Hinsdale County - The Silver World Newspaper

Med Center, EMS, VA,Public Health Hosting Health Fair May 12-16

It’s all hands on deck at Lake City Area Medical Center, with assistance from Hinsdale County Emergency Medical Services, as in-house staff hosts this year’s annual Health Fair.In previous years, an outside agency coordinated the annual event and appointments were scheduled on just a single day. This year’s Health Fair, like last year’s, is being scheduled as a service to the community by the medical center staff and is by appointment at reduced rates from Monday, May 12, through Friday, May 16.Dental appointments with Dr. Quigley may also be scheduled at this time. He will be available Monday through Wednesday, May 12, 13 and 14 to provide free oral cancer screenings on those days. Interested parties are encouraged to call the medical center (970-944-2331) to schedule an appointment for screening.Other screenings include assessments for cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, memory, hearing, and vision, which will be offered by clinic staff from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13 and Wednesday, May 14.Throughout the length of the Health Fair, Monday through Friday, residents may sign up by prior appointment for blood draws, which will be taken from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. each day.Individual blood draws, priced at the discounted rate of $25 per draw, are in turn used for a plethora of tests, based on one blood draw for each test: PSA (prostate), CBC (complete blood count), CMP (complete metabolic panel), Liver Panel, Lipid Panel, TSH (thyroid), Ferritin (blood protein testing for iron), TICB (total iron binding capacity), A1C (hemoglobin), Vitamin D, and Vitamin B12.According to Lake City Area Medical Center board member Greg Olson, tables will be set up in the mornings all week with representatives from Emergency Medical Services, Public Health, Medical Center, and Veterans’ Affairs.EMS Director Katherine Heidt will be demonstrating hands-only CPR on mannequins and Veterans’ Affairs Service Officer Mike Harrington will be there to answer questions about VA services available to residents and visitors.Something new this year from Silver Thread Public Health – representatives will be available to answer questions about the dangers of vaping and will also be unveiling a new system for disposing of vape cartridges.Vaping devices have batteries that are problematic when discarded into landfills, so Public Health is devising a system of disposal boxes for expired vape pens. There will be secure boxes throughout town at a number of locations where vaping equipment can be discarded for free to be properly recycled.Olson also wanted WORLD to know that Medical Center staff have been hard at work trying to secure funding for the Health Fair, and were able to secure a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation (CHF). “We are very fortunate,” Olson said, “to have the gracious sponsorship of CHF for this year’s Health Fair.”Olson also said that he hopes the Lake City community will take advantage of this opportunity, as “managing one’s health is so important, at all ages and stages of life.”“As a board member of the Lake City Area Medical Center, I’m proud of the incredible healthcare resources we have in our community. The upcoming Health Fair is a great opportunity to take control of your health with free screenings, low-cost blood work, and direct access to our EMS, VA, and Public Health teams. From hands-only CPR demos to safe disposal of vape cartridges, there’s something valuable for everyone.”“I look forward to seeing our community come together for this important event, “Olson said.

