Thursday, April 3, 2008

Stick up: Gunman robs downtown bank

By Karl Isberg

Staff Writer

The search continued Wednesday for a gunman who robbed a downtown Pagosa Springs Bank April 1.

A lone gunman entered First Southwest Bank at 7th and San Juan streets in downtown Pagosa Springs at approximately 12:30 p.m. Tuesday and robbed the bank of an estimated $2,000 ($20, $50 and $100 bills). No one was hurt during the robbery.

A 911 call reported the crime at approximately 12:30 p.m. A call was made immediately prior to the robbery report, alerting authorities to a suspicious person at the bank.

The suspect left the scene in a full-size, late-model (2000s) metallic bronze or champagne-colored pickup truck, which witnesses said had New Mexico license plates. The suspect reportedly drove east on San Juan Street (U.S. 160) following the incident.

Witnesses said the suspect is a short, heavy-set, clean-shaven male, approximately 5-foot, 5 inches to 5-6 in height. He was wearing a maroon jacket with white stripes on the sleeve and a tan ball cap, with a brown bill. A similarly described suspect robbed a Durango bank last week.

Town assistant police chief Jim Saunders was at the scene within two minutes and local law enforcement officers — town police, sheriff deputies and Colorado State Patrol — began a methodical search of the highways leading into and out of town. A local ambulance crew, on its way down the west side of Wolf Creek Pass was also asked to stay on the alert for the suspect vehicle.

Efforts were hampered by a widespread law enforcement computer system malfunction that affected communication between agencies in the region. A be-on-the-lookout alert was sent to all Four Corners law enforcement agencies by other means.

Pagosa Springs police detective Scott Maxwell said Wednesday morning that the local department is working with the FBI and the Durango Police Department concerning the robbery and its possible connection to the Durango crime. He said calls have been made to the Farmington Police Department to determine possible links with recent bank robberies there.

Reverse 911 coming to county

By James Robinson

Staff Writer

Archuleta County further enhanced its emergency preparedness tool kit Tuesday, when the Board of County Commissioners approved a contract triggering implementation of a reverse 911 program.

Testing of the new system will begin next week.

According to Archuleta County Undersheriff John Weiss, the reverse 911 system will enable the sheriff’s department to contact residents across the county, or just in targeted areas, in the event of an emergency situation such as flood, fire or other natural disaster. Weiss said the system could also be used to notify residents of safety concerns, or to provide instructions or other information during a law enforcement situation, such as Tuesday’s bank robbery in Pagosa Springs, when authorities were searching for a suspect driving a particular make and model of vehicle.

Weiss said the sheriff’s department has had a strong interest in providing the program for some time, although initial research indicated it would be too expensive.

Tuesday’s contract with CodeRed however, comes in at $7,500 for the year, which Weiss said was eminently affordable and well within budget. Dollars for the program will come from the county’s E-911 fund, a line item in the 2008 budget.

Weiss said it appears a number of local governments in Colorado and Texas are also using the company.

In the case of a power outage, Weiss said the reverse 911 call will not reach cordless phones, and Weiss suggested all households keep a landline telephone that does not require electricity to function.

The system will notify cellular telephones and Internet telephones, although Archuleta County Emergency Services Coordinator Drew Petersen said those phones must be registered with the provider. Petersen said details on how to register cell and Internet phones would be provided in coming weeks.

Weiss said reverse 911 capabilities are unprecedented in Archuleta County and the program gives the sheriff’s department and other emergency services providers “another tool in the tool box” for dealing with emergency situations.

And the list of tools keeps growing.

On Monday, Archuleta County Emergency Services Coordinator announced two new phone numbers — one for emergency information (731-5211), the other for non-emergency public assistance (731-5911).

Petersen said the emergency information line still needs a bit of fine tuning, and when it becomes fully operational in the coming days, will provide recorded information on flooding, wildfires, emergency road or weather conditions as just a few examples.

The non-emergency line, Petersen said, is up and running, and calls are routed to dispatch.

Implementing the additional phone numbers and providing the reverse 911 program are part of a series of recent efforts undertaken as the county seeks to improve emergency operations in general, and ramps up for potential spring flooding and wildfire season.

Archuleta County Special Projects Manager Karin Kohake said while the county is providing programs and information to help maintain citizen safety during emergency events, she said county residents also play a key role in the process.

“County residents need to be the eyes and ears for county crews,” Kohake said.

