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Sopristhe

Carbondale’s community connector

SunVolume 6, Number 44 | December 4, 2014

LOOK INSIDE:

PAGE 3DJ

PAGE 4Steals

PAGE 14Drumstick

Redstonekicks offseasonQuinn Wells shares her Christmasthoughts with Santa at last Friday’sannual Grand Illumination in Redstone.Folks report the evening started withan attempted lighting of the Christmastree at the Redstone General Store. Unfortunately, it yet wasn’t darkenough so Santa started skipping up tothe Redstone Inn and then hitched aride on the fire truck heading that wayfor the bonfire. Inside the OsgoodRoom, Santa was greeted by an endlessstream of excited visitors as carolerscaroled. The singers then moved out-side as the bonfire was lit and the skyprovided it’s own orange glow at sunset. Elves were present, handing outgift bags to the children who visitedSanta. There were even fireworks.Three hours after Santa first split theGeneral Store, there was still a line ofkids waiting to have a chat.

Photo by Sue Rollyson

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • DEcEmbER 4, 2014

Carbondale CommentaryThe 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 theeditor or guest columns. For more information, e-mail editor Lynn Burton at [email protected], or call 510-3003.

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

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

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Some would say Carbondale is losing its favorite bracelet, onecharm at a time, to monied newcomers eager to show us the latesttrends. It’s a slippery slope, reaching for that carat. One minute we’restanding on a hill overlooking our town, and the next thing we knowwe’re taking a downvalley bus home because we can’tafford to live here anymore.

Letting the money take over is the worst-case sce-nario because money doesn’t have imagination.Money only cares about more money. And in order tomaintain a vibrant anything (town, economy, circus)one must make room for variety, especially when itcomes to money.

“Wealth does not reflect a man’s character; it re-flects his bank account.” – Rutger Bregman*

If we don’t manage a way for people of all walksto live comfortably in Carbondale, they won’t. We’llget EVS (empty village syndrome) and it isn’t just theyoung people we should focus on keeping. If I were re-tired and I could sell my house for enough to buy an-other house and still have a big pile of money, I wouldseriously consider leaving Carbondale. In order forour community to continue to thrive we need to convince people ofall ages and affiliations to stay here.

On a national level, it’s much worse. People in Detroit can’t sellout, and even though they go to work every day they can barely sur-vive, much less thrive. The only reason the American Dream lastedfor this long is because people could afford to buy a house and takea summer vacation. The system won’t continue to work if the aver-age worker keeps taking it in the teeth from every side. (And if you’reone of the privileged 1 percent you should be even more worried. Re-member, the French aristocrats didn’t see it coming either).

Luckily, there is a simple-yet-outrageous-sounding solution. It’snot my idea originally (however, I did ponder it in college). Whycan’t we marry socialism with capitalism? What if we made sureevery citizen had their basic needs met, and then continued to fos-ter an open-market based economy? Even as a sophomore at a statecollege I could see the potential. Thomas Paine thought of it wayback in the founding days of our country: the Citizen Stipend. Or as

I like to call it: Just Plain Free Money.Here’s how it works: every single person collects a check from the

government each month. A check that is enough to cover the basics:food and water, clothing, shelter, health care and education. (Unfor-

tunately the cost of those electric icicles that hang offthe roof and look terrible during the day, but lovely atnight, are not included. I mean, we have to draw theline somewhere).

“Boom!”, as my friend Taryne likes to say. That’sit. It’s not welfare because it goes to everyone, even cutelittle billionaires who don’t need it (although if they areas wealthy in character they’ll donate theirs — myopinion). People will still go to work because humanslike to be productive and useful, and because we stillhave to buy Christmas lights. It will eliminate home-lessness and school lunch meat. A huge lot of our prob-lems solved with one little act, problems like crime,domestic violence and child hunger. Not to mentionthe increase in artists, acrobats and tinkers becausepeople won’t have to take a middle-management, soul-killing job unless they want to. The creativity level

would soar. And instead of teaching our children how to sit still foreight hours at a time, we could encourage them to find and followtheir dreams. Oh, and I almost forgot: corporations do not receivethe stipend. No matter what. “That’s it. It’s in the books.” – UB

Where does all the money come from, you ask? Easy, it comes fromus; between our taxes and our spending (through corporations’ taxes)there’s more than enough to go around. We just need to cut into theenormous pie that is the defense budget. Yep, I said it. We have to stopa few Greedy Guts who are currently gorging themselves at the MadHatter’s table of American government.

Locally, we could get started on a smaller scale, maybe in the form offree trash/recycling removal, or an open tab at the Pour House on LastSaturdays. Whaddya say Carbondale trustees: how about an incentiveprogram for regular folks to remain in Carbondale? Because, let’s faceit, they’re why this town was so flippin’ charming in the first place.

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIL_Y9g7Tg0

It’s just plain free money

Stay with SirkoDear Editor:

In reference to the recent opinion pieceabout the RE-1 Superintendent Diana Sirko,who may be awarded another contract, thereseems to be some misconceptions. I am won-dering why a Sopris Sun board member iswriting an opinion piece verses an article thatrepresents different sides of a news story.

Some people, such as ex-school boardmember Debbie Bruell, claim that every par-ent, teachers, and principal she has talkedwith is ready for Rob Stein to move into theposition of superintendent. I found it discon-certing that she decided to speak for all teach-ers, administrators and parents in the district.I am wondering how big this circle of peopleis that she is representing?

Education in our district is going throughmany changes, from Common Core standards,to new math and reading curriculums, to thewide variety of different testing mechanismsthat are now required. For those of us who arein the classroom, day in and day out, dealingwith these requirements while still keeping oureducational integrity is a challenge and DianaSirko has been an amazing superintendent.

Diana Sirko came out of retirement to help ourdistrict. She has proven to have great leadershipqualities, provides a calming support systemand has offered continuity when there havebeen so many changes. There are countless par-ents, teachers and principals that supportDiana Sirko in her current role as superintend-ent and will continue to do so until she decidesto move on, at which time Stein can re-applyfor that position. Stein has worked diligently tocompliment and create programs for our dis-trict and no one is saying this needs to come toand end. Sirko is our current leader, and Steinis a part of her team and many of us see no rea-son to change the situation.

I would hope that in the future, The SoprisSun reporters and board members will writeinformative and responsible articles that offerdifferent points of view and not use the paperto promote their own opinions. As an inde-pendent newspaper that prides itself on stayingin touch with its community, you seem to havemissed the opportunity to inform the commu-nity of this issue in an unbiased format.

Patty ThaynRE-1 educatorCarbondale

Sirko decision is criticalDear Editor:

The upcoming Dec. 10 Roaring ForkSchool District board meeting (5 to 8:30 p.m.at Roaring Fork High School in Carbon-dale), is a must-attend event for taxpayers,business owners, parents and communitymembers in Glenwood Springs, Carbondaleand Basalt.

Why?It’s at this meeting that the board will dis-

cuss superintendent Diana Sirko’s requestfor a contract renewal. The decision is ofcritical importance because of its cascadingimpact: renew Sirko’s contract for too longand we will likely lose second-in-commandRob Stein, a progressive educator and ad-ministrator who is leading the district’sstrategic plan, and who many expected tosucceed Sirko. Some board members wantto make the decision that night; others wantmore time to consider the decision.

The community is concerned, but thepublic outcry is not divisive. Rather, it’s asign of an engaged, supportive and enthusi-astic district. The outcry comes from the

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 400 words. Letters exceeding that length may be edited or returned forrevisions. Include your name and residence (for publication) and a contact email and phone number. Submit letters via email to [email protected] or via snail mail to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623. The deadline to submit letters to the editor is noon on Monday.

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OPINION

Ps & QsBy Jeannie Perry

LETTERS page 16

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Vacations at the cruxJohn ColsonSopris Sun Correspondent

Steve Skinner, the general manager atKDNK, Carbondale’s community accessradio station, held onto his job this weekdespite an attempt to oust him over his re-fusal to sign a set of “directives” aimed attightening oversight of his duties by the sta-tion’s board of directors.

The decision to keep Skinner on the jobcame after a tense three-hour special meet-ing on Dec. 1 at the station, during which atleast three members of the board, PresidentMark McLain, Treasurer Susan Darrowand member Bob Schultz (who was not atthe meeting but sent in a written statementof his feelings), indicated that Skinner’s 11-year reign over the station had run itscourse and should be ended.

Skinner, in his own defense, stated atone point, “I haven’t done anythingwrong. I haven’t been accused of doinganything wrong.”

Skinner’s retention came in the wake ofprolonged testimonials to the improve-ments he has made to the station’s financesand stature, along with accusations of poorjob performance and high-handed refusalsto do what the board wants him to do.

Several deejays and others connected tothe station, who were present at the boardmeeting, argued that the fight over Skin-ner’s job boiled down to personality con-flicts and veiled agendas on the part ofSkinner’s critics at the station, includingseveral board members.

But at least one long-time volunteer, dee-jay and former board member, a local busi-nessman known as Monk, rejected the ideathat Skinner was being unjustly targeted bya small group of critics pursuing some kindof what he termed a “vendetta.”

