A rockslide closed I-70 westbound near the No Name rest area for over three hours Saturday afternoon. 

CDOT Regional Communications Manager Lisa Schwantes said she was notified of the incident, just east of Glenwood Springs at mile marker 119, around 2:15 p.m.

Westbound traffic was being stopped at Dotsero as maintenance crews cleared rocks and debris from the roadway.       

No serious injuries were reported as a result of Saturday’s rockslide according to Schwantes. However, a semi-truck required towing and rocks scattered along the interstate were large enough to require a front-end loader, Schwantes said.

I-70 westbound reopened at around 5:20 p.m.

In the immediate area of the rockslide, I-70 westbound was limited to one lane and CDOT urged motorists to use caution.

Saturday’s rockslide was the first of the season to cause an interstate closure, Schwantes said.

Editor’s note: The weather isn’t making it easy for many folks to get a print copy of Friday’s paper, so we’ve made the e-edition free to access today. Go here to read Friday’s paper.

Roaring Fork School District has canceled school Friday in anticipation of continued adverse weather.

All after-school and extracurricular activities are also canceled, although Glenwood Springs High School’s girls swim team had already left for an event in Grand Junction and would still compete.

In a statement Thursday night, district public information officer Kelsy Been said early reports point to unsafe road conditions continuing Friday.

“Although we do not usually make snow day decisions this early, we’ve received earlier than usual reports from road and highway plowing operations departments of expected unsafe and hazardous road conditions,” Been writes. “Any decision to cancel school is based on student and staff safety.”

Go here to read Roaring Fork School District’s policy on cancellations.

In addition:

• Colorado Mountain College’s Glenwood Center, Spring Valley, Carbondale, Rifle and Leadville campuses will be closed Friday for the entire day. The Aspen campus remains open. Central Services in Glenwood is closed. For more information, call the CMC Rifle snow line at 625-6990 or the CMC Spring Valley/Glenwood Center snow line at 947-8153.
• Glenwood Springs City Hall will open at 10 a.m. Friday, instead of 8. The Community Center will open at 6 a.m. for normal business hours.

• Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is closed Friday. Friday Afternoon Club is canceled.
• Interstate 70 westbound from Golden to the Eisenhower Tunnel is closed. No alternate routes are available, and CDOT strongly recommends people don’t travel during today’s storm.

A winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service remains in effect until 5 p.m. Friday, with up to 8 inches of snow expected Thursday night and up to 4 more inches expected Friday morning.

Garfield School District 16 schools in Parachute are not canceled for Friday, and Friday is a normal off day for Garfield Re-2 schools.

Call 511 for the most up-to-date road conditions.

The City of Glenwood Springs will be hosting an informational webinar and listening session on proposed zoning changes in preparation for the agenda item’s return to city council on May 16, according to a city news release. 

The webinar will take place from 5-7 p.m. on April 29 over Zoom and the City of Glenwood Springs Facebook page. 

The original proposal for zoning amendments, presented by Senior Planner Watkins Fulk-Gray and Community Development Director Hannah Klausman, was first brought to city council during their Nov. 16 regular session and focused on three major topics: 

• Consideration of allowing duplexes and triplexes in zone districts where they are not currently allowed.  
• Consideration of changes to lot standards.  
• Consideration of six changes to the city’s density bonus provisions (resolution, not ordinance). 

The proposal cited the 551 responses received from a community survey on the proposed zoning changes. The survey was available online from Aug. 23-Sept. 20 and was shared through email, the city’s text alert system, on social media and through paper flyers. 

The agenda item received mixed reactions from the 12 residents who gave public comment, though the majority said they felt council should hold off from voting until more residents had sufficient information about the changes. 

City council passed a motion to table the discussions by a 6-1 vote, and have since then reviewed the proposal in a Feb. 15 city council work session. 

The proposal will now officially return before Glenwood Springs City Council, with the goal of providing more information to residents (as requested by public commenters in November) through a city-hosted webinar before the May 16 presentation.

“As our community looks for ways to address our housing needs, we want everyone to understand what the proposed changes are and how they would be applied,” Director of Community and Economic Development Hannah Klausman said in the release. “We hope that everyone who wants to be involved in this decision will attend the live session or watch the recording before the May 16 meeting.” 

The proposed changes to minimum lot standards and the allowance of duplexes by-right (which are currently allowed only by Special Use Permit) would “add options for property owners that are interested in developing or redeveloping their land,” according to the release. 

All are welcome and encouraged to attend the webinar. Information and meeting recordings will be available online at gwsco.info/ZoningReform. 

To submit public comment for city council consideration, residents may email written comments to CityCouncil@cogs.us by May 10 or attend the May 16 City Council meeting. 

Spanish interpretation will be available on the Zoom call and the Spanish-language webinar recording will be available online on April 30. For accessibility accommodations requests, please contact the city at ADAteam@cogs.us or 970-384-6441. 