May 2, 2025 No Comments

Fire District Seeking Sales Tax Support

Board agrees to ask voters for 1.25 % bump — By Chris Dickey Leaders of the Lake City Area Fire Protection District are preparing to do something they haven’t done since 1982: Ask voters to raise taxes in order to fund ongoing operations of the organization.The proposal is different this time around, however. The district was initiated more than 40 years ago with a nod from Lake City residents to assess themselves a property tax dedicated to fire services. This fall, local voters will be asked to approve a 1.25% increase in the sales tax rate.The decision to seek more money was reached by a consensus of the district’s board of directors in January. Last Wednesday, April 16, during a special meeting, the board voted unanimously in favor of seeking the 1.25% sales tax initiative.If approved, the sales tax would generate approximately $375,000 annually, based on the current level of local retail sales activity, according to Fire District Secretary Michelle Warren Pierce. This year, the district’s property tax mill levy is expected to bring in $121,285, which is divided amongst its general fund, capital reserve and contingency budgets.“We haven’t asked for money here in 40-something years,” said outgoing General Manager and Fire Chief Bill Hagendorf. “The worst thing we can do is come back in three or four years asking for more. At 1.25 percent, you’d be very solvent for the next 15 years.”Fire district leaders point to a multitude of factors driving the need to seek more funding. Retail transactions in the Town of Lake City currently are assessed a 7.9 percent sales tax (comprised of 2.9 percent to the state, 4 percent split between the town and Hinsdale County, and 1 percent for the Lake Fork Health Service District. If the fire district proposal were approved by voters, this overall rate would jump to 9.15 percent.For example, a $100 purchase at a local restaurant, bar or retail outlet would increase from $107.90 in total cost, including tax, to $109.15.The sales tax rate in the City of Gunnison, by way of comparison, is 8.9 percent.District leaders opted to pursue a sales tax initiative, rather than property tax, because they believe it is a fairer way of spreading costs out amongst visitors as well as locals. Firefighters respond to a lot of vehicle and ATV accidents, in addition to the rare structure fire.“We see this as a way of sharing the burden with people who come to visit us in the summer too,” Pierce explained.District leaders noted the sensitivity citizens have to tax increases, but hope to state their case to local voters before the November election. They’ve budgeted $10,000 for a campaign that could include a mailer, presentations to local groups and other means of demonstrating the need to individuals.“No, people are not fond of tax increases, but they are fond of the thought that somebody is going to put a fire out at their house, or that volunteers are going to be well trained and equipment is going to roll out of the station and operate like it’s supposed to,” Pierce told the Silver World.“It’s about the level of service,” board member Crystal Brown said at last week’s meeting.“This has to pass,” added board member and volunteer firefighter Evan Milski. “We have to make this pass.”Some concern was expressed at last week’s meeting that this may not be the only tax-related question local voters face this fall. Hinsdale County Commissioner Greg Levine addressed the possibility that a proposal to increase the local lodging tax may be in the offing.“I would say the status of the County Lodging Tax increase is close to entering the deliberation stage,” he told the Silver World. “In my opinion, the county is facing other, more pressing issues.”Representatives of the Lake Fork Health District told the Silver World that they were not moving forward with a tax-related ballot issue this year.

