Lake City - The Silver World Newspaper

Fleet-of-Foot Cross Country Runners…

In addition to Lake City’s hometown Fourteeners cross country team, last Friday afternoon’s annual cross-country meet drew swift middleschool runners from Gunnison — the Mustangs — and Titans from Crested Butte, together with a talented mix of middle school and highschool running teams from Del Norte (Tigers), Center (Vikings), Centauri (Falcons), and Antonito (Trojans). Pick up your copy of the Lake City Silver World Newspaper at local businesses to read more about this Cross-Country Meet. Elementary 1 Mile Gage King 7:33 Manassa Tayce Sowards 7:46 Centauri Lauren Rhodes 7:47 LCCS Judah Pankratz 8:01 LCCS Isai Villagomez 8:15 Center Ethan Gallagos 8:21 Gunnison Abbot Clifton 8:33 Homeschool/LC Keller Pankratz 8:34 LCCS Corinne Ruggles 8:35 Center Harper Callahan 9:16 Gunnison Afton Tubs 9:21 LCCS Remy Villagomez 9:25 Center Alanah Escobedo 10:07 Antonito CJ Pacheco 10:13 Antonito Ryker Archuleta 10:23 LCCS Eiven Carson 10:29 LCCS Remington King 11:00 Centauri Ximena Sanchez 11:04 LCCS Kyra Gurule 11:05 Center Daniel Rodriguez 11:18 Center Jose Rodriguez 11:19 Center Chadleigh Hutchins 11:45 LCCS Mackenzie May 11:46 LCCS Joee Withrow 11:51 Homeschool/LC Alex Garcia 11:53 Center Dominic Rota 11:56 Gunnison Azael Rodriguez 12:25 Center Nathaniel Menzies 12:28 LCCS Amesley Rota 12:36 Gunnison Jesus Valeria 12:38 Center Ismael Rodriguez 12:54 Center Lydia Clifton 12:57 Homeschool/ LC Henley King 13:10 Centauri Mikey Carson 13:30 LCCS Nayeli Valadez 13:37 Center Corban Humphreys 13:50 LCCS Khloe Valadez 13:52 Center Emma Najera 14:02 Center Reyna Gutierrez 14:21 Center Sawyer Lear 14: 32 LCCS Miyela Lopez 14:52 Center Miranda Vigil 14:54 Antonito Emilia Salazar 15:00 Antonito Lou Nold 15:01 Gunnison Sami Rodriguez 15:03 Center Addie Mason 15:06 Antonito Gabriel Menzies 15:10 LCCS Warren Pierce 15:10 LCCS Gloria Harrison 15:11 Center Max Milksi 15:12 LCCS Kate Loper 15:15 LCCS Delilah Morse 15:16 LCCS Brystil DeCristino 15:39 LCCS Mae Nold 15:48 Gunnison Rosa Padilla Navarro15:52 Center Declan Withrow 16:35 homeschool/LC Everest Robertson 16:38 LCCS Aspen Crump 16:46 LCCS Holden Crump 16:57 LCCS Penelope Kinne 17:00 LCCS Middle School Boys 2-Mile Asher Chodorowski 12:19 Gunnison Brandon Hallock 12:29 Gunnison Ari Eberly 13:00 Gunnison Joseph Tubbs 13:06.15 LCCS Ethan Martinez 13:06.43 Antonito Benaiah Larson 13:18 Crested Butte Blake Miller 13:26 Centauri Dahir Ornelas 13:30 Center Blayzen Sowards 13:33 Centauri Rhys Phillimore 13:35 LCCS Alder Lamar 13:41 Gunnison Caden Garber 13:46 Centauri Houston Stair 14:16 Gunnison Mateo Pacheco 14:19 Antonito Jackson Moore 14:20 Crested Butte Gabriel Larson 14:36 Crested Butte Julius Martinez 14:42 Sangre de Cristo Joey Torres 14:58 Centauri Landon Rhodes 15:03 LCCS Justin Ast 15:06 Del Norte Jack Siegrist 15:13 Gunnison Shaun Crowther 15:16 Centauri Blake Hill 15:19 Gunnison Tavin Sowards 15:24 Centauri Grey Frymoyer 15:48 Gunnison Walker Sovick 15:49.05 Gunnison Noah Lockman 15:49.09 Crested Butte John Lockman 15:51 Crested Butte Isaac Garcia 15:53 Center Atley Tillger 15:54.30 Crested Butte Elijah Hansen 15:54.42 Crested Butte Elijah Garcia 16:10 Center Adan Baca-Ornelas 16:17 Center Sam Malouff 16:23 Centauri Kai Townsend 16:25 Centauri Olen Peterson 16:31.06 Del Norte Gabriel Kaufmann 16:31.58 Crested Butte Jacob Anderson 16:35 Centauri Sam Koontz 16:36 Centauri ?? 