Zoom Details

Join online at zoom.us/join or call-in to 719-359-4580. The Webinar ID is 841 9556 4598 and the passcode is 81601. 

Live life, give life

Thank you to the City of Glenwood Springs for proclaiming April National Donate Life Month. The Chris Klug Foundation appreciates Mayor Ingrid Wussow and Town Manager Steve Boyd, and is grateful for the city council’s time and effort to share this life-saving message publicly. Furthermore, it was really special to see just how much the council cares about local affairs, as they allowed for all members of our party to share their connections to donation and transplantation, took multiple photos, and immediately shared the story on their social media. It means everything to see our mission shared in our community.

NDLM encourages nationwide registration of organ, eye, and tissue donors. CKF is a nonprofit in Aspen that promotes donation awareness across the state and nationwide. In partnership with Donor Alliance, the Colorado organ procurement organization and donor registry, CKF is advocating for local recognition of NDLM in Western Slope municipalities.

Over 103,000 children and adults are on the U.S. transplant waitlist. Someone is added every eight minutes, and 17 people die every day waiting. While 95% of Americans agree with donation, only 48% register. But just one deceased donor can save 8 lives and heal 75 more. One blood donor can save 3 lives. One bone marrow donor can cure somebody’s blood cancer. And living donors can donate one kidney, and part of their liver, pancreas, lung and small intestine.

In 2015, my father received a lifesaving heart transplant. Because one donor said yes, my dad is alive 8 and a half years later.

Visit chrisklugfoundation.org to learn more. Make sure your loved ones know your decision, and you know theirs. For more information, contact Jessi at jessi@chrisklugfoundation.org.

Jessi Rochel, Aspen

Hotel Maxwell Anderson: What’s in a name?

The mystery of the Maxwell Anderson (née The Hotel Denver) may be solved. Maxwell Anderson is in fact not a train conductor but a Wisconsin man charged with First Degree Murder. He is alleged to have murdered and dismembered a young college student from Milwaukee. Just google Maxwell Anderson and you immediately find: “Maxwell Anderson charged in death and mutilation of Sade Robinson, missing Milwaukee woman” (CNN).

I sincerely hope that future guests are not confused that they are not in a hotel in Denver or Glenwood, but perhaps in a Wisconsin Jail. Google can be confusing. But a solution is at hand, just rename the former Hotel Denver the Bate’s Motel. Problem solved!

Tony Hershey, Glenwood Springs

A reminder on on PI’s letters policy

Letter to the Editor submissions can be sent to letters@postindependent.com, or submitted via our online form at http://www.postindependent.com.

Letters must include: Author’s name, hometown(s), affiliation (if any), physical address and phone number (for verification of residency and authorship only).

Policy: The decision to print any letter to the editor is completely at the discretion of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent editor. Because of space constraints, please limit your letters to 2,100 characters (roughly 350 words). Regular letter writers will be limited to one letter per month, unless decided otherwise at the editor’s discretion.

Letters considered libelous, obscene, in bad taste or containing personal attacks will not be printed. Form letters and letters containing long lists of names will not be printed.

Thank-you letters can be up to 150 words and may name up to three business entities.

Letters must include the author’s name, complete mailing address, affiliation (if any) and phone number. We publish only your name and hometown, but need your contact information to verify that you wrote the letter.

Anonymous letters will not be printed. The Glenwood Springs Post Independent reserves the right to edit all letters.

Glenwood Springs Post Independent

Children deserve the freedom to learn and the freedom to be themselves. Public libraries actively support those freedoms for all kids, regardless of their background or identity. Garfield County libraries are a shining example of how libraries can create spaces where all kids feel like they belong.

Sadly, in another attempt to fuel divisions within our communities, certain politicians and far-right organizations are trying to turn people against our libraries. They are manufacturing a moral panic around certain books — supposedly for their sexually explicit content, but the books they are going after are disproportionately those by or about LGBTQ+ persons and people of color. Books with LGBTQ+ characters and books addressing racism are being targeted even when they include no sexual content.

Getting people riled up against our libraries and these books serves their larger political agenda, which is spelled out in The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a plan to guide a potential second presidential term for Donald Trump. Over 100 far-right organizations have endorsed the project.

The 900-page policy book Mandate for Leadership outlines the policy priorities for Project 2025. It calls for a “biblical definition” of marriage and family and eliminating the Department of Education, teacher unions, and all diversity, equity and inclusion programs. It refers to “transgender ideology” as “pornography,” and advises that teachers and public librarians who provide access to such materials “should be classed as registered sex offenders.”

One of Project 2025’s “coalition partners” is Moms for Liberty, a group that advocated loudly in favor of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill and is currently leading the charge to ban school and library books across the country.

Last fall, the nation-wide attacks against libraries reached Garfield County. A small vocal group began pushing to restrict access to certain books they claim include “deviant sexual activity” — and the Garfield County commissioners jumped on the bandwagon.

