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Volume 8, Number 47 | December 29, 2016

CARBONDALE MOMENTS of 2016

Photos by Jane Bachrach. Collage graphic by Terri Ritchie

CARBONDALE’S FAVORITE GAS, CAR WASH & CONVENIENCE STORE! What you need, when you need it.

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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.

RE-1 coping with GW bridge, construction

By Dr. Rob Stein Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. Two massive community investments, both converging in the summer of 2017, bring this lesson to light.

Because of the foresight of community leaders and the generosity of taxpayers, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and Basalt are going to see the replacement of the Grand Avenue Bridge — the main artery to the Roaring Fork Valley — and the completion of a set of school construction projects that will have been under way for two years. Both the bridge and the school projects were conceived for the same dual purposes: to relieve overcrowding and to address aging facilities. All of the school projects are scheduled to wrap up around the end of 2017, and the Grand Avenue Bridge will be complete in June 2018.

While we are all excited about this new infrastructure for our communities, no one is looking forward to living through the construction process. The Roaring Fork Schools, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the city of Glenwood Springs are working together on a plan to minimize the impacts of this extensive construction, but for the next year — especially next fall — we are all going to be living with a lot of inconvenience and, in some cases, hardship.

And we are all going to need a lot of patience and cooperation.

Both the bridge and school facility projects have been reported on extensively through regular updates from Tom Newland in his Bridge Answer Man column in the Post Independent, the school district’s newsletters and our Bond Projects Updates webpage. Still, the significance of the impact of next fall’s construction has yet to set in. In short, the deconstruction of the Grand Avenue Bridge will begin on Monday, Aug. 14, and the traffic bridge will be closed at least 95 days. This closure begins just a few days before the start of the school year, and right as the school district is wrapping up the brand new Riverview School and the Glenwood Springs Elementary School renovation project, as well as renovations to all three middle schools, Basalt High School and Bridges High School, and a reconfiguration of the Basalt Elementary and Middle School campuses.

OPINION

What could go wrong?

What could possibly go wrong? The bridge closure will impact approximately 1,100 Roaring Fork students and 175 staff members who cross the bridge daily to get to school in Glenwood Springs or upvalley. Currently, 450 of those students ride a bus. CDOT is predicting up to 60-minute delays through Glenwood Springs and perhaps more during peak hours, right when the school day starts and ends, if there isn’t a significant reduction in the number of vehicles utilizing the detour route.

Our fight against terror threats

By Scott Tipton As we look forward to a new year and a new Congress, the topic of national security is a primary focus among our country’s leaders. The House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security recently issued its latest installment of a monthly assessment of the growing threat that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other radical terrorist groups pose to the United States and the West.

The November Terror Threat Snapshot shows that although ISIS may be retreating in parts of Syria and Iraq, the group continues to plot attacks against our country and our allies.

We know that since 2014 there have been 125 total ISIS-linked plots to attack the West, and in September of this year, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director James Comey said that the Bureau has approximately 1,000 active homegrown terror investigations, of which 80 percent are related to ISIS. Our U.S. law enforcement agencies and the law enforcement agencies of our allies are working diligently to identify and arrest individuals who are suspected or known to be conspiring to join ISIS, but it is clear that we have ground to make up following the failures

of the Obama Administration’s foreign policy.

The House has put forth a plan as part of our Better Way Agenda that will strengthen our national defense, so we can defeat terrorists, protect our borders, and keep our families safe.

The federal government’s primary duty is to protect citizens from hostile foreign actions, and the first steps under A Better Way will be to secure our borders and keep terrorists out of the United States. This starts by closing security gaps in our transportation and immigration systems and making sure agencies that have information about terror threats are communicating with each other.

The Obama Administration has allowed radical Islamic terror groups to gain traction, but we can’t let the U.S. become the battleground for the war on terror. We must take the fight to the enemy. It is going to take decisive action and a strong international coalition to defeat Islamic terror, but we are committed to making sure our military has the resources it needs to take the fight to the enemy.

The world is safer when America is strong, so we must also lead by example in promoting the values of freedom, democracy, and free

OPINION

Recreation guide correction Due to a mistake at the company that prints The Sopris Sun, the Dec. 22 Sopris Sun included an out-of-date Town of

TIPTON page 18 Carbondale recreation guide. In this week’s Sopris Sun, you’ll find the town’s official 2017 Winter/Spring recreation guide. Please check out the recreation de-

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017

Additionally, the timing of the school facilities construction presents a logistical challenge for staff members throughout the district. Once the various school construction projects are complete, teachers at multiple schools will be unpacking and moving into new classrooms. Science equipment, musical instruments, kindergarten learning stations, office machinery, kitchen equipment all have to be set up just as kids are scheduled to come in the door.

The third main consideration for the start of the 2017-18 school year is the impact from the significant enrollment changes that will result from opening a new school in Glenwood Springs. Parents, students and community members have been working with us this fall to develop program recommendations for Riverview School, the new P-8 school in Glenwood Springs. New attendance areas were developed for all Glenwood Springs elementary and middle schools. These developments will affect where hundreds of students go to school: over 500 students and 50 staff members will be changing schools and jobs.

Time and certainty Yes, we are planning for all of this, but two things will help a lot: time and certainty. That’s why we are planning a delayed start to the 2017-18 school year and a universal early enrollment process in January: We need more time RE-1 UPDATES 19

Letters

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 400 words. Include your name and residence (for publication) and a contact email and phone number.

Submit letters to news@soprissun.com or P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623.

The deadline is noon on Monday.

Thank you Lynn Dear Editor: This being Lynn Burton’s last official edition of The Sopris Sun as sole editor I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Lynn. Thank you for your dedication to this community publication.

Starting from the early proofing days in the basement of Amoré Realty to the dual role of editor/paper boy, you have put a lot of sweat equity into this humble nonprofit. I hope you know how much it means to the staff, board and community at large.

I know you will impart your words of wisdom on the in coming editor, Will Grandbois, and I am thankful that we will still enjoy your writing into the new year. However, I will miss your quirky sense of humor on production days at LETTERS page 19 partment’s numerous offerings, and then take advantage of the programs, classes and recreation opportunities the Town of Carbondale has to offer.

Sincerest thanks to our

Honorary Publishers for their generous, ongoing commitment of support.

Jim Calaway, Chair Kay Brunnier Bob Ferguson – Jaywalker Lodge Scott Gilbert: Habitat for Humanity - RFV Bob Young – Alpine Bank Peter Gilbert James Surls Umbrella Roofing, Inc. Bill Spence and Sue Edelstein Greg and Kathy Feinsinger

ank you to our SunScribers and community members for your support!

It truly takes a village to keep e Sun shining.

To inform, inspire and build community.

Donations accepted online or by mail. For information call 510-3003 Editor: Lynn Burton • 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Advertising: Kathryn Camp • 970-379-7014 adsales@soprissun.com Reporter: John Colson Photographer: Jane Bachrach Graphic Designer: Terri Ritchie Delivery: Tom Sands CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS board@soprissun.com Barbara Dills, President Debbie Bruell, Secretary Colin Laird • Cliff Colia Diana Alcantara • Matt Adeletti • Olivia Pevec The Sopris Sun Board meets regularly on the third Monday evening of each month at the Third Street Center. Check the calendar for details and occasional date changes.

Founding Board Members Allyn Harvey • Becky Young • Colin Laird Barbara New • Elizabeth Phillips Peggy DeVilbiss • Russ Criswell Honorary Board Members Denise Barkhurst • Sue Gray David L. Johnson • Laura McCormick Jeannie Perry • Trina Ortega • Frank Zlogar

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e year 2016: Residential tear-downs continue

By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Staff Writer Daily newspapers, at the end of the year, usually run their Top 10 news stories of the year, or some such compilation. It’s different with weekly newspapers, such as The Sopris Sun. Weekly newspapers, competing with the dailies, tend to print more features through the year, and fewer breaking news stories. That’s one reason the Sopris Sun’s 2016 Year in Review doesn’t include a lot of stories the dailies covered.

Actually, to be honest, The Sopris Sun’s Year in Review leads off here with a trend that the Sun only alluded during the year: Residential tear downs (aka “scrape and replace”).

The year 2016 saw a trend that started in 2015: Residential tear downs. In 2015, a single family home was torn down in order to for the new owner to build multi-family housing. The same year, the estate of the late Terry Counterman sold his dilapidated Victorian house, which the new owner scraped and built a modern-looking spec two story home.

This year, a new owner torn down an 800-square foot cabin on Sopris and is replacing it with an approximate 7,000 square foot house (with full basement) near Sopris Park.

The tear downs were brought on by fairly new zoning ordinances that allow multi-family housing on some formerly single family lots, the uptick in the economy that entices developers to tear down old houses and rebuild at a profit, and new property owners who can afford to build a house wherever they want in the Roaring Fork Valley but choose to build inside the Carbondale town limits.

As for other news or trends from 2016: • The second annual One Town, One Table community potluck attracted approximately 1,000 folks to share food and conversation; • Thunder River Theatre Company co-founder Lon Winston, 70, retired and passed his baton to Cory Simpson; • A pair of assaults led the town trustees to address street light issues; • Thanks to a state grant, the rodeo grounds is receiving a roof over

This 800-square-foot, two-bedroom log cabin on Sopris Avenue was reportedly built in the early 1950s. The new home being built on the property is about eight times the size of the old cabin. Photo by Lynn Burton the east section of its grandstands; • Lisa Dancing-Light saw one of her tunes, “Song of Love,” featured as a theme song on the VoiceAmerica.com online show “The Convergence: Uniting the Tribes in the Interspiritual Age.” • Carbondale residents rallied to be part of a conduit for supplies, vehicles, clothing and other needed

items at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation that straddles the border of North and South Dakota at the Missouri River. Native American Indians are on-site to prevent the Dakota Access Pipeline from crossing their sacred lands.

For more on The Sopris Sun’s Year in Review, please keep reading – and thanks for reading in 2016.

spaces on a parcel of land at the western edge of town adjacent to the Colorado Rocky Mountain School property (CRMS). The proposed stores would be built on land previously considered for two larger developments, known as the Crystal River Market Place and the Village at Crystal River, which as proposed would have involved construction of considerably more retail and some residential development.

