Premium content

2024 year in review: July

Posted

• Heavy rains moved through the area as July began, with the heaviest amounts falling on July 1.

According to Shawn Prochazka from Pagosa Weather, reports from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) for July 1 noted that some areas in the county received more than 2 inches of rain within 24 hours for the first time since May 2014.

According to CoCoRaHS, downtown Pagosa Springs saw the most rainfall on July 1 with reports of 2.24 inches and 2.25 inches. Areas around uptown Pagosa Springs reported figures ranging from .66 inches to 2.02 inches, while Aspen Springs reported 1.61 and 1.71 inches.

• On July 2, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) announced that an investigation was underway into the apparent homicide of Chrystal Snow, 39, of Pagosa Springs.

According to the press release, the ACSO was dispatched to a 911 open line in the 1000 block of County Road 700 at approximately 2:20 a.m. on July 2.

• The Fourth of July Parade featured Lisa and Bob Scott as its 2024 grand marshals. The parade also featured a new route that did not include U.S. 160.

Pagosa Springs was host for numerous events over several days for the Fourth of July, among them the parade, Red Ryder Roundup Rodeo, Freedom Float and a fireworks display.

• On July 5, Archuleta County Clerk and Recorder Kristy Archuleta approved a recall petition regarding Commissioner Veronica Medina, allowing for the petition to be circulated to collect signatures.

The petition alleged potential conflicts of interest concerning her votes on purchasing property for a county administration building and on the Archuleta County Land Use Regulations.

• Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the ACSO began investigating a boating collision the afternoon of July 6 near Windsurf Beach at Navajo State Park that left one person dead and another in critical condition.

“Initial reports are that a vessel collided with an inflatable tube carrying three passengers being towed behind another vessel,” according to a CPW press release

One person, 25-year-old Mikayla Wright, of Durango, was pronounced dead at the scene and another was airlifted to a local hospital. A third passenger was uninjured.

• Pagosa Fire Protection District (PFPD) personnel responded to a structure fire early in the morning of July 6 after an explosion was heard in the area of Beaver Circle and Lake Forest Circle round 3:30 a.m.

No injuries were reported and the occupants were out of the house prior to the PFPD’s arrival.

• Archuleta County Mountain Express Transit (MET) was informed on July 9 that it received a $418,359 Bus and Bus Facilities Grant from the Federal Transit Administration for the construction of a park-and-ride facility in Aspen Springs.

According to the county, the park-and-ride location will support a new bus route between Aspen Springs and Pagosa Springs.

• In July, the Wolf Creek Gun And Bow Association (WCGBA) received notification of conditional approval in funding for the development of an archery range.

The letter from CPW states that $63,140 has been allotted to WCGBA, following review by a grant program review panel.

The WCGBA previously entered into a 15-plus-year lease agreement with the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association to develop an archery range in the area of Trails Boulevard just north of U.S. 160.

• In mid-July, reports revealed the 2024 Fourth of July celebrations drew in big crowds, with more than 63,300 people visiting Archuleta County from July 3-7, according to a Placer report provided by Tourism Director Jennifer Green.

According to Green, “It was an increase over 2022 and 2023, but not quite to the crazy visitor pandemic levels of 2021, which had 68,600 visitors over the same time frame.”

• Two Pagosa Springs athletes — Abigail Nehring and Creede Dozier — earned the right to compete in the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics July 22-28 in College Station, Texas.

Both earned the right to compete at Texas A&M’s EB Cushing Stadium after placing in the top three at the Region 10 event earlier in the month.

• According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), as of July 9, there were no portions of Archuleta County in any drought stage.

According to USDM records, prior to July 9, the last time Archuleta County was completely drought free was on July 11, 2023, coming out of a heavy snowfall season that saw Wolf Creek Ski Area receive 490 inches of snow throughout the 2022-2023 season.

Before that, there was a four-year period during which none of Archuleta County was free of drought going back to July 16, 2019, according to the USDM, and Archuleta County reached extreme and exceptional drought conditions in 2020.

• At its July 15 meeting, the San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) Board of Directors voted to move forward with a request for proposals for a reservoir manager for the organization’s reservoir project at Running Iron Ranch.

• At its July 16 meeting, the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approved two change orders for construction work on the county transit center project totaling $227,735.78.

At a BoCC work session earlier in the day, Public Works Director Mike Torres explained the first change order was a previously discussed change adding bay heaters for the bus bays at a cost of $76,903.32 and the second change order is for additional blasting and rock excavation occurring in conjunction with two previous change orders for blasting and excavation.

The additional work will cost $150,832.46 on top of the previous change orders, Torres explained, adding that the construction company had to blast and do additional rock excavation on the foundation, the retention pond and the utility lines for the project.

• Archuleta County Assessor Johanna Tully-Elliott provided a report on the 2024 valuation of property in the county to the BoCC at its July 16 meeting.

She explained that the real property valuation for the county is $611,920,160, while the personal property valuation for the property is $24,428,310 for a total of $636,348,470 in assessed value.

• In July, the Pagosa Springs Police Department (PSPD) asked people to be sure to lock their vehicles and not leave valuable items in them following a series of unlocked cars being “rummaged through.”

According to Police Chief Bill Rockensock, between July 5 and 16, six vehicles were “rummaged through” in the middle of the night downtown.

• On July 18, the Pagosa Springs Town Council voted unanimously to reject a plan to construct new parking spaces in a corner of the Town Park athletic field.

At the meeting, the council considered two options. Option 1 would have provided 65 additional parking spaces. Option 2 would have provided 35 additional spaces.

• Tucker Jacobson and Colt Lewis earned belt buckles at the Colorado State High School Rodeo before moving on to compete at the largest rodeo in the world, the National High School Finals Rodeo, in Rock Springs, Wyo., July 14-20. 

Jacobson qualified in the bareback riding after finishing second in the state. Lewis qualified in saddle bronc riding after finishing third in the state.

• On July 23, the BoCC announced that it selected Jack M. Harper II (then the county’s interim manager) and Richard Bellis as finalists for the county manager position.

• The Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) Board of Directors voted to accept the resignation of Paul Hansen from the board and to initiate a search for another director at its July 25 meeting.

PAWSD board chair Jim Smith stated Hansen had communicated to him that he wished to resign immediately.

• Events associated with the 22nd annual Spanish Fiesta kicked off in the morning on July 27 with the unveiling of a new bronze sheepherder statue dedicated to the long history of sheepherding across multiple cultures in the region. Festivities continued later in the day at the county fairgrounds and included performances by the Ballet Folklorcio de Durango.

• Archuleta announced on July 30 that two candidates collected enough approved signatures to successfully petition to run as unaffiliated candidates for Archuleta County commissioner for District 1, with the clerk and recorder explaining that Kenneth Bowles and Wayne Hooper both collected enough signatures.

• The ACSO, PFPD and U.S. Forest Service responded to and contained a fire on County Road 500 near Coal Mine Road in late July.

The fire, called the Coal Mine Fire, was kept at 11 acres, according to the ACSO.

• According to a July 31 press release, the Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation was awarded $20,000 from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority’s (CHFA’s) Direct Effect Awards.

The press release explains that award recipients included public housing authorities, cities, counties and local municipalities “whose missions align with CHFA’s work to strengthen Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development.”

According to CHFA, the grant award “will help to build internal capacity by hiring staff to assist with grant execution and compliance.”