“A lot of what’s happening here is …there’s a lot of people that don’t believe Steveshould be here (in the job as GM),” Monktold the board. “A lot of people don’t thinkSteve works often enough at the station.”

Monk noted that Skinner is paid$61,000 annually, and questioned whetherSkinner puts in enough actual working timeto deserve that salary.

Monk also cited accusations that Skin-ner has intimidated deejays and others into

voting in favor of certain board candidates,has at times checked over ballots in boardelections to determine who voted forwhom, and has solicited his own pickedcandidates to run for the board as ways ofbending the station’s operations to his wayof thinking.

“I do hear a lot,” Monk told the board,though he added that hearsay, which is thebasis for some of the accusations he men-tioned, is not a proper foundation for fir-ing someone.

At the heart of the board’s deliberationsabout Skinner’s continued employment,however, was one central issue, accordingto board member Susan Darrow.

“The crux of the matter was over Steve’svacations … the amount of time he takesoff,” Darrow declared, referring to chargesfrom various people that Skinner oftenwould be absent from the station and un-available to assist deejays or other employ-ees, and would take weeks off at a timewithout notice.

She said that two years ago the boardasked Skinner to inform the board presi-dent when he would be taking time off, andSkinner signed an agreement to that effectand followed it once.

But, Darrow continued, Skinner lastyear did not inform the board in advanceof his vacation, a lapse that came up duringSkinner’s annual review.

“I was disappointed that Steve did notfollow through on what he said he would

do,” Darrow recalled, addingthat the board subsequently or-dered Skinner to follow the “di-rective” that he inform theboard of his pending vacations,and that is the directive Skinnerrefused to sign.

“Punitive directives”Skinner, admitting he refused

to sign “what I considered to bepunitive directives” aimed at re-moving him from his job, readfrom a written statement, “Mygoal is to have a healthy andproductive relationship with theboard” but not to go along withefforts he said contributed to anacrimonious and divisive at-mosphere at the station.

He, along with his support-ers and others at the meeting,pointed out that, during histenure, the station has achievedfinancial stability, has increasedits listenership, and is “thriv-ing” when compared to earlier,more difficult times in the sta-tion’s history.

“Not everyone agrees with my man-agement style or decisions that I make,”he said, “but I am confident they are thevocal minority.”

Even members of the board agreedwith much of what Skinner said of his

time on the job.Board Secretary Keith Edquist, reading

from a summary of Skinner’s most recentperformance review, noted that the boardwas generally happy with what Skinnerhad accomplished.

KDNK page 4

KDNK GM hangs on to job following ouster bid

KDNK General Manager Steve Skinner reads from a pre-pared statement at Monday night’s board meeting. An11-year veteran as general manager, Skinner said he hadn’tdone anything wrong and hadn’t been accused of doinganything wrong. The meeting drew several supporters andat least two detractors. Photo by Lynn Burton

Left to right at Monday night’s meeting: KDNK board members Jay Leavitt, Mark McLain (president) and Stacy Stein. Photos by Lynn Burton


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But he also indicated that board members were concernedthat Skinner deliberately refused to cooperate with the board’sdecisions and directives.

Schultz’s written remarks on the subject, submitted becausehe was out of town and could not attend the meeting, flatlystated, “It is time for a change of management at KDNK” duelargely to Skinner’s alleged lack of cooperation concerningboard decisions.

Board member Jay Leavitt, reading from a prepared state-ment of his own, said, “It has be-come clear to me that the board hasbeen remiss” in failing to tightlyoversee Skinner’s job performanceand vacation schedule.

But, he read, he felt that a changein management “is not required” asthings stand now.

What is needed, he said, is “ahigher-performing board and a morecommunicative Steve Skinner.”

Another board member, Diane Johnson, said she feels “likean outsider” as she has been on the board only for a fewmonths, but credited Skinner with doing “a damned good job”as general manager.

Arguing that the board should not fire Skinner at this junc-ture, she advised that the board look more closely into the factsof the situation, discuss things with Skinner openly, and find away through the complex mix of hearsay and personality con-flicts to a final resolution of the matters at hand.

To Steve, whom she said she has always supported, she saidsimply, “Just let us know when you’re going on vacation.”

Board Vice President Stacy Stein agreed, saying, “I think thedirectives is something that can be worked out.”

Another board member, Brian Keleher, concluded, “I think ifwe let Steve go, or terminate him … I don’t think that’s benefi-

cial to anybody. I think the station will be hurt, and I think thecommunity will be hurt.”

No axe grindingLamenting the current state of affairs at the station, Board

President Mark McLain said he had “no personal axe to grindagainst Steve.”

But, McLain continued, the board was elected to closelywatch the operations of the station, including direct oversight ofthe GM’s job performance, a function that he said has been “ab-

solutely impossible” to achieve and whichhe blamed on “a weak board, and resist-ance from Steve.”

Given those circumstances, he calledthe board “just a sham. We have nopower” to force Skinner to follow theboard’s directives and personnel decisions.

In light of all that, he said, “I don’tknow how to be president of a board thatcan’t get that done.”

McLain is not running for reelection tothe board in the upcoming station election.

Following more than two hours of comments from the vari-ous people at the meeting, the board went behind closed doors,with Skinner present, to continue to discuss Skinner’s fate.

After half an hour of secret deliberations, the board came tothe decision to leave Skinner at his post and rewrite the direc-tives in a form Skinner indicated would be acceptable to him.

Among the changes to the directives will be a requirementthat Skinner let the board know in advance about any vacationshe plans that will be longer than three days.

In addition, Skinner is to inform the board regarding whowill be in charge of the station in his absence.

“I think it was a pretty productive session,” Edquist said ofthe closed-door deliberations. “I got the sense that nobodywants to bring this to a head and get rid of this guy (Skinner).”

Cop ShopThe following events are drawn from in-cident reports of the C’dale Police Dept.

SATURDAY, Nov. 22: At 4 a.m. police re-ceived a report of a mountain bike stolenfrom a home on Maroon Place. No furtherinformation was available.

SATURDAY, Nov. 22: At 8:42 a.m. a cus-tomer at Grand Junction Pipe & Supply,740 Highway 133, called police to report atheft. But according to a store representa-tive, it turned out another customer hadwalked off with the wrong order of mer-chandise. The mistake was rectified, and notheft took place.

SATURDAY, Nov. 22: At 11:40 a.m. anofficer got a call from the Colorado De-partment of Human Services reporting asuspected sexual assault in Carbondale.The matter is under investigation.

mONDAY, Nov. 24: At 10:55 p.m. offi-cers were called to a break-in in progressat a home on Highway 133 in Carbondale.The officers arrested a man on charges ofthird degree criminal trespassing and tookhim to the Garfield County Jail in Glen-wood Springs.

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 26: At 8:28 p.m. alocal laundromat owner reported a manwas refusing to leave the laundromat, hav-ing been ejected from the premises twomonths ago and told not to return for re-fusing to pay for use of the machines andexposing himself to the proprietor. The manwas ticketed for third degree trespassing.

“Just let us know when you’re going

on vacation.”Stacy Stein

Board Vice President

KDNK om page 3

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Trustees connect gas to energy conservation programs


John ColsonSopris Sun Correspondent

The town of Carbondale, alone amonglocal governments in Garfield County, votedlast week to dedicate a large portion of itsenergy-impact-assistance funds to programsaimed at cutting local reliance on petroleumproducts and increasing the use of alterna-tive energy sources and the conservation ofenergy in general.

The town’s board of trustees agreed onNov. 25 to use 20 percent of the funds it re-ceives in the form of mineral severance taxproceeds and federal mineral lease pay-ments, both of which are paid by companiesdrilling for natural gas in the state, for thetown’s energy efficiency goals.

Carbondale, like other governments inGarfield County, receives severance-tax andmineral-lease payments annually, as a wayof offsetting the social and governmentalcosts of dealing with impacts from the en-ergy industry.

In 2014, for example, Carbondale re-ceived nearly $190,000 in severance taxproceeds, and nearly $400,000 in mineral-lease-fee payments.

By comparison, the city of Rifle, which sitsin the middle of the gas-rich portion of thecounty, received more than $2.2 million for thesame year, while the town of New Castle,which perches on the edge of the gas patch, re-ceived about the same amount as Carbondale.

At the Carbondale town board meeting,Mayor Stacey Bernot said that the vote todedicate the funding was a way of “memo-

rializing what we have been doing for thepast few years.”

Bernot was referring to the fact that thetown has been spending roughly $150,000or more annually for the past several yearsin an ongoing campaign to encourage en-ergy conservation and pay for alternative-energy programming run by the CommunityOffice of Resource Efficiency (CORE),Garfield Clean Energy (GCE) and its con-tractual partner, Clean Energy Economy forthe Region (CLEER).

The resolution to earmark the moneywas approved unanimously by the seven-member board of trustees.

Town Manager Jay Harrington ac-knowledged that the vote to formally dedi-cate the energy-impact money to energyefficiency and alternative energy sources alsois viewed as a way to get other local gov-ernments to do the same.

“The whole concept was that, passing itmight encourage other local governments tofollow suit,” Harrington told The Sopris Sunon Monday, noting that the resolution ear-marking the funding came “at the request ofCLEER and CORE and GCE.” The resolu-tion, Harrington said, establishes a mini-mum “floor” of spending to help the townreach its stated goal of reducing its relianceon petroleum-generated energy by 20 per-cent in the coming decade or so.