Both those previous plans were rejected by local voters in two separate elections, both of which fol-

lowed periods of intense community controversy about the plans. The project, known as the Carbondale Marketplace, would result in construction of a 59,000 square-foot City Market store (to replace an older, smaller store located less than a mile away from the project site); roughly 9,000 square feet of connected retail spaces, and a separate facility housing a gas station kiosk and pumps, for a total of more than 68,000 square feet of buildings on slightly less than eight acres of

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JANUARY Pros perform student play

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Theatre Masters, a Coloradobased nonprofit, chose a short play by Roaring Fork High School student Tyler Gruel as one of several to be performed in Aspen. Gruel’s play, titled “No Easy Thing,” came from a creative writing assignment in Carmen McCracken’s class. McCracken later entered all the assignements in Theatre Masters’ Aspiring Playwrights Competition. Gruel was one of two downvalley students chosen to see their plays produced. Gruel first got involved in theatre at the age of eight, when he performed in a Jane Gottleib production of “Guys & Dolls.” Since then, he has performed in numerous SoL Theatre productions.

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Trustees OK lighting ordinance Carbondale's board of trustees on Jan. 13 passed revisions to the town's outdoor lighting regulations in an effort to rein in a growing use of light-emitting diodes (LED) devices that tend to radiate considerably more “offensive” illumination than other, historically dominant lighting technologies. The new ordinance refers to “certain types of modern lighted signs, including those that use LED Technology, (that) can be inconsistent with the Town's goal of reducing glare and offensive light sources.”

The trustees had been discussing the town's lighting ordinance for months, in response to concerns that LED lighting displays were adding to the level of light pollution around Carbondale.

Menconi runs for U.S. Senate

SoprisSun.com

Carbondale resident, and former Eagle County commissioner, Arn

Menconi, announced plans to seek the Green Party nomination for U.S. Senate and take on incumbent Michael Bennet (D). Menconi later won his party’s nomination, but lost to Bennet in the general election.

FEBRUARY P&Z recommends CM OK Carbondale's Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) recommended that the Board of Trustees (BOT) approve a subdivision proposal to build a new City Market grocery store and other commercial

YEAR IN REVIEW page 7

Martha Collison (left) gives Hillary Clinton (right) a hug during an event for the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate at Skyline Ranch earlier in the year. Clinton reportedly had to “cut out” early, just before her supporters headed out to canvas the town. Rumor has it that Clinton said she felt “a little stiff” after a ride on a Skyline Ranch donkey named Darrell, so was not in any shape to help locals knock on doors. According to Garfield County Clerk Jean Alberico, Clinton trumped the Trumpster 64 percent to 36 percent (4,060-1,890) in Carbondale. Clinton also beat Trump 3,390 to 2,286 in Glenwood Springs.

Further to the west in Garfield County, however, it was a different story. From New Castle to Parachute, Trump outdistanced Clinton by margins that in one precinct hit 5 to 1. Countywide, voters favored Trump 49 percent to 42 percent, with an 84 percent voter turnout (27,172 voters out of 32,169 eligible voters cast ballots). Statewide, Clinton won 48 percent to 43 percent. Photo by Jane Bachrach THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017 • 3

Cop Shop The new fountain at Willits proved to be a real hit with kids of all ages last summer. The computerized fountain with more than 20 nozzles dances up and down with little or no predictable choreography.

Which seemed to be just fine with most of its partners. Photo

by Lynn Burton

The following events are drawn from incident reports of the C’dale Police Dept.

FRIDAY, Dec. 16: At 8:07 p.m., police stopped a vehicle on Highway 133 near the Sopris Shopping Center for driving with its headlights off. After investigating, the officers arrested the underage female driver suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and other charges.

FRIDAY, Dec. 16: At 11:48 p.m., police were called about a stolen car in the Crystal Valley Mobile Home park. Officers found the vehicle, along with a 14-year old male driver, who was arrested for being a minor in possession of alcohol and marijuana.

SATURDAY, Dec. 17: At 7:12 a.m., police were called to an address on Cowen Drive about a report of domestic violence and assault. After investigating, they arrested a 25year-old female on charges of assault and violating a restraining order, and took her to the Garfield County Jail.

MONDAY, Dec. 19: At 5:06 p.m., police were informed of a case of criminal mischief, in which a car was “keyed” at an address on North 12th Street. No suspects were reported.

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21: At 2:47 p.m., police were contacted by parents worried about their 19-year-old son’s “drug use and mental health,” according to a summery report. Officers determined that no crime had occurred, and advised the parents to seek a formal restraining order “if they still felt threatened” by their son’s activities.

THURSDAY, Dec. 22: Police were contacted by a local man who reported that a former employee had stolen some items and perhaps embezzled some money. The case is under investigation.

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4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017

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Scuttlebutt

Send your scuttlebutt to news@SoprisSun.com.

Mandy Moore in “La La Land”

Youth Entity named to top 50

A reader reports that Mandy Moore, daughter of former RFHS principal Wendy Moore, and her husband Bob, was the choreographer on the new film “La La Land.” The film kicked off the on-going Aspen Film Academy Screenings. It’s the story of Mia, an aspiring actress in Los Angeles, and Sebastian, a dedicated jazz musician, struggling to make ends meet while pursuing their dreams in a city known for destroying hopes and breaking hearts. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Rosemarie DeWitt. Stay tuned.

The Carbondale nonprofit Youth Entity has been named to the 2017 Elite 50, an annual selection of the top 50 secondary school hospitality programs in the nation, according to a press release. The Elite 50 list recognizes high schools as well as career and technical centers that have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in hospitality education.

Comment by Jan. 4 Jan. 4 is the deadline to comment on the RE-1 School District’s calendar changes for 2017-2018, according to press release. For details, go to rfsd.k12.co.us.

Roaring Fork pro completes program The PGA of America announced that Gregory Bryan of the Roaring Fork Club is one of 24 professionals achieve certification through the CPP 2.0 program, according to a press release.

The CPP 2.0 is a state-of-the-art platform that ensures that PGA members have the skills, competencies and training demanded by employers and customers throughout the golf industry.

The road to financial ruin The financial impact of a first-time DUI has increased to about $13,530, according to a press release from the Colorado Task Force on Drunk and Impaired Driving. The average cost is based on 22 different fees and expenses that a driver convicted of DUI would likely face. These range from fees associated with detox or jail, court costs, probation fees, license reinstatement and increases to auto insurance. More information is available at NoDUIColorado.org – a project of the Colorado Persistent Drunk Driver Committee, which is comprised of the Colorado Department of Human Services, State Judicial Branch, Department of Transportation and the Department of Revenue.

Talking about sage grouse The BLM is accepting comments about a federal effort to streamline sage-grouse habitat projects, according to a press

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release. “We are planning a number of projects to restore sagebrush habitat throughout northwestern Colorado in the coming years,” said BLM Northwest District Manager Andrew Archuleta. “Rather than do a number of separate, redundant environmental assessments, we can do one larger programmatic assessment that will streamline the approval for most projects.” Comments will be most helpful if received by Jan. 19. For details, go to http://bit.ly/2hS1WZC.

Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Colorado) wants your help on a project called “Cut the Code.” The project is an effort “to roll back ridiculous, outdated, or overly burdensome regulations that have impacted constituents in the Third Congressional District of Colorado,” Tipton said in a press release. “The current Code of Federal Regulations is over 75,000 pages long and filled with regulations that are stunting economic growth across our nation,” said Tipton. “My office wants to hear from people who have experienced the effects of a ridiculous or unnecessarily burdensome regulation. We’ll take a look at the appropriate statutes and history of the regulation, and we’ll determine if we can introduce legislation to cut it.” For details, go to tipton.house.gov or call 202-225-4761.

McBride internships offered

They say it’s your birthday

The McBride African Internship program is now taking applications for 2017. For the fifth year in a row, program leaders will take eight Roaring Fork Valley high school students to camp for two weeks at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (lewa.org) in northeastern Kenya. For details, go to mcbrideinternship.org or e-mail garland.aaron@gmail.com.

Folks celebrating their birthday this week include: Randy Schutt, Sue Edelstein, Nick Walgren and Mark Gray (Dec. 29); Beymar Silva (Dec. 30); Kris Cook (Dec. 31); Anne Grice (Jan. 1); Eric Rudd (Jan. 2); Lucas Pulver (Jan. 3) and Bob Albright, Paul Nieslanik, Skip Bell, Brad Palmer, Melinda Schultz and Rick Herrington (Jan. 4).

Fueled by a cast of dozens, SoL Theatre’s production of “Elf” brought in hundreds of theatre goers earlier in December. Photo by Lynn Burton

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Year in review continued om page 3 ground located northwest of the intersection of Main Street and Highway 133.

caught by police later that day following a manhunt that involved several law enforcement agencies.

Homeless group Freelance writer David Troxel wrote an article for The Sopris Sun about the recently founded group Carbondale Homeless Assistance. The article started, “On the eve of Thanksgiving of last year, local Realtor Lynn Kirchner and her husband were wide awake in the middle of the night, with the same thing on their minds. They were thinking about a chance encounter earlier that evening with a homeless woman, and as Kirchner recalls, ‘I recognized the woman and realized that I knew her. She had been a local landowner and successful part of the community, and here she was at the bus stop dragging around all of her belongings in the middle of a frigid night.’” Kirchner went to work, reaching out to her network and the community at large to organize a meeting to examine the issue. The result of early meetings resulted in the formation of the Carbondale Homeless Assistance initiative.

Standoff ends peacefully A five-hour standoff at 312 Sopris Ave. ended peacefully with the arrest of an 18year-old Carbondale man. The Carbondale Police Department called in the Garfield County All Hazards Response team and other local law enforcement agencies, after the young man barricaded himself in his mother’s apartment, and a neighbor called police and said he had a gun. Bridges High School was put on lockdown for the rest of the day, and streets in the vicinity were closed until negotiators convinced the man to surrender. The suspect was taken to Garfield County Jail and charged with Felony Menacing and First Degree Burglary/Deadly weapon. The suspect received minor injuries from being hit with a non-lethal bean bag rifle round; no other injuries were sustained by any other parties. It turned out the suspect’s weapon was a BB gun.