Kohake added that citizen information, particularly in outlying areas, can help keep roads passable, culverts clear and homes safe.

james@pagosasun.com


Schiro files affidavit, signals candidacy

By James Robinson

Staff Writer

With the filing of a candidate affidavit Friday, Archuleta County Commissioner Robin Schiro has indicated she seeks re-election to her District 1 commissioner’s seat.

Schiro, a Republican, along with fellow party members Kenneth Cowen, Randall Mettscher and John Ranson, chose to forego the caucus and assembly process, and will instead seek access to the primary election ballot via petition.

Republican candidate and former county commissioner Gene Crabtree secured a spot on the primary ballot after he won the party nod during the Republican assembly Feb. 23.

Schiro needs 301 signatures to secure a spot on the primary ballot.

Schiro declined four requests for comment on her candidacy. SUN staff made two requests verbally and in-person Tuesday, and two requests via telephone Wednesday.

SUN staff asked the incumbent commissioner two questions similar to those posed to all other candidates: Why are you running? And, if elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your tenure?

Schiro was invited to respond verbally or in written form, but by 11 a.m. Wednesday, she had not responded.

As of Wednesday, according to staff in the Archuleta County Clerk’s office, only Ranson’s petition had been approved.

Colorado election rules allowed petitions to be circulated as of March 31, and candidates have until May 29 to file their petitions with the clerk’s office.

james@pagosasun.com

NEWS

COUNTY

County says ‘no’ to Carothers settlement

By James Robinson

Staff Writer

A lawsuit filed after the mauling of Garrett Carothers, a child attacked by two dogs in the Vista Subdivision in 2002, will continue to wind its way through the courts, following a decision by the Board of County Commissioners after an executive session March 18.

According to County Attorney Teresa Williams, the board declined an opportunity to settle two remaining issues in the case — one involving allegations of the county’s breach of contract with the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association to provide a special level of animal control services and, second, allegations of “wanton and willful conduct” on the part of former Archuleta County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Gaskins, who responded to the incident.

The settlement, according to Williams, would have totalled $300,000 — $150,000 per item.

The wanton and willful conduct charge stems from allegations that Gaskins failed to respond to a report of dangerous dogs in the subdivision made about 30 minutes before the attack.

The case goes back to Dec. 23, 2002, when two dogs attacked the then 8-year-old Carothers while he was standing on the porch of a friend’s house. According to sheriff’s department and SUN staff reports, the dogs dragged Carothers off the porch and into the street where they mauled him, inflicting bites over 80 percent of the boy’s body and severe lacerations to his head, ears and face.

Gaskins shot one of the dogs — a pit bull — after the mauling, when the animal lunged at him. The other dog, a Rottweiler-retriever mix, was captured and voluntarily euthanized by David Martinez, the dogs’ owner.

Charges against Martinez were dropped in 2003 after Deputy District Attorney Craig Westberg filed a motion to dismiss based on insufficient evidence, and after homeowner’s insurance paid the Carothers family $100,000.

Williams said the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Department and Gaskins are named in the two remaining elements of the suit.

Williams said discovery and depositions on both issues will begin in the coming months, with trial scheduled for next February.

Although settlement remains an option, Williams said previous Colorado Supreme Court decisions related to the case appear to bode well for the county.

“The county feels very confident in our chances of defending against the suit successfully.”

Williams said the 2008 budget has $50,000 earmarked for the Carothers case.

james@pagosasun.com


TOWN

Town council makes bold planning moves

By Jim McQuiggin

Staff Writer

With local economic conditions described as “flat, at best” and elections just a week away, town council spent part of April Fool’s Day deciding that, while compromise might not represent statesmanship at its finest, it is, to quote a Scottish proverb, “better to bend than to break.”

The council heard an audit report delivered by Mike Branch.

Branch declared the town’s current financial condition “extremely healthy” — the town holds over $3 million in reserves — but he added one caveat: With sales tax revenues leveling off and expenses increasing, Branch said the town might consider proceeding cautiously with future projects, noting that Pagosa Springs “might not have the kind of revenue growth it’s had in the past.”

Considering 86 percent of the town’s income is, according to town manager Mark Garcia, derived from sales tax revenues, the council considered present and future annexation initiatives as sources for potential property tax income.

Such potential lies in the placement of 1,253-acres of the Blue Sky Ranch property within the town’s Comprehensive Plan planning boundary, and the reapportionment of previously established parcels. However, when the discussion focused on whether the council should approve amending the Comprehensive Plan planning boundary to include the entire ranch — 120 acres of the ranch already lies within the planning boundary — the council was appraised of the daunting task of planning for disparate and discontinuous properties within town boundaries.