16:37.10 ?? Armando Ruybal 16:37.32 Center Adrian Mondragon 16:38.26 Antonito Adrik Abeyta 16:38.54 Antonito Wheeler Larsen 16:47 Centauri Wyatt Loper 17:04.1 LCCS Devon Garcia 17:04.3 Center Walker Sovick 17:04.5 Centauri Oliver Pugh 17:13 Crested Butte Brantley Votruba 17:26 LCCS Hagen Bradley 18:24 Antonito Amir Abeyta 18:38 Antonito Casen Foltz 18:59 Centauri Gabriel Woytek 19:02 Gunnison Gael Rodriguez 19:12 Center Larkin Lockard 19:33 Crested Butte Ernesto Quintana 19:33 Antonito Gavin Frazier 19:47 Gunnison Evan Smythe 20:41 Gunnison Mic McGrath 21:07 Gunnison Koen Hostetter 21:17 Centauri Dempsey King 21:52 Centauri Arvid Piltingsrud 22:06 LCCS Jovani Bean-Martinez22:21.3 Center Mathias Romero 22:21.5 Centauri Middle School Girls 2-Mile Avery Duran 13:37 Centauri Betsy McMahon 13:58 Crested Butte Genesi Morris 14:17 Centauri Indie Howe 14:39 Del Norte Avril Villagomez 14:51 Center Lily McElyea 14:8 Gunnison Eliza Wickenhauser 15:03 Gunnison Dari Spedden 15:05 Crested Butte Faith Crowder 15:05 Del Norte Jaylah Martinez 15:07 Center Andrea Maldonado 15:07.36 Center Charli Martinez 15:12 Center Sophie Nold 15:23 Gunnison Keira Ruggles 15:34 Center Oceana Garcia 15:35 Center Autumn Terry 15:39 Gunnison Jordan Callahan 15:42 Gunnison Brailey Adkins 15:50 Gunnison Kate Bagwell 16:02 Centauri Oakland Brady 16:07 Centauri Ariana Maez 16:12 Centauri Blake Tubbs 16:12.44 LCCS Josephine Brown 16:13 Crested Butte Sienna Taylor 16:16 Centauri Brityn Miller 16:20 Centauri Gracie Tucker 16:20.21 Crested Butte Liza Anderson 16:21 Crested Butte Kyndall McCaroll 16:23 Centauri Cristina Matta 16:25 Del Norte Brianna Kaufman 16:39 Del Norte Brynna Rota 16:49 Gunnison Makayla Sowards 16:58 Centauri Mercedes Heredia 17:16 Del Norte Jessee Withrow 17:26 LCCS Arely Juarez 17:28 Center Aaliyah Abeyta 17:36 Centauri Jade Smith 17:37 Gunnison Juliana Rendon 17:58 Antonito Minerva Gonzalez 18:25 Antonito Olivia Cowett 18:36 Del Norte Ellen Coleman 18:46 Crested Butte Taylor Horton 18:52 Centauri Nua Tuioti-Mariner 19:00 Centauri Harper Harmsen 19:01 Centauri Alexandra Rubio 19:07 Center Rylie Trujillo 20:18 Centauri Autumn Sample 20:21 Gunnison Sheyla Barco 21:35 Gunnison Fynlee Garel 22:14 Centauri Maelyn Garcia 22:19 Center Carson Shepherd 25:11 LCCS Meliyani Pulido 25:31 Center High School Boys 5k Cruz Matta 18:55 Del Norte Mads Kreutzer 18:55 Del Norte Jax Lester 19:24 Del Norte Caleb Cowett 19:27 Del Norte Andree Meraz 19:47 Center Josiah Yocom 19:59 Del Norte Dean Garcia 20:41 Antonito Corbin Horrocks 20:52 Del Norte Peter Loper 21:07 LCCS Landon Crowder 21:40 Del Norte Tomas Benavides 22:28 Del Norte Micah Humphreys 23:24 LCCS Westlea Tipsword 24:57 Center Nick Mondragon 25:19 Antonito Kevin Thomas-Lopez25:33 Center Steven Velasquez 29:07 Antonito Austyn Lopez 32:00 Antonito High School Girls 5k Priya Hartman 25:21 LCCS Mackenzie Phillimore27:25 LCCS Anahlicia Villagomez27:40 Center Alyssa Abeyta 28:27 Antonito Sophia Rendon 31:33 Antonito Anali Garcia 31:58 Antonito Eliana Garcia 32:14 Antonito Evolet Garcia 33:33 Antonito Lavine Casas Hernandez36:34Center

