1. 75¢VOLUME 89, NO. 94May 12, 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
State Qualifiers Set
— Page 6
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Obituaries.......................... Page 2
Valley News.............. Pages 3, 5, 7
Opinion ............................. Page 4
Sports ............................... Page 6
Furry Friends ..................... Page 8
Public Notices.................... Page 9
Classified...................Pages 10, 11
Comics............................. Page 12
INSIDEINSIDE
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- Alamosa
Valley Courier
MONTE VISTA — Com-
passion Food Bank will
distributefoodonThursday,
May 14, at Ski High Stam-
pede,MonteVistafrom12-4
p.m. Everyone is welcome,
no qualifying. Requested
donation is $20 per box.
Please bring a box. Call
719-406-4174. Volunteers
are also needed.
Food to be
distributed
on Thursday
ALAMOSA — American
Legion Ladies Auxiliary, in-
cluding Alamosa, Antonito
and Center, will hold elec-
tion of officers at 6 p.m. on
May13intheauxiliaryroom
at 415 Fourth St., Alamosa.
Auxiliary to
elect officers
By LAUREN
KRIZANSKY
Courier staff writer
ALAMOSA COUNTY
— Commercial scale solar
farms want to keep growing
in Alamosa County.
With federal tax credit
driving utility-scale solar
development in recent years
expiring in December 2016,
the Alamosa County Land
Use Department is seeing
a renewed interest in solar
development in the county.
In addition to multiple
phone calls received from
major developers in the last
few months, the department
has hosted pre-application
meetings with Iberdrola
Renewables, the company
operatingafacilityonCounty
Road 106 North, First Solar
and Next Era with execu-
tives flying in from across
the country, said Land Use
Deputy Rachel Baird in an
interview.
“Despite time constraints
and the fact that there is
only approximately 50 MW Iberdrola Renewables on County Road 106 North is showing interest in expanding its Valley solar farm.
At Alamosa High School on Friday night, 135 graduates received certificates or diplomas from Trinidad State Junior College.
of remaining transmission
capacity out of the San Luis
Valley, these companies are
eager to complete the 1041
permit application process,”
she said. “We are anticipat-
ing a big year in utility-scale
solar development.”
The 1041 permit applica-
tion submits developers to
a “quasi-environmental as-
sessment,” addressing the
proposed project’s need, ac-
tion, environmental impact
and cumulative impact.
The permits are not re-
quired in all Valley counties.
An existing permit helps
companies better position
themselves for a Power Pur-
chaseAgreement(PPA)with
the Public Utilities Commis-
sion (PUC) of Colorado, she
said,anditalsoinsurestheir
competitiveness if some of
the regional proposed infra-
structure upgrades increase
transmission capacity.
“There is optimism trans-
mission will increase,” Baird
said.“Theyarecominginand
getting these permits just to
beat the deadline.”
In Colorado, it only takes
six to nine months to obtain
a permit versus upwards of
two years in other states,
she added.
Sean Cruz poses next to his work, which took 1st
Place in the High School 3D category at the 14th An-
nual All-Valley Art Show sponsored by the San Luis
Valley Museum in Alamosa. The museum hosted an
awards ceremony on Saturday. A complete list of
winners will be shared in a future Courier edition.
Courier photos by Phil Ray Jack
From left Tera McGinnis, Alamosa Mayor Josef Lucero, and Lily McGinnis pose with
Katlyn McGinnis and her prize-winning contribution to the art show sponsored by the
San Luis Valley Museum in Alamosa.
Artists honored
Courtesy photo by Greg Boyce
TSJC confers degrees on Friday
Solar is strong in Alamosa County
Courier photo by Lauren Krizansky
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2. Tuesday, May 12, 2015 Valley Courier Page 3
Valley News
SOLAR
■ Continued from Page 1
Have youHave you
heardheard
SAGUACHE — Those who plan to attend the Saguache
Spring Fling Dinner (Lincoln Day Dinner) on Saturday, June 6,
at the Mountain Valley School must send reservations along
with check and choice of beef brisket or baked chicken no
later than May 15. Please contact Wyoma Hansen, 655-0299
or Mike Cowan, 655-6202 or email: info@saguachegop.com
Make checks payable to Saguache County Republican Party
and send to: Ed Nielsen, PO Box 55, Saguache 81149.