CLEER Director Alice Hubbard Lairdsaid that Carbondale is the first town inGarfield County to formally link its energy-impact money with the effort to reduce its

“carbon footprint,” and said of the vote, “It’skind of path-breaking.”

She recalled, however, that in 2008 thestate of Colorado established its New En-ergy Communities Initiative (NECI), a pushfor greater use of alternative energy sourcesand energy conservation statewide, usingmoney from the severance-tax and mineral-lease funds. That initiative led directly to theformation of the Garfield NECI and, later,GCE, as a way to funnel the state moneyinto local projects.

So, said Hubbard Laird, Carbondale’sapproach is “ambitious, but it also corre-sponds to what the state has adopted” in thebroad goal of decreasing the state’s reliance

on petroleum products and increasing its useof energy-efficiency and alternatives.

In other action last week, the trusteesgave their collective, if informal approval forthe 2015 municipal budget, which is sched-uled for formal approval on Dec. 9.

During the budget discussions, Harring-ton informed the trustees that sales tax col-lections, which form the lion’s share of thetown’s revenues every year, have increased in2014 by an average of nine percent over col-lections in 2013. Town officials, he said, hadanticipated tax receipts would rise by asmuch as six percent, and will continue tobudget “conservatively” to avoid an over-op-timistic budget forecast for the coming year.

Wild turkeys on private landnorth of Car-bondale didn’thave much toworry about the day afterThanksgiving,but some saidthey seemed abit less skittishas the calendarmoved towardthe first of December.Photo by JaneBachrach

Scuttlebutt Send your scuttlebutt to [email protected].

Handbellers return The Orchard will again host the Daystar

Adventist Academy for a free handbell, stringsand choir concert at 7 p.m. on Dec. 10 (doorsopen at 6:30 p.m.). Donations will be ac-cepted. DayStar Adventist Academy is a lay-men-operated Seventh-day Adventistboarding school in southeast Utah. For moreinformation, call Melissa Miller at 963-8773ext. 105 or visit theorchardlife.com.

Hot titles at the libraryThere are at least 30 new titles at the

Carbondale Branch Library for December,including:• “Paying the Ferryman”

by Jane A. Adams;• “Perfect Sins” by Jo Banninster;• “Scorched Eggs” by Laura Childs;• “Enter Pale Death” by Barbara Cleverly;• “The Boston Girl” by Anita Diamant;• “The Firebird’s Feather”

by Marjorie Eccles;• “You Know Who Killed Me”

by Loren D. Estleman;• “Die Again” by Tess Gerritsen;• “Tom Clancy Full Force”

by Mark Greaney• “Saving Grace” by Jane Green.

Free toys at Near NewThe Near New Store on Main Street is

giving away free toys to parents to use forChristmas presents. The hours are 10:30 a.m.to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdaysand Fridays through Dec. 24.

Hoopsters go 4-2With a 44-38 win over the Basalt Long-

horns on Dec. 2, the Carbondale MiddleSchool eighth grade Wolverines improved to4-2 in league play on Dec. 2. Oscar Mirandaled the scoring with 12 points followed byRonald “Cutie” Clemente and Joe Salinaswith 10 and 8 respectively. The season endingPEG league tournament is Dec. 6 in Aspen.

Reed heads to “congress”The Western Colorado Congress has cho-

sen Dave Reed as its new executive directorstarting on Jan. 1, according to a press release.Reed has worked for the Wilderness Work-shop for the past 11 years, most recently as itsdevelopment and communications director.Reed is originally from Connecticut andmoved to Colorado in 1979 to attend Col-orado State University. He was later a reporterfor the Aspen Times, among other writinggigs. He also wrote five editions of “TheRough Guide to Nepal.” The Grand Junction-based Western Colorado Congress works onquality of life issues and has five communitygroups, including the Grand Valley Citizens’Alliance in Garfield County. Reed currentlyserves on the board of Clean Energy Economyfor the Region, and is a Citizens’ ClimateLobby volunteer and chapter co-leader. He ismarried and has two kids.

After places 18thIndependence Run & Hike’s Brion After

placed 18th in the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot5K in Glenwood Springs. His time was 25:01.

If you’re wonderingThe US Postal Service says it expects to de-

liver about 470 million packages this holidayseason, up about 12 percent from last year. ThePO will also: process 15.5 billion cards, lettersand packages; deliver parcels seven days a weekin many large cities; and have seven-day-a weekservice in some locations. If you’re wonderingwhat the busiest day at post offices, it’s Dec. 15.

maybe they’re not totally stupidState Farm Insurance reports that survey

results show that 93 percent of drivers areless likely to use their cell phone when theyare operating a vehicle in icy conditions.They are most likely to get on the phone atred lights (63 percent). One troubling find-ing: at least 10 percent of respondents re-ported that driving in school zones has noimpact on their cell phone use.

This just inThe American Rosie the Riveter Association

is trying to locate woman who worked on thehome front during World War II, according toan actual type-written press release that was de-livered to The Sun’s PO box via U.S. mail.“Thousands of women worked to support thewar effort as riveters, welders, electricians, in-spectors in plants, sewing clothing and para-chutes and more,” the press release said. “Thesewoman have stories to tell.” If you are a woman(or descendant of a woman) who worked dur-ing WWII, call 1-888-557-6743 or e-mail [email protected], or write theassociation at Box 188, Kimberly, AL 35091.

They say it’s your birthdayFolks celebrating their birthday this week

include: Carol Klein (Dec. 4); John Stroud andMark Stover (Dec. 5); Amy Kimberly, Cath-leen McCourt, Judy Whitmore, Carol Cravenand Frank McSwain (Dec. 6); Holly Richard-son, David Dabney and Lisa Speaker (Dec. 7);Sandra McMullen and Jennifer Lamont (Dec.8); and Kirstie Smith, Vicki Yarbrough, BobJohnson and Bill Laemmel (Dec. 10).


The Delaney dog park Rock Cairn of theWeek honor goes to this balancing act.Photo by Lynn Burton

“SERVICEABOVE SELF”

Non-profit highlight ROTARY CORNER

Carbondale Rotary is again ringingthe bell for the Salvation Army’s RedKettle campaign at Carbondale’s CityMarket this holiday season. Others inthe community are welcome to helpout. To volunteer for a bell-ringingshift, contact Ken Neubecker at [email protected]

•••The Carbondale Rotary Club meets at

6:50 a.m. on Wednesdays at the Carbon-dale Firehouse. Visitors are welcome tocome enjoy our weekly program and learnabout the wonderful work Rotary does inthe community and around the world.

UPCOMING PROGRAMSDec. 10 – Katie Murch

Aspen Deaf CampDec. 17 – Amy Barr

United Way of Garfield County

Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 – TBAFor program suggestions, contactRick Carlson, [email protected]

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

ROTARY CLUB OF CARBONDALE

December with Carbondale Rotary2014-15 Rotary International Theme

“Light Up Rotary”RI President Gary C.K. Huang

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

The Rotary Club of Carbondale distributed dic-tionaries to approximately 180 third-grade studentsat four local schools, Crystal River Elementary,Carbondale Community, Ross Montessori and theWaldorf School, during November. The ScholasticBooks dictionaries will assist teachers and helpstudents develop a strong vocabulary so they cansucceed in school.

•••

Carbondale Rotarian Mike Waski helps distribute brand new dictionaries tothird-grade students at Crystal River Elementary School.

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LOCAL

John ColsonSopris Sun Correspondent

Organizers say they are likely to appealthe recent denial of at least one of threeprotests filed over a controversial land swapbetween the federal Bureau of Land Man-agement and an Aspen couple, Leslie andAbigail Wexner, involving land at the base ofMt. Sopris near Carbondale.

The appeal, according to area residentAnne Rickenbaugh, would be based on ar-guments that the BLM undervalued thepublic lands included in the exchange, bycalculating the public lands’ value accord-ing to appraisal standards that assumedpublic ownership, instead of appraisalsbased on private-land values.

“They didn’t apply the free-marketstandards at all,” said Rickenbaugh, “eventhough they could have.”

Rickenbaugh is the board secretary of theColorado Wild Public Lands, Inc. (CWPL),a relatively new organization which hasmembers throughout the Roaring Fork Val-ley, which filed one of the protests over theland swap.

The two other protests were filed by in-dividual long time residents — Linda Fron-ing of Carbondale and Gregory Durrett ofGlenwood Springs. Froning said this weekshe is not planning to appeal the BLM’s re-jection of her protest. Durrett could not be

reached for comment.A Denver attorney working with the

CWPL, Neil Levine, said the final decisionon launching an appeal has yet to be made.

“My sense is, at least today, the leaningis that we will,” said Levine on Monday. Thedeadline for filing a notice of plans to appeal,is Dec. 17. The actual appeal, which would beheard by the Interior Board of Land Appealsin Arlington, Va., would then have a dead-line of Jan. 17, 2015.

The BLM approved the land exchange,which has split the normally cohesive Roar-ing Fork land conservation community, onJune 19, and issued a decision denying theprotests on Nov. 19.

