a willing and eager participant because I realized how controversial this site had become, and my intention was to propose a plan that reflected the wishes of most of the residents in the town. As you know, there are many opinions voiced by some individuals and groups regarding the best approach for growth in Carbondale, including the right mix of commercial and residential density. The Roadmap Group

looked to be the best forum to come to some consensus on the issue.

In her article, Ms. Ortega reports that the Roadmap Group “said 160 residential units would be appropriate on the site.” This is wholly and factually not true. In general, the Roadmap Group said that the development should be mixed use. It gave no recommendation regarding the number of residential units. The 160 units came from one of the plans I showed to the Board of Trustees approximately six months after the Roadmap Group had ceased meeting and was one of two different conceptual plans I showed the Carbondale Board of Trustees. The recommendation the Board of Trustees gave me after studying both plans included no direction or ceiling on residential density.

As a supporter of the Roadmap Group’s efforts, I thought it was important that I point out that my proposed plan is not in conflict with the group’s recommendations, which Ms. Ortega’s article suggests, but rather reflects the overall character it recommended and includes many of its specific suggestions.

Rich Schierburg Peregrine Group Development Denver

Correction • In a story about the Village at Crystal River in the Aug. 6 edition, The Sopris Sun incorrectly stated that the Economic Roadmap Group identified 160 residential units as appropriate for the site. The Roadmap Group did not identify a specific number of residential units. The recommendation for 160 units was one of two different conceptual plans put forth by developer Rich Schierburg.

• In the Aug. 13 Scuttlebutt section, The Sun incorrectly stated that Burning Man occurs in California. It is held in Nevada.

• In the same issue, The Sun neglected to mention that the Carbondale Community Food Co-op is participating in the bag challenge sponsored by the Colorado Association of Ski Towns.

The Sopris Sun regrets these errors.

THE

Sopris Sun The Sopris Sun is an LLC organized under the 501c3 nonprofit structure of the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation, P.O. Box 1582, Carbondale, CO 81623.

The mission of the Sopris Sun, LLC is to inform and inspire community members of Carbondale, Colorado.

Sopris Sun reader Charlotte Graham sent in this photo of Guido Bagett at the historic Thompson house south of town center. Bagett is holding a calendar from his family’s grocery store on Fourth Street, where he worked as a boy in the 1920s. He is now 97, but recalled making deliveries to the back stoop of the house when he was 15.

Said Graham, who visited the house with Bagett, “When he [Guido] walked in through the backdoor he said, “Oh, this is as far as I ever got before.” Photo courtesy of Charlotte Graham.

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • AUGUST 20, 2009

Editor: Terray Sylvester • 618-9112 or news@soprissun.com Advertising: Kristin Algren • 379-0455 • kristin@soprissun.com Anne Goldberg • 379-5050 • anne@soprissun.com Tim Kurnos • tkurnos@gmail.com Reporters: Trina Ortega • Jeremy Heiman • Jane of All Trades: Jane Bachrach Page Production: Terri Ritchie • Ad Production: Barbara New Paper Boys: Russ Criswell, Mark Burrows Sopris Sun, LLC Managing Board of Directors: Russ Criswell • Peggy DeVilbiss • Allyn Harvey • Colin Laird • Elizabeth Phillips

Sopris Sun, LLC • P.O. Box 399 • Carbondale, CO 81623 www.soprissun.com

Real estate market loaded with ranches; can they be saved?

By Jeremy Heiman It’s a buyers’ market for ranches in the lower Roaring Fork Valley — the market is flooded with properties.

In a quick search of the Multiple Listing Service Website, Martha Cochran, director of Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) turned up 10 good-sized ranches on the market between Carbondale and Glenwood Springs.

But the prices are still a bit high. The collective asking price for those 10 is a nice, round $100 million.

Several factors are bringing these ranches onto the market.

Certain tracts have seen development scenarios that didn’t work out.

Other properties are owned by ranchers who are getting on in years and want to liquidate their assets and retire. This is often complicated by the federal inheritance tax, which makes it too expensive for ranchers’ heirs to keep the land.

Another reason that ranches are coming onto the market is that wealthy owners, who can afford to keep the land, simply experienced a change of priorities.

“My thinking is this is definitely a transitional time,” Cochran said. “During the next few years, as these sell, they will either be preserved or they will continue to be developed. This will determine the look of the valley for the future.”

Opportunities abound With this amount of land on the market, the land conservation community is “confronted with insurmountable opportunities,” as Walt Kelly’s cartoon character Pogo once said. The conservation community would certainly like to keep these properties in agriculture, but there’s not much money around for that.

AVLT is in the business of preserving

residential development, but also by demand for showplaces and retreats for the wealthy, the prices overshadow the land’s inherent agricultural value. A buyer depending on a beef production operation to support his mortgage would be hard pressed to raise the money needed to cover a five-figure monthly mortgage payment.

“Nobody’s buying these places because they make sense for farming and ranching,” said James Mason, a broker with Bullock & Hinkey.

Buyer interest in ranches is low in general, Latousek said.

“Certainly, inquiries are down,” he said.

“This recession has hit the higher end like no other recession has.”

Mason makes a similar observation.

“We have people who are looking for that 35-acre place,” Mason said, “but not so much for big ranches. When you spend eight to 12 million on your hideaway, you have to be pretty well heeled.”

Open space for sale? A large number of ranches are currently on the market in the Roaring Fork Valley. Photo by Jane Bachrach these ranches and other properties, most often through the purchase of conservation easements, legal agreements that ensure that land, no matter who owns it in the future, will continue to be used for agriculture rather than sold off for development. AVLT also works with government agencies to leverage land trades, helping to put valuable private land into public ownership.

Financial incentives such as tax breaks offered by the state might help to snag a buyer who is already conservation conscious, suggested Tommy Latousek, manager of ranch sales for Joshua & Co., an Aspen real estate company.

“The conservation scenario can make

some of these properties more affordable,” Latousek said.

Changing values Several of the ranches on the market in the lower valley have been devalued in recent months, as demand declined in the stagnating economy and money became scarce after mortgage scandals and bank failures.

The price of the 120-acre Crystal Sopris Ranch, south of Carbondale, has been reduced from $14 million to $12 million. The 1,231-acre Saddle Ridge Ranch, west of Glenwood Springs, was recently reduced from $30 million to $24.9 million.

Driven mainly by the land’s potential for

Still no candidates for Basalt-area school board seats

By Terray Sylvester As of Tuesday, the upcoming election for two Basalt-area seats on the school board still looked like they would be uncontested.

Election coordinator Cyndy Hallford said that, so far, no one has stopped by the district offices to pick up the paperwork to run for the seats in districts A and E of the Roaring Fork Re-1 School District.

If no other candidates end up on the ballot, one of the seats up for election will be filled by the incumbent. Trustee Bob Johnson has indicated that he will run for reelection. If no one opposes him he will be reappointed to the District E seat, which includes El Jebel, Missouri Heights, and portions of Basalt, north of Fryingpan Road.

Outgoing board president Michael Bair, however, has indicated that after having served two full, four-year terms on the board he will not run for another. Bair represents District A, which spans the area south of Fryingpan Road, including old town Basalt, Basalt South, and terrain as far west as Catherine Store.