At one county commissioner meeting, a community member characterized the American Library Association as being “very opposed to heterosexual Christian family values” and supporting “a climate agenda,” and Commissioner Mike Samson agreed.

“Everything you said is correct,” Samson said, “May God bless you for saying what you said today.”

The commissioners say they don’t want to ban books, they “just” want to ensure minors can’t access certain books. Restricting access to books, however, is a form of banning books, which runs counter to our libraries’ mission of providing free access to as wide a selection of books as possible.

The targeted books are currently shelved in the adult section of our libraries, as are thousands of other books containing content inappropriate for children. Librarians have never before been charged with the responsibility of preventing children from reading those books.

As Rifle resident Christy Ray stated at the Freedom to Read forum: “Is it the public library’s responsibility to decide what I or my family reads? And is it a government official’s responsibility to decide what I or my family reads? …(T)he answer to both is a resounding no.”

The vast majority of Americans agree: parents should have the freedom to decide what their children can or can’t read.

The local effort to restrict books has revealed itself to be about more than simply protecting children from sexually explicit content. One of the targeted books was not even part of our library’s collection until a leader of this group requested it. Another leader removed a book from the adult section of the Silt library and left it in the kids’ section, face up to a sexually explicit image. Recently, our libraries discovered over 100 books dealing with LGBTQ+ themes or Latino immigration that were removed from the shelves and hidden.

Rather than focusing their time and energy on addressing our housing crisis or the upcoming wildfire season, the commissioners have decided to start regulating the library by taking control over the process of selecting new library trustees, eliminating the longstanding practice of library trustees themselves selecting each new member.

Protect Our GarCo Libraries, a group of concerned community members, urges everyone to help maintain the integrity of our libraries by writing Letters to the Editor, speaking up at BOCC and Library Board meetings, and attending the commissioners’ April 30 meeting when they will be interviewing library trustee candidates.

Ordinary people throughout history have fought to make our libraries welcoming and accessible to all. Women’s clubs of the 1890s delivered library materials to remote rural areas. Black student activists in the 1960s held sit-ins to desegregate public libraries. Now it’s time for us to join together and ensure our libraries serve and honor all our kids equally.

Let’s speak up in support of maintaining our libraries as places where all kids — whatever their background, immigration status, sexuality or gender identity — can see themselves reflected in books, read about struggles similar to ones they may be facing, and celebrate their authentic selves.

Debbie Bruell of Carbondale chairs the Garfield County Democrats and is a past member of the Roaring Fork Schools Board of Education.

Storied Development LLC (Storied) has applied for an amendment for the approved planned unit development for the Spring Valley Ranch (PUD) development with Garfield County.

Storied is a land development firm that focuses on developing private residential communities in the United States, the Caribbean and Mexico. The current PUD for Spring Valley was approved in 2008 for 577 residential units, an 18-hole golf course, a short course, and numerous other amenities.

Storied is under contract to purchase the Spring Valley Ranch property, which is located north of Carbondale. 

“Spring Valley Ranch has a PUD in place and this development has been planned for years. Some of the early plans date back to the 1980s. The most recent approval is the 2008 plan. Right now all the zoning is based on the 2008 PUD. It has sat dormant for several years. There hasn’t really been a development team in place to embrace this project and create a long-term vision for it,” said Kathleen Wanatowicz, the local outreach coordinator for the project. 

According to Storied, the details of the new PUD proposal include:

• Consolidate the land plan and reduce the average lot size, reducing roads, and clustering homesites into phased neighborhoods.

• Increase dedicated open space to 3,249 acres, representing over 55% of the total property. This is achieved by downsizing and clustering the homesites and by reducing the size of the irrigated golf course by nearly 50%. Benefits include: 700 acres of public open space including 15-20 miles of hiking and biking trails and 1,100 acres of elk and deer habitat reserve.

• A total of 13% of the project will be deed-restricted affordable housing, and 58 of the 75 affordable housing units will be available to qualified Garfield County residents with 70-110% AMI.

• A General Store located at the corner of CR 114 and CR 115.

• Construction of a full-time, staffed fire station with EMS serving Spring Valley area residents.

• Wildfire mitigation plans and ongoing wildfire readiness measures.

• The creation of a 2% Real Estate Transfer Fee that will generate new funding in the area annually.

• Phased road improvements, including the intersection at SH-82 and CR-114 and reconstruction of CR-114 to meet county standards.

The difference is stark when comparing the 2008 PUD with the new proposed PUD, developer representatives explained. 

“Everything in what we call the upper bench were 10-25 acre home sites that had only well and septic. You can see that there is no dedicated open space either. What we did is ask, how can (we) consolidate some of this to create corridors and open space and wildlife refuges?” said Aaron Smith, the National Marketing Director for Storied. 

Smith said that the new proposed PUD has the same number of units as the previous plan, but has reduced the lot size to 2-4 acres, freeing up open spaces for wildlife and recreational trails. The golf course has been reduced by 50% as well, to be less of a demand on the land and to make room for affordable housing, a general store and a sales office. 