Sign up by May 15 for Spring
Fling Lincoln Day Dinner
MOSCA — The Sangre de Cristo Class of 1975 will be having
a reunion planning meeting on Thursday, May 14 at 6 p.m. at
the Sangre de Cristo School. Anyone wishing to help plan is
encouraged to attend.
SdC Class of '75 reunion
meeting is Thursday
SAN LUIS — On Thursday May 14, from 6-7 p.m. at the Par-
ish Hall in San Luis the Conejos County Clean Water, Inc. and
San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council will host a public meeting
to discuss illegal dumping in the community. The group will
discuss current sites’ location, content, and quantity as well
as collection options and alternatives. Everyone is invited.
Refreshments will be provided.
Discuss illegal dumping in San
Luis on Thursday
CAPULIN — On Wednesday May 13, from 7- 8 p.m. at the
ParishHallinCapulintheConejosCountyCleanWater,Inc.and
San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council will host a public meeting
to discuss illegal dumping in the community. The group will
discuss current sites’ location, content, and quantity as well
as collection options and alternatives. Everyone is invited.
Refreshments will be provided.
Discuss illegal dumping in
Conejos County on Wednesday
ALAMOSA — Civil Air Patrol meets Thursday, May 14, from
6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Alamosa Airport, south side in the yel-
low building on the second floor. Leadership is the meeting
topic. Cadets from 12-18 years welcome. Call Bob at 850-1363
or Ruth at 850-0505.
May 14 Civil Air Patrol meeting
focuses on leadership
•The Colorado solar industry generates as much
revenue as its top-ranked craft brewing industry.
•There are currently more than 380 solar companies
at work throughout the value chain in Colorado,
employing 4,000 people.
•In 2014, Colorado installed 67 MW of solar electric
capacity, ranking it 13th nationally.
•The 398 MW of solar energy currently installed
in Colorado ranks the state 8th in the country in
installed solar capacity. There is enough solar
energy installed in the state to power 76,000 homes.
•In 2014, $212 million was invested on solar
installations in Colorado.
•Installed solar photovoltaic system prices in the
U.S. have dropped steadily from 8 percent from last
year and 49 percent from 2010.
The county is home to four
utility-scale solar facilities
with another undergoing the
permittingprocessandonein
construction.
Alone each facility covers
more than five acres, pro-
duces more than 10 MW and
is responsible for a financial
agreement allowing for site
decommissioning and recla-
mation.
Together the facilities
generate 87.2 MW, which is
enough to power more than
15,000homesinColoradoand
generate more than a half a
milliondollarsintaxbenefits.
Before 2011, the parcels
paid out less than $1,000
total.
“This is unheard of,” Baird
said. “There is nothing com-
parable. We are an example
for the state, and that is
pretty impressive.”
Bringing the facilities to
the county, however, is a
laborious task. It requires
extra staff hours to complete
a lengthy checklist, and they
are now being worked into
the 1041 permitting fees.
“Comparedtoothersacross
the country, we are reason-
able,” said Alamosa County
ChairmanDariusAllen.“We
don’t discourage the process,
but we have to also take care
of the county.”
Today the permitting fees
are determined on a case-by-
case basis, Baird said last
week when making her first
requesttotheAlamosaCoun-
ty Commissioners (ACC)
to restructure the figures,
and the seven prior permits
have ranged from $30,000 to
$36,000.
After considering a contin-
gency for inflation, deviation
from standard solar technol-
ogy and unusual siting, she
said $30,000 is a “sustain-
able fee for projects of this
complexity and scale.”
She also requested a stan-
dard fee of $250 is set for
the department to handle
1041 permit transfers and
amendments, which include
a public hearing and are now
not part of the fee schedule.
“You make very substan-
tial decisions in those hear-
ings,”Bairdsaidtotheboard.
“We have to do all the same
things, but we are fast track-
ing.”
Allenadded,“Weneedtobe
flexible to make those judg-
mentswithoutwastedtime.”
