1. 75¢VOLUME 89, NO. 91May 7, 2015
Alamosa • Antonito • Blanca • Center • Creede • Crestone • Del Norte • Fort Garland • Hooper • La Jara • Manassa • Mosca • Moffat • Monte Vista • Romeo • Saguache • Sanford • San Luis • South Fork
DeLaCerda at Twilight
— Page 6
THURSDAY (Home delivery as low as 58¢)
www.alamosanews.com
Obituaries.......................... Page 2
Valley News..................Pages 3, 5
Opinion ............................. Page 4
Sports ............................... Page 6
Western Living .................. Page 7
Education.......................... Page 8
Public Notices.................... Page 9
Classified...................Pages 10, 11
Comics............................. Page 12
INSIDEINSIDE
Partly cloudy skies
could bring more rain
64 / 32
Fri: Cloudy 63 / 32
Sat: Cloudy 57 / 30
SLV WEATHERSLV WEATHER
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heardheard
■ See PIT page 3
■ See TSJC page 3
■ See COUNTY page 3
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Valley Courier
ALAMOSA—SLVRepub-
lican Women will meet on
Thursday, May 7, at noon at
the Restaurant at Cattails
GolfCourseinAlamosa.Call
Mari Hathorn at 873-5805.
Republican
women meet
ALAMOSA — Celebrate
MothersDayatAlamosaElks
Lodge No. 1297. A special
“make your own waffle”
spread is being prepared
foranyandallmothers,their
families and friends. This
special event will cost $10
per person, will last from 10
a.m.to1p.m.andisopento
the public. All are welcome
andmotherswillreceivefree
desserts.TheElkstraditional
Mothers Day ceremony will
beat2p.m.Thisceremonyis
freeandpublic,withflowers
and prizes for the mothers
attending.
Celebrate
Mother's Day
at Elks Lodge
ALAMOSA – Approxi-
mately 140 students will
participate in graduation
ceremonies of Trinidad State
Junior College Friday eve-
ningatAlamosaHighSchool.
For President Dr. Carmen
Simone it’s the best day of
the year.
“It’s the culmination of all
the hard work our students
have gone through and all
the effort our faculty and
staff have put forward to
bring those students to that
one special moment. It is
By LAUREN
KRIZANSKY
Courier staff writer
ALAMOSA COUNTY —
A community endeavor to
reduce the number of people
with mental illness in jail
is establishing in Alamosa
County.
TheAlamosaCountyCom-
missioners (ACC) Wednes-
day resolved to join the Na-
tional Association of Coun-
ties (NACo) and the Council
of State Governments (CSG)
Justice Center lead and un-
precedented “Stepping Up”
initiativeinpartnershipwith
the American Psychiatric
Foundation (APF) to help
advance counties’ efforts to
reduce the number of adults
withmentalandco-occurring
substance use disorders in
jails.
“This is a monumental is-
sueweareseeinginourjails,”
saidAlamosaCountySheriff
Robert Jackson. “There is
a huge space where these
people are falling through
the cracks.”
Alamosa County Com-
missioner Marianne Dunne
brought the initiative to
the county’s table, and it
will unite the efforts of the
county, the San Luis Valley
Behavior Health Group, the
12th Judicial District and
several other area outreach
services.
“This is a national con-
cern,” Dunne said. “County
jails across the nation have
become by default the place
where society puts mentally
ill people.”
STAFF REPORT
ALAMOSA COUNTY —
No longer is there an open
disposalpitintheDeerValley
subdivision in east Alamosa
County.
Thedisposalpitcountyem-
ployees were directed to dig
inFebruaryandtheColorado
Department of Health and
Environmentisinvestigating
was filled in Wednesday af-
ternoon with legal approval,
said Alamosa County Road
and Bridge Director Tim
DeHerrera yesterday during
the Alamosa County Com-
missioners meeting.
The total cost to the county
to both dig and fill the dis-
posal pit is about $8,000,
he said.
Thestatehaltedtheproject
once it learned through an
anonymous tip the excava-
tion site lacked a Certificate
An estimated two million
people with serious mental
illnesses are booked into jail
each year and prevalence
rates of serious mental ill-
nesses in jails are three to
six times higher than for the
generalpopulation,according
to NACo and CSG. Almost
three-quartersoftheseadults
of Designation (CD), which
is necessary to operate a
solid waste disposal site and
facility.
The complainant further
alleged significant illegal
disposal activities have
historically occurred at the
site, according to CDPHE.
Thecomplainantalsoalleged
the City of Alamosa had im-
mediate plans to dispose of
additional demolition debris
at the site.
