Thursday, July 26, 2007

Airport project will move ahead

By Chuck McGuire
Staff Writer

The Archuleta County Airport Advisory Commission met in regular session last Thursday and, among other things, discussed newfound funding difficulties with this year’s proposed Airport Improvement Project, AIP-18.

AIP-18 is a plan to construct a new parallel taxiway and interior road to compliment the newly expanded runway at Stevens Field.
Federal Aviation Administration authorities consider both necessary — one to enable aircraft to safely move between the runway and fixed base operations, and the other to allow fuel truck access to Taxiway Bravo hangars on the far side of the field, without using the runway. At present, either function requires runway use, which temporarily closes the airport, each time.

With two state grants and FAA funding secured, it appeared construction on both would begin next month. However, recent bids from four large contractors far exceeded the remaining AIP-18 budget of $4.2 million, especially after spending roughly $700,000 on planning, engineering and future construction supervision. According to airport manager George Barter, the lowest bid submitted by the June 29 deadline was $5.45 million.

In light of the high quotes, Barter and engineering consultants Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc. (RS&H) went back to the drawing board to see what plan alterations might meet budget, yet be agreeable among all parties concerned. Meanwhile, FAA engineer Brad Davis began searching for additional FAA money, with little real hope of finding any.

When Barter and RS&H suggested saving $500,000 dollars by eliminating the interior road from the plan, Davis and other FAA officials strongly encouraged them to leave it in. Apparently, worry over hauling fuel down the runway to Taxiway Bravo raises an unacceptable safety concern.

But, Barter insisted that keeping the interior road in the plan would only be possible at the expense of a portion of the taxiway. As is, the taxiway would only equal 30 to 40 percent of its original design, which would have made it the same length as the entire runway. At the very least, Barter would like to see it stretch from the north end of the runway to Fixed Base Operations (FBO) at the mid-field apron.

“The FAA wants the interior road and suggested cutting a hundred yards of the taxiway,” Barter explained. “They want to tie it (the taxiway) in to the North Ramp, but the North Ramp doesn’t connect to mid-field, and it’s in bad shape. It can’t take nice aircraft.”

Given his way, Barter would build the taxiway first, then find additional money for the interior road. After all, the road will be gravel, and of use only to official airport vehicles, including a fuel truck. To reach the FBO from Taxiway Bravo, pilots will still have to taxi down the runway, until such time when a full-length taxiway parallels the runway

On Tuesday, Barter said lengthy discussions with the FAA over the past couple of weeks have led him to believe the agency is now sold on the idea of building the taxiway, then focusing on the interior road. He said that he and RS&H have developed a number of cost-cutting scenarios that take the project to budget.

“If all we get (from the FAA) is the $4.2 million, the interior road will probably be a victim,” Barter explained by phone, Tuesday. “We can cut taxiway lights and one connector could go, but according to the FAA, some form of the project will begin this year.”

Barter didn’t say how much a connector would cost, but defined it as a substantial portion of pavement linking the end of a taxiway to the end of a runway. He did suggest cutting one from the project would help, but it and taxiway lights alone would not be sufficient to make budget. Therefore, he believes the FAA is working hard to find additional funding adequate to include the interior road in the project.

“They may take more money from another Colorado project somewhere,” he said. “Some could come in under budget, but there’s supposedly more money somewhere. Right now, it’s all speculative.”

Barter said he had hoped the FAA could determine the availability of additional funding right away, but Davis recently told him the agency wouldn’t have an answer until after the $4.2 million taxiway grant actually funds. To add to Barter’s concerns, Davis also said grant funding, which was initially expected in July, would now come in August, effectively delaying the project another month.

As mentioned, Barter and the FAA say the project will begin this year, though no one can say what its final form will be until full funding is determined. However, all agree that a project originally planned for completion in one construction season, will now begin late this summer and end the next. Barter said the target date for commencement of earthwork is now Sept. 18, with paving scheduled sometime next year.

chuck@pagosasun.com

County could be ‘turning a corner’

By James Robinson
Staff Writer

Responding to increasingly low employee morale and economic indicators that bode well for the county ledgers, key Archuleta County staff, backed by Commissioner Bob Moomaw, have vowed — No more layoffs.

“We don’t foresee any more personnel cuts, and we’re in the process of reorganizing county government to function at this level. Nor is the county considering additional cuts or changes to the employee health benefit plan, and as key positions come available due to attrition, we will rehire,” Moomaw said Tuesday.

To date, and according to county documents, the county has laid off 34 employees and maintained 27 staffing vacancies equaling a work force reduction of 29 percent. Staffing cuts, positions not filled due to financial constraints, and those who have left on their own accord, have brought the county work force down to 145 employees from about 217, and shaved $1.29 million from the county budget. And although the layoffs, coupled with other cuts and cost-saving strategies, have helped keep the county on its financial feet, the cuts have come at a cost.

Archuleta County Special Projects Director Sheila Berger describes the county as “hemorrhaging employees,” and Berger and Moomaw acknowledge employee morale may be at an all-time low.

Since the crisis began, many employees suffered forced layoffs. However, others who feared their jobs might be in jeopardy have sought greener pastures. For example, earlier this week, a dispatcher and patrol deputy announced plans to leave the sheriff’s department, while last week, building and planning braced for the forthcoming departure of a sorely-needed associate planner — a planner whose absence will reduce the county’s associate planners to a staff of one.

And although Moomaw wants to rebuild morale, he said recent financial projections indicate the county is “turning a corner” and therefore bolster his resolve to forego further staffing cuts.

“I was blown away when we removed $5.9 million from the budget and removed twenty-nine percent of personnel. That was a significant amount of work and it is beginning to bear fruit,” Moomaw said.

In addition, Moomaw pointed to a number of economic indicators that bode well for the county’s ability to sail clear of the financial storm.

For example, Moomaw and Archuleta County Administrator Bob Campbell cited strong sales tax projections for the last quarter of 2007 — up, Campbell, said, about 5.5 points over last year — steady reductions in accounts payable ($521,243 July 10, $356,925 July 16, and $286,797 July 24), strong interdepartmental cooperation and congruency in balance sheets between finance and the treasurer’s office, and identification and resolution of unknown expenses carried over from 2006, all indicating that balancing the budget by year’s end is becoming ever more likely.