April 24, 2025 No Comments

Flawed Flow Estimates by 1921 Federal Govt. Caused River Water Over-Allotment

Whiskey is for drinkin’ & water is for fightin’~Mark Twain by Bruce Heath The dryness of the land west of the 100th Meridian has been known for a considerable number of years. As early as 1540, Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, on his 4,000 mile odyssey through land that would become six western states, in search of the seven cities of Gold reported water was difficult to find. The most frequent physical malady reported in the journals of Lewis & Clark was the men’s sore feet caused by cactus tines puncturing their moccasins. In 1820, Stephen Long’s expedition traveling through what would become the states of Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma and Arkansas noted, “ I do not hesitate in giving the opinion that the land is almost wholly unfit for cultivation, and of course uninhabitable by people depending upon agriculture for their subsistence.” In reference to these conditions, he then labeled the region The Great American Desert.In 1878, John Wesley Powell sent Congress a Report on the Lands of the Arid Regions of the USA. By careful observation, Powell determined the vast amount of the territory west of the 100th meridian received less the 20” of precipitation annually. He stated that only 2% of the land was suitable for agriculture and that that land needed to be near a water source. He suggested an approach for the government to distribute land to settlers and how to organize water usage because its existence was not in sufficient amounts needed to irrigate large swaths of land. The federal government, railroad companies and land speculators all needed western settlers to achieve the economic growth they desired. Negative publicity about their “ promised land” was not acceptable. This group rejected Powell’s approach in favor of the theory put forth by Professor Cyrus Thomas. His idea was agricultural development would change the climate and cause higher rates of precipitation. He coined the phrase, “ rain will follow the plow.” The famed author Wallace Stegner has described the American West as the geography of hope. Hopeful settlers filled with belief in Thomas’s theory showed up in increasing numbers. For the following 60 years, cities, farmers and ranchers dealt with the inconvenient fact that the territory west of the 100th Meridian received less that 20” of precipitation a year. It wasn’t until the dust bowl years of the 1930s, after brutal hardship and suffering, that Powell’s recommendations were reconsidered.For those in Hinsdale County of a certain age, who knew the settling generations, there was an oft repeated joke told by them. Two cowboys on horseback are riding along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison river. One said to the other, “ This land is starting to grow on me. I am really taking a liking to it. All this place needs is good people and water.” His riding partner thought about it for awhile and then said, “ Just remember people say the same thing about Hell.”By 1900, it became known that portions of Arizona and southern California were capable of significant agricultural production if sufficient irrigation water could be brought to the crops. This would be a major catalyst for forming the Colorado River Compact in 1922. The river’s water source was recharged annually by snow melt from the Rocky Mountains. The purpose of the compact was to provide for an equitable division and apportionment of the river water for municipalities and agriculture use among seven western states located in two basins. The Chair of the Commission who would decide this was the Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover.The challenge was to determine how much water was available to be distributed. The middle section of the Colorado River Basin was one of the most remote and inaccessible regions in the nation at the time. In particular, the canyon region from the mouth of Green River in Utah to the Grand Wash in Arizona, covering a water course of approximately 520 miles, was accessible to wheeled vehicles at only three points. Because of the inaccessibility, no stream gauges were established at Lees Ferry until 1921.An article providing the detail of how the river flow estimates were determined can be found on EOS.org Fixing the Flawed Colorado River Compact. Portions of what follows come from this article. The federal government used a methodology that in retrospect can be labeled as non scientific and politically driven. Their estimate was an assumption that the river’s average discharge at Lees Ferry was 16.4 million acre-feet per year. Based on this estimated flow, the commission then allocated a combined total of 15 million acre-feet per year which would leave the remaining water to meet the needs of future development. It’s clear today that the commission’s 16.4-million-acre-feet-per-year estimate was based on errors about past flow amounts, inaccurate water evaporation assumptions and grossly optimistic future precipitation considerations. They also ignored the more conservative science and more reliable hydrology data available at the time.Actually, the best data available came from a US Geological Survey employee named Eugene LaRue. LaRue calculated the average discharge at Lees Ferry between 1895 and 1920 to be 15.0 million acre-feet per year using records from actual stream gauges and tributary contributions up and downstream from Lees Ferry. LaRue submitted his findings to Hoover who replied with a polite thank you note and then ignored them. LaRue’s findings did not support the political needs associated with proposed water distributions. The different approaches of LaRue and the one used by the federal government led to a disparity in their discharge estimates of approximately 1.4 million acre-feet per year. Future measurements and tree ring analysis would prove LaRue’s calculated flows of 15m acre feet to be valid. So from the compact’s inception, the government distributions were based on an exceedingly wet previous 20 years, non scientific calculations of historic flows and overfly optimistic future flow estimates caused the river to become over allocated.With the Compact in place, the era of dam building began in 1931 with the Hoover Dam and neared completion in 1963 with

