WITH OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES TO DATE OF 11,526,966,

The Montrose Mirror December 6, 2021Page 10REGIONAL NEWS BRIEFSCOLORADOCAST, NEW SHORT-TERM ECONOMIC FORECAST FROMCOLORADO FUTURES CENTER; FIRST REPORT OUT DEC. 7Special to the MirrorDENVER – ColoradoCast is a new quarterlyforecast designed to fill a gap in the suiteof forecasts produced in Colorado. With aforecast horizon of 6 months, the ColoradoCast is the only statewide economicforecast with a horizon of less than oneyear. Join a Zoom webinar presentation tohear the latest data and forecast of Colorado’s short-term economic outlook.ColoradoCast release webinarTuesday, Dec. 79:30-10:30 a.m.Register herePresenters:Henry Sobanet, senior vice chancellor andCFO, CSU SystemPhyllis Resnick, executive director andlead economist, Colorado Futures CenterAbout Colorado Futures Center:Colorado Futures Center is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to informing abouteconomic, fiscal and public policy issuesimpacting community economic healthand quality of life in Colorado and beyond.Learn more about Colorado Futures Center at https://www.coloradofuturescsu.org/About ColoradoCast:ColoradoCast is a short-term(approximately 6 months ahead) economic forecast for the Colorado economy developed by the Colorado Futures Center.It is designed to forecast a well-knowncontemporaneous measure of statewideeconomic activity, the Coincident Economic Activity Index for Colorado, developedby the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The Coincident Economic ActivityIndex includes four indicators: nonfarmpayroll employment, the unemploymentrate, average hours worked in manufacturing and wages and salaries. The trendfor the index is set to match the trend forgross state product.ColoradoCast predicts the value and annualized growth rate in the coincidentindex using six factors whose predictedrelationship with economic activity are asfollows (relationship in parentheses): theyield curve measured by the spread between two and ten month treasuries(positive), the risk spread between highquality corporate and ten year treasuryreturns (negative), employment in theemployment services sector (positive),home prices as measured by the CaseShiller index for Denver (positive), initialclaims for unemployment insurance(negative), and the value of the Wilshire5000 stock index (positive).

The Montrose Mirror December 6, 2021Page 11REGIONAL NEWS BRIEFSBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT WELCOMES NEW FIELDMANAGER TO THE UNCOMPAHGRE FIELD OFFICESpecial to the MirrorMONTROSE-The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) welcomes Suzanne Coppingas the new Uncompahgre Field Managerin Montrose, Colo. Suzanne will be responsible for guiding resource decisionson nearly 900,000 acres of public land inBLM Colorado's Southwest District, including the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, a portion of the DominquezEscalante National Conservation Area, andfour river systems—the Gunnison, SanMiguel, Dolores, and Uncompahgre.“The lands that make up the Uncompahgre Field Office radiate a natural beauty that is unparalleled in the UnitedStates,” said acting District Manager Elizabeth Dawson. “Suzanne will do a spectacular job leading the Uncompahgre FieldOffice and faithfully serve our stakeholders, partners and community.”Suzanne started her federal career in2001 as a program manager with the National Park Service’s National HeritageAreas program in Washington, facilitatinglandscape-scale heritage and workinglandscape conservation and stewardship.She came to the BLM to broaden her perspective on federal public land management and to experience the challengesand opportunities of managing for multiple-use.Suzanne served as the as the AssociateDistrict Manager for the Rocky MountainDistrict in Cañon City, Colorado from 2017to 2021. She has served as acting FieldManager for Gunnison Field Office, actingField Manager for Uncompahgre FieldOffice, and acting District Manager forRocky Mountain District.“I’m excited for the opportunity to leadand guide this talented and dedicatedstaff as we navigate through all manner ofchallenges,” said Field Manager SuzanneCopping. “It’s an honor to protect andmanage the remarkable resources withinthe Uncompahgre Field Office for ourcommunities and visitors to enjoy.”She comes to the Western Slope with herhusband Kevin, who has listened to,coached, and supported her as they tookto the West in 2017. Proficient in BLM law,policy, and regulation, with strong prob-lem-solving and relationship-buildingskills, Suzanne will engage directly withlocal partners and constituents to carryout BLM’s important mission.

