chuck@pagosasun.com

Father and son's ordeal provides cautionary tale

By Chuck McGuire
Staff Writer

With tremendous snowfall blanketing Pagosa Country in the past nine weeks, dangerous accumulations are now sitting atop area homes and businesses.

Of course, conventional wisdom suggests it must be removed before structural damage can occur, but anyone thinking of doing so may want to reconsider. Anyone, that is, except paid professionals.

Two Archuleta County residents narrowly escaped serious injury or worse earlier this week, as tons of snow unexpectedly slid from their roof and completely buried them for a time.

Daniel Schmeltz, 63, and son Michael, 33, were working to remove three to five feet of snow from the metal roof of their home near Lake Hatcher Monday afternoon, when a loud “crack” indicated the heavy load was about to move. Before either could jump clear of its path, however, the snow suddenly came down upon them.

Leone Schmeltz (Lee), Dan’s wife, heard the slide from inside the home and immediately stepped outside to check on the two men, but her repeated calls were, as she put it, “met with an eerie silence.”

“I looked around this huge pile of snow for a shovel,” Lee said, “but I couldn’t find one. That’s when I noticed Chantal (Ralston) clearing snow from her driveway next door.”

Within two or three minutes of the slide, Lee confronted Ralston and asked for help. Ralston quickly ordered Rio, her two-year-old black Labrador retriever, to “go find Dan.”

Meanwhile, before dialing 911, Lee called another neighbor, Bob (last name unknown), who promptly arrived with two shovels. Adam Albach, a third neighbor, was soon on the scene and assisted Bob with digging at a location Rio seemed most interested in. Within approximately five minutes, Daniel was extracted from an estimated two feet of snow, while Michael remained unaccounted for.

At once, Albach thought he heard something and suggested everyone there be quiet for a moment. Then, as another muffled sound came from deep beneath the snowpack, the digging continued. Michael was soon found and eventually freed from beneath what witnesses said was at least four feet of snow.

All told, Daniel Schmeltz was apparently trapped and unable to move beneath the snow for between 10 and 15 minutes, while son Michael was buried for 20 minutes, or more.

Miraculously, neither man claimed serious injury and both refused treatment or transport to the hospital as paramedics and Cpl. Lezlie Powers of the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Department arrived, moments later. At last report, father and son are stiff and sore from the ordeal, but thankful to be alive.

Powers, meanwhile, said the sheriff’s department has had several similar calls in recent days, but by yesterday afternoon, no serious injuries had been reported.

When asked what advice they would offer to folks planning on removing snow from their roof, both Daniel and Michael answered almost simultaneously, “Don’t do it.” Instead, they recommended leaving it to paid professionals.

Those wanting snow removed from their roof can call any of half a dozen such services listed in the classified ad section of The SUN. Most are quite busy now, so be prepared for some delay. Be sure and ask the methodology and cost of the service, how long it will take to complete, and whether the business carries liability insurance against personal injury and property damage.

Above all, think twice before taking the project on, yourself.

County has a new interim administrator

By James Robinson
Staff Writer

The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners formally welcomed new interim county administrator Greg Schulte during the board’s regular meeting Tuesday.

After visiting southwestern Colorado in May 2007, Schulte said he decided to relocate to Durango from Sacramento, Calif., and he and his wife Deborah moved in July — Schulte bringing 18 years experience in directing and managing local government, including spending the last 12 years working for the City of Sacramento.

Before arriving at his post in Archuleta County, Schulte served as the administration division manager for Sacramento’s Development Services Department where, as part of his responsibilities, he prepared and managed a budget exceeding $20 million and was a key player in the department’s organizational restructuring which, in the planning world, Schulte said, resulted in a departmental paradigm shift.

Although Schulte has spent most of his professional and academic life in California, he is a Colorado native and said he and his wife were drawn to the southwestern region of the state due to its history and the outdoor opportunities that abound.

“We like the outdoor lifestyle,” Schulte said.

In fact, before taking the job with Archuleta County, Schulte put his passion for the outdoors to use, and worked as a ski instructor at Durango Mountain Resort — until two weeks ago.
Aside from being able to teach county staff and elected officials how to carve perfect turns, Schulte’s financial management experience should serve Archuleta County citizens well. To that end, others have acknowledged Schulte’s financial savvy and the City of Durango appointed him to their Financial Advisory Board in September 2007.

Schulte said one of his primary charges as interim administrator is to use his financial management experience to keep Archuleta County “financially vigilant,” keeping the county’s budget balanced, and ensuring that each expenditure can be reconciled with a corresponding revenue stream — a philosophy Schulte describes as the “sustainable budget” approach.

In addition, Schulte said he is well aware of the county’s financial crisis, but believes the worst is past, and that Archuleta County is poised for excellence.

“I’m an optimist,” Schulte said. “And no matter how long I’m here, my goal is to get this organization to take off, because I am sure that is going to happen.”

Schulte also talked about potential.

“I think this area has so much going for it, not only now, but in the future. What interests me about this job is potential. I think the potential is enormous. I am very excited, and that’s why I want to be here,” Schulte said.

And although the title “interim” denotes someone here for the short term, Schulte indicated he has a longer vision for his commitment to Archuleta County.

“I’ve made no secret that I’m interested in a long term position,” Schulte said.

james@pagosasun.com

By Thea Skinner
Staff Writer

thea@pagosasun.com

By Thea Skinner
Staff Writer