If no candidate runs for his seat the school board will be tasked with finding a new member to fill his place.

“There would be no public input on that decision; at that point it is in the board’s hands,” Hallford said.

School board meetings seldom draw attendants and it’s not uncommon for an election to go uncontested. The current trustees did not seem particularly surprised that the board election wasn’t attracting candidates. They noted that positions on the school board are unpaid and time-intensive, and that many people with fulltime jobs would struggle to fulfill the responsibilities of sitting on the board.

But Carbondale-area trustees Bill Lamont and Debbie Bruell said they would prefer to see a contested election.

“I think it would be great if more people participated,” Lamont said. “That’s true of local government of any form – the more people the better.”

Contested elections, noted Bruell, “force people to debate what we are really doing and why we are really doing it. No matter how well we are doing we can always be doing better.”

Bruell said that although parents are typically among those most likely to run for a spot on the board, she thinks the position should appeal to a broader slice of the population as well. “We should all be concerned about the quality of our schools and educating our children,” Bruell said. “I think it’s a community-wide interest.”

Bair took a slightly different stance, stat-

ing that he does not think the district necessarily suffers when school board elections go uncontested. Tightly contested races, said Bair, might politicize a board whose members, ideally, should put district-wide concerns before those of their own particular segment of the district.

“I think that when school board races becomes very political, and hot topic issues are on the table there’s sort of an ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’ mentality,” Bair said.“I think that’s more indicative of a larger area such as the Denver or Grand Junction area. But here, we’re still rural Colorado, and the real difference is that no matter how much you may have your own agenda you’re still obligated to represent the children of the entire district.”

Though the five members of the school board are required to be a resident of different regions of the district, trustees are elected by voters from across the district.

District trustees described a handful of issues that incoming board members will face. They spoke to the importance of stimulating communication between district administrators, teachers, parents and the community at large. To that end, Lamont said, the district plans to hold community meetings at various locations around the district. Though as yet, specific dates and

Wildlife at home on the ranch Ranches in Garfield County, though they are used for pastureland and hay production, are also important for other reasons.

Many who live in and drive through the valley value the views and the open character of the ranching landscape. But habitat is an even more important reason for conservation.

Ranches at lower elevations are especially important as winter range for deer and elk. They also provide habitat for countless smaller species. Once a ranch is sold for residential development, much of the value to wildlife can be lost.

A ranch at the confluence of Cattle Creek and the Roaring Fork is the site of RANCHLAND page 7

Next Steps

The Roaring Fork School District is seeking nominations for school directors for two seat in districts A and E, in the El Jebel and Basalt area.

Term length: four years Term begins: January 2010 Nomination petitions: available at the RFSD office at 1405 Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Deadline: 1 p.m. Aug. 28.

For more info: call Cyndy Hallford at 384-6009 times haven’t been nailed down.

Trustees have also been trying to figure out how to cut down on teacher turnover rates in the district’s schools. Lamont and Bair mentioned that the district’s current effort to build affordable housing units near the old Carbondale Elementary School would play an important role in that effort.

Lamont said that, if all goes according to plan, the town of Carbondale will approve the development by January, just about the time when a new trustee would take his or her seat on the board. At that point, the new trustee would have a chance to tackle the design and construction process for the buildings.

THE SOPRIS SUN • AUGUST 20, 2009 • 3

News Briefs Planted Earth owners pulling up roots After owning Planted Earth for 13 years, the Hawkins family is planning to sell the business. Planted Earth itself has been around for 26 years, and the Hawkinses hope it will remain a landscaping operation.

“The people who are looking at it are all planning to keep it the same,” said Bill Hawkins, who manages the business.

Hawkins said that he is ready to retire.

Planted Earth has been on the market for about a month, and two parties have expressed interest. Though as yet, the Hawkinses don’t have a buyer in hand, said the family’s real estate agent, Gary Feldman, of Joshua and Co. Planted Earth has two branches, one in Carbondale and one just outside of Aspen. Both are for sale. The Hawkins family is asking for $6 million for the Carbondale location, which sits along Highway 82 and is a retail outlet and the base of the company’s landscaping operations. The price tag for the smaller Aspen location is $4.86 million.

Feldman described both parcels as “turn key” sales; all of the inventory and equipment are included in the purchase prices.

“We’re actively looking for an existing landscape business to come in and take it over,” Feldman said. “Because that sounds like the obvious option.”

Volunteers, donations needed for community garden Though numerous people have expressed interest in a community garden at Delaney Park, volunteers, grants and donations are still needed to move the project from concept to reality.

For the garden to be ready for the spring planting season in 2010, it will need to be fenced, an irrigation system must be in place and a shelter to provide some shade for the garden will have to be built.

These improvements are expected to cost $30,000. And those at the forefront of the community garden effort are going to have to raise the money.

Although Colorado lottery funds may be available for the project, that money wouldn’t be distributed until next June. So those working toward the community garden intend to apply for local grants.

Cop Shop The Town Council hasn’t yet approved the garden, but the Parks and Recreation Commission has recommended that trustees do so.

The issue is on the agenda for a trustees’ work session Sept. 15, and formal approval could come as soon as the following week.

To learn more about the community garden, volunteer, or donate money, please email Elizabeth Cammack at wiz@drdaves.com.

Ross Montessori hopes land deal will pan out School leaders at Ross Montessori School (RMS) will begin the school year with hopes that a prospective site near Carbondale will become home for a new school campus.

RMS Director Mark Grice confirmed that the school is under contract again for a 4- to 6-acre lot “near Carbondale,” but would not disclose further details. Due diligence is currently under way for the parcel of land but Grice did not have a timeline for when the deal might be sealed.

School officials, the Board of Directors and parent committees have been planning for a new school for at least three years. Ross was under contract in early 2008 to purchase the TO Ranch property, a parcel of land off of Highway 82 and County Road 100, near the Catherine Store, but the property did not meet the school’s needs and fell through.

“Our problem has been finding a space that would be big enough to accommodate our needs and is close to Carbondale,” Grice said.

For starters, that means a 4- to 6-acre flat lot to build a 25,000- to 30,000-square-foot building.

The school currently leases 1.5 acres along Merrill Avenue, on the site of the future Overlook neighborhood.

Some parents have expressed worry that the school must move out due to the impending Overlook construction. However, Grice said the school is in contact with one of the owners, John Foulkrod, and “we’re safe right now.” The proposal is currently under review by the Board of Trustees.

“I know that some parents have some concerns,” Grice said.

“We’re moving to make sure everything works out as far as space for the school.”

The first day of school for Ross is Tuesday, and the school will enroll 210 students this year.

Sports Briefs Roaring Fork Rams Sports Preview

Players who are looking to break into this year’s lineup include Jayson Denton at defensive end and offensive end; Dillon Turner at offensive and defensive tackle; plus Johnny Nieslanik,Teddy Benge, Eduardo Torres,Tanner Gianinetti, Landon Bailey, Daniel Javalera, Shea Nieslanik and Trent Reed.

Overall, the numbers are up from last year’s squad, with 36 reporting for camp. A big goal for the coaches this year was to increase the size of the team, and with 15 freshmen on the squad the future looks good for the Rams.