April 17, 2025 No Comments

All-Hazard Fund Reimbursement to be Paid by State

There was an audible sigh of relief prior to the start of Hinsdale County Commissioners’ Wednesday, April 9, meeting with announcement by County Finance Officer Lynn McNitt that long-awaited reimbursement funds are being paid by State of Colorado.As previously reported, the county’s financial reserves were severely depleted as the result of a lag in reimbursement payments from the state based on the county’s All-Hazards Team Program. Under terms of the program, the county retains an administrative fee and is reimbursed for up-front costs, including salaries and related expenses of personnel who are deployed to wildfire emergencies throughout the U.S.Under terms of the sponsorship contract, Hinsdale County retains its administrative percentage — amounting to $2.4-million since the start of the program as of February 2025 — and then is promptly repaid for upfront costs, typically within 60 days.The financial rub, however and consequent depletion of county reserves, began in June last year when reimbursements from the state slowed to a truckle.Commissioners engaged legal counsel and scheduled several executive sessions as they conferred with County Attorney Michael O’Loughlin and private counsel on a strategy to obtain delinquent payment to refill county coffers. County Finance Officer Lynn McNitt is typically demure in her financial reporting but at the county board’s meeting last Wednesday bordered on the giddy as she told Commissioners Borchers, Hurd, and Levine that state reimbursement checks for the All-Hazard Team repayments will begin to flow as early as this week.A total of $3,925,783 in documented paid All-Hazard Team expenses is owed to the county by the state. In financial terms, McNitt explained to commissioners that the total amount owed to the county is separated into five separate categories based on review and approval for repayment through the state’s Division of Fire Protection & Control.As of Wednesday last week and expected in hand on Monday this week, McNitt says $837,665.25 has been approved for repayment, “but the state has been working on our invoices and updating the payments.”A second phase of the repayment schedule, as explained by McNitt is the “eligibility checker” in which an additional $2.5-million in owed funding is set to be repaid “within the next few weeks.”Additionally, according to McNitt, and foreseen slightly further down the line, is an additional$235,674 to be paid to the county by the state which is “coded in-process for approval”, and — finally — a further reimbursement payment amounting to$253,037 which is in the state’s payment system but not yet approved.State payment of the reimbursement funds may have an impact on the county’s hoped-for 2025 start of construction on the long-awaited County Operations Center which was reported at length in last week’s WORLD. Reported in last week’s edition of the newspaper was a lengthy discussion on interest rates and repayment schedule if the county seeks interim funding for the $4.3-million operations center which includes $1-million from Hinsdale County.A planned meeting between the commissioners and financial representatives Kutak Rock and Piper Sandler & Co., originally scheduled this Friday has now been moved to a special meeting on Wednesday, April 23.In other agenda items at the county board’s workshop and regular meeting on April 9, commissioners were unanimous as they reluctantly voted to more than double the per-yard transfer station charge for tree limbs and slash.For years the county has utilized a drastically reduced, money-losing per yardage fee for tree debris as a wildfire mitigation incentive for landowners in the county.Without financial assistance from either Town of Lake City or a succession of state fire prevention grants (which were denied), Commissioners will now increase the per-yard transfer station fee from. $6.10 to $12.75 effective May 1.Tree limb and slash disposal at the transfer station — although viewed by the county as a pro-active incentive against wildfire — has become an increasingly costly proposition requiring an annual subsidy from the county. Slash and debris were collected at the transfer station, and the county in turn rented an industrial-grade tub grinder to transform the natural timber into mounds of chips for landscaping and soil stabilization.Even the grinding process proved a challenge, however, with added expense one year when the grinder was inadvertently damaged and required repair. Disposal of the increasing mounds of pulverized wood was also slow, with a suggestion from Road & Bridge Supervisor Don Menzies earlier this year to budget for trucking the chips to the landfill in Gunnison.In 2021, according to Finance Officer Lynn McNitt, total revenue based on the county’s moderate per-yard fee for organic materials amount to $7,066, while expenses for rendering the organic material amounted to $24,688; similar discrepancies between revenues and outgo for tree debris was noted in 2022, income $8,000, expense $24,315; 2023, revenue $9,469, outgo $38,834 with grinder repair; and 2024, income $11,342.85 and expense $23,350.58.The move to immediately increase fees on organic material came with regret, Commissioner Hurd expressing his view “we can no longer subsidize the program to this extent; we must cover ourselves,” and Commissioner Levine concurring, “we’ve got to cover ourselves.”During open discussion last Wednesday, Commissioner Hurd said he has spoken with local Colorado Parks & Wildlife wolf reintroduction expert Max Morton with confirmation that a traveling wolf with radio collar has been confirmed 10 miles south of Blue Mesa Reservor. The solo animal is apparently a “great traveler,” according to Hurd, since this same animal has also reported in such diverse areas of the state as Eisenhower Tunnel at I-170, the Grand Junction area, and Salida.Possible modifications to the county’s yet-to-be passed amended OHV Ordinance will be on the Commissioners’ meeting agenda Wednesday, April The ordinance calls for hours of OHV use to be limited to between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Both Commissioners Hurd and Levine are now expressing concern over the hours of operation, Hurd saying he would be in favor of an extended time “cut out” for hunters using OHVs in the fall and Levine noting he is receiving phone calls from concerned constituents. Levine stated “we might want to yank the time limit entirely,” Commissioner Borchers countering that she,