By reducing the lot sizes, Smith said that all residential units will be able to have water systems in place, enabling the lots to be off of well and septic.  

Storied will continue its community outreach efforts to get feedback from the public. Concerns expressed by some so far include the project’s focus on high-end housing and not including more affordable or deed-restricted housing. Another concern is the additional water use that this project would pull. Community members expressed worry that the strain of tapping a new aquifer could have unintended consequences on water demand in an already water-tight market. That is on top of the proposed construction, including road construction and traffic congestion, which will directly impact those already living in the area.

The developers said that this would be a long-term project and an investment that would be built up over 10-15 years. Over the next few months, Storied sees its PUD proposal going to the Garfield County Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners, who will review the PUD Amendment application. Depending upon BOCC approval, the Spring Valley Ranch project would start its Preliminary Plan review afterward. Storied expects this process to be completed in 2025-2026 and at the very earliest, the first phase of construction would be slated to begin in 2026 or 2027.

Alec Larson, residente de Rifle y limpiador de alfombras local, se convirtió en un héroe el jueves cuando salvó a una madre y a su bebé de un accidente automovilístico en llamas en la Autopista 82. Larson, quien creció en Carbondale, se dirigía al trabajo cuando fue testigo de las consecuencias de la colisión.

“Estaba pasando la salida de Cattle Creek en dirección valle abajo hacia Glenwood Springs y Carbondale… ambos autos estaban en muy mal estado,” dijo Larson. No vio ocurrir el accidente, pero fue el primero en llegar al lugar. “Yo fui el primer auto en llegar, así que me detuve a un lado de la carretera y corrí para ver al four-runner y encontré a una mujer que estaba bastante conmocionada y la ayudé a salir del auto.”

El accidente involucró a un four-runner y una Tacoma. Larson encontró a la conductora del vehículo de cuatro corredores, una madre, visiblemente conmocionada y la ayudó a salir del vehículo usando unas tijeras para cortar el cinturón de seguridad del conductor.

“La senté y pude ver el fuego comenzando debajo del four-runner,” dijo Larson. “Era bastante pequeño, pero se notaba que estaba en camino de convertirse en un incendio realmente grave.”

Fue entonces cuando la madre le gritó a Larson que su bebé todavía estaba dentro del auto.

Actuando rápidamente, Larson recuperó al bebé a través de la puerta trasera del vehículo segundos antes de que el automóvil fuera envuelto en llamas.

“Pude ver al bebé sentado detrás del asiento del conductor y pude sacarlo del auto unos 20 segundos antes de que el vehículo se incendiara,” dijo.

Entregó al bebé, que estaba ileso, a una enfermera que también se había detenido para ayudar. Mientras tanto, la situación con el otro vehículo era grave.

“Había una persona y sus dos piernas parecían completamente quebradas,” dijo Larson. “Seguía diciendo que no podía sentir sus piernas, pero el fuego comenzó a aumentar y empezaron a estallar cosas, por lo que un sheriff, un policía estatal y yo lo sacamos debido al fuego.”

Larson, quien tiene experiencia como bombero voluntario y ha respondido a varios desastres naturales desde que tenía 17 años, describió sus acciones como instintivas, especialmente dada su historia personal. Larson, padre de tres hijos, perdió a una de sus hijas en el 2020.

“Es casi una segunda naturaleza,” dijo Larson. “Perdí a mi hija por cosas bastante horribles que no pude evitar. Siempre que hay un niño involucrado, no lo pienso mucho.”

La madre que conducía el four-runner fue operada debido a un trauma en la cabeza, una muñeca y varias costillas rotas, según Larson, quien se mantuvo en contacto con la familia a través de la niñera de la familia, con quien Larson asistía a la escuela. Hasta el momento se desconoce el estado del conductor de la Tacoma.

After a storied 30-year career at Glenwood Springs High School, track and field coach Blake Risner is preparing to retire following the end of the season. Under Risner’s leadership, the Glenwood Springs Demons clinched 11 4A Western Slope League Championships, marking a significant era in the school’s athletic history.

Risner, who grew up in Vista, California, discovered his passion for track and field at the age of 10, which carried him through high school and into college athletics. After attending athletic powerhouse Vista High School, he attended MiraCosta College before transferring to Adam State College in Alamosa, Colorado, where he was able to claim an indoor national championship with the team during the 1990 season.

“It really played a big role in me becoming a coach,” Risner said, reflecting on his time at Adam State, known for its premier track and field and cross-country programs. “Going there just further grew my love for the sport and made me realize that I wanted to do something competitive within the sport after I was done in the collegiate ranks.”

This experience set the stage for his later coaching roles, including his start as a jumps coach at Alamosa High School under coveted Colorado High School Coaches Association Hall of Famer Larry Zaragoza.