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The Montrose Mirror December 6, 2021Page 13REGIONAL NEWS BRIEFSCOTTONWOOD HOLLOW PRESCRIBED BURN PLANNEDSpecial to the MirrorDELTA– Fire Management Officials fromthe Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests’ OurayRanger District plan to conduct the DillardMesa unit of the Cottonwood Hollow prescribed burn, Monday, Dec. 6, dependingupon weather and appropriate groundand vegetation conditions.The project area is located 27 miles westof Montrose and will burn approximately750 acres of Gambel Oak and PonderosaPine. Only a single day of ignition isplanned with monitoring through the nextseveral days pending forecasted precipitation for next week.The purpose for the prescribed burn is toimprove vegetation regeneration, wildlifehabitat, reduce hazardous vegetation(fuels) buildup and to promote a wildfireresilient landscape.Safety of firefighters and the public arethe most important factors consideredwhen planning a prescribed burn.Fire Management Officers and Fuels Specialists spend countless hours developingdetailed prescribed fire plans that detailspecific weather, fuel conditions andstaffing and safety requirements. Ignitionswill occur using ground and aerial techniques. Ignitions only occur if conditionsare conductive to a safe, effective operation and within appropriate smoke dispersal parameters set by the State of Colorado.The prescribed burns will be accomplished using joint-agency fire resources,mitigation measures and protocols thatare in place to reduce the risk and transmission of COVID-19. Air quality will beclosely monitored to mitigate smoke related impacts to communities. Smoke maybe visible in the Delta, Olathe and Montrose areas.For information on prescribed burns, pileburns, wildfires and fire restrictions onNational Forest System lands and otherareas, call the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgreand Gunnison National Forests Fire Information line at (970) 874-6602, visit theGMUG Forest website: www.fs.usda.gov/gmug, GMUG Fire Information: https://www.facebook.com/GMUGFireInfo/ orTwitter: https://twitter.com/GMUG NF.For more information on how prescribedburning and pile burning smoke mayaffect your health, please visit: nd-health.

The Montrose Mirror December 6, 2021Page 14BOCC APPROVES 2021 COUNTY ROAD MAP, CONTINUES PUBLICHEARING ON DRAFT OF NEW ZONING REGULATIONSThe Montrose Board of County Commissioners(BOCC) met on Thursday, Dec. 2.By Caitlin SwitzerMONTROSE-In a regular but rescheduledmeeting, the Montrose County Board ofCommissioners (BOCC) convened at 1pmon Thursday, Dec. 2. All commissionerswere present.BOCC Chair Sue Hansen welcomed everyone and opened the meeting.Pastor Karl Leuthauser of Grace Community Church delivered the invocation,citing Mathew 1:23, and adding, “Thepoint of Christmas, I believe, is God beingwith us.that’s what the point of life is.”Leuthauser asked God to be with thosegathered in the meeting room. “.We askfor your love and the blessing of yourpresence to be with them.County Attorney Marti Whitmore led all insaying the Pledge of Allegiance.PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODThere were no comments heard from thepublic on non-agenda items.COUNTY MANAGERCounty Manager Jon Waschbusch had nochanges to the meeting agenda.CONSENT AGENDAConsent Agenda items were unanimouslyapproved, with Resolution No. 51-2021assigned to Item Three, Resolution 522021 assigned to Item Six, Resolution No.53-2021 assigned to Item Eight, and Resolution No. 54-2021 assigned to Item Nine.GENERAL BUSINESS & ADMINISTRATIVEITEMSPublic Works Director Keith Laube pre-The 2021Montrose County Road Map. Courtesy image.sented for consideration and approvalResolution No. 55-2021, regarding theadoption of the official 2021 County RoadMap. The map was previously discussed atthe meeting of Nov. 17. A sentence wasadded in response to citizen feedback,“.notice will include written notificationto adjacent property owners if there is achange in the status of a road from privateto public.”Commissioners voted unanimously toadopt the Official 2021 County Road Map.PLANNING & DEVELOPMENTHansen opened a public hearing. Planning& Development Director Steve White introduced the draft of new zoning regulations. Following numerous reviews and apublic meeting on Oct. 28, the CountyPlanning Commission has forwarded findings of fact and recommended approval.Planner Tallmadge Richmond reviewedmajor changes in detail for commissioners. The changes are largely formattingand modernization of the code, he said.Hemp processing is allowed as a use-byright only in the Industrial District.Commissioner Roger Rash said that afterreading the entire 161-page document, hefound it to be easily read and easy to follow. “.I like the updated graphics, I thinkthat brings us into more moderntimes.it’s good to see that not only arewe updating the road map we are up-dating our documents as well.”Rash thanked planning staff and the planning commission for their hours of work,as did BOCC Vice Chair Keith Caddy.Said Hansen, “.I don’t want to be theskunk in the punchbowl here, but it’s a bigdocument.I really would like to take alook at it.” She asked that the approvalbe continued to allow more time for review; commissioners agreed and voted tocontinue the public hearing and approvalof the new zoning regulations until thenext regular BOCC meeting of Dec. 15.In other Planning & Development business, the BOCC voted to approve the FoxHill Minor Subdivision proposal to divide a22.87 acre lot into three lots at 66324Landfill Road; the Millard Minor Subdivision proposal to divide a 18.9 acre lot intotwo lots at 63555 Spring Creek Road; theWest Canaan Partners Large Tract Exemption proposal to divide two lots from a75.090 acre parcel at Parcel399320100004; an IntergovernmentalAgreement (IGA) between the City andCounty of Montrose; and the Storm KingMountain Ranch Special Use Six MonthReview. Commissioners asked Planning &Development Director Steve White toreach out to Ouray County to update themon the six-month review.With no further business, the meetingwas adjourned.