April 17, 2025 No Comments

Town Passes OHV Ordinance for Hours of Operation, Spark Arrestors, Fines

Town of Lake City Board of Trustees and Mayor Dave Roberts met with Sheriff Denim Starnes and Deputy Jim Hunsicker during the March 19 regular workshop and meeting to discuss Town OHV regulations and the OHV year-end report. The annual report is generated through input collected from Hinsdale County Finance Director Lynn McNitt, Mayor Roberts, Sheriff Starnes, Captain James Saunders with Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Traffic and Safety Program Manager Zane Znamenacek and CDOT Regional Operator RE Hall.The report, which is required by CDOT’s Special Use Permit, is submitted at the end of each season to communicate concerns or issues that occurred.The report states: Following the end of the 2024 summer season, concerns were communicated to the County and Town that the new start date had adversely affected local business. The County Commissioners and Town Trustees discussed changing the start date for 2025, which would require a new request for an updated Special Use Permit from CDOT. Eventually it was determined to wait until the end of the current 2024-2025 permit. Both the Town and County boards will meet to discuss the possibility of requesting a new permit to continue the OHV Highway program in 2026 and beyond.Other than a few exceptions, each contributing participant named above had relatively the same sentiments to relate, summed up by Saunders as, “Everything else was usual. Nothing to report. That’s good news.”Sheriff Starnes stated that along with Colorado Parks and Wildlife Officer Lucas Martin, reporting approximately 150 total contacts were made with OHV drivers on Highway 149. Of those 150 contacts, approximately seven percent resulted in citations.At the March 19 meeting, Mayor Roberts reiterated that in the end of year report, he had “nothing new to add following the 2024 season.” His biggest complaint, within the report, he said, was that the program timeline was shortened and that “a lot of businesses didn’t like that. A lot of people in town would like to see the program go back to the original start date (Memorial Day).”Trustee Bruce said, “So we haven’t had any incidents. Again.” Bruce referenced the data that Lucas Martin contributed to the report, saying, “so when he says 150 total contacts, with seven percent being issued citations – I would be curious to know what the contacts were for. Moving violations, equipment issue – or whatever – I think that could help us.”Mayor Roberts said, “as we all know, we have been working with the town in regards to the OHV program, to make it as palatable as we can for the town citizenry. The Commissioners discussed it this morning, we’ve discussed it a couple of times, we were working on that ordinance to see what we can do, and the three major factors that came up: the amount of the fines; the county wants to raise the helmet fine to $300 for 18 and under. Then, mufflers and spark arrestors – so, noise, and hours of operation.”Bruce said, “they (Hinsdale County) were going to follow us on the hours of operation and we were going to follow them on the fines.”Roberts, speaking to Starnes, said, “I requested that the Sheriff be here because he’s part of this and as we do what we do, I’m interested in your feedback.” Starnes replied, “happy to give it. What are the proposed hours of operation?”Roberts replied, “we’ve been discussing 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.”“What if someone comes off the loop at midnight, or if they have a flat tire?” asked Starnes.Trustee Bruce said, “well, you have discretion, and that would be an exception.”Town Manager Lex Mulhall stated that the other timeframe being considered was 6 a.m. until 11 p.m., and Starnes replied that he felt those times would be more reasonable.Trustee Bruce said she had spoken with some homeowners who lived along the highway, who were not necessarily in favor of OHVs, proposing a 6 a.m. start time until a 10 p.m. end time, and she reported that this idea was favorable, as it gives the noise an eight-hour break. Mayor Roberts agreed, saying, “[we know] not everyone is going to comply. What we’re doing is asking the citizens what they prefer, then we can publish that for all the visitors and guests, saying this is what the town wants. But also, let me back up a step – the newspaper kind of put me out of context – in one of our meetings, I made a comment and I was talking about the stereos [not mufflers, as reported] and how I heard them coming down Crooke’s Hill, and as I read our existing ordinance, that’s in there already. I don’t see you guys [Sheriff’s Office] chasing down every loud stereo.”Starnes interjected to say, “I’ve chased down a few.”Further, Starnes said he would like to share an example from last summer,..(continued) Missing the Whole Story? Click the button below to subscribe! You can receive the weekly publication of The Lake City Silver World to your inbox or front door!

