231 N. Silver St. Ste 2,
Lake City, CO 81235

970-944-2515

Tag: Colorado

Deer Lakes Tops County Board’s March Discussion

by Jodi Linsey Hinsdale County Commissioners met for their regular monthly meetings on March 4 and 18, discussing the Affordable Housing Plan, the proposed Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the Town of Lake City and the Sheriff’s Department, and management of the Deer Lakes Recreational Area.Among updates on the Early Childhood Coalition, funds for the new downtown playground, and the new Operations Building, there were in-depth discussions about the Affordable Housing Plan and the ongoing IGA negotiations with the Town and Sheriff’s Department at the March 4 meeting.On March 4, Commissioners Greg Levine, Robert Hurd, and Kristie Borchers talked about County priorities for scheduled March 11 Joint Workshop with the Town of Lake City Trustees to work out preliminary steps in implementing the recently adopted Affordable Housing Plan. (WORLD March 20). Commissioners concluded that their priority was to have a contracted Housing Coordinator hired using Fast Track Funding grant money for which both entities are eligible to apply.Commissioners instructed Administrator Sandy Hines to work with Town Manager Lex Mulhall to identify highest priorities of a potential Housing Coordinator for discussion at the March 11 workshop. They ended the conversation with the conclusion that an IGA between the Town and County can be drafted once initial priorities are worked out together with their counterparts on the Town Board.Another IGA up for discussion was the agreement between the Town and Hinsdale County Sheriff’s Department. Negotiations about this subject have been underway since approximately November of last year when the Town indicated that they wanted an updated IGA. These negotiations have stalled on different points since that time, although the Commissioners expressed cautious optimism about an imminent conclusion.Deer Lakes Campground was of particular interest as summer approaches and the Commissioners continue to piece together their plan to apply for a permit with the US Forest Service to maintain the site. The four lakes, maintained by three dams, were constructed in 1954 in a cooperative effort between the county and Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce, after which Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) informally agreed to maintain the lakes. Hurd states that other than beaver mitigation, CPW has not upgraded the site since 1957.Following a failure of the uppermost dam in June 2021, CPW worked with the Forest Service to exact repairs while indicating they no longer wanted to be responsible for maintenance. In order to protect this popular fishing and picnic area, Hinsdale County has agreed to take over maintenance of the dams, with Hurd adding “I feel like it’s pretty trouble-free now.” Borchers responded “I think it’s a good plan, twenty years is a reasonable permit.”The Forest Service also reconstructed the Campground and Recreation areas, with the entire complex reopening for the summer season in 2025. The Forest Service has contracted with a concessionaire to operate the campground, imposing mandatory day-use fee which prompted vocal complaints to the Commissioners during the 2025 season. According to County Administrator Sandy Hines, there will now be no fee for short-term picnic parking or wildlife viewing this summer. Unanimous approval to submit a permit application to the Forest Service to provide maintenance of the dams at Deer Lakes was passed at the March 4 regular meeting.In the March 4 meeting, Sheriff Denim Starnes gave……… READ THIS ARTICLE IN FULL SUBSCRIBE!