Competitive drive expected to carry Ram volleyball

The Roaring Fork High School soccer team is all smiles as they practice for the coming season. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Underclassmen to play big role for Ram football This year’s Ram football team is filled with underclassmen, but there are a few seniors in the mix to provide leadership.

Jake Hawkins – 6 feet 3 inches, 220 pounds – is the only senior returning starter for the Rams, though senior Ceasar Faris is looking promising in early season practices as well.

Last year’s team finished 5-5 overall and 4-3 in league play, and head coach Greg Holley expects a tough season.

“There will not be a weak team in the league this year and the three teams that go to state from our league will be very competitive,” said Holley.

Returning starters from last year’s team include honorable-mention, all-conference Felipe Gomez and Jake Strack-Loertsher. Gomez plays linebacker and center. Strack-Loertsher plays offensive tackle and defensive end. Luke Leon, Zach Browning and Clay Gross will round out last year’s returning starters.

4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • AUGUST 20, 2009

Six returning varsity players will probably have a huge impact on the upcoming season, but the team has a bevy of talented underclassman who will have a chance to play big roles this year as well.

Last year, Coal Ridge and Gunnison were the teams to beat in the region. They have both graduated a few seniors since then, but are expected to remain strong. Basalt and Aspen are always an exciting game, said head coach Carrie Shultz.

“I think the league is really there for anyone to take this year,” Shultz said.

Every league match is important. The higher a team places in the league the better their seating for post-season play.

“Our goal is to win the league,” Shultz said. “We haven't had a team meeting to set specific goals, but I know from the competitiveness of this group that our goals will be set high.”

Ram golf features crossover athletes The Ram golf team is an athletic bunch, to say the least. Arick Zeigel, a senior who was the team’s number two player last year is playing soccer as well this year. Sophomores Trenton Reed and Shea Nieslanik will be playing both golf and football this year.

Meanwhile, sophomore Thomas Cerise, who spent the summer working on his game, will help round out the team. Junior Tanner Wood, and seniors Grant Wood and Kenny Kincade will be golfing for the Rams as well.

Saturday, Aug. 8 At 10:25 p.m., Carbondale police received a report of a “suspicious,” shoeless hitchhiker on Highway 133. An officer drove out to investigate, learned that the man was trying to travel to the Prince Creek area, and gave him a ride.

Sunday, Aug. 9 At 2 a.m., an officer reported that someone had drawn smiley faces and other pictures at various locations on Main Street. To the officer, it appeared the pictures had been drawn with some sort of food or drink.

Sunday, Aug. 9 At 5:05 p.m., an officer reported that he accidentally discharged a Taser while performing a routine check on the weapon. No injuries resulted.

Sunday, Aug. 9 At 11:35 p.m., four officers arrested a man for possessing cocaine.

Monday, Aug. 10 At 12 p.m., a man reported that his Fuju bicycle had stolen from in front of a bar on Main Street.

Tuesday, Aug. 11 At 1 p.m., two women left their children sitting in strollers outside a shop on Main Street. Passersby reported the unattended tykes, and the responding officer admonished the women not to leave their children alone, in public, in the future.

Tuesday, Aug. 11 At 5 p.m., police responded to a theft at City Market.

They issued summonses to two men who had already been taken into custody by the store’s security guards.

Wednesday, Aug. 12 At 10:25 a.m., a woman visited the police department to discuss reporting a sexual harassment incident.

Wednesday, Aug. 12 At 7 p.m., an officer noticed an intoxicated man sitting on the shoulder of Highway 133.

The officer picked him up and took him in for detox.

Wednesday, Aug. 12 At 10:08 p.m., a man reported that an intoxicated woman was trying to break into his house on Bridge Drive. Three officers responded and hauled the woman off to jail.

Thursday, Aug. 13 At 8 a.m., officers found new graffiti in Sopris Park, and estimated that it represented about $150 in damage.

Thursday, Aug. 13 At 10:57 p.m., Carbondale police drove to Oak Run Road to investigate a report of a verbal, domestic fight. The man involved in the fight offered to sleep outside in his trailer for the night, and officers left without issuing a citation.

Bound for the border: Carbondale ambulance rolls off to Mexico

By Terray Sylvester It’s time for Bonedale to bid adios to an ambulance that has served the town for nearly two decades.

After more than a year of organizing, Carbondale resident Michael Carter is just about ready to transport one of the fire district’s ambulances 2,600 miles to a tiny Mexican coastal resort. There, it will enjoy a warm, though probably not relaxing, second career.

Carter hasn’t been working alone. Local students helped drum up funds to send the vehicle across the border, and the aid car itself is a donation from the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District, which has used it for 17 years.

“Take good care of it. There’s a lot of souls in there, by God,” admonished one fire district employee.

The ambulance is destined for Puerto Arista, a cluster of restaurants, fisherman’s houses and second homes perched on a peninsula on the coast of the Mexican state of Chiapas.

Carter owns a home in Puerto Arista and says the town, though a resort, isn’t quite a Cabo San Lucas: Its visitors are mostly Mexican and its infrastructure somewhat more primitive.

And the town “direly needs an ambulance,” he says, explaining that the nearest ambulance is currently in Toñala, a town relatively far inland from Puerto Arista, whose medical team already has its hands full.

Carter said the emergency medical services in Puerto Arista currently consist of a group of roughly 15 men who call themselves Las Rescatistas de Puerto Arista. Part lifeguards but mostly fishermen, for much of the year the rescatistas donate their services for free and make do without much equipment. They receive wages and training, and have access to sufficient medical equipment, for only a few holiday weeks each year when the town floods with thousands of

tourists and The International Red Cross drives down from the capitol of Chiapas, said Carter.

When the Red Cross is in town, the rescatistas have access to an ambulance. But for the other 49 weeks of the year, says Carter, the only municipal vehicle in Puerto Arista is a garbage truck.

So over a year ago, Carter and the rescatistas set about to procure an aid car. To be able to receive donations from abroad without paying hefty import taxes, the rescatistas organized themselves as a non-profit “autonomous rescue unit.”

Then Carter began looking for a vehicle north of the border.

When he told Carbondale Fire Chief Ron Leach about his plans, Leach mentioned that the fire protection district was preparing to retire one of its ambulances.

Two weeks ago, the fire protection district received its new ambulance, freeing up the older vehicle for the trip south.

The ambulance bound for Mexico is a big, boxy 1992 Chevrolet with 74,000 miles on its odometer and hardly a scratch in its paint.

Leach said that relatively stringent rules in the U.S. have made it expensive to keep the old ambulance in service. He estimated that, north of the border, the ambulance is worth about $5,000, mostly in parts. But he noted that it will be more valuable in Mexico, where looser regulations prevail and modern ambulances are rare.

“It’s going to be terribly useful for Puerto Arista,” Leach said.

Leach said the board of the Fire Protection District mulled over the donation at a handful of meetings.

“I think our biggest concern was that it would be used, and could be used, appropriately for people, and for the appropriate mission,” said Leach.

But after about 10 months of discussions with Carter and the students at the high school, Leach says the district feels certain the donation is “legit.”

As yet Carter isn’t sure whether he will drive the ambulance all the way to Puerto Arista or arrange to meet the rescatistas at the border.