March 28, 2025 No Comments

Town Manager Reports Lake City Directly Affected by Frozen FEMA Program

Town Manager Lex Mulhall attended a Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) funding freeze meeting last month, where questions were answered about all federal funding freezes mandated by Trump’s executive orders. On this call were over six hundred attendees from town and county governments, schools, special districts and non-profit organizations, all of whom were being affected by the freezing of federal funds.Mulhall asked about the state revolving loan fund that will be used to fund the construction of Lake City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), set to begin this spring. He was told that funds that have already been rewarded are in possession of the state, but that no new funding is available and it is unknown when additional funding might become available.Further, Mulhall was informed that 35 lawsuits have been filed against Trump’s executive orders, and two judges have ruled frozen funds are to be released immediately until the matter is settled in court. Despite this, most federal funds are still frozen and intended recipients of those funds are unable to submit reimbursement requests. In his Town Manager report submitted at the March 5 Board of Trustees meeting, Mulhall informed Trustees, “The Trump administration is ignoring the court rulings” at this time. Mulhall went on to say in his report, “we have been directly affected, having received notice on February 25 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program has been frozen and is currently undergoing review, and that they will not be able to help us until the program is up and running again.”According to Mulhall, supporting documents that DOLA was assisting the Town with for the FEMA BRIC WWTP generator sub-application have been received, along with some of the documents for a FEMA BRIC Ball Flats Slope Flood and Debris Flow scoping project.The state deadline for the FEMA BRIC applications has been pushed back from March 1 to March 12, and Mulhall and staff will be submitting both sub- applications in case the program does wind up being funded.For the $900,000 supplemental loan for the WWTP from Colorado Water Resource and Power Development Authority, Mulhall was asked by Audit Firm Butler Snow to calculate how much the new sewer rates would have brought in if they had been in place in 2024. The firm requested this information because they need to verify that the Town will be capable of repaying the additional debt service for the loan.In January/February of 2024, the Town generated $61,242 in water revenue and $65,129 in sewer revenue. In January/February of this year, $64,091 was generated in water revenue and $92,478 was generated in sewer revenue. That places water revenue 4.6% higher in 2025 compared to 2024, the percentage amount which the water rate has been raised. The sewer revenue generated is 42% higher than in 2024. Using that percentage, Mulhall calculated the estimated 2025 revenue by multiplying the total revenue from 2024 by the percentage change from January and February of 2025.If total 2024 water revenue of $402,405 is multiplied by 4.6%, then 2025 estimated water revenue would equal $420,405. If total 2024 sewer revenue of $407,052 is multiplied by 42%, then 2025 estimated sewer revenue would equal $578,013. Therefore, total estimated 2025 water and sewer revenue with the new rates will equal $998,418.Mulhall added that this calculation does not include the expected additional revenue that will come from changing the excess usage calculation rates, which is expected to generate an additional $10,000 – $20,000.“This is looking good in terms of what we need to pay the additional debt service and to fund the water and sewer capital improvements fund sufficiently,” Mulhall said. “We budgeted $410,000 for water and $575,000 for sewer to ensure we could cover it.”Mulhall’s calculations have been sent to Butler Snow, and according to Mulhall, they should now have everything needed to generate and execute the loan documents.“Hopefully,” said Mulhall, “these funds have not been affected by the federal funding freeze.”