Stein announces he’ll sign Dr. Rob Stein, the Roaring Fork School District’s chief academic officer, said he would sign a contract to become the district’s next su-

APRIL Ben, Dan, Marty win seats In Carbondale’s April 5 municipal election, Ben Bohmfalk, Dan Richardson and Marty Silverstein were elected to the board of trustees with 898, 818 and 768 votes respectively. Incumbent Allyn Harvey lost his bid for re-election with 673 votes, followed by Michael Durant (363), Patricia Warman (281), Wayne Horak (176) and Doc Philip (128). Both ballot questions failed. Voters shot down an energy tax 1,022-637, and a mill levy increase for capital projects 959-692.

From left to right at the Pour House on election night: Marty Silverstein, Dan Richardson and Ben Bohmfalk after winning seats on the Carbondale Board of Trustees. Lurking in the background, former trustee Allyn Harvey, who finished fourth in a race for three seats. Later in the year, Richardson, Katrina Byars and Ed Cortez ran for mayor after Stacey Bernot resigned after moving out of town. Photo by John Colson perintendent in June. Stein’s announcement came several months after Dr. Diana Sirko announced she will step down as superintendent at the end of June. “I do not take this opportunity for granted, and hope that I am worthy of the challenge,” Stein said in a press release. “ … We owe a debt of gratitude to Diana Sirko, under whose leadership a sense of trust and stability was restored, a long-term strategic plan was established, and a commitment to the success of every child was renewed.”

There was no election for two seats on the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District slated for May 3, as incumbent Lou Eller and newcomer Tom Adgate were the only to people to submit nominating petitions by the Feb. 26 deadline. Adgate replaces Bob Emerson, who chose not to run. The district board is made up of five directors: Gene Schilling, Mike Kennedy, Lou Eller and Carl Smith. The fire district, which encompasses more than 300 square miles covered by five fire stations in a region defined by the Crystal and Roaring Fork river drainages, covers the towns of Marble, Redstone, Carbondale and unincorporated sections of Garfield County.

Carbondale Mayor Stacey Bernot has, for the past couple of years, taken a little time at some meetings of the Board of Trustees to inform the others on the board that she had recently been in Washington, D.C. No, it wasn't a move to make the trustees jealous of vacation time spent in the nation's capitol. Instead, the reports were meant to let the trustees, any reporters on hand at the meeting and the viewing public (the meetings are televised) that she had once again gone east to lobby against controversial plans to drill for natural gas in the Thompson Divide area. Bernot told The Sopris Sun that she has gone to Washington “I don't know, at least five times over the last two-and-a-half years,” on airline flights paid for by the Thompson Divide Coalition (TDC), which also has paid for her accommodations on those trips unless she was able to arrange to stay with some of her

Carbondale’s 20-cents per paper bag fee at City Market subsidized this year’s Waste Diversion Day, according to town officials.

The day is organized by the Carbondale Environmental Board each year. The town accepted many items to keep them from being taken to local landfills, and also accepted electronic items. The balance in the town’s paper bag account had been growing since voters approved the fee five years ago.

CCAH changes to CA The Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities (CCAH) changed its name to Carbondale Arts (CA). Amy Kimberly, the CA director, told The Sopris Sun, “It’s really just to simplify,” noting that the organizations Website has been carbondalearts.com “forever.”

MARCH Fire board election a no-go

Mayor logs trips to D.C.

Once again, the weather cooperated for Carbondale’s annual Fat Friday Mardi Gras parade on the first Friday of February.

Photo by Lynn Burton

husbands relatives in nearby Olney, Md., a town of some 38,000 people about 20 miles north of the capitol.

Bag fee subsidizes WDD

MAY Casteel named “oldest bull rider”

Greg Casteel made the Guinness World Records list as the world’s oldest professional bull rider. His ride took place in 2015, but it took much of 2016 to document the achievement to Guinness’ satisfaction. Photo by Jane Bacharach

Armed robber hits store Carbondale saw its second armed robbery in four months on March 29, when a man carrying a pistol walked into a store at 587 Highway 133 and robbed the owner at gunpoint of an undisclosed amount of money, according to the Carbondale Police Department. No one was injured in the incident, police reported. The heist was allegedly perpetrated by a “Hispanic male of unknown age,” who stood between 5-foot-4 and 5-foot6 with “a thin build and black hair,” according to a description from the business owner, contained in a statement issued by the police.

Police were asking that anyone with information about the incident contact the department 963-2662. Armed robbery has been a relatively rare occurrence in Carbondale's modern history, although one happened late last year, when two men robbed a pot shop at 10 a.m. on Dec. 7, 2015. Those two suspects, along with two alleged accomplices, were

Guinness World Records officially named Greg Casteel, then 54, “The World’s Oldest Professional Bull Rider,” after he spent almost a year documenting his record ride at the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo on Aug. 6, 2015. Casteel, who owns a barber shop in Aspen, said that so many e-mails went back and forth between him and Guinness that he lost count and had to hire a computer guy to help with the application process. Finally, the Arkansas native received the e-mail he’d been hoping for. It started “We are thrilled to inform you … “ and ended with “ … you are now the Guinness world record holder.” Casteel told The Sopris Sun, “Don’t let anyone tell you the (Guinness) process isn’t complicated. This was a long time coming.”

In describing the accomplishment and the category, the Guinness Website states: “The oldest professional bull rider still featuring in competition is Greg Casteel (USA, b. 5 August 1961) who was 54 years 1 day old when he took part in the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo in Carbondale, Colorado USA on 6 August 2015.” Casteel had to place in the money to be recognized as the World’s Oldest Professional Bull Rider. He scored a 78 on Aug. 6, on a bull named Ground Zero. “You have to win (money). It has to be a professional rodeo and a professional bull.” For the record, the bull was owned by Jerry Barusisls, a stock contractor out of Fruita, Colorado.

YEAR IN REVIEW page 8

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017 • 7

Year in review continued om page 7 Gov. recognizes Nevarez-Burgueño

CA hosts “creative summit”

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklorico Director Francisco Nevarez-Burgueño received a Governor’s Creative Leadership award for his work with the group. It was presented to him at the Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) Summit in Carbondale in early May. According to the CCI website, three such awards are presented each year to “community members that have demonstrated a significant commitment to Colorado’s creative landscape through civic leadership and volunteerism ... .” NevarezBurgueño teaches students as young as five years old traditional folklorico dances, many of which he learned as a child growing up in Chihuahua, Mexico. He graduated from college with a degree in chemical engineer, worked as one for three years in Mexico, then moved to New York City in 1991. After stepping aside from a career as a chemical engineer, Nevarez started a children’s folklorico company in 1996. In 2001, his company was nominated as one of the best folklórico companies in the U.S. and was selected to compete in the Chicago National Folklórico competition. In 2002, his dance company was invited to perform at New York City's Lincoln Center outdoor festival for members of the United Nations and the Mexican Embassy. At about the same time, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet offered him the job as director of its folklorico program. At the time, the program included 25 girls and one boy. Today, it has grown to about 185 kids from Rifle to Basalt (about 135 girls and 50 boys). He also directs ASFB’s folklorico program in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Carbondale Arts hosted the three-day Creative Industries Summit at the Orchard and elsewhere around town. The summit brought in “creative” from around the state, where they discussed and learned about making their communities more vibrant through the arts. Attractions such as The Tiny Village set up at Fourth Street Plaza, where the Tiny Cinema showed silent movies with a live musician providing music in the four-seat theater. The Tiny House recording studio for singers and storytellers helped them to make vinyl postcard records. The Tiny Art Gallery featured tiny-scaled art pieces in glass, iron, paper, wool and wood.

MDC gives bees a boost Honey bees are dying the world over, prompting alarming cautionary articles about the possible destruction of the food chain and incipient devastation to human populations that depend on bees in ways most people don't recognize. But here in Carbondale, one local business is doing something to work against what is known as the global honeybee colony collapse disorder (HCCD) by putting two hives on the rooftop of the Marble Distilling Company Luxury Inn & Lounge [or MDC for short], a small distiller of vodka and other spirits that opened up last year. “We're doing it partly to keep everything in balance and keep the flowers blooming,” said Carey Shanks, part owner of the distillery at 150 Main St., adding, “we're trying to add some pollination to the local flora and fauna.” But the business also hopes to use some of the honey produced by the bees to make a new, honey-flavored vodka drink, said Shanks' wife and MDC co-owner, Connie Baker.

Library receives legacy gift

Francisco Nevarez-Burgeno teaches kids as young as five years old traditional folklorico dances. This year, he received one of three Governor’s Creative Leadership awards for his work with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Stacey Bernot steps down Mayor Stacey Bernot announced she was stepping down as Carbondale’s mayor, after she and her family decided to move outside the town limits near Redstone.

Bernot, then 38, and a fifth generation Carbondalian, was first elected to the Carbondale Board of Trustees, then as mayor, serving six years in that position.

The Carbondale Branch Library announced it had received a legacy gift from philanthropists Jim Calaway. “Jim Calaway has always been generous to the library, from sponsoring our well-loved community room, to arranging for the wonderful Surls sculpture,” said Mollie Roache, then branch manager in Carbondale. “We are so grateful to have him in our community.”

Calaway said, “The library is such an important part of our community, and I want to help it.” In making his donation, Calaway encouraged other community members to join him in giving to Garfield County libraries. On a related note, Calaway was awarded the Garfield County Humanitarian Service Awards “Visionary Award” in April for his many contributions to the community.

Carbondale Arts plans to put its Rosybelle mobile maker space bus on the road later this year to bring art instruction to kids up and down the Roaring Fork Valley. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Aspen Glenner challenges Tipton Aspen Glen resident Alex Beinstein, then 27, challenged Republican Scott Tipton in his party’s primary. Beinstein lost.

E-Board walks back on survey The Carbondale Environmental Board changed directions a bit on its energy-related survey, after The Sopris Sun pointed out the survey appeared deficient in at least one area.

The biggest problem with the online survey was Question #7, which asked “How should sustainability programs and expanded services (such as a circulator bus) be funded?

Choose your top three.” The nine options included a dedicated tax, bond with voter approval, town general fund and gasoline tax.”