October 4, 2024 No Comments

Trustees Award Contract to Ridgway Valley for WWTP Renovation Project

At the September 18 Town of Lake City Board of Trustees meeting, trustees approved the award of a contract with Montrose-based Ridgway Valley Enterprises, Inc., to begin work on the impending wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) renovation project. The matter was discussed at length in the workshop portion of the meeting, with Town Engineer Joanne Fagan — who has been integral in the negotiations and planning of the project — in attendance. In her staff report, Fagan referenced a $375,000 supplemental grant award from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) that the town will receive for the renovation project, as well as a supplemental loan for $900,000 from the Colorado Water Resources and Power Authority (CWRPA), that has been completed and submitted and is now under review. Her report states, “that loan application is under review and is due to be presented to CWRPA on October 4. When we last talked with CWRPA staff, Lake City was the only loan applicant for their October meeting and they felt that funds were available. Staff is continuing to look for other resources that might help lower the loan amount. As we have recommended in the past, we suggest that the town secure the loan and then if the project costs less, the Town can repay the portion of the loan that is not needed and reduce the debt service. We did hear that the loan rate is expected to be 2 percent rather than the 3.25 percent initially indicated.” In the meeting, Fagan stated, “Ridgway Valley would like to start [their work] the 29th (of September), but the loan doesn’t go to the Power Authority until the 4th of October. They would be giving us the loan on the condition that we raise our rates, and the loan is probably not going to close until the end of the year, so you probably have until you finish your [2025] budget to get your rates adjusted. If you want to [Ridgway Valley to] start the work – I need to know if you want to have heard that they’re recommending that the loan would be approved [first]?” Town Manager Lex Mulhall spoke up, saying, “I doubt that we’re going to be turned down. They’ve already given us so much, we’ve already tied up so much money that we’ve been sitting on, that we have to spend in the next couple years, that they’re not going to prevent us from getting started and finishing the project. They want us to spend that money, they want us to start paying them back. I don’t see them turning it down. While I’m not 100 percent sure, I’d say I’m 98 percent sure. There is always that slim 2 percent possibility.” Mulhall went on to say, “They know we’re running out of time. There are a lot of people at the state level who understand the challenges we face, that are unique, so personally, I say, let them start building on the 29th, we’ll find out a week later. If we wind up having to find the money somewhere else, we’ll figure it out.” Mayor Dave Roberts agreed with this, stating the project had been “delayed and delayed and delayed,” and that it needed to get started. Mulhall agreed, saying that in speaking with representatives at Ridgway Valley Enterprises (RVE), “they’re eager to get started.” The overall project has been reported as costing, according to Mulhall, approximately $5.6 million, and the contract with RVE would encompass $3 million of that scope. Fagan has worked diligently to find ways to cut the costs of the project, hoping to keep the burden from falling too heavily on water and sewer customers. In her staff report, she refences the fact that in her negotiations with RVE over the past few months, she was “trying to refine the project scope, trying to re-use more of the existing piping, making changes to the aeration system, and miscellaneous other changes.” The report went on to say, “RVE suggested that the Town furnish some of the equipment for the contractor. They charge a 20% surcharge on everything they furnih, so staff looked at what equipment the Town could furnish and decided to focus on the most expensive equipment – blowers, fixed film modules, insulated covers and the air diffusers. The total cost for those 4 items is almost $2 million.” Fagan asked to speak about one other topic, which was adding a $6,000 additional ‘builder’s risk’ insurance policy into the contract, and Town Attorney Dan Krob, who had Zoomed into the meeting, offered his opinion on this addition. “I think it’s duplicative,” Krob said. “We already have many different insurances in place in this contract. We have property, liability, vehicle, worker’s compensation. I think we can forego the ‘builder’s risk.” Trustee Henry Woods said, “Six thousand dollars in the scope of this project is a drop in the bucket.” Fagan asked Krob if he had looked over the construction specifications of the project, to which he replied, “I don’t even pretend to know how to do your job, but I did review the contractual part and this is. I believe you’ve used this same contract for a while, it’s standard. It’s good.” Mayor Roberts joked that he had intended to read the entirety of the 355-page contract but fell asleep, to which Trustee Diane Bruce quipped that it was “a little above her pay grade” to read the very complicated document, deciding instead to defer to Fagan’s expertise. When the time came to vote on the contract award approval, the motion was made by Trustee Henry Woods and seconded by Trustee Jesse Kendall and approved unanimously.

September 27, 2024 No Comments

Town Trustees Reject Changes to Historic District Rules in 3-2 Vote

Town of Lake City Board of Trustees decided at the September 4 regular meeting not to alter the town’s Historic Preservation Guidelines to allow four-foot fences with six-foot arbors in front of historic homes. This has been a topic discussed by Town trustees for several weeks, after a request was received from a Lake City homeowner. During the action items segment of the meeting, Trustee Henry Woods made the motion to not approve changes to be made, and Trustee Diane Bruce seconded the motion. Trustee Jesse Kendall, who is also a member of the Hinsdale County Historical Society board, took a pensive moment before speaking, and said the decision was a “difficult one,” ultimately voting against supporting the motion, as did Trustee Landon Whinnery. Mayor Dave Roberts voted in favor, and the motion carried 3-2. Chairperson for the Historic Preservation Commission, Kerry Holt, was in attendance at the September 4 meeting, and she said, “I tend to follow with property owner’s rights, and I did a lot of research to find out what a property owner is allowed to do in other communities. It was the same everywhere I looked – four foot fences are allowed, even with arbors, just not in front of the facade of the house. If you allow a fence more than 4 feet tall in front of the home, it blocks the facade and changes the character of the view of the house. This is according to History Colorado. It’s not allowed anywhere in the nation; it’s not just specific to Colorado. I caution you about a slippery slope. For example, I’d love to build a covered front porch in front of my house, but I can’t.” In Town Manager Lex Mulhall’s report, he said, “I strongly urge the Board to follow the Historic Preservation Commission recommendation to not change the historic guidelines to allow 4 foot fences with 6 foot arbors in the front of historic properties. The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) have received training in historic preservation districts and guidelines. They also spent several hours of unpaid time in making a very well-researched and informed recommendation to the Board. If the Board goes against the recommendation of the HPC and changes the guidelines, then I foresee the following unpleasant possibilities opening up before us: adopting the change will set a precedent that will cause others to come and present their recommended changes to the historic guidelines when they are unable to fulfill their desired plans due to not meeting current historic guidelines. Secondly, If 6 foot arbor fences are widely adopted and built by property owners in the historic district, then that will completely change the historic character of our district. When History Colorado comes back to do an inventory of the historic properties and sees that the historic character of our district has changed and no longer meets the national guideline standards, we may lose our historic district designation altogether. If we lose our historic district and violate our status as a certified local government, then we also lose the ability to locally designate historic properties like Car 211, and property owners, including the town, will lose access to financial and technical services and funding.” Trustee Henry Woods said, “As trustees, we need to protect the historic district. If we were ever to lose that designation, we would lose grants and tax write-offs. Our designation has brought millions of dollars into our town over the years. In 2007, when the country was in a recession, we got all these grants through historic preservation for a variety of historic buildings, including the Hough building – it brought us through the recession. It’s a really important thing. There are towns who have lost their designation and it really hurt them, as it would hurt us. We need to support our Historic Preservation Commission because they’re the ones doing this work for us.” Trustee Diane Bruce said, “I have read all the information, and I have put a lot of consideration into this. I understand where Svetlana (Piltingsrud, homeowner) is coming from, but in the end, I agree with the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission and I thank Kerry – I’m appreciative of all her hard work, gathering facts and evidence. But I really think opening ourselves up to this would be a mistake. I speak in favor of not changing the guidelines.” Trustee Landon Whinnery, said the problem he was having with the issue was that there are a lot of modern-technology substitutes to keep deer out of a yard, such as water spraying, motion sensors, lights, “these things are okay, but a nice-looking arbored fence is not?” Trustee Jesse Kendall said, “I understand her side of this. She built a beautiful garden all over her lots. I’m glad I don’t live in the Historic District. I’m really ‘on the fence,’ so to speak.” Mayor Dave Roberts said, “I am a proponent of people’s property rights. It’s not an easy decision. Do we know for certain that an arbored fence really does stop [the deer]? I come back to the fact that it is a designated Historic District and there are guidelines that go with that. When I was a realtor, I made sure every single person I dealt with in selling a home in the historic district – that they were fully aware of what could and could not be done. I had a packet ready with Historic District guidelines, and I made sure they had read it. I feel for her, but in changing the ordinance, I am concerned we would be opening a can of worms. I am not in favor.” In other Town news, Town staff and the Board of Trustees are having a difficult time finding new board members. The resignation letter of Trustee Justin Hill was read and formally accepted by the Town Board at their September 18 regular meeting. At the September 4 meeting, Town Manager Lex Mulhall cited the following: 31-4-303. Trustees to fill vacancy – mayor pro tem – clerk pro tem. (1) The