Utility-scale solar has
been generating reliable,
clean energy with a stable
fuel price for more than two
decades. Solar power plants
are being developed in a way
thatbalancesenvironmental
protectionwithrisingenergy
demand. The solar indus-
try is ready now to deploy
clean energy, and develop-
ing utility-scale solar power
is one of the fastest ways to
reduce carbon pollution in
the atmosphere.
A utility-scale solar power
plant can be one of several
solar technologies – concen-
trating solar power (CSP),
photovoltaics(PV),orconcen-
trating photovoltaics (CPV).
What distinguishes utility-
scale solar from distributed
generation are project size
and the fact that the electric-
ityissoldtowholesaleutility
buyers, not end-use consum-
ers.Utility-scalesolarplants
provide the benefit of fixed-
priced electricity during
peak demand periods when
electricity from fossil fuels is
the most expensive.
Courtesy photos by Greg Boyce
The Colorado
Solar Industry
Jonah Bollinger speaks to his classmates. Bollinger
is still a junior in high school in Antonito, but received
an Associate Degree from Trinidad State through the
concurrent enrollment program.
Erin Guymon is a wife and mother and a 4.0 student
who still finds time to tutor her fellow students through
the TRiO program. She was honored Friday night as
one of Trinidad State’s top graduates.
Outstanding graduates
BY JERRY RAEHAL
Chief Executive Officer
Colorado Press Associa-
tion and SYNC2 Media
DENVER—TheColorado
GeneralAssemblyadjourned
after a session that was
highlighted by the gridlock
thatoccurswithsplitcontrol
of the legislature, but with
some notable bi-partisan
successes.
Among the bills that
passed the House and failed
in the Senate were family
leave, increased minimum
wage, affordable housing,
changes in utility regula-
tions, scholarships for pre-
school teachers, elder abuse
and allowing collection of
water in rain barrels.
Conversely, the Senate
passed bills to scale back
renewableenergystandards,
repealguncontrolmeasures,
loosen reporting require-
ments in issue elections, al-
low parents more latitude to
rejectgovernmentalrequire-
ments, repeal civil rights
enforcement, exercise more
control of the health benefit
exchange, take over federal
responsibilities for land and
water and penalize commu-
nitiesthatlimitfrackingthat
died in House committees.
The reality of a legislature
where Republicans control
the Senate 18-17 and Demo-
crats rule the House 34-31
is that neither party will
be able to pass measures
that are overly partisan or
divisive.
And while a major story
line of the session has to
be the discord and ability
of each party to block each
other’s partisan priorities, it
would be a mistake to sug-
gest that nothing could be
accomplished. After years of
trying, the legislature found
the money to pass a felony
DUI bill.
Additionally, bi-partisan
packages of bills to address
work force development and
police accountability were
passedandanurbanrenewal
bill that allows counties,
school districts and special
districts input on how their
tax revenues will be used
won legislative approval.
The legislature also re-
ferredameasuretoallowthe
state to keep $58 million of
marijuana tax revenues to
votersinNovember.Perhaps
most impressively, legisla-
tion to reduce the number of
statemandatedassessments
forK-12studentswascrafted
and passed in the waning
days of the session.
Competingversionsofbills
to address the TABOR sur-
plus failed and the default
provision for earned income
tax credits and relatively
small refunds to taxpayers
will come into play. The fail-
ure of construction defects
legislationthatwasintended
to jump start moderately
priced multi-family housing
will likely see the issue shift
to local venues.
Highlights for the Colo-
rado Press Association in
2015 included passage of
HB 1137 to streamline and
simplify acquisition of mug
shots from law enforcement
agencies, defeat of HB 1085,
which would have allowed
counties to publish finan-
cial information on their
websites instead of as legal
notices in newspapers, de-
feat of HB 1115 after it was
amended to make it a crimi-
nal offense to photograph
or record someone without
their consent when there is
a reasonable expectation of
privacy, removing a provi-
sion in HB 1131 that would
have allowed the Division of
Youth Corrections to charge
for its actual costs to redact
information from reports
and passage of HB 1290 to
prohibit law enforcement
agencies from stopping
lawful recording of their
activities.