The online survey did not include a “None of the above” response for people who didn’t want any money to be spent on sustainability programs or expanded services, or at least not the nine listed on the survey. Plus, respondents had to answer Question #7 or the Survey Monkey would not accept it. E-Board consultant Lucy Kessler of CORE, who helped write the survey, told The Sopris Sun she would go back into the survey and add a “None of the above” option. She said the E-

board’s thinking was that questions #5 and #6 asked if residents “would be in favor of a car-share program” and whether the town should partner with RFTA to expand the intown shuttle/circulator bus route. “If people support (programs), how should they be funded? That was the idea,” Kessler said. The E-Board decided to draft a survey to gauge the public’s thoughts on sustainability and related issues earlier in the year. E-Board chair Julie Farwell told the Sun that Kessler, Erica Sparhawk (of CLEER) and board member Patrick Hunter were most involved in drafting the survey, which the E-Board approved, although it did not vote on it. “It wasn't officially voted on but we did ask board members for their input on it in a shared Google doc and the finalized version was made available for them to comment on, but nobody really did,” said Farwell in an e-mail to the Sun. In a follow up e-mail, she said the board did have input on the survey questions but that nobody wanted to change anything from the final version. The E-Board also sent out the survey with the town’s July water bills. Farwell said the E-Board is updating the town’s energy plan, which was written and approved by the town trustees in 2006. That process led YEAR IN REVIEW page 9

JUNE RTR rolls through town The Denver Post’s Ride the Rockies bicycle tour rolled into town on June 11, and rolled out the next day. The tour, with 2,500 riders, started in Carbondale then headed to Aspen, Copper Mountain, Grand Lake, Estes Park and Fort Collins. “In 2015 our cyclists hailed from all 50 states and 11 countries,” said Chandler Smith, tour director. “We’re truly an international event with deep roots in Colorado’s communities.”

8 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017

Environmental Board member Julie Farwell (left) talks trash during this year’s waste collection day across the street from Carbondale Town Hall. Among other accomplishments, the effort collected tons of electronic waste for recycling. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Year in review continued om page 8 to the questionnaire. Survey respondents did not have to live in the Carbondale town limits to take the survey, although the survey said it’s for town residents.

A.J. Hobbs steps down A.J. Hobbs announced he was stepping down from his seat on the Carbondale Board of Trustees in September after serving about half of his four-year term. He told The Sopris Sun he wanted to attend courses at the Crestone Healing Arts School in the San Luis Valley area. Hobbs, 30, was elected in 2014, the same year as trustee, Katrina Byars.

JULY P&Z OK’s rental housing Carbondale’s Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval for a project on Cooper Place that includes four rental properties. The new structures are to be a triplex and a duplex on two parcels of land, for a total of 10 dwelling units, and was hailed as a vital addition to the town’s limited stock of rentals for local workers.

Ranching and ag still vital If any proof was needed that Carbondale boasts a wide range of farming and ranching practitioners, The Sopris Sun proďŹ led two segments of the local ranching culture in 2016 — young members of the Mt. Sopris and Black Sheep 4-H clubs headed for the annual GarďŹ eld County Fair expositions, competitions and sales, and the long-time Nieslanik ranch family’s latest venture into marketing their locally grown beef to local consumers.

The 4-H students, getting in on the ground oor of learning about the agricultural business and numbering more than two dozen total in the two clubs, were preparing various projects and livestock for entry in the Fair (held in August every year).

The Nieslanik family represents the production end of the ranch-business spectrum through several generations. The family’s younger members were putting together a new marketing effort to alert local consumers to the chance to by locally grown, organically fed and processed beef products either directly through the family’s website (nieslanikbeef.com) or at local stores such as the Dandelion Market on Main Street in Carbondale (formerly known as the Carbondale Community Food Co-op).

More room for the dead Despite denials from town ofďŹ cials a year earlier, Carbondale ofďŹ cials agreed to a land swap with the Nieslanik family, trading a small parcel of publicly owned land in town for additional room at the western end of the town-owned Hillcrest Cemetery, which sits on land that was handed over by the Nieslaniks decades ago. The expansion of the cemetery had been in negotiation for a year, as the old cemetery essentially was ďŹ lled up and had no more room for burials.

A birthday proclamation Local philanthropist Jim Calaway, whose donations have helped innumerable organizations and causes in Carbondale and elsewhere in the Roaring Fork Valley, celebrated his 85th birthday in style with a proclamation read by town Trustee Frosty Merriott at the First Friday celebration in the middle of town.

Hunt Ranch sells Neighboring landowners and ranchers in a section of the Missouri Heights area north of Carbondale, were relieved to learn that the new owner of the 562-acre Hunt Ranch had no plans to build a large subdivision on the property. Rather, according to neighbors who had heard from new owner David Carswell, he planned to build a large equestrian facil-

The Hunt Ranch on Missouri Heights (near the old school house) saw lots of protests when developers announced plans to subdivide the 562-acre property several years ago.

Most Missouri Heights residents were relieved to learn the property’s new owners only plan is to build an equestrian center there. Photo by Lynn Burton ity on the property but otherwise leave things largely as they have been.

Millennials poised and ready In an opinion piece on July 21, Sopris Sun summer intern (and Roaring Fork High School graduate) Emily Mata averred that her generation, known as the Millennials, have more going for them than an “uncanny ability to take attering pictures of ourselves with a cell phone,â€? and are more than ready to step up and take their place in history.

YEAR IN REVIEW page 12

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THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weekly community connector â&#x20AC;˘ DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ 9

Community Calendar THURSDAY Dec. 29 LIVE MUSIC • Carbondale Beer Works serves up a jazz group from 6 to 8 p.m. every second and fourth Thursday of the month.

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

FRIDAY Dec. 30 MOVIES • The Crystal Theatre presents “Manchester by the Sea” (R) at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 30-Jan. 5 except Jan. 1 showtime is 5:30 p.m.; “Moonlight” (PG-13) at 5 p.m.

Dec. 30 and “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week” (PG-13) at 4:45 p.m. on Dec. 31.

LIVE MUSIC • Steve’s Guitars in the old part of the Dinkel Building presents music every Friday night. Info: 963-3340.

BROOMBALL • The deadline for signing up for Carbondale’s broomball league is today at 5 p.m. The league plays on Wednesday and Friday nights in January.

Sign up at jthraen@carbondaleco.net or go to carbondalegov.org.

SATURDAY Dec. 31 DANCING • The Tuesday night swing dancers shift to New Year’s Eve at the Third Street Center starting at 7:30 p.m. Dances include two-step, East and West Coast swing and more. Partners are not necessary. Admission is $10. Info: 948-3006 or 366-6463.

LIVE MUSIC • Marble Distilling Co. at the east end of Main Street rings in the New Year with DJ Benny, a balloon drop and a complimentary toast at midnight.

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.

Admission is $20 per person. There are also a limited number of reserved tables in the Barrel Room. The action goes from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Info: 963-7008 or scoop@marbledistiling.com.

LIVE MUSIC • The Wheeler Opera House presents the Doo Wop Project at 9:30 p.m. (doors open a 7:45 p.m. with an open bar and appetizers). After the show, folks can dance the night away with DJ Ryan Evan Golbus. Tickets are $125 each at 920-5770.

BIRD COUNT • The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies takes part in the Audubon Society Christmas Bird County from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Info: aspennature.org.

MONDAY Jan. 2 PLANT-BASED NUTRITION • Every Monday morning at the Third Street Center, Greg Feinsinger, M.D., gives free consultations about heart attack prevention, stroke/diabetes prevention, plant-based nutrition or other medical concerns. Dr. Feinsinger is a retired family physician. For an appointment, call 3795718.

NUTRITION POWERPOINT • Greg Feinsinger, M.D., founder of The Center for Prevention and Treatment of Disease through Nutrition, gives a free PowerPoint presentation at the Third Street Center on

the first Monday of every month. The presentation starts at 7 p.m.

TUESDAY Jan. 3 GIFTING CIRCLE • The Adi Shakti Ashrym (36 Prince Creek Rd.) hosts a gifting circle at 6 p.m. on the first and third Monday of the month.

Share your excess and receive what you need. Info: Paramroop Khalsa at 618-3275.

CUPCAKE WARS • Teens and kids are invited to the Carbondale Branch Library at 2 p.m. for cupcake wars. We’re talking friendly competition, fun in the kitchen and delicious cupcakes. Admission is free but registration is required at gcpld.org.

LIONS MEET • The Carbondale Lions Club meets the first Tuesday of the month at the Gathering Center (the Orchard on Snowmass Road) starting at 6:30 p.m. Info: Chuck Logan at 963-7002 or Chris Chacos at 379-9096.

WEDNESDAY Jan. 4 NATURALIST NIGHTS • The Carbondale part of ACES’ Naturalist Nights winter speaker series kicks off with “Mimicking Nature: Engineering for the Environment,” presented by April Long, at the Third Street Center starting at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. On Jan. 11, its “Beyond Mastodons and Mammoths: The Latest Scientific Understanding from the Snowmass Ice Age Discovery” with

Stephanie Lukowski; on Jan. 18 it’s “Welcome to Subirdia with John Marzluff, Ph.D. from the University of Washington; and on Jan. 25 “Warmer but to What End” with Jeff Luckas of Western Water Assessment. The series continues on Feb. 1 with “The Second Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas Project” with Lynn Wickersham of Fort Lewis College. Wilderness Workshop and Roaring Fork Audubon Society co-present the series. Bonfire Coffee is a co-sponsor. Info: wildernessworkshop.org.

CHI NEI TSANG • Ellie Davis gives an introduction to Chi Nei Tsang (internal organs energy transformation) at the Third Street Center at 7 p.m. Chi Nei Tsang (pronounced chee-nayt-sahng) is a Five Elements-based modality that awakens peoples’ bodies, minds and souls to the richness of life by using their hands to directly access, detoxify and transform their internal organs. Davis is a massage therapist and certified chi nei tsang provider.

The suggested donation is $20. Info: 917257-6302 or ellie@bloomingbeing.com.

YOGA • Himalayan Yogini Devika Gurung teaches yoga at the Launchpad every Wednesday from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC • Dan Rosenthal hosts an open mic night at Rivers restaurant in Glenwood Springs every Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m.

ROTARY • The Carbondale Rotary Club meets at the Carbondale Fire Station at 6:45 a.m.