September 20, 2024 No Comments

End of the Line for County’s Old Road & Bridge Shop…

Structural steel girders were all that remained of the old Hinsdale Road & Bridge Butler building early this week as workmen dismantled the 1955 structure to make way for the new county operations building. This week witnessed the last vestiges of the 69-year-old 2,800-s.f. Butler metal building adjoining Hinsdale County Courthouse which from 1955 until 1994 served as the headquarters for Hinsdale County Road & Bridge Dept. A crackerjack demolition crew comprised of Wally Hays and his assistant, Briggs Jones — grandson of longtime local seasonal residents Elwyn and artist Jane Jones — incrementally dismantled the building, with plans by Hays to re-erect the 80’ by 35’ structure on his property high on a bench he has created on his property overlooking County Road 30 on the upper Lake Fork. Fenced yard, employees’ vehicles, fuel storage tanks and metal shop building are pictured at left in a 1989 aerial view. The metal building was enlarged in the late 1970s with an addition to house fire fighting equipment, pictured immediately adjacent to Hinsdale County Courthouse. Shown at left are a succession of photos showing incremental dismantling of the building over the course of the past summer, including Hays pictured beside the mammoth diesel-burning heating furnace which originally heated not only the county shop building but also the next-door courthouse via underground ducting. Also pictured opposite page is a crane used by Hays to lower the furnace chimney and demolition assistant Jones carrying numbered panels of the exterior metal sheathing prior to early this week when only the cast metal framework of the building remained. Removal of the old county shop building clears the site in advance of next year’s planned spring start of construction on the county’s new 6,409-s.f., $4-million operations building with combined space for Hinsdale County Sheriff, emergency services, and county administration. Pictured bottom left is a c. 1900 overview photo of the southwest corner Henson and 4th Street with courthouse far left and land to the north where the now-demolished Butler building was located and where the new operations building will be built. A notable feature in the 1900 overview photo is the two-story frame Hinsdale County Jail building which was built in 1892 and burned to the ground in 1946. The smaller gabled building adjacent to the jail was Town of Lake City’s first library dating to the 1870s and later offices and laboratory for the Elmendorf & Schaffer Sampler. Also pictured near left on opposite page is yet another massive fire which was the immediate impetus for building the fire-proof metal Butler building to house Hinsdale Road & Bridge in 1955. Prior to the early 1950s, the county’s road equipment was housed in a rambling frame 1-1/2-story building with false front on the northeast corner of Gunnison Avenue and 2nd Street which was originally used by freighters Samuel Watson and Sherman Williams. Later acquired by the county, the building burned to the ground in a spectacular January, 1952, blaze. Also destroyed was $50,000 in uninsured county road maintenance equipment. County Commissioners thereafter looked to build a fire-proof county shop and in May, 1955, contracted with S & M Supply in Grand Junction to erect a 36’ x 80’ Butler metal building. The original building with various additions and alterations remained headquarters for Hinsdale Road & Bridge — much of the time when the late Jack Vickers was road supervisor — until 1994 when it was replaced by the current county road facility north of town. Vacant since 1994, the now demolished county shop building was used for storage both by the county and other local non-profit organizations over the past 30 years.

