“The 64,000-pound elephant in the room that I don’t think ever really fully gets addressed is acknowledging what is the safe carrying capacity of Highway 82 and, by extension, I-70,” Garfield County resident Siri Olsen said at Monday’s Garfield Board of County Commissioner (BOCC) meeting. Representatives from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) presented an […]
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Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: John Martin urges BOCC to cover $1.7 million to finish Shoshone water right deal
Monday’s Garfield County Commissioner (BOCC) meeting lasted less than an hour. Former commission chair John Martin made a surprise cameo appearance during the morning public comment period, urging the BOCC to seal the Shoshone water right deal. “Today I’m going to let you know that you’re on the threshold of greatness — all three of […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Property value complaints, South Bridge permit dispute, CPW Commission woes
The Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting opened Monday without public comment. The board jumped right into five property valuation abatement hearings, three of which were resolved in the appellant’s favor due to distinct, clerical errors. County Assessor Jim Yellico and his team denied two requests that did not involve clerical errors. Remember, we’re looking at […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Public to BOCC — No library money for RFTA, rein in sheriff, diversify economy
Public comments at Monday’s Garfield County Commissioner (BOCC) meeting took on some heavy local issues, but had to wait until a presentation by Western States and Tribal Nations (WSTN) finished up. Lobbyist Andrew Browning, WSTN president and founder, gave the BOCC an update on the global energy climate, liquid natural gas export facilities, including Costa […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Focus on animals and at-risk teens
Yampah Mountain High School and Colorado River BOCES staff struck gold at Tuesday’s Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting. They asked for $25,000 from the national opioid settlement funds for an on-site intervention counselor. These funds are a result of 2021/2022 national opioid settlements resolving opioids litigation brought by state and local governments against manufacturers, distributors […]
Posted inLocal Government
Lepkowski returns, Feds urged to pay state disaster relief, county fair revenues up
Silt resident John Lepkowski is at it again with a new complaint about books in the Silt Library. The books are a series of graphic novels titled “The Boys” by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, the same books that a woman complained about last week. Lepkowski told the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) Monday that he […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: ‘Merry Christmas to the Sheriff’s office’
Monday’s Garfield County Commissioner (BOCC) meeting was the last one of 2025. First up was an anti-climactic presentation on mill levies for the 2026 budget year. Juby Cummings of the county assessor’s office requested certification of mill levies, but did not have the exact numbers. “We are waiting on five certifications of mill levies from […]
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Library board candidates chime in on restricted access
On Friday, Dec. 12, the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC), along with three members of the Garfield County Public Library District Board of Trustees — President Adrian Rippy-Sheehy (Silt), Vice President Michelle Foster (Parachute) and John Mallonee (at large) — interviewed a dozen candidates, four for each of the three open seats representing New Castle, Rifle […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Santa says, ‘You gotta be nice’
The first of December brought snow to the Roaring Fork Valley but it did not bring public comments to the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting. For the first time in a few weeks, no one had anything to say that wasn’t on the agenda. Not even about the upcoming library board of trustees interviews (which […]
Posted inLocal Government
Negotiations secure Hogback bus service in 2026
In early November, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) CEO Kurt Ravenschlag presented to the Garfield County Commissioners. He was speaking to the role public transportation plays in regional commuting, and asked the commissioners to allot funds specifically to help cover RFTA’s Hogback services west of Glenwood Springs. Garfield County has contributed varying amounts toward this […]