The Montrose Mirror December 6, 2021Page 15NINE MEMBERS APPOINTED TORESTRUCTURED FAIR BOARDBy Caitlin SwitzerMONTROSE-The Montrose Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met for a specialmeeting on Friday, Dec. 3. All three commissioners were present; FairgroundsManager Stoney Field was present as welland led in saying the Pledge of Allegiance.There were no public comments, nochanges to the agenda, and no consentagenda items.With recent bylaw changes to the CountyFair Board, commissioners had dissolvedthe existing board. The purpose of thespecial meeting was to appoint new members.Field said that there had been 17 applicants, which is unprecedented. “I trulyappreciate all of your efforts.”“.The fair is really important to Montrose County,” BOCC Chair Sue Hansensaid, “and it is impressive that we’ve hadso many people, considering that we hada bylaw change that was potentially sortof upsetting to a number of people.”She commended those who applied andencouraged those who were not selectedto be involved on committees and in othercapacities. “We need a lot of help at thefair, everybody knows that.”“I’m just glad we got it done,” Vice ChairKeith Caddy said. “Those changes neededto be done for a lot of years, and I thinkwe’ve done the right thing. The responsewe’ve had from the public definitely saysthat we’ve done the right thing.”. Nine applicants were appointed to one,two, and three-year terms so as to staggerthe initial terms of the restructured board.Appointed to one-year terms were ChrisCohick, Kim Wilson, and Justin Gleason.Appointed to two-year terms were MattBox, Kelsey Clock, and Tammy Stroup.Appointed to three-year terms were CodyBrown, Chad Dunlap, and Raimey Suppes.“I truly feel like this is going to be a verystrong board,” Field said. “.I think yourcandidates are super strong.”Those who were not selected were trulyready to help and make themselves available, he said. “They all had some great vision.in reality I think that this is by farone of the best situations that I’ve been insince being a liaison with the County FairBoard.”Some of the new applicants served on the previous board, which allows for institutionalmemory and knowledgeof how to put on thefair, Hansen said. “Asyou know it’s a hugeendeavor and it takes alot of people to make itsuccessful.the commissioners are behind you Fairgrounds Manager Stoney Field Addressed the BOCC at the100-percent, behind the special meeting of Dec. 3 (screenshot).board 100-percent, andwill help in any way we can.I’m lookingand asked for a motion to adjourn theforward to next year’s fair,” Hansen said, special meeting, which was approved.