Under the provisions of the swap, theWexners are to take ownership of threeparcels of formerly public lands totaling1,268 acres. The Wexners own Two ShoesRanch in the Prince Creek area.

In exchange, the public is to receive the557-acre Sutey Ranch adjacent to the RedHill Recreation Area north of Carbondale.Red Hill is a popular recreation destinationfor hikers and mountain bikers. It is managedby the BLM, so the exchange provides conti-nuity in ownership.

The public also is to get title to 112 acresalong Prince Creek Road that can be incor-porated into a popular trail network on lands

Wexner fight not over;new group plans appeal

Price tag for shopping center: $9.7 millionJohn ColsonSopris Sun correspondent

The new owners of the Crystal VillagePlaza shopping center in Carbondale paidapproximately $9.7 million for the prop-erty, which covers a little under five acresof land at the intersection of Highway133 and Main Street.

The plaza, which is called the TKG St.Peters Shopping Center in documents onfile at the Garfield County Courthouse inGlenwood Springs, was purchased onSept. 13 from the Carbondale SquareLLC partnership, according to the countyassessor’s office.

And at least for now, the new owners,The Kroenke Group out of Missouri, haveno immediate plans for development onthe site, according to a spokesman, MikeTamblyn of Denver.

“At the moment, it’s business as usual,”Tamblyn told The Sopris Sun on Tuesday.

Tamblyn said he could say no moreabout the purchase or the future of thesite, but would forward a reporter’s con-tact information to the corporate officesin Columbia, Mo.

The ownership group is named for itsfounder, billionaire Stan Kroenke, who ismarried to Ann Walton, daughter of thelate co-founder of the Wal-Mart chain ofstores, Bud Walton.

According to online sources, Kroenkeis a developer of shopping centers aroundthe U.S., many of which have a Wal-Mart

as the main anchor tenant. Kroenke SportsEnterprises owns the Pepsi Center (homeof the Denver Nuggets professional bas-ketball team and Colorado Avalancheprofessional hockey team) in Denver, ac-cording to websites. His holdings also in-clude the Denver Nuggets and St. LouisRams professional football team.

Although news of the purchase wasfirst made public in the Nov. 27 SoprisSun, there has been little public reaction tothe deal.

Long time local real estate brokerLynn Kirchner, when informed of the pur-chase, replied in an e-mail, “After all theBS about big boxes and Crystal RiverMarket Place – how ironic would it be forWal-Mart – a SUPER Wal-Mart to comeinto town!!!”

Kirchner referred to a controversial se-ries of development proposals over thecourse of more than a decade ending in2012, concerning a 24-acre parcel of landat the northwest corner of Highway 133and Main Street, behind the 7-Eleven store.

One of the proposals, called the Crys-tal River Market Place, called for bring-ing a “big-box” store to Carbondale,although no specific store was ever pub-licly identified as a prospective tenant.

Carbondale voters twice shot downthe development plans, first in 2003 overthe Crystal River Market Place and thesecond, in 2012, over a proposal knownas the Village at Crystal River.


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managed by the BLM.The Wexners also contributed $100,000

to cover the BLM’s costs to develop a man-agement plan for the news lands and $1 mil-lion for long-term management of the lands.

Along with using the wrong appraisalprocess, Rickenbaugh told The Sopris Sun ina recent interview, the BLM committed pro-cedural errors in adding the Sutey Ranch tothe deal, which occurred late in the processof considering the swap.

Rickenbaugh said she and others in theCWPL are worried that filing an appealmight be a waste of time, out of concern thatthe BLM already has made up its bureau-cratic mind on the issue.

But when asked why the group wouldbother, in that case, she replied, “You botherbecause it’s building the record,” and the casemight ultimately end up in federal court.

Speaking about the CWPL in general,Rickenbaugh said, “We’re not anti-land-exchange. We’re public-lands advocates.”

And, she said, “We think the public isreally getting the short end of the stick” inthe Wexner exchange.

Among other issues, she said, the BLMhas not provided much in the way of envi-ronmental protection for endangered orthreatened plant species, such as Harring-ton’s penstemon (also known as Harring-ton’s beardstongue), which can be found in

the area.Nor are there adequate protections for

archeological sites in the area affected by theswap, she said, adding that it is believed thereare several in the affected area.

Overall, she said, “The land exchange isa proponent-driven land exchange,” mean-ing the process began with a proposal fromthe Wexners, instead of the BLM, that theCWPL maintains was not closely analyzedeither for possible environmental impacts orfuture exploitation if minerals are foundbeneath the surface.

“What’s to say, two generations down theline, they find the next kind of oil or gas, anddecide to drill?” she asked rhetorically. “Or,

worse yet, they put in a Victoria’s Secret mallup there?”

Victoria’s Secret is one of the brands con-trolled by Wexner’s corporation, L Brands,formerly known as Limited Brands and, be-fore that, The Limited.

Attorney Levine, acknowledging that hisclients are worried about whether the ap-peal is worth pursuing given the decisionsof the Colorado BLM office, said he thinksthe national IBLA may be less inclined to-ward the swap.

“I think it’s a little more removed thanthe protest denial,” he said, noting that thedenial came from “the people with the mostinterest in the exchange.”

Sopris Sun Staff Report

Carbondale and Basalt flip the switch on Christmas Dec. 5, with holiday lights, caroling,multiple visits by Santa and more.

carbondale“Light Up Carbondale” is a team effort between the recreation department and CCAH,

and is this month’s First Friday.Activities start at the Launchpad from 3:30 to 5 p.m. when Santa meets with kids up to

five years old. He’ll return for older kids from 6:30 to 8 p.m. In between those times, Santawill take to his sleigh. The spruce tree at Main Street and Weant Boulevard will be Santa’sfirst stop at 5:15 p.m., where he’ll light the tree and Crystal River Elementary School studentswill sing “Oh Christmas Tree.” A pedestrian parade will then head down Main Street toFourth Street plaza at 5:30 p.m. with carolers trailing behind. Upon arrival, St. Nick willmagically illuminate all the lights on Main Street. Folks can also dig in for cookies and hot

chocolate, roasted marshmallows, and join in for some sing-along caroling.Meanwhile at the Launchpad, Sol Theatre’s cast of “Annie” will perform numbers from

their upcoming show; the Crystal River Ballet Nutcracker dancers will also perform.Also on the Launchpad program:• Holiday hip-hop performer Quincy Gray does his thing at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.;• The Deck the Walls holiday show continues, featuring artisan items from local artists.

basaltThe old railroad town lights its Christmas tree with Santa’s help from 4 to 6 p.m. at Lions

Park. There’ll be caroling, cookies, hot cocoa and cider, chili, a bonfire, carriage rides andmore. The switch on Christmas is officially flipped at 5:15 p.m. Live music will be providedby the Cathy Markel Quartet, Dwight Ferrin, and the Basalt High School choir. The night’sfestivities will be hosted by the Basalt Downtown Business Association, town of Basalt, BasaltArea Chamber of Commerce, the Boy Scouts, the Basalt Lions club and Wyly Art Center.

First Friday Carbondale, Basalt shine Dec. 5

The theme is “winter-wonderland” and the contest is open to grades Pre-K through High School.Artwork must be 8 1/2 inches wide by 11 inches high.You may use a variety of media, such as watercolor,pen and ink, crayon, chalk, markers, etc. Brighter colors are encouraged. No sparkles please. Please keep designs 2-dimensional in order for us to scan the artwork for publication.

Let your imagination run wild and get thosecreative juices flowing.Spruce Up the Sun contest winners receive the honor of having their artwork inthe Dec. 25 issue which is distributed through-out the Roaring Fork Valley as well as beingposted on the Sun’s Web site.

The deadline for entries is 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15.Drop them off at The Sopris Sun office in theThird Street Center (520 S. Third St., #36 – at the end of the“long hall”) or send them to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO81623, postmarked by Dec. 8. Please include your name, grade level, and a phone number with your entry. For more information, call The Sopris Sun at 510-3003.

On the SE Corner of Hwy 133 and Main Street in Carbondale970.963.5880

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Sopris Sunthe

Volume 5, Number 45 | December 19, 2013

LOOK INSIDE:

PAGE 5Snowsnake

PAGE 8Films

PAGE 15Trees

Carbondale’s community supported, weekly newspaper

RAMPAGE

& CARBONDALE

REC. GUIDE INSIDE

Spruce Up �e Sun

�is year’swinner is …

The Sopris Sun continued its Spruce Up TheSun cover competition this year, opening up thecompetition to original designs instead of limit-ing it to a contest in which students colored in aline drawing.Almost 100 entries were submitted, includ-ing a box full from art teacher Ami Maes, whodelivered them just before deadline on Monday.The entries included many beautiful and cre-ative winter holiday scenes. Some featured moretraditional settings, such as a warm �re andother inviting home scenes. Others included fa-vorite winter sports such as snowboarding orice-skating. Santa seemed to be multi-talented:disco dancing, hot-tubing in hot cocoa and evendunking a basketball.