“It depends on fundage,” Carter said.

And that’s where local students have pitched in. Last year, the student-run World Activist Club at Roaring Fork High School organized a series of fundraisers and raised roughly $450 to help transport the ambulance to Mexico.

Once it arrives, Carter says the ambulance will likely serve

After 17 years in Carbondale, this ambulance is heading south. From left, RFHS senior Daniel Pulver, recent graduate Jobi Carter, and Michael Carter. Pulver and Jobi Carter worked to raise money for the donation with a group of RFHS students. Photo by Terray Sylvester not just Puerto Arista but residents of neighboring villages, and surrounding farm and ranchland as well.

Wary of potential bureaucratic hang-ups at the border, Carter noted that the donation is far from a done deal. But if the ambulance does arrive successfully, Carter says he may attempt another major import: a dump truck that could be used to help fight grass fires on the coast.

And the students are involved with other efforts to help Puerto Arista as well. For example, a few members of the RFHS group, Youth Entity, are working to dispatch 10 computers to school children in the town. Some of them have begun to dream about a service trip in spring as well.

Parks and Rec. Commission still unsatisfied with Overlook parks

By Jeremy Heiman

After a music-filled afternoon, the Ballet Folklorico presented traditional dances on the stage in Sopris Park as part of the seventh annual Festival Las Americas.

The festival is the major fundraiser for the Club Rotario Roaring Fork, an arm of the local Rotary Club that awards scholarships to local Latino children.

Last year the Rotario raised about $13,000, said former club president Elizabeth Ruiz. But a relatively poor turnout this year left organizers wondering if they would even be able to cover their expenses. Organizers blamed the poor turnout on the down economy.

The aim of the festival is to bring both Latino and Caucasian residents of the Roaring Fork Valley together, to “unite the cultures and communities of the Roaring Fork Valley,” said a former Rotary president, Marisa Bartnik. Photo by Terray Sylvester

The latest version of the Overlook proposal includes a larger park, but soccer games are probably not in the cards for it. Carbondale parks and recreation staff have said there won’t be enough room for them.

The soccer field discussion is just the latest twist in the ongoing discussion concerning parkland in the Overlook Neighborhood, a large residential development planned for a parcel north of Town Hall.

The idea of creating a soccer field in the Overlook was discussed during the Carbondale Town Council meeting on July 28. At that meeting, Overlook developer C’dale LLC presented a revised set of plans that, among other changes, included an enlarged park. Trustees welcomed that revision and quickly suggested that the park, now a rounded shape measuring roughly 250 by 225 feet, could host a soccer field. Soccer fields are currently in great demand in Carbondale.

But last week, Jeff Jackel, recreation director for the town of Carbondale, said the park still isn’t big enough for a regulation soccer field.

“I don’t see it as anything but maybe a practice field,” Jackel said.

The Parks and Recreation Commission discussed the Overlook proposal during an Aug. 12 meeting. Some board members were absent and the commission lacked a quorum, but, aside from discussing soccer, those in atten-

dance unanimously called for C’dale LLC to set aside more parkland.

Jackel said the revised plans for the Overlook have brought the total park area up to 1.2 acres, but that falls short of the 1.84 acres, or 15 percent of the developed area, that a town ordinance states should be devoted to parkland.

“The developer’s just not meeting what’s specified in the code,” Jackel said. “We’re going to recommend that the developer dedicate the full 1.84.”

Jackel also echoed a complaint voiced by some of the town trustees: Some of the pocket parks currently included in the plans are so small they aren’t useful as parks. One, he said, is only one-tenth acre.

“They don’t serve any purpose for the town,” he said.

He said 1.2 acres would make a good-sized park, if it were all in one chunk. Even though perhaps the most frequent use might be for soccer, it would not exclude other uses. Aspen’s Wagner Park, for example, hosts rugby and soccer, but it sees more frequent use for Frisbee tossing, and also is used for concerts and festivals.

But Jackel conceded that if the planned park were enlarged even more, the developer would lose several of the most expensive (and profitable) houses in the development.

Carbondale’s code does allow for a developer to provide cash in lieu of land to fulfill a percentage of the requirement.

That’s not as good as land, Jackel said, but the money could be used to develop another park.

THE SOPRIS SUN • AUGUST 20, 2009 • 5

Scuttlebutt Rodeo Wreck Bull rider Marcelo Cruz, who appeared on the July 16 cover of The Sopris Sun, injured his leg at last week’s rodeo after a bull bucked him off then stepped on him. Paramedics helped him out of the arena and put ice on the injury. We haven’t heard how he’s doing but Marcelo told us last Thursday that by the time he was out of the arena he already felt better. Marcelo is one of the leaders in the bull riding competition and in contention for a buckle. We wish him the best and hope he has healed enough to ride in the finals tonight (Thursday).

drum was never returned to her after the opening drum circle at Mountain Fair on July 24.

Sloooww Food

Did you know that dogs are available for adoption at the Red Hill Animal Health Center in Carbondale?

It’s true. When the police pick up loose dogs they take them to the health center, and eventually, those dogs become eligible for adoption. Right now three dogs need homes. To find out the details, call Medford Leake or Allen Collins at 704-0403, or just stop by. The Red Hill Animal Health Center is located across the street from the Days Inn. Keep your eyes peeled for future updates on homeless dogs in The Sopris Sun.

Slow Food Roaring Fork/Aspen and Chef Mark Fischer of SIX89 Restaurant are sponsoring their annual Summer Harvest Social on Monday, Aug. 31 at 689 Main Street in Carbondale Colo.

Several of Colorado’s best chefs will be working in Mark Fischer’s kitchen at SIX89. Each will prepare a course featuring local ingredients.

Slow Food is a non-profit organization “dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of traditional and artisan foods and the advocacy of sustainability.”All proceeds from this event will benefit the local chapter.

We know that spirits will be high, and so will you because there are bound to be some amazing Colorado wines at thee event and these folks are fun-loving foodies – even though they might take more time to eat than you do.

For more information about the event, contact Tom Passavant at Slow Food Roaring Fork, 963.6205 or send an email to passavant@aol.com.

For reservations call SIX89 at 963-6890.

Drumming up clues

Media giants team up

If anybody has seen a colorful, goblet shaped, synthetic-headed Remo diembe drum, 10 inches in diameter, please contact Laurie Loeb at 963-2798. Laurie says the

Staff members of Carbondale’s media giant, The Sopris Sun, will lend a hand to Carbondale’s other news titan, KDNK, during the radio station’s annual Blues and BBQ

Homeless dogs seek homes

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on Saturday night. We’ll be serving up some vittles with KDNK’s DJs and volunteers. If you stop by and say the following, you will be entitled to a free issue of The Sopris Sun: “The Sopris Sun is interesting and fun, and by the way, your paper is number one.”

Say the following words to a KDNK DJ or staff member and you will be entitled to listen to KDNK community radio 24 hours a day, 365 days a year: “Hey Hey, whadda you say, the very best music is played on KDNK.”

The Redtones are red hot One of Carbondale’s hometown bands, the Redtones, will temporarily leave town this Saturday to entertain folks in Aspen.