“The finance and treasurer’s departments are working closely together. And on June 30, they were $10,000 apart, which is the first time that has happened in years,” Moomaw said.

A major part of the county’s financial battle has entailed being blindsided by bills for 2006 county staff thought were paid, but later learned that former Finance Director Bob Burchett had not satisfied.

“We went into 2007 about one million dollars in the hole that we didn’t know about, and zero fund balances in accounts we thought we had,” Campbell said.

For example, and according to Moomaw and Campbell, Burchett did not pay monies owned to the town ($24,350 for the Human Services building lease) and $72,000 to the district attorney for the fourth quarter of 2006.

And Moomaw and Campbell allege that failure to pay those bills indicates Burchett was aware of the county’s financial implosion well before he announced he discovered cash-flow troubles after running month-end reports in March 2007.

Although Berger said the remainder of 2007 poses challenges, she remains optimistic.

“We’re not sailing out of the storm, we’re rowing, and everybody in the organization has been pulling very hard.”

james@pagosasun.com

Schools to install security cameras

By Louis Sherman
Staff Writer

Archuleta County School District 50 Joint entered into an official agreement Tuesday with local businessman Steve Potter, owner of Mountain Home Sound and Security, to provide camera security systems at district schools.

Under the contract, each school will have camera coverage of hallways and entrances, while the high school will also have exterior coverage.

The cameras will be linked to a districtwide server, and live video will be accessed by district administrators, school principals and law enforcement agencies. The video can be viewed on computers by those granted access, and there will be a TV monitor in the high school office, said Superintendent Mark DeVoti.

The system is upgradable and puts the district in the position to get future grants through the Department of Homeland Security for additional security measures, said DeVoti.
The move is “focused on student safety,” said DeVoti, though the original investigation of security systems was prompted by after-hours burglaries of district schools during the spring.

In April, Pagosa schools were burglarized on four occasions — the junior high and elementary once and the high school twice. The primary target in all of the incidents was cash. Other items of value were left untouched, but the perpetrators caused significant damage getting to the money.

The 2007 budget includes $50,000 dedicated to security expenditures, and the camera system will come in slightly under the target, at about $49,000, said DeVoti.

The cost will come out of the capital reserve fund — mandated by the state and dedicated to improving capital assets — rather than the general fund, which pays for salaries and other expenses.

louis@pagosasun.com

INSIDE

New postmaster takes charge in Pagosa

By Louis Sherman
Staff Writer

Pagosa Country has a new postmaster, and he is intent on goals that every postal patron can appreciate.

“I want to make (the post office) more efficient, provide excellent customer service and stop misdeliveries,” said Postmaster Gary Young.

Young officially took the post on May 26 and arrived in Pagosa June 11 — after 25 years of postal service experience in Flagstaff, Ariz. While in Flagstaff, Young was a city carrier for five years, a supervisor for 10 years and a station manager for 10 years.

As station manager, Young oversaw 63 employees and 33 routes, and frequently filled in for the area postmaster. As postmaster in Pagosa, he is responsible for 20 employees and eight routes.

Young sees his primary duty as working with employees to provide postal patrons the best service possible. “We have a good group of people here ... we all just need to work together to provide better service.”

Young acknowledged that he faces some challenges, such as the all-too-common misdeliveries, but said he is confident that the post office would see progress. He said he would address issues as they arise, while giving employees the tools they need to do their jobs.

louis@pagosasun.com

Lightning sparks several fires in area

By Louis Sherman
Staff Writer

A handful of wildfires, most of them small, have been discovered in Pagosa Country this week. All were started by lightning, and rainfall and high humidity helped prevent the spread of many of them. Firefighters continued to deal with two of the blazes Wednesday.

The “Hott Fire” sparked Sunday near Plumtaw Road and burned a quarter-acre before being contained by the county sheriff’s Archuleta County Fire Department.

Emergency Operations Director Joe Bigley said his crew of four fought the fire until 11:15 p.m. Sunday night, after it started during an early evening thunderstorm. The Forest Service took charge of monitoring the smoldering ashes Monday morning.

The rest of the fires on forest lands were each less than one-tenth of an acre in size, according to Phyllis Wheaton of the Forest Service. Small fires were seen near Turkey Creek, Tuesday; Mosca Creek, Tuesday; and Palisade Lakes, Monday.

Scott Wagner, of the Forest Service, said the one-log fires on Turkey and Mosca creeks were likely extinguished by showers, and still out as of Wednesday.

The Palisade Lakes fire diminished on its own, as well.

A fire in Salt Canyon south of town on Southern Ute tribal land, the “Coal Mine Fire,” was spotted Monday, and was turned over to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which has used single-engine air tanker runs and a helicopter to fight the blaze, with the help of the Archuleta County department. As of Wednesday, the fire covered five acres

A half-acre fire on private land 12 miles south of town on Trujillo Road was spotted Tuesday and was contained by the Archuleta County Fire Department by 11 p.m. Work continued to control it Wednesday.

Wheaton said that lightning, accompanied by spotty rain, ignited the fires, but higher relative humidity helped reduce their spread, and has brought the overall fire danger to moderate.

But the fire danger level could easily go back up to high, said Wheaton, if we have another dry spell.

The area is still under stage 1 fire restrictions.

louis@pagosasun.com

Habitat for Humanity appoints new president of board of directors

Habitat for Humanity of Archuleta County has announced the appointment of Jim Vierbicher as the new president of its board of directors.

The gavel was officially handed over June 18 as Bob Moomaw asked for board approval to appoint Vierbicher as the new president. “It was time for me to step down. With the crisis the county is currently in, I was not able to devote the proper time and energy to Habitat,” said Moomaw. “I am very comfortable with the current direction Habitat is taking and am confident Jim will lead this organization into a prosperous future.”

Vierbicher has been busy; since accepting his position, he has spent much of the past month meeting with a variety of people, learning about the history of HFHAC, and exploring opportunities for the future.