Risner joined the Demons’ coaching staff in 1993, embarking on a three-decade tenure that saw his teams become a dominant force in state and league competitions. Following the departures of Don Miller and Mickey Cook, Risner took full reins of both the girls and boys teams in 1997. Risner has also acted as the physical education teacher at Glenwood Springs Middle School.

“I was super passionate about it and knew it was something that I wanted to do,” Risner said. “The P.E. teacher position is what brought me up here, but I knew I wanted to be a part of the track and field program.”

Risner’s first regional victory in 2000 sparked a series of successful seasons, bolstering the Demons’ reputation as a competitive force.

Despite challenges in the highly competitive 4A classification which has prevented the Demons from taking home a state championship, Risner’s coaching propelled about 75 athletes into collegiate track and field careers. 

“We did not win a state championship, but lots of individual state champions came from our program,” Risner added, underscoring the individual successes that highlighted his coaching era. “The best feeling has been seeing these athletes grow throughout the years and staying in touch with them as they have continued to move forward with their lives.”

Carly Setterberg, a former class of 2015 runner for the Demons, praised Risner’s impact.

“He always expected the most from us,” Setterberg said. “He is the type of coach that pushes you to the point where you exceed the expectations that you have for yourself. I think anyone who has ever been coached by him can say that he turns you into an individual with a high work ethic.”

As Risner looks ahead to retirement, he plans to pursue his passion for golf, leveraging his groundskeeping experience — labor he has done for the Roaring Fork School District for the past 26 years — to potentially work on a golf course. 

“There was a point where I thought I would coach and teach for 45 years, but I think it just feels right at the moment,” Risner said. “Being fully eligible for retirement, I am ready to hit the course as much as I can.”

Risner will spend one more year as the physical education teacher at Glenwood Springs Middle School as part of a transitional year before fully stepping away from the school district.

Reflecting on his career, Risner said he feels fulfilled by his journey at Glenwood Springs. He added that his deep connection with the sport and his athletes made his time as a coach profoundly meaningful.

“This program has been everything to me,” Risner said. “Both teaching and coaching, to be able to make a career out of what you love to do and what you are passionate about has been absolutely incredible. It’s given me my identity.”

As he prepares to pass the baton, Risner hopes his successor will continue the tradition of excellence and perhaps steer the team toward the elusive state championship. For now, the community, his former athletes and countless colleagues will remember him simply as “Coach,” a testament to his lasting influence and identity in Glenwood Springs and to the sport he loves.

La Junta Directiva de Colorado Mountain College nombró a Matt Gianneschi como el único finalista para el próximo presidente y director ejecutivo de CMC el 15 de abril, según un comunicado de prensa de CMC.

Gianneschi fue seleccionado como parte de la búsqueda interna de la junta y anteriormente se desempeñó como director de operaciones de la universidad, durante el cual trabajó junto a la actual presidenta Carrie Besnette Hauser durante 10 años, según el comunicado.

La presidenta de la junta, Peg Portscheller, dijo al Post Independent en marzo que la junta directiva comenzaría su búsqueda con una solicitud únicamente interna, después de la cual considerarían extenderla a una búsqueda externa dependiendo del nivel de interés de los candidatos dentro de la universidad.

“Debido a que Carrie ha hecho un trabajo tan fenomenal al construir la reputación de la universidad, reclutando y reteniendo personas tan maravillosas, estamos comenzando con un proceso exclusivamente interno,” dijo Portscheller al Post Independent en marzo. “Eso nos da el lujo de tener la oportunidad de visitar a personas del interior de la organización que no sólo pueden tener un profundo interés en nuestra universidad, sino que también tienen… sangre, sudor y lágrimas en la institución.”

El puesto estuvo abierto para solicitudes internas del 27 de marzo al 5 de abril. Poco más de una semana después de anunciar que Hauser dejaría su puesto, la junta publicó una encuesta solicitando opiniones de los empleados, estudiantes y miembros de la comunidad de CMC. La encuesta se publicó tanto en inglés como en español y recibió aproximadamente 400 encuestados, según el comunicado.

“Los fideicomisarios entrevistaron a Gianneschi el lunes 15 de abril durante una sesión ejecutiva y luego, después de una cuidadosa deliberación y discusión, votaron unánimemente para nombrarlo como el único finalista para el puesto,” afirma el comunicado.

La junta designará formalmente a Gianneschi para el cargo durante su reunión del 29 de abril, aunque la junta dijo que todavía necesitan solidificar los detalles de la transición presidencial.

Portscheller afirmó que los principales logros de Gianneschi dentro de la universidad son una gran parte de lo que lo prepara y califica para el rol de presidente de la universidad. Su trabajo dentro de la universidad ha incluido el desarrollo del plan estratégico Mountain Futures recientemente lanzado, ayudando a duplicar la inscripción de hispanos y latinos del 15% al 30% desde el 2014, ampliando las ofertas de inscripción simultánea en las escuelas secundarias locales y su trabajo “como autor de legislación y políticas que permitieron a la universidad lanzar programas como Fund Sueños — el cual apoya a DACA y a estudiantes indocumentados — estabilizar los fondos para CMC y apoyar a los maestros rurales K-12 para ayudarlos a enseñar en las comunidades montañosas de la universidad,” según el comunicado.