CALENDAR page 11

NEW YEAR’S SPECIAL

Jim Mallouk Photo

In December 2016, Challenge Aspen volunteers generously gave more than 410 hours of their time to skiing and snowboarding with participants, and an additional 55 hours volunteering in our office.

Thank you for making possibilities this holiday season! www.challengeaspen.org THIS COMMUNITY AD SPACE DONATED BY COOL BRICK STUDIOS.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES

The Town of Carbondale is soliciting proposals and statements of qualifications from qualified civil engineering firms to provide municipal engineering services. The Town is interested in receiving proposals from local engineering firms. Local engineering firms are interpreted to be firms located between Aspen and Rifle, Colorado.

A complete Proposal packet can be obtained at Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado 81623, or downloaded from the town website at www.carbondalegov.org.

Proposals must be received on or before 2:00 p.m., Friday, January 6, 2017.

Inquiries can be directed to Kevin Schorzman, Public Works Director, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado 81623. Phone 970-510-1217, email kschorzman@carbondaleco.net.

10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017

MONTHLY UNLIMITED $30 FOR NEW STUDENTS TO TNHA Offer good to Colorado residents who have never taken a class at True Nature. Must be purchased by 1/31/17

v

truenaturehealingarts.com 100 N 3RD S T • C ARBONDALE 970.963 .9 900

Community Calendar

continued from page 10

Further Out

Ongoing

FRIDAY Jan. 6

SUNDAY Jan. 8

CLAY EXHIBITION • The Carbondale Clay Center to presents “Food, Drink, Flower,” featuring new works by artists Fumiko Nagai and Frank McGuirk. The reception takes place from 6-8 p.m. on First Friday. The show will remain on display throughout the month. A special piece by world-renowned potter Nakashi Nakazato will be auctioned off, with proceeds to benefit the Carbondale Clay Center. Info: carbondaleclay.org, or 963-2529.

VISION BOARDING • Kelly Field holds a vision boarding workshop from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Third Street Center. The suggested donation is $40. Space is limited. Info: aspiritualcenter.org@gmail.com.

HOOPS • The Roaring Fork girls’ and boys’ basketball teams travel to Delta for games at 6 and 7:30 p.m. respectively.

SUNDAY Jan. 8 MODEL AUDITIONS • The Launchpad hosts “Green is the New Black” fashion show auditions from 5 to 7 p.m. All models must be over 18. Rehearsals will begin on Jan. 25, and the actual show will take place March 10-11.

This year’s theme is “She,” although participants are not required to be female. Info: amy@carbondalearts.com, or 963-9680.

SATURDAY Jan. 7 FILM • A Spiritual Center in the Third Street Center presents “Sacred Science” at 6 p.m. The film looks at eight Americans with illnesses such as diabetes, depression, cancer, Parkinson’s and alcoholism as they live in the Amazon for one month, working with a Peruvian medicine man. Info: 963-5516. Admission: a love offering.

TUESDAY Jan. 10 HOOPS • The Roaring Fork High School girl’s and boy’s basketball teams travel to Basalt for games at 5:30 and 7 p.m. respectively.

TUESDAY Jan. 17 HONOR CHOIR CONCERT • Harris Concert Hall in Aspen hosts the fourth annual AllValley Honor Choir at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. The choir is conducted by Robert Isaacs, director of the Cornell University Glee Club.

Isaacs has conducted Cornell choirs in performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the U.S. Supreme Court, led them on tour in nearly 50 cities across the United States, Mexico and Guatemala, and prepared them for eight world premieres. Prior to his arrival at Cornell, Robert ran choral programs at Princeton University and the Manhattan School of Music, and served as interim director of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. High school choir students from Aspen to Rifle are invited to participate in the ensemble, and the students will rehearse during the day on stage in Harris Concert Hall, along with professional musicians hired as section leaders and select members of the Cornell Glee Club. The day will commence in a free concert Tuesday evening in Harris Concert Hall at 7:30 pm.

FILM • Aspen Film’s 25th annual Academy Screenings takes place at the Wheeler Opera House through Jan. 21. More than 20 films will be featured, including “Fences,” “The Founder,” “Jackie,” “Hidden Figures,” “La La Land,” “Lion,” “Loving,” “Manchester by the Sea,” “Moonlight” and more. Info: aspenshowtix.com or 920-5770.

KOROLOGOS GALLERY • The Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt continues “Collectors Holiday” through Jan. 10. The show features Paula Schuette Kraemer, Leon Loughridge, Joel Ostlin and Sherri York. Info: Korologosgallery.com.

ABA • The Art Base Annex in Basalt (174 Midland Ave.) continues the Isa Catto show “Taking Inventory: New Works.”

DECK THE WALLS • Carbondale Arts’ Deck the Walls continues at the Launchpad from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 30. Info: CarbondaleArts.com.

POTLUCK • Heart Healthy Meals hosts a plant-based whole food potluck at the Third Street Center on the fourth Monday of the Month. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Info: Ardis@HeartHealthyMeals.us.

C’DALE TRUSTEES • The Carbondale Board of Trustees holds regular meetings the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at town hall starting at 6 p.m. The trustees usually hold work session at 6 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday. Info: 963-2733 or carbondalegov.org.

EMPATHS MEET • The “RFV Empaths

Unite” support group meets at the Third Street Center (Room #31) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Donations are accepted. Info: Kelli Welsh at 417-893-8578.

GRIEF AND LOSS • Pathfinders offers a grief and loss support group every other Monday at 6 p.m., and a caregiver support group every other Wednesday noon. An RSVP is required to Robyn Hubbard at 319-6854.

Pathfinders offers support groups from Aspen to Rifle and is located in Carbondale at 1101 Village Rd. Info: pathfindersforcancer.org.

LUTHERANS MEET • Faith Lutheran Church on Highway 133 holds worship services at 9 a.m. (traditional service), educational hour (10 a.m.), and living praise worship (11:30 a.m.). Info. Faithcarbondale.com and 925-7725.

IMMUNIZATION CLINICS • Garfield County offers immunization clinics at the Carbondale Family Resource Center (in the Bridges Center at 400 Sopris Ave.) the second and fourth Thursday of the month (Oct. 27 this month). To schedule an appointment, call 945-6614, ext. 2030.

MEET THE MAYOR • Carbondale Mayor Dan Richardson holds his weekly “Office Hours” session at the Village Smithy from 7 to 8 a.m. on Tuesdays. Drop by and say hi.

COMMUNITY MEAL • Faith Lutheran Church (south of Main Street on Highway 133) hosts a free community meal from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month.

Info: 510-5046 or faithcarbondale.com.

New work by

Join the fun! Get Creative! Get involved! Get Dirty!!!

Winter Session I Adult Classes Tuesday Mornings: 1/10 - 2/28 Intermediate 8 weeks 9:30-Noon $275 + Clay Instructor: Giana Grossman Tuesday Evenings: 1/10 - 2/28 Beginner to Intermediate 8 weeks 6:30-9:00pm $275 + Clay Instructor: Frank McGuirk Wednesday Mornings: 1/11 - 3/1 Intermediate to Advanced 8 weeks 9:30-noon $275 + Clay Instructor: Matthews Eames Thursday Evenings 1/26 - 3/16 Intro to Sculpture 8 weeks 6:00-9:00pm $275 + Clay Instructor: David Goin

WINTER SESSIONS I & II KIDS CLASSES Kids Wheel Throwing 9+ Session I - Tuesdays 1/17 - 2/14 4:00-5:30pm $100 (includes materials & fees)

Session II - Tuesdays 2/28 - 3/28 4:00-5:30pm $100 (includes materials & fees)

Kids Hand Building 5+ Session I - Wednesdays 1/18 - 2/15 4:00-5:30pm $100 (includes materials & fees)

Session II - Wednesdays 3/1 - 3/29 4:00-5:30pm

New work by

Fumiko and Frank

$100 (includes materials & fees)

Presented by

rbondale Clay C The Caanuary 6th - 30th enter J Opening Reception

All experience levels welcome.

Adults are granted 24-hour studio access for the duration of the class. Cost includes Glaze materials and firing fees. Clay is purchased separately.

Students completing an 8 week course, are eligible for studio shelf rental.

FIRST FRIDAY JANUARY 6TH 6-8 PM FRANK MCGUIRK

FUMIKO NAGAI

Register for Classes at carbondaleclay.org THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017 • 11

Year in review continued om page 9 “I am hopeful that my generation will continue to expand the conversation in inclusivity — that instead of apathy, we will feel empathy and urgency regarding the struggles our world faces (and) we will continue to demand what is right, for as long as we do not accept injustice, there is potential to grow and flourish. Our generation will be the ones who turn that potential into action.”

Among numerous accolades, the season after the theater opened in downtown Carbondale, it was a finalist for the El Pomar Foundation’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities. In 2012, it won the Colorado Theatre Guild’s Henry Award for Outstanding Regional Theater.”

California doctor proposes project

After an absence of about a year, the informal group known as the Carbondale Ladies of the Roundabout (CLOTR) showed up again in late July, sitting in chairs around a segment of the roundabout in the late afternoon and waving to motorists as they negotiated the circle. According to one of the participants, the 25 or so women showed up in response to alerts on social media and stayed for nearly a half an hour in service of their effort to remind locals “how to be spontaneous and create pockets of joy.”

The owner of the Sopris Shopping Center on Highway 133 — endocrinologist Ron Stein — proposed a mixed-use development on vacant land along the highway, between Colorado Avenue and Main Street. The plan calls for building a mixture of commercial facing on the highway, and residential buildings on the inner portion of the property closer to the center of town. In addition, according to town officials, the plans call for creation of a “pocket park” at the southwest corner of the parcel, adjacent to the Main Street roundabout.

Monks saddle up Several Tibetan monks associated with the Drepung Loseling Monastery in southern India came down from Aspen to check out the action at the Aspen Valley Polo Club, located just south of Catherine Store on Catherine Store Road to the east of Carbondale.

The monks’ host, Lexie Potamkin, told The Sopris Sun that many polo players meditate daily to focus their minds on the game, creating a link between the monks and the players.