September 20, 2024 No Comments

SkyWatch- September 13

September 12, 2024 No Comments

Plans for ‘Red House 2.0’ Already Underway

Coffins plan to rebuild fire-ravaged family home, express gratitudefor outpouring of support. By Chris Dickey Mere days removed from experiencing the devastating loss of the home that has housed generations of family get-togethers, holidays, birthday celebrations, funerals and a wedding reception, Tracy Nichols-Coffin is remarkably determined about what comes next.“Heck yes, we’re rebuilding,” she said when asked about such plans by the Silver World this week. “Red House 2.0.”To Lake City historians, the structure at 521 Gunnison Avenue, which dates to 1876, was known as the Beam-Nichols house. To the family that has occupied it since John and Mary Ann Nichols purchased it in 1969, it’s forever been known as “The Red House” because of the signature (and unchanging) color adorning its log and clapboard siding.The house was engulfed in flames late Sunday afternoon, Sept. 1, after a barbecue grill caught fire and quickly spread to the house. No one was injured, including pets, and local firefighters’ quick response prevented the blaze from spreading to neighboring homes.“The scary part happened to us,” Nichols-Coffin said, “but the death of that home is being felt by all of us who have loved it for so long.”John Hatley Nichols grew up frequenting Lake City from the Texas Panhandle on family fishing trips in the 1940s and ‘50s — before there were any paved roads here. When he and Mary Ann married, they decided they wanted to make Lake City a more permanent part of their family experience, so they purchased the Gunnison Avenue home.Their three children — Jack, Tracy and Dawson — all grew up with the Red House being a mainstay in their lives.“We moved around a lot as a family,” Nichols- Coffin explained, noting that her father was an “ad man” from Chicago. “But we spent every summer and Christmas at the Red House. It really is like a family member. It’s been our anchor our whole life.”The Red House has served as a home to the Nichols’ children as well — fourth generation family members with such connections.Tracy and her husband Mike Coffin have three grown kids (Tyler Coffin, 30, who lives in New York City; Army Captain Justin Coffin, 28, who is currently stationed at Ft. Liberty in North Carolina; and Mary Hatley Coffin, 19, who recently enrolled at Lake Forest College in Illinois).Jack Nichols, who died in an ice climbing accident in 2018, and his wife Leslie had two boys (Johnny and Thomas) who grew up in Lake City, spending “tons and tons of time at the Red House,” according to Leslie.Dawson, his wife Jenny and their two daughters, Hannah and Rosie, live in the Northwest but are also frequent Lake City visitors.In 2006, Tracy and Mike purchased the home from Mary Ann. For years it served as their family summer retreat, but the couple, who both work remotely, moved into it full time this past June.And the first Sunday in September was progressing quite normally, until fate intervened. “We were having guests over for dinner,” Nichols- Coffin explained. “We lit the grill like we always do. Mike was walking in the side door to come grab the chicken. He was maybe three steps away from the grill when I looked out the window and saw the house was on fire.”The speed with which the flames grew amazed the couple. Mike tried to turn the control knobs to the grill off, but they’d already become inoperable. He was dragging the grill away from the house, but the flames became too intense.They even had a fire blanket in the home, which Tracy attempted to smother the building flames with. She likened it to “putting a napkin on a fourteener.”Hinsdale County Sheriff’s Deputy Denim Starnes happened to be patrolling by at the time and was the first official on the scene. Firefighters arrived a reported eight minutes after the call went out. But it was too late.The Coffins lost most of their possessions to the blaze — clothes, family photos, phones, wallets, computers. But they remain thankful that some items were spared — including Tracy’s wedding ring and Mike’s flyfishing rod and flies.Mostly, though, they are overwhelmed with gratitude for the “many miracles” of support the community has bestowed upon them in light of the tragedy.They’ve been housed in town with friends Liz and Kenny Howard. They’ve already received a lead on a potential rental home. Strangers have handed them money. Local businesses — including Climb, The Breakfast Hangout, Packers and Inklings — have offered free food and household necessities.Jason Santos of the local presbyterian church was on scene and immediately started a food train, eliminating all need of the Coffins doing any cooking or grocery shopping for more than a week now.“I can’t tell you how many people who have hugged us and prayed for us,” Nichols-Coffin said. “Everybody has been so kind. It’s overwhelming.” The house at 521 Gunnison Avenue before the fire, left photo, and after, right photo. Mike Coffin reflects on the incident with gratitude: That wind, which could have spread the flames to other structures, was not blowing; that their kids were not home; that all the firefighters remained safe; that their dogs, Boo the Black Lab and Jack the Corgi, were retrieved from the burning building.Mostly, though, he’s grateful for the love and support of the Lake City community.“It’s just an honor to be welcomed here,” he said, “and have these people wrap their arms around us.”The process of what to do with the charred remains of the home has already begun. An insurance adjuster and forensic fire expert have begun their investigations. A search for potential asbestos comes next, then salvage work will commence.Gunnison-based architect Jody Reeser and contractor Ken Bodine have already visited the site, with wheels turning on how to rebuild. There is hope that some of the original log structure is salvageable.“We really value the historic integrity of this community,” Nichols-Coffin said, “so we really want to recreate the facade if we can and the historic nature of the