This year’s top honor goes to Daniela Rivera,a sixth grader at Carbondale Middle School.First place winners in the various categoriesare: Cal Stone (pre-school), Emmet Garcelon(kindergarten through fourth grade), GelenaAmaral (�fth grade), Hayden Holbrook (sixthgrade), Hannah Feder (seventh grade),Nanessa Montoya (eighth grade) and AmiMaes (adult).Judging such a competitive contest wouldnot have been possible without the help of dis-cerning eyes at the Carbondale Council on Artsand Humanities. The Sopris Sun staff andCCAH would also like to thank all of the con-testants for sharing their creativity and talents. Itmade judging a truly dif�cult task.Contestants may pick up their original art-work at The Sopris Sun of�ce at 520 S. ThirdStreet #35.

For the contest category winners, pleasego to pages 18-19 and visit our website(www.soprissun.com).Thanks again to all who entered. Happyholidays and starting thinking now for the2014 contest.

Cover contest winner: Daniela Rivera, asixth grader at Carbondale Middle School.

DESIGN THE

HOLIDAYCOVER

Break out the paints,

sharpen your pencils

it’s time for the

“Spruce Up The Sun”ANNUAL HOLIDAY COVER DESIGN CONTEST


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

t r u e n ature h e a l s . com100 N 3RD ST • CARBONDALE

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D E C

5

THURS.-SAT. Dec. 4-6THEATER • Sopris Theater Company pres-ents “The Glorious Ones,” a fun and bawdymusical that follows a 16th century comme-dia dell’arte troupe backstage, on stage andoff stage during the Italian Renaissance. Di-rected by Brad Moore and featuring Col-orado Mountain College students, theaterprofessionals and community members, theproduction will take place at the New SpaceTheatre on the Spring Valley Campus on at 7p.m. The play continues at 2 p.m. on Dec. 7,and 7 p.m. on Dec. 11-13. Info: 947-8177 [email protected].

THURSDAY Dec. 4“cLImb FOR FREEDOm” • DirectorStephen McGhee will discuss his film “Climbfor Freedom” after its screening at theWheeler Opera House at 7 p.m. Tickets are$10. The documentary follows seven menwho are determined to conquer MountAconcagua, the world’s tallest mountain out-side of Asia.

WINTERFAIRE STORE • The WaldorfSchool on the Roaring Fork hosts a store andopen house from 5 to 8 p.m. Adults only,please. Info: 963-1960.

bASKETbALL mEETING • There will be aparent/player informational meeting for sixth,seventh and eighth grade boys interested inplaying on a competitive/club basketball team.It will be held in the Carbondale MiddleSchool library at 6:30 p.m. Info: 963-1109.

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

FRI.-SAT. Dec. 5-6WHImSIcAL WOmEN RETURN • TheWhimsical Women of the West’s annual holi-day show takes place at the Third Street Cen-ter from 4 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 5, and 9 a.m. to 4p.m. on Dec. 6. Items include fiber art, jewelry,clothing, holiday decore, vintage collectibles,fine art, photography, folk art pottery, food. Apercentage of the proceeds go to the AdvocateSafehouse Project. Info: Sharill at 945-4004.

cLASSIcAL mUSIc • Symphony in the Val-ley presents a holiday program that includesTchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” and otherfavorites at the Glenwood Springs HighSchool auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 5,and Rifle’s Ute Theatre at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6.

FRI.-SUN. Dec. 5-7WYLY WARES • The Wyly Holiday artisanmarket returns to the Wyly Art Center inBasalt from 4 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 5, and 10a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 6-7. The sale featuresan array of handmade gifts created by localartists. Info: 927-4123 or [email protected].

FRIDAY Dec. 5FIRST FRIDAY • First Friday returns withSanta Claus in tow and other Christmas-re-lated events around town. Highlights includea visit from Santa Claus at the CCAHLaunchpad from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and againfrom 6 to 8 p.m., switching on downtownlights and caroling at 5 p.m., a cup auction atthe Carbondale Clay Center and more. Info:963-1680 or carbondalearts.com. For moredetails, see the article in this week’s paper.

mOVIES • The Crystal Theatre presents

“Rosewater” (R) at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5-11; “TheGood Lie” (PG-13) at 5:15 p.m. Dec. 5-6;“The Creep Behind the Camera” (R) at 2 p.m.Dec. 6; “Birdman” (R) at 5 p.m. Dec. 7 and “IAm Eleven” (NR) at 12 p.m. Dec. 9.

TNHA • True Nature Healing Arts (at 100 N.Third St.) hosts a holiday boutique open housefrom 5 to 8 p.m. Info: truenatureheals.com.

IT’S OVER • The Carbondale Chamber ofCommerce holds a ribbon cutting ceremonyat the City Market parking lot at 3 p.m. tonote the completion of the Highway 133construction project.

LIVE mUSIc • Steve’s Guitars in the oldpart of the Dinkel Building presents TonyFurtado and Luke Price at 8:30 p.m. Furtadois a Portland-based singer/songwriter/slideguitarsist who is well known in these parts.Price is a two-time national fiddle champion.Tickets are $25. Info: 963-3304.

LIVE mUSIc • The Beatles tribute bandDoctor Robert plays the Black Nugget at9:30 p.m. Info: doctorroberttribute.com.

bASALT SPARKLES • Santa Claus comesto Basalt for its tree-lighting ceremony from4 to 6 p.m. at Lions Park. Info: basaltdown-town.com.

FILm • The Wheeler Opera House presents“Pretty Faces.” Info: aspenshowtix.com and920-5770.

SATURDAY Dec. 6FILm • The film “The Creep Behind theCamera” is presented one time only at 2 p.m.at the Crystal Theatre. The film stars RoaringFork Valley resident Josh Phillips. Advance

tickets are $10 at Dos Gringos Burritos in LaFontana Plaza.LIVE mUSIc • Steve’s Guitars in the old partof the Dinkel Building presents David Starrfrom Cedaredge. Opening act will be HapHarriman and Nelson Oldham as the Half-Milemarkers. Tickets are $10. Info: 963-3304.WINTERFAIRE • The Waldorf School onthe Roaring Fork hosts Winterfaire from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. There’ll be children’s crafts,food, live music, puppet plays and more.Tickets are $25 at the door; $20 before. Theschool is located on the Highway 82 frontageroad, just upvalley from Catherine Store. Info:963-1960.WHISKEY TASTING • CCAH reaches outto male shoppers with a whiskey tasting from3 to 5 p.m. at the Launchpad. It’s part of theon-going Deck the Walls holiday show. Com-ing up Dec. 13 from noon to 4 p.m. will bechampagne shopping; on Dec. 20 at 4 p.m.it’s a holiday cookie swap. Info: 963-1680 orcarbondalearts.com.bHS FUND-RAISER • A fund-raiser forBasalt High School basketball teams takesplace at the school starting at 6 p.m., and fea-tures the band Poser, food, drink and silentauction. Info: 948-7703.

SPOKEN WORD • Suzi Q Smith holdsworkshops at the Third Street Center. Smithhas appeared alongside the late Gil ScottHeron, plus Les Nubians, Dead Prez, Rev.Run, Talib Kwell and other spoken wordartists. The fee is $45 per workshop or $80for both. The workshops are co-sponsored by

CALENDAR page 11


Warmest thoughts and best wishes for awonderful ho�day and a very happy new year

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Community Calendar continued from page 10

CCAH and Justice Snow’s. Info and to RSVP:309-2582 or [email protected].

cLASSIcAL mUSIc • Pianist AmandaGessler returns to the Carbondale BranchLibrary for another classical music concertat 3 p.m. She will perform Beethoven’s Sonatano. 29 in B-flat Major, Opus 106, “Ham-merklavier.” Refreshments will be provided.

WINTER mARKET • The Glenwood SpringsCommunity Center holds an artisan wintermarket from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a one-daycraft, bakery and gift market. Info: 945-5562.

SUNDAY Dec. 7SENIOR mATTERS • Folks from SeniorMatters head to the Methodist church in Glen-wood Springs to take in Mountain Madrigals.For a ride, call the Traveler at 456-2295.

SNOWSHOE RAcE • The 23rd annual Dayof Infamy snowshoe race takes places at Sun-light Mountain Resort at 10 a.m. (registra-tion at 9 a.m.). The entry fee is $20 in advanceat Independence Run and Hike and $22 onrace day. Proceeds benefit Colorado AnimalRescue (CARE), the Rifle Animal Shelter andValley Dog Rescue. The race is co-sponsoredby Sunlight and Alpine Bank.

MONDAY Dec. 8JAZZ JAm • The Hotel Colorado in Glen-wood Springs continues Jazz Jam Mondaysfrom 7 to 9 p.m. All abilities are welcome. Formore info contact Hunter Damm 319-7853.

TUESDAY Dec. 9LIVE mUSIc • Steve’s Guitars in the old partof the Dinkel Building presents World’s

Finest. This acoustic quintet plays high-energystring music. Info: 963-3304.