“I am struck by both the successes that HFHAC enjoys and the opportunities that I believe lie before us,” said Vierbicher. “HFHAC has enjoyed the fruits of the labor of years of good leadership and dedicated volunteerism. Our success in the future will depend entirely on that same formula.”

Habitat for Humanity of Archuleta County is a non-profit organization that operates almost entirely on donations, grants and volunteer labor. As local volunteers and businesses help to complete the construction of the 16th house, staff and board members are beginning to focus on planning for 2008 with a goal of building two houses. Securing suitable land to build on and reviewing completed applications for families to partner with remain top priority. HFHAC is dedicated to providing “a hand up, not a hand out,” with affordable homes and no-interest mortgages. Families are chosen based on need and the willingness to partner in the building of their home.

If you are interested in donating land, materials, time or money, or if you would like more information on becoming a partner family, call Cindi Galabota, administrative director with Habitat for Humanity of Archuleta County, at 264-6960.

SHARE makes food more affordable for everyone

The cost of food can put a major dent in any budget. 

SHARE Colorado, a nonprofit food program, can help individuals pay less for their groceries.  Unlike most food programs that are need-based or require some type of qualification, SHARE is open to everyone. 

 SHARE sells three quality food packages, including an all-produce package plus ala-carte items for around 50 percent off retail price.

SHARE offers the co-op style program which operates once a month.  At the beginning of the month, customers can place their orders and pay, either by going to their local SHARE site, ordering online or by phone.  Then, at the end of the month, participants return to their local site and pick up their order.

The reason SHARE can offer a discount is it buys all of its food in bulk (none of the food is donated) and it works with a team of volunteers.  Right now, SHARE operates in eight states with the help of more than 5,000 volunteers and only 25 paid employees.
SHARE sells three packages: The Your Health Counts Classic, an all-produce package, a featured Special, and an ala-carte menu, with approximately 15 items. These items can be purchased by ordering at the local site, going online to www.sharecolorado.com, or by calling (800) 933-7427.  Depending how you order, payment is by credit card, EBT, check or cash.

When people buy food through SHARE a portion of the participant’s food purchase goes back into Catholic Charities’ programs as well as the outreach ministries at individual SHARE sites.

To order from SHARE, call Pagosa Springs SHARE, located at 451 Lewis St., at (800) 933-7427 before Aug. 10, or order online at www.sharecolorado.com.

If your church or civic organization is interested in becoming a volunteer site for SHARE, call (800) 933-7427 to learn more about how you can give back to your community in a fun and meaningful way.

SHARE is a division of the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Denver and is proud to spread the mission of Catholic Charities “Providing Help, Creating Hope” to areas outside the Denver area.

IN OTHER WORDS

Effect, affect, and the road ahead

By Louis Sherman
Staff Writer

We often seek the easy answer when understanding our own language — grasping onto mnemonics and simplified rules.

But, there is nothing simple about a language that has evolved since Germanic tribes roamed northwest Europe and settled in the British Isles. And, at best, we can only have an evolving understanding of a language that has been and will be effected, as well as affected, by many other languages.

Ideally, we all develop a functional, perhaps unconscious, understanding of the language just by growing up with it. Children learn basic syntax and a huge vocabulary without ever cracking a book. After the informal instruction of our parents, we can start putting order to the language we have learned with grammar conventions. Hopefully the conventions are descriptive of the language in use, which means they will change with time, and also encourage users of the language to continue to develop their understanding.

That understanding is deeper than dictionary definitions or proper punctuation.

In junior high, I was given an easy rule to differentiate between “effect” and “affect.” “Effect,” I was told, is used as a noun, while “affect” is a verb.

It is not so simple ...

It may be true that in modern English, “effect” is most often used as a noun and “affect” as a verb. But both can take the other form.

“Effect” comes from the Latin verb “efficre” — to accomplish or make out of. “Affect” comes from the Latin “afficre” — to act upon, dispose or constitute (generally in connection to human subjectivity). Shades of difference: When you effect something, that thing is created; when you affect, you influence.

If Congress passes a new law, it effects change. How our representatives then praise or critique the legislation in the media seeks to affect public perception of the law. The public effects with every vote, bringing about something new, but at the broader level our democracy is affected by the public voice, in that it’s values are developed rather than recreated.

The nouns are the product of the verbs. An effect, as in cause and effect, is the thing that is created, the result. An affect is that which is influenced — a disposition, mental state, mood or emotion.

A cause need not be apparent for something to be an effect. Therefore anything in material reality can be seen as the effect if something, from our personal effects to sound effects.

Generally, affects are less tangible than effects. As an effect of the county’s financial crisis, 38 people were laid off. But the crisis has also affected them — producing emotions. And the crises, as a whole, could produce influential affects in the perspectives of officials and voters — perhaps even in the general philosophy of the institution.

Now there are other variations. For instance, one can affect an emotion in others, but one can also affect an emotion in oneself. This could be genuine, but generally in common usage, to affect an emotion in oneself is to do so as a pretense — in order to affect a genuine feeling in someone else.

An affect is an intermediary in the causal change. The politician calls on, or manipulates, the voter’s emotions, affecting him or her. Those affects then can result in an effect, a vote. The ballot (the effect) is objective, while the voters knowledge or feeling (the affect) is subjective.

When people are a part of effects, affects are generally close at hand, because little can be accomplished in society, without emotional backing.

Hypothetically, there exist extremes of effectiveness and affectiveness. The typic scientist works in causes and effects — observing, testing and concluding with unbiased detachment — in order to effect one new discovery or innovation after another. The poet, in balance, attempts to move people. Unable to cure an illness, the poet can provide comfort. Unable to equip soldiers, the poet can rally people behind a cause.

A balance needs to be struck. In the relentless pursuit of cause and effect, the scientist’s work (if on the extreme) could lose grounding in common human feelings and values. Effect follows effect and produces catastrophic technologies — along with those that support life.

Likewise, if focused solely on evoking feeling, poetry can become detached from the real world, and real people, and then it fails to move at all — or in ways that are not intended.