CLOTR revived

The “Red House” at the corner of 7th and Euclid, across from Sopris Park, dates back to the 1880s. It’s first iteration was a small log cabin, then the Ferguson family built on from there. New owners Eric Doud and Jan Schubert decided to restore the historic structure, rather than tear it down. Photo by Lynn Burton

A dedicated Fair

Winston steps down at 70

The 45th Carbondale Mountain Fair in late July was dedicated to the memory of the late Ruchille “Ro” Meade, who died late in 2015 after a protracted struggle with pancreatic cancer. Meade had for years been director of the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities (now renamed Carbondale Arts), for which the Mountain Fair has been the main fundraising event every year since the 1970s.

Lon Winston co-founder of the Thunder River Theater Company and the catalyst behind construction of the theater’s building in the middle of Carbondale in 2005 stepped down after 21 years on the job. Winston’s legacy is a locally-oriented stage production company that has put on a variety of plays over the years, some of them serious, some comedic, some classics and some nouveau.

Red House gets make over Two Carbondale natives, Eric Doud and Jan Schubert, won permission from the town’s planning and zoning commission to rehabilitate a structure known as the Red House, at the corner of 7th Street and Euclid Avenue, originally home of the Ferguson local pioneer ranching family back in the 1880s.

Doud, the architect for the project, said it is likely the work will take a year or more, and will include pulling down some additions to the original structure, in order to fully renoYEAR IN REVIEW page 14

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Help you Help yourself, rself, help you yourr to town, wn, help you yourr neig neighbor hbor

Y U B CAL LO

Photo by Lynn Burton

“Ring in the New Year with a new best friend.

I’m Lil’ Bit, a pint-sized one-year-old girl with gallons of love.”

Illène Pevec @

*Y You help yourself by insuring Carbondale businesses stay in business so you don’t have to shop out of town; you help the town of Carbondale by keeping your sales tax dollars

right here; and you help your neighbor because most of Carbondale’s store and businesses are locally owned.

12 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017

I support The Sopris Sun. Carbondale’s nonprofit newspaper

Won’t

you join me?

www.soprissun.com or P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623

Lynn’s pics 2016 Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley offer up some prime shooting opportunities for photographers, especially in the summer. Clockwise from upper left: an unpublicized fly-in at the Marble International Airstrip was open to the general public; backstage with a pensive bartender at Mountain Fair; more backstage action at Mountain Fair; warming up at a Carbondale Wild West Rodeo performance; Fat Friday in February.

Photos by Lynn Burton

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017 • 13

Year in review continued om page 12 vate the original log-home first floor and frame-built second story.

Nuche Park avoids cowboy treatment The town-owned Nuche Park, located on Highway 133 at the south end of Carbondale, was for a time the subject of plans by local ranchers Tom and Roz Turnbull to pay for some modest improvements at the site, including a plaque to commemorate the local ranching and cowboy culture of the late 1800s and early 1900s. But some locals objected, noting that the park had been named for, and dedicated to the Ute Indian tribe that once called the Roaring Fork Valley its summer home (the word, Nuche — pronounced “nootch” — is the name the Utes use for themselves). After months of discussion, the ranchers opted to donate money to build a picnic shelter at the Gus Darien Riding Arena along Catherine Store Road (Garfield County Road 100) east of town.

Word has it that the Turnbulls were happy to go along.

energy programs around the region. According to GCE, the communities of Garfield County already were “well ahead of the curve” in the energy conservation field, even before the Xcel programs got started.

More lights on the streets?

The town’s trustees, continuing a discussion that started weeks earlier, talked about interest among local residents to add lights to the streets of Carbondale, especially in the wake of two assaults against women walking alone on the streets in recent weeks. The talk at the Board of Trustees meeting on Aug. 9 wandered between concerns for the safety

A Garco political horse race

AJ Hobbs steps down

A New Castle man launched a campaign to unseat 20-year incumbent Garfield County Commissioner John Martin, accusing Martin of making poor business decisions on behalf of the county’s electorate in two land deals in downtown Glenwood Springs. John Acha, a Democrat who has lived in New Castle since 1999, later also accused Martin of “double dipping” on expense-account vouchers for trips around the country on county business.

Ultimately, though, the county voters concluded that Martin did not do anything to warrant being toppled from his long-standing position as leader of the Garfield County

Trustee A.J. Hobbs, elected in 2014 and considered a leading voice of environmentalism and youth culture on the Carbondale Board of Trustees, attended his final meeting on Aug. 23 before departing to pursue personal interests in other parts of Colorado and the U.S. One of his last acts in office was to try to convince his fellow trustees to expand the town’s four-year-old “bag ban,” which banned the distribution of free disposable plastic shopping bags by the local City Market grocery store, but the board declined to go along, though trustees expressed interest in a more complete discussion of Hobbs’ proposal at a later date. Hobbs was replaced on the board by Heather Henry, who was appointed by the board of trustees.

Missive from Geezerville Pat Noel, a co-founder of the defunct Valley Journal (Carbondale’s newspaper for several decades) who now divides his time between Carbondale and Collbran (pronounced “Coleburn”) submitted a humorous anecdote concerning a domestic dispute between two Hungarian immigrants, with the then-owner of the Black Nugget Saloon wielding a sawed-off Louisville Slugger bat, and bar patrons trying to prevent the barkeeper from murdering the Hungarians in order to protect his beloved Wurlitzer juke box from being damaged during the domestic battle. No one was injured (though the barkeep debunked to other climes and sold the bar over the incident), and a legend was born.

AUGUST Thompson Divide Local environmentalists and activists interested in keeping drilling rigs out of the contested Thompson Divide area cheered when the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced in early August that it wanted to cancel 25 controversial natural-gas leases in the remote region southwest of Carbondale.

Activists who had been working for nearly a decade to get the leases canceled, however, noted that the formal Record of Decision would not be issued for weeks, and that until the ROD is issued there could be no certainty that the cancelation would stick. The ROD was eventually issued in October, and the move to cancel the 25 leases was formally codified, though energy companies indicated they would be challenging the ROD, probably in court.

Fire causes evacuation A brush fire on Sewell Mesa south of Carbondale, sparked when blowing debris got tangled up with a power line at the back of the Mesa, caused the evacuation of some 40 people in the immediate area, including some campers at the KOA campground along the Crystal River. It took about a day for local firefighters, with help from neighboring fire districts, to put the blaze out and make sure it would not reignite. Deputy Carbondale Fire Chief Rob Goodwin told The Sopris Sun that it was due to the quick action by the region’s fire fighters that the blaze did not expand and turn into a major wild lands conflagration.

New energy efficiency effort Local energy-efficiency advocates were hopeful about the news that Xcel Energy, with it’s Partners in Energy program, was embarking on a two-year effort to increase energy efficiency in homes, businesses and government buildings throughout Garfield County, according to a statement from the Garfield Clean Energy (GCE) organization.

The utility picked GCE as a partner in 2016, meaning the company would work with GCE and “local stakeholders” to boost participation in energy-efficiency and renewable-

One Table attracts 1,000

Mountain Fair Green Team members get down. It’s hard to load recyclables and trash into Dumpsters for long stretches at Sopris Park and not get a bit goofy. Somehow, these Green Team members had enough energy after this shot to get back to their normal duties. Photo

by Jane Bachrach of residents out along at night, to fears that adding a lot of light to the town’s streets would run counter to Carbondale’s declared desire to avoid the kind of light pollution that dims the stars above many U.S. towns. No decisions were made by the trustees that night, however, prompting a group of critics, mostly women, to show up at the next meeting and heavily criticize the trustees for seeming to not care about safety.

The matter ultimately was the subject of further deliberations on the need for more lights on the town’s dark streets, a discussion that continued through the end of 2016.

Farmer’s market moves A Wednesday evening farmer’s market, changed locations after the initial site proved to be commercially unviable. The evening market started out in a parking lot behind Town Hall, close to the Rio Grande bicycle and pedestrian trail, but vendors felt they were not getting the kind of business that would make the market a success. So the market, which is open from 4-8 p.m. on Wednesdays, relocated to the 4th Street Plaza and Park — the same site that the daytime market has occupied for years. The daytime market shuts down at about 3 p.m.

14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017

Board of County Commissioners, and in November he easily won re-election.

TNHA breaks kiva ground True Nature Healing Arts facility (TNHA) announced a project to complete its planned development of its space, with the groundbreaking ceremony of a kiva and spa that was highlighted on a photo page by Jane Bachrach. Once the kiva and spa are completed, in 2018, according to a statement from TNHA, it will host workshops, yogateacher training, ceremonies, artistic and musical events, and generally “create spaces for personal growth and transformation.”

Another fine Fair The annual Carbondale Mountain Fair reportedly drew around 18,000 people this year, and generated as much as $100,000 for the fair’s sponsoring organization, Carbondale Arts (CA), according to statements by CA Director Amy Kimberly. Kimberly said the gross receipts from the fair, slightly more than $238,000, were about the same as the 2015 version. “To all intents and purposes, it’s up maybe a couple hundred dollars and a thousand people,” she said, comparing the 2016 figures to those of a year earlier.

Roughly 1,000 people turned out for the second annual Our Town/One Table celebration, dining at 98 tables set up in the middle of downtown. The annual get-together has become a way for locals to gather for an afternoon of food and companionship without the distractions that crop up at other local civic celebrations, where smiles and warm feelings are the currency of the day.

SEPTEMBER Woman assaulted on Highway 133 A 30-year-old Carbondale woman, in a move aimed at focusing attention on the need for more lights on the town’s dark streets, went public with a tale of being sexually assaulted on a local bike path in late July. The Carbondale native managed to fight off her attacker, who never was apprehended, but the incident added to a feeling that Carbondale’s streets are not as safe at night as some might expect.

Mayor’s race attracts three Following the unexpected resignation of former Mayor Stacey Bernot in the spring, three candidates — newly elected Trustee Dan Richardson, first-term Trustee Katrina Byars, and former trustee Ed Cortez — stepped up in a three-way race to elect a new mayor.

Following a relatively low-key campaign, voters picked Richardson (who had been the acting mayor for months) to take the job on a more permanent footing.