Colorado legislature produces bipartisan successes
By TERESA L. BENNS
SAGUACHE — The
Helmick family says they
have “been through hell”
since January when their
father and brother, Richard
Helmick, was beaten with
a baseball bat by a juvenile
during a domestic dispute as
James Walker, 49, looked on.
ThewifeofRichardHelmick,
estranged from him at the
timeoftheincidentandliving
with Walker and the juve-
nile who allegedly assaulted
him, has since passed away.
And now Walker has pled no
contest to a lesser charge of
reckless endangerment, a
third-degree misdemeanor.
Relatives of Helmick say
he will probably get credit for
time served and be released
from custody following his
sentencing next month. Sa-
guache County Undersheriff
James McCloskey said the
maximumpenaltyforreckless
endangerment;misdemeanor
three is six months in jail and
a $750 fine. Sentencing for
Walker is set for May 20.
Walker, 49, was initially
charged with (attempted)
murder in the second degree,
conspiracy in the act with the
juvenile to harm Helmick
and felony menacing, all
felonies. McCloskey reports
thatsecond-degreeattempted
murder charges without ex-
traordinaryriskattachedcan
resultina4-12-yearsentence.
With the extraordinary risk
attached, a sentence could
run 4-16 years.
The case could have been
pled out to a misdemeanor
one with extraordinary risk,
McCloskey said, which could
have carried a two to three-
year sentence. But there are
no extraordinary risk clauses
attachedtorecklessendanger-
ment.
Last month Richard’s son
Jarrod reported that recently
the juvenile who allegedly as-
saultedhisfatherwasreleased
from the Youth Track correc-
tionsfacilitytovisitSaguache
County for an undetermined
amount of time without the
family’s knowledge.
“They never informed our
family,” Helmick said. “They
were supposed to meet with
me and my family and they
denied us the right to speak
to a judge.”
Helmick says charges
against the youth who is ac-
cused of attacking his father
were reduced from attempted
murder to assault by Assis-
tant District Attorney Kurt
Schultz. Schultz commented
that the plea “is not written
in stone.”
“If they dropped it from at-
tempted murder to assault,
what does this tell other
peopleintheValley?”Helmick
queried.
The juvenile, who recently
turned 18, remains in the
Youth Track detention center
inAlamosa.Lawenforcement
sources report he soon will be
transferredtoanotherfacility
out of the area.
Three different members
of the Helmick family have
registered their outrage with
the “wrist-slap” given to the
men who very nearly killed
Richard. “They won’t know
for another year how much he
willrecoverfromhisinjuries,”
Jarrodsaidinanearlierinter-
view.Anotherfamilymember
commented that his injuries
will impact him for the rest
of his life.
Theybelievethathisattack-
ersarenotbeingheldaccount-
able, and they blame District
Attorney David Mahonee for
cuttingthemena“sweetdeal.”
They questioned whether law
enforcement has any input
intotheuseofplea-bargaining
or could intervene in the plea
bargain process.
A source close to the Sagua-
che County Sheriff’s Office
commentedMonday,however,
that once the case leaves the
office,anycontrollawenforce-
menthasinthematterisover.
“Then it’s up to the DA; there
is nothing more we can do,”
the source reported.
Other county residents also
called last week to register
their displeasure concerning
the plea deal.
According to reports filed
with the Saguache County
Sheriff’s Office, the domestic
dispute involving Helmick
ensued when Walker and the
juvenile saw someone near a
vehicle parked on the street
infrontofWalker’sresidence.
The two men approached
Helmick and began to argue
with him.
The juvenile allegedly used
Walker’s baseball bat (also
another weapon capable of
causing serious bodily injury)
tobatterandassaultHelmick
during the confrontation,
chasing him down the street.
At one point, Walker was
on a mental health hold in
Pueblo.Hehasaprevioushis-
tory of making threats to hurt
others,JarrodHelmicknoted.
SaguacheCourtsconfirmed
that charges against Walker
last year for disorderly con-
duct and making an offensive
gesture are still pending.
Sheriff Dan Warwick also
commented earlier this year
that Walker has a previous
record.
Family stunned by plea bargain deal
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