But those extremes are rare. The affects of poets have effected culture — and some, since antiquity, have attempted to use their influence to change or create. Similarly, scientists are motivated by their own affects, as well as the pressures of their time. They are held up to ethical standards, if not moral criticism, and qualitative analysis.

What is more concerning is a unique combination of the two — when leaders are bent on certain effects, which need the backing of the public’s feeling. They seek to affect the people to bring about their desired ends. And though we may try to operate on a balance of affect and effect, our will is potentially limited by misinformation.

German “efficiency” is a well-known stereotype, but Nazi Germany did not rise merely because of effectiveness, but by the ways that it influenced the German people. Hitler affected the people with a romantic, and mythic, vision of a third reich and a master Aryan race — the imagined pinnacles of civilization and humanity. The fears, hopes and values of the people were manipulated and corrupted, while books were burned, information censored and critics neutralized. It matters little whether the Nazi leaders were themselves informed or sane: they restricted the individual’s knowledge (potential for effectiveness) and controlled his or her emotions (affectiveness), in order to effect the desired ends.

It is appropriate this week to reflect on the propaganda and demagoguery that affected a society and effected the murder of 6 million Jews. Tuesday was the Jewish day of mourning, Tisha B’Av, when religious Jews remember the destruction of the Temples, along with the Holocaust (or Shoah) and other persecutions — which were the result of the violent emotions of the dominant culture — including mass burnings of the Talmud in 1242, expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290, expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and the first killings at the death camp Treblinka in 1942.

Beyond the Holocaust, in the 20th century alone, affective propaganda effected genocide across the globe. In addition to European Jewry, Nazi Germany was responsible for the death of about 6 million other Europeans, including Soviets, Poles, Serbs, Roma, Freemasons, the disabled, Spanish, homosexuals and Jehovah’s Witnesses. There were purges and as many as 20 million deaths caused by imposed conditions in the Soviet Union. And more: the Armenian genocide, slaughter of Kurds, Brazil, Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur ...

Could any population, with informed understanding of causes and effects, allow these crimes? Was it because they were blind that they could embrace affects that led to complicity?

On the other hand, with an eye to the reality of effects, our affective emotions could defy such movements — prevent them or end them. This is the story of the development of our nation’s religious freedoms and civil rights, and it is the proposition before immediate and future struggles.

louis@pagosasun.com

La Plata Electric announces PURPA findings

Following public hearings and required review of the five standards laid out by the Public Utilities Regulation Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA), the La Plata Electric Association board of directors has released its findings and final determination.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, adopted by Congress, requires that LPEA and similar utility companies consider and determine new PURPA standards, which for 2007 included Net Metering, Time-Based Metering and Communication, Distributive Generation Interconnection, Fuel Sources and Fossil Fuel Generation Efficiency. The law does not, however, specify that utilities must adopt these standards.

“LPEA is required by law to hold the PURPA hearings, even though we are already addressing the standards,” said Greg Munro, LPEA CEO. “As a member-owned cooperative, we always want to give members the opportunity to participate in the process as desired, and discover how much more there is to electricity than flipping on a light switch.”

The board of directors, having received evidence from staff and the public, reviewed and considered all exhibits on record and the issues, made the following determinations:
• Net metering — LPEA complies with 16 U.S.C£ 2621 (f)(11) as LPEA makes available, upon request, net metering services to any electric consumer the electric co-op serves.

• Time-Based Metering and Communication — LPEA complies with 16 U.S.C.£ 2621 (f) (14), as LPEA  offers and provides, upon customer request, a time-based rate schedule (time-of-use) under which the rate charged varies during different time periods and reflects the variance, if any, in LPEA’s costs of purchasing electricity at the wholesale level. The time-based rate schedule enables the consumer to manage energy use and cost through advanced metering and communications technology. LPEA provides each customer requesting time-of-use with a time-based meter.
• Distributive Generation Interconnection — LPEA complies with 16 U.S.C.£ 2621 (f)(15) as LPEA makes available, upon request, interconnection service to any electric consumer that the electric co-op serves.
• Fuel Sources — Through Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Inc., LPEA complies with 16 U.S.C.£ 2621 (f) (12) to “develop a plan to minimize dependence on one fuel source and to ensure that the electric energy it sells to consumers is generated using a diverse range of fuels and technologies, including renewable technologies.” Tri-State supplies most of LPEA’s power requirements under an All Requirements Contract. LPEA is encouraging Tri-State to diversify its portfolio for generated power and reduce its dependence on coal-fired generation. LPEA has asked Tri-State to actively address the sources of its generated power through the implementation of its Integrated Resource Plan, including but not limited to, the recent issuance of a request for proposals for approximately 50 megawatts of renewable resources. This will allow Tri-State to supply at least 10 percent of LPEA’s needs from renewable energy resources by 2020.  • Fossil Fuel Generation Efficiency — Through Tri-State Generation & Transmission, Inc., LPEA complies with 16 U.S.C.£ 2621 (f) (13) to “develop and implement a 10-year plan to increase the efficiency of its fossil fuel generation…” LPEA has asked Tri-State to implement its Integrated Resource Plan, which calls for the investment of more than $225 million to improve the generating capacity, heat rate, reliability, efficiency, utilization, environmental performance and plant life of Tri-State’s current resource portfolio.
LPEA will continue to explore ways to make the programs, over which it has control, effectively and equitably serve the needs of its members, and continue to encourage Tri-State in its effort as well.

A complete copy of the final determination, legislative language relevant to the PURPA standards, along with public, LPEA and Tri-State testimonies, is posted on LPEA’s Web site at www.lpea.coop. Any LPEA customer not able to access this Web site and who desires a copy of the findings should contact LPEA at 247-5786, by mail at P.O. Box 2750, Durango, CO 81302, or e-mail at purpa@lpea.coop, and a copy will be provided at cost. 

The public hearings pursuant to PURPA were held June 18 and 20, 2007, in Durango and Pagosa Springs, respectively. Final board of directors determination was made July 18, 2007.  For further information, contact LPEA at 247-5786.

Correction

Photos run in last week’s SUN of Archuleta County Fair royalty and honor designees were wrongly attributed.

The photos were taken by Jeff Laydon.