The Montrose Mirror December 6, 2021Page 16OPINION/EDITORIAL:LETTERSRACISM AND DISCRIMINATION IS ALIVE AND WELL WITH AMERICALetter to the Editor:It is sad that racism and discrimination isalive and well with America. Racism canhappen with any race, not only whites.Discrimination can occur with any nationality or even within nationalities or justsocial bias within groups.The latest case is with Kyle Rittenhousewith the mainstream media and the lefttrying to tie racism to Mr. Rittenhouse, awhite 17-year-old white man at the timeof the shootings. If you were to hearmainstream media reports and theirattempts to make Mr. Rittenhouse a whitesupremacist, you would think the peoplekilled and wounded were minorities. Farfrom the truth. All three persons killed orwounded were white and most (if not all,with criminal backgrounds.)This entire episode began when JacobBlake, a black man that was wanted bypolice for third degree sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct in a domestic violence case with the mother ofhis child or children, ignored attempts atdetention by police.Blake was no choir boy. He had sexuallyassaulted the mother of his child abouttwice per year. Not a reason to be wounded and paralyzed, but that is the price tobe paid when you do not comply with police orders and police feel their lives arethreatened. At the time of the shooting,Mr. Blake was trespassing and breakinginto a vehicle he had no right to be in.Media tries to portray the criminals asvictims and not the criminals they trulyare.Until a situation reported to police is investigated, police have the right (and obligation) to detain parties that may be involved to deescalate a potential criminalsituation. Jacob Blake was not within hisrights to resist detention from officers.Black Lives Matters activists started protests after the police officer was determined to have acted within departmentprocedures and was determined to haveacted properly. The protests eventuallybecame riots with looting and large scaleproperty damage including fires.Mr. Rittenhouse went to protect privateproperty and provide first aid if needed.During the protests, Mr. Rittenhouse became involved in a scuffle. The woundedparty admitted on the witness stand in thetrial that he pointed a gun at Mr. Rittenhouse.The trial determined that Mr. Rittenhouseacted in self defense and was not guilty.After the trial, he admitted if things couldbe done over he would not have gone tothe protests.After going through the trial (being improperly charged in the first place) anddisruption to his life, socialists at ArizonaState University (ASU) want Mr. Rittenhouse to be excluded from being able toget an education at that university. Due tothe socialists discriminatory rhetoric, theyare attempting to take the rights of a freeman away from him.Who are the racists and who are beingdiscriminatory?Ed Moreland, Montrose

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The Montrose Mirror December 6, 2021Page 18REGIONAL NEWS BRIEFSKATIE ALBIA LEADS DELTA BRANCH FOR ALPINE BANKSpecial to the MirrorDELTA– Alpine Bank has promoted KatieAlbia to serve as manager of Alpine BankDelta. Katie started with the organizationin 2018, at the Dillon location, as a teller.Her parents opened her first youth savingsaccount in 2000 when the bank opened inSummit County, so she’s fond of sayingthat in addition to working for AlpineBank, she’salso been alifelong customer.Katie transferred fromDillon to Alpine Bank Delta in 2019. Inrecognition ofher talent anddedication to Alpine Bank has promotAlpine Bank,ed Katie Albia to serveshe was proas manager of Alpinemoted toBank Delta. Courtesybanking officer photo.in 2021. As herpredecessor Barbara Wolfe retires at theend of 2021, Katie will move into Barbara’s management role and run the Deltabranch.“Katie’s hard work, attention to detailand her can-do, positive attitude are extremely valuable to our organization,”says Mike Burns, Alpine Bank regionalpresident. “That, plus her commitment tothe people, businesses and nonprofits ofDelta County make her the ideal leader.”Katie is a Colorado native, born andraised in Silverthorne. After Katie’s parents and grandparents both relocated tothe Western Slope, Katie and her husbandquickly followed. “Family is important, andwe fell in love with the West Slope of Colorado,” said Katie “When I started working at Alpine Bank, I felt like I was home. Itake so much pride in working for an organization that gives back to individualcommunities – communities that makeColorado such a great place to live andwork. I am honored to take on this roleand look forward to great opportunitiesand partnerships in Delta County.”

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The Montrose Mirror December 6, 2021Page 21REGIONAL NEWS BRIEFSCALAMITY HILLS PRESCRIBED BURN PLANNEDSpecial to the MirrorGMUG Forest website: www.fs.usda.gov/GRAND JUNCTION– Fire Managementgmug, GMUG Fire Information: https://Officials from the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) NationalForests’ Grand Valley Ranger District planto conduct the Calamity Hills prescribedburn, Sunday, Dec. 5, depending uponweather and appropriate ground and vegetation conditions.The project area is located 8 miles northeast of Gateway and will burn approximately 1500 acres of overgrown and decaying vegetation. Only a single day ofignition is planned with monitoringthrough the next several days pendingforecasted precipitation for next week.The purpose for the prescribed burn is toimprove vegetation regeneration, wildlifehabitat, reduce hazardous vegetation(fuels) buildup and to promote a wildfireresiliency landscape.Safety of firefighters and the public arethe most important factors consideredwhen planning a prescribed burn. FireManagement Officers and Fuels Specialistsspend countless hours developing detailedprescribed fire plans that detail specificweather, fuel conditions and staffing andsafety requirements. Ignitions will occurusing ground and aerial techniques. Ignitions only occur if conditions are conductive to a safe, effective operation andwith

profit Mexican American Development Association (MADA) to renovate the kitchen space at MADA and expand use of the event space for community gatherings. O hair Sue Hansen and ommissioner Roger Rash were present for the meeting, along with ounty Manager Jon Waschbus