WEDNESDAY Dec. 10cULTURE cLUb • The Carbondale CultureClub in the Third Street Center presents sea-sonal stories by Sylvia Wendrow, Annie Sin-ton and Susan Carter at noon. The Dec. 17program features the piano/guitar duo KellyQuinn and Chris Pfeiffer playing Christmassongs and selections for their new CD.HOUR OF cODE • The Carbondale BranchLibrary offers a computer coding class from2-3:30 p.m. The classes are also offered at allother Garfield Cojnty library system libraries.Info: gcpld.org.POTTERY SALE • Colorado Mountain Col-lege in Aspen (0255 Sage Way) hosts a recep-tion for its holiday pottery sale from 5 to 7:30p.m. The sale features affordable ceramicwork created by local artists, including CMCstudents and faculty. The sale continues from10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Dec. 12. Info: 925-7740.cASA FUND-RAISER • Court AppointedSpecial Advocates (CASA) recruits, trains andsupport volunteers who advocate for childrenin courtrooms and communities. CASA willhold a fund-raiser and awareness event at theGrind in Glenwood Springs (720 Grand Ave.)from 5 to 8 p.m. Info: 970-987-4332 orcasaoftheninth.org. LIVE mUSIc • Dan Rosenthal hosts open micnights at Rivers restaurant from 8 to 10 p.m.Info: 928-8813.ROTARY • The Rotary Club of Carbondalemeets at the Carbondale Fire Station at 6:45 a.m.Info: [email protected] and [email protected].

Further OutTHURS.-SUN. Dec. 11-14THEATRE • Thunder River Theatre Companypresents “The Lion in Winter” at 7:30 p.m.,with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25for adults, $14 for students and $17 fortwenty/thirty-somethings at 963-8200 or thun-derrivertheatre.com. The play continues Dec.18-21. The theatre is located just west of theDinkel Building in downtown Carbondale.

FRIDAY Dec. 12STUDENTS’ REcITAL • Students of SoniaRoldan will present a bilingual piano recital atthe Third Street Center starting at 6 p.m. Theirages range from 4 to 12 years old. Info: 963-1680 or carbondalearts.com.

ANDERSON RANcHERS TALK • Anderson

Ranch artists speak and present images of theirwork at the CCAH Launchpad at 5 p.m. Theyinclude print makers Tara Cooper and DanielGreenberg, sculptor Jeremy Dean, ceramistMarisa Finos, photographer/new media artistAnna Garner, and painter Caitlin Cocco. Happyhour libations will be served. Info: 963-1680and carbondalearts.com.

KOROLOGOS GALLERY • The Ann Korolo-gos Gallery in Basalt hosts an artist’s reception.The show runs through Jan. 4. Info: 927-9668.

SAT.-SUN. Dec. 13-14“THE NUTcRAcKER” • Aspen Santa FeBallet presents “The Nutcracker” at the AspenDistrict Theatre. Info: 920-5770 or aspen-santafeballet.com.

Save the DateSATURDAY Dec. 13WILD & ScENIc FESTIVAL • The ThompsonDivide Coalition brings the Wild & Scenic FilmFestival to the Crystal Theatre on Dec. 13. Thefestival features conservation and adventure filmsthat illustrate the Earth’s beauty, the challengesthat face the plant, and the work that communi-ties around the world are doing to protect theareas they cherish, according to a press release.“Through these films, we hope to inspire you, ouraudience, to become more involved with one ofthe biggest conservation opportunities facing ourown community: permanent protection for pub-lic lands in the Thompson Divide area,” said aThompson Divide spokesman. Other sponsorsinclude CLIF Bar, Sierra Nevada, Patagonia andlocal businesses. Info: 970-355-4223.

OngoingcASTLE TOURS • Guided tours at the his-toric Redstone Castle are offered on Saturdaysand Sundays at 1:30 p.m. through the winter,with holiday tours Dec. 22-26 and 29-31. Info:963-9656 and redstonecastle.us.

ASPEN cHAPEL GALLERY • The AspenChapel Gallery features Brian Colley, LisaSinger, Staci Dickerson, Kat Rich and 27 otherlocal artists in its “Small Wonders” show, whichruns through Jan. 4.

OPEN cONTINUES • The Wyly Open con-tinues at the Wyly Art Center in downtownBasalt. Also, “4 Architects,” which featuresGlenn Rappaport, Harry Teague, Larry Yawand Will Young, continues at the Wyly Annex(174 Midland Ave. in Basalt) through Dec. 6.

Community Briefs Please submit your community briefs to [email protected] by noon on Monday.

board discusses Sirko contractThe Dec. 10 Roaring Fork School Dis-

trict board meeting slated to begin at 5:30p.m. at Bridges High School has beenmoved to Roaring Fork High School at 5p.m., according to a school district e-mail.A school district spokeswoman said publiccomment probably will not begin until 5:45p.m. because a financial audit is first on theagenda. School District SuperintendentDiana Sirko is asking the board to extendher contract, which expires in the spring.The board hired Sirko as interim superin-tendent in 2012 after Dr. Rob Stein had tostep down after about one month on thejob following his wife’s serious bicycle ac-cident. Stein later returned as assistant su-perintendent and chief academic officer.

Photo students offer free portraitsFaculty, staff and students of the profes-

sional photography program at ColoradoMountain College will set up their camerasat the CMC Lappala Center to create freeportraits from 5 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 5. Thephoto shoot is part of the internationalHelp-Portrait movement, according to apress release. “Help-Portrait is a globalmovement of photographers using theirtime, tools and expertise to give back tothose in need,” said a CMC press release.There will be multiple portrait studios setup at the Lappala Center and portraits willbe printed and delivered that night. This isthe fifth year the professional photography

program has participated in Help-Portrait,bringing hundreds of free portraits to theresidents of the Roaring Fork Valley. Formore information, e-mail Derek Johnstonat [email protected] or call947-8151.

KDNK holds annual meetingCommunity access radio station KDNK

holds its annual meeting and elects mem-bers to the board of directors at 5 p.m. onDec. 10. The action takes place at the sta-tion, located at 76 S. Second. KDNK mem-bers elect the board. Votes must be receivedelectronically by 3 p.m. on Dec. 10, cast inperson at 5 p.m. on that day, or deliveredto the station on or before Dec. 10.

cornhole returnsThe second annual Roaring Fork Val-

ley Design + Build cornhole tournamenttakes place at Glenwood Springs HighSchool from 4 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 6. Theentry fee is $10 per two-person team. It’swinner take all.

Library board talks gunsAn agenda item on the Dec. 4 Garfield

County Library Board has to do withwhether to draft a policy allowing or notallowing permit-carrying patrons to lugconcealed firearms into library buildings.According to published reports, the RockyMountain Gun Owners group threatenedto take Windsor’s Clearview Library Dis-

trict to court, after a librarian asked a legalgun-toter to leave the building. The librarydistrict quickly backed down, and passeda policy that allows those with permits tocarry a concealed firearm to bring a guninto the library. Other agenda items for theGarfield County Library District on Dec. 4include a discussion on the JVA marketingplan, and an executive director evaluation.The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the NewCastle Branch Library. The next meetingis Jan. 8 at the Silt Branch Library.

SVA looking for playersSymphony in the Valley is looking for

musicians to play with the orchestra.“We’re a volunteer organization com-prised of local musicians making music forthe communities here in the valley,” saidconductor Kelly Thompson. “We wouldlove for you to join us.” All ages who playan orchestra instrument are invited; highschool students are welcome with ateacher’s recommendation. For details, e-mail [email protected].

clothing drive under wayBasalt Realty is the drop-off place for

the Salvation Army’s annual cold weatherclothing drive. “Thanks to the over-whelming generosity last year, severalhundred people were outfitted,” said alocal Salvation Army spokesman. BasaltRealty is accepting clean and gently usedcoats, sweaters, hats, scarves, socks,

gloves and boots. The drop-off hours are9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 31.

Attention fashion designersThe early submission deadline for

CCAH’s 2015 Green is the New Blackfashion extravaganza is Dec. 15, accord-ing to a press release. Regular submissionsare due Jan. 12. For details, call 963-1680or e-mail carbondalearts.com.

Attention artistsThe entry deadline for CCAH’s 35th an-

nual Valley Visual Art Show is Jan. 9 at 5p.m. The non-juried show is open to artistswho are CCAH members and reside in the816 ZIP code. Each artist may submit twopieces, which must have been created butnot shown in the past 12 months. Theopening reception takes place at 6 p.m. onJan. 23. To download an application, go tocarbondalearts.com or pick one up at theLaunchpad. For details, call 963-1680.

Fire district callsHere are the Carbondale & Rural Fire

Protection District’s emergency 911 callsfor the week of Nov. 23-29:

• Medial emergencies (6);• Motor vehicle accidents (5);• Trauma emergencies (4);• Smoke alarm responses (1);• Ground hazard (1);• Gas leak (1);• Wildland fire/controlled burn (1);

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Roaring Fork Beer CompanyKenichi Custom WooodworkingBrent Moss Photography

Osmia OrganicsUp SkiAnn B. Design JewelryBoard by Design

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Grief and Loss Support Groups for �e Holidays– A Time to Honor

Aspen –Mondays at 6:00pm

Nov 24 -Dec 22Location – Senior Center,

0275 Castle Creek Rd.Call Elizabeth Miller

to sign up970-379-7388

Carbondale –Mondays at 6:00pm

Nov 24 -Dec 22Location – True Nature Healing Arts,

100 N. 3rd St.Call Robyn Hubbard

to sign up970-319-6854

Ri�e –Wednesdays at 6:00pm

Nov 26 -Dec 24Location –in Ri�e at

111 East 3rd St, Ste. 203Call Jennifer Glynn

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Hustling out the door for anything earlyon Thanksgiving morning is mastering a smallact of greatness. Making it to the start of thelocal 5K race is really just icing on the cake.