Read More »
April 2, 2026 No Comments

Endowment, Friends of EMTs Merge

Lake City Medical Center (LCMC) Endowment Fund and Friends of Lake City EMTs have announced the merging of Friends into the Endowment. Turnover of assets is underway and the orderly closing of the Friends operation will be completed over the next few months.Friends’ Board of Directors, Keith Chambers, Leslie Nichols, and Rachel Moore, have determined that the Endowment has a highly complementary Mission, a grant program that balances near-term support with long-term growth, a strong and established volunteer board, and a consistent vehicle to channel future support for the benefit of EMS volunteers and operations.Friends Board member Keith Chambers says, “I believe this merger will achieve the utmost in assisting the EMTs of 2026 along with providing help to the EMTs of 2036 and beyond.”Friends was formed in 1995 by Jerry Gray and Jack Nichols. The mission was to raise funds to provide an incentive program for the recruitment and retention of volunteer emergency medical providers and ambulance drivers serving Hinsdale County EMS.Contributions by Jerry Gray, Keith Chambers, Sandy Hines, Michelle Murphy, Buffy Witt, Becky Campbell, Rachel Moore, John Bonner, Dave Jordan, Marcia Connell Carl, Lori Lawrence, Guy Corder, Rick Hernandez, Liana Whitlock, Jodi Linsey, Ray Blaum, Leslie Nichols, Jack Nichols, and countless other EMTs and ambulance drivers sustained Friends through 4th of July turkey leg booths, t-shirt sales, Adopt-an-EMT campaigns, and more. San Juan Solstice 50 ultrarun, started in 1995 as the Lake City 50, was picked up by Jerry Gray and Friends in 2002 and quickly became the major fundraising event for Friends. The bulk of the current Friends fund is the result of this exceptional event and untold hours of volunteer time in support of Lake City EMTs.Friends Board member Leslie Nichols states, “It has been a great run for this scrappy non-profit! The spirit of Friends will carry on with the merger with LCMC Endowment Fund, and the generous donations and countless hours of volunteer fundraising of the last three decades will continue to meet the Friends mission for decades more to come.”Friends has provided support by sending EMTs to conferences for continuing education, helping stage EMT and Wilderness First Responder (WFR) classes in Lake City, providing personal protective equipment and branded gear, and providing consistent and essential team dinners for run reviews, camaraderie, and recognition.The Endowment was formed in 1996 for the support of the Lake City Area Medical Center. In 2018, the scope was expanded to include Hinsdale County EMS and the Silver Thread Public Health District.The Endowment provides financial support to the delivery of quality healthcare in Lake City. Merging Friends assets with the Endowment will leverage a larger asset and supporter base for the benefit of both organizations. Since 2018, the Endowment has granted $67,918 to EMS or about 22 percent of their total grants of $302,450. Grant requests are submitted by the supported organizations and approved by the nine-person volunteer Endowment Board.Strong support for EMS is expected to continue due to the stated Mission and connections to EMS on the Endowment Board. The Endowment’s Board of Directors includes the EMS Director Katherine Heidt, former EMS Director Jerry Gray, former EMT Marcia Carl, and EMT Sarah Moody. Bylaws guarantee a seat on the Board for the EMS Director.Bernie Krystyniak, Endowment Board President says that “the Endowment will continue to be enthusiastic fundraisers on behalf of EMS along with the medical center and public health. We look forward to including Friends of Lake City EMTs donors into our family of Lake City healthcare organization supporters.”Friends of Lake City EMTs entity will be formally dissolved as it winds down operations over the next few months. Future donations benefiting EMTs and EMS programs can be directed to the Endowment, the Lake Fork Community Foundation collection process, or directly to EMS.Donations to the Endowment can be made online at www.LCMCEndowmentFund.org, by check to PO Box 822, Lake City, or by designating an Endowment donation in the Lake Fork Community Foundation process. Gifts of property can be arranged by contacting the Endowment at [email protected]. Legacy donations are also an option. Some companies have matching gift programs that can be leveraged to increase donation value.Donations directly to Hinsdale County EMS can be made online at https://hinsdalecountyems.square.site/ or by mail to EMS at PO Box 277, Lake City.The current Endowment Board consists of Marcia Carl, Linda Downs (Secretary), Jerry Gray (Public Health Representative), Katherine Heidt (EMS Representative), Malinda McDonald, Sarah Moody, Greg Olson (Health District Representative), Cindy Rae (Vice President), and Bernie Krystyniak (President and Treasurer).LCMC Endowment Fund, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) established in 1996 with the Mission of supporting quality health care delivery in Lake City through supported organizations Lake Fork Health Service District, Silver Thread Public Health District, and Hinsdale County EMS. More information can be found on their website at www.LCMCEndowmentFund.org.