The band will open for Jesse Dayton at the

Belly Up at 10 p.m. Dayton hails from Texas, and comes with strong recommendations from the Band of Heathens – Carbondale’s adopted hometown band. The Redtones will also leave town to play at the annual balloon festival in Snowmass on Sept. 19. Marylin Lindquist, who knocked everybody’s socks off at Mountain Fair will join them.

Both events are free, but if you’re feeling like a couch potato you can also see them right here in Carbondale. The band will play in Sopris Park at Potato Day before they head to Snowmass.

Happy belated birthday to…

Nancy Smith, Ron Speaker,“Spokesman.”

Carbondale's hometown band, the Redtones, shown here playing at a private party last month, will perform at Belly Up this Saturday night. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Capping growth: not a simple solution continued om page 1

Carbondale at noon in 1971. Photo by John Seidel “This is a place where people want to live.

And it’s not simply for the recreational opportunities, or physical and natural landscape. It’s also the character of the place.

And, in my mind, that’s really what people are anxious to preserve,” he continued.

Important to Hassig is whether the community has put “proper patterns” into place that will guide development.

“If we’ve learned anything in Carbondale, it’s that we have something special. The old Hippocratic oath is probably as important for an architect or planner as it is for a physician. First, do no harm,” Hassig said.

But some residents, including Laurie Loeb, a politically active member of the Town

Mothers, question the amount of density being considered within proposed projects.

Citizen groups worked hard to compile information for the Economic Roadmap Group in 2005, but the report was never formally adopted, nor does it quantify the term, “density.”

It bothers Loeb that people talk about “New Urbanism” for developments like the Overlook, north of Town Hall.

“We’re not an urban area and we do not want to become a city,” Loeb said. Residents indicate that slow growth is also a top priority, and most people who live here don’t want a population of 20,000, according to Loeb.

“The question is about how fast we grow

Be seen in the Sopris Sun

Is Carbondale losing character? Maybe not on Main Street. A summer evening, 2009.

Photo by Terray Sylvester

Facts ‘n Figures: Buildout in Bonedale

2,400 1,800

Number of residential units currently in the town of Carbondale

Additional units under consideration and approved within town limits (Includes potential units in the Overlook Neighborhood, the Village at Crystal River and the “county island” where Thompson Park is located; as well as undeveloped River Valley Ranch sites)

2-3%

Amount by which Carbondale can manageably grow each year

20 years

If Carbondale grows at the above growth rate, it’ll take this long for all of the planned existing residential units to be filled Source: Doug Dotson, Carbondale Community Development Director

The Sopris Sun works hard to make your ad noticed: • Bright, mando paper instead of newsprint • We don't stack ads like other papers in the valley do • Every page draws readers with great stories and pictures • Our readers live in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, El Jebel and Basalt Shine some light on your business, advertise in the Sun To place an ad, call Anne Goldberg at 970-379-5050

and how much we grow. It’s very complex.

People say,‘Well, you can’t stop growth.’ But you can manage it,” she said.

P&Z member Jeff Dickinson agrees that growth needs to be managed but notes that a thriving population will support infrastructure and build a tax base.

He said that while there may not be any defined numbers for density, gleaning information from the Roadmap Group, the Community Survey, public comment and

other documentation helps inform planning decisions. As an example, citizens said they want commercial business at the Village at Crystal River but not a big box store. So P&Z knows the plan needs to fall somewhere in between as it moves forward in working with the developer.

To him, shutting Carbondale’s doors is not an option.

“The two things Americans hate are sprawl and density. So if we’re saying we don’t want sprawl outside town limits then we need to allow for density … or shut the doors,” Dickinson said.

“I don’t think that we can just stop and shut the gates and not allow anybody into Carbondale… I think it’s about allowing growth but in a managed way that continues to create a diverse and healthy town.”

Dotson notes that there are consequences to imposing growth caps as Basalt and Aspen have done. On one hand, caps are just that — limits on population that define parameters for planning. On the other hand, implementing caps can be like squeezing a water balloon — if you put pressure on one end, the balloon is going to burst on the other.

Growth caps could result in an extraordinarily high cost of living or a lack of diversity.

“It really becomes a balancing act,” Dotson said. “That’s why you have to make sure you keep working to preserve those characteristics” that help create the small town atmosphere.

The balancing act was set to continue on Aug. 18 as The Sopris Sun went to press. The Board of Trustees was slated to review zoning standards in downtown, and then consider the Thompson Park project and the Overlook on Aug. 19. Public hearing on the Village at Crystal River will continue on Aug. 27 at the P&Z meeting.

Ranchland on the market continued om page 3 several failed development schemes, most recently Cattle Creek Colorado, and previously Sanders Ranch, Cattle Creek Crossing and Bair Chase. A previous developer hired an excavating contractor to scrape the existing vegetation and topsoil off the land and sculpt the property into a golf course. But the developer failed to obtain the necessary financing and the contractor stopped in the middle of the job. The land has grown up in weeds, and the only animals thriving on the property are Wyoming

ground squirrels.

Water rights and the green landscape water brings are a big part of the value of ranches, too. Though water is increasingly coveted by corporations gearing up for oil shale production to the west of Rifle, none of the Roaring Fork Valley’s ranches have yet been separated from their water.

“Once you sell your water rights, you lose the ability of the land to be productive,” Cochran said. “So far, we’ve been able to dodge that bullet.”

THE SOPRIS SUN • AUGUST 20, 2009 • 7

Community Calendar THURSDAY, Aug. 20 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED • Volunteers are needed now to help organize and hold the “Potato Bake Off” at the 100th Potato Day scheduled for Sept. 18-20. Farmer’s market vendors also are needed. For more information, call 963-3744.

AREDAY • American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) takes place Aug. 20-22 in Aspen.

Since 2004 AREDAY has brought together leaders and educators to promote the rapid implementation of renewable energy and energy efficient strategies as practical solutions to the climate crisis through demonstration, presentation, performance, film and dialogue. For more information, visit areday.net or call 948-9929.

LEGAL ADVICE • Alpine Legal Services presents Thursday Night Bar for help with civil issues, divorce, custody, tenant rights and more at 5 p.m. the third Thursday of the month at the Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs. For further information, call 945-8858.

ENERGY STAR CLASS • The free Energy Star Builders Training Series will be at 2:30 p.m.

Aug. 20 at the Garfield County Human Services Building, 195 W. 14th St., Rifle. Call 319-3939 for info.

PITCO LIBRARY PLANS • Pitkin County Library invites the general public to discuss library master planning in one of two community meetings on Aug. 20 from noon to 1:30 p.m. or from 5:30-7 p.m. Call 925-7124 for details.

To list your event, email information to news@soprissun.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday.

Events take place in Carbondale unless noted.

Band will play at 6 p.m. Aug. 20 at Base Village in Snowmass.

FRIDAY, Aug. 21 REDSTONE CASTLE TOURS • Guided tours of the historic Redstone Castle are at 1:30 p.m. Fridays through Mondays. For group tours or more information call 963-9656 or go to redstonecastle.us.

Skateboard Competition will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 22 at the Carbondale Skateboard Park on Meadowood Drive. Registration opens at 9 a.m. For full details, call the Carbondale Recreation Department at 704-4194.