September 12, 2024 No Comments

Local, Visiting Mountain Bikers Brave Soggy, Muddy Conditions in Alpine 50

Extremely variable weather — clear and sunny conditions one minute, followed by pounding rain and sleet at other times — failed to deter out-of-town and local mountain bike riders participating in last weekend’s sixth Annual Alpine 50.Sponsored as a fundraiser for Lake Fork Conservancy, this year’s Alpine drew a total of 109 bike racers who registered. A total of 99 men and women bike racers were at the starting gate Saturday morning, of whom 82 finished, according to organizer Mike Fleishman. Top place men’s and women’s finishers departed the town park starting line in Lake City at 6:30 a.m. August 24, proceeding up valley to maneuver past Lake San Cristobal and then the upper Lake Fork.The rain-soaked and muddy course took racers through descending clouds of mist on the Shelf Road above Sherman as they braced for the grueling, steep climb up 12,620’ Cinnamon Pass, then a brief respite after the summit as they dropped down into San Juan County near Animas Forks before the vertically-challenging climb back into Hinsdale County at 12,800’ Engineer Pass. Engineer Pass, which was cited by nearly every bicyclist in the race as the most demanding in the race, was followed by the speedy generally downhill descent on Henson Creek and back to the town park finish line.Commenting on the challenging 16 percent gradient up and out of the upper Animas Valley, first place men’s finisher Brian Elander caught his breath, saying it was perhaps the most challenging race of his entire life.The reward after summiting both Cinnamon and Engineer Passes, according to Elander, was the scenery, “above treeline,” he said, “you can see forever.”Elander, age 22 and a native of Evergreen, Colorado, who now lives in Moab, Utah, finished the mountainous 50-miler with a time of three hours, 34.11 minutes — compared to last year’s first place finisher Olympian Todd Wells who completed the race in three hours, 24.49 minutes.Following in Elander’s muddy bike tracks were second and place men’s finishers, Nathaniel Schneider, Wheat Ride, Colorado, time three hours, 43.18 minutes, and Anthony Iannacito, Denver, three hours, 53.43.Also exhausted but ecstatic at race end was first place women’s bike race finisher Liv Geer, from Salt Lake City. A first-timer in the race, Geer was barely breathless at her five-hour, 11:53-minute finish, describing the race as “fantastic” while noting that the most difficult section of the route was the last “couple of miles… I was tired.”Following in close pursuit of first place finisher Geer were Denver racer Maura McGovern, in second place among women at five hours, 18.58 minutes, and Katie Branham, third place, five hours, 25.52 minutes.Unprecedented in this year’s race were a total of 11 Lake City area bike athletes, including several with Lake City ties.Tops among locals was 6th place male finisher Jaden McNeese, piloting a Kona Raijin for four-hour, 11.06-minute finish in his fourth Alpine 50. McNeese said he experienced low energy levels — “my legs fell apart” — after starting out too fast up Cinnamon Pass.McNeese was re-energized after downing a combination of pickle juice and peanut butter at the Cinnamon Pass aid station, further stimulation being cold temperatures and “grippy rocks” over which he and bike rattled.McNeese’s mother, Lake City School special education instructor Lydia McNeese, was once again a competitor in this year’s race, riding a Niner mountain bike and finishing ninth among women, time six hours, 28.32 minutes. Challenges in this year’s run, according to Lydia McNeese, were excessive moisture and “mud everywhere.”At age 12, Lake City 7th Grader Landon Rhodes was the youngest participant in the six-year history of the bike race, finishing the 50-mile circuit with his father, Lake City GCEA lineman Logan Rhodes, finish times respectively seven hours, 4.52, for Landon and Logan’s time seven hours, 4.54.Also unprecedented was the fact three generations of the Rhodes family competed in Saturday’s bike race, Landon’s father, Logan, and grandfather, Trinidad, Colorado, resident Lonny Rhodes, seven hours, 36.02.A fourth member of the Rhodes family competing on Saturday was Landon Rhodes’ uncle, Cameron MacDonald, from Castle Rock, Colorado.Close family connections also included the two Hartman brothers, repeat Alpine 50 participant Silas Hartman, who characteristically finished the race by riding his bicycle backwards across the finish line, time six hours, 37.23 minutes, and his Lake City 10th Grade brother Levi Hartman, who completed his inaugural entry in the Lake City 50, time seven hours, 27.18, on his Yeti mountain bike.In the Lake City father and son category, Hinsdale Commissioner Greg Levine crossed the finish line on a Guerilla Gravity after eight hours, 13.46 minutes’ strenuous pedaling. At the finish line, Levine reflected on just two prior practice sessions, calmly observing “one should have a little more training before the race.”Levine’s son, Lake City School Alum Bennett Levine, 27th among Alpine 50 men, time five hours, 21.51 minutes riding a full suspension Yeti. Succinctly commenting that the race was “nice,” Levine sustained energy by happily feasting on Cheerios, rice crispy treats, Take 5 candy, and potato chips – best part of the race summiting Cinnamon Pass, most difficult the steep climb up Engineer.In addition to multiple members of the Hartman, Rhodes, McNeese, and Levine families, other Lake Citians competing in Saturday’s bike race included Dan File, and Brant Cunningham.The Sheldon Little Fastest Time Award — appropriately consisting of a curved chunk of rubber bicycle tire — was presented for fasted cumulative finish times by bikers from a specific town. This year, both Little Awards went to teams from Colorado Springs — for the women, Branham and Galgano, Balliett, Juneau, and Abbas for the men — prompting announcer John Coy to note, “all that Olympic training is really paying off.”Other awards which were presented on a slightly more light hearted note were: Best Finish Line Display to Silas Hartman; So-Far-Away Award, Tom Cosgrove from Naples, Florida; Best Beard to Joe Miller; Telluride’s Pete Dahle, Most Enthusiastic; Best Dressed to Jennie Gerard; Stasha Sockwell garnering the All Smiles Award.Landon Rhodes, Youngest Rider Award; 71-year-old Sam Voorhies has the distinction of being

