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- 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 Have youHave you heardheard ■ See PIT page 3 ■ See TSJC page 3 ■ See COUNTY page 3 Today'sIssue SponsoredBy: Honored for Service — Page 8 Follow us on Facebook - Alamosa 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 5-7-15 Daily pgs 1-12-Pre-Print Buttons.indd 15-7-15 Daily pgs 1-12-Pre-Print Buttons.indd 1 5/6/15 10:31 PM5/6/15 10:31 PM
- 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 5-7-15 Daily pgs 1-12-Pre-Print Buttons.indd 35-7-15 Daily pgs 1-12-Pre-Print Buttons.indd 3 5/6/15 10:31 PM5/6/15 10:31 PM