“Creemos que los estudiantes, profesores, personal y comunidades de CMC se beneficiarán mejor si el Dr. Gianneschi ejecuta el plan estratégico que con tanto cuidado ayudó a redactar con los aportes de profesores, personal, estudiantes y comunidad,” dijo Portscheller en el comunicado.

El 19 de marzo, la presidenta de CMC, Carrie Besnette Hauser, anunció que dejaría su cargo en agosto. Hauser es la presidenta con más años de servicio en la historia de Colorado Mountain College, habiendo cumplido 10 años en el 2023. Ella misma llegó como contratación externa y aún no ha anunciado sus próximos pasos profesionales.

“El Dr. Gianneschi ha pasado toda su vida preparándose para este papel,” dijo Hauser en el comunicado. “Hablando por experiencia, es un trabajo increíblemente exigente y significativo, que requiere energía ilimitada y pasión por nuestros estudiantes y estas comunidades. La junta no podría haber elegido a una persona más calificada para el puesto.”

“Me siento honrado y lleno de humildad por la decisión de los Fideicomisarios de ofrecerme este puesto tan especial,” dijo Gianneschi en el comunicado. “Me preocupo profundamente por nuestros estudiantes, profesores, personal y las comunidades de montaña a las que servimos. Y, si bien el presidente es solo una persona, después de diez años liderando las operaciones de la universidad de manera colaborativa, transparente y basada en principios, creo que entiendo cómo guiar a CMC hacia el logro de sus compromisos estratégicos con equidad, atención, innovación e integridad.”

A principios de la década del 2000, se aprobó la primera fase de la subdivisión de Pioneer Mesa en Rifle y el terreno, una mesa plana con bonitas vistas de las montañas, se reservó para uso de construcción de viviendas.

Recientemente, en mayo del 2021, se solicitó la fase dos de la subdivisión. Siempre se supuso que fuera residencial, dijo Patrick Waller, director de planificación y administrador municipal interino de Rifle.

“La segunda parte es construir calles, agua y alcantarillado para que la gente pueda obtener permisos de construcción cuando esté listo,” dijo.

Hay diecisiete lotes, dijo, en su mayoría lotes grandes, pero varían en tamaño.

“Pasan de tres cuartos de acre a 1.3 acres, lo cual es bastante grande para lotes urbanos. Algunos tienen más cerca de 3,000 pies cuadrados o 7,500 pies cuadrados,” dijo Waller.

Las personas que solicitaron el desarrollo son Pioneer Mesa Development Company de Eagle, según Waller. Están representados por Patrick Scanlan, director de desarrollo de Fortius Capital.

“Aún no se ha construido ninguna casa. La segunda fase nos permite crear descripciones legales que se pueden escribir en una escritura, para que luego alguien pueda comprar la propiedad,” dijo Waller.

Algunos de los lotes están listos para la venta, dijo Waller, pero no se podrán vender hasta que la pieza final esté terminada.

“Pidieron una prórroga de un año,” dijo, cuando Scanlan se presentó en la última reunión del Ayuntamiento de Rifle. “Pero sólo esperan unas pocas semanas más para terminar todo.”

Scanlan dio más detalles sobre la subdivisión.

“Era una subdivisión rota como resultado de la gran recesión y es uno de los últimos vestigios de ella en Rifle,” dijo. “Es una colaboración entre Rifle y Fortius Capital.”

Scanlan dijo que compraron el terreno en el 2014, pero que el plan original para la subdivisión no funcionó.

“Originalmente era para 47 unidades, pero Rifle dijo que era demasiado denso, así que trabajamos con Rifle y Patrick Waller y encontró que el número de 17 lotes era mejor,” añadió.

Uno de los principios centrales de Fortius Capital es hacer coincidir las necesidades de la comunidad con lo que están planeando, dijo Scanlan.

“Rifle es una comunidad de cambio y transición y estos lotes atraen a una base de población más amplia,” dijo Scanlan.

Para ver los lotes ingrese al sitio web pioneermesaestates.com y vea las oportunidades para construir.

Para celebrar el Mes de la Diversidad, Glenwood Springs Chamber y FirstBank organizaron el miércoles el primer evento “Hablemos de Negocios” de la ciudad.

El evento bilingüe invitó a propietarios de negocios latinos locales y miembros de la comunidad a compartir sus historias de éxito y aprender de los proveedores locales.