Film society to screen discuss ‘Little Women’

On Tuesday, July 31, the Pagosa Springs Film Society will screen and discuss Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women.” Director Mervyn Leroy’s 1949 version stars June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Margaret O’Brien, Elizabeth Taylor and Janet Leigh in the romantic drama based on the life of the novel’s author.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the library of the Silver Foxes Den Senior Center, located at 451 Hot Springs Blvd., in the north end of the community center. A suggested donation of $3 will benefit the ongoing programs of the Archuleta County Senior Center. For more information, call 264-2167.

In Step Dance Club to host salsa workshop

By Deb Aspen
Special to The PREVIEW

In Step Dance Club will host two exciting instructors from the Denver Arthur Murray Dance Studio. 

Sari Tolpen and Juan Castillo will lead a salsa workshop Saturday, Aug. 4, at the PLPOA Clubhouse, 230 Port Ave.   The Let’s Dance Club will host the event which is scheduled as follows:
• Registration — 5:15-5:30 p.m.
• Workshop — 5:30-6:45.
• Break: appetizers and salads — 6:45-7:15.  
• Workshop continued — 7:15-8:30
• Potluck desserts and adult beverages — 8:30-9.                                  
• Dance demonstration(s) — 9:00-9:15.
• General dancing — 9:15-10:30.

Club members will furnish the appetizers and salads. Those attending the dance: BYOB and a dessert to share. 

Cost for the workshop is $15 per person, with all proceeds going to the visiting clinicians; and there is no additional charge for the dance. 

 Sari Tolpen began her career with Arthur Murray in St. Louis, Mo., in 1985.  She moved to Albuquerque in 1988, spending nearly 15 years training, teaching, and learning the many facets of the dance world with some of the top-ranked teacher/dancers in the business.  Sari was certified by the World Professional Dance Teachers Association in 1989.  She moved to Denver to open an Arthur Murray Franchised Dance Studio in December 2002.  Sari has competed in ballroom and Latin styles and continues to perform exhibitions.  She has consistently won top teacher and top studio awards.  She continues to share her love of dance with staff and students alike.

 Juan Castillo is also certified by the World Professional Dance Teachers Association in more than 30 dances, including ballroom, Latin, social and country western.  Juan also competes and performs exhibitions in both smooth and rhythm dances.  He has won several top teacher awards for professional/amateur competitions and exhibitions.  As a counselor in the studio, one of Juan’s main jobs is to assist students and instructors in designing and evaluating dance programs.

 Between the two of them, they have been affiliated with Arthur Murray for almost 30 years.  They have the largest ballroom studio in Denver with over 250 students.  Sari and Juan have competed professionally together in American Smooth, American Rhythm and Salsa competitions with finalist placings. 
 Salsa is one of the most popular night club dances worldwide.  It’s an easy-to-learn dance, to exciting Latin music, and a must for those who enjoy social dancing.    

 Let’s Dance Club’s August schedule, (please note the changes:  Classes will be Thursdays, Aug. 2, 16, 23 and 30 from 7-9 p.m.  Practice sessions will fall on Sundays, Aug. 12, 19 and 26, and Sept. 2 from 3-5 p.m.  The open dance party will be 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29.

All Let’s Dance Club sessions are held at the PLPOA Clubhouse. Please arrive 10 minutes early to register.  Wear comfortable clothing and shoes that have smooth or split leather soles, something that does not leave black marks or mud.  Rubber soles or lugs are neither appropriate or comfortable for dancing.  There is no need to pre-register.  Classes cost $20 per person for the month, and there is no extra charge for the Sunday practice sessions, the open dance party, or the “check-out” opportunity.  Although it is helpful to register with a partner, it is not necessary as there is usually a close match between men and women and we rotate dance partners during the evening.  For more information, call Deb Aspen at 731-3338.

Music in the Mountains awards scholarships to six local music students

By Carole Howard
Special to The PREVIEW

Six local music students have been awarded scholarships to attend summer workshops at the Conservatory Music in the Mountains for promising young musicians at Fort Lewis College, thanks to scholarships from Music in the Mountains in Pagosa Springs:

• Zoe Rohrich, 11, and Hannah Rohrich, 10, daughters of Matthew and Tamsin Rohrich. Zoe has played the violin for three years and Hannah the cello for one year. Zoe was a scholarship winner last summer as well.

• Bethany Wanket, 14, daughter of Craig and Brenda Wanket. Bethany has played the violin for five years. She was a scholarship winner last summer as well.

• Megan Davey, 11, daughter of Tom and Julie Davey. This is Megan’s first year playing the violin.

• Tyler Greenly, 11, and Madison Greenly, 7, daughters of Tom and Julie Greenly. This is Tyler’s and Madison’s first year playing the violin.

All of these talented young students were recommended for the Music in the Mountains scholarships by Kate Kelley, their Pagosa music instructor and herself a previous conservatory scholarship winner.

The six Pagosa winners will join more than 150 students from the Four Corners and around the world to study in the recital rooms at Fort Lewis College with outstanding musical educators and members of the Music in the Mountains festival orchestra. Along with excellent instruction, the students are given opportunities to perform solo and in ensembles.

“We build our musicians one note at a time and one performance after another so that their appreciation for classical music becomes deeply instilled in them for a lifetime,” said Arkady Fomin, founder and artistic director of the conservatory.

Music in the Mountains is best known for its summer classical music concerts.  But, as these scholarships make clear, the Pagosa festival’s leaders also consider youth programs and scholarships a vital component of their mission.

In addition to this summer’s conservatory awards, for the first time ever Music in the Mountains awarded four-year college scholarships to two Pagosa Springs high school seniors who graduated in June. The winners are Malinda Fultz and Kimberly Judd, both 18. Each will receive $1,000 per year ($500 per semester) for up to four years.

Criteria for the college scholarship winners include maintaining a B average or better in an accredited college, remaining a full-time music or music education student, and being a good citizen for the college and community.

Malinda is an honor roll student with a cumulative 3.96 GPA who ranked 11th in her senior class. She will attend Fort Lewis College. After graduation she plans to be a music teacher. Her primary instrument is the alto saxophone. Kimberly is an honor roll student with a cumulative GPA of 3.81 who ranked 16th in her class. She will attend Brigham Young University in Idaho. She plans to earn a doctorate degree and teach music at a major university. Her instruments are saxophone, clarinet, piano and voice.