March 14, 2025 No Comments

Klondike Snowslide Blocks Henson Creek, Briefly Strands Capitol City Residents

An annual rite of high country spring, the once or occasionally twice-per-season running of the Klondike Snowslide, occurred late last week.This year’s slide once again blocked a narrow section of Henson Creek midway between Nellie Creek and the Capitol City Townsite, depositing heavily compacted snow an estimated 25’ deep cross both County Road 20 and the blockaded creekbed.The blocked road, including impounded Henson Creek water 3” to 4” deep above the slide, temporarily inconvenienced one Capitol City resident, Ron Hefty, who rode his side-by-side OHV down to the upper side of the slide on a reconnaissance mission. The OHV promptly became bogged and then frozen overnight in the water and snow slush and was later retrieved. In addition to Hefty, also briefly snowbound as a result of the snowslide was Capitol City homeowner Bill Matlack.As a safety precaution with snowslide danger in mind, Hinsdale County Road and Bridge seasonally closes County Road 20 to Capitol City and beyond with a locked gate at Nellie Creek. Recreationists and up valley landowners are, however, allowed to park at the gate and at their own risk traverse the unplowed portion of CR20 beyond the gate on foot or via snowmobile.After learning of the Klondike Slide last Wednesday, and trapped Capitol City residents above the slide, Hinsdale Road & Bridge Supervisor Don Menzies says he walked to the slide to assess the situation. After allowing the snow to settle and ascertaining no further slide activity was imminent, Menzies instructed Senior Foreman Gavin McNitt and road dept. workers Tom Hamel and Travis de Christino to begin clearing the slide on Monday this week utilizing the county road crew’s backhoe, front end loader, and Komatzu bulldozer.Menzies said he expects the snowslide to be cleared after a full day’s work on Monday, although upper Henson Creek road access will remain closed at the Nellie Creek gate. The Klondike Snowslide has been known in the past to have occasionally run twice in a season and several traditional snowslide routes — the Big and Little Casino Slides — have yet to run this year.Despite occasional suggestions for year-round plowing of CR20 to Capitol City, Road Supervisor Menzies is adamant that the county “will never keep the road open” in winter and early spring beyond Nellie Creek owing to extreme snowslide danger.County Administrator Sandy Hines emphasizes that despite increasing Capitol City development, the county has historically not plowed upper portions of CR 20 beyond its intersection with Nellie Creek owing to snowslide health and safety concerns. She adds that in the future, Commissioners may revisit and clarify exemptions which have allowed snowmobilers to utilize unplowed portions of the road at their own risk.Informal discussions between the county and Capitol City landowners took place in September and October last year in relation to County Road 20 traffic, first requests for highway surface improvement and later a request for increased signage in terms of speed limits.Commissioners were also requested to work with Hinsdale Road & Bridge to ensure that private vehicles parked at the Nellie Creek Road closure were not plowed in.In separate road & bridge news, and now interrupted by work clearing the Klondike Snowslide, Hinsdale Road & Bridge Supervisor Don Menzies reports that on Henson Creek, and above the locked gate at Nellie Creek, road worker Zairick Waddington had used the county’s D7 bulldozer clearing snow as far as Whitmore Falls near the base of Engineer Pass.Until Wednesday last week on the Upper Lake Fork, Tom Hamel was at work on the Komatzu bulldozer opening County Road 30 on the approach to Cinnamon Pass as far as Grizzly Gulch at the start of Burrows Park.Last Wednesday’s Henson Creek snowslide, together with intermitant early spring snowfall last week, may delay further high-country road openings until mid-April.

March 13, 2025 No Comments

Dear Grant and Silver World crew—

I continue to enjoy reading of Lake City from (very) far afield, here in Virginia. I noticed a reference to OHV decibel levels in the February 28 Silver World. While I have no dog in the OHV issue, my wife Liz and I were surprised at how many of them passed us as we trudged on foot up to Carson and back the last time we were in the area, in 2023. The article this week stated that OHVs made after 1 January 1998 must “register at 96dB(A).” Just for some context, using an app on my iPhone, down at my nearest NASCAR track in Richmond, when the green flag drops and forty race cars roar by at full throttle, it comes in at 109 decibels (see below). Very Respectfully,Steve StigallMcLean, Virginia

March 7, 2025 No Comments

Snowshoe racers at Saturday morning’s starting gate and the line of both 5K and 1K racers and walkers disappearing across Lake San Cristobal…

Top right and left: snowshoe racers at Saturday morning’s starting gate and the line of both 5K and 1K racers and walkers disappearing across Lake San Cristobal; center right, first place 5K snowshoer Doug Eby on the final leg of the race and, left to right, first and second place 1K winners Tracey Henson, from Colorado Springs, and Tickfaw, Louisiana, snowshoer Trey Tycer and, in second place, Jim and Staci Brown from South Fork; Lake Citians Rick and Allison Wetzel raised arms in victory after completing the 1K. Above, left to right, Monte Vista racer Landon Crowder — with multi-generation Howard family Powderhorn ancestry — was directed across the finish line by Greg Olson; victorious Lake Citians in Saturday’s snowshoe race were Becky Daniels and Melanie Merrell, and Campo Caceres, all barely out of breath as they completed the snowy trek. Below, clockwise from right: top place 5K women, Amy Crowder (38 minutes, 23 seconds), Faith Crowder (40.20), and Geri Howard (42.47) and top flight men, Darren Hardy (40.51), first place Dan Eby (31.03), and Landon Crowder (38.07); notable outfits were snugly attired Tony Rackham from Pagosa Springs, Jess Howard with first place 5K canine, the 2-year-old Argentinian dog Otto, and first place cannibal-inspired costume to Linda Drain, from South Fork, who works in Doc Howard’s vet clinic at Creede; door prize winners Monica Irons, Marcia Carl, and Jackilyn Gleason; Hannibal Lecter-inspired Blue Mesa cannibals Monica Irons, Reiley Jones, and Kim Jones; 4th and 5th generation Powderhorn ancestors, snowshoe athletes Amy Crowder, Landon Crowder, and Faith Crowder.