But first you have to leave the cozywarmth of your home. The smell of preppedfood lingers in the air and the anticipation ofa day of relaxation with few obligationsplays tricks in your head. Part of your braintells you to stay home, drink another cup ofcoffee, find a newspaper to read and startcalling family far away. The other part ofyour brain says to get out and exercise beforethe gluttony begins.

Once successfully out the door you giveyourself a congratulatory smile. You couldhave easily pulled back into the drivewayand crawled back into bed. Instead youmake your way over to the Drumstick Dash5K benefitting the Carbondale Soccer Cluband their over 300 member strong, non-profit organization.

Your perseverance pays off! The local cof-fee shop and sponsor of the race, Bonfire Cof-fee, has a spread worthy of the entry fee itself.There’s plenty of coffee, chai, scones, muffinsand fruit for everyone.

Kids are excited to bike or scooter aroundthe course. Parents are ready to push strollerswith their napping children. And there arealso a few runners ready to crush the coursewith speed and determination.

You are instantly happier than before justby being part of this small-town fund-raiser.The anticipation of the race is in the air and

the sun is now shining brightly. And with onlya whistle, a shout by volunteer Crista Barlow,and a stopwatch on Dan Pittz’s phone, therace quickly begins.

The first racer, Amy Rollins, sprints in at21:36 with Brad Palmer close behind at22:41. Then there are more cheers when thefirst children run toward the finish line.Megan Heath comes in first with an impres-sive 26 minutes followed by Ari Chacos at29:05. They are each nine years old.

Staying until the end of a casual, light-hearted Carbondale race sometimes yields bigrewards if you are patient and get into thespirit of it all. This is due to the precedent setby Bob Olenick, a Carbondale Soccer Clubpatriarch and overall happy guy.

Jarid and Amy Rollins, Stacy Stone, Lau-rie Guevara-Stone, Bob Albright, KevinHeath and Mary McKisson all won in theirrespective age-groups. Kinley Richmondwon for her butterfly costume. Axel Ander-son and Kai Holcombe tied on their bicyclesfor passion and grit. Someone won choco-late for saying they liked chocolate. Anotherwinner took home a body-awareness analy-sis for asking about the body-awarenessanalysis. People won bags of coffee, gift cer-tificates and soccer gear.

Early morning exercise coupled with adonation to the local soccer club feels likewinning inside and out. This was infinitelyworth the effort getting the family to thestarting line on Thanksgiving morning.

For more information on the Carbon-dale Soccer Club, please visit: www.carbon-dalesoccer.org.

Left to right:Jake Barlow,

Cooper Chacos,Ross Barlow

and Josh Her-nandez at lastweek’s Drum-

stick Dash 5K.Amy Rollins

posted thefastest time

at 21:36. Courtesy photo

Drumstick Dash 5K more than just a run

By Barbara DillsSopris Sun Correspondent

Carbondale native Garret Jammaronsays he couldn’t be happier about beingback in his home town. In mid-November,he started a new job as assistant vice-pres-ident at the local Alpine Bank branch.

Garret grew up in the Roaring Fork Val-ley, attended grade school at the formerCarbondale Elementary School (now theThird Street Center) and graduated in 2004from Roaring Fork High School, where heplayed offensive lineman and linebacker onthe football team. In a recent interview, hesaid it means a lot to have the chance toserve the community where his family haslived for over a century. Besides helpinglocal residents with consumer and commer-cial loans of all kinds, he is looking forwardto serving as one of several community re-lationship managers for the bank.

Garret’s love for football was kindled inthe Carbondale pee-wee league when hewas small. After high school, he went on toplay football for two more years at West-ern State Colorado University in Gunnisonbefore back injuries forced him to retirefrom playing the sport (he still loves tocoach). He transferred to Boulder to finishcollege at the University of Colorado,where he earned a degree in economics. TheFront Range never quite felt like home, so

when he had a chance to return to this area,he grabbed it. He’d grown up hunting, fish-ing, skiing, and enjoying everything thewilderness surrounding Carbondale has tooffer. “I always knew this was a specialplace,” he says. “But living in Boulder Icame to appreciate it even more than I hadgrowing up here.”

Garret’s great-grandfather Victor wasthe first of the Jammaron clan to settle inthe Roaring Fork Valley. He arrived here inthe early 1900s from northern Italy after anuncle returned from a stint as a miner inColorado with tales of the land and the op-portunities. Victor’s son, Garret’s grandfa-ther Leo, was born on Missouri Heightsand still lives on the family ranch he estab-lished between Carbondale and GlenwoodSprings, as do Garret’s uncle Ken and hisfather and mother, who built a house therewhen Garret was in eighth grade. The threehomes make up something of a familycompound, and Garret has fond memoriesof participating in ranch life there as a kidgrowing up.

Before taking his current position atAlpine Bank, Garret worked at the Riflebranch as a loan operations officer, a be-hind-the-scenes role helping manage thebank’s entire loan portfolio. In his newrole, he’ll have more direct contact withthe public. A child of the bank in some re-gards (his father Glen is president and vice-

chairman), Garret says he is pleased to bereconnecting with old friends and ac-quaintances through his job. He says hethinks Carbondale is poised for responsi-ble growth over the next few years —growth that is compatible with its uniqueidentity — and he believes the bank cancontinue to play a valuable role in com-munity building on all levels.

“A community bank like Alpine is moreinterested in seeing growth happen in theright way, because the people who workhere grew up close by or live here now andare not looking to hit the next step in theircareers and, say, move to another state.They are personally invested in the com-munity, which means the bank is investedin the community.”

Garret Jammaron: From football to financeA 2004 RFHS graduate comes home


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Garret Jammaron was a stand out football player at Roaring Fork and continued for twomore years at Western State Colorado University. These days, he is an assistant VP atAlpine Bank-Carbondale. Photo by Barbara Dills

Letters continued om page 2


We have some fun activities for youth through adult.Check it out online, pick your copy up at Basalt Town Hall, or we would be happy to drop one in the mail for you. Just call us at 970-927-8214 x400, or you can visit our website and register online at www.basalt-expressrec.org.

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very same parents who worked hard to passthe mill levy; who participated in visioning,strategic planning and facilities meetings; andwho volunteer in the schools, serving on PIE,boosters and the accountability commit-tees. We care because if this community losesStein, whose hiring we participated in andsupported, we’d lose a top-tier administratorwho would be almost impossible to replace.

Many of us who have been hugely engagedwill feel disenfranchised, especially becausetwo of the five board members voting on thisissue were just recently appointed, not elected.

The best way to avoid unnecessary divi-siveness is for the board to find a way to keepStein and let Sirko finish her good work asour transitional superintendent. Short of that,the board should undertake a new publicprocess for determining who our next super-intendent should be.

Ellen FreedmanAuden SchendlerBasalt

board should look long-term(Editor’s note: This letter was addressed toRFSD board members).Dear Editor:

First, thank you all for your efforts overthe last few years in the visioning processand some tough decisions that are always re-quired when change is present, or needed.

While there has been a lot of work doneby staff, administration, the board and hun-dreds of committed parents and volunteers,there is still much work to be done with im-

plementation. From looking at the districtwebsite and reading letters to the editor inlocal papers, it is clear there is a lot of inter-est in the discussion revolving around ex-tending Dr. Diana Sirko’s contract. Thecommunity seems overwhelmingly appre-ciative of Dr. Sirko’s efforts and assistance inbringing in Dr. Rob Stein as part of the teamto develop and implement some importantchanges to the school district, which I feelwill be important for our kids in the yearsto come. I tend to agree.

That being said, I also feel (as many do)that the board had a plan of succession andspent much time and funds looking for theright candidate. We have that candidate inDr. Stein. There is nothing wrong with hav-ing this plan in place and a three-year ex-tension of Dr. Sirko’s contract wouldpotentially jeopardize much of the workthat has been done and people that havebeen put in place. While the board may saythere was never this planned succession, Isay: why not?; and I would say 90 percentof the public was not under this impression— right or wrong.

While I cannot claim to know theRFSD’s human resources policies as it re-lates to hiring of executive-level staff, Iknow most institutions have policies thatenable a board to make these type of deci-sions without going through extensive pub-lic-selection processes. This seems especiallytrue since a national search process alreadytook place and resulted in Dr. Stein’s initialhiring. While the initial scenario may have

changed, the end result should not and ifperformance is considered, I think you havea qualified candidate the school districtboard should be looking to guide it into thefuture. Not to mention, it seems somewhatwasteful in both taxpayer dollars and boardand staff time to go down the road of an-other large search process. Lastly, if thereare to be negotiations on contract exten-sions, it certainly does not have to happenin a vacuum and in a “hurry up offense”type scenario, since the RFSD should be fo-cused on contracting with the skilled poolit has for superintendent position and a cal-culated transition. It is likely this may behappening behind the scenes, but a trans-parent and frank discussion will serve thecommunity best.