The CDPHE is still con-
ducting its investigation,
absolutely my favorite day
of the year.”
This year there will be no
keynotespeakerfromoutside
the college. Instead Dr. Sim-
one will take a few minutes
to highlight the accomplish-
ments of several special
students who have overcome
problems and excelled dur-
ing their time at Trinidad
State. Past graduates from
the Valley Campus will also
be recognized.
TSJC graduation
is Friday evening
Alamosa County covers Deer Valley pit
County joins inmate health initiative
Alamosa swears
in new city clerk
Alamosa City Attorney Erich Schwiesow, above right, administers the oath
of office to Alamosa's new City Clerk Holly Martinez during the May 6 city
council meeting. Below, Martinez signs paperwork making her new posi-
tion official. She fills the vacancy left by Kristi Duarte.
New Alamosa City Clerk Holly Martinez receives flowers and a
proud smile from son DeMarcus, 8, during Wednesday night's
Alamosa city council meeting, the first meeting Martinez acted
in her new official capacity. Martinez has worked as deputy
city clerk since October 2012 and previously worked for the
district attorney's office for three years. She is an Alamosa
native and Alamosa High School graduate with an associate
degree. She is finishing up a bachelor's degree in accounting
from Adams State University.
Courier photos by Ruth Heide
The female driver of this vehicle was not injured when car trouble forced the vehicle
off the road about 10 miles east of Alamosa on Highway 160 Wednesday afternoon
shortly after 2 p.m. Alamosa fire, ambulance and law enforcement responded to the
accident. Further details are pending with Colorado State Patrol.
Off road motoring
Courier photo by Ruth Heide
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2. Thursday, May 7, 2015 Valley Courier Page 3
Valley News
COUNTY
■ Continued from Page 1
WASHINGTON — U.S.
Forest Service Chief Tom
Tidwell presented the For-
est Service forecast on the
upcoming 2015 fire season
in testimony on Tuesday
before the Senate Commit-
tee on Energy and Natural
Resources. Forest Service
researchers expect 2015 to
continue the trend of above
average fire activity.
“Above normal wildland
fire potential exists across
the north central United
States and above normal
wildland fire potential will
threaten many parts of the
West this summer,” said
Chief Tidwell. “We antici-
pateanotheractivefireyear,
underscoring the need to
reformourwildfirefunding.”
The forecast indicates
there is a 90 percent chance
that this year’s Forest Ser-
vice fire suppression costs
will be between $794 million
and $1.657 billion, with a
median estimate of $1.225
billion, potentially forcing
the diversion of funding
from other vital programs to
support suppression opera-
tions. Any costs above the
median is greater than the
“10 year average” and would
force the Forest Service to
leverage funding from other
landmanagementprograms.
Diverting funds to cover the
cost of wildfire suppression
affects other critical Forest
Service programs and ser-
vices,saidTidwell,including
effortstoreducewildfirerisk
through mechanical thin-
ning, prescribed fires, and
other means.
Wildfiresuppressioncosts
have increased as fire sea-
sons have grown longer
and the frequency, size,
and severity of wildfires has
increased due to changing
climaticconditions,drought,
hazardous fuel buildups, in-
sectanddiseaseinfestations,
nonnative invasive species,
and other factors. Funding
has not kept pace with the
cost of fighting fire. Over
the last 10 years, adjust-
ing for inflation, the Forest
Service has spent an aver-
age of almost $1.13 billion
on suppression operations
annually.
The President’s Fiscal
Year 2016 budget includes a
proposal to reform the way
that wildfire suppression is
funded. Aligned with the
Wildfire Disaster Funding
Act, these reforms are nec-
essary to ensure the Forest
Service continues to deliver
the full scope of its mission.
ChiefTidwellsaidtheFor-
estServicehasthecapability
and responsibility to protect
life, property, and natural
resources. The responsibil-
ity to respond to wildfire is
not isolated to the Forest
Service.Itworksextensively
withpartnerswithintheDe-
partmentofInterior(DOI)as
wellasState,tribalandlocal
firefighting organizations to
support wildland fire man-
agement operations. These
cooperators are essential to
ensuring that every wildfire
receives an appropriate,
risk informed, and effective
response regardless of the
jurisdiction.