Council members Angela Atkinson and Tony Simmons said the issue could take years to resolve.

“Reducing rural residential properties (densities) from one to every thirty-five acres, to one to five, or even one to one, presents real challenges,” said Atkinson.

Nevertheless, council unanimously approved the town planning commission’s recommendation to expand the town planning boundary to include all of the Blue Sky Ranch, without further discussion.

Council’s approval to shift the boundary to encompass the ranch does not mean the property is automatically included in the town’s municipal boundaries. In order to become part of town, property owners must successfully petition for annexation, which will require them to address a number of issues such as contiguity with parcels already within town boundaries.

After the Blue Sky Ranch discussion, the Putnam annexation project met with approval after more than a year of consideration and some 11th-hour contention.

After previous objections to the plan, business owner Katherine Young at last agreed to a compromise struck by the town planning commission that included mixed-use commercial zoning within an area originally conceived as completely residential. Despite the compromise, the annexation is still not complete, with the status of several properties within the annexation boundaries remaining unknown, or in dispute.

In an evening that seemed riveted with compromises, the only debate arose during the discussion involving the evening’s biggest compromise. Using a Colorado statute for the first time in Pagosa Springs’ history, BootJack Management Company (BMC) received “vested rights” on the development of several properties in the downtown area.

The properties, approved for development by the council in November 2006, were essentially allowed by C.R.S. Article 68, Title 24 to remain in stasis for three years, with any plans filed with the town guaranteed for that period. Furthermore, by a provision of the same statute (allowing for the discretion of municipalities), BMC properties are allowed to sit, undeveloped, for up to five years.

Simmons provided the only objection and cast a dissenting vote on both BMC requests. Simmons said the properties at issue were the sites of demolitions dating back at least three years and that empty lots sitting in the downtown area for eight years would do little to invite improvement of the downtown area.

Councilman John Steiner said, “Development is market driven, another three to five years doesn’t matter.”

Apparently Steinert’s comment reflected the rest of the council’s attitude that vested rights encourage investors in a shaky economy. Although there was some confusion on how the precedent of vested rights and its expansion to five years would affect development in the downtown area, no one offered an alternative.

The council meeting concluded with a final stab at compromise, one bred by amity and necessity. With no qualified candidates from the town willing to serve on the planning commission, town planner Tamra Allen suggested that council allow for the placement of a county resident on the commission — one not living within incorporated borders. The council directed Allen to draft an amendment allowing a county resident to serve on the five-person board. If the amendment passes, Allen said a county resident could fill the available seat by sometime in June.


INSIDE

Six vie for three seats on town council

Voters in the town of Pagosa Springs will select three members of the town council in an April 8 election. There are six candidates vying for the three spots.

The SUN asked the candidates four questions, allowing each the opportunity to give voters some insights into the candidates’ backgrounds and qualifications as well as their thoughts relative to several important issues.

The questions:

1 Tell us about your personal/business/education experiences and interests. What special qualifications do you have for the job?

2. As a prospective town council member, what ideas will you bring to enhance or broaden the current discussions on economic development?

3. The town is in the process of updating/rewriting its land-use and development code. If you had the power to change any part of the code, what would it be, and how would you change it?

4. Do you see any reason to expand the town’s tax revenue base and, if so, how would you do it?

Bobby Hart

1. I enjoy being a part of the community and involved in any way I can. Last fall I had the joy of being a volunteer coach for a 9-10 year-old team in the town youth soccer program. I have a degree in business and worked in a business environment for most of my career. I have a beautiful and hard working wife, Makaila, who teaches at the intermediate school. I am a DJ in my spare time. It is a great feeling to give many people a fun and healthy outlet to help ease the stress of the daily grind. To the town council I will bring a young mind, with new ideas and I try to look at every situation as a whole. I would say I am like most of the citizens in town, wanting to keep a beautiful place to live, but keeping in mind I want to be able to support my family and give the kids of the community the opportunity to come back home after they complete their education. One of the most important things that I consider in being a great council member is to have an open mind on all ideas, be able to look at all matters without bias and form the best conclusion (decision) based on all information available at the time, and should additional or better information appear later, be able to accept that I may have to change my decision.

2. I understand basic economics and the need for a diverse economy. I would bring my ideas of how to diversify the labor force with minimal impact on the environment and on the town services. For example, providing a knowledge-based work force with a live-work environment. The live-work philosophy allows people to live and work in a relatively close area, reducing commuting traffic and encouraging a greener environment. By encouraging this type of land planning (live-work) the town will be able to increase its tax revenue with minimal impact on many of the town departments. At the same time, by having a more dense core area, we allow the open space to remain and prevent the phenomenon of urban sprawl. There is only limited amount of space, and if we use the space wisely we can limit the impact on the environment and have a healthy and sustainable economy. We have the infrastructure available to support the knowledge based work force, we just need to give them a reason to do business here in Pagosa Springs.

