Carlos Loya Rico is the foreman for Carbondale Public Works Department’s Street Crew. He sat down with The Sopris Sun to share with readers a little about his personal history. The interview has been edited for clarity and fit.
Tell me about how you ended up in the Valley.
My first trip to the U.S. was in 1984, and I stayed in Mesa, Arizona for a year and a half. I came here because I’m from Chihuahua, Mexico where we have a lot of apple trees.
From 1985 to 1988, I’d come to Hotchkiss to pick apples. The season for picking is September to the middle of October, so in those days I’d go back to Mexico in December. But, I would have rather worked here for as long as I could.
In 1989, the owner of the orchard in Hotchkiss, Ralph Melville, who also owned the Mountain Chalet in Aspen, sold the orchard and brought everybody to Aspen. I started work at Mountain Chalet as a dishwasher.
How did you come to work for the Town of Carbondale?
In 1991, I brought my wife and oldest son and we stayed here full-time. I worked for Mountain Chalet for seven winters, but in the summertime I worked in construction for Marty Schlumberger. I stayed in Aspen until 1993, when I bought our first mobile home in Basalt. In 2000, we moved to a bigger mobile home in El Jebel; we had three kids and needed more space.
In 2000, I quit working for Schlumberger Construction, and started working for Jack Wilkie Builders. But, in 2005 the sawdust started to give me asthma. So, I stopped and bought a dump truck. I started a subcontractor business: Carlos Trucking.
In 2007, came the big recession. There was no construction, no work. But, with my dump truck, I’d come into Carbondale for snow removal in the wintertime when Smiley Wise was a supervisor [for Public Works]. I became an operator for the town.
So, I’ve been here from 2007 to now.
Is it a good job?
Oh yeah, I love my job. Now, I am the foreman and heavy equipment operator. I’ve put up the Christmas Tree lights on Main Street for the last 16 years. I’m so happy with the people I work with, and I hope to retire from here.
Do you live in Carbondale now?
No, I live in Glenwood where we bought a duplex in 2015.
Why did you decide to come to the United States?
In the ‘80s, in Mexico, there was no work, no money and almost everybody had the American dream.
Tell me about the immigration process.
Before I became a citizen, I was a resident. I got my first green card in 1987. It took seven years to get a green card for my wife. She got one in 1996. Before she had a green card, we could stay in the U.S. but we couldn’t go back to Mexico.
Was it hard to leave your family? Do you go back to visit?
Yes. After we fixed the papers, we traveled maybe twice a year to Mexico. I arranged to fix a green card for my mom and my dad; and my wife fixed a green card for her mom. Our mothers both passed away, but my father, 89, is in Mexico now because it’s too cold here.
When did you become a U.S. citizen?
We have been citizens since 1998. I was taking my GED at Colorado Mountain College. We studied so hard because we needed to know American history. There were 100 questions on the citizenship test and you could only fail four or five. But, we did it. It was a great, great day for us.
Do you have any siblings?
Yes, my brother is a citizen and lives in El Paso. My sister is a citizen too and lives in Glenwood Springs.
Do you feel connected with the Latino community in the Valley?
Oh yeah. I have a little history about that. Jackie Morales, who ran Asistencia para Latinos in the ‘90s, was my friend. She helped Latinos in the Valley with interpretation and more, and I volunteered for her organization. She passed away, but left a legacy for Latinos in the Valley.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I’m so happy here. Carbondale is my home.