CONCERT SERIES • The “Magical Mo-

the Crystal Theatre “Julie & Julia” (PG-13).

ments” Summer Concert Series in Redstone continues with The Strolling Scones performing ’60s music from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 22 at Redstone Park. Heart of the Rockies play country rock and bluegrass from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at the Labor Day Art Show.

RIVER WALK • Spend the afternoon with a

TRAIL WORK DAY • Roaring Fork Out-

MOVIES • Showing at 8 p.m. Aug. 21-27 at

Roaring Fork Conservancy naturalist on a river walk along the Roaring Fork River and Castle Creek at the Meadowlands Open Space. The walk is at 4 p.m. Aug. 21. Meet at the Benedict Music Tent in Aspen. Free; registration required at www.roaringfork.org/events or by calling 927-1290.

DANCE CLUB • Deejay Deeogee spins for the under 21 crowd from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday at The Lift on Main St. in Carbondale.

door Volunteers will conduct a restoration and trail work day from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Smuggler Mountain in Aspen. The day includes tree plantings and re-seeding. Instruction, tools and dinner provided for volunteers.

Visit www.rfov.org or call 927-8241 for more information.

NATURALIST WALK • Roaring Fork Con-

SATURDAY, Aug. 22

servancy hosts a naturalist walk at Filoha Meadows from 9-11:30 a.m. Aug. 22 and Sept.

19. Free. Space is limited; registration required at www.roaringfork.org/events or 927-1290.

GROUP RUN • Independence Run & Hike

BLUES & BBQ • KDNK hosts the eighth an-

holds its regular Saturday group run at 7:30 a.m. rain, snow or sun. Tuesday night trail runs are at 5:45 p.m. Call 704-0909, email independencerun@sopris.net, or stop by 995 Cowen Drive for details.

nual Blues and BBQ from 2-9 p.m. Aug. 22 at Fourth and Main streets. In addition to the barbecue and other live music, guitarists Howard Berkman and Johnny O will meet at the crossroads to trade riffs and mix up the blues voodoo.

Visit www.kdnk.org for more information.

KUNDALINI YOGA • True Nature Healing

LIVE MUSIC • Lipbone Redding performs at

is ongoing through Aug. 20. For more about the rodeo, visit www.carbondalerodeo.com.

Arts at 549 Main St. will hold a Kundalini yoga workshop with Julie Nemiroff from 4-6 p.m.

Kundalini is a physical and meditative discipline associated with Hatha yoga. For more info, call 963-9900.

8:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Steve’s Guitars, 19 N. Fourth St. For more about the artist, visit www.lipboneredding.com. For seating info, call 963-2204 or visit www.stevesguitars.net.

LIVE MUSIC • Basalt’s Frying Pan Bluegrass

SKATE COMP • The Carbondale Cup 2009

RIDE FOR CURE • The sixth annual Komen

RODEO • The Carbondale Wild West Rodeo

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Aspen/Snowmass Ride for the Cure takes place Aug. 22 in Snowmass Village. For more information, call the ride hotline at 920-0250.

REDTONES IN ASPEN • The Carbondalebased band The Redtones will be playing at Belly Up in Aspen on Aug. 22.The Redtones are the opening act for Jesse Dayton. For more info, visit www.bellyupaspen.com.

SUNDAY, Aug. 23 LIVE MUSIC • Steve’s Guitars presents The Deadly Gentlemen at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Visit www.stevesguitars.net for information.

TUESDAY, Aug. 25 TRUSTEES MEET • The Board of Trustees meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

LIVE JAZZ • A live jazz jam session will be at Steve’s Guitars 8 p.m. Aug. 25. Come to listen or join in. For more details, visit www.stevesguitars.net.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26 FARMER’S MARKET • The Carbondale Farmer’s Market is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday through Sept. 30 at the corner of Fourth and Main streets. Fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, bread, coffee, wine, flowers, prepared foods, crafts and more. Free entertainment.

LIVE MUSIC • White House Pizza presents live music by Corey Madsen from 7-10 p.m.Wednesday. For more information, call 704-9400.

STEVE’S TUNES • The Casey Driessen Band will perform live at Steve’s Guitars, 19 N. Fourth St. Go to www.stevesguitars.net for further info.

Community Briefs Bears spotted in Carbondale With recent sightings of bears in downtown Carbondale, town officials are warning residents to take heed of how to best keep the creatures from becoming nuisance animals.

Carbondale’s civic engagement specialist, Kay Philip, released a public service announcement Tuesday that is effective “until the snow flies” reporting that bears have been spotted at River Valley Ranch, in the Colorado Meadows neighborhood, on Capitol Avenue and along the Rio Grande Trail toward Catherine Store.

“Bears are more prevalent in Carbondale this year than last, and will continue to visit wherever they find food until they hibernate for the winter. Bear visits to neighborhoods can be prevented if there is no food for them to find,” the release states.

Philip reminds residents that in accordance with a town ordinance, garbage cannot be put out for pick-up before 6 a.m., and the empty containers must be brought in no later than 8 p.m. the same day. Trash containers must be made of plastic or metal and equipped with suitable handles and weather-tight covers.

The release additionally recommends locking doors and windows, especially at night, and removing other items such as bird feeders, barbecue grills, pet food, fruit and compost that attract bears.

If a bear enters your home, open doors and leave the bear an escape route. Never approach or feed a bear.

Call the Division of Wildlife at 947-2920 for more information on bears in the Carbondale area.

Citizens can cast vote for favorite art Community members are encouraged to vote for their favorite public sculptures until August 2009. The People’s Choice Award for 2008-2009 will be announced at the Annual Artists’ Reception on Sept. 18. The winning artist receives $1,000.

Ballots and drop-off boxes are located at various Main Street businesses and Town Hall.

Ballots may also be mailed to CPAC People’s Choice, 511 Colorado Ave., Carbondale, CO 81623.

New artwork will be installed in September through the Art aRound Town program that is overseen by the Carbondale Public Arts Commission.

For more information about the commission and Art aRound Town, visit www.publicartcarbondale.org.

RFC hosts Filoha naturalist walk Rare orchids, thermal hot springs, bighorn sheep, fireflies, a local bat population, healthy

riparian habitat and beaver ponds make Filoha Meadows Open Space a gem of the Crystal River Valley.

Join Roaring Fork Conservancy naturalist Sarah Johnson for a morning walk through the open space while learning about the fascinating natural history of the meadows.

The walks take place from 9-11:30 a.m. Aug. 22 and Sept. 19. Meet at the Penny Hot Springs pull-out near Redstone (12.5 miles south of the Carbondale City Market).

Dress appropriately; walks will happen rain or shine. This walk is free and open to the public, however, space is limited and registration is required at www.roaringfork.org/events or by calling 927-1290.

Sports Briefs

continued om page 4

Last year, the Ram golfers placed second at the 3A regional meet and qualified two players – Arick Zeigel and Micah Evonitz – for state.

Coach Larry Williams says this is shaping up to be the best Rams season since he began coaching the team five years ago.

The team practices and hosts its tournament at River Valley Ranch. River Valley Ranch is also the site of the Ram Classic every year, a fundraiser for Roaring Fork High School athletics.

Ram soccer shooting for return trip to state Last fall, the Rams went to the state tournament for the first time in several years. Head coach John Ackerman said it proved to be a fantastic experience even though Denver Christian eliminated the Rams in the first round.