August 30, 2024 No Comments

Good Cheer, Friendly Camaraderie Abound with Opening of Senior Center

Unlike the room’s usual appearance as a town trustees’ meeting room with an orderly arrangement of chairs and meeting table with piles of paperwork, the Town of Lake City’s Armory multipurpose room was transformed into a lively bistro of sorts last Friday morning for the long-anticipated opening of the Senior Connections’ Senior Center.Chairs were drawn up to tables with red checkered tablecloths dotted about the room inviting guests to pause for conversation while perhaps imbibing from a fully stocked coffee bar and partaking of snacks which, for the center’s opening last week, included freshly baked banana bread. Also of interest were the room’s non-edible accoutrements, a cache of neatly stacked and intriguing boxed board games and puzzles which await closer inspection.Looking out over the room and mingling crowd with satisfaction last Friday were staunch proponents of expanded senior citizen services in Lake City, including the newly furnished senior center which will be open with regularly scheduled hours on a year-round basis.On hand and glowing with satisfaction on Friday were Senior Connections volunteers such as Cheryl Tate, Lonnie Sweet, and Mary Nettleton, all of whom have been putting in long hours since January with the envisioned goal of not only a well-equipped and vitalized senior citizen center but also an impressive array of expanded senior citizen services.Also, on hand last week celebrating the opening of the new Senior Center was staff from Silver Thread Public Health, including public health director Tara Hardy who is equally enthused with new developments in terms of senior services. Working in tandem with Silver Thread Public Health and a direct result of the enthused Senior Connect Team volunteers, the Senior Center in the town trustees’ Armory meeting room is now open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays August 9, 16, 23, and 30 through this month and increasing to both Wednesdays and Fridays starting in September.Additionally, team members are working with Mountaineer Movie Theatre owner Phillip Virden on a no-charge Senior Movie Night at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 20, featuring the John Wayne Western classic, “True Grit”. Senior Walking is also planned in the Armory from 2 to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Friday starting in September.Home cooked lunches, either sit-down or grab & go, or the potential of deliveries to homebound residents, will resume the second and fourth Fridays in September. Specifics of the luncheon meals are still being worked out, although the new Senior Center will remain the central focus with sit-down meals on those Fridays served 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., together with the grab & go or home delivery options.A series of informative lectures are also being lined up for Senior Citizens, including Gary Shondeck of Gunnison-based Shondeck Financial Services & Insurance who has offered to come to Lake City on Friday, October 4, starting 10 a.m. for a presentation which will include details on changes to Open Enrollment for Medicare Part D. Shondeck will also be available to work with individuals.Other potential lecture topics sponsored by the group may include the popular topic of taxes by a knowledgeable accountant and an attorney who will be invited to address local seniors on legal documents such as wills and Do Not Resuscitate directives.During a sit-down interview with Senior Connect Team members Cheryl Tate and Lonnie Sweet prior to last week’s Senior Citizen Center opening, Tate marvels at literally thousands of volunteer hours which have been expended toward the revitalized services for Senior Citizens ages 60 years and up who live within Town of Lake City and adjacent rural portions of Hinsdale County.Referring to the volunteerism spirit, Tate says, “It truly takes a village… if the result of all this effort is the way we envision it, it will have been well worth it.”Tate credits the town and county senior citizens for their energy and determination. “They all have great ideas,” she says, “and they’re energized.”Senior services in Hinsdale County are under the umbrella of Silver Thread Public Health, Tara Hardy expressing her gratitude for the re-energizing efforts of the “grassroots” group.Public Health has several staff openings and continuing through this month will be reviewing applications for the positions of a Senior Citizen Coordinator, who will be available to assist with the Senior Connections group, as well as a second position handling consumer protection which is also being filled.Work by the volunteer Senior Connect group dates to January this year when a group of concerned local residents —these including Cheryl Tate, Lonnie Sweet, Lori Lawrence, Rick Hernandez, Faye Underwood, Mary Nettleton, Dan McGee, and Dawn Kortmeyer — put their heads together with the goal of addressing the needs and wants of the local senior population which they felt were not being met.The grassroot organization’s first goal was to peruse the county’s voter registration lists and determine the number of seniors living in the county. From a list of 723 voters, they determined fully 52 percent of the registered population is age 60 years and over or, more broadly 60 percent of the county’s registered voters are over age 55.The next step, according to Tate and Sweet, was to contact existing seniors’ organizations in other regional communities such as Silverton, Creede, Saguache, and Nucla/Naturita to learn what services they offered in terms of senior centers and senior lunches and, just as important, their sources of funding to support the programs.With that information in hand, Tate says they scratched their collective heads, wondering, “what do we do now?”An important early addition to the corps of grassroots local volunteers was enlistment of an energetic, non-senior, Hinsdale County Commissioner Greg Levine, who was an enthusiastic addition to the group.Levine’s enthusiasm and talents “are invaluable,” Tate says. It was at this point pre-spring this year that the volunteer group was also expanded to include Tara Hardy of Silver Thread Public Health.It was through casual conversations with Town of Lake City Recreation Director Ben Hake that the suggestion was made for use of both the kitchen and adjacent town-council meeting room in the Armory. While occupied for town meetings on

August 9, 2024 No Comments

County Celebrates 150th Anniversary with Tours, Picnic.

The atmosphere was festive and town was lively on August 1 for the Celebrate Lake City event, celebrating the County’s founding 150 years ago in the year 1874.From 1 p.m. until 3 p.m., folks were free to explore the upstairs courtroom at the County Courthouse where cannibal Alferd Packer was tried, and from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., a community picnic was held, catered by CLIMB Elevated Eatery, serenaded by the musical stylings of Tim Mallory and blessed by Pastor Jason Santos.While everyone ate, County Commissioner Kristie Borchers gave a speech detailing the history of the area, beginning with the collapse of the Mesa Seco plateau into the Lake Fork Valley 700 years ago, when the Slumgullion Earthflow dammed the river, creating Lake San Cristobal.Borchers explained, “The lake was a favorite camping spot when Native American tribes used this land as summer hunting grounds. The Ute Territory was subsequently reduced under several different agreements, driven by gold and silver exploration in the San Juan Mountains. The state of Colorado created Hinsdale County on February 10, 1874.”Borchers thanked the crowd for coming to the “summer party,” explaining that the actual birthday of the county was in February, when Lake Citians celebrated out on the ice at Lake San Cristobal.“We spent some time this winter gathering up a timeline of 150 years of work improving our county,” she said, directing people to the Visitor’s Center for a full timeline.The abbreviated timeline Borchers recited, which she deemed ‘snapshots in time,’ is as follows: 1877, construction of the Hinsdale County Courthouse, which remains largely unchanged, where Susan B. Anthony spoke and Alferd Packer was tried for murder; 1881, telephone service reached Lake City; 1889, the first passenger train arrived; 1907, the first automobile arrived; 1915, the first tourists from Texas arrived; 1921, women won the right to vote, and the Town Trustees were an all-female board, also, a big flood washed out the train depot, tracks and roundhouse; 1937, construction of several auto courts began and there were individual cabins available for rent; 1950, the first Jeep tours began, using Otto Mear’s constructed backcountry roads for recreational sightseeing and not just as supply routes; 1954, the Chamber of Commerce sponsored construction of Deer Lakes; 1956, reliable electricity was established in Hinsdale County; 1968, water and sewer systems were established, the same year the Lake City Ski Hill opened; 1975, the Lake City Medical Center was opened downtown; 1978, National Register for Historic Places designated Lake City a Historic District, which remains one of the largest historic districts in the nation; 1985, Highway 149 paving over Slumgullion Pass was completed; 2013, Ute Ulay stabilization project began, along with the Papoose Fire, impacting Upper Rio Grande; 2019, more than 100 + significant avalanches impacted Hinsdale County; 2020, Hinsdale County purchased Peninsula Park.Borchers concluded her speech saying, “Thank you to those of you serving Hinsdale County, living in Hinsdale County or partnering with Hinsdale County. We appreciate all the work you do.”