“Reconociendo la rica diversidad y el espíritu empresarial dentro de la comunidad empresarial latina, buscamos crear oportunidades para promover la colaboración, el crecimiento empresarial y el éxito mutuo,” dijo Giovanna Kennedy, miembro del Consejo Asesor Empresarial Latino de Glenwood Springs Chamber.

El evento en sí comenzó con una hora social con comida servida por Hugo’s Restaurant y Taquería el Yaqui, seguida de una presentación del Consejo Asesor Empresarial Latino de Glenwood Springs Chamber y sus nuevos miembros.

El Consejo Asesor Empresarial Latino de Glenwood Springs Chamber es un comité de la Junta Directiva de Glenwood Springs Chamber con el objetivo de construir relaciones entre la junta y la comunidad empresarial latina.

Algunos de sus miembros incluyen a Jorge Rojas López de First Bank, Margarita Alvarez, Gladys Arango, Breanna McCallum y Kennedy.

“En mi trabajo con la comunidad, he tenido la fortuna y el privilegio de escuchar y detectar algunas inquietudes que se convierten en potenciales puntos de interés en los que podemos trabajar, y una de ellas es el deseo y la necesidad de nuestra comunidad latina de formar y poseer su propio negocio,” dijo Arango.

Continuó afirmando que el emprendimiento puede ayudar a los latinos a lograr la independencia económica y mejorar su calidad de vida, que es precisamente lo que el evento espera inspirar en la gente.

La segunda mitad de la noche invitó a tres empresarios latinos a compartir los desafíos, luchas y triunfos de abrir un negocio en Glenwood Springs, acompañados por un panelista de preguntas y respuestas donde representantes de Colorado Mountain College, First Tech y Garfield County Public Health respondieron preguntas sobre los recursos y pasos disponibles para los asistentes que esperan iniciar una nueva empresa comercial.

La primera en compartir su historia fue Katya Robledo Ortiz, propietaria de Kumbala Hair Salon y miembro del Consejo Asesor Empresarial Latino.

Robledo Ortiz llegó al valle en 1997, en una época en la que no había muchos negocios de propiedad latina.

Aceptó trabajos en restaurantes y limpiando casas, mientras era una joven madre y esposa. Sus horarios de limpieza la mantenían en el trabajo desde las 6 de la mañana hasta la medianoche.

“Cuando llegué a casa todo me parecía súper pequeño, porque las casas que limpiaba eran castillos para mis ojos,” dijo Robledo Ortiz. “Llegué a casa triste pero a la vez feliz porque sabía que volvía a casa, a un lugar donde tenía mucho amor, y sabía que tenía que criar un angelito mío.”

Su carrera finalmente la llevó a la enfermería y pudo ir a la escuela para trabajar como asistente de enfermería certificada cuidando a personas mayores. En 2001, su madre llegó a Colorado. La madre de Robledo Ortiz era dueña de un salón de belleza en California, donde la ayudaba desde pequeña.

“Abrí mi negocio de ropa para compartir el alquiler de la tienda local donde mi madre también abrió su salón de belleza (en Colorado),” dijo Robledo Ortiz. “Un día mi esposo me aconsejó dejar todo y dedicarme a estudiar cosmetología, estaba emocionada y súper feliz porque sabía que ya no tenía que tener tanto estrés y solo me dedicaría a estudiar una cosa.”

Robledo Ortiz abrió su salón de belleza en el 2008, aunque la asociación con su madre no funcionó, por lo que quedó completamente sola. Firmó un contrato de arrendamiento de tres años para su tienda; 16 años después, Kumbala Hair Salon todavía se encuentra en el mismo lugar.

“No sé qué pasará en el futuro, me gustaría hacer muchas cosas,” dijo. “Espero que (mis hijos) sigan mis pasos y (que) lo que quieran hacer, lo hagan con amor y dedicación.”

Mirella Ramírez, copropietaria de Specialist Auto Body Repair junto a su esposo, fue la segunda en contar su historia.

Comenzó su carrera trabajando en contabilidad en Guadalajara, México. Sin embargo, a los 23 años decidió mudarse a los Estados Unidos para cumplir sus dos mayores objetivos: aprender inglés y aprender a conducir.

“Llegué aquí y pensé que al estar en Estados Unidos sabría hablar inglés,” se rió Ramírez. “Entonces me encontré con mi primer obstáculo.”

Se matriculó en clases de inglés y poco después conoció al hombre que se convertiría en su marido. Su sueño desde que era joven era abrir su propio taller de reparación de automóviles, y Ramírez dijo que las cosas que aprendió trabajando como contadora en Guadalajara la prepararon para iniciar el negocio.

“Pero hubo muchas pruebas,” dijo en español. “No teníamos los recursos, no teníamos el equipo, no teníamos muchas cosas que necesitábamos para abrir un negocio.”

Gracias a la ayuda que recibieron de amigos y un préstamo de First Bank, pudieron abrir Specialist Auto Body Repair.

Hoy tiene tres hijos, uno de los cuales trabaja en la tienda y continúa sirviendo a la comunidad latina y en general a través de su trabajo.