The goal for this season is naturally another run at State.

“It looks like the players are ready to train even harder than last season to achieve their goal,” Ackerman said.

Ackerman expects tough competition from 3A rivals throughout the region this season, especially longtime foes Aspen and Basalt.

The team will see a change-up i¯n leadership. Hadley Hentschel, science teacher at Roaring Fork has stepped down after a long stint as assistant coach.

“Hadley has played a crucial role in creating a successful soccer program at Roaring Fork and we will miss him on the touch line,” Ackerman said.

Aaron Anderson, who has coached junior varsity soccer for five years in Basalt, will be taking Hadley’s place.

THE SOPRIS SUN • AUGUST 20, 2009 • 9

Blazing blues at the crossroads: Local artists to mix it up at Blues and BBQ

By Steve Skinner Special to The Sopris Sun Down in a windswept plain somewhere in the Midwest there’s a crossroads. Turn one way and you’ll find yourself on your way to Chicago. Turn another, and you may wind up in New Orleans. But at the crossroads you find a little of this and a little of that; it depends on which way you look and which way the wind blows.

This Saturday, that crossroads will come to the corner of 4th and Main streets in downtown Carbondale for KDNK’s eighth annual Blues and BBQ. At the end of the evening, two guitarists with a long history will meet to trade riffs and mix up the blues voodoo.

It won’t be their first meeting.

Howard Berkman is a Chicago native who arrived in Aspen in 1977. John Ohnmacht was born in Aspen and, when he was a kid, went looking for a mentor to teach him the ropes. He found Berkman and ended up building a solid foundation from a guitarist he calls, “phenomenal.”

“Howard is a wealth of knowledge.

He’s real Chicago blues but he’s got the whole Django Reinhardt thing down and all kinds of finger picking styles,” said Ohnmacht.

Even though Ohnmacht got some great chops from Berkman, they are very different players with different styles. But Berkman’s Chicago blues and Ohnmacht’s New Orleans blues will come together when the two jam onstage at the barbecue.

“My drummer [Ian Anderson] is from New Orleans and the bass player [Marion Edwards] plays all kinds of styles, so we are kind of all over the place,” said Ohnmacht of his Colorado Blues Funk Jam Band.

Berkman, for his part, is not resting on his laurels, certain he’ll teach the kid another lesson.

“Johnny is a monster player and composer. He’ll probably kick my butt,” joked Berkman.

Both guitarists jumped at the chance to stage a crossroads jam. So far, the bluesmen haven’t decided just what they’ll play. The grasshopper and the master still have to choose – probably backstage at the last minute.

Neither player can easily be tied down to a single geographic style and anything might happen, but one thing is certain: Both musicians will make the most of this opportunity to trade chops and push each other a little bit. This could have happened in a movie somewhere in the middle of

Left: Howard Berkman was born in Chicago, but he's played the blues in Paris and the Caribbean and many points in between. Right: John Ohnmacht was born in Aspen and, between national tours and stints abroad, has been entertaining Coloradans for 20 years. nowhere. But, lucky for us, these musicians will converge right in downtown Carbondale and we, sitting at the intersection, will

get to see and hear the whole thing.

Who knows when we will arrive at the crossroads again?

What’s Happening

Hot blues, good eats and community radio

Blues and BBQ is an annual fundraiser for KDNK. Part festival, part feast, it will feature a handful of musical acts and fistfuls of good eats. There will also be activities for the kids, including a Ferris wheel.

The KDNK Blues and BBQ will be held on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 2-9 p.m.

KDNK is looking for volunteer help. Call Cindy at 963-0139 to add your name to the list.

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Camaraderie is a given in the game of bike polo. Though in some situations, team members and their opponents become too close. Teams from Fort Collins and Durango got acquainted during this bike polo tourney in Carbondale last Saturday.

Photo by Jane Bachrach

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Riding at the rodeo: not just for big girls

By Kayla Henley Sopris Sun Intern

Carrying the Colorado state flag, rodeo queen attendant Emily Schwaller gallops around the Carbondale rodeo arena. Juniors such as Emily are an important part of the weekly rodeo. Photo by Jane Bachrach

The sturdy bull riders, agile barrel racers and lightning fast ropers were not the only contenders preparing themselves for the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo last Thursday afternoon. Many young competitors were preparing as well, some of them for the junior barrel racing.

Though they rarely steal the spotlight, these young participants can be seen every week as they, too, try their hands at the difficult sport.

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” says Heidi Small, a 12-year-old junior barrel racer who’s been flying around the barrels at weekly rodeos for a year, and who has maintained her perfect attendance record at the Carbondale rodeo this summer. “There are a lot of ups and downs.”

Small began barrel racing last year after she visited the rodeo and had a chance to observe the big girls. She decided to give it a try, and since then she and her 10-year old quarter horse named Manny have been enjoying their taste of the sport.

“Last year I was just a little kid doing it, but now I’m pretty serious about it,” she said.

Though many juniors are experienced in this “arena” of the rodeo, others have just begun their journey toward success.

Sierra Caldwell and her American quarter horse, Player, both age 12, have been barrel racing together since January. They’ve competed in every rodeo held this summer. Caldwell was inspired to try the sport when she saw a lady at her barn doing it.

“I said ‘that looks like fun,’ and she offered to give me a lesson, and I fell in love with barrel rac-

Aspen Valley Land Trust’s

6th Annual Save the Land Dance

September 12, 5:30 pm we’re moooo-ving the party this year to Tybar Ranch, Carbondale

ing,” said Caldwell cheerfully.

Her advice for everyone, not just competitors, is to try to have fun!

Eleven-year-old Madilyn Kuhl is another weekly junior barrel racing participant. After attending the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo with her family a few years ago, Kuhl was inspired to try her hand at barrel racing and has not given it up since. On Thursday night she appeared in the arena astride Gremilyn, her 17-year-old quarter horse.

“I love coming here,” said Kuhl with a sincere smile. “It gives me something to do and my horse loves it too.”

Kuhl has been crowned as one of Carbondale’s rodeo princesses and faithfully attends to her duties, smiling enthusiastically or listening attentively to those she converses with.

Ashlyn Gerbaz, 11, is another young competitor who has been crowned a rodeo princess this year. Gerbaz has been barrel racing with her 13year-old quarter horse, Buckarina, for three years.

If that’s not enough, she has also set her sights on appearing in the National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas to compete for the Miss Rodeo America title, as Glenwood Springs local Audra Dobbs will do this winter.

All the junior barrel racers would surely appreciate any credit passed their way, for their sport requires dedication and nerve. Though as Madilyn Kuhl emphatically revealed to The Sun with an earto-ear grin, she doesn’t let a lack of recognition stop her: “I just want to keep riding and possibly, I don’t know,” she hesitated. “All I know is that I’m going to keep riding for the rest of my life.”

Friends of the Gordon Cooper Library present

the 6th Annual ONE BOOK ONE TOWN

PLAINSONG Tickets $75 Purchase tickets online at www.avlt.org

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Music by Acoustic Mayhem

October 15, 7 pm

at the Roaring Fork High School Cafetorium Books now available at the Gordon Cooper Library

Party Hosts:

Sponsors:

“Aspen to Parachute”

THE SOPRIS SUN • AUGUST 20, 2009 • 11

You say tomatoes I get excited about tomato season every summer. My favorite use of good tomatoes is in daily tomato sandwiches, but there are a million other quick and easy delicious things to do with them.