Rodeo grounds improved As the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo grow in local fame and attendance numbers, the town decided it was time to build a roof over YEAR IN REVIEW page 15

Year in review continued î&#x2C6;&#x2021;om page 14 the bleachers to protect the audience from sun, rain and other bad weather, and to rebuild the aging announcerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s booth sitting at one end of the Gus Darien Riding Arena where the rodeos are held.

The work is expected to be ďŹ nished before the 2017 rodeo season commences next June.

Marble Museum re-opens Situated in the historic Marble School building, the Marble Museum reopened to the public, with a new face at the helm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; docent Alex Menard. The museum is operated by the Marble Historical Society, which was founded in 1975 at the behest of former Mayor Lloyd Blue, according to a historical summary published in The Sopris Sun, and the museum itself ďŹ rst opened its doors in 1978, boasting a wide variety of locally donated artifacts and information about the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history.

Marble bails on Wild & Scenic The Marble Town Council ofďŹ cially went on record in opposition to an effort to gain Wild & Scenic designation to a 39-mile stretch of the Crystal River. The townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opposition was viewed by critics of the designation as the ďŹ nal nail in the cofďŹ n of the Wild & Scenic effort, in the belief that Gunnison County (which includes Marble) would not go against the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wishes since the river ďŹ&#x201A;ows through Marbleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boundaries. But organizers said the effort would continue unless it became apparent that it was a lost cause.

Wally deBeque turns 95 The former owner of the Dinkel Building on Main Street in Carbondale celebrated his 95th birthday, partially anyway, with a discussion of some historical tales (tall and otherwise) with friends and family at deBequeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house at the Ranch at Roaring Fork. DeBeque is the grandson of the man who gave his name to the Dinkel Building, William Dinkel, and is considered a patriarch of modern Carbondale.

Sheepdogs return The 2016 National Sheepdog Finals took place over three days at the Strang Ranch in the Missouri Heights area north of Carbondale. According to information provided by organizers, a total of 861 sheep were shipped to the ranch, so that dozens of working sheepdogs and their handlers could show their stuff to an admiring group of attendees.

By all accounts the event went very well, and will likely be repeated in future years.

Students score well When results of state-wide college readiness tests came out this month, students at Carbondaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three traditional public schools (Crystal River Elementary, Carbondale Middle and Roaring Fork High School) showed scores that indicated â&#x20AC;&#x153;exceptional growthâ&#x20AC;? in their understanding of the subject material tested, according to a story about the tests published in The Sopris Sun. But in terms of

Strang Ranch on Missouri Heights trucked in 861 sheep for the 2016 National Sheepdog Finals in September. The ďŹ nals attracted some of the top sheepdogs and handlers in the United States. Strang Ranch has now hosted the ďŹ nals three times. Photo by Jane Bachrach overall scholastic performance in the tests, according to statements from Roaring Fork School District Superintendent Rob Stein, the results showed that the district â&#x20AC;&#x153;has work to do to reach higher levels of overall performance.â&#x20AC;? Still, Stein said, the test results indicating the â&#x20AC;&#x153;exceptional growthâ&#x20AC;? among the local student bodies should be taken as a sign that the schools are achieving results that kids and parents can be proud of.

CVEPA turns 44

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With 44 years of ďŹ ghting environmental battles under its belt, the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA) continues to ďŹ ght â&#x20AC;&#x153;to protect the unique environment of the Crystal River Valley,â&#x20AC;? according to a story in the Sun. Starting with opposition to plans to build a ski area outside Marble, and continuing through a recent agreement to abandon water rights key to plans for two dams on the Crystal River that would have ďŹ&#x201A;ooded the village of Redstone and other parts of the valley, CVEPA can claim numerous victories in its battle to keep the Crystal Valley as close to pristine as possible.

Goats on the Rio Grande The Sun commemorated a recent move by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) to use goats to control weeds on the Rio Grande Trail between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, by publishing photos of a herd of the horned critters munching on greenery along Catherine Store Road near Carbondale. The plan to use goats was part of RFTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effort to reduce the use of toxic herbicides along the trail, and has generally been received well by local trail users.

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Facilities in the GarďŹ eld County Library District system, which has libraries in all six towns in GarďŹ eld County, were forced to undertake cutbacks in personnel, book purchases and other programs due to an expected $1.2 million drop in property tax revenues. The tax shortfall is partly due to a decline in oil and gas drilling activities in the county, and to a court settlement that required local governments to repay property

taxes illegally collected in previous years from oil and gas interests. Similar budgetary shortfalls have hit other local governments this year, as the county once again experiences the downside of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;boom and bustâ&#x20AC;? economy of the energy industry.

OCTOBER Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;dale native shot in Tennessee A Carbondale native, Dietrich Minor, was shot in late September in an apparent robbery attempt on the streets of Nashville, Tenn., and remained in stable but critical condition at a hospital there as of early October. Friends immediately began raising money to defray medical costs for Minor, 27, according to an Oct. 4 article in The Tennessean newspaper.

Police said at the time that he was shot in the stomach around 10 p.m. while walking to a sports bar in downtown Nashville, after being confronted by two unidentiďŹ ed suspects who were believed to have been involved in an earlier robbery attempt at another, nearby location.

City Market project postponed Ongoing plans to build a bigger, more modern City Market grocery store in Carbondale were delayed for a third time, as the Kroger grocery giant (owner of City Market and King Soopers in Colorado) underwent some internal ďŹ nancial restructuring, according to a letter from Kroger to the town board of trustees. The town had granted an extension to Feb. 28, 2017, for ďŹ ling of the subdivision plat governing to development, which is to be built on property northwest of the intersection of Highway 133 and Main Street.

The project, approved in March, 2016, calls for construction of a 59,000 square foot store to replace the existing, 44,000 square foot store now operating in the Crystal Village Plaza about a quarter-mile south of the new store site. According to town ofďŹ cials, the store is expected to open its doors for business sometime in late 2017.

Ed Green blasts John Martin Former GarďŹ eld County Manager Ed Green, once a close associate of long-time YEAR IN REVIEW page 17

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weekly community connector â&#x20AC;˘ DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ 15

Some more favorite moments of 2016 Clockwise from upper left: a calf shares a moment with it's mom during calving season last winter; Sadie Shoemaker shares a moment with Alaska during the GO AuTism Family Fun Walk, organized by Smiling Goat Ranch; Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery in southern India played some arena polo at Aspen Valley Polo club while visiting the Roaring Fork Valley; an older member of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklorico helps a young dancer with her dress; two kids in Earthbeat Choir on Mountain Fair Sunday.

Photos by Jane Bachrach

16 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017

Year in review continued om page 15 County Commissioner John Martin, issued a blistering critique of Martin’s tenure in office and endorsed his challenger in the 2016 election, John Acha. Green, in a lengthy letter released by the Garfield County Democratic Party, accused Martin of having been “changed” by his 20 years at the head of county government, into “a professional politician, one who believes he is more important than the office he occupies.” Green, who left county government under a cloud in 2012 to move to Florida, returned after a short time and ultimately was elected to municipal government in the City of Rifle.

Martin, who was running for his sixth term in office, easily won re-election in November.

CLEER hails energy savings In a story about local energy-efficiency organizations CLEER (Clean Energy Economy for the Region) and GCE (Garfield Clean Energy), CLEER representative Erica Sparhawk reported that Carbondale overall is spending roughly $1 million less per year on energy costs than it was in 2009. The two organizations work with Carbondale’s and other local governments to encourage the use of renewable energy sources and retrofitting of local homes and businesses to increase energy efficiency. The results have included solar-panel installations on hundreds of homes, businesses and government facilities, all aiming at fulfilling the town’s 10-year-old Climate Protection Plan to cut energy use by 20 percent by the year 2020. Sparhawk, conceding that the town has not met that goal yet, told The Sopris Sun, “we’re on track (but) with a little catching up to do.”

David Hayes takes second Carbondale resident David Hayes, who has long been a member of the Mountain Valley Developmental Services Pin Pals bowling team, took part in a tournament at the Bowlounge in El Jebel, where he took second place. The tournament brought in Special Olympics teams from around the Western Slope on Oct. 22. Talking with a reporter later in the year, Hayes who is 64 and was born with cerebral palsy, said he plans to resume his ski racing career in the winter, traveling around the region for Special Olympics events at different ski areas.

Lisa goes global Lisa Dancing-Light, long time local singer/songwriter, this year saw one of her

As of the end of the year, after tribal elders convinced many of the supporters to go home and avoid the worst of the coming winter, about 1,000 water protectors remained at the site and declared their intention to stay there to make sure ETP did not simply go ahead with its construction despite the Corps decision.

NOVEMBER Cops collect drugs

The Mt. Sopris Historical Society presented Dorothea Farris with its Hattie Thompson award in November. Through the years, Farris has been involved with numerous local boards, nonprofits and causes. Photo

by Jane Bachrach

The Carbondale Police Department, working in conjunction with National Drug TakeBack Day events around the country, collected a total of 26 pounds of prescription drugs from local households, as part of a nationwide effort to keep such drugs from being flushed down toilets and causing problems with local water treatment systems.

RE-1 hires “community organizer” tunes, “Song of Love,” featured as a theme song on a new VoiceAmerica.com online show, “The Convergence: Uniting the Tribes in the Interspiritual Age.” The 14-week online series, which opened on Nov. 3, features a variety of speakers on spiritual matters, including Fr. Thomas Keating, a Trappist Monk who lives at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Old Snowmass but enjoys a national reputation, and other, similarly renowned spiritual thinkers. The song is an adaptation of a poem by author Anne Hillman.

Standing with Standing Rock Carbondale activists and residents were signing up to be part of a conduit for supplies, vehicles, clothing and other needed items at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation that straddles the border of North and South Dakota at the Missouri River. The Sioux and thousands of supporters, calling themselves “water protectors” were protesting against construction of an oil pipeline under the Missouri River, which is the tribe’s primary source of water, as well as against what they said was violation of sacred lands by the pipeline’s construction company, Energy Transfer Partners. Over several months, into late December, activists from the Roaring Fork Valley continued to take food, winter gear and other supplies to Standing Rock, where the demonstration apparently convinced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reject a final, critical permit for the pipeline project.

In its continuing effort to find innovative ways to connect with its disparate student body and their parents, the Roaring Fork School District this year hired a 2004 graduate of Glenwood Springs High School as the district’s first-ever “community organizer.”

