Archive

  • Locations: News Published

    Carbondale trustees like Facebook, hate idling vehicles

    Town staff and members of the Carbondale Board of Trustees will have to be a little more careful about their use of Facebook and other social media to connect with constituents, and town employees will have to shut their vehicle engines off more diligently than they may be used to, under two new policies adopted by the trustees at a meeting on Tuesday. The board on Tuesday adopted specific policies this week on the idling of town-owned vehicles, and the use of social media by town officials and employees to get the word out to the citizenry, at their regular meeting. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Smith, Kennedy, Schilling win fire-board seats

    With five candidates running for three Carbondale Fire Board seats, challenger Carl Smith far-out distanced the pack with 974 votes; incumbent Mike Kennedy logged the next highest total at 917. In a battle between the other two incumbents, Gene Schilling edged out Mark Chain by five votes (875-870) for the third seat; Gary McElwee netted 863 votes. In all, the bottom three candidates were separated by 12 votes. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Mother of two (and a “mom” for all moms)

    This Sunday the entire country will be focusing on moms as we celebrate Mother’s Day and show them our gratitude and appreciation. For Carbondale mom Janine Cuthbertson, every day is a Mother’s Day of sorts as the focus of her work involves making every mother’s day a little easier. Being a mom herself to daughters Aria and Tahlia, 7 and 5-years-old respectively, Janine understands the daily routines, challenges and joys common to all mothers. She also understands the need for moms to connect with other moms. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    School district releases reading scores

    The Colorado Department of Education released third grade reading scores on the TCAP, Colorado’s mandated standardized test. In the Re-1 district, 360 third graders were tested and 74 percent scored proficient or advanced, which is 2 percentage points higher than the state average. The one Re-1 elementary school to show a decline in third grade reading scores was Crystal River Elementary School. Superintendent Diana Sirko emphasized that these results are “just one data point with one group of students” and other preliminary data suggest significant gains among CRES students overall. The declining score could be related to the fact that there is a significantly higher percentage of second language learners and students from low-income families in this year’s CRES third grade class compared to last year’s. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Carbondale fire district’s reserves not what they seem

    Carbondale Fire District observers have something new to discuss and keep an eye on. Rather than a projected $1.85 million reserve at the end of 2014, the functional figure is about $650,000 less than that. The reason? The district put up part of its reserves as collateral and borrowed $900,000 from Alpine Bank to buy a 100-foot-ladder truck, an accompanying tender truck and related equipment in May 2012, according to a report by fire district board candidate Carl Smith and confirmed by Carbondale Fire Chief Ron Leach. The annual loan payment for the new trucks is $102,036 and two loan payments have been made, Leach confirmed. So, the district’s useable reserves at the end of the year are expected to be about $1.2 million — not the $1.85 million advertised in the 2014 budget. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Town’s water supply apparently safe from TD

    As the battle wears on over gas drilling in the Thompson Divide area — a vast, scenic zone southwest of Carbondale that stretches from Sunlight Mountain to McClure Pass — some have expressed concern that the town’s water supplies might be contaminated by spills, seeps or other mishaps if drilling ever starts up on an intensive scale. “The town has concerns about making sure our water sources are well protected,” Carbondale Town Manager Jay Harrington told The Sopris Sun in a recent interview. “It’s an issue the town’s raised in our opposition to gas drilling up there,” Harrington added, referring to letters sent by the town government to elected officials and bureaucrats at the local, state and federal levels, urging officials to keep drilling rigs out of the Thompson Divide. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Reflections on 5Point Film Festival 2014

    The feelings I had after the seventh annual 5Point Film Festival are the same feelings I usually have after the blessing of Carbondale’s Mountain Fair: blissful, hopeful, open and connected. Amidst the daily news onslaught of drought, killer storms, climate change, over-population and oil spills, 5Point Film is an alternate universe. At the Carbondale Recreation Center last weekend, over 50 films portrayed people of all ages from all over the world, celebrating their natural talents and the beauty of the natural world with an unfettered joie de vivre. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    CDOT finds apparent taker on Hwy 133 construction project

    After the first round of bids came in too high for CDOT’s Highway 133 construction project, the second round attracted more interest and an apparent low bid from a Grand Junction company. “The apparent low bidder was United Companies … and CDOT is in the process of awarding the construction contract to United Companies,” CDOT resident engineer Roland Wagner told The Sopris Sun. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Roundabout sculpture fund-raising under way

    Houston and Carbondale don’t seem to have much in common. Houston boasts a population of 2.1 million, while Carbondale logs in at about 6,000. Houston sits near the Gulf of Mexico, while Carbondale rests in the Rocky Mountains. Houston is generally hot and muggy, while Carbondale is cool and dry. Houston is home to a National Football League team, while Carbondale must rely on the Roaring Fork Rams for its football fix. And, Houston probably has more yoga studios than Carbondale. So, what’s one noticeable similarity between Houston and Carbondale? Come October, Carbondale’s soon-to-be roundabout at Highway 133 and Main Street will be graced with a 20-foot-tall James Surls sculpture, the 35-foot sister piece of which was installed at a prominent intersection in Houston’s Upper Kirby district earlier this month. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Curbside dining coming to town this summer

    Curbside dining will be coming to Main Street in Carbondale this summer, when at least two restaurants — phat thai, 343 Main St., and Allegria, 335 Main St. — erect dining platforms in the parking spaces in front of the two adjacent establishments. The Carbondale Board of Trustees gave its approval for the plan on Tuesday at the trustees’ regular meeting. “We contemplate the design/construction of a contiguous platform the length of our collective storefronts and the depth of a standard parking spot,” stated a letter from the restaurants to the trustees, which was part of the meeting packet on Tuesday. The wooden platforms are to be nine feet deep from the curb outward into the street, and traverse the storefronts of the adjoining restaurants, eliminating several parking spaces on Main Street. The sidewalk would be left open to pedestrian traffic. read more →