If you have a garden, you may be faced with an overabundance of vine-ripened beauties and may find yourself at a loss for what to do with your bounty, even after generously sharing with friends and neighbors. My grandmother canned seriously, and my parents canned for fun, but I don’t can at all. Nor do I freeze or pickle. I soup.

Some of the simplest and best soups in the world involve tomatoes. The first decision in making one is: chunky

By Chef George Bohmfalk or smooth, to peel or not to peel? “Iced tomato cream” is one of my favorite tomato soups, and one of its attractions is the simplicity of using unpeeled tomatoes, as everything gets strained after cooking.

To make it, sauté a large diced onion in a little oil for a few minutes until it gets soft. Core and quarter 4-5 tomatoes and add them to the onion. Season with salt and pepper, and if you have some fresh thyme or rosemary, toss in a few sprigs. I like a jolt of chipotle Tabasco sauce as well.

As the tomatoes come to a simmer, enough water usually comes out of them that no additional liquid is needed. If your tomatoes aren’t that juicy, add chicken stock or water to cover them.

The tomatoes will become mushy after simmering for

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that Roared

about 30 minutes.

Strain everything into a bowl, pressing down with a large spoon to squeeze as much pulp and flavor through the strainer as you can. A food mill is ideal for this, but a sturdy sieve and a strong arm will suffice.

The soup is great at this point, hot and pure, but adding a little cream or half-and-half mellows it into another creation.

Such a cream of tomato soup reaches perfection when taken right down to the freezing point. After chilling it thoroughly in the refrigerator, I put it into the freezer about 20 minutes before serving and stir it every few minutes until ice begins to form around the edge. It’s utterly divine, especially with a little chopped, fresh basil sprinkled on top.

For unstrained, chunky soup, you can expedite the peeling process by coring the tomatoes and carefully slipping them into boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove and cool them under cold water or in an ice bath, and the peels will slide right off.

While an onion is sautéing, as above, cut the peeled tomatoes in half horizontally. Squeeze and shake each half gently until most of the seeds fall out. If you want to salvage the flavorful tomato water that comes out with the seeds, do this over a strainer and add the water to the soup.

Roughly chop the seeded tomatoes and add to the sautéed onion, adding stock or water if needed to cover the vegetables. As this soup will not be strained, any herbs must either be tied together and removed at the end or stripped

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Public Hearings will be held before the Carbondale Board of Trustees for the purpose of considering a Community Impact Assessment to review impacts related to traffic, water and sewer at the former Carbondale Elementary School site which is being transformed into the Third Street Center: a multi-tenant nonprofit and arts center.

The location is 520 South Third Street, also described as Parcel B, Community Partnership Planned Unit Development. The applicant is Land and Shelter, 978 Euclid Avenue, for the Third Street Center. The owner of the site is the Town of Carbondale. The property is leased to the Third Street Center by the Town.

Said Public Hearings will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2009.

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.

Doug Dotson Zoning Administrator

Publish: 1x on August 20, 2009 in the Sopris Sun 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 for an extension of the P.U.D. approval and a request for an extension of the vested property rights under Chapter 17.40 of the Carbondale Municipal Code for property located at 190 Main Street. The applicant is Larry Green of Balcomb & Green, P.C. and the property is owned by PCA, LLC, P.O. Box 9427, Aspen, CO 81612. The 6,900 SF site is legally described as Lots 10, 11, and 12, Block 2 of the Original Town Site of Carbondale, Colorado. .

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2009.

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.

Janet Buck Asst. Town Planner

Publish: 1x on August 20, 2009 in the Sopris Sun 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 amendment to the Commercial/Special Zone District of the Crystal Village PUD, Filing No. 3 and rezoning Lot 1, Crystal Village PUD, Filing No. 3, to the standards established for the modified Commercial/Special Zone District. A subdivision exemption is proposed for the purpose of dividing Lot 1 into two lots, Lot 1A and Lot 1B. The application includes a request for a Multi-

family Site Plan Review for 9 multifamily units on the new Lot 1A (western-most portion of the site). The application also includes a request for vested rights.

The property is located at 1340 and 1360 West Main Street (the former site of American National Bank), legally described as Lot 1, Crystal Village PUD Filing No. 3. The applicant/owner is 1340 Main, LLC.

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:30 p.m. on September 8, 2009.

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.

Janet Buck Town Planner

Publish: 1x on August 20, 2009 in the Sopris Sun PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission for the purpose of considering an annexation, zoning, and subdivision exemption application for the Box T annexation. The applicant is Mark Chain Consulting, LLC. The property owners are Lewis R. and Jacquelyn R. Thompson. The property is legally known as Lot 2 of the TLCCO Subdivision Exemption recorded as Reception No. 746205 and is 2.36 acres in size. The site is generally located directly west of Triangle Park, south of Hwy. 133 and north of River Valley Ranch. The

from their stems and chopped.

This soup will also be ready after simmering for about 30 minutes, at which point you can make several choices. If you like it less chunky, break it down with an immersion hand blender or in a food processor or regular blender for several seconds. To make tomato-basil soup, simply chop and add several fresh basil leaves. Basil’s delicate flavor does not hold up to long cooking, so add the leaves just minutes before serving. If you can handle the calories and prefer the smoothness, enrich the soup with cream or half-and-half.

You can thicken your soup, if you like, using less-fattening methods than just adding cream. Rather than simply stirring in a functional slurry of boring and flavorless flour or corn starch, whisk in about a quarter cup of corn meal and simmer 10-15 minutes, until the meal is soft. Just about any starch will work. I've used small tapioca, barley, couscous, quinoa and millet seed. A great, traditional Italian soup, pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), is little more than a chunky tomato soup with cannellini (white kidney beans) and small pasta, both of which thicken the liquid.

To transform chunky tomato soup into a great main course, add just about any seafood to it. I cut up and added a tilapia fillet and a few peeled shrimp and allowed them to poach for a few minutes. I garnished this with some cilantro leaves, and we enjoyed a rich, tomatoey fish stew.

Toe-may-toe, tah-mah-toe: either way, in any form, it’s the essence of summer!

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the

Publish: 1x on August 20, 2009 in the Sopris Sun

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 7:00 p.m. on September 10, 2009.

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PROFESSIONAL WRITER AVAILABLE for press releases, annual reports, letters and special projects. Call Lynn Burton at 963-1549.

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Contact Anne at anne@soprissun.com or 379-5050 or Kristin at Kristin@soprissun.com or 379-0455.

Glenwood Music Inc. 12 • THE SOPRIS SUN • AUGUST 20, 2009

Optional ingredients: fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil), cream or half-and-half.

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.

On Cooper by the train 715 Cooper Ave. 928-8628

Essential ingredients: tomatoes, onion, water or chicken stock.

proposed zoning is Residential/Low Density and Rural Residential. The proposed subdivision would divide Lot 2 of the TLCCO Subdivision Exemption into two lots.

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Recipe Notes

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