Read More »
March 27, 2026 No Comments

Dire Outlook Cited by County’s Water Basin Rep

by Bruce Heath I am currently serving as the Hinsdale County Representative on the Gunnison River Basin Round table.Mother Nature and human nature have combined to produce a historic low water availability crisis for the seven states in the Colorado River Basin.For the past 25 years, the southwest has been in the longest drought in the past 1,200 years. Moisture in mountain snow pack that then melts into river water is the very life blood of our region.This winter, depending on location, portions of Colorado have produced readings that are nearing — with potential to surpass by April 1 — the two lowest years since recording began 75 years ago.This winter’s low snow has created an immediate water emergency.Since 1922, users in the Colorado River system have followed laws about how water is apportioned to seven states in the upper and lower basins.Annually, flows in the river vary considerably due to the wide variance in winter snow totals. In the face of these variances, a vast array of reservoirs were built to provide a reliable water source for the lower basin states. The two largest reservoirs are Lake Powell and Lake Mead with Powell having become the “key” to making the agreement work.Although the 1922 agreement was based on deeply flawed data and future water availability assumptions, the “laws of the river” for water distribution proved adequate until 2006.The mega drought began in 2000. Having no way to know the magnitude of the ensuing drought, the lower basin states kept taking their legal water right from Powell. All involved believed future “wet” snow years would restore the capacity.In 2007, the seven states — having seen Lake Powell go from nearly full in 2000 to 50 percent of capacity in 2006 — agreed to a set of restricted release and usage guidelines to be followed in critically dry years. With several modifications, these have been in place for 18 years.Originally, it was thought that the two sets of tiered dam outlets allowed for up to 90 percent of the reservoir capacity to be released downstream. However, in 2023, a design flaw in the Glen Canyon Dam became known, making it a critical impediment to downstream users having access to the reservoirs’ stored water.If the water elevation drops below the upper inlets, the four lowest river outlets near the bottom of the dam have proven to not be functional. The Director of the Bureau’s Technical Service Center who has advised against using the outlet works as the sole means for releasing water from the dam. A previous high-capacity use of them for only 72 hours in 2023 caused structural damage, which required nine months to repair.Despite the remedial effort, the Bureau concluded the repairs will not prevent future damage. So for now, close to 4-million acre feet of water is “trapped” in Powell.The elevation of the reservoir has to remain above the upper inlets built into the dam that allow water to pass through to the turbines that generate electricity and then be sent down stream to lower basin users. In the years when the previous low snow readings were set, Powell was near 100 percent capacity and water levels were well above the upper inlets.This allowed water to be released downstream to meet the legal right of the lower basin. Today, Powell is currently at 24 percent of capacity and approaching that critical water level where Glen Canyon dam would experience operational failure because water level would be below the upper inlets.Knowingly facing an October 1, 2026 expiration of the operating guidelines, the seven states have met multiple times over the past two years to negotiate new release operating rules for critical dry years. All the sessions failed to reach agreement.Having missed the final deadline of February 14, 2026, the Bureau of Reclamation [BRC] has announced they will suggest the new operating rules, dictating who gets what amount of water during severe drought years.So far the alternatives suggested by the BRC have been soundly rejected by all seven states.With much of Colorado experiencing record high temperatures, the meager snow pack is melting early. This spring, river runoff flows into Powell are expected to be 25 percent of the past 30 year average. That would be nearing the lowest low flow that has occurred in the last 60 years.The situation has become so dire that a near term stopgap decision is being forced to avoid Glen Canyon dam operational failure. This operational failure, in turn, would prevent water flowing into the lower basin states via Lake Mead.Until system-wide hydrology conditions have shown meaningful improvement, several decisions must be made.There are 34 tracked reservoirs upstream from Powell. As a system, they are capable, based on current capacity, of contributing at least one emergency water release to Powell this year.This on its own will not be enough to keep the water level high enough to maintain the dam’s functionality. Releases out of Powell will also need to be curtailed to keep water elevation above the upper inlets. Then, voluntary lower basin cuts in their water use will likely also be required by at least one million acre feet.Depending on the actual amount of spring runoff, the upper basin may also have to cut consumption to insure inflows to Powell contribute to maintaining the needed elevation at the dam.The impending life style changes and negative economic implications from less water available to use by all involved parties are enormous.What users are involved: Seven states. 5.5-million acres of agriculture land that produces $5-billion in revenue and 90 percent of the green leaf vegetables we consume in the winter use Colorado river irrigation water.Forty-million people use river water in some way daily. Five-million people depend on dam hydro electricity, 30 Native American tribes and Mexico are river water users.Both Phoenix and Denver get 40 percent of their water from the Colorado River. The river supplies water to almost all the cities in the greater Los Angeles, San Bernadino and San Diego areas.Agricultural junior water rights in