Each summer Music in the Mountains hosts a major benefit event to raise money for its many music youth programs in Pagosa Springs. This year’s benefit took place at the spectacular Moomaw Ranch on June 16.

Funds raised by the benefit and donations from generous supporters provide music scholarships, bring professional musicians into Pagosa schools for hands-on workshops, fund instrument purchase and repair programs for our school bands, and help host the annual free Family Festivo concert for “kids of all ages” in Town Park, which this year will take place July 31.

Events like these can seem more like fun than learning. But Teresa Huft, chair of the Pagosa Springs Music in the Mountains, points out that there are additional serious benefits to Music in the Mountain activities for Pagosa’s school children.

“Research has shown that early introduction to music helps young people perform better in their core classes and also encourages them to become concert-goers and performers,” she said. “Best of all, the children have fun while they are learning about music and experiencing great performances.”

Host families sought for exchange program

Pacific Intercultural Exchange, a non-profit organization, is seeking approximately 30 volunteers in Colorado to welcome international teenagers in their homes for the 2007-08 school year.

Students ages 15-18, from countries such as South Korea, Germany, Iraq, Brazil, Sweden, Russia, Japan, Iran, Pakistan and others, will be arriving soon. Volunteers need to contact PIE at (888) 743-8721 by Aug. 15.

The international exchange students, many sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Cultural and Educational Affairs, spend 10 months in America learning about democratic values and institutions, and giving back to their host community. The program strives to promote peace and understanding between the cultures of this world.

For more information, contact Elvia Meza at (888) 743-8721.

Cattlemen’s group to hold chuck wagon cookoff

The LaPlata-Archuleta Cattlemen’s Association Chuck Wagon Cookoff will be held Aug. 28.

The wagons will arrive Friday and will be available for the public to view all day Saturday.

Each wagon will prepare locally grown food provided the Cattlemen’s Association. Even though each wagon will be given exactly the same type and quality of food, the results are very different.

Serving will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The wagons will be located under the trees just south of the Senior Center near the La Plata County Fairgrounds.

Tickets are $12 and are available at Wells Fargo in Pagosa Springs.

2007 Archuleta County Fair dedication

By Lisa Scott
Special to The SUN

This year’s Archuleta County Fair is dedicated to the memory of three great friends of the fair: Charles “Chase” Regester (May 29, 1986-Aug. 2, 2006), Michael “Mikie” Maestas (July 28, 1984-Aug. 6, 2006) and Michael “Mike” Valdez (Feb. 8, 1985-Nov. 22, 2006).

This year’s fair is dedicated to three young men, who had happy and successful lives. They spent their youth immersed with family and in the activities of Pagosa Springs. They were sons, brothers and grandsons.

These boys were very well liked, and boasted many friends. They will be deeply missed by their many friends and by family, far and wide. May we all be filled with wonderful memories of their lives — of the boys they were, and the men they had become.

Charles L. Regester III (Chase) was born to Tiger and Sara Lee Regester. He was raised on the Regester ranch in the Blanco Basin, which was an ideal place for him to pursue his love for animals, ranching and the great outdoors.

At an early age, Chase and brother Twyne spent most of their days with their dogs, horses and the other animals that they had on the ranch. Chase grew up in the 4-H program and proved his success with Grand Championships in livestock projects, winning the Showmanship Contest and holding all the various offices in the Junior Stockman Club.

As a youngster, he rode in many parades, won many ribbons, and earned belt buckles, jackets and other prizes given to high-point rodeo contestants. Chase and his family never missed a county fair, a Fourth of July parade or a rodeo.

Chase loved training horses for many locals and team roping with his brother, Twyne, and his high school team roping partner, Ryan Montroy.

He has always helped out at the Regester and Shahan ranches and, following his graduation from Pagosa Springs High School in May 2005, he worked for the Lindner Ranches.

Michael Isaac Maestas (Mikie) is the son of Michael Maestas, and Eleanor and Todd Shelton. He was raised in Pagosa Springs and spent time ranching with his uncle, aunt and cousins — the Luceros.

Mikie loved the outdoors. He was an avid hunter and tried to obtain every hunting license he could. He was an excellent turkey hunter, in particular. Riding his dirt bike, snowmobiling and snowboarding were some of his regular and favorite activities. He was a natural athlete; he began wrestling at the age of 4 and continued very successfully through high school.

It was after high school that he developed an interest in rodeos and began team roping and bull riding. He graduated from Pagosa Springs High School in May 2002 and began a career in construction.

Michael Joseph Valdez (Mike) was a lifetime resident of Archuleta County and the son of Arthur and Dorothy Valdez. He grew up in a large, close-knit family with six siblings, on the family ranch in the Blanco Basin.

Mike joined 4-H Cloverbuds at age 7 and spent his entire youth in the 4-H program he loved so much. He began raising lambs, and later raised steers and a few swine. He won many ribbons and trophies throughout those years and was very successful with his livestock projects.

He loved the rodeo, both as a spectator and participant. Bareback riding was his specialty. He was an outdoorsman and his personal passion was hunting, especially bow hunting. He loved tracking an elk in the mountains and hunting with his brothers.

Mike graduated from Pagosa Springs High School in May 2004 and attended Mesa State College for two years to become a line man. He began his career at Holy Cross Energy in Glenwood Springs.

PAGOSA LAKES NEWS

PLPOA annual meeting Saturday

By Ming Steen
SUN Columnist

The PLPOA annual meeting will be held this Saturday, July 28, at the Pagosa Lakes Community Center on Port Avenue. Social hour and voting will begin at 9 a.m. with a prompt start of the meeting at 10.

Purpose of the annual meeting is to elect property owners to the board of directors; hear reports from the board and its standing committees; hear remarks from property owners; and consider other business.