Within the Fiscal Year
(FY) 15 appropriation for
WildlandFireManagement,
the Forest Service will be
able to mobilize approxi-
mately10,000firefightersfor
the upcoming fire season, as
well as up to 21 airtankers
available for operations on
exclusive use contracts, ad-
ditionalairtankersavailable
through“CallWhenNeeded”
contracts, and the capabil-
ity to mobilize cooperator
air tankers, if available,
through agreements with
the State of Alaska and
Canada. In coordination
with the military there are
also eight Mobile Airborne
FirefightingSystem-capable
C-130’s available to meet
surge requirements, as well
as an extensive fleet of more
than 100 helicopters avail-
able to support operations.
The Forest Service has
worked collaboratively with
its partners to develop the
NationalCohesiveWildland
Fire Management Strategy,
of which fuel treatment is
an essential component. In
2015, $32 million of the Haz-
ardous Fuels appropriation
was allocated to 50 projects
in areas with a likelihood
of high intensity fire within
populated areas or near
important watersheds for
municipal water supply.
The Collaborative For-
est Landscape Restoration
Program also assists in the
agency’s work with partners
to conduct hazardous fuel
treatments and ecosystem
restoration that encourages
economic and social sus-
tainability, leverages local
resources with national and
private resources, reduces
wildfire management costs,
andaddressestheutilization
of forest restoration byprod-
uctstooffsettreatmentcosts
and benefit local economies.
Two students will have a
chance to address the group.
Jonah Bollinger is still a ju-
niorinhighschoolinAntonito
but will receive an Associate
Degree from Trinidad State
through the concurrent en-
rollment program. He’s an
active member in Future
Business Leaders of America
andisvicepresidentofthePhi
Beta Lambda club. He acted
as “head lawyer” in a mock
trial competition, and he has
been involved in many other
extracurricular activities.
Erin Guymon is a wife
and mother and a 4.0 stu-
dent who still finds time to
tutor her fellow students
through the TRiO program.
Last fall, she completed an
accounting internship and
was offered a part-time job
with the firm because they
wereveryimpressedwithher
skills and knowledge. Erin is
also a member of Phi Theta
Kappa – the National Honor
Society for two-year colleges.
She’ll also participate in the
Phi Beta Lambda national
competition in Chicago next
month.
The graduation ceremony
beginsat6p.m.andthepublic
is welcome to attend.
TSJC
■ Continued from Page 1
whichincludesrequestsfor
various documents from the
local governments regarding
demolitions including the
recent knocking down of the
Pink Elephant on Sixth Av-
enue, the alleged reason the
county dug the disposal pit.
The department cannot
speculate at this time what
penalties the local govern-
mentsmightorwillfaceuntil
theinvestigationiscomplete,
according to CDPHE.
Dumpinginnon-permitted
areasraisesconcernsregard-
ing public health and safety,
property values and quality
of life, according to the Envi-
ronmentalProtectionAgency
(EPA).Construction,demoli-
tion, remodeling, roofing and
landscape contractors are
“typical” offenders.
Health risks associated
withillegaldumping,accord-
ingtotheEPA,aresignificant.
They pose physical threats,
attract vermin, create mos-
quito breeding grounds,
increase fire and flooding
risks, contribute to erosion
and contaminate wells and
surface water. Those factors
alone or combined could lend
to property value decreases,
and cost local governments
and industry thousands of
dollars in reclamation.
“Waste disposal sites like
landfills are inherently held
tocertainengineeringdesign
standards and operating
standards which are part
of the permitting process in
order to minimize potential
impactstohumanhealthand
the environment,” stated the
CDPHE in the email.
PIT
■ Continued from Page 1
have co-occurring sub-
stance use disorders. Once
incarcerated, they tend to
stay longer in jail and upon
release are at a higher risk
of recidivism than individu-
als without these disorders.
The human toll of this
problem and its cost to
taxpayers is staggering,
according to NACo and
CSG. Jails spend two to
three times more on adults
with mental illnesses that
require intervention com-
pared to those without
those needs, yet often can-
not achieve recovery and
recidivism-reduction goals.
Despite counties’ tremen-
dous efforts to address this
problem, they are often
thwarted by significant
obstacles including coor-
dinating multiple systems,
balancing political agendas
and operating with mini-
mal resources, according
to NACo and CSG.
Consequently, large
numbers of people with
mental illnesses continue
to cycle through the crimi-
nal justice system, often
resulting in tragic out-
comes for individuals and
their families, missed op-
portunities for linkage to
treatment, inefficient use
of funding and failure to
improve public safety.
Sheriff Jackson said the
jail is now training staff
to identify inmates with
mental health concerns,
and it will begin collecting
data to see if the popula-
tion reflects the national
averages.
“When they come in on
drugs or alcohol, some-
times their symptoms are
masked,” he said.