Thank you for your consideration in thismatter and I hope for our kids and the sakeof the community visioning process to datethe board considers a transition in the nextyear or two between Dr. Sirko and Dr.Stein. It is great having two wonderful qual-ified leaders, but I request we look past theimmediate to the long-term.

Rob MoreyCarbondale

Stein is the starterDear Editor:

I have read the school board will discussextending Dr. Diana Sirko’s contract as su-perintendent at the school board meeting atRoaring Fork High School at 5 p.m. on Dec.10. I was surprised to read this. As most peo-

ple will recall, she got the position as astand-in for Dr. Rob Stein, who was hiredfor the position but had to vacate it to tendto his wife who suffered a serious brain in-jury in a bicycle accident. The common per-ception was Sirko would fill in until Stein’swife recovered enough that he could resumehis position, or if not, someone else could befound. Sirko has done a fine job leading thedistrict in the interim.

Stein’s wife has recovered well, and Steinhas worked under Sirko for the last year orso. Rob Stein is our starting quarterback. Hestepped down because HIS WIFE WAS SE-RIOUSLY INJURED! The back-up came inand did an admiral job. But the man we re-cruited, after a lengthy search, is back. Hedeserves to regain his starting position.

David TeitlerCarbondale

Not impressed with SurlsDear Editor:

Frankly, we are not impressed by howmuch money was used to put this sculpturein the roundabout. We are not impressedwith this artist. I don’t believe that Carbon-dale has ever been known for abstract art.Oh, you can explain all you want regardingthis, but it doesn’t depict anything aboutCarbondale, its history, the people that firstcame into this valley, how it was settled, itstraditions, absolutely nothing about Car-bondale and its beginnings.

Sorry, I can’t relate to this even one little

LETTERS page 18


Happy Holidays

from

EAT. SHOP. PLAYCONFLUENCE OF RIVERS, RECREATION & CULTURE

By Steve Jundt

If there were a Citizen of the Year award you would be hard pressed to rule Stacey Craftout of the running. Stacey and her husband, Lester, moved here with their two children sixyears ago and Stacey wasted no time in contributing back to their new community.

“I love living in Basalt,” says Stacey. “I felt “settled” here within two weeksof our move. There are so many opportunities to effect positive change in thistown. I have enjoyed working on civic and electoral projects, being a part ofthe public school accountability committees and helping start the middleschool’s Reading Buddy Program.”

Stacey grew up in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, a small town near a skislope, much like Basalt. Like many, she fell in love with the Roaring ForkValley during a ski trip.

“The first visit was on a high school field trip in 1984,” says Stacey, “andI vowed to live in Aspen one day.” Stacey spent a couple winters in Aspenduring the early 1990’s then returned to North Carolina, married her writer husband,and spent the next seven years in Los Angeles.

“Our kids were small then,” says Stacey, “and as they got older, my husband and Iyearned to move to the mountains and raise them in a small town. We realized that dreamand moved to Basalt in 2008.”

Lester currently works in the digital media industry. Their daughter, Adele, is 15, a soph-omore at Bridges High School, and their son, Miles, is 12, a homeschooled seventh grader.

“They are a real joy,” says Stacey, “always planning interesting projects.” Their par-ents talents are certainly reflected in their kids. Adele wrote and produced the Elk Run

Halloween Musical for five years, which involved neighborhood kids and friends in thestarring roles. Miles is following in her footsteps and creating his own events now. Hehosted a neighborhood Summer Olympics this year and is now planning a WinterOlympics and several other projects.

Stacey was a Realtor® in Los Angeles for five years and began working forChaffin Light when she moved here. Now, six years later she has opened herown brokerage.

“I decided to call the business Happy Real Estate,” says Stacey, “becausethat’s really what I wanted the office to be — a happy, welcoming environ-ment for brokers and clients. Our first year and a half has been very reward-ing. We have five brokers working at Happy now and I hope to add a fewmore like-minded agents in the new year. We’ve created something that I’mvery proud of … it’s a special little office and people immediately pick up onthat when they walk in the door. We have a sign outside that says ‘Come on in,

ask us anything’ which leads to lots of interesting conversations with passersby.”Stacey’s volunteer and educational advocacy work is an important part of her life. Her

family collects, sorts and distributes thousands of books to Basalt school children eachyear. “I am one of the moderators of the Roaring Fork Valley Homeschool Network andassist in planning activities with the nearly 150 families who homeschool in the valley. Istarted homeschooling my son and his friend when they were in fourth grade. Ourdaughter asked to be homeschooled for eighth grade. That has plunged our family intoa whole new world of educational opportunities. We now have four boys learning atour house each day.”

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

• Ideas for downtown redevelopment? • Thoughts on marijuana laws? • Questions on the river project?

This is a great opportunity to share your thoughts,make comments and catch up onwhat’s happening in Basalt. All issues and topics welcome.

The next Coffee with the Mayor is:

Wednesday, Saxy’s in downtown Basalt from 8:15 to to 9:15 AM.

Coffee with theMayor

970-927-4384144 Midland Avenue

Basalt, Colorado 81621

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EMBROIDERY BY CORALIE. To raise money for girlseducation in Afganistan. She will donate all to a non-profit. Names/words $5, mountains, heart or other design$10 on a beige background. Personalize a bookmark $15.Call 970-355-9982.

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS for kids and teens to promotetheir businesses enterprises. Thirty word maximum.Please send to [email protected].

LOST. Two keys on a paperclip, possibly in the vicinity ofthe Third Street Center, KDNK or the recreation center.One goldish and square, the other not. If found, pleasecall 963-1549.

GET THE WORD OUT IN UNCLASSIFIEDS! Ratesstart at $15. Email [email protected].

VOLUNTEER SPORTS EDITOR wanted to coordinate So-pris Sun high school winter sports coverage and also write

stories as needed. Experience not necessary. Please call So-pris Sun Editor Lynn Burton at 510-3003 or [email protected].

*Credit card payment information should be emailed [email protected] or call 948-6563. Checksmay be dropped off at our office at the Third Street Cen-ter or mailed to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623.Call 618-9112 for more info.

Letters continued om page 16

bit. It’s hard enough to get around it andwatch that somebody doesn’t run into you.It’s the mentality of “me first, get out of myroad” type of round about.

Jane SpauldingCarbondale

Speak up on 24DDear Editor:

As I was turning west off Highway 133,in town, I noticed two men beside the ditchto my right-hand side. One of them was car-rying a green, five-gallon jug with a spray at-tachment on the end and he was spraying itat the top of the grade into the ditch andlower into the ditch. I recognize the con-tainer to be Weed Be Gone and related prod-ucts. I started to drive by and I thought, no,he’s not supposed to be spraying within 25feet of a waterway and he’s spraying withintwo feet of the running ditch. Someone with

a sprinkling system down the line is gettingsprayed with 24D (Agent Orange) whenthey turn on their sprinkling system. When Isaid something to him about spraying 24Dwithin 25 feet of a water source he lifted thebottle and began to read it.

My deepest concern is for the lives forwhich we are now responsible. I’m fearfulof what cancers might have been inflictedon the future of the children that livenow, believing our water is safe. These in-dividuals using the easy way to an end arenot an isolated occurrence. We mournloved ones every moment of the day,dying of cancers and chemical/mancaused diseases. I just lost a dear friendthat swam in the ditches and rivers withme all those years ago and I can’t helpthinking of the chemicals we were swim-ming in and what could have causedthose cancers to grow initially.

Several weeks ago I watched four de-lightful little girls romp and play in the waterand come up spitting out water, and justhaving a general good old time in the sum-mer heat. Those little girls are holding us re-sponsible for the purity of our water systemand we should be adult enough to acceptthat responsibility. Are we the adults? Do wereally care?

As a town, as trustees, as a police depart-ment and as individuals that choose to live inthis town, we are the ones allowing thesethings to happen. Unspeakable sicknessesare occurring right now because we do notspeak up.

Would you favor a petition to the towncouncil to levy fines to individuals dispensingtoxic chemicals irresponsibly in Carbondale?

Speak up Carbondale. Please, speak up.Lynn Olson CollingsCarbondale

NOTICEPURSUANT TO THE LAWSOF COLORADO

COLORADO PRODUCT SERVICES, LLC

HAS REQUESTED THE LICENSING OFFICIALS OF THE TOWN OF CARBONDALETO RENEW THEIR RETAIL MARIJUANA STORELICENSE TO SELL RETAIL MARIJUANA AND RETAIL MARIJUANA PRODUCTS AT

DOCTORS GARDEN580 MAIN STREET, SUITE 300CARBONDALE, CO 81623

HEARING ON APPLICATION TO BE HELD AT:CARBONDALE TOWN HALL511 COLORADO AVENUECARBONDALE, COLORADO

DATE AND TIME: JANUARY 13, 2015 AT 6:00 P.M.DATE OF APPLICATION: NOVEMBER 24, 2014

BY ORDER OF: STACEY BERNOT, MAYOR

APPLICANT:JAMES LEONARD

Information may be obtained from, and Petitions orRemonstrance’s may be filed with the Town ClerkCarbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO 81623

Published in The Sopris Sun on December 4, 2014.

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