According to a story in The Sopris Sun, Janeth Niebla was hired to hold meetings in homes and in community venues at which parents and students alike can talk about their challenges and difficulties, and establish a kind of partnership with the schools that will benefit all involved. Niebla told the Sun that the effort has more to do with listening to what parents and students have to say, than the more traditional approach of telling families how they can best fit in with school programs and policies.

Farris wins Hattie award Former school teacher, school board member, Pitkin County Commissioner and lifelong environmental activist, Dorothea Farris in November received the Mt. Sopris Historical Society’s 2016 Hattie Thompson award, given to leading women in the area.

Officials address Hispanic anxiety In the wake of the election of Donald J. Trump as the next president of the U.S., local officials have been seeking to calm the fears and anxieties of area Hispanic residents worried by Trump’s anti-immigrant statements and his apparent desire to deport millions of undocumented workers as quickly as he can.

Attempts to spread calm have come from area police, town governments and school boards, who have almost universally proclaimed that their agencies will not be acting as local agents of the nation’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

Town supports climate plan A survey of Carbondale-area residents has shown that respondents support Carbondale’s actions to reduce its carbon footprint and encourage greater reliance on renewable energy sources compared to traditional energy resources such as electricity and natural gas, according to organizers of the survey. Responses to online and printed questionnaires in the survey — which was commissioned by the town’s Environmental Board and performed by the Community Office of Resource Efficiency (CORE) — endorsed Carbondale’s ongoing efforts to be an active participant in fighting the effects of climate change through local energy-efficiency programming, better mass transit and other programs.

DECEMBER KDNK fires station director The board of directors of the KDNK community access radio station in Carbondale fired long-time station manager Steve Skinner, though the board declined to discuss its reasons for doing so. Skinner, on the other hand, maintained he was terminated as a result of “a personality thing” between him and the board. The board of directors announced it will soon embark on a search for a new manager.

Harding gets 8 years in prison Kelly Harding, a Carbondale resident who was arrested last January while driving on I70 through Ohio, was convicted in late November on charges of possessing 123 pounds of pot allegedly discovered in the care he was driving eastward. Charges against his friend, Craig Voigt, were dropped by Ohio authorities after they were told Voigt was the target of a separate drug investigation, although Harding revealed after his conviction that the drugs belonged to Voigt. Voigt, meanwhile, was the subject of an investigation by the Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team, and was arrested by Carbondale police on Dec. 9 and charged with multiple counts of selling methamphetamine to undercover agents over the course of the last year.

Numerous Carbondale area residents drove to Standing Rock, North Dakota, to support Native American Indians who are working to keep the Dakota Access Pipeline from slicing through what they say are sacred lands. Photo by Christopher Curry THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017 • 17

Looking back

Tipton om page 2 enterprise. We can’t do it alone, though. In some cases, we’ll have to rebuild the trust of allies, and we’ll take a strong stand to hold evil regimes accountable for violations of international sanctions and treaties.

We have a tall task before us, but Congress has already begun to do its part. We recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2017, which increases base funding for defense operations by $9 billion over the Administration’s request to rebuild key parts of our military and make sure our troops have the tools they need to support and defend the United States.

Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution charges Congress with providing for the common defense and advancing America’s interest overseas. This is a serious responsibility, and I will do everything I can to support a national defense strategy that will keep you, your family, and our communities safe.

Congressman Scott R. Tipton (R) represents Colorado’s Third District, which includes the Roaring Fork Valley.

In remembrance Carbondale area residents said final goodbyes to loved ones and friends in 2016, among them: Charles (Chuck) Dickson Harris 1917-2016 Trent Jaron Goscha 2003-2016 Laura (Gardner) Bair 1922-2016 Carolyn Gordon Ackerman 1926-2016 Dorothy Bensch Doyle Virginia Knittle Pat Louis Menke 1947-2016 Landis (Lanny) Kroh 1935-2016 Mary Crouch Lilly 1916-2016 Ruth Newton Malay Paul H. Vandre 1955-2016 Robert “Bob” Cumming Schenck, Sr. 1926-2016 Emma Coller Natal Joan Bigelow Pomeroy Ryan Alexander Jennings Dec. 30, 2015 LeAnn Thompson Arbaney 1936-2016 Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley saw at least a couple of firsts on the event front in 2016. Wilderness Workshop (top) continued its Wildfest party, only this time at the late Hunter Thompson’s Owl Farm at Woody Creek. Crowds grew as the afternoon and evening went on. Jaywalker Lodge (bottom) organized its first 5K fun-run, which attracted a field that ranged from serious runners to moms with dogs pushing baby carts. Photos by Lynn Burton

Cyd Lange Marvin Ferguson 1949-2016 Timothy John Markoya 1984-2016 Andy Lietz

18 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 4, 2017

Letters continued î&#x2C6;&#x2021;om page 2 the helm of the paper. I appreciate your journalistic integrity and pragmatic way of getting us to the ďŹ nish line each week. You not only see the hard side of news but the human-interest side as well. Your respect for the history of the valley shows in the special features and photos you have presented throughout the years.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been a great team and I hope you will always write and take great photos for this and other publications for years to come. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep the â&#x20AC;&#x153;email machineâ&#x20AC;? warmed up for you.

Terri Ritchie The Sopris Sun Graphic Designer

Give back our garden (Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: This handwritten letter was submitted in September but got misplaced on

RE-1 update î&#x2C6;&#x2021;om page 2 and certainty to better prepare for all of this.

We will need time after the bridge closes and the detour route begins to gain certainty about the actual effects on trafďŹ c so that we can work with CDOT and the city of Glenwood Springs to make sure kids can get to school safely. For that reason, we three organizations, together, are asking the Board of Education to consider starting the school year later, on Sept. 5. Delaying school trafďŹ c â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even by two weeks â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will signiďŹ cantly beneďŹ t all drivers on the road as they transition to closure trafďŹ c. We are aware of the many implications of a later start for summer supervision and camps, athletic schedules and partner organizations. By making this decision in early January, there will be time for families to prepare and for us to work with our partners on the many other implications of a late start to the school year.

We also need to know who plans to attend

Legal Notice

the Sopris Sun editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desk. Our apology to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rustyâ&#x20AC;? Burtard).

As the gardening season winds down, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve chosen this time to write to you regarding the community garden on Hendrick Drive.

Approximately 18 years ago, Larry Ballenger and Lulu Volkhausen and a group of volunteers tackled the task of turning a weed patch into a community garden. The Town of Carbondale donated the land, the fencing and pumps to supply water. Lulu plotted 21 separate garden spots, a walkway path and it became an organic garden.

Today, our garden is in need of new leadership, a total refurbishing and landscaping.

Eight or nine stalwart participants have weathered through mismanagement, broken promises and lack of interest. The gardeners have formed friendships, worked at building

fertile soil in their plots and would like to continue gardening.

The following are but a few of our tentative goals: â&#x20AC;˘ To seek new leadership; â&#x20AC;˘ To landscape the entrance on Hendrick and Holland Drive (the bike path); â&#x20AC;˘ To improve and landscape general areas and to plant appropriate ďŹ&#x201A;owers; â&#x20AC;˘ To improve neglected vacant plots in order to attract new gardeners; â&#x20AC;˘ To work together to maintain a prime spot for future generations; â&#x20AC;˘ To form a volunteer advisory board.

In closing, I cannot empathically say enough about the beneďŹ ts of the mind and sprit that the seniors enjoy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rustyâ&#x20AC;? Burtard Carbondale

which school in the fall. Therefore, we will be conducting a universal early enrollment process this year in January that asks every family to let us know where their children will be attending school next fall. This process will allow us to budget and hire staff, purchase furnishings and materials, and set up classrooms ahead of time, rather than waiting to see what happens in August.

There are also hardships associated with building a new school. Because it is being built to relieve overcrowding in Glenwood Springs, there will be some intended downsizing of our other elementary and middle schools. While opening a new school presents career opportunities for some of our staff members, the enrollment shift might cause the involuntary displacement of others. We need certainty to know whose jobs might be affected so that any impacted staff have time to look for other positions. Parents can help by letting us know in Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s universal enrollment process about

WINDSHIELD REPAIR & AUTO GLASS REPLACEMENT

Locally Owned by David Zamansky

Lafarge West, Inc c/o Lafarge North America Inc; 1687 Cole Blvd Suite 300, Golden, CO 80401, 303-985-1070, has filed an application for a Regular (112) Construction Materials Operation Reclamation Permit with the Colorado Mine Land Reclamation Board under provisions of the Colorado Land Reclamation Act for the Extraction of Construction Materials. The proposed mine is known as the Powers Pit, and is located at or near Section 26, Township 7, Range 88, 6th Prime Meridian. The proposed date of commencement is October 1, 2016, and the proposed date of completion is February 1, 2018. The proposed future use of the land is rangeland and commercial/industrial. Additional information and tentative decision date may be obtained from the Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety, 1313 Sherman Street, Room 215, Denver, Colorado 80203, (303) 866-3567, or at the Garfield County Clerk and Recorderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office; 109 8th Street, Suite 200, Glenwood Springs, Colorado 81601, or the above-named applicant. Comments must be in writing and must be received by the Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety by 4:00 p.m. on January 18, 2017.

Please note that under the provisions of C.R.S. 34-32.5-101 et seq. Comments related to noise, truck traffic, hours of operation, visual impacts, effects on property values and other social or economic concerns are issues not subject to this Officeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jurisdiction. These subjects, and similar ones, are typically addressed by your local governments, rather than the Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety or the Mined Land Reclamation Board.

Published in The Sopris Sun on December 29, 2016.

their preferences for the fall. We are also encouraging staff members who are contemplating retiring or resigning at the end of the year to help their colleagues by giving early notice.

Again, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to take a lot of patience and cooperation to reap the benefits and minimize the downside of the changes underway.

We will continue to share information as we have it. We will share information about the enrollment process in January. You can learn more about the proposed calendar changes. You can ďŹ nd the latest updates about our facilities construction on our Bond Projects Updates webpage. You can stay up to date on the Grand Avenue Bridge construction by subscribing to the weekly updates. Finally, make sure you subscribe to our monthly newsletters.

Rob Stein is superintendent of Roaring Fork School District RE-1.

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