Read More »
March 27, 2026 No Comments

Snow Depth, Water Content Continues Dismal

Snow depth and water content above Lake City remain at dismal, near-record low levels with median 1991-2020 levels on the Upper Lake Fork and elsewhere in Hinsdale County on Upper Rio Grande and Upper Piedra in the county’s South End, ranging from 54 to 60 percent of long-term median.Closest to home, Natural Resources Conservation Service’s 11,560’ Slumgullion Pass SnoTel site registers just 57 percent of 1991-2020 median with meager 24” snow depth on Tuesday, March 10, equivalent to 6.6” snow/water content.No surprise to winter recreationalists this winter, traditionally snowy Slumgullion Pass only reached 30” snow depth at the SnoTel site on one day February 21 — last month and then steadily dropped to 28” depth February 22-24, and 24” compacted snow ranging 6.3-6.4” water equivalency March 2-6.As of Tuesday this week, Slumgullion snow remained 24” depth with slightly elevated 6.6” water content.Similarly dismal up valley at Wager Gulch on the upper Lake Fork near Carson, snow depth was 18”, 4.3” snow/water equivalent February 23-24 but has incrementally decreased, 16”depth February 25-March 2, and now Changes in Natural Resources Conservation Service’s precipitation median from February 28, above, to March 8, upper right: Gunnison drainage from 68 to 65 percent median and red-shaded Arkansas now below 50 percent of norm as result lack of moisture, temperatures, and wind. 15” snow with 4.4” water as of March 10.Mid-county on the Upper Rio Grande, the 11,580’ elevation Beartown snow measuring site is marginally better at 60 percent of median, 25” snow depth on February 9 and now increased to 34” depth, 10.6” water on March 10.Weminuche Creek in far south Hinsdale County, 10,730’ elevation, is at 54 percent of median, the site recording 22” snow depth/4.9” snow/water February 9, increasing to 28” depth with 8.1 snow/water content as of Tuesday this week.Newly appointed Gunnison Basin Round Table member Bruce Heath has a regional perspective and expresses concern with not only local snow conditions but the southwest U.S. region as a whole, Colorado River at record ebb and, consequently, Lake Mead Reservoir on the Arizona-Nevada border just 32-33 percent of capacity.The reservoir’s low capacity will undoubtedly have a negative impact on downstream water users, California and lower water appropriation Arizona, where it is now confirmed that electric generation is endangered because reservoir dams such as Hoover Dam were not designed for generation with such low water levels. STAY IN TOUCH Subscribe TODAY!

Read More »
March 12, 2026 No Comments

Amidst Springtime Temperatures in January, Chamber of Commerce Cancels Annual Brewski

Lake City Chamber of Commerce’s annual beer-sipping slog around the south end of frozen Lake San Cristobal has been cancelled, in part owing to warmer than usual daytime temperatures and uncertain ice conditions.The annual event, scheduled on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, February 14, was also cancelled due to lackluster pre-event registration, according to Chamber Administrator Kat Menzies, who said, “people have been watching the weather, and it’s been unusually warm for this time of year. I think many saw the writing on the wall. With no snow on the lake, the Brewski just wouldn’t feel like the event we all know and love. A number of factors played into the decision, but ultimately it wasn’t shaping up to be the kind of experience our community looks forward to. We’re already thinking ahead to next year.” Brewski was halted in part owing to variable ice conditions at the lake, ice depth in some locations reported between 8” and 20” but in other areas thin or uncertain ice depth with patches of open water.Similar ice conditions were encountered for last year’s Brewski when, instead of lake ice, contestants walked a circular loop on mostly-dry Peninsula Park parking lot. Cancellation of this year’s Brewski does not impact a full slate of “Winter White-Out” events which are scheduled next month, starting with Town of Lake City’s Ice Climb Fest Saturday, February 7, and continuing into mid and late-February with Hinsdale County Search & Rescue’s Ice Fishing Derby and Lake City Area Medical Center’s Cannibal Snowshoe Race, respectively Saturdays February 21 and 28, both of which are scheduled on the frozen surface of Lake San Cristobal.

Read More »
January 23, 2026 No Comments

Holidays in Full Gear with Upcoming Open Houses, Festive Activities.