February 28, 2025 No Comments

Squires Leaving as Lake City Postmaster, Corie Godwin Named Officer in Charge

Changes are afoot at Lake City Post Office as the revered local institution prepares to celebrate 150 years since it was established in June, 1875.Shannon Squires, who took the place of retiring Lake City Postmaster Darlene Fry-Holst, is preparing to move to Bend, Oregon, and her final official day on the job in Lake City is Friday, February 21.Squires has been employed by the U.S. Postal Service for five years during time which she has worked at 14 different postal facilities, including three different postal facilities — Friday Harbor, Eastsound and Orcas Landing — on San Juan and Orcas Islands off the coast of Washington State.Most recently prior to Lake City and being named Supervisor here effective June 3, 2023, Squires, worked as a post office clerk in Franktown, Colorado, between Denver and Colorado Springs.“Leaving Lake City is not an easy thing to do,” she says, noting that in her new home of Bend she has a new romantic interest and will continue U.S. Post Office work at a sort station and distribution center.Squires has acquired property in Lake City — the historic Evangeline Lode overlooking Henson Creek which she bought from Gene Brown — and says, it is a given that she and family members including her mother and children will return on a frequent basis and plan, eventually, to build a cabin on the lode claim.As for Lake City Post Office, Squires says she has “absolutely no concerns” and feels she is leaving it in excellent hands with its two tenured clerks, Emily Dozier, who is a nine-year Lake City Post Office clerk, and former Kansas resident Corie Godwin who was hired as clerk two years ago. With Squires’ departure effective Friday this week, Corie Godwin is now Officer in Charge until a replacement supervisor is named.The process for searching for a qualified new Lake City Postmaster starts as the supervisor vacancy is internally listed for existing U.S. Post Office Supervisors who may wish to change location. A criteria for being hired as new Lake City Postmaster is that the individual live in or around Lake City and has local housing.After two cycles being internally advertised to post office supervisors, and if there are no applications, the local office vacancy is then opened for application from all post office employees.Realistically, Squires feels it will be at least three months before a permanent replacement is named for the Lake City Post Office, and for the interim Corie Godwin will continue as Officer in Charge.In terms of how appealing the Lake City Post Office may be for future applicants, Squires foresees it as attractive for both new post office employees or long-time supervisors who may be on the verge of retirement.“The metrics of the Lake City Post Office have changed,” says Squires, noting that it has now expanded to offer passport services. During her two-year tenure, she says, she has concentrated on increasing revenue and favorable survey results.As a result of those shifting metrics, “I think Lake City will be extremely attractive and I anticipate lively interest in the supervisor position.”In addition to her supervisory work at Lake City, during her residence in Lake City, Squires assisted at neighboring post offices, including Crested Butte and Gunnison, at the latter working management detail during the Christmas, 2023, season.She assisted part-time at several local restaurants while living here and will be recalled by WORLD readers for several articles which she researched and wrote for this newspaper, including a geologic-themed features on rare agates to be found north of Lake City.As historical footnote on the 150-year-old Lake City Post Office, it opened June 18, 1875, and its first Postmaster was Stephen A. Dole whose family is best known for its connection to Hawaiian pineapples.The now departing Shannon Squires was the local post office’s 23rd postmaster; in its lengthy history the longest tenured Lake City Postmaster in the local office’s 150-year history is present-day Lake City resident Beth Hurd whose tenure as Postmaster spanned 36 years, two months, and 25 days starting 1979 and continuing through retirement in August, 2010.

February 22, 2025 No Comments

Tag: Hinsdale County