According to reports, 17
percent of those incarcer-
ated across the country
have serious mental disor-
ders; 68 percent have sub-
stance abuse disorders; 72
percent have a co-occurring
substance abuse disorder;
and about 33 percent have a
co-occurring serious mental
health disorder.
“I was told in the past our
jail might have 90 percent
(of inmates) with substance
use disorders,” Dunne said.
“This is an issue we need to
face as a county.”
Due to overcrowding,
the jail is not always able
to “take steps in the best
interest of mental health”
for all inmates, Jackson
said, and there is liability
when holding individuals
without criminal charges
even if they need a space
to keep themselves and
society safe.
“The jail is the last resort,
and only if a person is a
danger to the community,”
San Luis Valley Behavioral
Health Group Chief Oper-
ating Officer Kristina Dan-
iel. “We have those intense
concerns.”
Jackson, Daniel and
others in the business of
helping people heal are also
working towards develop-
ing a program to assist opi-
ate addicts handle and rid
themselves of their habits.
It will include the distri-
bution of Suboxone and
Vivitrol in conjunction with
a counseling commitment,
and it should be operational
this August.
“This is another tool that
will be very useful for the
community,” said Alamosa
County Commissioner Mi-
chael Yohn.
Daniel added, “These
treatment options are not
a solution for everyone.
There will be counseling
with treatment.”
See future Valley Courier
editions for updates on the
developing opiate treat-
ment program.
Forest Service chief predicts 'above normal'
wildland fire potential in much of the West
STAFF REPORT
CREEDE— The Creede
Repertory Theatre (CRT)
staff has finalized plans for
an amazing season, packed
full of performing arts, the-
atre and celebrations for its
50th year. The organization
opened its doors to the his-
toric mining town in 1966
andhaskeptthepicturesque
town on the map ever since.
This year the theatre will
be honoring the founding
participants in every way
they can. Anyone who enjoys
theatre is in for a treat dur-
ing the upcoming season.
The season begins Memo-
rial Day weekend with the
opening of “Good on Paper,”
a top selling production
that will run for a limited
time. Tickets for this play
are on sale now and can
be purchased online at the
theatre’s website. The play
depicts the trouble with
having dreams come true in
the most mysterious ways.
A lonely police sketch artist
gets thrown into a world of
romanticcomedyasshefinds
out what its like to control
her romantic life. The play
opens on May 30 at the
The Ruth, and tickets are
limited.
The theatre staff has
been working closely with
residents and alumni to
put together a collection of
stories for a book highlight-
ing the theatre’s history
and origins. The book is
titled, “Creede Repertory
Theatre, Stories of the first
50 years.” CRT will host a
book launch on June 26 at 6
p.m.; the launch will include
a live reading of chosen sto-
ries from the book and the
opening night of the 50th
anniversary play, “Ghost
Light.” This play takes the
audience back in time to the
theatre’s beginning and the
fictional struggle of opening
a haunted theatre. Sure to
be this year’s prize piece,
this play will be one for the
record books.
Personnel director Sarah
Wallacespeaksoftheupcom-
ing season saying, “This is
going to be a huge season.
Ticket sales have been at an
all-time high, and we look
forward to a great season.”
Along with the plays, sev-
eral events have been sched-
uled to honor the theatre’s
contributors. A special night
isplannedinAugustthatwill
include a special curtain call
foreveryonethathelpedCRT
become what it is today.
“We will raise our glasses
in honor of our many con-
tributors,” said Wallace.
CRT plans to include the
UniversityofKansastheatre
organization in the celebra-
tions. In 1966, the university
wastheonlyonetorespondto
requests for resident theatre
majors to come to Creede for
the opening season. Several
of the university’s students
packed their bags and ven-
tured to Creede that sum-
mer, only to create a theatre
that has withstood the test
of time.
Along with honoring con-
tributors, the theatre will
alsohostaspecialeveningto
honor the infamous founder
Carl Helfin. The man that
owned the original building
in 1930 made his eccentric
and fun-loving nature a part
of history. The theatre in-
vitesanyonewhohadahand
in the beginning of CRT
to join in the celebrations
with many of the original
founders that have not been
to Creede in years. “We’re
really excited to be able to
include these people,” said
Wallace.
For a list of events and a
schedule of upcoming pro-
ductions and ticket prices,
visit www.creederep.org
Creede Theatre pulls out the red carpet
ALAMOSA — There will not be a Rio Grande Basin
Roundtable meeting in May. The next meeting will be
Tuesday, June 9, at the conference room, 623 Fourth
Street, Alamosa.
No Roundtable in May
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