Festive fun continues as the holiday season bursts with a continuing succession of fun events, including Chamber of Commerce’s Open House Friday, December 12, beginning at 5 until 8 p.m. This event takes place at the beneath a large tent canopy beside the Visitors’ Center, the tent conveniently equipped with heaters and outside fire pits to keep attendees toasty, an added attraction being Chamber Director Kat Menzies preparing her very own homemade Posole Verde.There will also be cookies and hot chocolate, and local realtor Kelsey Loftis has sponsored a photo booth with Santa Claus.New this year, and running through the entire course of the evening December 12 will be the Twinkle Trail Hayride, which is a traditional hayride tour of holiday lights within town limits. The ride begins at the Chamber to the Country Store, journeys over the Ball Flats, through downtown and over to businesses in Wade’s Addition and back to the Chamber. This tour will occur repeatedly through the evening, giving everyone a chance to enjoy the beautifully decorated homes and businesses throughout town.In addition, the Visitors’ Center event will also host both a Christmas tree auction and a stuffed stocking auction benefitting Wee Care, both beginning at 5 and running through 7:30 p.m.Menzies says that for the tree auction, 24 trees have been decorated by local volunteers to be auctioned, proceeds going to local families in need.More holiday magic is happening December 13, a.k.a. Merry Mountain Market, which is, according to the Chamber of Commerce, “Lake City’s festive spin on shopping local, an easy, cheerful excuse to bundle up, stroll through town, and support the businesses that keep our community thriving. Discover great gifts, enjoy holiday spirit around every corner, and make a little mountain magic while you shop.”This event includes Kids Christmas Crafts in the Armory, 10 a.m., where parents can deposit children to do crafts while they shop. At 1 p.m., there will be a cakewalk for the kids, and if anyone would like to donate a baked confections – cakes, cookies, pies, or cupcakes, they can be dropped off Friday, December 12 at the Visitor’s Center from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., or Saturday, December 13, from 11 a.m. until 12:45 p.m.From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Windy Point Trading Company, including Sweet Peas, Chell’s Kitchen, and Anita’s Attic will be hosting their open house. According to Sweet Pea’s Kathleen Murphy-Whinnery, “there will be lots of goodies to taste, refreshments, deals, fresh flowers, and a drawing for a beautiful fire pit!” Also hosting an open house that day will be Tracy Toler-Lanktree, at Cabin Fever Mercantile on Silver Street downtown.Thursday evening, December 18, Lake City Community School students will perform this year’s holiday play, “The Grumps of Ring-A-Ding Town,” starting 5 p.m. at the school.Thursday, December 18 there will also be a special cookie decorating and exchange event at the Senior Center in the Armory noon and, finally, a second Merry Mountain Market Saturday, December 20, with last minute Christmas magic and ice skating from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Armory.