August 9, 2024 No Comments

Loud Applause, Standing Ovation Greet Visiting, Local Musicians at Gym Concert

Cheers repeatedly rang out — together with occasional syncopated finger snapping and the continual audience clapping — at last Sunday afternoon’s Reunion Concert hosted by Lake City Stinger Band. The annual reunion concert brought together not only exceptional local instrumental talent but also top notch visiting musicians from throughout Colorado.In all, 52 instrumentalists took part in the at-times sedate and lyrical “Landscapes”-themed concert featuring woodwind musicians, alternating with an at-times tempestuous music tempo served up by the brass and percussion musicians.Integral to the entire, enthralling performance was the conductor, Dr. Brett Keating of Western Colorado University, Gunnison, who exuberantly supervised both pre-concert rehearsals on Friday and Saturday, as well as the 60-minute afternoon concert on Sunday. Among the scores of finely tuned musicians were members of Lake City Stinger Band. A delight to the assembled musicians’ brass section were Jim Rowe and Bill Goodwin, trombone; Ken Matzick and Tara Hardy, trumpet, together with former resident Leslie Klusmire, up from the San Luis Valley who added critical oomph on the bass drum in the band’s percussion section.Conductor Keating was animated throughout the performance, powerfully wielding his baton as he encouraged the woodwind, brass, and percussion sections of the band from the central podium. At the conclusion of each selection, with applause ringing, Keating then gestured toward the musicians, routinely leaving the podium to applaud from the sidelines. Starting promptly at 2 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium — and with a 10-minute intermission — the Reunion Concert featured two resonating programs, the first starting out with the lyrical woodwind section showcased with Carmen Dragon’s lilting rendition of “America the Beautiful”.This was followed in succession by brass and woodwind sections featured in Rika Ishige’s “A Miniature Town”, and then a clear audience favorite — and one of two trumpet solos during the afternoon — visiting musician John Prillo performing the fast-paced “La Virgen de la Macarena”.Introduced by Keating and pictured on the front page of this week’s edition, Prillo is a masterful brass musician with a clear empathy between both conductor and audience. Keating stated he has conducted Prillo at five separate public performances and encouraged him to travel to Lake City, “because I just can’t get enough.”Equally as enthralling was the instrumental “The Monarch” with its composer, Dr. Ben Justice, head of the WCU Music Dept., in the audience. Slight of build, bearded, and equally as animated as the conductor, Justice explained the inspiration for writing the piece and in reference to more venerable selections which were played in the program, assuring the audience, “Yes, I am the composer and I am not dead.”Justice explained the fascinating inspiration for “The Monarch” as a tribute to Monarch Pass, the instrumental starting off lilting at the base of the envisioned high mountain pass and its fast-paced tempo predictably increasing. A few moody chords are included in the presentation, reflecting “scary parts,” according to Justice based on winter crossings of the mountain pass.In all, with Prillo on trumpet and joined by brass, woodwind, and percussion portions of the band, “The Monarch” is a vibrant and grand mountain processional.Ending the first half of the presentation on a high note, band members performed the fast-tempo, rhythmic “Byzantine Dances” by Carol Brittin Chambers which was accompanied by audience and musicians snapping their fingers, rhythmic hand clapping and a concluding spirited and unanimous yell, “yahh!”The “Landscapes” theme of Sunday’s concert was evident after a 10-minute intermission starting with a traditional favorite, the audience gleefully clapping in accompaniment as the band rolled out John Phillip Sousa’s 1889 classic march, “The Thunderer”. Pierre Plante’s “American River Song” was next, again showcasing woodwind instrumentalists with the lyrical “Shenandoah” refrain meandering through it and with John Prillo, trumpet, and lilting clarinet and flute.The second solo trumpet selection — and again followed by resounding applause and gleeful smile from conductor — was Mike Gill performing Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile”. The afternoon’s concluding selection was the soaring, three-part “Redrock Mountain” written by the Italian composer Rossano Galante and including passages with familiar and well-loved melodies from American film. At the concert’s conclusion, audience stood and clapped, Conductor Keating once again raising his arms and smiling as he made a broad gesture toward musicians and exited the podium to join the applauding audience.Sunday’s performance included brief introductory remarks by Lake City Band’s Ken Matzick who marveled at a fine culmination after just seven cumulative hours rehearsal time by the visiting and local musicians. “It’s a wonder,” he said, “as it comes together.”Matzick — familiar to Lake City audiences as he joins Tara Hardy performing Taps at both the May and November Veterans’ ceremonies in Veterans’ Park — expressed thanks which included Rebecca Hall, staff, and school district for use of gymnasium and school facilities; school facilities manager Darren Hardy; Tara Hardy and Terry Anderson for promotion; and Bill Goodwin, Jim Rowe, Mike Gill, and Dave Menapace for logistics, including transport and set up of instruments.

August 2, 2024 No Comments

Tag: Lake City