“Muchos amigos nos ayudaron durante este proceso y ahora nuestro sueño es continuar ayudándolos,” dijo Ramírez.

La tercera y última historia de éxito provino de Hugo Muñoz, propietario y chef del restaurante Hugo’s en Glenwood Springs.

Originario de Veracruz, México, Muñoz emigró a los Estados Unidos a la edad de 22 años y trabajó como lavaplatos en New Jersey. No pasó mucho tiempo antes de que el chef se diera cuenta de sus habilidades culinarias y le diera la oportunidad de trabajar como cocinero.

Una vez en Colorado, trabajó como cocinero de desayunos en Snowmass Village. Muñoz dijo que tuvo muchos mentores que lo impulsaron a mejorar y lo introdujeron al lado comercial de las cosas.

“Ni siquiera sabía usar una computadora porque solo estudié hasta la secundaria,” dijo. “(Mis mentores) realmente impulsaron mi carrera.”

“Le puse mucho esfuerzo, como todo soñador,” prosiguió Muñoz. “Fue algo que disfruté… Tuve la suerte de tener buenos chefs que hasta el día de hoy son mis amigos.”

Después de dos años de trabajar en Aspen y viajar desde su casa en Rifle, Muñoz decidió abrir un restaurante en Glenwood Springs.

“Siempre pasaba por Glenwood y pensaba: ‘Quiero abrir un restaurante aquí,'” dijo. “La gente aquí es muy amable. Llevo tres años en Hugo’s y siento que la comunidad me valora mucho, al igual que yo a mis clientes.”

“Me siento muy orgulloso de ser parte de esta comunidad,” agregó Muñoz.

La parte de preguntas y respuestas del evento exploró inquietudes como: ¿Qué recursos educativos están disponibles para los inmigrantes que no terminaron la escuela secundaria? ¿Qué servicios bancarios están disponibles para personas con un número ITIN? ¿Cuáles son los requisitos para abrir una cuenta comercial o para obtener un préstamo bancario? ¿Qué tipos de permisos o licencias se requieren para abrir un negocio en la industria alimentaria?

Los interesados en tener estas discusiones pueden comunicarse con los panelistas de CMC, First Bank y Garfield County Public Health.

Rifle High School will soon be buzzing with activity as it hosts the Encourage-Nurture-Challenge Field Day 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 16. The event, organized and put on by Colorado River Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), is designed for children with intellectual disabilities, and has grown significantly since its inception nearly a decade ago.

“The event was started about nine years ago and it has grown so much since,” Colorado River BOCES Special Projects Coordinator Kristy Slife said. “It originally only started with Garfield Re-2 and there were only about 30 kids participating. Now we have students from six districts coming to participate.”

What started in 2015 and saw 30 kids from the Garfield Re-2 school district participate, now draws 180 to 190 participants from across the region, including children from Aspen along the Interstate 70 corridor to Parachute, and from Rangley and Meeker. These students typically participate in Special Olympics, but due to the lack of local track and field events, the Encourage-Nurture-Challenge Field Day fills an important gap.

“This is officially our seventh year holding this event because of COVID-19, and we can’t wait for these kids to be able to get outside and get active throughout the day,” Slife said. 

Participation is facilitated through the school systems, and students are registered for events by their special education teachers using a Google form. The events mimic those found in traditional athletics, including mini javelin throws, softball and tennis ball throws, long jumps, and various running and wheelchair-assisted events.

“We use mini javelins, which are the same height, the same javelins they use in the Special Olympics,” Slife said. “Long jumps, mini hurdles, softball throws. There are a bunch of activities that these kids will have the opportunity to participate in.”

Each participating child receives a t-shirt, which each school customizes to their liking. The atmosphere resembles a traditional track meet, with each school setting up a tent as a home base for their students.

“Most of the schools like to tye-dye their t-shirts,” Slife said. “They try to make it their own and they write on and stuff. So we just do white and then they as a school make it their own.”

The event not only provides physical activities but also addresses the sensory needs and support requirements for children with a range of intellectual and developmental challenges, including autism. Nearly as many adults attend to assist as there are participating children, projecting attendance this year to be between 450 and 500.

“We have kids that have sensory issues,” Slife said. “Most of these kids have intellectual disabilities, so we try to provide as much support as we can for all of the students.”

The enthusiasm for the event is palpable, with many children eagerly anticipating the next opportunity to compete.

“As soon as we’re done with the field day in May, by the time August hits, these kids won’t stop talking about getting back out there,” Slife said.

This continual engagement has led to the planning of other activities, such as a Special Olympics bowling event in October, which also involves local schools.

Each year, the event sees greater participation and excitement, reflecting its growing impact on the community and the students it serves.

“I think that as a community, we are excited about this event,” Slife said. “We are excited and I think that it shows every year as it continues to grow and more students are participating and more staff are participating with it, how much it means to the community.”