Read More »
December 12, 2025 No Comments

Durango Tops Racers in Saturday’s 7th Alpine 50 50-Mile Bike Race

Cool morning temperatures and gently moist track conditions proved ideal for a total of 113 mountain bike athletes competing in last Saturday’s 7th Annual Alpine 50 bike race.Top finishers in this year’s race were two Durango racers in their 40s in first and third place, repeat Alpine 50 winner Todd Wells, 49, crossing the finish line first in just three hours, 29.20 minutes, and, in third position, Nick Gould, 46, 3 hours, 37.58 minutes.Gould finished the race near-tandem with second place finisher, 20-year-old Kip Sevenoff, also from Durango, time 3 hours, 37.56 minutes.Top place women’s racer with finish time 4 hours, 16.51 minutes was Lauren Aggeler from Durango, with Glenwood Springs racer Manessah Franklin, 4 hours, 35.04, and Jenya Berinot, 4 hours, 38.21, respectively in second and third place among women.Aggeler, age 21 and part of the Durango powerhouse team of bicyclists, was an hour faster than last year’s first place finisher, Liv Geer, attributable to sheer athleticism and ideal race conditions neither too wet nor too dry. The all-time fastest time for a women’s finisher in the Alpine 5 was speedy Alexis Skarda, three hours, 55 minutes, in COVID race year 2020.Top place male finisher Wells represented the U.S. in Olympic mountain bike competition in 2004, 2008, and 2012, and is familiar with the Alpine 50 afterVol. 48, No. 22 Friday, August 29, 2025 Lake City, Hinsdale County, Colorado 81235 U.S.P.S. No. 436-63075¢successive first and second place finishes in multiple years. For this year’s race, he sauntered by bike over Cinnamon Pass from Silverton on August 22 in advance of the race and, immediately following the race, again rode his mountain bike back over the mountain with time out to savor a Dale’s Pale Ale on the pass summit before descending to Silverton.Five Lake City locals competed in Saturday’s 50-miler, first across the finish line and youngest of all racers, Lake City high school freshman Joseph Tubbs, 14, time 5 hours, 48.22 minutes, followed in close pursuit by Todd Schweitzer, 5:58.43, and Bennett Levine, 6:10.16.Rounding out the list of Lake City racers in this year’s Alpine 50 were Dan File, 6:35.22, and County Commissioner Greg Levine who pedaled furiously after starting off from Lake City Park starting gate with his son, Greg Levine, and finished the race after 7 hours, 38.26 minutes.Common and commendable themes in the August 23 50-mile Alpine Loop race were its smooth as clockwork organization, enthusiastic volunteers, and bicyclists who — without exception — cited the Alpine 50 as exceptional in terms of outstanding mountain vistas from the summits of Cinnamon and Engineer Passes.Organized by Michael Fleishman and John Coy of Human Powered Endeavors on behalf of Lake Fork Valley Conservancy, remunerative tops from the weekend bike competition were $1,000 donation to Wee Care and $1,100 to Lake Fork Conservancy as proceeds from a mountain bike raffle.An overriding theme for the 108 mountain bikers — 87 men and 21 women — who completed the mountain circuit beginning and ending in Lake City Park was compassion and an overriding kindness exceeding athletic passion.Silas Bartels from Brooklyn, New York, was among a trio of Bartels brothers in this year’s race. He remained upbeat despite two above-timberline flat tires and a detached gear shifter which he held in place amid cheers as he crossed the finish line.What most impressed the first-time Alpine 50 contestant, however, was the pervasive kindness. He remarked that numerous fellow bicyclists and OHV recreationists stopped to offer assistance as he struggled to repair the flat tires.“Everyone was so helpful,” he said, “there was so much kindness out there.”In spite of mechanical difficulties, the New York resident finished the race in 52nd place among men with an overall time 6 hours, 6.31 minutes covering the 50-mile track. With their father, Lloyd Bartels on the sidelines, Silas Bartels’ two brothers, Liam, from Heidelberg, Germany, and Salida, Colorado bike enthusiast Josef Bartels, also finished the race, Josef in men’s fourth position, time 3 hours, 46.24 minutes.Remarkable race statistics as recited by race co-organizer Mike Fleishman, included both Liam Bartels (finish time 6 hours, 19.29 minutes) and Andres Gamboa (3:57.01), from San Jose, Costa Rica, as traveling the greatest distances to attend this year’s Alpine 50, as well as youngest racer in this year’s event, 14-year-old Lake City racer Joseph Tubbs.Another local racer, 69-year-old Dan File — who has competed and finished every Alpine 50 race since its inception seven years ago — joined Fruita, Colorado, racer Beth Collins, 68, as eldest in this year’s race.Mountain bicyclists from Durango, Colorado, were once again predominate in terms of cumulative speed, first place cyclists Wells, Sevenoff, and Gould ascending the platform to accept the coveted Sheldon Little Fastest Team Award, while two women counterparts — Manesseh Franklin (4:35.04) and Tara Foster (7:05.16) — garnered the Fastest Team Award on behalf of Glenwood Springs, Colorado.Not surprisingly, Michael Underwood Photography’s True Grit Award went to Silas Bartels, while Random Acts of Kindness Accolades went to Colorado Springs mountain bicyclist Brad Priebe (5:50.12) who stopped to assist two different race competitors; Most Enthusiastic Award to seven-time Alpine 50 biker Bryan Balliet (3:56.31); Best Beard, Derek Horejs (6:41.49); and All Smiles Award, Leadville racer Marley Seifert (6:22.25).Following are insights following brief interviews with top finishers, locals, and a smattering of other Alpine 50 race finishers:Leader of the pack was Todd Wells of Durango with a time of 3 hours, 29 minutes, 20 seconds. Although Wells was concerned about the chance of rain, it turned out to be a beautiful, dry day with perfect temperatures. With weather not providing an obstacle, Wells found other challenges to face, not surprisingly at the highest points of the route, where the air is thin and the climbs are steep on Cinnamon and Engineer Passes. Wells said that he wanted to race in the Alpine 50 because “Lake City is a cool town” and the course is, he said, “spectacular.”Reflecting on his second place finish — 3 hours, 29.20 minutes — and inaugural Alpine 50, 20-year-old Kip Sevenoff