Plan your remarks to last no longer than three minutes. Board members and other property owners present appreciate your thoughts, concerns and suggestions; however, the meeting agenda is very full, and the three-minute limit ensures that all business gets conducted. This doesn’t mean big issues can’t be presented. If your concern requires more time, please summarize it in three minutes, and the board will add it to the agenda for the next monthly meeting.

Don’t expect an immediate response; board members don’t act independently. All issues require discussion and sometimes a vote. Once in a while, an immediate answer is possible, but it’s just as likely that you won’t get a response until after the staff have had a chance to research the concern and the board is presented with sufficient information to help them make an informed decision.

Property owners in good standing as shown on a voter list certified at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 (60 days prior to the election), are encouraged to vote in person at the annual meeting, 9-10 a.m.

Please plan on attending your annual meeting — a meeting of property owners to voice their ideas and to give direction for the future planning of the association.,

United Blood Services and PLPOA teamed up again for this last Monday’s blood drive. Fourteen units of blood were donated, a good amount according to the technicians. There were a couple of last-minute walk-ins who filled up open slots left by two no-shows. If you are interested in donating blood, mark your calendar for Monday, Sept. 24, when the next blood drive is scheduled.

Elsewhere in this publication, you’ll see photos and an article covering last weekend’s first annual Pagosa Duathlon. I personally wish to thank event participants and sponsors for their support. Someone asked me why I organize local races. It’s not a silly question at all, given how much time, effort and worries go into organizing a race.

I place importance on local races so Pagosans are given the opportunity to participate right in our own backyard on a user-friendly course. The coming-out for most first-time competitors is rather stressful, but to be able to compete in an environment that is familiar (with ample opportunities to practice on the course), and in the company of supportive familiar faces, is important.

Committing to participate in a competitive event helps a person set a goal and then work toward improving the required skills to achieve the goal. I function best when I know what my goal is. I suspect that’s the case for most people. Successes at meeting goals create a winning psyche that strengthens a person’s self-confidence.

Not everyone is a gifted athlete. We’ve all had to overcome, just to be able to walk up to the race start line.

COMMUNITY CENTER NEWS

A community center has many uses

By Mercy Korsgren
SUN Columnist

We are lucky we had significant rain the last couple of days. Members of our local American Red Cross group express sighs of relief every time it rains because, for obvious reasons, this means less danger for fire.

Did you know that the community center is a designated shelter in the event we need one? This is just another thing you need to know about your center. Let’s hope and pray we will never use the center for this purpose.

Thanks to Kathy Zilhaver for being a part of the community center. Kathy has chosen to stop working at the center and to continue to study computer and computer networking — and all the technical aspects of computers. So, you won’t read her community center news anymore. In addition, she and husband Tom are trying to complete the finishing touches on their new home. Thanks again, Kathy, for your help; and good luck in your new endeavor.

In the meantime, I will keep you all informed about what’s happening at the community center.

’70s dance
Mark your calendars for the next community center dance, 7-10 p.m. Aug. 17, with DJ Bobby Hart.

The center’s fund-raising dances help provide free programs and special events to the community. Tickets for the next dance are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. The cost include your favorite ’70s snacks — onion dip and ruffle chips, cocktail sausages, brownies and ’70s drinks. Tickets can be purchased at Higher Grounds, the Chamber of Commerce and here at the center, starting Aug. 1. Purchase tickets early and save $5 per ticket — it helps us prepare better when we know ahead of time how many people will attend. You may also reserve a table for your group of 10; just give us the numbers on the tickets you’ve purchased and we’ll save a table of your choice.

2008 fireworks sponsors
Thanks to Muriel and Mike Hayward for being the first to come forward to sponsor next year’s Fourth of July fireworks display.

I encourage businesses and individuals to do the same by calling me at 264-4152, Ext. 22. Sponsorship levels are $100, $300 and $500. Donations are tax deductible and are made through the community center, a non-profit 501-C-3 organization. Sponsors will be acknowledged in a display ad in The SUN, aired on KWUF and published in the Red Ryder Roundup Rodeo pamphlet.

Yes, it’s early, but all we need right now are your pledges. We will remind you and collect donations in January 2008. Dennis Ford will place the town’s order for fireworks by the end of October, and he’ll get 15- to 20-percent discount.

Festival of Trees
Summer is half gone and, before you know it, it will be time for Festival of Trees — starting the holiday season in Pagosa Country.

This is our second year for the festival and the theme this year is Christmas Around the World.

Are you getting excited? If so, decide which part of the nation or the world you wish to represent on your holiday trees. Then, start collecting the appropriate, unique and beautiful ornaments. By the way, the different continents are: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Now, you need to narrow down your choice — which country do you pick?

We encourage businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals to participate. Applications forms will be available soon. The dates are Nov. 26-30, with the party and auction held on the last day.

For those who haven’t heard about this fun, holiday fund-raising event, here’s how it works: Any group, business or individual may sponsor a tree or trees, which includes securing the tree or trees, the decorations and finding the artist or the decorator. The sponsor may be the artist and decorator. Either artificial or real trees may be used. Decorated trees will be displayed in the multi-purpose room for three days for the public to see, and to vote on, for the People’s Choice Award. On the last day of the display, the trees will be auctioned off during a party and proceeds will benefit non-profit organizations of the sponsor’s choice. Auctioned trees will be delivered to the winner’s home or to a family that needs a tree. Ronnie Zaday and her elves in full costume are looking forward to delivering the trees again this year.

The Festival of Trees will also include a silent auction of different holiday items such as wreaths, glass blocks, gingerbread houses and more. This year, the festival committee members are proud to announce that Robin from Pagosa Candy Company is donating her time and supplies to conduct a class for local youth on gingerbread-making techniques, sometime in October.

Watch this column for more information.

Line dancing
Come join us Monday for couples at 9 a.m. and line dancing at 10. This class is for fun and making new friends, and it’s free.  All newcomers welcome. Call 731-9734 for more information.

Gerry Potticary, our talented and dedicated volunteer dance instructor, shares the following stories about the group. “As usual Tim Sullivan was a great success and a good time was had by all.  The Cowboy Cha Cha is finally looking good, so the 10 step and jitterbug will be next.