3. The LUDC is a governing document that is written with regulatory language, unlike the Comprehensive and Master Plans. I would encourage the LUDC to be taken for how it is written and not left up to interpretation to whoever happens to be reading it. I would encourage more permitable definitions (what a permitable use of land is and what is not a permitable use of land) and less CUPs (conditional use permits). This would encourage people to invest in our town, by starting a business, building a home, or building affordable and sustainable housing. Knowing the permitable use when making the decision to purchase property will encourage new business and building of attainable housing for the working person. We will actually be giving business a better chance to survive from the start. Every business that is successful provides jobs for our citizens and more tax revenue for our town. Once we have jobs we have to have somewhere for the people who fill those jobs to live, and this is where the attainable housing comes into play. To go even further, once we have both of these things (jobs and housing) in a denser work-live environment, the town can maximize revenue and minimize impacts on many of the Town Departments and the environment.

4. I don’t believe any additional taxes (i.e. property taxes) should or need to be collected. The retail tax currently provides most of the town funding and has done so effectively in the past and is a fair system to everyone. However, is there a need to collect more taxes for a growing town? Yes, and the town should do so by encouraging more business to come to Pagosa Springs. Providing infrastructure to support knowledge-based workers, so they can live here, spend money in our town and raise families. Provide incentives for business to want to locate here by waiving fees up front, but collecting more taxes through a thriving economy in the long run. Encourage more tourism and give those tourists a reason to come back to Pagosa Springs. Provide a good first impression by cleaning up the town’s appearance, providing a good entry portal from both sides of the town, provide signage and wayfaring for tourists so they can see what our beautiful town has to offer. A thriving and bustling economy is the best tax base we can ever have.

Stan Holt

1. My life has revolved around the U.S. military from which I retired and moved to Pagosa Springs in 1990. I was raised in Albuquerque, N.M., and spent many years in Santa Fe, N.M. I’m an outdoorsman and enjoy the benefits of living here. In fact, it’s the reason I moved here. The military has provided me with many varied and interesting educational experiences throughout my career, however, the most important may be my training in human resource management. I have served on the Pagosa Springs Planning Commission and am currently on the town council and desiring reelection.

2. I stated in the March 20 Town Hall meeting with local business people, Pagosa Springs cannot continue to rely on tourism and second home ownership to drive our economy forever. Those forces are too variable and rely on their economy, not ours. We must attract businesses that will fit our community, that will provide year around employment and services, and that will be environmentally friendly. We have a lot to offer. The town hiring an economic development specialist is of top priority, providing we can fund the position. The town council must look at our regulations and make sure we’re not placing unnecessary roadblocks in the path of economic development.

3. The Land Use and Development Code is under revision now. The existing code is old and has many errors. Hopefully, the new one will be easier to understand and more accurate. The comp plan is the vision for our community for the future. The LUDC is the regulatory mechanism to make it happen and they should complement each other.

4. The town has created the Town Tourism Committee to use the lodging tax monies to market Pagosa Springs to a larger market. This is a new endeavor, and hopefully it will bring in more sales tax revenues. Attracting new businesses will increase sales and property tax receipts. We need to increase the town’s revenue stream, but my crystal ball is clouded presently.

Jerry Jackson

1.  My personal qualifying experiences are that I was a member of the town council from 2002  to 2006 and a member of the Archuleta County Planning Commission from 2002 to 2005.  I was also involved in the real estate industry in the area for 20 years which gave me valuable insights into the economy of the area.  In addition, as a resident of 27 years, I know many citizens personally and would hope that they would feel comfortable talking to me about their desires and concerns for the future of the town.

 2.  Whether some of us want growth or not, we must have job opportunities in the form of construction, retail, and service business opportunities for the town to continue and for our children to be able to call this wonderful community their home.  However, there are ways we can achieve economic growth with less of an impact on our lifestyle.  Focusing on the development of our tourist industry is one of these ways.  The tourist industry is a great means of bringing dollars into the community during different seasons of the year, with little or no permanent impact.  This same industry will bring growth in construction, retail and service businesses.  We must also begin to work at recruiting light industry for the area which will have a lower impact on lifestyles and benefit these same segments of the local economy.