Read More »
August 29, 2025 No Comments

Town Board and County Commissioners Consider Options for Sheriff’s Office IGA

During the joint Town and County Meeting August 13, Town of Lake City staff and Hinsdale County Commissioners’ final item on the meeting’s agenda was to begin negotiations for an Inter-departmental Government Agreement (IGA).Mayor Roberts began the conversation explaining that the former IGA between these entities remained unclear in terms of language used because it had been amended and patched together out of old IGAs, and that it was possibly necessary to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and ‘start from scratch.’Town Manager Lex Mulhall said, “that’s really the first question. Why spend the money on the IGA? Is he [Sheriff Denim Starnes] going to sign an IGA?”Mulhall was referencing an article written by correspondent Gianna Morena in the July 25 issue of Silver World that stated:‘Starnes is frank about the lack of manpower putting long-term planning on the back burner behind more immediate concerns. Nevertheless, he points to modernizing operations and reestablishing a presence in the more remote parts of Hinsdale County, which he feels have been neglected, as areas he hopes to address.One way to narrow his office’s focus may be to allow HCSO’s contract for law enforcement services with the Town of Lake City to expire in December. “I’m going to be either lauded or hated for what I decide to do with this contract. But the longer I think about this, the more and more I’m becoming convinced that the Town of Lake City needs to have its own marshal’s office so that the sheriff’s office can actually do its job out in the county.” [said Starnes.]Incorporated towns in Colorado have a statutory duty to provide police service. While many sheriffs provide municipal services under contract, they are not obligated to do so. The administrative and financial costs to the town for standing up its own police force would be substantial.’Starnes was not present at the August 13 meeting,(nor was Commissioner Greg Levine, who had attended the meeting earlier but needed to leave mid-meeting), and Mulhall said, “without the Sheriff being here…we can have our attorneys work on details such as liability language in there, what the costs potentially would be in 2026 and beyond, but what we really need to do is circle back, get the Sheriff in a room in a mutual understanding between all boards, that is really key at first, so maybe we need to wait until that happens before we dig into this.”County Administrator Sandy Hines said, “I think we all know for many years, that idea of the Town potentially looking at another way has come up over and over. I think it’s possible that Sheriff Starnes may have heard those conversations or may have heard over time alternate ideas. But nothing official has happened.”Mayor Roberts said, “why I want to talk about this while we’re all together, there has been some muddy water over this but I want to make it clear, the trustees did not wake up one day and say ‘we’re cancelling the IGA’ or anything like that.”Commissioner Kristie Borchers said, “I think one of the first things we need to hammer out is that there is a difference in legal opinion between the Town and County attorneys regarding what a County is required to provide a town with law enforcement. I think that would be first on our list, because that then drives the money. Also, I wanted to bring up this idea of one person assigned to the Town. The reason that came up was a way to evaluate costs, only. That was Sheriff Kambish, he thought that was the way to figure out costs, but maybe its not. The idea is, how is it equitable to split what the Sheriff is doing within the Town as opposed to what he does in the County. Even though that is how it is written, I think we just tend to think that we have to sign it for three years, and it happens again and again. Now we have a couple months. I think now you have this opportunity where our attorneys can collaborate and we can come up with a better agreement. The IGA has been cobbled together for so long, now it’s time to think about best practice models and come up with something better. ”Town Attorney Dan Krob spoke up, saying, “I just wanted to say a couple of things. You guys are all there doing public service, you’re all there for the community, whether that’s people in unincorporated Hinsdale County, or in the Town of Lake City, you’re all there on the same team. Like Commissioner Borchers said, that IGA has probably been hacked together over longer than I’ve been practicing law. I do think you would all benefit to sit down and figure out what exactly you want and what your priorities are. It might be time to wipe the slate clean and start with a new IGA if you guys want to do that. I’ve seen a lot of collaboration between you [two boards]. which is one of the reasons I enjoy being down there, and we can make this work easy and simple. There’s been enough rumors flying around that I think it would be beneficial to sit down with the Sheriff and find out what is his position, what does he want to do, and go from there.”

Read More »
August 23, 2025 No Comments
Verified by MonsterInsights