“Both of our Karens have birthdays this month and by some strange coincidence they will both be 39.  Our two-stepping deputy, Wayne, needs a partner, so step up ladies and be recognized.  He is a good dancer, personable, good looking and clean.  He can also ride a horse. We must not let this man go to waste.

“One of the greatest things about Pagosa is the people who bring their special talents and personalities to the community.  In the next few weeks we would like to highlight a few.

“We met Jack and Dian when couples dance started in April 2006.  Since then, everyone has enjoyed their generosity, personalities and sense of community — not to mention their senses of humor.  They volunteer — they give, and they share.  Sometimes, Jack presents interesting variations on steps; things are never dull, and Dian just shakes her head.  At the Tim Sullivan dance, Jack invented a new Jitterbug by forgetting the rock back in the basic step and it still worked (sort of).  Thank you for living in Pagosa and being part of our group.”

Card-making class
The community center card-making class continues, with sessions scheduled for July 30 and Aug. 13, 20 and 27, from 1-4 p.m. each day. Tracy Barcus is teaching this class and thinks it will be of special interest to scrapbookers who won’t be meeting this summer. Each class has a theme technique including rubber stamps, paper punches, brass stencils, ribbon, etc. Tracy’s goal is to make about three cards per person during each class.

This is a free summer class and supplies will be provided. Call the community center at 264-4152 for more information.

Hoopsters
Join this fun adult program and get your morning exercise every Tuesday and Thursday morning, 8 to 9. They said they play “basketball” ... their version.

Whatever they call it, they are getting good exercise in addition to having fun. Call Larry Page for more information, 264-1024. This is a free program for all.

Yoga
OK, you’ve thought about trying yoga, but perhaps you’d like to know a little bit more about it before you actually show up for a class.

The good news is there is a plethora of Web sites you can visit to get more information, plus view pictures of various yoga poses, clothing and the general atmosphere of a typical yoga class. One of the more popular sites to check out is www.abc-of-yoga.com, which is easy to navigate and answers many of your basic questions. You can visit www.yogamovement.com/links/topsites.html, which has links you can click on to take you to a host of other sites for more information. So many sites, so little time.

The community center yoga group meets every Tuesday from 10-11:30 a.m. with Diana Baird and Addie Greer, who volunteer their time leading this free program. While Diana and Addie are not yoga instructors, they love to practice yoga and encourage others to join them. Our yoga session is free of charge.

Computer class
Although Beginning Computer class has been cancelled for the near future, you can still come in and practice your computer skills, check your e-mail or do a little Internet surfing here at the community center computer lab. Remember the old adage: “Use it or lose it.”

We have nine PCs in the lab running Windows XP with black and white and color print services.

Toddlers’ playgroup
We don’t see much of this group during this time of the year except when it rains, and then they come rushing to enjoy the dry indoor facilities — to play or just run around. Every Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon, the preschoolers’ playgroup meets in one of the parks or in the gym, depending on the weather. In the fall and winter, the group definitely meets here.

This is a free program sponsored by the community center. A parent or guardian must stay with the child (no dropoffs). Bring toys, balls, clean bikes, snacks and a spare clean pair of shoes if street shoes are dirty. For more information, call Gwen Taylor, 731-0305.

New programs needed
We are looking for new programs for the center.

If you are one of the many individuals who want to share their talents and/or professional experience, please call me.

All programs at the center are offered to the community for free because of the volunteers who donate their time and talent for the benefit of all.

Boy Scout fund-raiser
Pagosa Springs Boy Scout Troop 807 will hold a recycling fund-raiser, with proceeds going toward landscaping the grounds at Pagosa’s new hospital. Protect the environment by donating digital cell phones, ink jet cartridges, DVD movies/video games, laptops, MP3 players and digital cameras. All donated items are tax deductible and will be recycled according to EPA standards, refurbished or resold.

Dropoff boxes are located at sites around town, including the community center. Contact Kenny Hogrefe at 731-9739 for other dropoff locations or more information.

Lost and found
If you are missing any item, you may want to check the center’s Lost and Found. We have several fleece jackets, one suede fringed jacket, hats, fleece headbands, a gold tone ring with clear stones, a small white purse with a rosary inside, and some miscellaneous items. These items will be donated to the thrift store if no one claims them by end of this month.

A gathering place
If you have an event coming up, why not consider booking a room or the gym at the Pagosa Springs Community Center? We have a variety of reasonably priced rooms to rent for meetings, parties, fund-raising events, seminars and dances, and most rooms have the furniture and equipment you’ll need for any kind of gathering. We also have WiFi available in the building. Call 264-4152 to reserve a room for your next gathering.

The community center’s hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday; 8-5:30 Tuesday-Thursday; 10-4 Saturday.

You can contact the community center at communitycenter@centurytel.net or 264-4152.

Activities this week
Today, July 26 — Hoopsters, 8-9 a.m.; Teen Center open, 3:30-6:30 p.m.; Trinity Anglican Church Bible Study, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Friday, July 27 — Senior Walk, 11:15-11:35 a.m.; Bridge for Fun, noon-4 p.m.; Teen Center open, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 28 — Wildflower HOA, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; MTECH meeting, 1-5 p.m.
Sunday, July 29 — Grace Evangelical Church, 10 a.m.-noon; Church of Christ, 10 a.m.–noon; High Roads Baptist Church, 6-8 p.m.
Monday, July 30 — Photo workshop, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; line dancing, 9-11:30 a.m.; Senior Walk, 11:15-11:35 a.m.; card-making class, 1-4 p.m.; Teen Center open, 3:30–6:30 p.m.; San Juan Outdoor club board meeting, 7-8 p.m.;
Tuesday, July 31 — Hoopsters, 8-9 a.m.; photo workshop, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; yoga, 10–11:30 a.m.; Senior Walk, 11:15-11:35 a.m.; TOPS Park Fun program, 1-3:30 p.m.; Teen Center open, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug 1 — Wendy’s Kids Camp, if raining, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; PSAAR meeting noon-2 p.m.; Teen Center open, 3:30-6:30 p.m.; Weight Watchers, 4:45-6:45 p.m.; basket weaving, 6:30–9:30 p.m.

FOCUS

TAKING IT TO TASK