 3.  I think that sometimes we get too involved in serving others’ needs in planning “our” community.  Pagosa Springs belongs to the citizens  of Pagosa Springs, the residents who spend their lives here working hard in a tough economy and meeting the demands of a challenging mountain environment, for the most part because they love this community and area.  As a document which lays out such things as height restrictions, the number of dwellings per lot, setbacks, etc. the Land Use and Development Code needs to conform to the needs and wishes of the local residents first.  I do understand the impact that the new LUDC can have on our business/tourist community, but I think that even in putting the local residents’ desires first, these two parts of our community can be integrated to the benefit of both.  Although we have had a time of community input concerning the LUDC, there can never be too much, and I would very much encourage the citizens of the town to contact their council representatives and express concerns and desires they have concerning the new Land Use and Development Code.  It is a very important document and will affect our lives for many years to come.  

 4. We do need to increase our tax base.  The town will need to expand its services to its citizens and that will take additional dollars.  In order to increase our tax base we must purposely work to increase the amount of retail sales tax that is coming into our community.  This means actively marketing our town as a wonderful place for tourists to come and spend dollars while they reside in other places, thus impacting our lifestyles minimally.

Shari Pierce

1. My volunteer activities for the town provide experience for the town council seat I am seeking. I have served on the steering committees for both the Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Master Plan. I am currently serving on the advisory committee for the update of the Land Use and Development Code.

I was asked by the previous town manager, Jay Harrington, to assist in writing an ordinance to establish a historic preservation program. Once completed, I was appointed to the first town preservation board in 1999 and have served on the board since its inception. I assisted in writing the preservation ordinance for the town and the Design Guidelines for the Historic Business District, which was created by majority vote of the property owners in that district.

Through my volunteer work on the board of Operation Helping Hand for 19 years, I have shown organizational skills and commitment to the community, and have gained a better understanding of the economic challenges our community faces. As a result of my work on this board, I received the Citizen of the Year award in 1996.

My education includes two years at the U.S. Naval Academy, an associate of science degree from Pueblo Community College and a bachelor of science in social science from Colorado State University-Pueblo.

I have been employed by The Pagosa Springs SUN for over 23 years, and currently serve as manager of the advertising and circulation departments.

I have been married to my husband, Buck, for 26 years. We raised our two children, Mike and Randi, in Pagosa Springs.

2 We have to work to broaden the economic base of our community so that we have more job opportunities that produce a living wage. Two of the major industries that provide income to our town, tourism and real estate, are being impacted by our national economy.

We must target companies and industries that can help us broaden our economic base and direct incentives toward those companies to encourage them to build in Pagosa Springs. Broadening our economic base over many segments will serve to lessen the impact to our community should one industry take a downturn.

In collecting 50 signatures on my petition for town council, I had the opportunity to visit with many residents of the town regarding their concerns for our community’s future. These people have beneficial knowledge and ideas that would aid in discussion and brainstorming for solutions to our common problems and goals.

I believe the town council is headed in the right direction on economic development. The council has recognized that this is an area in which efforts need to be concentrated. There has been progress toward adding an economic development position to town staff as well as providing support to the Archuleta County Economic Development Association.

3. The portion of the current land use and development code that most needs to be addressed is the efficiency of the review process. At council meetings when projects are being reviewed, I can feel the frustration of those wanting to proceed with projects feeling they are bogged down in the process. We need a user-friendly code that plainly states what expectations are and makes it easy to understand and follow the town’s planning process. Also, we can delegate more decision-making responsibility to staff for permits and projects that fall within established parameters.

Another portion of the code that is important to address is the development and design standards. We must be forward-thinking in these standards as to what we want our community to look like in 10, 20 and 50 years. We have to set standards that are attainable and affordable, yet encourage innovative thinking for both new construction and adaptive reuse of existing structures.

As a member of the advisory committee working to update the code, I can say that the efficiency of the process has been addressed by the committee in its recommendations that will be forwarded to the council. The development and design standards are slated to be reviewed as well as other sections of the code.

4. We must look at ways to expand our town’s tax revenue base. With the overwhelming majority of the town’s revenue coming from sales tax, it is as though we are putting all of our eggs in one basket. Our sales tax revenues have been negatively impacted this year due to a slowdown in the tourism, real estate and building industries. We must look for more stable sources of revenue.

Our community is growing. We must look to ways to fund the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the growth. Impact fees are one way that the town is addressing this need.

We must use our resources wisely — the Department of Local Affairs would be an invaluable resource in investigating revenue streams that other communities have successfully implemented.

Tony Simmons