November 2014

Carbondale’s second-oldest shopping center, the Crystal Village Plaza at the southwest corner of Highway 133 and Main Street, has been sold to a nationally-ranked real estate investment company with ties to the Walton family, of Wal-Mart fame.
Neill Taylor, a resident of River Valley Ranch and former co-owner of the shopping center, confirmed on Monday that the property had been sold recently to the Kroenke Group, headquartered in Missouri, though he would say no more.
“The rest of it is under a confidentiality agreement,” he told The Sopris Sun.

Following a Sopris Sun guest opinion on Nov. 20 that publicized Superintendent Diana Sirko’s request to have her contract extended, the Roaring Fork School District Executive Team e-mailed the following memo to school district staff members. The Sun asked for and received a copy of the memo and prints it here in its entirety:

Roaring Fork Valley resident Josh Phillips stars in the feature film “The Creep Behind the Camera,” which will play for one day only at the Crystal Theatre at 2 p.m. on Dec. 6.
Originally from northern California, Phillips has been an on-again, off again Carbondale resident since the early 1990’s. While he is well known in the valley as an accomplished rock/blues guitarist, Phillips also has an acting career that many were unaware of, according to a press release.
Long-time locals may remember him as the front man for 12BarFlies, Big Swifty, Zec Nebula, Fire In the Asylum, and more recently Betty Ford Explorer, The Roosters, and the acoustic duo Josh and Ananda.
After spending the 1990’s in the Roaring Fork Valley as a ski-lift operator by day and rocker by night, Phillips headed back to Los Angeles where he spent 11 years working as an actor in films, television shows, commercials, video games and anime voice-overs. Upon returning to Colorado in 2010, one of his Los Angeles contacts suggested that Phillips read for the starring role of Vic Savage in a Colorado Springs-based independent film.

Sopris Sun Staff Report Once a lowly window washer, J. Pierrepont Finch rocketed to chairman of the board, thanks to a book called “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” And thanks to the newest musical production from Carbondale’s SoL Theatre Company, you too, can learn the secrets of how to climb the corporate […]

By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Staff Writer This time next year, residents might not recognize Highway 133 through town but they’ll probably be familiar with features such as a temporary signal at Colorado Avenue, Main Street closures at approaches to the proposed roundabout at Highway 133, and at least two detours. Roadway construction on the […]

Sopris Sun Staff Report Stage 1 fire restrictions on private lands within Garfield County and on Bureau of Land Management lands managed by the Colorado River Valley Field Office are now under way, according to a press release. Fire managers base decisions about fire restrictions on specific moisture measurements in vegetation and other risk factors. […]

By WB Special to The Sopris Sun Pa Fig, hat-shaper, has laid hands on more than 10,000 hats for clients all over the world. Discretion prohibits mention of his more notable customers, but Carbondale’s crowned heads are quietly finding their way to Pa’s stand, which he sets up around town when crowds or the occasion […]

By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Staff Writer It started with a borrowed Aspen Earthmoving flatbed truck at Fourth and Main, and a handful of local musicians on a summer Saturday in 2001. The next year the Mountain Music Fair expanded to two days to accommodate more players who wanted to get involved. A year or […]

Submitted article The town of Carbondale — all its history and diversity, outdoor recreation, arts and culture — is promoted through the Tourism Council, a tentacle under the jellyfish auspices of the Chamber of Commerce. The Tourism Council of Carbondale (TCC) recently unveiled its summer marketing campaign to encompass the health and well-being of its […]

As Chief Academic Officer of the Roaring Fork School District, Dr. Rob Stein has spearheaded the monumental task of bringing our communities together to create an inspiring new vision for our schools. The task that lies ahead — actually bringing that vision to fruition — is even more daunting.
Stein, who led an extraordinary transformation of Denver’s Manual High School after it was closed as a low-performing school, has the experience and expertise needed to take on that task. He is not afraid to ask tough questions and to be asked tough questions by others. His responses always cut to the chase. He has an exceptional ability to think outside the box and find innovative solutions.
So why has the school board, with two newly appointed (not elected) board members, suddenly decided to change course and consider extending Dr. Diana Sirko’s contract after it expires this spring? The next board meeting is less than three weeks away, including Thanksgiving break during which the school district is closed for an entire week. I urge the school board to give the public more than this short time frame to weigh in on this critical matter.